Chang’an, the Western Market.

Chang’an was the most prosperous city of that age, and the Western Market was its most thriving district. The market was laid out in a nine-grid pattern, with four ward gates, streets running in all directions, and shops packed shoulder to shoulder — more than eighty thousand of them — with a population of nearly three hundred thousand. Unlike the main streets of Chang’an, which were flanked by ward walls, the shops of the Western Market opened directly onto the streets, with establishments standing on all four sides. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered here, bustling and jostling. From the east came the Goguryeo, the Baekje, the Silla, and the Fusang peoples; from the west came the Turks, the Sogdians, the Persians, the Arabs, the Byzantines, and the people of India — all converging here to trade. The wealth and goods of the world flowed into this place.

On this particular day, beside the market canal, a storyteller stood upon a platform reciting a transformation text. At this time, such texts were usually based on Buddhist scripture — monks employing the language of the common people to relate stories from the sutras and encourage virtue. But this storyteller was speaking about the current affairs of the dynasty, and specifically about the Xuanwu Gate Incident involving the reigning Emperor Li Shimin.

The people of Great Tang understood full well the danger in this, knowing that at any moment officials might come and arrest him, so most kept their distance, sneaking a few furtive earfuls. It was the foreign visitors, newly arrived and ignorant of the risks, who crowded around the storyteller and listened with rapt interest. Perhaps for them, this was a rare opportunity to learn the inside story of the current dynasty.

“The story goes that the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin to the Hall of Sweet Dew to adjudicate their dispute. Early on the fourth day of the sixth month, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi set out with their escort toward the hall. According to the official account, the Emperor was at that time boating on the Southern Sea Pond. Just think — with the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin at odds and the court in turmoil, on this very day the Emperor was to render his judgment; how anxious his heart must have been. He had also summoned Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, and a host of senior ministers. How could he have had the mood to go boating at the crack of dawn?”

The storyteller narrated and commented in turn: “The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi came to the Hall by the Lake, intending to proceed to the Southern Sea Pond and present themselves to the Emperor, when suddenly the Prince of Qin’s troops burst from all sides and cut them down. Now, you must understand — the Crown Prince, wishing to see the Emperor and seek his judgment, would naturally want to reach him as early as possible; he would certainly have entered the palace ahead of the Prince of Qin. So why, if he rushed in so early, did he still find the Prince of Qin already lying in ambush? Let me keep that secret for a moment and return to it shortly. Suffice it to say, the Crown Prince fell under the ambush of the Prince of Qin, and the two sides raised a great battle cry. The Prince of Qin himself drew his bow and shot at the Crown Prince, and with a single arrow pierced his throat. The Prince of Qi, seeing all was lost, turned and fled. Now a guest might ask — the Hall by the Lake is only three to five hundred paces from the Southern Sea Pond. Hundreds of men were fighting; the Crown Prince himself had been killed. Why did the Emperor, sitting on the lake, not send anyone to intervene? Ladies and gentlemen, today I shall reveal this mystery. The so-called story of the Emperor boating on the Southern Sea Pond — all of it is a lie. The truth is that from the night before, the Prince of Qin led armed troops into the palace, launched a coup, and seized control of the Emperor —”

Not far from the storyteller, two men sat at a table inside a food stall, sipping their drinks and staring at the performer. The elder of the two, dressed in red robes, wore an expression of livid fury, yet forced himself to hold it in check. The younger man in blue robes stole glances at his companion’s face and, not daring to be negligent, quietly waved his hand. Several burly men in the crowd silently slipped in among the watching foreigners. The man in blue strolled out, fixed the storyteller with a cold gaze, and bellowed: “Seize him!”

The burly men let out a shout and simultaneously flung six or seven lasso loops toward the storyteller. These lassos were the kind used by herders on the steppe to catch horses — once they caught hold, the harder you pulled, the tighter they drew, binding a person fast. The loops spread wide through the air, whistling as they flew. The storyteller looked up with a cheerful smile, raised one finger, and cried out: “Freeze!”

Everyone present gaped in astonishment. Seven lassos hung suspended in midair, unable to go up or down. The burly men, startled out of their wits, pulled with all their strength and only managed to drag the loops back. The man in blue walked to the edge of the crowd and muttered through gritted teeth: “That ghost trick again!”

“Chief Constable!” the storyteller called from the platform, cupping his fists toward the man in blue. “You and I have been sparring for nearly a year now. Well matched, this is very good.”

