Minister Wei and his wife, who had been kept in the dark, were naturally shocked. After understanding the situation, they repeatedly called it “nonsense” and refused to cancel the engagement. But General Cheng was forthright, saying firstly, your daughter’s heart belongs to another – a young prince, the Emperor’s brother no less – and since the two are deeply in love, forcing this marriage would only lead to endless troubles.

At his age, why should old Cheng needlessly involve himself in this and disturb household peace? Secondly, if Wei Xuancheng wouldn’t cancel the engagement, then send the daughter out now, and old Cheng would take her home to be the Duke’s wife. As long as she didn’t make trouble, he wouldn’t bring up past matters, the two families could maintain their relationship as before, and old Cheng would still bow to Wei and call him father-in-law – how about that?

Since Minister Wei couldn’t produce his daughter and couldn’t refute the claim that “the young lady’s heart belongs to another,” he finally had to grudgingly cancel the engagement. It was said he spent several days at home smashing bowls and plates in anger, deeply resenting his eldest daughter for disgracing the family name.

After returning, Cheng Yaojin sought out Li Yuanxu privately and explained everything clearly, pounding his chest as he guaranteed, “I’ve worked things out with Lord Xuancheng. We’ll tell others that we had Li Chunfeng cast the young lady’s horoscope, which showed she shouldn’t marry for several years.

The young lady wishes to pray for her mother’s blessing and willingly enters the Dao, so both families agree to part ways and cancel the engagement – this way no one’s reputation is harmed.” Li Yuanxu could only express his profound gratitude repeatedly, knowing General Cheng had done his utmost to preserve everyone’s face. However, how could any news in the palace and court be kept from spreading? Before long, this tale would surely circulate among the royal relatives and high officials.

So the reputation of Minister Wei’s eldest daughter had been thoroughly ruined by him, Li Yuanxu. As he spoke, he felt ashamed and guilty, expecting Wei Shubin to be sorrowful and wronged, but the young woman merely gave a bitter smile as she arranged her hair, her expression serene:

“This is for the best. Now I’m free of engagement, perfect for staying at Zixu Temple to quietly study medicine and literature with Sister Ying. As for my parents, I’ll find opportunities to gradually win them over. Don’t worry about it, Young Master. Even if I truly enter the Dao and receive ordination papers for lifelong cultivation, I’d be willing…”

“How can that be!” Li Yuanxu suddenly became anxious. “If you become a nun, what about me? Shubin, don’t you know my heart? Wait for me a few years, I’ll return—”

Return, and then what?

“Return with the Gaochang Princess, your Prince Wu’s wife, to Chang’an, and when she’s away from her homeland without power, you’ll divorce your wedded wife to marry me?” Wei Shubin gave him a sad smile. “Such an act violates both public justice and human sentiment – the Emperor and court might not even permit it. And if you can’t divorce your original wife? Then take me as a concubine, showing me extra favor?”

It felt like a knife had pierced Li Yuanxu’s heart and lungs, making it difficult to breathe. After several breaths, he managed to say hoarsely:

“Heaven knows, I never dared think that way…”

“Even if you did, I wouldn’t agree, don’t worry.”

Wei Shubin laughed, taking back the double hairpin from Li Yuanxu’s hand while laughing, tilting her neck to secure her hair bun. Against the endless backdrop of green fields and palace buildings, her skin was snow-white, her gesture of arranging her hair enchantingly graceful.

“You don’t need to worry about me as if I must marry General Cheng, or I must marry you, or I must preserve my reputation to marry into another good family – as if I must marry no matter what, as if women can only marry and bear children, with nothing else to do in life. I used to think that too, believing it was heaven’s law and human order. But look at Master Shangtrue – everyone says she’s pitiful, having three betrotheds die and being forced to become a nun, but living with her all this time, I envy her! She’s free and independent – how is she worse off than anyone? Speaking of status and respect, how many women in the world can surpass her? Everywhere she goes, people flatter her, even the Emperor and Empress treat her specially. If I don’t marry and inherit her Dao lineage, my life won’t be wasted.”

Li Yuanxu was speechless, feeling her words were inappropriate but not knowing how to argue, his overwhelming love impossible to suppress as he stared at her dumbly, his eyes stinging and nose burning.

