"I think we should first help Fourteenth Young Master rescue Seventeenth Princess."
Wei Shufen herself felt these words sounded vague and impulsive. She was currently in dire straits with her own safety uncertain, while Chai Yingluo was seriously injured and in urgent need of rest. Somehow, her thoughts had abruptly turned to Li Yuangui.
She expected to face the female Taoist's mocking laughter, but to her surprise, the Master of the Purple Void Monastery merely raised an eyebrow, curled her lips, shook her head while saying "follow me," and quietly led her out of the Great Peace Hall into the Seventeenth Prince's Residence.
Neither of them knew Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi's current whereabouts, so it would be prudent to inquire at Prince Wu's residence first. Unfortunately, from old Chief Steward Chen Hong downward, no one in the residence knew more than they did.
After listening to Chen Changshi's lengthy explanations, the two women learned that at dawn, the Great Peace Palace guards had found Consort Yin's mangled corpse beneath the cliffs of Cuiyun Peak, but there was no news of any captured foreign youth or suspected ringleader. It seemed Sang Sai had successfully descended the cliffs and escaped.
Li Yuangui hadn't informed his own residence's chief steward about this treasonous conspiracy, though Wei Shufen sensed the old steward had guessed about half of it himself, his words filled with anxiety and tension. This Chen Hong was the clan nephew of former Palace Attendant Chen Wanfu, now the Great Peace Palace Supervisor, and had served the Tang Duke's household even before the dynasty's founding. He understood all too well this family's men's unruly, troublemaking nature.
After resting briefly at Prince Wu's residence and having some refreshments, Chai Yingluo said the pain in her chest had lessened. Wei Shufen urged her to stay and continue resting while she returned to the Purple Void Monastery to arrange for a litter to fetch her, but the female Taoist shook her head:
"We can't stay here too long. The Emperor has arrived. After hearing the Crown Prince's report, he may summon Fourteenth Uncle and us to an audience at any moment..."
And disobeying an imperial decree was a capital offense. So was lying to the Emperor.
They needed to go where the imperial envoys couldn't find them... to hide as long as possible.
Having decided, the two women borrowed two mounts from Chen Changshi. Chai Yingluo also instructed him that if Prince Wu returned or sent someone asking after them, to say "High Truth Master and Wei Niangzi went to see the Sacred Fire—remember, only tell your master's people, absolutely no one else!"
What was this Sacred Fire... Wei Shufen followed the female Taoist down the main hall steps in confusion, about to ask, when sudden cries of commotion came from the western courtyard:
"Fourteenth Young Master—this servant—this servant begs to see Fourteenth Young Master—"
Looking over, they saw a middle-aged woman in coarse hemp clothing, disheveled and haggard, struggling to approach the hall while several servants held her back. Wei Shufen didn't recognize her, but Chen Hong squinted and suddenly realized:
"Isn't that Liu Jia-amu... Stop holding her, let her come!"
The old steward explained to Chai Yingluo that this Liu Niangzi had once been Li Yuangui's wet nurse, later serving in Consort Zhang's chambers raising Seventeenth Princess, frequently acting as messenger between the Great Peace Palace's rear quarters and Prince Wu's residence, quite respected. After Consort Zhang's incident last year when Seventeenth Miss was adopted by Consort Yin, this Liu Niangzi had disappeared, unexpectedly reappearing today.
As they spoke, Liu Niangzi staggered forward, clutching Chen Changshi's lapels and wailing, trying to kneel. Chen Hong hurriedly helped her up while Chai Yingluo and Wei Shufen assisted her into the hall, seating her and offering some refreshments, urging her to speak slowly.The nursemaids of imperial princes and princesses were originally high-ranking among the palace servants and officials, typically filled by noblewomen from prominent scholar-official families who had been convicted and consigned to the inner palace. However, this Nanny Liu was hunched over with graying hair, her eyes dull and skin rough and dark, resembling the lowest-ranking laundry maids or garden laborers. Chen Changshi couldn't help but ask, "Where have you been these past few months, Nanny Liu? How did you end up in such a state?"
"This servant... I..." The middle-aged woman barely managed two words before breaking into loud sobs.