The man in blue was Wang Xuance, and the storyteller was none other than the sorcerer Wei Lingfu. Since the previous year, when Wei Lingfu had vanished from among the ten thousand troops at Xuanwu Gate, Li Shimin had issued strict orders for Wang Xuance to apprehend him.

Wei Lingfu had been lurking in the vicinity of the capital, turning the truth of Li Shimin’s coup at Xuanwu Gate into a transformation text and reciting it everywhere he went. This was partly Li Shimin’s own fault — he had prettified the Xuanwu Gate Incident, yet had done so carelessly, leaving it riddled with inconsistencies: for example, he claimed to have drunk Jiancheng’s poisoned wine and vomited only a mouthful of blood, yet was full of vigor and energy the very next day when he launched his coup; another claim was that the two sides had been crying out in battle at Xuanwu Gate, and yet the Emperor, who was right nearby, had known nothing of it. Some lies cause no trouble as long as one does not think too carefully about them — otherwise they collapse at the slightest prod. After Wei Lingfu became a storyteller, his eloquence flowed like a river and his audience grew vast, his words spreading further still. Li Shimin had lost all face; the image of a sage ruler he had carefully constructed over the years was almost entirely torn away.

Li Shimin despised Wei Lingfu to the point of madness and ordered Wang Xuance to spare no expense in capturing him. The problem was that every time Wang Xuance received word and rushed to the scene, Wei Lingfu would vanish before everyone’s eyes in a cloud of white smoke. This only made the onlookers more firmly believe the man possessed great supernatural powers, and more readily accept his mesmerizing words.

Li Shimin raged and stamped his feet, yet could do nothing against this sorcerer, and harshly punished Wang Xuance. Wang Xuance was under enormous pressure, and it was only because he commanded the Constabulary that he managed to keep some partial track of Wei Lingfu’s whereabouts. On this day, he had at last cornered him in the Western Market.

Wang Xuance fixed his gaze on Wei Lingfu, his expression stern. Although his target was now surrounded by his constables, Wang Xuance felt not the slightest sense of certainty. Sure enough, someone cried out: “Smoke is starting to rise from his body again!”

Everyone looked over in alarm. White smoke was beginning to pour from Wei Lingfu’s body. Wang Xuance bellowed: “The rope net!”

The constables pulled out the net they had prepared; several men each took hold of a rope, gave a shout, and hurled the net down over the platform above. By now, white smoke had enveloped Wei Lingfu’s body, dense mist shrouding the entire platform — but they could see the great net descending to cover the whole stage. Within the net and the smoke, there seemed to be a figure struggling. Only then did Wang Xuance breathe a sigh of relief and order the men to draw the net closed. Everyone watched as something was indeed caught inside it, and as the smoke gradually dispersed, they discovered it was nothing but a table. Wei Lingfu had vanished without a trace.

The watching crowd broke into gasps of astonishment. Wang Xuance, however, kept his eyes fixed on the table without moving, and then suddenly bellowed: “Seize him!”

In an instant, Du Xingmin and several other constables in the crowd erupted from within it, viciously tackling one of the bystanders to the ground and binding him hand and foot. The crowd around them instantly fell dumbstruck, then scattered in panic. Wang Xuance turned, walked over to the man, and wrenched his face upright. It was the very Wei Lingfu who had just disappeared. His beard was gone, the skin of his face had loosened considerably, his eye corners drooped, and his complexion was somewhat pale — without careful scrutiny, he looked nothing like the sage-like Wei Lingfu of a moment before.

Wei Lingfu’s face had gone ashen. He muttered in disbelief: “Impossible. How could you have broken my Mist Art?”

“Take him away!” Wang Xuance said nothing further, simply issuing the command. Du Xingmin and the others hauled Wei Lingfu into the food stall and threw him before the man in red robes. The constables dispersed the watching crowd and barred the doors of the stall, sealing the shop.

The man in red robes stared intently at Wei Lingfu and snarled: “You scoundrel — you’ve finally fallen into Our hands!”

Wei Lingfu struggled to raise his head, only to discover that the man in red robes before him was none other than Emperor Li Shimin himself.

“Ha ha! I have stooped to the base trade of a storyteller and often cursed myself for it — yet I never imagined I would receive the honor of His Majesty’s attendance. Truly, it is the fortune of three lifetimes!” Wei Lingfu burst out laughing. “Did Your Majesty enjoy what you heard?”

“You insolent wretch!” Li Shimin flew into a rage and kicked Wei Lingfu over.

Wei Lingfu lay on the ground cackling. Wang Xuance dragged him back up and forced him to kneel before Li Shimin. Wei Lingfu studied the Emperor: “Chief Constable, you and I have been sparring for over a year. Falling into your hands today, I bear no resentment — but I am somewhat curious. How exactly did you break my Mist Art?”

