Chapter 2 - The Marriage of Wei Shubin
Li Yuangui entered the Crown Prince's Palace literary institute to study at the age of eight. Before that, he had scarcely seen any men, having been born in the deep palace and raised by women's hands. Until he left the palace to live independently at twelve, his daily interactions were mostly with his mother, his younger sister from the same mother, and their serving girls and palace maids.
Setting aside his childhood, in recent years as he studied literature, practiced martial arts, listened to lectures, and handled official duties, he increasingly found little to discuss with those womenfolk. Getting by with perfunctory responses was enough.
The only woman he could truly converse with was Chai Yingluo. This niece who had entered the Daoist path early shared deep connections with Li Yuangui's family of three. Beautiful and witty, the Purple Void Monastery she presided over was conveniently located within the same forbidden garden as the Great Peace Palace. If Li Yuangui held any respect or expectations for women's intelligence, they all stemmed from Chai Yingluo.
Then he met Wei Shufen.
The remonstrating minister Wei Zheng was renowned for his fearless admonishments to the Son of Heaven, his upright reputation shaking the realm. Yet his daughter bore none of her father's imposing demeanor—in fact, when Li Yuangui first saw Wei Shufen shrinking in the wedding carriage, he truly mistook her for a servant girl.
But he soon realized his mistake. The young lady in the carriage wore bright clothes and vivid makeup. Though her hair was slightly disheveled and tear-streaked makeup stained her face, her gaze when she looked up at the crowd was clear and fearless. She referred to herself as "I," without any of the submissive timidity of servants, instead displaying a recklessness and stubbornness that went too far...
Yes, recklessness and stubbornness—these were the deepest impressions Wei Shufen left. She dared to defy her parents' orders by fleeing her arranged marriage, then admitted to murder and threatened suicide to her face, ultimately forcing Minister Wei to temporarily spare his daughter. In her place, Li Yuangui doubted he would have shown such courage—if he had, he might have long since rescued his sister and avenged his mother's death...
Having grown up surrounded by the powdered and skirted denizens of the inner palace, Li Yuangui didn't find Wei Shufen particularly beautiful, let alone charming in speech or graceful in manner. Yet he genuinely admired this young woman's headlong recklessness. With her own troubles unresolved, she voluntarily followed Chai Yingluo to rescue the Seventeenth Princess, devoting herself wholeheartedly to protecting the weak. That green brocade silk scarf she wrapped around his little sister's shoulders filled Li Yuangui with deep gratitude.
Thus, no matter what, he couldn't stand by and watch Wei Shufen walk into dire straits without lifting a hand to help.
"You are about to be enfeoffed as my Princess of Wu"—the words left his own mouth before he realized it. Spoken without forethought, they felt utterly natural and right. And... aside from marrying her himself, what other method could stop her father from selling her into marriage with Cheng Yaojin?
In the spacious courtyard shaded by the Hall of Established Governance's layered eaves, snowflakes continued to drift quietly. Li Yuangui gripped Wei Shufen's sleeve, gazing at the slender figure behind the veil, and thought: spending a lifetime with her might not be so bad.
They could read poetry and ride horses together. When he left the capital for his fiefdom, they would travel side by side. With her strong, straightforward nature, she'd likely have no interest in the petty intrigues and jealousies of the inner quarters. Even if they quarreled, he could yield, leaving the household management entirely to her... Yes, he could accept her as his principal wife and princess consort.
The veiled girl slowly turned. Tear-bright eyes fixed on him through the gauze.
This gaze, Li Yuangui thought. Uncomprehending, unsupported, inexplicably bold—in anyone else it would seem foolishly stubborn, but when she looked at people this way, it was simply, almost charmingly, innocent.
Wei Shufen gently retrieved her sleeve, folding her arms before her as she lifted her face to ask:
"The Fourteenth Young Master wishes to marry me?"
Her voice was thick with nasal tones, low and hoarse from continuous weeping. Pity welled in Li Yuangui's heart as he nodded confirmation:
"I'll personally petition the Emperor and Empress, request influential matchmakers to deliver betrothal gifts to your parents—you needn't worry... Shufen, I'll treat you well."
