Li Yuanxu and his servant rode out of Guangde Ward, galloping eastward along the cross street until they reached the First Street on the right side of the Imperial City. They then turned north, passed the Imperial City, entered Tianjie through Yanxi Gate, and arrived at the entrance of the Eastern Palace.
The journey was not short. By the time they reported their names and verified their credentials at Chongming Gate, the sun had already sunk low in the west. A large flock of crows cawed as they flew past the gate tower, heading towards some abandoned hall deep within the palace to roost.
Although Li Yuanxu could enter the Eastern Palace gate, he could only wait in the corridor inside while the guards relayed his presence to the Protocol Officer, who would then report to the inner palace. The message would be passed through several layers before someone would come to escort him inside—if Crown Prince Li Chengjian agreed to receive him.
Chongming Gate was quite far from Xiande Hall, the main hall of the Eastern Palace, with four or five gate towers and pavilions in between. Standing at the gate, one could only see a corner of Xiande Hall’s dark flying eaves and owl-tail ridge quietly stretching against the evening sky.
Lizheng Hall, where the Crown Prince usually resided, was even further behind Xiande Hall. The layer-by-layer reporting through the guards would take considerable time. No matter how anxious Li Yuanxu was, he could only wait until the sun had completely set behind the multiple levels of flying eaves in the Western palace complex. As the sunset glow retracted its splendid radiance, the first evening drum struck at Shuntian Gate, its beats rippling like waves, triggering long, dense drum rolls from the gate towers of both the Imperial City and outer city walls.
Boom boom boom, boom boom boom…
Following the ground-shaking drum beats, a single figure finally emerged from the palace, running toward Li Yuanxu. As he drew closer, it became clear that it wasn’t the Protocol Officer but a palace eunuch, who, panting and smiling, said:
“Prince Wu has waited long. The Crown Prince commands: Being unwell today and as it’s getting late, he is not fit to receive guests. He requests Fourteenth Uncle to return in a few days.”
Li Yuanxu was greatly disappointed. Li Chengjian surely understood why he had come, and this obvious refusal meant he deliberately wanted to avoid discussing and resolving the matter face-to-face. Return in a few days? What if His Highness the Crown Prince remained “unwell” then?
If Li Chengjian wished, he could hide in this heavily guarded deep palace, claiming illness forever, never giving his angry young uncle a chance to speak with him privately. Meanwhile, he could continue his tyranny and misconduct, collaborating with that evil woman to persecute a helpless young lady…
“I have crucial confidential matters concerning military and state affairs that I must discuss with the Crown Prince immediately. If His Highness has retired, I can kneel and report from outside his bed screen,” Li Yuanxu stared at the messenger eunuch, emphasizing each word with determination. “It cannot be delayed, or neither the Crown Prince nor I can bear the responsibility!”
The gate tower drums were so loud that Li Yuanxu had to raise his voice, practically shouting with stern authority. But regardless of how much pressure he applied or how agitated he became, the eunuch merely maintained a respectful smile, repeatedly saying “The Crown Prince has clearly ordered Prince Wu to return quickly lest you break curfew,” refusing to relay the message again.
From his demeanor, it was clear he was following the Crown Prince’s strict orders to drive Li Yuanxu away without any compromise.
Frustrated and disappointed, Li Yuanxu habitually reached for his sword at his waist but grasped empty air, remembering he had surrendered his weapon to Yang Xinzhi before entering the palace—and at Chongming Gate, Yang Xinzhi had handed over both their swords to the palace guards.
These rules were probably established precisely to prevent impulsive young men from drawing weapons and storming the palace…
Yang Xinzhi watched him with a helpless smile. “Young Lord Fourteen, perhaps… we should return early tomorrow morning to request an audience?”
Li Yuanxu shook his head. He knew it would be futile, and Yang Xinzhi knew it too. Even the eunuch’s face showed a trace of sympathy. Today they had at least made it through Chongming Gate; tomorrow, the Eastern Palace gates might be completely closed to him.
