"My surname is Wei, I'm a wedding guest... I need to see the High Truth Master!"
Outside the side gate of the Temple of Common Vocation, before the wedding carriage of Prince Consort Chai's family welcoming Princess Linfen, four or five serving girls carrying items and holding torches stared dumbfounded at the unfamiliar young lady dressed in finery inside the carriage. The leading young man sneered:
"A wedding guest hiding in the wedding carriage—how peculiar! What kind of custom is this? To me, you look more like a female thief taking advantage of the chaos!"
Wei Shufen was furious and strongly tempted to grab something nearby to hurl at his arrogant face. As it happened, she was holding something heavy... What was this?
Looking down, she hurriedly placed the gilded silver warming brazier back in the carriage.
"I'm no thief! If you don't believe me, take me to see the High Truth Master—she knows me!" Wei Shufen retorted angrily, unable to hold back from adding a few more words: "Falsely accusing someone of theft should be met with the same punishment! Young as you are, you ought to watch your tongue!"
The young man outside raised an eyebrow. In the torchlight, it was clear he was only sixteen or seventeen, yet he wore a purple satin robe with large floral patterns dyed across the chest and abdomen, cinched at the waist with a gold-buckled jade belt—a formal attire reserved for officials of the third rank or above, typically exuding nobility. It was just a pity...
Just a pity the young man was far too thin, his frame swimming in the purple robe, and his face bore an insufferably haughty expression, utterly wasting the splendid attire. He opened his mouth again, likely to say something cutting, when a middle-aged serving girl beside him suddenly leaned forward and exclaimed:
"Isn't this the young lady from Imperial Secretariat Director Wei's household?"
"The Imperial Secretariat Director's daughter?" The young man frowned and actually took an unconscious step back.
"That's right. When the Purple Void Monastery started the Female Academy, Young Lady Wei attended often and got along well with the High Truth Master. Come to think of it, back then, she was often with the Crown Prince's Consort Su..."
Wei Shufen also recognized the middle-aged serving girl—she was Jing Xuan, a trusted aide under the High Truth Master Chai Yingluo. Yes, she was usually a Daoist nun, but now she was likely accompanying her mistress in temporarily returning to secular life for three days.
Around the seventh year of the Zhenguan era, Chai Yingluo had established a "Female Academy" at the Inner Sanctuary she presided over, the Purple Void Monastery, periodically inviting noblewomen from the capital's meritorious families to lecture and discuss literature. Naturally, the wives and daughters of Chancellor Wei's household were among the invited. The High Truth Master, as the head of the Purple Void Monastery, came from a prestigious background and had considerable influence. Figures like the talented Lady Xue from Hefen, the widowed mother of the Cui clan from Qinghe who raised five accomplished sons, the eminent nun Jingming, and the Medicine King Immortal Sun Simiao, who was over eighty, had all appeared at her academy to give talks. Over the years, the Purple Void Monastery in the forbidden garden became a dazzling hub of silk and perfume, the most fashionable gathering place for noblewomen in the capital.
As the daughter of Wei Zheng, the foremost minister of the court, Wei Shufen naturally drew considerable attention at the academy and was quite familiar with this nun, Jingxuan Daogu. The nun was said to have been Chai Yingluo's nursemaid, later following the young lady into Daoism. She usually managed all the mundane affairs of the Purple Void Monastery. Recognizing Wei Shufen now, she hurried forward to carefully help her out of the carriage, chattering nonstop:
"Look at my poor eyesight—it's so dark outside, I didn't recognize you at first... How did the young lady end up riding in the bride's wedding carriage? Your father and mother are already in the front courtyard—they arrived before nightfall. Are you here to join them?"
Wei Shufen's legs nearly gave way, and she grabbed the carriage shaft to steady herself before quickly saying:"I have urgent business with the High Truth Master and cannot see my parents first! Master Jing Xuan, I beg you to take me directly to the High Truth Master!"
"Is that so?" Jing Xuan seemed somewhat troubled. "Young mistress, forgive me, but this servant was ordered to prepare the wedding carriage... You know the High Truth Master's temper—she brooks no disobedience. If I delay her orders, I cannot bear the consequences... Ah, right! Fourteenth Young Master!"
