Li Yuangui had originally gone to the Hall of Two Principles to relay a message to the chancellor Wei Zheng but ended up running headlong into his elder brother, the Son of Heaven, Li Shimin.
It was partly his own fault for being young and playful. After presenting his credentials at the west gate, he caught sight of the imperial horse with its golden saddle and silver bridle among the ceremonial retinue outside the upper pavilion, where the Son of Heaven had just concluded his morning court. The majestic steed was so striking that he couldn’t help but pause to admire it. Amid the fluttering snowflakes, the horse suddenly raised its head and let out a long neigh in his direction, drawing the attention of the nearby palace attendants serving the imperial household.
The imperial mount had its tail neatly tied and its mane groomed into the orderly three-flower style, as per protocol. Held by a groom at the foot of the pavilion, it looked dignified and regal. Yet that spirited neigh made Li Yuangui envision the untamed wildness of the horse galloping freely across the grasslands, its long mane flowing in the wind.
Standing beside the horse was the duty attendant Li Zhen, the eldest son of Duke Ying, Li Shiji, and a familiar face from their shared days studying at the Crown Prince’s Palace library. Having locked eyes, Li Yuangui felt obliged to approach and exchange a few words. He learned that this magnificent steed was a recent tribute from Tuyuhun. “Truth be told, it’s not fully broken in yet—still a bit wild. But His Majesty insists on using it now. What can we do?”
Li Yuangui nodded sympathetically at Li Zhen’s bitter smile and hesitant expression—a look he had seen too many times on the faces of those serving the Emperor. The two chatted for a while longer until the sound of chimes and heralds announced the Son of Heaven’s departure from court.
The snow began to fall more heavily, and the yellow silk command umbrella swayed as it struggled to keep pace with the Emperor’s brisk stride. Li Yuangui knelt with the others, intending to seek out Wei Zheng once the Emperor had departed. But the Emperor spotted him and called him by name:
“Fourteenth Brother, I heard this morning that the Temple of Common Vocation caught fire. Have you gone to see it? What exactly happened?”
Li Yuangui rose to reply, briefly recounting the collapse of the temple buildings, the safety of the Princess of Xi and the eight other princesses, and the disappearance of the Princess of Hailing and her two daughters. As he spoke, he stole glances from beneath his lowered lashes, his tone growing increasingly cautious.
The Emperor, clad in plain russet robes, stood beside the imperial horse, distractedly stroking its neck with a deep frown. He seemed in a foul mood. After just two days apart, his elder half-brother, now in his thirties, looked noticeably more haggard and weary, with dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept all night.
The Tuyuhun campaign must not be going well… Li Yuangui thought to himself. Meanwhile, he continued his report, mentioning, “The Empress ordered me to inform Lord Wei that the death of Princess Linfen is to be ruled a suicide.” The Emperor’s expression darkened abruptly.
“What? This is absurd!”
Declaring the eldest daughter of the former Crown Prince to have hanged herself was tantamount to indirectly admitting that she had been driven to despair by threats and pressure from Empress Zhangsun, using her life as a final act of protest. The damage to the Empress’s reputation would be immense. Li Yuangui had never understood why the Empress would make such a decision—and it seemed even her imperial husband was equally baffled.
The Emperor swung onto his horse, ordering his younger brother, “Ride with me,” and commanded someone to “summon Wuji to the Hall of Established Governance.” With a flick of the reins, he charged heedlessly into the snowstorm.
Galloping like this within the palace grounds was strictly forbidden, but… evidently, no guard dared to stop His Majesty Li Shimin.Li Yuangui also grabbed a spare horse from the imperial attendants' line and mounted it, following the Emperor as they charged out of the courtyard gate. The Hall of Two Principles and the Hall of Established Governance weren't far apart, and before the ceremonial entourage could catch up, the two brothers had already spurred their horses through the gate of the Hall of Two Principles. A rotund figure seemed to emerge from the ground, stepping forward to take the reins of the Emperor's mount:
"Your humble servant Wu-ji pays respects to Your Majesty..."
The Emperor didn't give his brother-in-law, Duke of Qi Zhangsun Wu-ji, time to complete his formal greeting. Dismounting directly, he grabbed him and asked, "What about that matter?"
Zhangsun Wu-ji shook his round, plump face: "No leads yet, the time has been too short..."
The Emperor let out a frustrated sigh and strode toward the main hall steps, complaining as he walked:
"After painstakingly assembling over a hundred thousand troops for the western campaign, Li Daoyan actually robbed the Dangxiang Qiang of their livestock at Kuoshui, blocking the road and preventing advancement. Is that beggar so poor he's lost his mind? And that Gao Zengsheng is even more foolish—leading thirty thousand men who've apparently gotten stuck in some muddy pit with no way out, all communication cut off! Two out of three military routes delayed, half our forces unable to reach the battlefield—how can we form an encirclement? They'll pick us off one by one! How are we supposed to fight this war? Damn fools!"