Wang Xuance glanced at Li Shimin. The Emperor said coldly: “Let him die with full understanding.”

“In truth, it was not I who broke your Mist Art, but my master,” Wang Xuance said.

“Your master?” Wei Lingfu was taken aback. He thought for a moment. “Could it be the Venerable Xuanzang?”

“You have sharp ears,” Wang Xuance said, surprised. That he had journeyed to India was by secret imperial commission — even many senior court officials did not know of it. And yet a sorcerer who spent his days dodging and hiding knew all about it. Wang Xuance and Li Shimin exchanged a glance, both of them somewhat troubled.

“But Venerable Xuanzang is far away in India — how could he have broken my Mist Art?” Wei Lingfu asked, puzzled.

“Because on that day, my master encountered a mysterious disappearance using the Mist Art at a royal palace in Gandhara,” Wang Xuance said. “It took place inside the great hall of the palace, and those present beside my master included the Persian Emperor, the Persian High Priest, the Indian mystic, and the King of Gandhara — each one a man of brilliant intelligence. Yet a woman wrapped herself in white mist and vanished before them all. Afterward, my master said not a word, simply took Na Shun and left Gandhara. Later I asked him why he had not investigated, and he said that to preserve his life, he could not investigate — he could only go around Gandhara and find another route.”

Wang Xuance reflected: “I did not understand at the time, but my master would not explain. Through this past year of wits and stratagems with you, I suddenly grasped what he meant. And that is: at the time, though my master had not been able to break the Mist Art, he had perceived that those kings and lords present were all together performing a play before him. The Persian Emperor, the King of Gandhara, including Posomi — they were all in league. That is why my master could not investigate.”

“But that still doesn’t break my Mist Art!” Wei Lingfu objected.

“Correct. So let us first reason through how Lianhua Ye vanished in the palace of Gandhara that day,” Wang Xuance said. “The great hall at that time was like a sealed room. Those present, besides the Persian Emperor, the King of Gandhara, Posomi, Damoga, and the others, were a number of attendants and palace maids. When smoke rose from Lianhua Ye’s body, both His Majesty and I have experienced that sensation — when the smoke billowed up, you would inhale some through the nose and mouth and feel a momentary dizziness. The smoke then wrapped the person thickly, and when it dispersed, the person had vanished. I ask you then: within a sealed room, a person cannot fly up to the sky, cannot enter the earth, and cannot truly dissolve into smoke. So where is that person? The answer is — still here!”

Wei Lingfu stared blankly and let out a sigh without speaking.

“And why is that?” Wang Xuance sneered. “Because the smoke rising from your bodies has a hallucinogenic effect, causing a brief paralysis of the mind and vision — the eyes see nothing but white smoke. Whether in the sealed hall of Gandhara or in the open expanse of Xuanwu Gate, the smoke drifts on the wind; however far it spreads, that is how many people will experience the brief paralysis. And in that moment, you turn your robes inside out at great speed —” Wang Xuance strode over and yanked open Wei Lingfu’s gown, which was gray on the outside, but whose inner lining was cream-white. “You wrap your body in the white inner robe, press close to the ground, and slip into the crowd. Just as you did today. Of course, the Mist Art you performed today was relatively simple. What Lianhua Ye performed that day in the great hall was somewhat more complex, because the onlookers inside the hall were attendants and palace maids — she needed the cooperation of those people to change into a palace maid’s clothing under cover of the crowd. That is why my master saw the danger: all of those people were performing a play before him. That is why he specifically went to the Land of Women in the East to investigate Lianhua Ye’s true identity.”

“As for your performance at Xuanwu Gate last year, you employed the same method — taking advantage of the moment the smoke paralyzed everyone’s vision to slip in behind the Northern Guard, and among the thousands of guards on the scene, no one would notice that one extra person had appeared behind them. Only, your performance was far more complex in difficulty,” Wang Xuance continued. “The difficulty lay in the fact that everyone surrounding you that day was the Northern Guard, in full armor, armed with long spears. You needed a collaborator to conceal a set of armor and weapons for you in advance.”

“So,” Li Shimin said slowly, “tell Us — who exactly is your inside contact in the palace?”

“Do you think I would tell you?” Wei Lingfu sneered. He suddenly made as if to bite down hard, but Wang Xuance’s eyes were sharp and his hand quick — he struck the back of Wei Lingfu’s neck with a palm, and Wei Lingfu immediately fell unconscious.

