Li Yuangui had a restless night. Early the next morning, he set off for the Duke of Qi's residence in Chongren Ward with his attendants. While Yang Xinzhi and the others handled the formalities of entering the city and passing through gates and streets, he dozed half-awake on horseback the entire way.
The reason for his sleeplessness was a fierce argument with Chai Yingluo.
When he first declared his intention to "continue investigating Yi Niang's case," the female Daoist patiently tried to dissuade him. He invoked the authority of his imperial brother, explaining to Chai Yingluo the secret edict he had received—officially to search for the grandson of the Tuyuhun Khan, but covertly to continue investigating the murderer of Princess Linfen. The Daoist nun asked him to consider carefully: "When His Majesty and the Empress clash, who ultimately prevails?"
Li Yuangui reluctantly admitted, "I fear it would be the Empress." His second elder brother was bold, resolute, and unyielding, his temper as terrifying as thunder—that much was true. But when it came to steadfast patience, tenacity, subtle influence, and the slow erosion of resistance... the Emperor couldn't hope to match his wife even with three hundred more years of cultivation. If the imperial couple were to lock horns, His Majesty Li Shimin's chances of prevailing wouldn't even reach one in ten.
"So, regarding Yi Niang's case, I advise you not to invest too much effort. Focus instead on finding the Tuyuhun prince," Chai Yingluo said gently. "The Empress's health has been poor these days, so she may not have the energy to intervene now. But she's already decided to close the case, and ultimately His Majesty won't be able to oppose her. Since he ordered you to investigate secretly, just delay for now. After a few days, His Majesty won't mention it again, and everyone will be satisfied. Isn't that the best outcome?"
Yes, everyone satisfied... Li Yuangui sighed and countered, "And what of Yi Niang? Should she just die in obscurity, her death muddled and unexplained? Either labeled as a madwoman who took her own life or slandered with accusations of 'seducing the Crown Prince and deserving her fate'?"
"Such words reveal your naivety about how the world works," the female Daoist replied, her smile unreadable—whether mocking, disdainful, or sorrowful. "Within these palace walls, the unjustly dead are beyond counting. What difference does one more Yi Niang make?"
He knew Chai Yingluo meant well and was concerned for him. This niece was nearly ten years his senior and had personally witnessed the tumultuous transition from the WuDe to Zhenguan eras. She understood far better than he the nature of "family bonds" within the imperial household. Due to their shared maternal connections with the Chai family, the Chais had always treated him and his siblings with kindness and care. Perhaps that was why Li Yuangui momentarily lost control of his rage, overturning the table and roaring.
Of course, Yi Niang's life and reputation weren't worth considering. She was merely the orphaned daughter of a disgraced, deposed, and executed former Crown Prince—unable to choose her birth, powerless in her death, just like the countless voiceless women who perished silently within these high walls. Just like... his own birth mother, who had ended her life with a strangling cord, her eyes brimming with resentment and tears.
He wasn't particularly close to his eldest brother's surviving daughter; in fact, they had only truly met when preparations for this wedding began. Nor could he claim any particular fondness for Yi Niang—the young woman, long confined, was plain in appearance, awkward in speech, and painfully shy, more resembling a palace maid unfit for public appearances.
But she should have been married off in splendor, becoming someone's wife. She shouldn't have ended up hanging alone from a beam on what should have been her joyous wedding day, blood seeping from her orifices, her eyes wide with the injustice of her death.Li Yuangui recalled the night of the wedding, when he had rushed into the bride's chamber with a torch, experiencing a disorienting sense of temporal dislocation. Standing beneath the beam and looking up at the young woman suspended above him, her face seemed to transform into that of his birth mother, Consort Zhang, in the flickering light.
Later, he believed it was the incense permeating the room that had caused such an illusion—especially when he learned the scented pills burning in the bronze brazier had come from Chai Yingluo's personal pouch, originally prepared and gifted by his late mother. The hauntingly familiar fragrance had momentarily transported him back to A Niang's side.
