The cloud-like wig was neatly arranged, with every stray hair smoothed down and tamed with floral water, then fitted snugly over the shaved head that had begun to sprout short fuzz. A golden crown was placed atop it, the tassels tied firmly beneath the chin, making her look remarkably dignified and elegant.
"Auntie, it’s done."
Wei Shufen withdrew her hands and spoke softly. The middle-aged nun, who had been murmuring sutras with her eyes closed, lifted her lids and smiled at her in gratitude.
Yang Xinzhi’s birth mother was actually quite beautiful, Wei Shufen realized. Normally, with her shaved head, dark robes, hunched shoulders, and frail, sickly appearance, she hardly drew attention. But now, dressed up, she instantly exuded the bearing of a noblewoman—no less imposing than Yang Shidao’s current wife, the Guiyang Princess.
That day at the Temple of Compassionate Harmony, Chai Yingluo had deduced that someone was poisoning her, but the nun herself vehemently denied it. Before the truth could be uncovered, palace envoys suddenly arrived, summoning her for an audience with the Empress. No one dared defy the imperial decree. Worried for his mother’s health and safety, Yang Xinzhi had no choice but to beg Wei Shufen to accompany her into the palace.
Originally, this task would have been best suited to Chai Yingluo, but now that her secret affair had been exposed, she could barely protect herself, let alone risk facing the Empress. Yang Xinzhi, aware of the situation, didn’t even bother asking her and went straight to Wei Shufen instead. Wei Shufen was also deeply afraid of Empress Zhangsun, but loyalty prevailed, and she steeled herself to agree. After packing up, she accompanied the nun to the Hall of Established Governance.
Since she hadn’t been summoned to see the Empress, she could only wait in the outer corridor. And wait she did—until the sun had nearly set before the nun was finally escorted out by palace maids. Whatever the Empress had said to her, the middle-aged nun, already weak, emerged with red, swollen eyes, having cried herself into a faint. The palace attendants settled the two of them in a small chamber, and the next day, the Empress summoned the nun again.
From the attendants’ words, Empress Zhangsun knew Wei Shufen had accompanied the nun to the Hall of Established Governance, but she never called her in for an audience, only instructing her to take good care of Yang Xinzhi’s mother. This was her duty anyway, so there was nothing to complain about. Wei Shufen prepared food, water, medicine, bedding, and clothes, tending to the nun’s daily needs. But the auntie refused to eat or drink, and at night, lying beside Wei Shufen, she simply stared wide-eyed at the rafters, unable to sleep, tormented inside and out, her face haggard.
After two days of this, whether because the Empress had sent someone to speak to her or because the nun had finally exhausted her tears and come to terms with something, she fell into a deep sleep on the second night in the palace. The next morning, she managed to sip some broth. Palace maids brought clothes and cosmetics, and Wei Shufen helped her dress, then changed into a suitable plain outfit herself, ready to continue accompanying her wherever she needed to go.
In such a world, the power of a single young woman was pitifully insignificant—a truth Wei Shufen had now learned to the bone.
Since that was the case, she would simply persist in doing what little she could, even if the seas ran dry and the earth crumbled away.
Supporting the woman she had grown accustomed to calling "Auntie," the two followed the palace maids out of the Hall of Established Governance’s courtyard. The Empress had even granted them a palanquin. Wei Shufen helped the nun into it, then walked alongside as they passed through the Left Yanming Gate, winding their way toward the Supreme Polarity Hall and the Gate of Heavenly Accord.Today was the Supreme Emperor's Funeral Ceremony. As one approached the Supreme Polarity Hall, the plain banners and white silks adorning the eaves and walls had all been replaced anew, and the courtyard was arrayed with solemn ceremonial guards. Inside the hall, the Emperor, various princes, inner palace ladies, grand elder princesses, elder princesses, princesses, and county princesses attended to the rites. Outside the eastern courtyard stood the two kings and three honored guests, imperial relatives, civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above, former officials who regularly attended court, governors, and regional inspectors. Beyond the Shuntian Gate, foreign chieftains, envoys from various nations, eminent monks, and renowned Daoists stood in formation, collectively sending off the Supreme Emperor's dragon bier as it departed for burial at the Xianling Mausoleum.
Along the lengthy Dragon Tail Path of the Supreme Polarity Hall, the Ministry of Rites had set up sacrificial mats, incense and candles, washing basins, water baskets, dusting cloths, offerings of the grand sacrifice, wine vessels, and ladle covers. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the Master of Ceremonies, the Supervisor of Sacrifices, censors, invocators, and ritual assistants each stood in their designated positions, performing their duties. Additionally, selected guards from the Left and Right Martial Patrols and the Sixteen Guards were stationed at key points to enforce order.