“I will wait here until His Highness the Crown Prince recovers and can see me,” Li Yuanxu said through gritted teeth, turning to sit in the corridor where the Left and Right Guard cavalry usually sat during grand court assemblies. Looking up at the eunuch, he said, “Go report this back!”
“This—Prince Wu, please reconsider, this isn’t proper…”
“Is it proper for a nephew to deny his uncle even a brief audience?” Yang Xinzhi interjected. “The distinction between ruler and subject is paramount. Prince Wu dares not defy the Crown Prince’s orders and waits respectfully at the gate—surely this doesn’t violate court protocol?”
As he spoke, he walked to Li Yuanxu’s side and sat down to wait with him. The eunuch tried to persuade them further, but seeing both young men’s unwavering determination, he could only sigh and bow before returning to the Eastern Palace.
By now, the evening drums had struck three thousand times, darkness had fallen, and the various palace gates were being locked for the night watch. Even if Li Yuanxu changed his mind now and wanted to return to Da’an Palace, it would be practically impossible. But he wouldn’t change his mind—if Li Chengjian was truly determined not to see him, he would sit here in the Chongming Gate corridor all night, freeze to death or injury, and make a huge scandal of it, seeing who would suffer the consequences.
He had no other options left, and he wasn’t afraid of losing more, because he had nothing left to lose…
The nights at the end of winter and the beginning of spring grew cold quickly. After sunset, each gust of wind became sharper than the last. Li Yuanxu wore a padded robe that had made him sweat while riding at noon under the sun but now felt as thin as paper, with the night wind piercing straight to his skin.
Fortunately, Yang Xinzhi’s warm, imposing figure sat close by… Li Yuanxu glanced at his attendant, noticing he had deliberately positioned himself at the northwestern corner, using his body like a screen to block the northern wind for his master.
With little to say, they sat silently in the darkness for who knows how long, their bodies and spirits froze to the core, until finally, a flickering light appeared from the direction of Xiande Hall, slowly approaching.
As the light drew closer, they could make out a group of people, both men and women. Two or three carried large objects, while a male-dressed attendant with double buns held a lantern, and behind her was a woman wearing a veil. When they reached them, the veiled woman made a deep bow to Li Yuanxu and spoke:
“This servant follows orders to invite Prince Wu inside.”
Li Yuanxu tilted his face to respond, but when he opened his mouth, he found his voice hoarse. After coughing twice, he asked:
“Has His Highness the Crown Prince finally agreed to receive us?”
The veiled woman bowed again and gestured. Two young eunuchs behind her unfolded the objects they were carrying—two heavy cloaks—and presented them to Li Yuanxu and Yang Xinzhi.
The gesture was at least friendly, and Li Yuanxu had no reason to refuse. He tried to push himself up from the ground, but his legs were too stiff to obey. Only with Yang Xinzhi’s help did he manage to stand. The veiled woman waited until both men had wrapped themselves in the cloaks, then turned to lead the way, and the group followed the lantern light back north into the depths of the Eastern Palace.
Li Yuanxu had been familiar with this path since he was seven or eight years old when he and his brothers would come to the Eastern Palace Library for lectures and discussions. Although the buildings and walls were hard to make out in the darkness, he estimated they had passed Xiande Hall and were somewhere between Chongjiao Hall and the Right Spring Quarter, not far from Lizheng Hall, when the veiled woman led them into a warm small palace hall.
This hall stood independently, not connected to other buildings, consisting of a single main chamber. Inside, charcoal braziers were burning, with elegant screens and curtains arranged around them, and bright flames flickered in bronze candlesticks on tall tables. After bringing Li Yuanxu and his companion inside, the veiled woman bowed and said, “Prince Wu, please wait here briefly,” before withdrawing.
The maid carried herself with such dignity that she might be Crown Prince Li Chengjian’s favored servant… Just as Li Yuanxu had this thought, he heard a woman’s gentle cough from behind the screen inside the chamber.