“Don’t be like that.” Wei Shubin bit her upper lip and smiled at him, though her eyes also glistened with tears. “Let’s discuss important matters… Didn’t you ask why I was at Yong’an Palace?”

She spoke at length, briefly mentioning her several escapes from the Wei household, focusing instead on her palace visits and the royal family secrets she’d inadvertently overheard, especially regarding the true cause of the Princess of Hailing’s pregnancy. Li Yuanxu grew increasingly alarmed as he listened, and before she could finish, he urgently lowered his voice: “Never tell anyone else these things, you already know too much! Life means nothing in these deep palace walls – do you realize how much danger you’re in?”

“I know,” Wei Shubin replied calmly. “In my current situation, what is there to fear? Every extra day of life is a gain… It’s all my fault for courting death, but before my time comes, I want to complete what I can, so I’ll have no regrets in this life.”

Li Yuanxu thought of the two tasks he’d just accepted before the Emperor, which he’d indeed planned to complete with Wei Shubin’s help, and found himself momentarily speechless. Seeing his expression, the young woman smiled gently again and took out a thin paper from her garment:

“This is the love letter I stole from the imperial bed, haven’t had a chance to read it yet. If you want to avoid suspicion and protect yourself, stay away.”

At these words… Li Yuanxu moved closer, turning his face toward her, one hand steadying Wei Shubin’s waist as she opened the letter with both hands:

“This unworthy concubine Yang bows her head in humble greeting:

In this mid-summer heat, I pray Your Majesty is in perfect health and enjoying your meals. This guilty concubine, by imperial order, moved to the nunnery and felt reborn, maintaining utmost caution in all actions, ensuring the girls’ education lacked nothing. As months and days pass completing a year, I am grateful for your profound grace and respectfully hear your sacred teachings. I humbly send through Lord An De a silk pouch as a token. I submit this message for your attention.”

They both fell silent after reading. Li Yuanxu silently read it twice more before Wei Shubin spoke disappointedly:

“She… didn’t say anything at all.”

On the surface, it was just a most ordinary greeting letter, not even directly mentioning “I carry your child and am near birth,” instead using vague conventional phrases like “months and days pass completing a year.” It contained nothing improper, nor revealed any secrets they didn’t already know. Li Yuanxu sighed: “Fourth Sister-in-law is someone who has weathered many storms, she’s extremely cautious in such matters, naturally considering the possibility of the letter falling into others’ hands and taking precautions.”

Wei Shubin looked at the letter once more, her eyes suddenly focusing as if remembering something. She folded the paper back as it was and put it away, saying lightly: “It’s alright, I know what to do now.”

“What do you plan to do?” Li Yuanxu asked alertly. “Whether her family lives or dies is now entirely in His Majesty’s hands. Don’t act rashly and sacrifice yourself…”

“Stop worrying about me,” Wei Shubin interrupted him, smiling. “You have your tasks! Before heading to the Western Regions, you need to create a fake Tuyuhun prince and arrange everything properly – that’s no easy job.”

“That’s not difficult, just troublesome. I’ve already thought it through – I’ll have Yang Da search among the poor border garrison soldiers for suitable candidates, and I’ll handle teaching them proper etiquette and responses.” Li Yuanxu frowned. “This task isn’t dangerous, unlike Mother’s case, which involves so many palace secrets—”

His voice cut off abruptly as a slender, smooth finger sealed his lips.

The Wei family’s young lady, who had already faced life and death several times inside and outside the palace, smiled at him:

“Precisely because it’s a palace case, it’s appropriate for me to investigate. Even if I can’t manage it, there’s still Miss Chai. How many times must I say it – don’t worry about us. The fact that we’ve survived all this reckless activity shows it’s heaven’s will for us to uncover the truth of this case, otherwise, we’d have died several times over by now. You just focus on going beyond the frontier to achieve merit and fame…”

Achieve merit and fame, and then what?

Li Yuanxu moved his face to gently kiss the fingertip on his lips, his eyes fixed on the person before him, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

My life is not my own, my abilities are limited, and my future is uncertain – I cannot make promises to anyone or about anything. The only thing I can be certain of is where my heart lies.

“In this life, in my heart, there will never be another.”

She didn’t answer, only withdrawing her hand. Suspended in the vast sky above the green fields and countless palace buildings, the summer sun poured down its brilliant light without shelter, and the woman he loved raised her face to meet his as they embraced in a long kiss.