The Emperor coughed twice, not daring to continue laughing, and changed the subject: "Why do you think it's Chengqian? What foolish thing has that boy done now?"
It seemed the Empress still hadn't fully informed her husband about the Blood Jade Thumb Ring. Wei Shufen, however, understood the reason. She hugged her knees and held her breath, waiting to hear how the Empress would respond. After a long pause, the woman's gentle voice finally spoke slowly:
"A few days ago, I mentioned that during the WuDe Era, I gave Chengqian the Jade Thumb Ring you gave me in Hedong for him to wear. Earlier this year, your elder brother's eldest daughter Wanxi unfortunately passed away during her wedding. Yet that same Jade Thumb Ring appeared in her chamber and was discovered by Fourteenth Brother and Yingniang while they were investigating the case..."
"Ah?" The Emperor's tone was surprised. "You gave it to Chengqian, but he passed it on to his cousin? What do you think that means...?"
The Empress chuckled softly: "What does it mean? Like father, like son—where do you think my mind would go? Although Yi Niang wasn't particularly beautiful, her special background made her pitiable... Later, I questioned Chengqian directly. He swore up and down that he had nothing to do with it, and Yingniang's investigation also suggested there was no illicit relationship between the cousins. Right around then, Fourth Brother's wife and daughter suddenly disappeared, so I began to suspect Ayang instead..."
"You suspected that Chengqian and his fourth aunt were having an affair, and Yi Niang found out, so they silenced her," the Son of Heaven bluntly voiced his wife's thoughts, his tone still rather casual. "Well, that wasn't the case either—our son took the blame for his father. So what do you plan to do now?"
Listening to his tone, anyone unaware of the truth might think Empress Zhangsun was the one who had an affair and bore an illegitimate child... Wei Shufen couldn't help rolling her eyes behind the curtain. The Empress, meanwhile, let out a long sigh and scoffed:
"What do I plan to do? I wrongly suspected Chengqian, and now that the truth is out, I'll just comfort him a little. Surely you don't expect a mother to apologize to her son? Besides, judging by the way he answered, that boy still has something on his mind but refuses to say it outright. Who knows what he's really thinking..."
"Chengqian is fine. He's doing well," the Emperor said impatiently. "As for Yi Niang's case, it still hasn't been resolved properly, and you're still implicated in it. The mere thought of it displeases me. That damned Wei Zheng, that old goat-nosed fool, refuses to investigate further no matter what! I even offered him 30,000 bolts of silk as a betrothal gift, but he stubbornly refused, preferring to sell his daughter instead! These poor scholars from Shandong—what kind of hearts do they have? It's infuriating!"
Hearing the Son of Heaven suddenly mention her and her father, Wei Shufen's heart pounded wildly. The Emperor's words even seemed sympathetic toward her, which made her deeply grateful. But... why did it all feel so perfunctory, as if the Emperor's mind wasn't truly on these matters?
The Empress didn't engage with his words either, not even offering a perfunctory response, as if she hadn't heard him at all. The Son of Heaven muttered a few more things to himself before finally mustering the courage to bring up what he really wanted to say:
"Oh, and... that Yangshi woman and her children are all at the Temple of Compassionate Harmony now. In her letter, she mentioned she's about to give birth soon... What a nuisance. Let's hope it's a girl—wouldn't that be best?"The Empress still ignored him. Her husband chuckled, "You know I've never had the patience to deal with these petty women. Right now, between national mourning and the northwestern campaign, vassal states, trade routes, marriage alliances—there's a mountain of military and political affairs waiting to be handled. How could I spare any attention for trivial harem matters? These have always been under your management anyway. For so many years, you've never let domestic affairs trouble me—why are you losing your temper today? Do you truly intend to throw it all aside and add to my burdens? That doesn't sound like my wife. I'm certain you couldn't bear to do that."
"Didn't I just request an edict?" The Empress's voice betrayed exhaustion again. "Your Majesty must first outline how to handle this before your humble consort can proceed."
Well, after all this intimate conversation between the couple, they'd circled back to square one.
The Emperor scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "What outline should I give? Just handle it as you see fit—whatever you decide is fine. I absolutely won't interfere. It's the same principle as warfare—when you appoint someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt them, don't appoint them. Once the general is deployed, 'the general abroad may disregard the sovereign's orders.' If you constantly restrain them and issue blind commands from afar, you're bound to lose the battle—"
A loud "bang" interrupted the Emperor's rambling—clearly the Empress had struck the bed frame. Even Wei Shufen found this obvious evasion nearly unbearable.