"But," Wei Shufen drew a deep breath, "Fourteenth Young Master, have you forgotten something?"
"Forgotten what?" Li Yuangui was bewildered.
"You forgot... to ask if I'm willing."
The young prince's mouth fell open, his mind utterly blank. He didn't know how to respond, even forgot he ought to speak. He simply stood dumbly in the light snow, watching the tear-glittering face behind the veil as fragmented, choking words spilled from thin lips pressed into a straight line:
"I know you mean well, Fourteenth Young Master... but in the end, how are you different from my father? He wants to uphold family honor, you want to protect my safety... You're a chancellor and a prince, wielding great power and noble status, able to decide a young woman's life, death, sorrow, and joy... while what the young woman herself thinks doesn't matter at all... isn't that so..."
"Shufen, I—" Li Yuangui finally recovered his voice, interrupting somewhat urgently, "That's not what I meant—you're being forced into a mercenary marriage, with your temperament, I can't just watch you seek death!"
Wei Shufen smiled tearfully at him:
"Your Highness overestimates... if merely keeping me alive were the goal, my parents aren't deliberately driving me to death. Even married into the Cheng household, General Cheng... might not treat me cruelly. Having disgraced my family by fleeing, I didn't wander wild just to cling to life... If survival through submission were my aim, why go through all this trouble?"
Li Yuangui was thoroughly confused now: "Didn't you say you'd rather die than marry Cheng Yaojin? Then... being with me is surely better than becoming General Cheng's second wife, no?"
This was somewhat embarrassing. The girl in the long veil shifted her gaze from his face, biting her lip in thought. Snowflakes swirled and settled lightly on her hat's brim.
"If I must submit to someone under such circumstances," Wei Shufen said softly, "I might as well become a walking corpse in the Cheng household. Why drag down the Fourteenth Young Master... Your Highness's kind intentions, this humble Wei is deeply grateful but must decline."
This was a clear statement that she'd rather marry Cheng Yaojin than him. Though softly spoken, her words were resolute, leaving no room for reconsideration.
Li Yuangui felt as if a knife had twisted in his gut, sour and bitter with mixed emotions. Watching Wei Shufen bow deeply to him, he stepped back as anger surged. Unconsciously reaching toward his belt, he'd forgotten his sword had been confiscated at the palace gates.
Just then, a woman's voice floated over:
"Setting aside second marriages and imperial consorts for now—do you have fifty thousand bolts of silk, Fourteenth Uncle?"
The Daoist priestess Chai Yingluo had been watching the show for who knew how long. Emerging from the Hall of Established Governance's main chamber without her veil, she'd quietly crept behind Li Yuangui to observe this young couple's marriage proposal...
Well, perhaps she hadn't deliberately eavesdropped. Turning, Li Yuangui realized they'd been so absorbed that numerous palace maids and eunuchs had gathered in the corridors, most pointing and covering smirks. Wei Shufen also seemed to awaken abruptly, gasping as they simultaneously stepped back to separate.
"Fifty thousand... what fifty thousand bolts..." Li Yuangui turned to Chai Yingluo, flustered, then understood. Sure enough, the priestess smiled: "The betrothal gifts for the Wei family! Minister Wei needs those fifty thousand bolts to marry his eldest son to a daughter of the Boling Cui clan! Did you think the title of princess consort alone could trick the Weis into giving away their daughter for free?"
Heat rose in Li Yuangui's face. He'd never considered this.
Having grown up in the inner palace, he had little concept of money, but knew fifty thousand bolts was a huge sum—likely far exceeding the imperial gifts stipulated for princely weddings. Could he supplement from personal funds?—but what personal funds?
"Second brother-in-law might..." he murmured, then stopped. Since the WuDe era, edicts had placed the incomes of minor princes like him under the management of his second sister Princess Xiangyang's husband, Dou Dan of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Though he'd lived independently at the Seventeenth Prince's Residence for three or four years, enjoying luxurious comforts, he'd never seen any accumulated wealth—
"Even if you could gather fifty thousand bolts, or Minister Wei wished to become a prince's father-in-law, Shufen would still need to return home before marrying," Chai Yingluo continued. "In the current situation, once she goes back, will you have any say?"