Li Shimin frowned: “Wang, is there a way to make him talk?”

“It would be very difficult — I can try,” Wang Xuance said, with some awkwardness. “But this man is resolved to die, and he has so many hidden tricks; it will be very hard to prevent him from killing himself.”

Li Shimin stared at Wei Lingfu’s face and was himself rather hesitant. Then suddenly he started, leapt to his feet, and cried out: “Someone, strip off his undergarments!”

The constables were startled, but dared not hesitate and immediately pulled down Wei Lingfu’s underpants, exposing his bare nether regions. Everyone drew in a sharp breath. Li Shimin’s face showed shock and dread — this Wei Lingfu had been castrated long ago. He was a eunuch.

Li Shimin and Wang Xuance escorted Wei Lingfu back to the imperial palace under guard. From the Western Market into the palace, the nearest route was through the Lateral Courts, passing in through the western gate of the Lateral Courts, crossing through them, entering the Jiayou Gate, and thus arriving within the Southern Sea Pond of the palace compound.

The Lateral Courts were the residence of palace maids and eunuchs, a place of many eyes and ears. Moreover, Li Shimin had made no effort to conceal himself, so the moment they entered, word had already spread: the Emperor had captured the sorcerer Wei Lingfu and was escorting him into the palace for identification. Since the Emperor had not ordered otherwise, a good number of eunuchs and palace maids came to see the spectacle, all eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary sorcerer. After all, for the past year, the topic most discussed in the palace had been Wei Lingfu — his vanishing from ten thousand troops the previous year had been witnessed by many with their own eyes. What was more, throughout that year or more, the Emperor’s hatred of Wei Lingfu had reached a point where he could not sleep or eat in peace; how could people not be curious?

With the Emperor present, none of the attendants dared approach — they only watched from afar. Passing through the Jiayou Gate, the Northern Guard came as commanded to take charge of the prisoner; following Li Shimin’s instructions, they confined him in the Xianche Hall beside the Southern Sea Pond. Wang Xuance, fearful of his hidden arts, personally bound him with iron chains to a column as wide as a man’s embrace. The ruler and minister then sat in silence; Li Shimin settled wordlessly onto a camp couch while Wang Xuance stood in attendance beside him.

Wei Lingfu had regained consciousness during the journey. Seeing the strange and silent demeanor of this master and his minister, he felt somewhat puzzled, and sneered: “Your Majesty, how do you intend to interrogate me? I’ve heard the Constabulary possesses all manner of elaborate torture — why not bring it all out for a try?”

Li Shimin shook his head: “We are not a ruler who takes pleasure in cruel punishment. The Constabulary has only investigative authority, not the authority to apply torture. The outside world may spread such rumors — but someone like you, who has inside contacts within the palace, surely knows better?”

Wei Lingfu offered only a cold smile and said nothing.

“We have no interest in interrogating you,” Li Shimin said. “The reason We wait here is simply to let your contact in the palace voluntarily take the bait.”

Wei Lingfu was startled: “What do you mean?”

“We deliberately brought you into the palace in a conspicuous manner, so that many palace residents came to watch. Surely those who care about you will send someone to verify the situation. We have already arranged our people in advance, monitoring every palace resident who was watching. As soon as any of them goes back and passes on a report, they will reveal the identity of their master.”

Wei Lingfu’s expression changed. After a long while he said: “The palace is a web of tangled relationships — everyone who goes back will tell the people they know. How could you possibly identify a particular one?”

“No matter. Whoever was able to conceal a full suit of armor in advance cannot be many,” Li Shimin said calmly. “Moreover, you are a eunuch. Although We do not recognize you, there must be people in the palace who do — We can investigate gradually.”

“You… how do you know I am a eunuch?” Wei Lingfu’s composure finally cracked.

“My apologies,” Wang Xuance said with a cheerful smile. “While you were unconscious, I stripped your underpants to examine you. Judging by the marks of your castration, it must have been some twenty years ago.”

Wei Lingfu was furious beyond measure and launched into a tirade of curses at Wang Xuance. But Wang Xuance and Li Shimin were clearly not in the mood to trade insults — their minds were somewhat distracted, and they waited with anxious tension for news. At that moment, the Director of Palace Attendants came running in with a report. He would have leaned close to Li Shimin’s ear to whisper, but Li Shimin gave a cold sound of displeasure: “Speak aloud, so that Daoist Master Wei can hear it properly.”

“As commanded,” the Director of Palace Attendants said loudly. “Your servant, following Your Majesty’s orders, had men track the palace residents. In total, more than thirty palace residents went back and reported to their respective masters — including the ladies of various chambers, the supervising eunuchs of various chambers, and the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.”

