"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Let's share a few cups of wine together. Fourteenth Uncle and I are both starving and exhausted."
In the main hall of the Master of the Purple Void Monastery's residence, Chai Yingluo took Wei Shufen by the arm, laughing as she pulled her back onto the sitting couch. Wei Shufen's face was still flushed, but her heart was filled with many unanswered questions. After a brief hesitation, she stayed, though she couldn't muster the courage to look directly at Li Yuangui again.
Chai Yingluo took the silk scarf from Li Yuangui's hands and cheerfully draped it over Wei Shufen's shoulders. Since it was originally her own personal item, Wei Shufen had no reason to refuse. But as the brocade touched her arms, she could faintly sense lingering warmth, likely from Li Yuangui carrying it close to his body during the journey. The thought made her flush with embarrassment once more.
Earlier, Chai Yingluo had instructed the servants to prepare food and wine and arrange a guest courtyard for Prince Wu to stay the night. The maids attending the room were well-trained and efficient, and soon a steaming spread of wine, dishes, and soup was brought in. There were no extravagant meats, just a few small plates of delicacies like cured chicken and pickled eggplant, all fresh and delicious. The soup pot held a thick, golden millet porridge, and the warmed wine was fragrant. Though Wei Shufen had already eaten dinner, the aroma still tempted her.
Chai Yingluo seated Li Yuangui at the head of the table, with herself and Wei Shufen flanking him. Wei Shufen kept her head lowered, stealing glances at Li Yuangui from beneath her lashes. The young prince remained silent, swiftly picking up food and sipping porridge with his chopsticks.
This Fourteenth Young Master of the royal family, born in the palace and raised among women, was a classic example of "sharp in action but reticent in speech." At the scene of Yi Niang's hanging, he had analyzed the situation with eloquence and clarity. Later, when questioning those involved or even asking Chai Yingluo for help to save his sister, his reasoning had been impeccable. But when it came to casual social interactions, he became tight-lipped and indifferent, exuding an air of arrogance that seemed to dismiss ordinary people as beneath his notice.
After Consort Yin lost her son, she had singled out Li Yuangui's family of three for torment—perhaps partly because of this infuriating demeanor of his...
Once they had eaten some porridge to ease their hunger, Wei Shufen cautiously asked about the whereabouts of the Seventeenth Princess. Chai Yingluo gave a bitter smile. "It's alright. The Empress scolded us both but eventually agreed to temporarily care for Seventeenth Aunt, letting her stay for a few days in the rear courtyard of the Hall of Established Governance with the other princesses who've lost their mothers... Alas."
"Isn't that good?" Wei Shufen asked. Why did Chai Yingluo still look so worried, and why did Li Yuangui not seem relieved after resolving such a major matter?
"The Empress also said that, in terms of familial hierarchy, she is only Seventeenth Aunt's sister-in-law, while Fourteenth Uncle is her elder brother. The Supreme Emperor—or rather, that vile Consort Yin—is Seventeenth Aunt's birth father. The life and death of an unmarried daughter should be decided by her father; neither elder brothers nor sisters-in-law can override this. If Consort Yin forges an edict insisting Seventeenth Aunt return to the Great Peace Palace, both the Son of Heaven and the Empress fear the Supreme Emperor might come to harm. A younger sister, no matter what, cannot be weighed against the sovereign father. I believe the Empress will do her best to protect her, but if it comes to an unavoidable choice... Alas..."
Li Yuangui drained the heated wine from his cup in one gulp and said bitterly, "If that day ever comes, I'll snatch Seventeenth Sister away again! My sister and I will retreat to the mountains and live freely for the rest of our lives! What's the point of being a prince or princess anyway?"Chai Yingluo burst into laughter. "You wish! Living in seclusion in the mountains? Can you farm? Can your seventeenth aunt weave cloth? Even if you two are willing to learn, where will you get the land, livestock, hoes, and seeds? Do you have a farmer’s household registration? Can you build a house and raise beams? Or have you already made all the preparations, secured a large sum of gold and silver to buy an estate and servants, and bribed the local officials?"
