Wei Shufen lowered her head. She hadn’t really considered that aspect before. Could her reckless actions implicate her parents and entire family?
"If it were a few years ago, we wouldn’t be so afraid either," Su Lingyu sighed. "When the Empress was in good health, her temperament was calm and open-minded, showing nothing but kindness and consideration to those below. But when a person is confined by illness for too long, their temper worsens. We who attend to her must be careful, but the real problem is the Crown Prince—he doesn’t know how to read the mood or humble himself. Just these past few days, he and his mother have quarreled several times, leaving us all on edge. I thought the Empress was displeased with the Crown Prince because of Consort Yang’s pregnancy, but from what you said, that’s not the case."
"The Empress is already so ill—how could the Crown Prince still provoke A Niang? That’s truly unfilial," Wei Shufen frowned.
Su Lingyu sighed again. "Exactly. I’ve advised him countless times, but he just won’t change. Take yesterday, for instance—what was even the big deal? Prince Yue sent a newly transcribed book by one of his retainers to the Hall of Established Governance, asking us to read it to the Empress when we had time to help her pass the time. The Empress was quite pleased at first, and the High Truth Master, who was present, naturally praised Prince Yue a little, saying he was diligent in compiling books—even borrowing medical texts from the Purple Void Monastery to make copies, showing great care and attention. What’s wrong with a mother hearing a few good words about her son? But the Crown Prince couldn’t stand it. He suddenly snapped, 'Cousin, your monastery is practically turning into a marketplace theater, with people performing all sorts of tricks every day.'"
Wei Shufen couldn’t help but laugh, imagining Li Chengqian’s cold, mocking expression as he said those words. She had to admit, his analogy was clever. Chai Yingluo was sharp-tongued too—if those two cousins ever got into an argument, it would surely be quite a spectacle.
"What did the High Truth Master say?"
"She didn’t retort, but the Empress heard it and immediately got angry, scolding the Crown Prince for being so harsh toward his own siblings. 'This is how you behave while your parents are still here—what will you be like in the future?' The two of them quarreled fiercely—ah…"
"You’ve suffered, caught in the middle like that," Wei Shufen said sympathetically, patting Su Lingyu’s hand. The Crown Princess gave a bitter smile. "I manage—I stay silent and just do my duties. But the High Truth Master can’t escape it. Both the Empress and the Crown Prince love to pick on her. I didn’t understand why before, but after what you said—about Consort Yang meeting His Majesty at the Purple Void Monastery? Maybe that’s the reason…"
"That’s so unfair. The High Truth Master didn’t intentionally bring them together—it was just a coincidence. The Empress and Crown Prince can’t control their husband and father, so they take it out on her? How unreasonable!"
Wei Shufen was indignant, and Su Lingyu shared her sentiment. The two women stood under the apricot tree, talking for a long time before reluctantly parting. Suddenly, Wei Shufen remembered something. "Oh! The day after tomorrow is the Great Heat—your birthday! The past two years, our close friends gathered to celebrate with you, but this year…"
This year, the Su family’s eldest daughter had become the Crown Princess, and with the national mourning period still in effect, holding a grand banquet was out of the question. Su Lingyu shook her head with a faint smile. "In my current situation, what’s there to celebrate? Whether I’ll ever see the light at the end of this tunnel is uncertain. I’ll just take each day as it comes."Seeing her in such low spirits, Wei Shufen couldn't bear it. She tried every way to console her and suggested visiting the Crown Prince's Palace the day after tomorrow to keep her company for a day—truth be told, she herself was bored stiff at home. After some thought, Su Lingyu agreed, telling her to come in the afternoon when she might have already returned from the Hall of Established Governance.
The two women parted after making arrangements. Wei Shufen prepared some birthday gifts and informed her parents. The next day, a heavy rain suddenly poured down, with thunder and lightning shaking heaven and earth for most of the day before finally ceasing. She worried the journey might be difficult. Another day passed, and on the exact date of Great Heat, she stepped outside to find the streets as muddy as they had been when she fled from the Crown Prince's Palace last time.
Though the carriage ride was still arduous, at least this time she wasn't running away from home... The oxcart slowly dragged her to the Jiafu Gate of the Crown Prince's Palace. After dismounting and presenting her credentials for entry, she was guided by eunuchs past the Xiande Hall into the rear residential courtyard. There, she suddenly spotted a mounted party ready to depart, while Su Lingyu, assisted by maids, was hastily donning a veil hat and lifting her skirts to hurry toward her horse.