“Were there any who reported to outer officials or military commanders?” Li Shimin asked pensively.

“Your servant did not discover any,” the Director of Palace Attendants said cautiously. “That is the first rule of the palace — if there were, your servant would certainly not dare be negligent.”

Li Shimin nodded: “It seems Our harem has not yet rotted beyond remedy. But from where did the armor come?”

Wang Xuance dared not speak, and the atmosphere settled once more into a strange silence. The Director of Palace Attendants did not dare leave either, and the three of them waited in silence.

After a moment, a young attendant came to report: “Honored Consort Zheng received the news and uttered ‘Amitabha Buddha.'”

Li Shimin nodded and dismissed him.

A second group of attendants came to report: “The Crown Prince received the news and heaved a sigh.”

A third group came to report: “Upon hearing the news, Supervisor Liu of the Bureau of Palace Administration ordered the palace women of her bureau not to discuss or inquire about the matter.”

Li Shimin’s expression remained unreadable as intelligence continued to pour in, each person’s reaction reported in meticulous detail. Then one attendant came to report: “Noble Consort Yang received the news and accidentally dropped her teacup.”

Li Shimin’s expression shifted sharply, and he fixed his gaze on Wei Lingfu. Wei Lingfu simply closed his eyes.

“Go — have her every move investigated and reported to Us,” Li Shimin ordered coldly.

The Director of Palace Attendants, knowing this was of great importance, went himself. Shortly afterward the intelligence was compiled, and Li Shimin’s expression grew increasingly grim.

“The Noble Consort immediately dismissed her ladies-in-waiting and retired to rest.”

“The Noble Consort appears to be reciting a Buddhist scripture. The text is the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s Fundamental Vow Sutra.”

“The Noble Consort has tidied her appearance. It appears she has been weeping — her eyes are red.”

“The Noble Consort has departed from her chamber.”

Li Shimin clenched his teeth: “Where is she going? Investigate!”

At that moment an attendant rushed in: “The Noble Consort is heading this way!”

Li Shimin stood frozen. Outside the Xianche Hall came the sound of footsteps. Noble Consort Yang appeared at the entrance to the great hall alone, dressed in sumptuous robes, moving with graceful, willowy steps. Li Shimin rose from the camp couch. The Noble Consort walked into the hall, and the two of them gazed at each other in silence.

“I pay my respects to His Majesty,” the Noble Consort said, kneeling.

“Rise,” Li Shimin said indifferently. “My beloved consort, why have you come here?”

“Because I had no choice but to come,” the Noble Consort replied gently. “Upon hearing that you had captured Wei Lingfu, I lost my composure and behaved disgracefully, drawing Your Majesty’s agents to watch my movements. Whether I came or not, Your Majesty would likely have sent someone to summon me.”

Li Shimin looked steadily at her: “Why did you drop your teacup?”

“Concern clouds the mind,” the Noble Consort said with a smile.

“Watch your words, Wang Fei!” Wei Lingfu shouted.

The Noble Consort gazed at him, tears gradually seeping into her eyes: “You can die for my sake — am I not permitted even to care whether you live or die?”

Li Shimin was utterly thunderstruck, murmuring: “He called you Wang Fei? He called you Wang Fei?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. He was an attendant of the Prince of Qi’s household — it is natural that he should call me Wang Fei,” the Noble Consort said. Her manner remained dignified and gentle, her emotions showing not the slightest turbulence, as if this woman were forever like a tranquil stream. It was this very temperament that had once made Li Shimin besotted with longing, yet now he detested her calm beyond measure.

“The Prince of Qi… Li Zhu?” Li Shimin still could not bring himself to believe it.

“The Prince of Qi. Li Yuanji,” the Noble Consort said.

“Sixteen years — and still you cannot forget him?” Li Shimin cried out in fury.

“Even if sixty years passed, as long as this life has not yet ended, how could one forget the bond of a wedded spouse?” the Noble Consort said with a smile. She appeared soft and yielding in manner, yet was full of a resolute and unyielding determination.

Wang Xuance stood at one side, listening in a daze. So this Noble Consort Yang was actually the wife of the Prince of Qi, Li Yuanji! He suddenly recalled an old rumor from many years before — that after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin had executed the entire clan of Li Yuanji, slaying his five sons, yet had spared only the Princess Consort of Qi and the young daughter Shuxuan. Li Shimin had then, under the pretext of raising Li Shuxuan, brought the Princess Consort into the palace and conferred on her the title of consort. The previous year, he had further elevated Li Shuxuan to the rank of Princess of Guiren County and given her in marriage to the second son of the Duke of Changdao Commandery.