Several other maids had already begun scattering jujubes, chestnuts, gold coins, and other items into the wedding carriage. The tall, lanky youth, holding a torch to provide light, turned his head at Jing Xuan's call.
"This servant cannot leave the wedding carriage unattended. Could Fourteenth Young Master please take Miss Wei inside to find Yingniang? Since you're free anyway..."
What... what kind of arrangement is this? Wei Shufen froze for a moment. In the dead of night, a man and a woman meeting for the first time—how could they walk together alone?
The tall youth, Fourteenth Young Master, also hesitated, seemingly sharing the same thought. He glanced at Wei Shufen but instead asked:
"Is this truly the daughter of Lord Wei Xuancheng? Are you sure you didn’t mistake her, Jingniang?"
"Ah, Fourteenth Young Master, how could these old eyes mistake such a delicate young lady?" Jing Xuan smiled, her face crinkling. "Besides, doesn’t she resemble Lord Wei? The slender face, pointed chin, and those sharp eyes..."
Wei Shufen vaguely recalled hearing gossip at the Purple Void Convent Female Academy—though Jing Xuan was a monastic, her greatest joy in life was matchmaking...
"Jingniang, I don’t think this is appropriate..."
"Oh, what’s inappropriate? This servant is simply too busy! What did Fourteenth Young Master just say in front of Yingniang? That you’d help with any task? Well, this task suits you perfectly. Miss Wei is in your care now."
Jing Xuan, assuming the air of a chief steward, finished her orders, lifted her skirts, and climbed into the wedding carriage to arrange the items, ignoring them completely.
Fourteenth Young Master shook his head helplessly, shot another glance at Wei Shufen, and without a word, raised his torch and strode toward the courtyard gate.
What should she do?
Wei Shufen hesitated only for a heartbeat before gritting her teeth and following the tall youth. Staying outside the gate was pointless—only by finding the High Truth Master, Chai Yingluo, and pleading her case could she hope to escape her current predicament.
The tall youth had long legs and took large strides, showing no intention of slowing down for her. After a few steps, Wei Shufen was forced to lift her skirts and jog to keep up with the torchlight as they passed through the side gate, plunging into what felt like a shadowy, ghost-filled forest.
The path inside was overgrown with weeds, flanked by shrubs taller than a person’s shoulders. It was unclear how long this gate and path had been neglected. The faint crunch of broken grass under the youth’s footsteps was audible, but soon drowned out by Wei Shufen’s own panting.
Just whose Fourteenth Young Master was this? So cold, arrogant, and sharp-tongued.
He wore a purple robe, which by custom marked him as nobility, yet here he was at the Temple of Common Vocation’s side gate, helping maids and servants prepare a wedding carriage—even dragging out a runaway bride—and letting a lowly serving girl order him around. How could a third-rank noble stoop to such menial tasks?In the grand residences of the present age, the main gate is reserved for the master and his guests, while servants and laborers use the side gate for transporting goods. The side gate of the Temple of Common Vocation wasn’t far from the main entrance, and the clamor of the wedding procession could faintly be heard from there. A tall, slender youth led the way with a torch, while Wei Shufen followed in quick, small steps. The two headed toward the direction of the noise, winding through the path until the eaves of the surrounding buildings grew taller and the shadows of the night deepened.
Suddenly, a large figure darted through the tall grass, startling Wei Shufen. Fourteenth Young Master immediately called out:
“Yang Da!”
A towering, burly figure emerged from the roadside, momentarily blotting out the sky. The man’s breathless voice carried a laugh:
“Fourteenth Young Master! Thank goodness, save me! High Truth Master is ruthless—she’s set up a bunch of tough guys to ambush and beat the groom’s party!”
Wei Shufen took a step back, craning her neck and nearly standing on tiptoe to see the broad-shouldered, ruggedly built young man who had sprung from the grass. Fourteenth Young Master replied:
“Stop exaggerating! The ones teasing the groom are all women—there aren’t any men! Where’s Yingniang?”
“Some of those women look like men… High Truth Master has been inside the main gate, directing the women to block us!”