Her mother was Li Yuangui’s half-sister, making her the young prince’s niece by blood. Yet she spoke and acted without the slightest deference, adopting the tone of an elder sister scolding a younger brother. Li Yuangui, however, took it in stride, hanging his head in dejection and not daring to argue, merely pouring himself cup after cup of wine.
Wei Shufen watched from the side and suddenly recalled how Li Yuangui had bowed in gratitude to her for helping rescue his sister but had shown little acknowledgment to Chai Yingluo, who had contributed the most—though perhaps he had already thanked her outside. Still, the familiar, unrestrained banter between this uncle and niece suggested a deep bond... What had the famously flirtatious female Taoist just said? "Great kindness need not be spoken—only repaid with one’s own body"...
Clearing her throat, the daughter of Chancellor Wei suppressed her wandering thoughts and found a topic to ask about: "The Empress has adopted the seventeenth princess. What does His Majesty think of this?"
Empress Zhangsun was the type who avoided trouble and sought stability, while the current Emperor was said to possess a "heroic temperament." Logically, upon hearing of the injustice inflicted by the wicked stepmother, he should have slammed the table and stepped forward to protect the poor little girl—after all, the seventeenth princess was not only Li Yuangui’s full sister but also the Emperor’s own half-sister.
"His Majesty didn’t return to the Hall of Established Governance tonight," Chai Yingluo replied. "It seems the Tuyuhun front is urgent—he’s been up all night strategizing with his generals and ministers. So the Empress didn’t want to trouble him with the matter of the seventeenth aunt, lest it worsen his mood."
Wei Shufen thought about it and found nothing more to say. At least the poor girl had found a place to stay—surely it was much safer with the Empress than with that venomous snake of a woman. She wondered if the latter had woken up yet.
"Ying-jie," she asked with a smile, "how exactly did you knock out Consort Yin? I’ve been thinking about it all night and still can’t figure it out."
Chai Yingluo, who had been sipping soup, also smiled. "You were there—didn’t you see?"
"It wasn’t the Snow Ginseng Soul-Soothing Pill I put in the medicine bowl, was it? The Supreme Emperor drank that too..."
"Of course not. Do I have the guts to drug the Supreme Emperor?" The female Taoist chuckled. "And there’s no such thing as a priceless Snow Ginseng Soul-Soothing Pill that requires a pure yin maiden to fetch it. I haven’t even finished refining that elixir yet—the celadon vial just held some scented pills for freshening breath and dispelling foul odors. They contained nothing more than cinnamon, mint, and flower dew. The Supreme Emperor could eat them like candy without harm."
Wei Shufen and Li Yuangui both laughed. Earlier, when Chai Yingluo had made such a fuss about the "Snow Ginseng Soul-Soothing Pill," Wei Shufen had been nervous, afraid she might accidentally dirty or crush it.
"By exaggerating the elixir’s rarity, I made Consort Yin focus entirely on it. That way, neither she nor her cronies noticed me pouring anesthetic into the medicine tasting cup." Chai Yingluo smiled faintly and pulled out an inconspicuous black ceramic vial from her wide Taoist sleeve, waving it before them. "Personally concocted by my master, the Immortal Sun. Half a vial will leave you limp and numb—you wouldn’t feel a thing even if someone cut you open.""The anesthetic was poured into the testing cup," Wei Shufen said with some awe as she looked at the black ceramic bottle. "But... Sister Ying, didn't you also drink several sips from that same cup?"
"Indeed," the female Taoist sighed. "That vile Consort Yin is unusually sharp-witted. Had I not drunk first, it would have been difficult to coax her into taking a sip. Though I spat most of the medicine into my handkerchief, my tongue still feels numb even now..."
So that was how it worked. It still came down to quick hands.
"How long does the anesthetic last?" Li Yuangui suddenly asked. "Will that vile woman sleep until tomorrow morning?"
Chai Yingluo shook her head: "No, she didn't drink much to begin with. I estimate she'll wake by nightfall—she's probably raging and beating her servants right now."
