As thunder rolled across the distant sky and rain poured down in sheets, Wei Shubin mingled among a group of palace maids, quietly passing through the brick-paved corridor of An’ren Gate.

She kept her head low, taking small but steady steps, not particularly afraid of being recognized by the guards. She had become familiar with entering and exiting various palace gates and city gates, knowing that as long as she maintained composure, the guards usually wouldn’t cause trouble. Moreover, on a rainy day like this, everyone wore bamboo hats and rain capes that concealed their faces and figures, so she wouldn’t reveal any telling signs.

“How fortunate these past few days of thunderstorms have been,” Wei Shubin silently mused. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known when she could escape from home.

That day, upon hearing the city’s bells and drums, in her desperation and confusion, she had attempted to pierce her throat with a hairpin. But gold was too soft and pliable, bending against resistance, and couldn’t penetrate deep into her flesh. With her maids and nurse watching nearby, they rushed forward to restrain her, carried her back to her chambers, claiming she was possessed by evil winds, and forced two bowls of calming medicine down her throat. Exhausted from struggling, she fell into a deep sleep.

When she awoke, she learned that the Grand Emperor had passed away in Da’an Palace, and the city bells were announcing the period of national mourning. The court ordered a three-month suspension of all marriages among the common people, which meant the wedding date between the Wei and Cheng families had to be postponed, inadvertently saving Wei Shubin’s life. Her mother, Lady Pei, took charge and strictly ordered the household not to spread the word of the young lady’s resistance to marriage, concealing it from both her father Minister Wei inside the house and General Cheng’s family outside, while ordering strict surveillance of her troublesome daughter.

Mother and daughter had several conversations. When Lady Pei asked, “Have you changed your mind about marrying into the Cheng family?” Wei Shubin found herself tongue-tied, unable to utter a simple “no.” After all, she had agreed to this marriage herself, the betrothal gifts had been accepted, and marriage contracts exchanged. The Cheng family had done nothing wrong, leaving her without any grounds for breaking the engagement.

After much hesitation, she only said she “wanted to go to Zixu Temple one last time to personally thank the True Master” — and to see Prince Yuan Gui one more time, though she couldn’t voice the latter half — but her mother flatly refused, no longer allowing her to leave the house.

Afterward, she tried various ways to escape, but the household had learned their lesson. During the day, two or three maids followed her every step, while at night, her nurse slept on the outer bed, her body forming an imposing barrier like a mountain, her thunderous snoring quite intimidating… Besides the women sent by the Cheng family and Madam Cui, she wasn’t allowed to meet any other female visitors, especially relatives from the Guanlong region like the Chai Prince Consort’s family. Her parents seemed afraid she might conspire with others to cause more trouble and forbade all such meetings.

After being confined at home for many days, she received a package from Zixu Temple, which had already been roughly searched. It contained only some clothes and items she had used at the temple. Even if there had been any letters from Chai Yuli inside, they had likely been removed by her family.

Both saddened and angry, one evening while sorting through the clothes with her maid under lamplight, she suddenly felt something hard in the lining of a skirt. Sensing something unusual, she discreetly waited for her maid to look away before secretly removing the stitches to retrieve what turned out to be a wooden token — her entry permit for Fanglin Gate.

Fanglin Gate was the main entrance from Chang’an’s inner city to the imperial gardens, treated as a palace gate with strict security. During her recent travels around Chang’an recently, Chai Yuli had arranged for the gate guards to issue her this permit, allowing her to enter and exit Fanglin Gate to visit Zixu Temple. The female Taoist had secretly sent her this item, presumably out of sympathy for her house arrest, kindly providing a means for escape.

But what use was a palace and city gate permit when she couldn’t even leave her own home?

Wei Shubin rubbed her eyes and smiled bitterly. Nevertheless, she still carefully concealed the wooden token on her person, foolishly imagining that someday when she could leave — perhaps after boarding the Cheng family’s wedding carriage, she might escape halfway — she would take this permit to Fanglin Gate—

After some more time passed, she was finally allowed to receive visitors. That day, Crown Princess Su sent a female palace official to her home, saying she was bestowing gifts to congratulate her on her marriage, since it was by Empress Zhangsun’s order, her mother couldn’t firmly refuse, so she commanded her to dress up and receive the visitor.

The female official who came to present the gifts was also an acquaintance, originally Su Lingyu’s dowry maid Xiaoping, who had now been promoted to sixth-rank Palace Female Official, greatly trusted by the Crown Princess. After completing the formal proceedings, they sat and chatted briefly. It turned out the Emperor and Empress had been observing mourning at Taiji Palace, with military and political affairs delegated to the Crown Prince as regent, while internal palace matters were assigned to Crown Princess Su on behalf of the Empress. The Crown Princess, whose health had only recently improved, encountered this busy period and had just heard about the marriage between the Wei and Cheng families. Thinking of her former friendship with Wei Shubin, she wouldn’t neglect the occasion, so she prepared gifts, reported to the Empress, and sent someone to deliver congratulations.

