"That throne of yours isn't an easy seat either," the Emperor said to his son. "Though we don't have the mutual suspicions between kin like in the late WuDe Era, now with outspoken ministers at court daily discussing ancient ways and debating past sages, holding me to the standards of Yao and Shun, naturally they also guard against you becoming a Danzhu, ready to remonstrate at any moment. With the imperial clan flourishing and so many uncles, nephews and brothers, it's inevitable there'll be both wheat and tares. As your younger uncles and brothers grow up, their youthful temperaments remain unsettled—just look at your Fourteenth Uncle. Last year your grandfather and I both delighted in him, thinking him a rare talent. Yet within months he's caused so much trouble—who could have predicted it?"
Wei Shufen's heart pounded. Unconsciously straining her ears, she hoped to hear more from the Son of Heaven about Li Yuangui. But after Li Chengqian's vague response, the Emperor quickly changed topics:
"With the Supreme Emperor's passing, those younger uncles and aunts of yours have no one to rely on—no need to worry about them. In your free time, you should properly observe the principles of fraternal harmony. Your mother has nearly exhausted herself worrying over you brothers! Recently I've heard there are even petty people stirring trouble between you and Qingque—don't argue, I've no patience to listen. After all, you're the eldest brother, the Crown Prince in residence, overseeing state affairs yearly. Think for yourself—is it seemly to bicker with your own full brothers? You're not a child anymore, you've even taken a Crown Princess. You ought to know what benefits both state and family..."
Speaking of discord between his sons clearly agitated the Emperor. Mid-sentence, he began walking down the corridor. Unable to argue, Li Chengqian could only follow step by step to receive his admonishment. As father and son conversed, their voices gradually faded around the corner until they disappeared from view.
Wei Shufen stretched slightly, about to rise, then abruptly remembered it wasn't time yet and hastily knelt back down. Sure enough, soon after the Emperor and Crown Prince passed, a crowd of attendants appeared, hurriedly carrying towels, staffs and basins as they chased after the pair—neither daring to fall too far behind nor follow too closely.
Only when they too had vanished did the sore-backed, aching-legged Wei Shufen peek from behind the pillar curtains. Confirming no one had noticed her, she hurried back to the Supreme Polarity Hall's western chamber, just in time to see Xiaopu searching for her on Su Lingyu's orders. Claiming she'd gotten lost wandering, Xiaopu asked no further questions, leading her to a secluded side room. Within moments, Su Lingyu indeed arrived with the Seventeenth Princess.
But contrary to their expectations, though the young girl was delighted to see Wei Shufen, her first words were: "Sister Fen, if only you'd come half a day earlier! This morning I still spoke with Elder Brother, but he's no longer in the Supreme Polarity Hall."
"Is the Fourteenth Uncle not keeping vigil in the eastern chamber?" Su Lingyu asked. "Where did he go?"
The Seventeenth Princess shook her head. "I don't know. We were talking when I mentioned Sister Fen was to marry General Cheng. Suddenly he became furious, leapt up and stormed out..."
Wei Shufen's legs nearly gave way beneath her. Su Lingyu caught her arm, first murmuring "Don't panic," then questioning the princess further. Determining the girl didn't know her brother's whereabouts, she sent her back to the western chamber. Once the young princess left, Wei Shufen exclaimed anxiously:
"I must find him! With his explosive temper, he's probably gone to confront General Cheng. If they quarrel and come to blows, any injuries would be entirely my fault!""Don't worry, A Fen," Su Lingyu held her firmly. "Even if Fourteenth Young Master is young and impulsive, is General Cheng also ignorant? The Son of Heaven's trusted general—how capable he is—can't he control one young man? If you rush over blindly and the three of you confront each other, what will you say? It would only add fuel to the fire."
Her words made sense, but Wei Shufen couldn't take them in. Her heart felt stuffed with tangled hemp and cotton wadding, so suffocated she could barely breathe. She just wanted to run somewhere and cry or rage—but this was the solemn and supreme Taiji Main Hall, where she couldn't even breathe loudly.
Su Lingyu acted decisively, half-dragging her out of the hall. Amid the thunderstorm, she called for preparations to leave, saying, "It's getting late, you should go home," and escorted Wei Shufen out of the palace.
The mourning consorts and others who had come to pay respects had already been sent back to the palace quarters, where they would observe the mourning period. The Crown Princess returned to the Crown Prince's Palace, and the group walked to the main street outside Changle Gate. The rain was still falling, turning the street into a muddy mess. Pedestrians hurried by, their raincoats and hats seemingly useless as everyone was soaked inside and out.