When Su Lingyu saw Wei Shufen approaching, she stopped. After exchanging greetings, the Crown Princess grabbed her and said, "Quick, mount up and come with me to the Purple Void Monastery!"
What had happened now?
Without time for detailed questions, Wei Shufen vaulted into the saddle of a horse brought by an attendant, and the party rode north out of the Crown Prince's Palace through the Bei Gate, then turned west at a brisk pace. Su Lingyu explained the situation as they rode.
That day, after returning from Minister Wei's residence to the Crown Prince's Palace, Li Chengqian asked about the Wei family. The couple, for once, had a calm conversation, during which Su Lingyu seized the chance to urge her husband to be filial to his mother. She spoke of how difficult things had been for the Empress and, in a moment of carelessness, revealed that Yang Bu-yao was pregnant.
She hadn't expected her husband to be unaware of this—at least, he hadn't known who the father of Yangshi's child was.
Upon learning this, Li Chengqian stormed out with a livid face to make arrangements, though he didn't share the details with his wife. The next day, a great thunderstorm struck. The Supreme Palace, situated in low-lying terrain, had been stiflingly stuffy before the rain and was now flooded and steaming afterward, worsening the Empress's discomfort. The Crown Prince and his consort attended to her in the Hall of Established Governance all day. That morning, they returned to tend to her again, only to hear from trusted attendants that Consort Yang, Princess of Hailing, had given birth to a baby boy during the storm.
The birth itself was inevitable, but what infuriated Li Chengqian was that Chai Yingluo had been absent from the Hall of Established Governance all day yesterday. Rumor had it she had gone to the nunnery to assist Consort Yang with the delivery, and there were even whispers that she had gone with Prince Yue, Li Tai, under orders from the Son of Heaven.
After leaving the Hall of Established Governance, Li Chengqian didn't return to the Crown Prince's Palace but rode off immediately. Su Lingyu, remembering her appointment with Wei Shufen, had just returned to the palace to rest when someone reported that the Crown Prince had gone to the Purple Void Monastery. Realizing the situation was dire, she rushed to follow and persuade him, running into Wei Shufen on her way out.
The situation was indeed dire, and the more Wei Shufen thought about it, the more alarmed she became. Both women urged their horses to gallop, but the road was a mess of water and mud, and Su Lingyu's black veil hat slowed her down. It took a long ride before they finally glimpsed the Taoist banners at the entrance of the Purple Void Monastery in the distance.
Wei Shufen, familiar with the route, rode straight to the main gate and dismounted. Suddenly, a "whimper" sounded, and a gust of foul wind accompanied a yellow blur—the plump hunting leopard Atun had dashed out to greet her again.The leopard appeared somewhat anxious, refusing Wei Shufen's affectionate strokes. Instead, it circled her twice, rubbing against her legs and flicking its tail, then trotted a few steps toward the monastery before turning back to look at her, as if urging her to follow. The situation seemed to suggest its owner was in some kind of danger or trouble... Wei Shufen's heart sank as she heard Su Lingyu questioning the servants:
"Is His Highness the Crown Prince still inside the monastery?"
The gatekeeper of the Purple Void Monastery confirmed it, so the two women proceeded inside. Wei Shufen led the way, pulling Atun along as she hurried toward the master's inner chambers, only to be stopped by Jing Xuan at the courtyard entrance:
"Wei Niangzi, please wait. The High Truth Master is inside discussing confidential matters with an esteemed guest and has ordered no disturbances..."
Wei Shufen hesitated slightly before asking, "Is the Crown Prince in there? Are the two of them... talking amicably?"
"They were just shouting at each other earlier—the commotion could be heard all the way out here," Jing Xuan replied with a bitter smile and a shake of her head. "It’s not the first time, so it should be fine..."
Wei Shufen's heart clenched tighter. Suddenly, the leash in her hand jerked—unprepared, she lost her grip, and it slipped free. The hunting leopard darted through the gate, sprinting straight toward the tightly shut doors of the main chamber.
"Atun!"
After all, it was still a wild beast. If it grew impatient and harmed the Crown Prince, the consequences would be dire. Jing Xuan was startled as well, and Wei Shufen had no time to think. She rushed into the courtyard with Su Lingyu. By the time they caught up, Atun was already standing on its hind legs, front paws scratching at the door. Wei Shufen reached out to grab the leopard but lost her footing, stumbling forward with a push—and the door to the Purple Void Monastery master’s chamber swung wide open.
Inside the room were a man and a woman—Chai Yingluo and Li Chengqian, as expected. At that moment, their figures overlapped as they leaned back on the sitting couch, locked in... a deep kiss.
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