Li Shimin had treated Noble Consort Yang with extraordinary favor, and together they had even had a son — the fourteenth prince, Li Ming. After Empress Zhangsun died, Li Shimin had even intended to install Noble Consort Yang as Empress, but Zhangsun Wuji and the others felt that it was truly unseemly for her to have previously been the Princess Consort of Qi, and they all opposed it together. Li Shimin was forced to withdraw the decree, but still conferred on her the title of Noble Consort — above the淑妃, 德妃, and 贤妃, she was first among the four consorts. Since no Empress had been established, she was effectively the foremost woman in the harem.

Li Shimin’s eyes reddened. He slumped back down on the camp couch. He pointed at Wei Lingfu: “This man — you arranged for him to slander Our name?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Noble Consort replied.

“Inciting Our three sons to slaughter each other, turning them against Us — that was also your scheme?” Li Shimin asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Noble Consort replied.

“Do not say those words again!” Li Shimin roared in fury. “Why? Why would you do this?”

“For no other reason,” the Noble Consort said, composed and serene, “than to let one person see that when faced with imperial power — when all human bonds of father and son, brothers, lord and minister have been utterly extinguished — one form of feeling has not been erased.”

“Who?” Li Shimin asked through gritted teeth.

“Yuanji,” the Noble Consort said. “I wanted to let Yuanji see that after he was betrayed by a brother, abandoned by his father, forsaken by his ministers, the bond between husband and wife still endures. I wanted to bring him comfort in the earth below, that he need not doubt everything in this world.”

“You shared the bond of husband and wife with him — do you not share it with Us as well?” Li Shimin said, tears flowing. “You know that even before you married Yuanji, We were fond of you. You and I have been together for sixteen years, while you and Yuanji were together for only a few. What is more, we have given birth to Ming together; I have conferred upon you the title of Noble Consort, making you second only to one in all of Great Tang, above ten thousand times ten thousand. I raised your daughter and saw her happily married. Has all of this compensation truly been insufficient?”

“Your Majesty,” the Noble Consort said, looking at him with sorrow, “we did have one son together — yet you killed three of my sons. Do you truly believe that killing my husband and my three sons, and taking me by force, is something that can be compensated? Your Majesty, you and I have been together for sixteen years. In all those sixteen years, did you never once consider the harm you have done to this woman? Did you believe that conferring upon her the title of Noble Consort and showering her with your favor meant she ought to be filled with gratitude? Did you think that status, power, and wealth can change every feeling in a person’s heart?”

“All these years — you have hated Us in your heart?” Li Shimin felt as though struck by a hammer and murmured the words.

“Not at all,” the Noble Consort replied, tears also flowing. “Otherwise I would not have accompanied you these sixteen years. My nature inclines easily toward forgetting hatred, wishing only for a peaceful life. Though I carried a sense of guilt toward Yuanji in my heart, being able to raise his daughter to adulthood was at least a small consolation. But in these years, to wash the blood of Xuanwu Gate from your name, you altered the histories — that might be overlooked. But how could you slander Yuanji? You said he was born ugly and unloved by Empress Taimu, that at birth you ordered him to be cast away. You said he was violent and licentious by nature, barging into commoners’ homes and wantonly disgracing their wives. You said he enjoyed watching naked women wrestle each other in his household for his amusement. Your Majesty, do you know what I felt when I read this? He was the husband I had been bound to since childhood! He was the man I knew as well as I knew myself! Can imperial power reverse black and white? Distort right and wrong? Rewrite everything? Can it take a good man and frame him as a demon?”

“Was Yuanji a good man?” Li Shimin shouted in fury. “He sought to destroy Us time and again, colluding with Jiancheng against Us in open and hidden strife — do you not see any of this?”

“Your Majesty, you judge a person’s worth by political allegiance — but I cannot. For the sake of this imperial throne, you schemed and contended, each seeking the other’s destruction. Who could be truly innocent? If we are to speak thus, was Wei Zheng, who served under the Crown Prince, a good man? Was Yuchi Jingde, who served under Liu Wuzhou, a good man? I only know that Yuanji, to me and to our family, was truly good — so very good,” the Noble Consort said. Her words were impassioned, yet her expression remained gentle, like a small daisy.

“So — you took revenge on Us, incited Our sons to slaughter each other, and used this eunuch to ruin Our name everywhere, all in order to avenge Yuanji?” Li Shimin asked, gnashing his teeth.