Li Yuangui sighed and listlessly stirred his porridge with a spoon. Chai Yingluo frowned at him:
"Fourteenth Uncle, don't act rashly. No matter how much you hate that woman, you must endure for now—the Supreme Emperor's condition takes precedence. With the nation mobilizing troops, if we were to have a state funeral, His Majesty might be forced to recall the armies, which would jeopardize major affairs."
Li Yuangui gave a bitter laugh and replied, "I know," then added, "Actually, I wasn't planning to confront that woman directly—I wanted to lure out her trusted maid for questioning. Earlier in the Hall of Established Governance, I noticed the Empress still keeps the noose that strangled Yi Niang and her suicide note nearby. That made me think of a possibility..."
"What possibility?" Chai Yingluo asked. "Do you think that vile Consort Yin is connected to Yi Niang's death?"
"Sister Ying, have you forgotten? Who was it that forced me to officiate Yi Niang's wedding?" Li Yuangui countered. "Aside from Yi Niang's death, who suffered the most damage from this case? And who does Consort Yin hate most in this world?"
After a moment of silence, Chai Yingluo sighed: "After Eighth Uncle's incident, she never believed for a moment that her son died of illness—she's absolutely convinced it was retribution from Their Majesties. Everyone in and out of the palace knows this..."
Wei Shufen understood Li Yuangui's implication—Consort Yin believed her only son Li Yuanheng had been poisoned by the Emperor and Empress, and thus sought revenge by any means. Yi Niang's mysterious death during the wedding cast greatest suspicion on Empress Zhangsun, a situation that must have pleased Consort Yin immensely. She might even have participated in or masterminded the crime...
"Before Yi Niang's wedding, Great Peace Palace also sent many dowry gifts to the Temple of Common Vocation. Several times, I was the one who delivered them. Both Xinzhi and I saw Consort Yin's trusted maids whispering furtively with Consort Zheng and Consort Yang—who knows what they were discussing." Li Yuangui frowned in thought.
Wei Shufen found this account somewhat familiar—she'd heard something similar that morning at the temple—when Chai Yingluo said:
"It seems I'll need to return home these next few days to question my father in person."
"Your father?" Li Yuangui was taken aback. "What does Third Brother-in-law have to do with this?"
"What do you think?" the Taoist nun looked at him. "If Great Peace Palace sent word to my father hinting that after Yi Niang's burial and mourning period, my elder brother should marry Fifth Daughter born of Eldest Uncle's wife... then everything would make sense."
Wei Shufen drew a sharp breath and sat up straight.She finally caught up with Chai Yingluo's train of thought. If Yi Niang's death was the result of a conspiracy between Consort Yin and Princess Zheng Guanyin of the late Crown Prince's household... where Consort Yin incited Zheng Guanyin to kill the eldest illegitimate daughter during the wedding and frame the Empress to ruin her reputation, while she herself maneuvered in the Great Peace Palace to arrange for Zheng Guanyin's biological daughter to marry Chai Zhewei and inherit the titles and estates of the Duke of Qiao and Princess Pingyang's household—that would truly be a win-win strategy.
"Not quite," Chai Yingluo shook her head again. "Aunt Zheng didn't have time to commit the crime that night... She was in the prayer hall the whole time. I went in and out several times and saw her each time."
"What you saw was her back, wasn't it?" Li Yuangui responded. "A woman kneeling in prayer before the Buddha—would that be hard to impersonate? Besides, even if she didn't do the deed herself, ordering a trusted serving girl to do it wouldn't be difficult."
"Not necessarily," Chai Yingluo shook her head. "Killing someone in the dark and making it look like suicide in such a short time requires a calm and courageous person. You spent all day yesterday interrogating people at the Temple of Common Vocation and questioned nearly all of Aunt Zheng's trusted attendants. Did any of the servants seem capable of such a thing?"
Li Yuangui fell silent. Wei Shufen could only think of Yi Niang's HeBa wet nurse, who came from a prominent family and was both brave and intelligent. The other servants mostly had the same foolish look as A Luo, the maid of the former Princess Qi, Yangshi. But the HeBa wet nurse was probably the only person in the world who truly loved Yi Niang—she certainly wouldn't obey Princess Zheng's orders to kill Yi Niang...
