Wei Shufen froze for several heartbeats before realizing the woman had mistaken her for a newly entered palace concubine—a romantic rival—likely due to her careless mention of "the imperial bedchamber in Eternal Peace Palace." Her face flushed hotly, and she was about to clarify when she abruptly bit her tongue.
Her purpose here was to extract some deeply concealed secrets from Yang Bu-yao, matters involving murder and incest. She had already been worried this favored consort of the Son of Heaven might not speak truthfully. Now that this misunderstanding had arisen from their exchange, she could feign being "sent by imperial decree to interrogate." Fearing the crime of deceiving the sovereign, Yang Bu-yao might not dare to lie. Why waste such an opportunity by clarifying?
"To be frank, I have recently been deliberating on marriage arrangements but encountered obstructions, leaving my status unresolved to this day." Wei Shufen turned slightly to draw Yang Bu-yao's attention to her unmarried attire. "Beyond mourning the Supreme Emperor's passing, there is another reason that has severely damaged my reputation. Unless the truth is uncovered and made public before the court, I fear I may never serve in the imperial household. And the only person in this world who knows the truth of this matter is likely you, Lady Yang. Thus, with His Majesty's permission, I have come to seek your aid. I beg for your compassion and assistance."
As she spoke, Wei Shufen performed a deep curtsy, using the moment to exhale quietly. Speaking with such measured words was exhausting, but she held fast to her principle—I haven’t lied; every word is true.
"Please rise quickly. I am in no condition to return the courtesy—this is too much." Yang Bu-yao leaned forward to help her up. "Young lady, your fortune is great, and your destiny lofty. In the future, you will surely hold a position of high esteem. My daughter and I will rely on your favor—how could I dare not comply? Ask whatever you wish, and I shall speak without reserve."
Once both women were seated again, Wei Shufen exchanged a few more polite words before getting to the point:
"At the end of the first month this year, during the wedding at the Temple of Common Vocation, Princess Linfen was found hanged. Both you and I were present at the scene of the crime, so the details need not be repeated. At the time, compelled by circumstances, I confessed to the murder—perhaps you heard of this? The matter later reached the Hall of Established Governance, and the Empress grew disdainful of me..."
Her eyes reddened, and she paused, silently begging forgiveness from the Empress. Empress Zhangsun had indeed treated her coldly, but that was due to her own impropriety. Now, she framed it as though the Empress were a jealous woman preventing the Son of Heaven from taking a favored consort—a slanderous accusation against the nation's mother.
But how else could she win the trust of a woman like Yang Bu-yao? Lifting her gaze, she saw the younger sister-in-law of the Son of Heaven nod slightly, her delicate face softening with sympathy:
"That matter... Ah, it was your own impulsiveness to blame. Why claim responsibility for something you didn’t do? Once others seize upon such a weakness, it becomes difficult to undo... Though His Majesty doesn’t mind these things."
"His Majesty doesn’t mind, but he wishes to resolve the case swiftly, to find the true culprit and silence the murmurs of the world," Wei Shufen said earnestly. "I know Princess Linfen was closest to you, Lady Yang, sharing everything. Though her death was disguised as suicide by hanging, experts examining the scene found numerous inconsistencies, confirming it as murder. His Majesty also believes the killer must be found and tried openly. This murderer... I beg you to enlighten me."
Yang Bu-yao’s expression stiffened slightly before shifting back to one of innocent curiosity:"How strange. Why does Wei Niangzi insist that I have some connection to the murderer or know who he is? Perhaps you're unaware, but on the second day after the incident, I was already questioned about this case, with your honored father, Imperial Secretary Wei, present during the interrogation. Had I known any leads about the case, I would have disclosed everything then. Now several months have passed, and my memory has grown even fainter. How could I possibly recall anything now? I'm afraid I can't help you. Please forgive me, Wei Niangzi."
Her words remained tightly guarded. It seemed necessary to produce some concrete evidence to push forward. Wei Shufen pondered for a moment before speaking:
"I wouldn't have ventured out personally to visit you without some certainty before making bold claims. Princess Linfen's death is deeply connected to matters of illicit love. Are you aware of this?"
"What? Illicit love?" Yang Bu-yao appeared astonished. "She was just a young girl who'd never stepped outside. Confined for most of her life, with no men in the temple—who could she possibly have been involved with?"
"It is indeed hard to believe, but after her death, investigators found a man's Jade Thumb Ring in her dressing case," Wei Shufen said slowly, watching Yang Bu-yao's expression closely. "The ring was of an ancient design, a ceremonial archery artifact used by royal men during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, not a fashionable ornament. It was later identified as a personal accessory of the current Crown Prince, bestowed by Empress Zhangsun and highly valued by the imperial family."
"The Crown Prince's accessory... in Yi Niang's dressing case?" Yang Bu-yao still wore a look of surprise. "How odd. When could they have met? I've never heard of such a thing... Could someone have delivered it to her?"
Wei Shufen ignored her suggestion and continued, "During the search of Princess Linfen's former residence, some of her handwritten copies of poetry were found—romantic verses and palace lyrics from works like 'New Songs from the Jade Terrace.' Her younger sister, who shared her quarters, testified that the originals her sister copied came from you, Lady Yang. You had a semi-mentor relationship with her and often engaged in private conversations about inner chambers. Given Princess Linfen's marriageable age, such interests were natural and unremarkable. But this suggests that if Princess Linfen was indeed involved in a romantic affair, you, Lady Yang, would likely have known about it."
A blush rose to Yang Bu-yao's jade-like cheeks as she smiled faintly. "You've investigated thoroughly... I can't deny this. Those poems and books were borrowed from my room by Yi Niang for copying. The sisters had unfortunate circumstances and never received proper education. Those of us in the temple who knew a few characters would occasionally teach them to read, just to pass the time and engage in light conversation. As you said, Wei Niangzi, it's unsurprising that a young girl like Yi Niang would harbor romantic feelings. I thought so too. She didn't dare speak of such things to her mother, so she discussed them with me—merely childish fantasies of a young girl, curious about the outside world. She would ask what kind of stature and appearance made a man heroic, how married couples should interact, and so on. Just idle chatter—how could there have been any real affair? You must understand, that place was like a prison. She probably hadn't seen any men since she was ten years old."
Her explanation flowed smoothly, and Wei Shufen couldn't immediately detect any flaws. After a moment's thought, she pressed on:
"Princess Linfen lived in seclusion from childhood, removed from worldly conflicts. It's puzzling why anyone would want to kill her. But someone mentioned an incident from ten years ago—at the engagement banquet for Prince Consort Chai's eldest son and the Princess, Yi Niang offered a cup of wine to the current Son of Heaven..."
At this, Yang Bu-yao's expression changed drastically. In an instant, fear and panic twisted her once smooth and delicate features.Wei Shufen immediately fell silent, quietly watching the beautiful woman compose herself. The last time she and Chai Yingluo had come here, Yang Bu-yao had openly admitted that nine years ago, during the reinvestigation of the Crown Prince's poisoned wine case, she had secretly written an ink message hinting at the wine pot's location, helping the officials solve the case. Therefore, this murder case—which nearly killed the current Son of Heaven and was deeply connected to Yi Niang and her father as well as the entire Chai family—was also known to Yang Bu-yao, and she couldn't deny this fact.
The beautiful woman, still possessing stunning looks despite nearing middle age, leaned against the couch in a daze. After a long while, she finally spoke in her low, languid voice:
"That jade thumb ring you mentioned—the Crown Prince's ornament—I thought it sounded familiar earlier. Now I remember. I probably know why... that ended up with Yi Niang."
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