No matter what, the entire HeBa family had long perished, leaving no one else to be implicated. By pinning the crime on her, the case could be neatly wrapped up... At most, someone else from the Crown Prince's Palace could be dragged out, accused of being HeBa's accomplice—the one who stole the Crown Prince's Jade Thumb Ring—and punished alongside her. The case would thus be closed, seemingly enough to satisfy the Son of Heaven and his consort.
This was a solution she could execute, Wei Shufen realized with some surprise.
The current mistress of the Crown Prince's Palace was her close friend Su Lingyu. Crown Princess Su had only taken charge half a year ago, and among the Crown Prince’s former attendants and favored concubines, there were bound to be some who clashed with their new mistress. Among so many, there was always at least one or two stubborn troublemakers one would rather banish forever. She could visit the Crown Princess privately and propose "cleansing the court"—forcing a confession out of someone to close the case, ensuring stability for all parties. Yes, she could do this.
All it would take was silencing her conscience.
Watching Yang Bu-yao’s composed demeanor as she fanned herself and wiped away sweat, Wei Shufen thought, if it were this beautiful woman in her place, she wouldn’t hesitate to act this way, would she? Born into the former Sui imperial clan, orphaned young and raised by her uncle, married into the new dynasty’s princely household, then enduring the deaths of her husband and son, nine years of seclusion, an illicit affair with her brother-in-law that left her pregnant... Her entire life had revolved around the palace, steeped in its ruthless, dark, bloody filth. To someone like her, such methods would seem perfectly natural.
"Lady Yang’s kindness, I understand," Wei Shufen said to her. "But... to be honest, I’m terrified. Yi Niang was a living, breathing person. If she truly was killed by HeBa, and the culprit is already dead, then so be it. But if it wasn’t the nurse, then the real murderer is still hiding in the palace, and in the future... It feels like I already know too much. What if one day—"
"Wei Niangzi, there’s no need to dwell on such thoughts," Yang Bu-yao said with a smile. "Once you gain favor, you’ll move far from the gloom and resentment of the inner palace, establishing your own residence with carefully chosen attendants. Right now, though, I see you’re taking things too seriously—still thinking of investigating the Crown Prince, aren’t you? You mustn’t. Don’t listen to palace gossip about how the Emperor favors Prince Yue over the Crown Prince. None of that is reliable."
"Is that so?" Wei Shufen countered. Yang Bu-yao nodded.
"I’ve been through it all. Between the imperial father and sons, no outsider may interfere. Even between husband and wife... ah... not everyone possesses the Empress’s capabilities. You’ve only just been selected—you mustn’t offend the central palace. Don’t assume that just because the Empress is often ill and mild-tempered, you can act recklessly. Back in the WuDe era, when I was among sisters-in-law, I learned firsthand how shrewd and formidable that Second Sister-in-Law could be."
Wei Shufen’s gaze unconsciously drifted to Yang Bu-yao’s swollen belly. Noticing, Yang Bu-yao flushed slightly and turned her face away, looking up at the sky beyond the courtyard walls.
"My Hongnong Yang clan, especially the women of recent generations, have borne the empty reputation of ‘great beauty,’ treated like goods to be picked and fought over. Which of us could ever decide for ourselves? We merely drift with the tide, surviving as best we can... In the early WuDe years, when Prince Qi was selecting a consort, his third sister came to inspect me, and the betrothal was settled on the spot—without a care, without anyone asking if I was willing. If I’d had even half the fiery spirit of you, Wei Niangzi, I should’ve dashed my brains out then and there."
"What?" Wei Shufen was stunned. "So Lady Yang never wanted to marry Prince Qi? Was it... because he was ugly?"She had heard Chai Yingluo mention her fourth uncle Li Yuan-ji and his marriage, knowing that the youngest biological son of Empress Dowager Dou was both physically repulsive and morally depraved, so much so that even his own mother couldn’t stand him. During the Taiyuan uprising, Li Yuan-ji was ordered by his father to remain and guard their ancestral base. Yet within two years, he had mismanaged affairs so badly that he lost the city and fled back to the capital alone. The imperial court had intended to punish him, but his third sister, Princess Pingyang, pleaded fervently on his behalf and persuaded their father Li Yuan to "find him a proper wife to keep him in line." By then, Li Yuan-ji already had concubines and children, but he privately told his full sister, "I won’t be satisfied unless I marry the most beautiful woman in Chang’an." Thus, Princess Pingyang took charge of selecting a consort for him, conducting an extensive search for the most beautiful candidate, and ultimately chose Yang Bu-yao. After marriage, the couple appeared harmonious, at least with no scandals ever surfacing.