Consort Zhang, Li Yuangui's mother, had not been particularly prominent in the imperial harem. As far as he knew, she hadn't been deeply involved in the fraternal power struggles during the later WuDe years. Yet like most imperial consorts, she had undoubtedly favored the original Crown Prince Jiancheng in hushed conversations and casual remarks about court affairs, pinning all her hopes for herself and her two children on that benevolent heir apparent.
On that day in the sixth month of WuDe 9, Li Yuangui remembered his mother rushing into their quarters in panic, gathering him and his younger sister into her arms. The three of them had huddled trembling in a corner, hiding like that the entire day. He had only just begun forming memories at that age. Several years later, they—along with other imperial consorts, their children, and siblings—were relocated from the inner palace to the remote and towering Great Peace Palace.
When A Niang wept quietly in sorrow, she would sometimes murmur that had the original Crown Prince remained, he had promised to grant the fourteenth younger brother a prosperous fiefdom near the capital and find the seventeenth younger sister a wealthy, kind husband with boundless prospects. The implication being that the current Son of Heaven—the second elder brother who had murdered his sibling and forced their father to abdicate—had treated his younger half-siblings poorly. But these were merely the delusions of a forgotten palace consort.
He, his mother, his sister—they were all the same as the two imperial consorts and eleven princesses in the Temple of Common Vocation: defeated and discarded. His mother had died under mysterious circumstances, then Yi Niang, without even a proper investigation into her death. Who would be next? Yi Niang's mother and sisters? His own younger sister? Or himself?
To be fair, Chai Yingluo hadn't actually "quarreled" with him. When he had gesticulated wildly, shouted, and vented his fury like a madman, the female Taoist had merely sat composedly with an impassive expression, silently watching his outburst. Only when he collapsed to his knees, exhausted and weeping, did she utter "Jing Xuan, see our guests out," rising decisively to push both him and Yang Xinzhi out of Purple Void Monastery.
From that moment, he seemed to exist in a daze, led back to Great Peace Palace by Yang Xinzhi guiding his horse. He had no memory of servants helping him wash, dress, eat, or depart this morning—only when entering the city and seeing the secret envoy sent by the Great Ning King of Tuyuhun in Uncle Changsun's small reception hall did Li Yuangui's mind begin to clear slightly.
The clarity came from sensing something amiss about this envoy.
The middle-aged man wore a turban and round-collared robe, but his ruddy, weathered face bore the marks of a herdsman from the northern frontiers. Except... yes, he had no beard—his upper lip and chin were completely smooth. When he spoke, his voice was shrill and thin:
"Lord Qi has already informed this humble servant that Prince Wu has been commanded to search for our young prince Nuozhebo. This old slave first offers thanks to Your Highness here."As soon as he spoke, Li Yuangui understood—this was a eunuch from the Han palace! No doubt he was a servant who had accompanied some generation of a peace-marriage princess, following Murong Shun to Tuyuhun. After years of exposure to wind and sun, his hands and face had become like this.
He and Yang Xinzhi entered the hall together. After Uncle Changsun briefly introduced both parties, he excused himself with "My ailing mother requires my presence at her bedside" and hurried back into the inner courtyard. Li Yuangui and the secret envoy exchanged many polite words before getting to the main topic:
"Might I ask, esteemed envoy, whether Prince Nuozhebo had any distinctive physical characteristics? Such as birthmarks, scars, or unusual features?"
The envoy shook his head:
"Unfortunately, no. When the young prince was born, this old servant personally held him. He was a fair, plump baby with delicate features, clean and pink, his downy hair and pupils jet-black and bright. He would laugh at the slightest coaxing—utterly adorable beyond words."
This... No matter how adorable, it was useless. "A fair, plump baby with delicate features, black hair, and bright eyes"—there must be at least hundreds of thousands like that in the world. How could they possibly find him?
"Then, after the Jiangdu palace coup in the 13th year of Daye, when your master and his wife were separated, did you ever hear any news about the mother and child? Even the slightest rumor would do."
"No," the envoy spread his hands. "After my master returned to Chang'an, he stayed for over a year and tried every means to gather news from the Sui palace. But the times were too chaotic, communications were cut off—what could be done?"