“Your Majesty, after all I have said, you still do not understand,” the Noble Consort said, shaking her head gently. “If it were to avenge Yuanji, you and I have been as husband and wife for sixteen years — I could have accomplished it on any night with a pair of scissors. Why wait sixteen years to seek revenge?”

“Then for what purpose?” Li Shimin shuddered and asked.

“Because you have grown increasingly contemptuous of all things in this world. Without limit, without restraint, you seek to trample everything in this world that I hold dear,” the Noble Consort said. “You imprisoned your father and killed your brothers — that could be called self-preservation. You executed ten sons of Jiancheng and Yuanji — that could be called eliminating future threats. The imperial family knows no affection; it is not as though you are the only one throughout history to have done such things. But after killing your brother, you took possession of his wedded wife and brought her into the palace without a shred of self-reproach — and even sought to make her Empress. Your Majesty, do you truly not fear the censure of all the world? To glorify the Xuanwu Gate Incident, you falsified the histories, writing not only Jiancheng and Yuanji as wicked and brutal villains, but even the Retired Emperor as an irresolute man who said one thing and meant another. Your Majesty, I incited the three princes to rebel in order to tell you: there is no existence without retribution, no existence without consequence. Brothers slaughtered each other among you — and your sons, too, will slaughter each other as brothers. You destroyed another’s reputation — and others will destroy yours. What I did, in the greater sense, was to make you understand what limits are, what things in this world must never be trampled upon. In the lesser sense, it was to let Yuanji believe that one person in this world has not forgotten him, that one form of feeling has not failed him. I wanted to let him, in the cold earth below, be able to smile.”

In an instant Li Shimin seemed to have all the strength drained from his body. His face turned deathly pale as snow, and he slumped upon the camp couch. His lips trembling, he stared blankly at the Noble Consort — with grief, with rage, with grievance — yet could say nothing at all. By this time, the Director of Palace Attendants had quietly notified the Northern Guard, and the duty Colonel-Commander led a large contingent of armored troops to surround the Xianche Hall. He also brought a squad of armed soldiers surging into the great hall to take up positions at Li Shimin’s side.

Li Shimin, in fury, seized a censer from the camp couch and hurled it furiously to the ground, letting out a wild roar: “Get out! Who told you to come in? Get out, all of you!”

The Colonel-Commander was frightened out of his wits and hastily led the troops out of the hall, yet dared not go far; he had the guards withdraw from the Emperor’s line of sight and stood with bated breath.

Li Shimin struggled to his feet and slowly walked to stand before the Noble Consort, gently touching her face. He murmured: “In the end, We never won your heart. Still I remember — when We were sixteen, traveling with Our father through Hongnong, We saw you for the first time. You were only twelve years old, yet at first sight I was struck as though by a divine being, and I could never forget you. Unfortunately, I was already married to the Lady Zhangsun at the time. You and Yuanji were the same age, and Our father arranged a betrothal between Yuanji and your father. The collapse of Sui, the great struggle among the lords, the Tang rising to replace Sui, brothers fighting within the walls, the coup at the gate — one event after another. As We walked the path to this imperial throne and looked back over everything, countless things were too ugly to look upon — except the bright eyes and smile you had at twelve, which still shine clearly. Keeping you close is like keeping the memory of that carefree youth. As long as you have not left, that youth has not left Us either. And so — in this turbid world, when Our hands have been stained with black and red, We can still dimly recall that in Our sixteenth year, We once felt a trembling rush of feeling. In that time, We were still clean.”

“Together we played beside the square pond, hand in hand we boarded the carved boat. The craft moved, parting fine ripples; the wind scattered and stirred the floating fragrance.” The Noble Consort’s eyes, too, brimmed over with tears. Gently holding Li Shimin’s hand, she murmured the lines — a poem Li Shimin had written for her long ago. What time that was, she was somewhat hazy on — but she vaguely recalled that the two of them had boarded a painted pleasure boat together, drifting along the Taiye Pond in the Northern Gardens, the surface of the water covered over by lotuses in full bloom.

Li Shimin also fell into reminiscence, his face smiling and streaked with tears, as he recited: “The oriole’s song wanders without fixed tune; startled teals take wing in scattered flight. Where lotuses thin, the sound of bracelets breaks off; where waters widen, the boatman’s song grows long. Roosting crows return to thick-leafed trees; the drifting current flows back toward Jianzhang.”