The hulking Yang Da barely glanced at Wei Shufen, likely assuming she was a servant, and turned to walk alongside Fourteenth Young Master, chatting and laughing as they went:
“I, Yang Xinzhi, have helped my brothers fetch brides a few times now. Other families just make us recite poetry or demand money at the gates—who’s as cunning as High Truth Master? The main gate is sealed tighter than a drum! We’ve been banging gongs and drums outside, practically resorting to siege weapons to break through! Just when we built up momentum, Yingniang lit three huge bonfires inside the gate and started throwing firecrackers into them—like she’s exorcising demons for New Year’s! We had no choice—a few of the taller guys climbed over the wall from the Corner Tower, shouting to distract the women guarding the gate. But Yingniang anticipated even that—she had people lying in wait below the wall, armed with thick clubs, chasing us down and whacking us over the head…”
As Yang Xinzhi animatedly recounted the tale, the torchlight revealed Fourteenth Young Master’s amused smile. Even Wei Shufen, weighed down by her worries, couldn’t help but laugh. They turned past a moon gate and were suddenly met with a burst of light and noise—gongs, drums, firecrackers, shouts, running, howls, and laughter all mingled together. This was the main courtyard of the Temple of Common Vocation.
A waning moon hung high in the night sky, and candlelight flickered in the towering main hall, but it paled in comparison to the three roaring bonfires blazing before the hall and inside the courtyard gate. Firecrackers still crackled within the bonfires, sending up wisps of smoke. Nearly everyone in the courtyard had gathered around the fires, while the groom’s party—the Chai family—continued their efforts to break through the gate from outside. The clamor from both sides made it impossible to discern what was being shouted.
High Truth Master Chai Yingluo, who was directing the gate blockade, was surely among the crowd by the bonfires. Squinting, Wei Shufen could only make out a sea of silhouettes against the bright flames, all seemingly focused on the drama unfolding at the main gate.
If she were to walk over and approach Chai Yingluo now, her parents might very well be among that crowd…For some reason, the Fourteenth Young Master also stopped with Wei Shufen, gazing silently toward the bonfire in contemplation. Yang Xinzhi asked, "Young Master Fourteenth seeks the High Truth Master—shall I go and summon her for you?"
This young man was indeed considerate and capable. The Fourteenth Young Master nodded. "Go tell Yingniang that the daughter of Lord Wei Xuancheng has urgent business with her."
Yang Xinzhi's face showed surprise, and only then did he turn to properly examine Wei Shufen, bowing deeply with a few words of apology like "Young Mistress, please forgive Xinzhi's rudeness." Wei Shufen naturally hurried to return the courtesy.
Suddenly, another burst of laughter and cheers erupted near the courtyard gate, accompanied by what sounded like pounding on the door. Yang Xinzhi glanced over and smiled. "The main gate is about to be breached—the groom will soon enter the courtyard. The High Truth Master may not be free at this moment, but I'll try to find her. Young Master Fourteenth and Wei Niangzi, please wait here."
By the firelight, one could vaguely make out that this young man had quite handsome features—fair skin, thick brows, large eyes, and a dense black mustache, embodying the most admired masculine beauty of the time. For some reason, Wei Shufen felt her face grow slightly warm as she watched Yang Xinzhi's tall figure run toward the bonfire, her heart filled with gratitude.
As the eldest daughter in her family, her oldest younger brother, Shuyu, was only thirteen or fourteen and still rather immature. If she had an elder brother like this to rely on, perhaps she wouldn't have had to flee her arranged marriage in such haste?
Lost in these disjointed thoughts, Wei Shufen suddenly noticed the light around her dimming rapidly. Turning her head, she saw that the Fourteenth Young Master, who had been holding the torch all this time, had silently walked away without a word.
...Did this mean he had delivered her to her destination and was now washing his hands of the matter?
What a rude and discourteous man.
Wei Shufen fumed as she glared at his retreating figure until it disappeared. Glancing around, she realized she was standing before the arched gate leading from the eastern annex to the main courtyard, closer to the main hall serving as the Buddhist shrine. A turn of her head revealed the shadowed northern side of the shrine, where piles of dried grass and branches nearly reached the eaves.
Before Chai Yingluo was tasked with overseeing the wedding, perhaps the entire temple had been like this—overgrown with weeds, its buildings as desolate as ruins?