"Then... how are we to find him, and how will we recognize him when we do? There must be some method, surely?" Li Yuangui frowned. "Eighteen years have passed—that baby is now a young man. If I were to randomly find someone of the right age, say—"
He turned and pointed at his companion:
"If I were to claim that this Yang fellow, my household retainer, is your Prince Nuozhebo, how would you distinguish the truth, esteemed envoy?"
Yang Xinzhi was startled, his mouth hanging open in shock. The eunuch envoy looked him up and down, actually breaking into a delighted smile:
"If Prince Nuozhebo grew up to be as tall and mighty as this, majestic as a heavenly god, it would be a blessing for all of Tuyuhun! Since Prince Wu has been appointed by the Heavenly Khan as the envoy to seek him out, if Your Highness says this young man is the prince, then—"
"Wait! Wait!" Yang Xinzhi frantically waved his hands, his face paling in fright. "Fourteenth Young Master, this is no joking matter! Xinzhi has both parents living, and his name is registered in the Yang family lineage. My mother even shaved her head and became a nun so I could be recognized by my ancestors. To falsely claim another origin would be unfilial and grieve my parents..."
If you could impersonate the Tuyuhun prince and marry into the frontier, my fifth sister, your stepmother, might be even happier... Li Yuangui thought, his mood lightening slightly. Suppressing a laugh, he steered the conversation back on track:
"So, esteemed envoy, you truly have no way to distinguish the real prince from an imposter? As long as it's a young man of roughly the right age and appearance, it would suffice?"
"Naturally not." The envoy replied leisurely. "A baby grows into a youth, and his features change too much—this old servant wouldn't recognize him. But—my mistress, the former Sui's Princess Dehua, was a peerless beauty in her time, and this old servant knew her very well. Even after eighteen years, I believe I could still recognize her."
So that was his plan.Li Yuangui straightened his posture and pondered for a moment, unable to deny the logic in this reasoning. Murong Shun sought his son to eventually inherit the throne of the Tuyuhun Khaganate after him. Bringing back just any random child would not only unsettle him personally but also fail to gain acceptance among his people. Since the infant had no distinctive features to prove his lineage, the only credible evidence would naturally be his birth mother.
Delving deeper, the likelihood of the infant dying young was high. Perhaps, in the end, the Tang court would have to find a suitable substitute to impersonate him. And to make the deception convincing, they would likely need the cooperation and acknowledgment of Princess Dehua of Sui—so had the mission shifted from finding a prince to finding a princess?
But how could Princess Dehua, a lone woman with an infant, have easily survived the chaotic times?
"During the Sui Dynasty's alliance with Tuyuhun through marriage, the state was at its peak and would never have sent the Son of Heaven’s own daughter to a foreign land," Li Yuangui asked. "Princess Dehua was a daughter of the Yang clan. Do you, esteemed envoy, know which branch or family she belonged to?"
The eunuch merely shook his head:
"Your Highness, forgive me, but this old servant truly does not know. There is a reason for this: the birth mother of my master, Prince Shun, was Princess Guanghua, also a daughter of the Sui imperial clan who was granted the title of princess for the marriage alliance. While the old mistress was alive, the entire household strictly avoided mentioning the term 'clan daughter,' addressing and serving her only as an imperial princess. Later, when Prince Shun won the favor of Emperor Yang of Sui and was granted Princess Dehua in marriage, the princess was stunningly beautiful, gentle, and charming. The couple was deeply in love, and Prince Shun forbade the servants from prying or gossiping. Following the old mistress's precedent, he insisted on addressing her solely as 'princess' in both heart and speech. This old servant truly does not know the young lady’s true origins."
"Then—what distinguishing features did Princess Dehua have?"
"Well... this old servant dared not look directly at the mistress, so I cannot say if she had any striking differences from ordinary people. At the time, Princess Dehua was sixteen or seventeen, fair-skinned and beautiful, with delicate manners and a soft, pleasing voice. Even among the countless beauties of the Sui palace, she stood out as a peerless beauty..."
Here we go again with these useless details... Li Yuangui rubbed his forehead and sighed:
"At the very least, can you tell me Princess Dehua’s maiden name or childhood name? Don’t say you don’t even know that!"