"Actually, Fourth Sister-in-law isn't above suspicion either," Li Yuangui suddenly said. "She also has two biological daughters confined in the temple, waiting to be married off. While it's unlikely they'd be chosen to marry Zhewei, the Great Peace Palace still has a say in who their husbands will be."
Chai Yingluo gave a soft laugh, one that sounded somewhat odd. "Do you really believe that? Could delicate and beautiful Fourth Aunt possibly have the strength and courage to kill someone?"
Li Yuangui coughed awkwardly. "O-of course. Speaking of courage... haven't you heard her story about the Orphan of Zhao?"
Wei Shufen had certainly read the story of the Orphan of Zhao, but what did a thousand-year-old tale have to do with the former Princess Qi, Yangshi? Seeing Chai Yingluo nod silently without speaking, she couldn't help but ask:
"What story of the Orphan of Zhao?"
Li Yuangui glanced at her, his expression surprisingly gentle, but before he could speak, he turned back to Chai Yingluo and said:
"Yingniang, you explain it to Wei Niangzi—that way you won't have any grounds to mock me later."
His tone was resentful, and this uniquely teenage sensitivity amused the female Taoist. Chai Yingluo laughed:
"Fine, fine, I'll tell A Fen the story. You just drink your wine. If you catch me saying anything questionable, you can mock me back to even the score—otherwise, you might hold a grudge against me forever..."
This uncle and niece... were really quite close.
Chai Yingluo turned to Wei Shufen, adjusted her sitting posture, and spoke more seriously:
"You must know about the events of June in the ninth year of WuDe, A Fen. On the fourth day, when the major affairs in the palace had been settled, Prince Qin's guards entered the Crown Prince's Palace and Prince Qi's residence to search for and kill all the sons of my eldest and fourth uncles. At the time, Crown Princess Zheng Shi and all the young masters were in the Crown Prince's Palace, each identified without doubt. But Princess Qi, Yangshi, was at the residence of the fifth imperial son-in-law, Yang Shidao, awaiting childbirth."
"Ah?" Wei Shufen was startled. "She was a princess consort—she went back to her maiden home to give birth?""Originally, it shouldn't have happened. After she became Prince Qi's consort, she had already borne a son and a daughter while living in the rear courtyard of Martial Virtue Hall. Later, when Princes Qin and Qi were ordered to move out of Supreme Palace on the same day, Prince Qin's family resided in Hongyi Palace while Prince Qi's family moved to Hongli Palace. After that, Consort Yang became pregnant twice more, but both ended in premature miscarriages—one of which was a male fetus. Prince Qi consulted a geomancer who claimed Hongli Palace was inauspicious for the principal consort to bear sons. In the sixth month of the ninth year of WuDe Era, when Consort Yang was nearing childbirth again, my fourth uncle specially petitioned the Son of Heaven to send her back to her family home at Yang Shidao's residence—which was also Fifth Princess's mansion—to await delivery. On the fourth day... she hadn't given birth yet."
Wei Shufen lowered her head in thought before asking:
"Is the rumor outside saying that Consort Yang gave birth to a boy but, fearing he would be killed, swapped him with a baby girl?"
Chai Yingluo shook her head: "I've heard that rumor too, but it's even more absurd. With all the extraordinary talents in Prince of Qin's Manor, would they not have anticipated such a move? Consort Yang gave birth around the tenth day or later. During those days, Prince Qin's household stationed countless people outside her delivery room. The baby's gender was checked immediately upon birth—if male, it would be killed instantly to eliminate any future trouble. Fortunately, it was indeed a girl—the sixth daughter of Prince Hailing, now the youngest county princess at Temple of Common Vocation."
Wei Shufen, having visited the temple these past days, had seen the nine-year-old girl once or twice. She remembered her with three hair buns and eyes like inked dots—large, sweet, and adorable, inheriting her mother's beauty. She didn't look like a swapped child at all. Indeed, Chai Yingluo continued: "The most vividly circulated rumor isn't about 'swapping dragons for phoenixes'—when my fourth aunt returned to her maiden home for childbirth, fearing loneliness, she naturally brought along her own son and daughter."
