Prince Consort Chai looked helplessly and helplessly at his brother-in-law, the Son of Heaven, indicating that he had only seen it at the Crown Prince's Palace engagement banquet. He might not have clearly seen the pot's appearance then, but during the two thorough investigations of the poisoned wine case, the officials had questioned him in detail. Both his children were also involved with this wine pot, so presumably he had inquired about the details afterward, which was why he recognized the poisoned wine pot at a glance.
Kang Su-mi, however, might not have known the gravity of the situation. After all, he was a foreigner, and no matter how shrewd or cunning he was, he couldn't immediately connect the dots that his family's double-heart pot had been used a decade ago to poison the Emperor of the Great Tang. Seeing Chai Shao deny it, he grew somewhat angry:
"Prince Consort Chai, lying before the Heavenly Khan is unacceptable! Yes, yes, you didn't accept my gift in person. Back then in Shu, you said you couldn't take it home and it wasn't convenient to accept. So I took advantage of a merchant caravan heading to Chang'an and had it sent directly to your residence! Later, you even wrote me a letter scolding me for it. That letter is still in my house—should I have someone fetch it for you to see?"
"That part is true. While I was away leading troops, you privately sent a batch of lavish gifts to my home in Chang'an. At the time, my late wife had already passed, and there was no one to manage the household. My servants foolishly accepted them. It wasn't until I returned to the capital after the campaign that I learned of this and immediately reported it to His Majesty—the Supreme Emperor—and had the gold and silverware, spices, and other items distributed to the palace and government offices as public property." Chai Shao frowned as he spoke. "But among those gifts, there was no gilded wine pot! After returning home, I went through every item you sent—not even one resembling it!"
"Well, that's strange." Kang Su-mi spread his hands. "I clearly placed it in the box myself, and it was listed on the gift inventory. I had the clerk write it at the very end, right after 'a pair of hunting leopards, male and female.' Didn't you see the inventory?"
"The—"
The Prince Consort and General suddenly fell speechless, his eyes widening as he blankly pondered for a moment. The color gradually drained from his face, and he slumped weakly back to the ground.
"Third brother-in-law?" Li Yuangui leaned forward, his voice trembling as he called out, hoping he was mistaken.
Chai Shao raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze dull and lifeless:
"Yes... I misremembered..."
"What?"
"I misremembered... Among the gifts Kang Sabao sent, there was indeed this pot... At the time, I didn't pay it much attention, thinking it was just an ordinary wine pot. I included it with the other gold items and gave it to..."
He braced his hands against the ground, struggling to recall before continuing hoarsely: "...the Fourth Prince, Prince Qi."
At least he hadn't misspoken those four words.
The Emperor pressed his lips tightly together, lightly tapped the desk, then leaned back. His expression showed both weariness and a hint of relief. Unconsciously, Li Yuangui also let out a quiet sigh of relief, gazing hopefully at his half-brother, thinking—perhaps this could be the conclusion of the case?
It was plausible. The dragon-horse double-heart pot crafted by Kang Su-mi's family artisans was originally a pair. Over a decade ago, he had taken one and given it to Chai Shao, who then passed it on to Li Yuan-ji, who used it to poison his second brother, Li Shimin, at the Crown Prince's Palace banquet. This matter was kept secret, and Kang Su-mi remained unaware. Over a decade later, he took the other double-heart pot and gave it to King Zun, also deceiving him into using it to poison the Heavenly Khan, Li Shimin... Yes, this conclusion made sense.
Except—everyone present (perhaps except Kang Su-mi) knew this wasn't the truth.
"Empress, what do you think?" the Son of Heaven asked with a furrowed brow. Though he didn't turn around, his question was directed at Empress Zhangsun behind the screen. The Empress didn't answer immediately, pausing for a moment before responding softly:"I beg Your Majesty to entrust this case to the Crown Prince for judgment."
The Emperor sighed: "That's reasonable. Summon Chengqian here—isn't he already present?"
"No, he isn't," the Empress replied in surprise. "The Crown Prince is here too? Since when?"