"Oh, this I can provide," the eunuch nodded earnestly. "This old servant once heard Prince Shun call Princess Dehua 'Guanniang,' and he joked that this childhood name destined her to marry into the Murong clan."
Amitabha, after all this time, they finally had a practical clue.
Unfortunately, this was the only clue. Li Yuangui pressed further, but the eunuch could only repeat praises about how beautiful Princess Dehua and her son were, offering nothing else useful. It was enough to make one’s blood boil with frustration—though of course, he couldn’t act on it. According to the plan, after Li Yuangui found the mother and son, he would first bring them to this secret envoy for confirmation before quietly escorting them back to Tuyuhun to reunite with Murong Shun.
It was nearly noon, and Li Yuangui didn’t want to delay any longer. He bid farewell to his host. The one who saw him out was Changsun Chong, the heir of the Duke of Qi, who repeatedly apologized, "My grandmother is gravely ill, and my father dare not leave her bedside. Please forgive us, Your Highness." Changsun Chong had married the Empress’s beloved daughter, Princess Lelc, just two years prior and was also a consort-commandant. Li Yuangui naturally couldn’t slight him, so he exchanged polite courtesies before mounting his horse and leaving the Duke of Qi’s residence with his attendants.
As soon as they turned the street corner and the Black Head Gate was out of sight, Yang Xinzhi began grumbling under his breath:"That Uncle Changsun is really too stingy. It's already noon, and he hasn't even offered us a meal..."
"You're at it again! Look at your priorities!" Li Yuangui scolded with a frown. "We still don't know if those assassins who kidnapped Bao Nu in the forbidden garden yesterday have been found. There's no progress on Yi Niang's murder case, and the Tuyuhun prince is still missing. With so many important matters at hand, all you can think about is eating!"
"'Prepare meals to satisfy hunger, feast when full, disdain leftovers when hungry'—people must eat after all!" Yang Xinzhi chuckled. "If Dehua Princess had my appetite, one meal could last her three days. Her chances of survival would actually be better..."
Though this remark was practically asking for a beating, it wasn't entirely wrong. Li Yuangui sighed from horseback:
"Yang Da, your family belongs to the main lineage of the Hongnong Yang clan, registered among the imperial relatives during the Sui dynasty. Your grandfather was even enfeoffed as 'Prince Guan' and led campaigns against Tuyuhun. With two generations of imperial princesses—Princess Guanghua and Dehua Princess—sent for marriage alliances, surely you must know something about the inside story?"
"Fourteenth Young Master asks what he already knows. Though the Sui imperial family also bore the Yang surname, they weren't from our branch. I heard my uncle's family is revising the genealogy to clarify that the Sui imperial line has no connection to ours. It was they who sought to affiliate with our Hongnong main lineage, offering princely titles—just like..."
Yang Xinzhi caught himself mid-sentence, barely swallowing the words "just like your Li Tang imperial family claiming to be from the Longxi Li clan." Li Yuangui naturally understood his implication and shot him a glare:
"Affiliation or not, your family was still registered among imperial relatives during Sui... imperial relatives..."
The imperial registry recorded births, inheritances, marriages, and deaths across all royal branches.
"That's it!"
Li Yuangui suddenly exclaimed, ordering the rest of his retinue to return to the forbidden garden with specific instructions to "check the northern garrison camp for updates on yesterday's arsonist search." Keeping only Yang Xinzhi with him, he spurred his horse westward through the city gate, entering the imperial city via Anshang Gate. Both men carried palace access tokens, and Li Yuangui also had the Son of Heaven's "act with discretion" Imperial Edict, allowing them easy entry to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs where they met the presiding minister, Li Baiyao.
"Prince Wu wishes to examine the Sui imperial genealogy records?"
Li Baiyao repeatedly read through the Imperial Edict before returning it to Li Yuangui. Though the elder's wrinkled face wore a smile, his words carried unintended implications:
"Our Court's duty is to 'maintain the Son of Heaven's clan records to distinguish lineage hierarchy.' Why would Prince Wu consider the Sui Yang clan as 'imperial relatives'? Though this old official once drafted edicts for Emperor Wen of Sui, I'd hardly conspire with Sui remnants to rebel..."
