The dark cloud-like wig was neatly arranged, with every stray hair smoothed down using floral water. It was fitted perfectly over the shaved head that had already grown a light fuzz, topped with a golden crown secured by ribbons under the chin. The overall effect was remarkably dignified and elegant.

“Aunt, it’s done,” Wei Shubin said softly, lowering her hands. The middle-aged nun, who had been reciting sutras with closed eyes, lifted her eyelids and gave her a slight smile of thanks.

Wei Shubin noticed that Yang Xinzhi’s birth mother had extremely beautiful features. Usually, with her shaved head and gray robes, hunched shoulders and stooped back, she appeared aged and frail, hardly drawing attention. But now, dressed up like this, she immediately possessed the bearing of a noble lady, no less impressive than Yang Shidao’s current wife, Princess of Guiyang.

That day at Cihe Temple, Chai Yinglu had deduced that someone had poisoned her, though she firmly denied it. Before the truth could be uncovered, a sudden summons arrived from the palace – the Empress wanted to see her. No one dared defy the imperial order. Yang Xinzhi, worried about his mother’s health and safety, had no choice but to ask Wei Shubin to accompany her to the palace.

Originally, Chai Yinglu would have been the most suitable person for this task, but with her private affairs now exposed, she could barely protect herself, let alone dare to meet the Empress. Yang Xinzhi, knowing the situation, didn’t even bother asking her and went straight to Wei Shubin. Though Wei Shubin was also quite afraid of Empress Zhangsun, she valued loyalty above all else. Steeling herself, she agreed to accompany the nun to Lizheng Palace.

Without an imperial summons herself, she could only wait in the outer corridor. The wait stretched until sunset before the palace maids finally brought the nun out. Whatever the Empress had said to her remained unknown, but the originally weak middle-aged nun had cried until her eyes were swollen and she had fainted. The palace officials arranged for them to stay in a small chamber, and the next day, the Empress summoned her again.

According to the palace officials, Empress Zhangsun knew Wei Shubin had accompanied them to Lizheng Palace, but never called for her presence, only instructing her to take good care of Yang Xinzhi’s birth mother. This was already her duty, so there was nothing to discuss. Wei Shubin attended to everything – food, water, medicine, bedding, clothes, and socks – caring for the nun’s daily needs. But her aunt refused to eat or drink, and at night, lying beside Wei Shubin, she would stare unblinkingly at the ceiling beams, unable to close her eyes, suffering both internally and externally until she was completely haggard.

After two such grueling days, whether because the Empress had sent someone else to speak with her, or because the nun had run out of tears and finally accepted the situation, she fell into a deep sleep on their second night in the palace. The next morning, she managed to drink some soup. Palace maids brought clothes and accessories, and Wei Shubin helped her dress, then changed into appropriate plain clothes herself, ready to continue accompanying her wherever she needed to go.

In such times, Wei Shubin had learned painfully well how powerless a mere girl could be. Since that was the case, she would persist in doing what little she could until the seas dried up and stones crumbled.

Supporting the woman she had grown accustomed to calling “Aunt,” they followed the palace maids out of Lizheng Palace’s courtyard. The Empress had specially granted them a sedan chair. Wei Shubin helped the nun onto it, then walked alongside as they passed through the Left Yanming Gate, heading toward Taiji Palace and Shuntian Gate.

Today was the ceremony for moving the Late Emperor’s coffin. As they approached Taiji Palace, they could see that the white mourning banners and cloth decorations on the eaves and walls had all been replaced with new ones, and the ceremonial guards stood in strict formation in the courtyard. The Emperor, princes, inner court ladies, Grand Princesses, Princesses, and various noble ladies were serving inside the hall. The Two Kings and Three Privileged Ones, imperial relatives, civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above, former regular participating officials, governors, and prefects were positioned in the eastern outer court. Foreign chieftains, envoys from various countries, and renowned Buddhist monks and Taoist priests stood in formation outside Shuntian Gate, all to send off the Late Emperor’s dragon-decorated coffin on its journey to the Xian Mausoleum.

Along the dragon-tail path of Taiji Palace, the Ministry of Rites had set up sacrificial tables, incense, and candles, washing vessels, water containers, cleaning cloths, grand sacrificial foods, wine vessels, and drinking mats. The Chief Imperial Household Manager, Ceremonial Officers, Sacrifice Supervisors, Censors, Grand Invokers, Ceremonial Ushers, and other ritual officials and ceremonial students each took their positions and performed their duties. Additionally, the Left and Right Armed Guard and selected soldiers from the Sixteen Guards were stationed at various points for security.