Her question wasn't directed at her husband, and indeed, a woman's muffled voice from behind the screen responded, "This concubine does not know." Li Yuangui's sharp ears recognized it as Crown Princess Su Shi's voice. The Emperor then ordered a eunuch to summon him, but after a long wait, the eunuch returned with a report: "The Crown Prince is not at Wanshan Temple, nor at the polo field opposite or the Duke of Guanguo's residence."
"Where has that boy run off to now?" the Emperor said impatiently. "Summon the Crown Prince's Palace officials to answer!"
The attendant in charge of the Crown Prince's entourage entered and knelt, trembling as he reported that before the polo match began, the Crown Prince had taken only a few personal guards and ridden south, strictly forbidding his attendants from informing the Emperor or Empress, and without mentioning his destination. When the remaining Crown Prince's guards were questioned, one finally reported:
"After the city gates opened today, His Highness ordered someone to go to Prince Consort Chai's residence in Guangde Ward. Later, it was reported that the Chai family's carriage procession was leaving through Anhua Gate, and His Highness galloped off in pursuit..."
Chai Shao, who had been kneeling in a dazed and despondent state, suddenly straightened up, as if about to speak impulsively. Li Yuangui also abruptly remembered his third brother-in-law's words from a few days prior:
"After the Supreme Emperor's funeral procession departs and the Funeral Ceremony concludes, I will petition the Emperor to send my daughter back to our ancestral home..."
Behind the screen, a slender figure rushed out, calling out "Fourteenth Young Master" in a panicked voice—it was Wei Shufen. Li Yuangui, equally frantic, sprang to his feet, heedless of the crime of disrespect before the Emperor, and dashed outside.
No one inside the chamber called out to stop him, and the crowds outside, upstairs and down, naturally had no idea why he was running out like a madman, only stepping aside in surprise and casting him disdainful looks. Li Yuangui paid no mind to any of it, his thoughts consumed by one thing:
Stop Li Chengqian. He must not be allowed to bring Chai Yingluo back.
He knew exactly what Li Chengqian was doing. The Crown Prince still couldn't let go of his illicit feelings for his cousin. Perhaps his parents hadn't outright forbidden it, leaving him clinging to the delusion that if he served them dutifully and worked to please them, the Emperor and Empress might eventually grant his plea to bring the woman he loved into the Crown Prince's Palace.
For this reason, he couldn't bear the thought of Chai Yingluo being sent back to their ancestral home in Hedong. He knew his parents had always been fond of their beautiful, clever niece and hoped that once he completed the tasks assigned by his father, he and his cousin could kneel together before them in supplication, perhaps swaying them in his favor. Upon hearing that Chai Yingluo's carriage procession had left the city for Hedong, he hadn't hesitated—he'd immediately ridden out to bring her back.
Truthfully, Li Yuangui felt nothing more than sympathy for the pair and held no optimism for their future. Both were accustomed to having their own way, neither willing to humble themselves to appease the other. The age gap was considerable, and a woman's beauty fades quickly—by any measure, they were not a couple destined to grow old together.
But that was beside the point. Chai Yingluo could not return to the palace to see her uncle and aunt again—at least not anytime soon. Perhaps it would be best if she never came back at all.Li Yuangui hurried down the stairs step by step. The wooden steps of this street-facing building weren't aligned floor to floor, forcing him to weave through clusters of noblewomen and maids gathered by the railings. On the second floor, he shouted to his attendants below, "Prepare my horse quickly!" But when he reached the head of the first-floor staircase and looked down, his steps froze abruptly.
Too late.
Within the high walls of the Temple of Myriad Virtuous Nuns, the gathered crowd parted automatically, clearing a path. Two riders approached in succession. The one leading, still catching his breath, was none other than Crown Prince Li Chengqian. A peculiar scarf was tied around his neck, and his entire demeanor radiated excitement.
Following behind on horseback was a woman whose face was obscured by a travel hood and cloak. Though her features were hidden, Li Yuangui recognized that tall, graceful figure at once—it was undoubtedly the Shangzhen Daoist priestess Chai Yingluo.
The two riders arrived at the building's entrance. Li Chengqian dismounted first, then personally assisted the second rider down from her horse.
The travel hood and cloak, meant to ward off dust during the journey, were discarded carelessly to the ground. Chai Yingluo smoothed the stray hairs at her temples with a hand, her youthful, lovely face expressionless as she lifted her skirts to ascend the stairs.
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