“Please forgive us, Prince Wu. The Crown Prince is truly unwell and lacking energy, and cannot see Fourteenth Uncle today,” said the woman’s gentle voice. “I boldly took the liberty to invite Prince Wu to rest here for the night, and tomorrow we shall respectfully escort Fourteenth Uncle back to Da’an Palace.”
Li Yuanxu froze, suddenly realizing he had fallen into a trap.
Li Chengjian still refused to see him, but fearing he might cause a scene at the Eastern Palace gate that could lead to trouble, he had ordered someone to lure him into this small hall for the night—realizing this, he quickly stepped back to the hall entrance and pushed hard on the door, only to find it had been barred from the outside.
He angrily pushed and pulled the door several times, prompting someone outside to respond “Your servants attend Prince Wu,” while from behind the screen inside, the gentle female voice spoke with a hint of anxiety:
“Prince Wu, please remain calm, I have matters to report!”
There was something peculiar about this woman’s manner of speaking… Li Yuanxu’s anger subsided as he took a deep breath, walked back near the screen, and asked in a deep voice:
“Who are you, my lady?”
There was a pause behind the screen, followed by a slightly bashful reply:
“I am the Crown Princess… Lady Su.”
It was Li Chengjian’s newly wedded principal wife, the future Empress Su of Great Tang… locking herself in a small hall with her husband’s young uncle in the dead of night.
Li Yuanxu was startled and stepped back involuntarily, bumping into Yang Xinzhi. Glancing up at Yang’s towering figure, his heart steadied somewhat, and he bowed with clasped hands toward the screen:
“Yuanxu pays respects to the Crown Princess. Please forgive my transgression, Lady Su.”
“This humble wife has acted improperly, abusing authority and meeting privately with men at night, violating proper conduct. I am deeply ashamed,” Crown Princess Su’s voice was somewhat choked. “But circumstances are urgent, and I chose the lesser evil. Please understand, Fourteenth Uncle… I’ll be brief. Is your urgent request for an audience related to the matter of Princess Seventeen’s marriage alliance?”
“It is!” Li Yuanxu responded excitedly.
“Prince Wu, please lower your voice—you know about the young lady from Minister Wei’s family being named princess and sent to Tibet?”
“Yes.” Li Yuanxu controlled his emotions and lowered his voice, understanding that Crown Princess Su didn’t want the servants outside to hear their conversation details.
Crown Princess Su took a deep breath behind the screen and spoke slowly: “Then does Prince Wu know that the first young lady from Imperial Son-in-law Chai’s family is also to be sent away to a distant foreign state?”
“…”
This news was so unexpected that Li Yuanxu’s legs gave way, and he sank directly onto the floor mat, mouth agape. After a while, he finally mumbled:
“Miss Chai… she took religious vows… even as a Daoist priestess… sent away… to foreign lands? What is this…”
Ignoring his incoherent speech, Crown Princess Su continued, with a sound between crying and laughing from behind the screen:
“My maids discovered the news about Princess Seventeen and Miss Wei’s marriage alliance last night… The Crown Prince usually visits and pays respects to the Retired Emperor at Da’an Palace in the mornings. Today, after returning to the Eastern Palace in the afternoon, an urgent summons came from Da’an Palace saying the Retired Emperor’s condition had changed… He didn’t return until dusk, somewhat intoxicated. When I asked about the Retired Emperor’s health, he didn’t answer at all, just muttered to himself for a while before breaking into loud crying and laughter, saying he would send away Master Shangzhen Chai’s cousin too, make the Master return to secular life, and send her as Princess Seventeen’s companion bride, both to marry into Gaochang…”
Together marry into Gaochang.