Wei Shubin supported her properly dressed aunt as they climbed the steps and walked through the corridors, quietly joining the ranks of the outer court ladies. When the Imperial Musicians began their mournful tunes, they followed those around them in kneeling, bowing, wailing, and performing the prescribed rituals.

The Ceremonial Officer came forward and knelt to announce, “We request the Emperor to cease crying and present the offerings.” This marked the beginning of the presentation of funerary objects. Wei Shubin watched secretly as the Three Ducal Ministers and ritual officials knelt and presented the sacrificial wine, which the Emperor received and offered before the food. After several more bows and ritual wailing, he led the assembly down the western steps to approach the dragon-decorated coffin platform. The officials brought forward the sedan chair, parasols, and various stands to the spirit seat under the hall’s canopy, and placed the posthumous seal and conferment documents on red-yellow cushioned tables. Once everything was arranged, the Chief Music Officer and Minister of Education led the pallbearers into the hall to carry down the Late Emperor’s inner and outer coffins, which had been lying in state for several months. They placed it on the dragon platform and lowered the white curtains. The Emperor and princes all followed weeping, while Wei Shubin and the other court ladies formed a screened procession, wailing as they followed.

At this point, great cries of mourning arose at the foot of Taiji Palace’s steps, with officials wailing in their courtyard positions – though of course, judging by the sounds, most were merely going through the motions… Through the moving screens and curtains, Wei Shubin repeatedly glanced toward the procession of princes behind the Emperor, thinking she might have caught a glimpse of Li Yuangui once or twice, but it was too brief to be certain.

The Late Emperor’s coffin had to receive the “Ancestral Offering” at the foot of the steps, after which it would be carried onto the funeral cart. Once it was pulled out beyond Shuntian Gate, there would be a “Farewell Offering” – similar in form, with the Emperor offering wine while kneeling, the Grand Invoker kneeling to read prayers, everyone crying and bowing together, and ritual officials presenting various ceremonial objects. Outside Shuntian Gate, jade carriages, sedan chairs, musical performers, auspicious carriages, and the imperial procession were arranged in order, with officials and envoys standing in their ranks to send off the funeral procession.

By the time they waited outside the central passage of Shuntian Gate for the funeral cart to finally begin its journey, everyone was exhausted. Some of the inner and outer court ladies who were to ride in carriages following the procession to Xian Mausoleum now withdrew from the screened area to board their vehicles early, causing some confusion among the women. As Wei Shubin couldn’t help craning her neck again to look toward the princes’ procession, suddenly a man came running from the foreign envoys’ ranks, throwing himself to the ground before them:

“My Lady! Princess Dehua! This servant… never dreamed I would see the Princess again in this lifetime!”

This was a middle-aged man with dark, rough skin but a high-pitched voice, wearing the brocade robes of a foreign envoy. Though he appeared to be some country’s ambassador, his voice was exactly like that of a palace eunuch. He kowtowed several times heavily, then raised his face to look directly at the nun in the court lady’s mourning dress beside Wei Shubin, his expression both joyful and moved to tears.

“Mi… Minu?” the nun murmured, not denying his address of “Princess Dehua.” “You’re still alive? How are you here? Did he… did the Prince Shun send you to find me in the Great Tang?”

“Yes! Yes!” The eunuch called Minu wiped his tears as he responded, “This servant came secretly at first, but after the Great Tang defeated Khan Fuyun, Prince Shun became the new Khan and made me the Tuyuhun ambassador to Tang… Oh, Princess, I searched for you with such difficulty. Everyone said my lady was no longer in this world, and I believed them, grieving for so long, not daring to report back to the Prince. When I heard a few days ago that my lady had appeared, this servant’s joy was beyond words…”

The middle-aged nun, who twenty years ago had been the Sui Dynasty’s Princess Dehua married to the Tuyuhun Prince Murong Shun, looked up to the heavens with a long sigh, tears flowing again from her eyes.

Wei Shubin bit her lip, her tears welling up, but she had no words to say, not even words of comfort.

“Mother…” Looking back, they saw Yang Xinzhi standing behind them in an Imperial Guard uniform, his round face full of confusion. Several guards in similar dress stood nearby, along with many foreign envoys and chieftains who had gathered around to see what all the crying and bowing was about.

Princess Dehua took out her handkerchief to wipe away her tears, beckoned Yang Xinzhi over, and held his wrist as she said slowly to the Tuyuhun envoy Minu:

“I know why you’ve been searching for me, and there’s no need to explain further. This is my son, your Prince Shun’s heir, Murong Nuohepo.”