His long legs covered ground quickly, forcing Li Yuangui and Zhangsun Wu-ji to jog slightly to keep pace on either side. As they ascended through the halls, Zhangsun Wu-ji replied slightly breathlessly:
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Grand Commander Li Jing is a seasoned veteran—he's encountered such situations before and will surely handle it appropriately..."
The Emperor didn't seem to be listening. Amidst the calls of attendants, he entered the main hall directly and turned to the large privacy screen, raising his voice to address whoever was behind it:
"Empress! Fourteenth Brother says you've ordered Yi Niang's case closed? That won't do! This investigation must continue to the end! Whoever struck that dark blow must be held accountable!"
There was rustling behind the screen. After a brief pause, Empress Zhangsun's voice emerged:
"This concubine has confidential matters to discuss with Your Majesty in private."
Several women emerged from both sides of the screen—the Empress had dismissed all her palace attendants. Li Yuangui spotted Chai Yingluo and Wei Shufen among them, both keeping their eyes downcast as they shuffled quickly toward the exit. The Emperor sighed helplessly and gestured for his own attendants to leave, instructing Zhangsun Wu-ji and Li Yuangui to "wait in my study."
The Son of Heaven's private study was located in the eastern wing of the courtyard. After exchanging polite deferrals, Li Yuangui and Zhangsun Wu-ji entered, their attention immediately captured by the large sand table on the study desk. The terrain of mountains and rivers looked familiar, with the southeastern highlands and northwestern desert being particularly recognizable.
"Duke of Qi, does this sand table represent the Tuyuhun situation?"
"Indeed. Prince Wu's discernment is sharp as ever."
Fascinated, Li Yuangui began slowly circling the sand table.
A small wooden city in one corner bore a banner reading "Chang'an," while a city by a blue-painted lake to the northwest was labeled "Fuqi." Further north, beyond the desert's edge, stood "Gaochang City." Specially painted white mountain peaks, lakes surrounded by mountains on plateaus, and the vast, soft Great Sand Desert to the northwest were all marked with small flags. He surmised the red flags represented the current positions of various Tang armies, yellow flags indicated marching destinations, and blue-green flags marked enemy troop concentrations.The imperial edict appointing Dai Guogong Li Jing as Grand Commander to lead troops against Tuyuhun was officially issued in late winter last year. Preparations for the expedition had been intensively underway since spring and summer of the previous year, and diplomatic exchanges between the two nations had begun even earlier. This was another major campaign led by Li Jing with the full might of the Tang military since the resounding victory against the Eastern Turks in the fourth year of Zhenguan, which had annihilated their state in one stroke. As someone passionate about equestrian archery, Li Yuangui naturally paid close attention.
In truth... his involvement went beyond mere "attention."
He had pleaded earnestly with the Son of Heaven to be sent to the front lines. The consequence was being kicked back to Great Peace Palace by his half-brother with orders to "copy the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times and dutifully attend to the Supreme Emperor."
"Our troops have been deployed for nearly two months now. How goes the campaign?" Li Yuangui asked Zhangsun Wu-ji while standing by the sand table. "I've heard that the Qiang and Dangxiang tribes south of the mountains have risen in support of Tuyuhun, and that some Liao barbarians even killed one of our Tang prefects to join that false king Murong Fu-yun. Is this true?"
"As Minister of Works holding only a nominal post, I'm not involved in military affairs and don't know the details," Uncle Changsun replied with a round face smiling amiably yet distantly. "The Dangxiang Qiang share ancestry with Tuyuhun, speaking similar languages and sharing customs, so their defection is unsurprising. Campaigning beyond our borders presents numerous difficulties—slow initial progress is quite normal. The army is full of seasoned veterans, Prince Wu need not worry."
The unspoken message—"Adults are handling serious matters, children shouldn't meddle"—couldn't have been clearer.
Li Yuangui paced gloomily to the window. The Imperial Study contained multiple braziers whose charcoal fumes stung the eyes. Through the gaps in the thick paper window panels propped open outward, he suddenly spotted two women wearing long gauze veiled hats standing in the swirling snowflakes, conversing quietly in the courtyard.
The taller, more athletic figure was Chai Yingluo. The slighter woman facing her must be Wei Zheng's eldest daughter, Wei Shufen.
The black veils hanging from their hat brims reached their knees, and the distance was too great to discern their expressions. Yet this very obscurity made their body language more telling—Chai Yingluo had one hand on Wei Shufen's shoulder as if consoling her. Wei Shufen initially hung her head, then lifted her face to say something, her entire body trembling violently with an aura of desperate, near-collapse anguish.
What had happened?