"Ah, come now," the Emperor actually began earnestly persuading his wife, "it's really not such a big deal. Don't take it to heart. Look—if you feel wronged, let's settle it once and for all! It's just a matter of sending someone to deliver a verbal edict. After this, we'll never mention it again. How about that..."
Did he mean... sending someone to deliver a death edict for Consort Yang's entire family?
The Empress suddenly erupted in violent coughing, sounding as if rage had choked her breath. The Emperor quickly embraced her, patting her chest and back until the coughing subsided enough for her to gasp out a few words:
"...Committing evil... Heaven-defying atrocities... Should this be charged to my account..."
"How could that be?" The Emperor looked startled. "Of course it's my fault. Even if, by ill fortune, this leaks out in the future, the world will only blame me. What does it have to do with you?—You can rest completely assured."
Couldn't Your Majesty have kept that last sentence to himself?... Predictably, while the earlier remarks were tolerable, the moment those final words left his mouth, the Empress was seized by another fit of soul-wrenching coughs so severe that Wei Shufen feared she might cough up blood and die on the spot.
The Emperor panicked too, calling urgently for attendants while holding his wife. Immediately a crowd of palace maids and serving girls rushed through the tent flap, surrounding the Empress with fans, water, and pressure points.
Amid the commotion, the Emperor suddenly asked, "What? What did you say?"
The Empress's weak, murmuring response was completely inaudible to Wei Shufen. Only the Emperor's comforting words were clear: "Yes, don't worry, I won't act rashly. Don't think about this anymore. Once you've recovered your health and strength, we can handle these matters slowly later..."
Handle them later... So Your Majesty has resolved not to stop until these wretched affairs have drained the life from your wedded wife?
The Empress said no more, seemingly lacking even the energy to respond. The Emperor ordered the attendants to "bring the palanquin to the entrance," then personally carried his wife out in his arms, followed by the entire retinue. In moments, only Wei Shufen remained near the imperial bed once more.Wei Shufen cautiously peeked out from behind the bed first, ensuring no one was in sight before crawling out on all fours. The space behind the bed was still covered in dust, leaving obvious black stains on her plain white hemp mourning clothes. As she brushed herself off, her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the large bed.
The bed was empty, with only the embroidered silk pouch bearing the hairpin design left by the pillow—neither the Emperor nor the Empress had taken it. Unable to resist, Wei Shufen stepped forward and picked up the pouch. Upon closer inspection, the brocade appeared worn and aged, clearly not newly made, perhaps repurposed from an old handkerchief. The pouch bulged slightly, and when she pinched it, the rustling of stiff paper could be heard inside.
Consort Yang’s letter to the Son of Heaven seemed to still be inside... Summoning her courage, Wei Shufen loosened the pouch’s opening and retrieved the thin scroll of paper. Not daring to unfold it, she hastily tucked it into her own robes, then carefully resealed the pouch and returned it to its original spot.
From eavesdropping on the Emperor earlier, she sensed that the Son of Heaven still harbored interest and hope in "uncovering the truth behind Yi Niang’s death." Secretly, she hoped to leverage this to strike a deal with the Emperor—securing fifty thousand bolts of silk to buy back her freedom and help Li Yuangui escape his own shackles.
Yang Bu-yao’s letter might aid her further in investigating the case. That beautiful woman was too closely tied to Princess Linfen’s death; even if she wasn’t the murderer, she surely knew many hidden details...
Wei Shufen pondered this as she tiptoed toward the tent’s entrance. She assumed the Son of Heaven and his attendants would be busy escorting the Empress back to the Hall of Established Governance to rest, leaving the campsite deserted as they departed. The servants at Eternal Peace Palace wouldn’t immediately come to clean up, creating a window of opportunity for her to slip away unnoticed.
Outside the rolled-up tent flap, the sunlight was blindingly bright and eerily silent, just as she had anticipated. Having stayed too long in the dimly lit tent, stepping outside made her dizzy and disoriented. Shielding her eyes with one hand, she hurried down the steps, intending to return quickly to Purple Void Monastery. But as she turned and dashed out of the tent, she collided squarely with someone’s back.
The person was a man—tall, broad-shouldered, and solidly built. The impact sent Wei Shufen sprawling onto her back, and the surrounding guards immediately erupted in shouts.
For a moment, she thought she had run into Li Yuangui, as the figure and features bore some resemblance... but she quickly realized her mistake.
Gazing down at her with slightly furrowed brows was Li Yuangui’s elder brother—the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, Li Shimin.
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