Among the bestowed gifts, besides gold, jade, and silk fabrics, there was a congratulatory note handwritten by the Crown Princess, with elegant wording and graceful calligraphy, showing deep sincerity. Wei Shubin recalled those joyful days spent together at the Women’s Study Society in Zixu Temple and felt melancholy. As she was sighing, suddenly something occurred to her.

She rolled up the letter in her hand and smiled at her mother, saying “The Crown Princess has some private words to instruct me,” then beckoned Xiaoping aside and whispered: “The Crown Princess told me not to make it known, but to quietly follow you back to the Eastern Palace to see her, as she has some words to tell me in person. Do you know about this?”

“I don’t…” Xiaoping looked at her puzzled, “Really? The Princess didn’t mention a word of this to me before coming.”

“How strange. Su is being too cautious…” Wei Shubin pondered while waving the letter in her hand, “When we were at the Women’s Study Society, we playfully agreed on secret codes, and this means that… Well, let me quietly go with you to see her. If I’ve misunderstood, I can just return home, no harm done — but don’t spread it around. What if she doesn’t want others to know?”

Since Su Lingyu was entrusted by the Empress to temporarily manage internal affairs, meeting with a minister’s daughter who was her friend wouldn’t be a big deal. Xiaoping’s bright eyes studied Wei Shubin, seeming to guess something, but just smiled and said “When leaving, the Princess did mention asking if Miss Wei needed any help… If that’s the case, I’ll follow Miss Wei’s instructions.”

The two women whispered for a while longer before returning to their seats to socialize. Near noon, as wind and thunder grew outside, Xiaoping bid farewell. She had brought three or four maids with her, along with eunuch porters and servants, forming quite a large group, all busy at the Wei family gate arranging their belongings, putting on oil clothes and rain gear, and preparing horses and carriages.

Wei Shubin excused herself to her mother to return to her room. Lady Pei’s attention was on seeing off the guests and didn’t mind her daughter. Amid the chaos of thunder and lightning, watching for when the household servants weren’t paying attention, Wei Shubin went to the porter’s room, grabbed a set of rain gear to put on herself, then slipped into the Eastern Palace entourage, using the carriages and horses as cover to leave home with Xiaoping and the other female officials.

Only after the procession left Yongxing Ward did her wildly beating heart begin to calm slightly. On the way, she learned from Xiaoping that the Emperor led his royal brothers and princes in daily mourning at Taiji Palace. She thought about going directly to Taiji Palace, but the Eastern Palace official immediately said “I can only escort Miss Wei to see the Crown Princess. If I lose you halfway, I cannot bear that responsibility.” She had to give up the idea and proceed directly to the rear hall of the Eastern Palace to see Su Lingyu.

Upon meeting, the Crown Princess was naturally shocked. Wei Shubin asked her to dismiss the servants, and before she could say much, her pent-up grievances burst forth in tears.

The two close friends held each other and cried thoroughly before slowly telling their stories. The events at Wangsheng Temple and the palace servants’ rescue of the Seventeenth Princess were experiences Su Lingyu had personally been through, so she understood all the causes and consequences immediately. Hearing about the later chaos at Da’an Palace and various subsequent incidents, she could only sigh and weep, deeply sympathizing with the plights of Li Yuan Gui and Wei Shubin. When Wei Shubin concluded by saying “I just want to see him one more time before my marriage, even if I die afterward, I’ll be content,” Su Lingyu gave a bitter smile and patted her shoulder:

“At least you still have hope to hold onto… Ah, although Fourteenth Brother isn’t far from here, he’s surrounded by brothers, uncles, and nephews, all observing mourning at Taiji Palace. Even if you could sneak in, how would you meet and talk?”

Wei Shubin gazed at Su Lingyu through tear-filled eyes, watching her furrow her delicate brows in thought, just like when they used to play mischievously together. Though days had passed without meeting, and Su Lingyu wore mourning hemp clothing, her complexion was much better than before, no longer appearing as haggard and frightened as last time. Instead, she seemed to have developed a subtle air of authority befitting a great household’s mistress, allowing one to imagine how she would appear in the future as the mother of the nation.

“Let’s do this — I happen to have business to attend to today, with many people accompanying me. You can first pose as a palace maid, and I’ll take you inside,” the Crown Princess decided. “Fortunately, Taiji Palace is large with many people, so finding an empty corner won’t be difficult. After we enter, when I’m done with my business, you and Seventeenth Sister can find a place to wait. I’ll say Seventeenth Sister has words for her brother, send someone to the east chamber to call Fourteenth Uncle out, and you can meet… But let me be clear: first, you must be careful to avoid the Empress and not let her attendants recognize you; second, after meeting and talking briefly, I’ll have someone send you home, to prevent your parents from worrying. If this matter gets bigger, it won’t look good for anyone…”

Wei Shubin naturally agreed without hesitation and thanked Su Lingyu for taking such a great risk to help her. The Crown Princess ordered plain palace maid’s clothes brought for her to change into, had her remove her makeup and adjust her hair, making her appearance as inconspicuous as possible, and instructed her to keep her head down and not look around at people. After all the preparations were complete, the Crown Princess’s procession left the Eastern Palace, traveling westward along the cross street.