Beneath the younger Wei lady's veil peeked a section of Shu brocade with floral patterns on green background—the very silk scarf Li Yuangui had personally returned to her the previous night. Remembering how this scarf had draped his younger sister's slender shoulders, his heart ached.
His seventeenth sister seemed to have matured considerably during her time with Consort Yin. When brought into the warm bedchamber of Hall of Established Governance's rear courtyard and learning her full brother still couldn't stay with her, the little girl had wept—wiping her own tears before taking off the green silk scarf from her arm and handing it to him, saying "Return this to the elder sister who came with Yingniang. The weather's so cold."
Last night's snow-laden air had indeed been bitterly cold. By morning, snowflakes finally began falling, gradually silvering the late winter landscape. The two women stood conversing in the snowfall, their veiled figures silent and forlorn.
Li Yuangui turned and pushed open the Imperial Study door, stepping into the courtyard.
His boots crushed the thin layer of snow blanketing the blue brick pavement without sound. As he approached, both women looked up. Trained in archery since childhood, Li Yuangui's sharp eyes discerned—even through the gauze—two tear tracks on Wei Shufen's face.
"What's happened?"Li Yuangui asked. The reply came from Chai Yingluo, the female Taoist, who shook her head gloomily:
"The Empress wants me to send Shufen back to the Wei residence."
"Why?" Li Yuangui exclaimed in shock. Wei Shufen had fled from an arranged marriage—without resolving this matter, sending her back home would surely mean her father would sell her off to Cheng Yaojin without question.
Wei Shufen's body trembled slightly, as if suppressing a sob. Chai Yingluo sighed:
"Fourteenth Uncle, can't you guess...? This is beyond your help. Best not to interfere."
Li Yuangui pondered deeply and suddenly understood—the Empress wanted to settle the case of Princess Linfen, and for that, she needed the cooperation of Imperial Envoy Wei Zheng. Quietly returning the escaped daughter of the Prime Minister would be no small favor, and Chief Minister Wei would likely accept it gladly in exchange for closing the case.
So the Empress had silently allowed Chai Yingluo to shelter Wei Shufen these past few days with such far-sighted calculation...
He stared blankly at the weeping girl behind the veil, recalling how she had volunteered yesterday to accompany Chai Yingluo to the Great Peace Palace to rescue his younger sister. His chest warmed, and he whispered urgently, "That won't do. Sending Wei Niangzi back like this is throwing her into the fire! Yingniang, think of something!"
"What can I do? The Empress issued the decree in person..." Chai Yingluo shook her head bitterly. "I dare not defy it. Do you, Fourteenth Uncle? Seventeenth Aunt is still in the backyard of the Hall of Established Governance."
Thinking of his younger half-sister, now adopted by the Empress, Li Yuangui's heart sank. Just then, commotion arose inside and outside the main hall. Palace maids standing in the corridor were summoned inside, and soon one came out to announce:
"Her Majesty commands Yingniang... the High Truth Master to attend her."
It seemed the Empress's illness had flared up again. Chai Yingluo had no time for further discussion. She turned and hurried up the steps, tossing her veiled hat to a maid before bowing and slipping through the warm curtains into the main hall.
Left alone in the courtyard, Wei Shufen and Li Yuangui stood silently facing each other. The light snow, driven by the wind, endlessly dusted the girl's hat brim with white frost. Flakes also clung to the black veil hanging down, trembling gently in the breeze.
A slender female figure hung from a beam, swaying in the gust that burst through the door...
Li Yuangui startled at the sudden vision, stepping back half a pace. Wei Shufen had already bowed gracefully to him, choking out four words:
"Prince Wu, take care."
After rising from her curtsy, the girl lifted her head, adjusted her shawl, and walked toward the courtyard gate of the Hall of Established Governance. Li Yuangui called out anxiously, "Where are you going?"
Wei Shufen didn't stop or look back. Her faint murmur was clear:
"The cold sky, the long night, the bleak and desolate wind, the wild geese departing, the yellowing leaves falling..."
The traveler prepares to leave the inn, returning forever to his true home... Alarmed, Li Yuangui rushed forward and grabbed the girl's veil and sleeve.
He knew this was rude and improper, and that many eyes from the corridors and windows were watching him, but he no longer cared.
All the martial and literary skills he had painstakingly mastered since childhood were useless; he couldn't even see his ailing father; he couldn't protect the mother who bore him; his eldest brother's daughter had died before his eyes; his younger half-sister had suffered torment and was still not safe. He couldn't let this brave, pitiful girl seek her own death. He had to do something—at least something...
"Shufen, I'll inform your father and General Cheng," Li Yuangui gritted his teeth. "You are to be appointed as my Princess of Wu."#####This chapter's notes include images of the hairstyles of Tang Dynasty noble steeds, as well as explanations about Li Er's role as a driver, etc. Please visit the author's Weibo to view them. Search for the ID "Tang Dynasty Tour Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo. Welcome to interact. ????
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