It turned out that after Consort Zhang's death, all the maids and serving girls in her chambers had been sent by Consort Yin to perform menial labor in the gardens of Great Peace Palace—drawing water, irrigating fields, removing manure, and weeding daily. In winter, they were reassigned to laundry duties. Nanny Liu, who had never endured such humiliation before, attempted suicide several times but failed. That morning, she suddenly heard that Consort Yin and her brother had died. With all the palace offices in turmoil and everyone anticipating major upheavals in Great Peace Palace, no one paid attention to them. Seizing the opportunity, Nanny Liu sneaked out and ran straight to Prince Wu's residence, hoping to seek protection from the Fourteenth Young Master.
"Ah... I'm afraid that won't be possible..." Chen Hong stroked his beard pensively. "Nanny Liu, though you were unjustly implicated, you are still registered as a servant. Fleeing privately is inexcusable, and no matter who takes charge later, openly sheltering a runaway slave would be difficult..."
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman wailed even louder. Wei Shufen glanced sympathetically at Chai Yingluo, who then said to Chen Hong:
"She was, after all, the Fourteenth Uncle's nursemaid and raised your master with care. You know the Fourteenth Uncle's temperament, Chen Changshi—he would never stand by and watch a helpless woman suffer." Here, Chai Yingluo gave Wei Shufen a meaningful look. "Besides, how to handle Nanny Liu isn't a decision you should make alone. Just shelter her for now and wait for the Fourteenth Young Master to return before deciding."
"High Truth Master speaks wisely." Chen Hong smiled wryly and cupped his hands, then ordered someone to take Nanny Liu to settle her in.
This minor incident consumed more time, and the two women dared not delay further. They quickly took their leave from Prince Wu's residence, leading their horses out of the Seventeenth Prince's Residence. Fearing that the gates of Great Peace Palace might already have orders to intercept them, they avoided conversing on the mountain path and galloped swiftly to the gatehouse. Fortunately, no one stopped them from leaving the palace.
Only after leaving the twin gatehouses of Great Peace Palace's mountain path far behind did Wei Shufen slow her horse and move closer to Chai Yingluo to ask, "Sister Ying, where are we going now?"
"To see the Sacred Fire, didn't I say so earlier?"
"Sacred Fire... What is that?"
Chai Yingluo chuckled from horseback, saying only, "Don't ask too many questions now—just follow me." She led Wei Shufen like the wind back to Purple Void Monastery.
Dismounting and entering the monastery, the presiding Daoist nun Jing Xuan came out to greet them. Chai Yingluo asked, "Has anything strange or urgent happened these past few days?" She then ordered someone to "pack a few changes of clothes and some money for Wei Niangzi and me," while also arranging for horses and a carriage. Meanwhile, she and Wei Shufen went inside to change into men's clothing. Jing Xuan followed closely behind, chattering about trivial matters before adding, "The Hall of Established Governance, the Crown Prince's Palace, and Prince Yue's residence all sent people looking for the High Truth Master several times. Seeing you weren't here, they left without leaving any messages."
As Chai Yingluo tightened her bun, donned the hair cage, and wrapped her turban, she paused at this news. After a moment's thought, she instructed, "Jing Niang, you should also return to Guangde Ward for a few days to lay low. It seems the Empress and the Crown Prince's brothers are at odds—let's not get caught in the middle of their disputes."Jing Xuan agreed and accompanied the two women as they changed into full male attire before heading out. The monastery had prepared a plain carriage and several horses, all waiting at the courtyard gate. The Master of the Purple Void Monastery gave a few more instructions, and Wei Shufen stood beside her, listening attentively. Suddenly, a pungent, musky odor wafted through the air, followed by a low growl as a yellow-and-black-furred beast pounced onto the male-dressed female Taoist.
It was Atun, the plump leopard, once again unleashed by careless servants who had failed to secure him properly. Chai Yingluo chuckled, rubbing the leopard’s head and ears while soothing it with a few words before ordering someone to lead it away. But this time, Atun stubbornly refused, baring its fangs, snarling, and leaping about, hissing at the approaching servants and refusing to leave Chai Yingluo’s side.
Since Bao Nu, its usual caretaker, had been missing for a long time, the beast had grown much more temperamental. Chai Yingluo frowned and scolded, while the servants brought out whips to strike it, but nothing worked. Wei Shufen spoke up in suggestion:
"Yingluo-jie, we’re going to search for someone. Atun has a keen nose—why not... take it along and see if it helps?"
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