Given the uproar Wei Shufen had caused, angering her father so, she'd likely be strictly confined until entering the wedding chamber. With her fiery temperament, she probably wouldn't last long... The thought deepened Li Yuangui's dejection.
Chai Yingluo stopped teasing him, going to take Wei Shufen's arm and whispering. Wei Shufen shook her head without replying.
The priestess sighed deeply, lifting the black veil of the hat to whisper at length in the girl's ear. Wei Shufen remained rigid for a long moment before nodding very slowly.
Withdrawing, Chai Yingluo turned to smile at Li Yuangui, asking quietly: "Fourteenth Uncle, you're willing to help Shufen, aren't you?"
How else can I help... Li Yuangui nodded distractedly. Chai Yingluo pressed: "Even if it means bearing some blame?"
Hesitating, Li Yuangui's gaze fell on Wei Shufen's green floral-patterned scarf, reminding him of his sister. He nodded again.
Chai Yingluo turned back to whisper more to Wei Shufen, then took her hand and motioned Li Yuangui toward the main chamber's entrance, saying "His Majesty will summon you soon."
Wei Shufen stumbled unsteadily under the eaves, still refusing to remove her veil. As Chai Yingluo brushed snow from her, Li Yuangui was called inside to see the Emperor.
Passing through warm curtains, he heard heart-wrenching coughs—likely the Empress's illness. Rounding several doorways, he found the Emperor alone before a large screen, expression troubled—the stifled frustration of one with much to say but no way to voice it all.
As coughing behind the screen subsided, the Emperor spoke:
"Fourteenth Brother, regarding Princess Linfen's case, though many doubts remain..."
cough cough cough
"...it may be best concluded here. You'll collaborate with Minister Wei on a final report. Record any unresolved questions truthfully..."
cough cough cough
"...submit directly to Us without further troubling the Empress. The weather worsens, and Her Majesty's health requires greater care. With political and military affairs pressing—rumors say the Tuyuhun have sent assassins to Chang'an—you and Wuji should investigate outside. Report anything important directly, without hesitation."
Li Yuangui considered this an implicit permission to continue investigating.
Rarely did the imperial couple disagree. With the Empress ill, the Emperor avoided arguments that might worsen her condition, yet unwilling to close the case blindly, he signaled Li Yuangui through the screen... quite the image of a stern Sage Ruler.
"Your subject has a petition," Li Yuangui replied carefully. "Having no official post in the capital, my investigations relied on Your Majesty's special edict. With the case concluded, Minister Wei should naturally return the edict. Without authority, how can I intervene in capital security?"
Though a prince with nominal governance over Shouzhou, his actual power extended only to his small residence at the Great Peace Palace's Seventeenth Prince's Residence. As for the imperial edict held by chief investigator Wei Zheng...
Wei Xuancheng had been reluctant to take the case initially. Now with the Empress ordering its conclusion and kindly returning his runaway daughter, he'd surely gladly surrender the edict and drop this hot potato.
Just then, commotion erupted outside. The Emperor frowned as Chai Yingluo hurried in to kneel and report:
"Your Majesty, Minister Wei's eldest daughter, having paid respects to the Empress, collapsed from cold outside. She claims urgent matters to report and begs Your Majesty's merciful audience."
Wei Shufen had stood too long in the snow, emotionally overwrought. But why request an audience now?
Li Yuangui glanced covertly at the Emperor. He didn't know if anyone had reported Wei Shufen's flight from marriage, accidental presence at the Temple of Common Vocation, or shelter at Purple Void Monastery, but the Empress clearly knew—which usually meant the Emperor knew too.
Indeed, the Emperor showed no confusion, only slight surprise before glancing behind the screen and ordering: "Admit her."
Wei Shufen was half-carried in by two maids, deathly pale and trembling. After a shaky kowtow, the girl spoke between coughs:
"This humble Wei, daughter of Remonstrating Minister Wei Zheng, voluntarily seeks ordination... Should the state require, I willingly accept title... to marry as peace bride to western frontier tribes."
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