Wei Shufen supported her solemnly dressed aunt as they ascended the steps and passed through the corridors, quietly joining the ranks of the outer palace ladies. As the mournful music of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices began, they followed the others in kneeling, wailing, and performing the prescribed rituals.
The Master of Ceremonies stepped forward, knelt, and announced, "May the Emperor cease weeping and present the offerings." This marked the beginning of the ritual for presenting the funerary objects. Wei Shufen stole a glance as the Three Dukes and ritual officials knelt to present the ceremonial wine, which the Emperor received and then knelt to place before the offerings. After another round of bowing and wailing, the Emperor led the assembly down the western steps to the dragon bier. The ritual officials brought the portable sedan, parasols, fans, and small tables to the sacred seat before the tented pavilion in the courtyard, placing the posthumous seal and edict on a red-and-yellow cushion. Once everything was arranged, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Minister over the Masses led the pallbearers into the hall to carry out the Supreme Emperor's coffin, which had lain in state for months, and place it on the dragon bier, covering it with a plain canopy. The Emperor and princes followed in mourning, while Wei Shufen and the other palace ladies, shielded by portable screens, wailed and followed.
At this moment, the sorrowful cries beneath the steps of the Supreme Polarity Hall grew louder. The officials stood weeping in their designated positions, though judging by the sounds, most were merely going through the motions... Through the shifting screens and curtains, Wei Shufen repeatedly glanced toward the procession of princes behind the Emperor, thinking she caught a glimpse of Li Yuangui once or twice, but it was too fleeting to be certain.
The Supreme Emperor's coffin was to receive the "Ancestral Offering" at the base of the steps before being placed on the funeral carriage. After being drawn out of the Shuntian Gate, the "Farewell Offering" would be performed, following a similar format: the Emperor would kneel to present wine, the invocator would kneel to read the prayer, and all would weep and bow as the ritual officials arranged the ceremonial vessels. Beyond the Shuntian Gate, the procession included the jade carriage, palanquins, the Drum and Wind Ensemble, auspicious chariots, and ceremonial guards, with officials and envoys standing in solemn formation to bid farewell.
By the time the coffin carriage was finally ready to depart from the central gate of Shuntian, everyone was exhausted. Some of the inner and outer palace ladies, who were to accompany the procession to the Xianling Mausoleum, removed their screens and hurried to board their carriages, causing a flurry of activity among the women. Unable to resist, Wei Shufen craned her neck to look again at the line of princes. Suddenly, a man emerged from the ranks of foreign envoys, rushed toward them, and prostrated himself:
"My lady! Princess Dehua! This humble servant... never dreamed I would see the princess again in this lifetime!"
He was a middle-aged man with rough, dark skin and a shrill voice, dressed in the brocade robes of a foreign envoy, yet his tone was unmistakably that of a palace eunuch. He kowtowed heavily several times, then raised his face to gaze at the nun in ceremonial robes beside Wei Shufen, his expression a mix of joy and tearful emotion."Mi... Mi Nu?" the nun murmured, not denying his address of her as "Dehua Princess." "You're still alive? How are you here? Did he... did Prince Shun send you to the Tang to find me?"
"Yes! Yes!" The eunuch named Mi Nu wiped his tears as he replied. "This servant came secretly at first. Later, after the Tang defeated Fuyun Khan and Prince Shun became the new khan, he appointed me as Tuyuhun's ambassador to the Tang... Princess, this servant has searched for you so desperately. Everyone said the lady was no longer in this world, and I believed it too. I grieved for so long, not daring to report back to the prince. When I heard two days ago that the lady had appeared, the joy in my heart cannot be described..."
The middle-aged nun, who had married Tuyuhun's Prince Murong Shun over twenty years ago as the Sui dynasty's "Dehua Princess," sighed deeply to the heavens, two more streams of tears flowing from her eyes.
Wei Shufen bit her lip as tears welled up uncontrollably, but she found no words to speak—not even a single comforting phrase.
"A Niang..."
Turning around, she saw Yang Xinzhi standing behind them in the uniform of an imperial guard, his plump face blank with confusion. Several other similarly dressed guards stood nearby, along with numerous foreign envoys and tribal chieftains who had gathered to watch the tearful kneeling spectacle.
Dehua Princess withdrew a handkerchief to dry her tears and beckoned Yang Xinzhi forward. Holding his wrist gently, she spoke softly to the Tuyuhun envoy Mi Nu:
"I know why you've sought me, and there's no need to explain further. This is my son, the heir of your Prince Shun—Murong Nuohebo. Pay homage to your master now."
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