Such phrasing... Li Yuangui barely restrained his temper. This Li Baiyao was the son of renowned minister Li Delin, hailed as a child prodigy at seven, and deeply favored by Sui Emperor Yang Jian, having composed many court documents during the Kaihuang era. He'd once abducted Duke Yang Su's concubine and survived King Du Fuwei's poisoned wine... Rumor held he'd also formed close ties with Prince Qin during the WuDe Era. Now serving simultaneously as third-rank Imperial Clan Minister and Crown Prince's Left Advisor, he regularly lectured the Crown Prince and attending nobles—including Li Yuangui himself—at the Eastern Palace, making the prince technically his student.
Though over seventy, the venerable minister remained eccentric and unrestrained, his seniority allowing him to jest even before the Son of Heaven with rare restraint. Despite holding the Imperial Edict, Li Yuangui dared not offend him and forced a smile:"You flatter me, Lord Chonggui (Li Baiyao's courtesy name). Yuangui is here under the Son of Heaven's Imperial Edict to investigate historical matters from the Daye era of the former Sui dynasty. Considering the former Sui's Imperial Clan Court was also established here, I thought there might be old archives or records stored in the repository..."
Li Baiyao chuckled heartily:
"I say, Prince Wu, young men shouldn't spend all their time wandering about. They ought to read more books. Or if unwilling to learn from those below, at least converse more with their elders—then they'd know that Yang Guang, the last emperor of Sui, began constructing the eastern capital upon his ascension and moved the capital to Luoyang in the second year of Daye. When the Son of Heaven departed, all the government offices naturally followed to the imperial city in the eastern capital. Thereafter, matters like genealogical records and enfeoffments were all handled either in Luoyang or wherever the Son of Heaven was residing, with the archives naturally kept in the eastern capital. Alas, after years of warfare, scarcely one in ten of those documents likely survives. For His Highness to come seeking them at our Western Capital's Imperial Clan Court—where would Baiyao find the means to fabricate them out of thin air?"
Seeing the conversation was going nowhere, Li Yuangui rose to take his leave. Just as he reached the hall's exit, a voice called from behind:
"However..."
Turning back, Li Yuangui saw Li Baiyao stroking his sparse white beard, deep in thought:
"In the early years of Daye, when Sui administration was still orderly, important annual records would have duplicate copies sent to the Western Capital for preservation..."
"Then these duplicate archives?" Li Yuangui asked eagerly.
"Let me think... In the second year of Zhenguan—no, the third year, yes, the third year—when the court issued the decree to compile histories of the five dynasties... they were all transferred to the History Bureau of the Chancellery for Wei Zheng and others... this old man also had the honor to participate... to serve as reference for compiling the histories."
Li Yuangui was exasperated, sensing undisguised mockery in Li Baiyao's gaze. The old man must have been idling too long in this obscure office, bored enough to tease visitors for amusement... He couldn't even muster a polite "Thank you for your guidance," simply clasping his hands in farewell before striding out with his attendant.
The two rode north again, exiting the imperial city for the palace grounds, entering the small history bureau courtyard surrounded by jujube trees north of the Chancellery. Chief Minister Wei Zheng, overseeing the compilation of the five dynasties' histories, was absent. The duty historian examined the Imperial Edict and politely allowed Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi to search the archives, but as expected after the Sui turmoil, the surviving imperial genealogies were fragmentary. After much searching, they couldn't even find the characters for "Dehua Princess."
"Fourteenth Young Master, this haphazard searching won't do," Yang Xinzhi suddenly said, waving away dust from the shelves. "Why not use the Imperial Edict to order the archivists to systematically categorize and examine the records..."
"Exactly!" Li Yuangui slapped his forehead. "Damn it, how could I forget about her! Why dig through archives? With her here, we could just ask—she'd know everything about these matters!"
#####Chapter 6's appendix explains why the childhood name "Guan Niang" relates to the Murong clan and includes gossip about Li Baiyao's youthful romantic escapades. As the publishing platform doesn't support images, please visit the author's Weibo to view. Search for "Tang Dynasty Tour Guide Forest Deer" on Sina Weibo—discussions welcome. ????
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