The gate passage of Changle Gate offered some shelter from the rain, so Consort Su stopped there and ordered someone to fetch two carriages from the Crown Prince's Palace stables—one for Wei Shufen to ride home.
Wei Shufen verbally declined. As the two women stood talking in the gate passage, they suddenly saw three or five riders trotting through the heavy rain. The leader swayed unsteadily on his horse and, upon reaching Changle Gate, reined in and bent over to vomit.
The others caught up, calming the horses while helping the man dismount and carrying him toward the gate passage. The two groups weren't too close, so Su Lingyu, Wei Shufen, and the other women could see their movements clearly without being affected by the smell. As the men crowded in, the women instinctively retreated deeper into the passage to avoid them.
Everyone wore rain gear, making it hard to distinguish faces or even genders. The gate guards of Changle Gate stepped forward to check, and Wei Shufen heard them say, "It's Vice Minister Wen." Her heart stirred—the title sounded familiar.
The vomiting Vice Minister Wen was clearly drunk. As soon as he was carried into the passage, a strong stench of alcohol wafted over. The others seemed to be his attendants or subordinates, bustling around to tend to him while arguing loudly, "We're supposed to report to Xiande Hall in the Crown Prince's Palace—what do we do now?"
With the Son of Heaven in mourning, the Crown Prince had been entrusted with state affairs and was handling daily governance in Xiande Hall. From their tone, Vice Minister Wen had been summoned by Li Chengqian for official business but had the misfortune of getting drunk first—normally, drinking while on duty was already a serious offense, but during the national mourning period when alcohol and music were prohibited, this deliberate violation would at least warrant an additional level of punishment.
But that wasn't all. Amid the pouring rain, the drunken Vice Minister Wen on the ground began slurring loudly:
"Such... such heavy rain... drinking... drinking and singing are the... the real business... What's the Crown Prince's Palace... just a fox borrowing the tiger's might... making things hard..."
"Seventeenth Brother!" His companions quickly covered his mouth, glancing nervously at the guards and others in the passage. "This won't do. The roads are slippery in the rain, and Seventeenth Brother took a bad fall—his mouth is twisted, his eyes askew. There's no way he can face the Crown Prince like this."
"Right!" another agreed. "Let's just report to the Crown Prince's Palace that Vice Minister Wen's horse was startled in the mud, and he fell off, breaking a bone. He can't come to the hall today... Hurry, let's go..."After discussing, they helped Vice Minister Wen up and rushed back into the rain, leading the horses away. Wei Shufen turned to look at Su Lingyu, only to see the Crown Princess biting her lip slightly and murmuring:
"I wonder which ministry's vice minister this is, so dutifully conscientious..."
"He's Vice Minister Wen of the Court of State Ceremonial, seventeenth in his family line," Wei Shufen smiled at her. "The Court oversees funeral rites. Likely the Crown Prince summoned him to check if the rain precautions for the ceremonial procession were properly arranged, interrupting his drinking merriment."
This petty complaint was immensely satisfying. Wei Shufen recalled how Wen Seventeenth had deliberately embarrassed Prince Consort Chai's household during Princess Linfen's funeral endowment—this was truly poetic justice... If only Chai Yingluo had been here too, how perfect it would have been.
Thinking of Chai Yingluo sparked another realization—she suddenly knew exactly where she should go next.
When the Crown Prince's Palace carriages arrived, Su Lingyu parted ways with her, instructing attendants to escort Wei Shufen back to Chancellor Wei's residence in Yongxing Ward. Wei Shufen obediently agreed, bidding farewell to the Crown Princess before boarding. After passing through Tianjie Avenue and Anfumen Gate, just as they turned east not far beyond, she leaned out the carriage window to ensure no one was watching. Carefully extracting her silk handkerchief, she twisted it into the wheel axle.
The muddy street was full of potholes. The two large wooden wheels, already struggling through deep ruts with the oxen slipping at every step, immediately lurched into a massive hole when the handkerchief threw the axle off balance, immobilizing the entire carriage. The Crown Prince's attendants and driver descended to investigate, sighing and frowning in frustration.
Wei Shufen donned her rain cloak and hat, declaring, "I'm nearly home—I'll walk the rest of the way." Ignoring the servants' protests, she slipped away into the rain.
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