Yang Bu-yao did not directly answer her inquiry, only sighing: "Misfortune has befallen our family. Under the guise of being former imperial relatives, the clan’s male elders live in constant fear that the new Son of Heaven might follow the example of Emperor Wen of the previous Sui dynasty and exterminate the old imperial lineage root and branch. The moment they heard the new imperial family wanted to select a daughter from our house—whether as a maid or a concubine, regardless of our own thoughts or circumstances—they immediately handed us over without hesitation. Any unreasonable or cruel demands were also eagerly complied with. Sigh… even now, it remains the same."
Wei Shufen’s mind flashed with the image of a young boy’s corpse—Yang Bu-yao’s son by Li Yuan-ji, who was killed after the Xuanwu Gate Incident by her close relative Yang Shidao and his wife. For a mother, such hatred should be irreconcilable, yet Yang Bu-yao seemed… not to have turned against Yang Shidao or the masterminds behind it, Li Shimin and his wife?
"Lady Yang is not as naïve and straightforward as I am," she ventured, observing the beautiful woman’s expression. "But that doesn’t mean you lack resolve, does it? Like ivy clinging to a vine, a couple’s harmony need not be judged by immediate outcomes."
Yang Bu-yao smiled calmly:
"I understand what you mean, Wei Niangzi, and I don’t blame you for thinking this way. You were raised in a prominent eastern clan, with your father instilling in you the virtues of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame since childhood. Naturally, you believe sacrificing oneself for righteousness is the true path. As for me, I’ve witnessed countless violations of ethics and morality from a young age—so much so that they no longer shock me. In this life, comfort, dignity, wealth, and honor are what matter most. Striving for fame and power is not a woman’s duty, yet women and children are often the ones who suffer the consequences of failure. That’s hardly fair."
So this was how she thought. As long as her own life was comfortable, everything else was inconsequential.
This could also serve as a compelling motive for murder.
She had gone to great lengths to become pregnant by the current Emperor, hoping to improve her circumstances, only to be discovered by Li Wanxi before the Emperor could make a decision. Moreover, Yi Niang was about to marry into the Chai family, where she might inadvertently reveal the affair. Fearing that public opinion would turn against her and prompt the Emperor to take drastic action, Yang Bu-yao decided to strike first and kill Princess Linfen. After all, she had already arranged with Yang Shidao to leave the temple and live in seclusion, believing no investigation would ever trace the crime back to her…
If this was truly her plan, it had largely succeeded. Wei Shufen’s suspicions of her had never waned and had now reached their peak. Yet, first, there was no evidence to seize, and second, she couldn’t voice her suspicions before the imperial presence.The two women sat in silence on the bamboo bed for a while before the middle-aged serving nun emerged from the back door of the secluded residence, carrying a small lacquered tray with two cups of chilled syrup water for them. Having spoken so much, Wei Shufen was already thirsty and thanked her before picking up a cup to drink. Yang Bu-yao also extended her fair, delicate fingers to lift a cup of the chilled syrup, sipping it gracefully before placing it back on the tray. She smiled at the serving nun and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."
Wei Shufen watched her elegant posture as she drank and suddenly asked,
"During the Eastern Palace Poison Wine Case ten years ago, was the person who poisoned the Son of Heaven's cup acting under Prince Qi Yuanji's orders? And later, his elder brother Jiancheng took the blame for the poisoning on his behalf?"
During the reinvestigation of the case after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, someone had used the eyebrow pigment typically used by noblewomen for daily grooming to leave clues on the food box, secretly aiding the investigators in finding the poisoned wine flask in the Eastern Palace well. This led to the case being broadly concluded as "the former Crown Prince's plot to poison." Considering the motive and beneficiaries, the person who provided these clues could be none other than Yang Bu-yao—and she herself had not denied it the last time it was mentioned.
Now, the third time it was brought up, Yang Bu-yao appeared much calmer. Sitting on the bamboo bed, she caressed her belly and sighed,
"I beg a favor of Wei Niangzi. The Eastern Palace Poison Wine Case has no connection to Yi Niang's death, nor does it hinder your future. I do not wish to deceive you with lies, and I ask that you refrain from inquiring further into this matter or stirring up old grievances. On behalf of my late husband's surviving daughters and the child in my womb, I thank Wei Niangzi for your understanding."
Her words seemed to confirm that her late husband had indeed been the mastermind behind the Eastern Palace Poison Wine Case. Wei Shufen was about to press further when her maid, A Yuan, hurried into the courtyard and whispered, "Wei Niangzi, there's news from the monastery—they're asking you to return home immediately!"
"What?" It wasn’t surprising that someone from Purple Void Monastery knew to find her here—she had expected A Yuan to leave word before they left—but why would they suddenly summon her home? The monastery had been sheltering her from her family all along.
"Someone from the Wei household came to report that your mother, the Prime Minister's wife, went into labor last night and is in critical condition—she hasn’t stopped bleeding. The High Truth Master has already rushed over and sent someone to inform you..."
Before A Yuan could finish, Wei Shufen turned pale with shock and bolted out the door.
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