Wei Shufen didn't understand at first, but after pondering, her expression gradually changed:
"The son she took to the Yang residence..."
"Exactly," Chai Yingluo said slowly, watching her. "On the fourth day, once matters in the palace were settled, Prince Qin's forces arrived at Fifth Princess's mansion. Upon entering, they found the princess and her husband in the main hall, with the corpse of a seven-year-old boy displayed before them—claimed to be Prince Qi's legitimate son, Prince Yuyang Li Chengluan. My fifth aunt and uncle, fearing the coup would implicate them, had preemptively killed Consort Yang's son upon receiving confirmation, presenting him to Second Uncle as proof of loyalty."
Wei Shufen closed her eyes briefly, silent for a moment before asking:
"So the rumor claims this son was the one swapped?"
"Mmm. A bloodied child of that age would be hard to identify. Over the years, whispers spread that Consort Yang begged Fifth Princess and her husband to spare her son's life—substituting another boy of similar age, dressed in Prince Yuyang's clothes. They say the real Prince Yuyang still lives."
Wei Shufen was momentarily speechless. Li Yuangui, who had been drinking, suddenly scoffed:
"Just idle gossip from petty minds—utterly unreliable. You don't understand Chief Minister and Fifth Princess's consort Yang Shidao, but I do. He's the type who fears a falling leaf might crack his skull—far too cautious to risk his clan's extermination! With Black Tortoise Gate running red with blood and the entire court trembling, even if it were his own son with Fifth Sister, had Prince Qin demanded him by name, Yang would've handed the child over without hesitation."
His ever-present companion Yang Xinzhi was Yang Shidao's biological son—likely the source of this impression. And Yang Xinzhi probably held no fondness for his father or stepmother. As Wei Shufen considered this, Chai Yingluo added:"Yes, I don't believe those rumors either. But some say Consort Yang holds some terrible secret about the fifth princess and her husband—something that would mean certain death if revealed—and is using it to force them to save her son. Coincidentally, there was a son born to one of Princess Yang's husband's maidservants, about the same age as the Prince of Yuyang, who had long been a thorn in the fifth aunt's side. This was the perfect opportunity to kill him and pass off his corpse as the prince's."
After recounting the whole story, she chuckled to herself: "Actually, it's all nonsense spread by ignorant fools. Although that palace coup was sudden, the Qin Palace's subsequent response was extremely thorough and meticulous. The legitimate son of Prince Qi—such an important figure—how could he possibly be passed off so easily? Even if these rumors reached the Empress's ears, she would surely dismiss them with a laugh."
"And even if Prince Qi's legitimate son had survived, what use would it be?" Li Yuangui shook his head. "My eldest brother—the former Crown Prince Jiancheng—was the eldest son and heir, kind-hearted and well-regarded. If his son had somehow survived, there might be some hope of stirring up trouble under that identity. But the fourth brother... even if he himself were alive today, few would be willing to follow him."
Prince Qi Li Yuan-ji was notorious for his cruelty and recklessness during the WuDe Era. As merely the fourth son, he never had any real qualifications or hope of contending for the throne. Spreading rumors that "Prince Qi's legitimate son still lives" was indeed pointless. Wei Shufen remarked casually, "Since it's just a rumor, it seems Consort Yang hasn't done anything particularly bold..."
"Not necessarily," Chai Yingluo interjected. "This rumor spread widely within the palace walls. Before her marriage, Consort Yang was already famed throughout the city for her beauty, and many knew of her. People love to spread this story precisely because they believe she's capable of such things. You must understand, my fourth uncle had an extremely difficult temperament, yet he remained devoted to his wife until his death. That's not something achieved by mere beauty and obedience..."
As the three drank and chatted, the night grew deeper, but outside the window, the darkness gradually brightened, and strange sounds and smells drifted into the room.
Li Yuangui was the first to notice something amiss. Setting down his wine bowl, he stood and stepped outside, followed by the two women. Looking up, they saw the eastern sky glowing faintly red.
"My lady... my lady..."
A maidservant came running in panic: "It's terrible! The Temple of Common Vocation to the east... it's... it's on fire!"
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