And so the two of them smiled and looked at each other, tears flowing, as the corner of the Noble Consort’s mouth slowly began to trickle with blood — a sight both desolate and hauntingly beautiful. Li Shimin stared blankly and dipped a finger into a drop of it, seemingly unable to comprehend what it was. Then his expression changed: “Beloved consort! Beloved consort! What is wrong?”

“The roosting crows return to thick-leafed trees; the drifting current flows back toward Jianzhang,” the Noble Consort said softly with a smile. “Your Majesty, your verses always carry a grief that cannot be dissolved. Perhaps life is always this way — from where one comes, to where one returns. Even the most moving happiness must always have a moment when the laughter fades.”

The Noble Consort’s body went limp and she began to fall. Li Shimin fumbled frantically to support her and cried out: “The imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!”

At one side, Wei Lingfu was also struck dumb with shock, and struggled desperately: “Wang Fei! Wang Fei —”

The great hall erupted into frantic commotion.

The Noble Consort coughed up another mouthful of blood, staining Li Shimin’s chest crimson.

“Your Majesty, there is no time. I took the crane-crest crimson,” the Noble Consort managed to say with a forced smile, trembling with tremendous pain, her complexion deathly pale.

“Why? Why do this?” Li Shimin wept. “Are you afraid We would punish you? We would not kill you!”

“It is not that I fear your killing me. This… this is simply the final step in my plan,” the Noble Consort said, gasping violently. “Only with my death can this plan be finally complete.”

“Why?” Li Shimin cried out wildly through his tears. “What plan do you insist on completing? Why would you rather die than —”

“I am not taking revenge on you,” the Noble Consort’s expression grew ever more faint, yet she persisted in speaking. “You committed so many acts against human bonds and moral conscience. With imperial power in hand and no reverence for anything, you cared nothing for the world’s opinion — do you know how much suffering that caused those who lived alongside you? Even after living with you for sixteen years, I could not face myself, could not face the past, could not face all living beings, and still less could I face the cycle of rebirth after death. I was not taking revenge on you. My plan was to make Your Majesty learn reverence — reverence for heaven, for earth, for living beings, for fate, for the moral compass within, for the dignity of history. That is why I made the cycle of retribution appear in Your Majesty’s life, just as at Xuanwu Gate. You were the victor; you never knew how much pain Xuanwu Gate inflicted on others. Now that the roles were reversed and your three sons killed one another outside the gates, you would come to know. Li Zhu died; Li Tai was demoted; your sister-in-law from the Concubine Yin side was also demoted; last year Chengqian also died in Qianzhou. Three princes and one consort — families destroyed, loved ones parted. Yet this was still not enough. I, as Noble Consort, could add yet more weight to this tragedy. So I must, with my death, place a period at the end of this catastrophe. With half the imperial family of Great Tang emptied, Your Majesty will perhaps truly sit and reflect.”

Li Shimin held the Noble Consort in his arms, feeling her body gradually losing its warmth. His liver and gall seemed to shatter; his heart felt as though it were breaking. He wept and wailed, tears streaming down unchecked. The Noble Consort struggled to raise her hand and caressed his face, his tears: “Together we played beside the square pond, hand in hand we boarded the carved boat. Your Majesty, I have truly always loved the poem you wrote for me…”

The Noble Consort’s hand fell abruptly. Her breath ceased.

Li Shimin clasped her body and let out a frantic howl.

“The Noble Consort has passed —” the Director of Palace Attendants announced in a long, drawn-out tone, and the guards outside dropped to one knee in unison. The entire palace compound was shrouded in grief and shadow.

Bound to the column, Wei Lingfu’s face was streaked with tears: “Go slowly, Wang Fei — your servant will light the lamp of rebirth for you, to illuminate the road to the next world.”

Wang Xuance was greatly alarmed, sensing that something was wrong. He was just about to rush forward when a tongue of flame erupted from beneath Wei Lingfu’s feet — a pale, white flame that seemed to burn from within, yet was of extreme heat. In the blink of an eye it engulfed Wei Lingfu entirely, blazing furiously.

“Supreme stars of the Heavenly Platform, responding to change without ceasing. Drive away evil, bind demons, preserve life, protect the body. Wisdom radiant and pure, heart and spirit at peace. Let the three souls endure forever, let the earthly souls suffer no loss. Swiftly, swiftly, as the law commands!” Wei Lingfu finished the incantation, then let out a strange, long laugh. “Wang Fei, your carriage awaits — follow your servant and ascend to heaven —”

The entire man crumbled away into ash and fell scattered across the ground. The iron chains dropped with a clatter. On the sturdy nanmu pillar, all that remained was the scorched silhouette of a human form, burned black.