The gears creaked as the winch pulled the thick hemp rope, slowly raising the wooden nest cart with a gentle sway. Li Yuangui instinctively reached out to steady Wei Shufen.
The lower half of the wooden cage was shielded by thick planks to block arrows, while the upper half featured crenelations, allowing those inside to peer out and observe enemy movements while also facilitating communication with their own troops below. The interior was extremely cramped, originally designed to hold only one burly man. Because both Li Yuangui and Wei Shufen were slender, they managed to squeeze in together, though their bodies inevitably brushed against each other from time to time.
This was why, when Yang Xinzhi jokingly suggested, "Wei Niangzi might as well go up with Fourteenth Young Master to take a look," Wei Shufen's first reaction was to shake her head in refusal, her face flushing as she glanced around.
After following Li Yuangui out of the large tent on the platform, the Son of Heaven had already departed for the palace, and the soldiers and craftsmen below had packed up their equipment and dispersed—no one wanted to roast in the scorching heat of the open field. But Li Yuangui had pulled Wei Shufen and Yang Xinzhi down to the training ground, barely managing to stop the Nest Cart from being wheeled away, saying he wanted to take a look from above. The craftsmen and soldiers operating it didn’t dare refuse and had to agree to wait, though those not immediately needed had quietly slipped away. Now, only three or four people remained by the cart.
Three or four people were still people... and all grown men at that. Observing Li Yuangui and Wei Shufen’s situation, they exchanged knowing glances, their expressions soon mirroring Yang Xinzhi’s—and the Emperor’s in the tent earlier—grinning like fools watching a street performance.
So what?
Feeling somewhat defiant, Li Yuangui stepped into the wooden cage first and beckoned to Wei Shufen, "Come on, I have something to tell you."
Knowing the eldest daughter of Chancellor Wei as he did, this young lady had been raised under the strict Confucian traditions of a prominent eastern family, cultivating habits of propriety. Yet her nature was stubborn and free-spirited, not overly concerned with worldly gossip. After their long separation, both had much to say, and there were serious matters to discuss. Once the Nest Cart was raised, it would offer both a scenic view and a quiet, private space for whispered conversation. Their relationship had already reached the Emperor’s ears—they hadn’t hidden it even in the imperial presence. What did a few soldiers and craftsmen matter?
Wei Shufen hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself and stepped into the cage—though she didn’t take his hand, standing with her back to him instead, maintaining a trace of her chancellor’s daughter’s dignity. Li Yuangui smiled faintly, not pressing her further, and nodded to Yang Xinzhi.
The burly guard stifled a laugh as he closed the cage’s railing and personally operated the mechanism, pulling the ropes with the soldiers’ help to raise the observation platform. Before Li Yuangui’s eyes first appeared a vast expanse of lush green forest, followed by shrubs, grasslands, streams, and abandoned courtyards on the hillside below. In the distance, the towering gray silhouettes of palace buildings gradually came into focus.
Eternal Peace Palace stood on the Longshou Plateau in the northeastern part of the forbidden garden, a naturally elevated area not far from the western inner garden and the Black Tortoise Gate along the northern palace walls. As the cage rose higher, he saw the vast shimmering reflections of the inner palace’s lake, and above the eaves of Ganlu Hall and Lingyan Pavilion to the south, flocks of birds circled and descended. Further south loomed the grandest of all—Supreme Polarity Hall, its flying eaves still draped with white mourning banners, tiny ant-like figures moving in and out...
Beyond Supreme Polarity Hall, south of the palace walls, the even more magnificent imperial city and the sprawling expanse of Chang’an’s outer walls unfolded before him like an endless large sand table.The girl beside him let out a soft sigh. Li Yuangui turned to look at her and saw Wei Shufen's eyes also filled with a dreamy, intoxicated expression, all traces of her earlier shyness gone.
"I... can't see my home," Wei Shufen said, stretching her neck to look southward. The sunlight was too bright, so she raised a hand to shade her eyes. "Which one is Yongxing Ward?"
"Look over there—first find the city wall. Beyond the wall, count inward: the first grid is Guangzhai Ward, the second is Yongchang Ward, and the third is Yongxing Ward where your home is... It's too far to see clearly, and I can't make out your family's residence..."
Li Yuangui stood behind Wei Shufen, both of them straining their eyes to see into the distance. He was a head taller than the girl, so his view was unobstructed, but they were standing so close that the twin buns of her hairstyle occasionally brushed against his cheek, tickling him.
His heart began to itch too.
Earlier in the imperial tent, Wei Shufen had struggled with the guards, leaving her hair disheveled with strands escaping. Having grown up in the palace, Li Yuangui was accustomed to neat appearances. Without much thought, as if guided by spirits, he reached out and gently pulled out a few hairpins securing her buns, causing her jet-black hair to cascade down like a waterfall.
Wei Shufen let out a soft "Ah!" and turned halfway, touching her head as she scolded, "What are you doing?"
The young prince suddenly realized his mistake—this was highly improper behavior. His face flushed, and he hurriedly apologized, "Your hair was messy... I just wanted to help fix it. I didn't mean anything else, don't misunderstand..."
The wind was strong at this height. A sudden gust blew Wei Shufen's long hair upward, whipping against Li Yuangui. Then the wooden cage began shaking violently. Losing her balance, Wei Shufen cried out in alarm. Li Yuangui quickly wrapped an arm around her while gripping the railing with his other hand, murmuring reassurance, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
The platform continued to sway wildly, making the world seem to spin. Li Yuangui felt two soft arms tightly encircling his waist. His face buried in her undulating hair, enveloped by its subtle fragrance, his mind drifted away, losing all sense of time and place.
As the wind gradually weakened, the cage's rocking slowed until it stabilized. Li Yuangui's racing heartbeat calmed, and he became aware of the girl trembling slightly against his neck, her breath as gentle as orchid petals.
He recognized the scent clinging to Wei Shufen—it was the same imperial incense from the censers in the grand tent below. She must have spent considerable time there...
"A-Fen, how did you end up here?"
Wei Shufen seemed equally lost in thought. Startled by his quiet question, she quickly pulled away from his embrace. Reluctant to let go, Li Yuangui kept his arm around her slender waist until she gritted her teeth and stomped on his boot, forcing him to release her with a pained yelp.
Though separated, the cage's confined space kept them close enough for their sleeves to tangle and breaths to mingle. As Wei Shufen redid her hair, she recounted her recent experiences to Li Yuangui, who in turn shared his own story in full. Both already knew fragments about each other's situations from others, so they skimmed those parts, focusing instead on recent developments.
"A-Fen, I've wronged you," Li Yuangui sighed. Wei Shufen lowered her head and replied evenly:"If you're talking about your trip to Gaochang, I don't blame you. That was something I wanted to help make happen too... though I was useless and couldn't be of any help..."
"That matter... is certainly one of the reasons I've wronged you." Li Yuangui's mouth tasted bitter. "There are other things too... I'm afraid I've ruined General Cheng's original goodwill and affection toward you. Even with your father, I don't know how to explain myself properly..."
He had borrowed fifty thousand bolts of silk from Kang Su-mi without even glancing at them himself, directly instructing Kang's servants to deliver them to the residence of General Cheng, Duke of Su, in Huaide Ward. It was said the procession had drawn quite a crowd of onlookers among Chang'an's gentry. True to his word, Cheng Yaojin personally brought Wei Shufen's betrothal documents and birth charts to Minister Wei's residence the next day to discuss canceling the engagement.
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