Li Yuanxu suddenly recalled the wooden map of the northwestern territories he had seen in the Emperor’s study. Besides Chang’an and the Tuyuhun king’s city Fuxi, the sand table had marked only one other city in the north – Gaochang. These were the only three cities… He also remembered hearing someone say that the Emperor’s border expansion plan was to advance step by step, making allies of distant states while subduing nearby ones. After conquering Tuyuhun, the next step would be Gaochang, which guarded the gateway to the Western Regions…
Historically, Han princesses sent in marriage alliances served as the Emperor’s internal agents, gathering intelligence about foreign states. This was an extremely delicate task – if mishandled, it could cost not only one’s life but also diplomatic relations between countries. To show sincerity, the court intended to send the Emperor’s sister as a true princess, but Princess Seventeen was only twelve years old, too young and naive to handle such important matters. So they planned to send the Emperor’s intelligent and capable niece Chai Yingluo to accompany her to Gaochang, to protect Princess Seventeen and serve as Tang’s internal agent… This was truly a masterful strategic move.
“Princess Seventeen is a poor motherless girl, Abin is my dearest friend and Master Shangzhen… she’s the only one truly protecting these two poor girls. Now even if she is to be sent away in exile, I… I…” Crown Princess Su took several quick breaths behind the screen to calm her emotions. “And that’s not all… The Crown Prince… he also wants…”
“What else does the Crown Prince want?” Li Yuanxu asked, his voice weak with dismay.
“He has somehow angered the Empress, and his mother has been cold to him these past few days,” Crown Princess Su spoke sorrowfully. “Those three women are all favored by the Empress. The Crown Prince doesn’t dare to present his marriage alliance plans to the Empress himself, so he ordered me to report to Lizheng Hall tomorrow to seek the Empress’s approval, and… I must succeed, must not be rejected, or else he will… I… I…”
As suppressed sobs came from behind the screen, Li Yuanxu sat crouched on the floor, supporting himself with one hand, and his mind gradually cleared.
Li Chengjian, the seventeen-year-old Crown Prince, had shown intelligence for several consecutive years, but now, getting his first taste of power and eager to prove himself, he was secretly planning state and family affairs without his parents’ knowledge. Yet he lacked confidence, not even daring to discuss his plans with his mother, instead sending his wife to speak for him… Such limited capability.
“Crown Princess, do not worry,” Li Yuanxu spoke. “Yuanxu knows what must be done.”
The sobbing behind the screen subsided, though Crown Princess Su’s voice remained nasal: “Is that so… it’s good that Fourteenth Uncle has a solution. I had thought… thought to ask Fourteenth Uncle to notify Master Shangzhen, have her appeal to the Empress tomorrow… The Empress has always favored Master Shangzhen, surely she wouldn’t bear to send her away in marriage, and might dispel the Crown Prince’s mad notions…”
Li Yuanxu shook his head. Crown Princess Su had only recently married into the Eastern Palace and didn’t understand the royal family deeply enough to harbor such naive thoughts. True, Empress Zhangsun favored Chai Yingluo, but when it came to necessary sacrifices for the state, she could steel herself to give up not just a niece, but even her daughter. As for Princess Seventeen and Wei Subin, there was no need to even mention them.
“As soon as the palace gates open tomorrow morning, Yuanxu will go to Imperial Son-in-law Chai’s residence to find Master Shangzhen,” Li Yuanxu promised to the screen. “Leave this matter to me. Crown Princess, please return to your hall.”
Note: Li Yuanxu’s protest at the Eastern Palace involved sitting at “the place where Left and Right Guard cavalry sit during grand court assemblies.” This refers to a Tang Dynasty palace ceremonial guard arrangement where strong men from the Left and Right Guards sat in the corridor during major ceremonies to demonstrate power. According to “Tang Liu Dian” Volume 24: “For guarding inner corridors and gate pavilions, there are five formations: the Imperial Service Guard, the Personal Guard, the Merit Guard, the Wing Guard, and the Dispersed Guard, all seated in the east and west corridors. When the Emperor sits in the main hall, they stand on both sides of the steps. Inside the main gate, the flanking teams sit in the east and west wings.” This is also depicted in the murals of Tang Prince Zhanghuai’s tomb.