At least the latticed windows of the shrine showed flickering lamplight and moving shadows, indicating someone was inside. In contrast, the row of eastern wing rooms opposite the shrine in the main courtyard lay in complete darkness, seemingly vacant. Wei Shufen felt a twinge of fear and took a couple of steps toward the bonfire to the south before stopping again. She silently reassured herself, "It's fine—I'm not far from the gate. If I shout, they'll hear me." Yet she knew she stood in the dark amidst the wild growth, unlikely to be seen, and with the noise from the bonfire, even a desperate scream might go unheard.
Voices and light emerged from the eastern annex gate.
The hazy, swaying glow likely came from handheld lanterns as two figures stepped out, walking one after the other. A woman's voice, breathless with urgency, said, "Mistress, truly, I saw the king—"
"Enough nonsense," came the reply in a soft yet firm tone. "You must be seeing things, letting your fears conjure ghosts. How dare you speak such words? The High Truth Master will flog you to death!"
The first woman fell silent. The second speaker then softened her voice. "At this hour, why hasn't Yi Niang made a move? A Luo, go check the eastern wing—make sure she hasn't fallen asleep."The woman holding the lantern responded, and the two turned toward the door of the eastern wing. Wei Shufen unconsciously followed them, taking a few curious steps eastward before quickly stopping herself—she couldn’t wander off now. Yang Xinzhi might soon arrive with Chai Yingluo to look for her.
From the west, the swaying light of a lantern indeed approached. Unfortunately, as it drew nearer, it became clear it wasn’t the person Wei Shufen had hoped for but a middle-aged maidservant. She hurried toward the eastern wing’s door, where she met the two women from earlier. After exchanging a few indistinct words, one of them called out "Yi Niang" and began knocking.
No response came.
The knocking turned to pounding and shouting.
The eastern wing remained dark and lifeless.
An icy ghostly hand seemed to reach out from somewhere, creeping into Wei Shufen’s chest and squeezing her heart. She found it hard to breathe, an inexplicable dread flooding her body. As if compelled by unseen forces, she dragged her feet quietly toward the eastern wing.
The door creaked twice, and a scream pierced the air.
It was one or two women shrieking at the top of their lungs, their voices filled with the terror of someone who had just seen a ghost. Wei Shufen halted, gasping for breath, unable to stop herself from lifting her skirts and breaking into a jog.
Four or five figures had already gathered at the doorway. No candles were lit inside, but by the glow of the three large bonfires at the courtyard gate, Wei Shufen could see two maidservants collapsed on the steps—one trembling uncontrollably, the other already weeping. Inside the doorway, a noblewoman of high rank, wearing a Floral Crown and a Pheasant robe, leaned against the wooden wall, equally paralyzed.
"Xi Niang… Xi Niang…"
Amid the maidservant’s choked sobs, Wei Shufen climbed two steps and peered inside. The paper door of the inner chamber was wide open, revealing only darkness within. After her eyes adjusted, she could just make out something long and dangling beneath the ceiling beam.
Her mind had already guessed part of the truth, torn between fear and morbid fascination. Summoning her courage, she stepped forward—only for her legs to give way. Tripping over the threshold, she tumbled inside, knocking over a low screen in the inner chamber before sprawling flat on the ground.
Looking up, she saw a slender, petite figure hanging from the ceiling beam, suspended by a noose around its neck.
A scream tore from her own throat. At fourteen or fifteen years old, this was the first time she had ever laid eyes on the legendary "hanged ghost."
A shadowy figure swept past her like the wind, torch in hand, and entered the inner chamber.
The sudden flare of light revealed the truth: the person hanging from the beam wore a dazzling headpiece and a dark Pheasant robe, the noose tight around her neck as she swayed in midair.
The youth in purple robes, holding the torch, swept his gaze around before using the flame to light a bronze lamp in the room. He then tossed the torch aside and stamped it out, wrapping his arms around the hanged woman’s body and shaking her, as if trying to lift her free of the noose.
But he failed. Instead, the woman’s headpiece slipped off, crashing to the ground with a clatter, scattering pearls and gemstones in all directions.
Jade shattered, pearls scattered—both life and beauty lost forever.
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