Yesterday, a top scholar, today a prisoner below the steps. Cui Xun openly defied the imperial edict, causing Princess Qi’an to lose face. For his defiance, Cui Xun was sent to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. The jailer, who admired this top scholar who dared to stand against Princess Qi’an, secretly advised Cui Xun to yield:
“The princesses of the Great Zhou have always been domineering. For men they set their eyes on, even if they were already married, their wives could be ordered to die. This has happened before. You’re a young top scholar—why suffer like this? Why not accept Princess Qi’an and become her consort? Moreover, Princess Qi’an is very likely to be the future Empress. Then you would be the Imperial Consort and could rule the empire alongside her.”
Cui Xun shook his head: “Thank you for your kind intentions, but whether as a princess’s consort or an imperial consort, I don’t care. In this life, I only wish to walk hand in hand with one person.”
The jailer sighed: “But with Princess Qi’an’s temperament, the young lady you wish to walk with might not survive.”
Cui Xun’s gaze sharpened. Indeed, the Great Zhou had open customs, and princesses held extremely high status. When a princess set her eyes on a man, some had been recalled from their wedding processions by the prime minister’s notice, some had their wedded wives sentenced to death—there was nothing they couldn’t obtain. Looking at it this way, Li Ying was indeed in danger.
He felt anxious. After pondering for a moment, he asked the jailer: “Could I possibly see someone?”
The court and the public were shocked that the new top scholar had been imprisoned for refusing to become a consort. But most officials were unwilling to remonstrate about this matter. Firstly, this was a romantic affair—Princess Qi’an was as beautiful as a flower, and though her temperament was domineering, she was still a beauty. Surely the top scholar was just being stubborn temporarily and would eventually submit to Princess Qi’an. Secondly, the Empress was over eighty years old and in poor health; her time was likely limited to just a few months. Princess Qi’an was very likely to be the next emperor, so why provoke her?
Only Prince Li Zheng of Jingcheng was anxiously pacing back and forth. He said to his teacher, Lu Huai, “The top scholar is a pillar of the state. How can he be imprisoned because of someone’s momentary personal desire? If he doesn’t yield, does Princess Qi’an plan to never release him? This is absurd!”
Lu Huai calmly asked: “Does Your Highness wish to save the top scholar?”
Li Zheng nodded without hesitation: “I selected him as the top scholar. His character and policy essays are first-rate. Such a talent, with proper training, could become a prime minister in the future. I cannot bear to see him ruined all at once because of Qi’an’s selfishness.”
Li Zheng paused, then pleaded with Lu Huai: “Teacher, Her Majesty trusts you the most. Could you not plead for the top scholar and ask Her Majesty to restrain Qi’an?”
Lu Huai looked at his handsome, jade-like face but shook his head. Li Zheng was stunned: “Teacher, didn’t you and the top scholar have a pleasant conversation? Why are you unwilling to save him?”
Lu Huai said: “It’s not that I’m unwilling to save him.” He paused: “I want you to save him.”
“Me?” Li Zheng instinctively said, “But Her Majesty dislikes me so much. How could she possibly grant my request?”
“Your Highness, you cannot refrain from doing anything just because Her Majesty dislikes you,” Lu Huai reminded him. “The top scholar was personally selected by Your Highness. If you don’t even dare to save him, in the future, everyone will look down upon Your Highness. Is that what you want?”
“Everyone will look down…” Li Zheng bowed his head in pain: “No, I don’t want that… My father made mistakes, but what wrong have I done? Isn’t it enough to bear Her Majesty’s aversion? Must I also bear everyone’s contempt? I don’t want that.”
His fingers gradually tightened: “Teacher, you are right. The top scholar was selected by me. Moreover, if I hadn’t named him top scholar, he wouldn’t have ridden down the imperial street and wouldn’t have caught Qi’an’s eye. For both public and private reasons, I should save him.”
After making up his mind, Li Zheng sought an audience with the Empress, requesting Cui Xun’s release. The Empress asked him: “Do you have a personal relationship with him?”
Li Zheng shook his head: “No personal relationship. I’ve only seen him at the palace examination and the Curved River Banquet. Besides that, I’ve never met him.”
“Then why go to such lengths to save him?”
Li Zheng cast aside all his fears and looked directly at the Empress: “Your Majesty, in all matters under heaven, what matters is righteousness. Pei Heng is already engaged. Qi’an should not force herself upon him, much less imprison him in a fit of anger. If the top scholar of the Great Zhou can be treated like this, the hearts of all scholars in the empire will grow cold. In this matter, Qi’an is in the wrong. Therefore, although I have no personal connection with Pei Heng, I am willing to save him for the sake of righteousness.”
The Empress stared at Li Zheng, at this face that resembled his father’s. After a long while, she slowly closed her eyes and said, “When Qi’an requested the edict, I didn’t know Pei Heng was already engaged. But once an imperial edict is issued, the emperor’s word cannot be taken back. He openly defied an imperial edict and must pay some price. Say no more.”
The Empress rejected Li Zheng’s request, but he didn’t give up. Instead, he knelt outside the Shenlong Hall every day, all for the sake of rescuing Cui Xun, with whom he had no personal connection. This righteous act made the court officials see him in a new light.
In the prison of the Court of Judicial Review, Cui Xun sat upright in his cell. Perhaps due to Lu Huai’s private instructions, no one mistreated him. However, this cell happened to be the same one where he had been imprisoned in his previous life. He could still see the dried bloodstains on the stone bricks, all shed by him after being tortured back then. Cui Xun lowered his eyes calmly.
While waiting, he finally heard the familiar tearful call: “Seventeenth Brother!”
Li Ying simply couldn’t imagine how Cui Xun could go from being the top scholar to a prisoner overnight. She was in a state of panic. She immediately sent her maid back to Yangzhou to inform Magistrate Du and Governor Pei, urging them to come rescue Cui Xun, while she prepared to visit him in prison.
She took off all her gold hairpins and bracelets, thinking these items should be worth quite a bit. If she gave them all to the jailer, she should be able to see Cui Xun. But before she could go to the prison, the jailer had already sent someone with a message, asking her to come quickly—Cui Xun wanted to see her.
Moreover, the jailer didn’t take any of her money. He said he admired the top scholar’s integrity, which was why he was taking this risk. Moved, Li Ying stuffed all her gold bracelets and hairpins into his hands, then hurried to the cell.
The closer she got to the cell, the more anxious she felt, as if she had been to this place before and had left very unpleasant memories. But no matter how anxious she felt, she had to save Cui Xun. She forcibly suppressed her fear and quickened her pace. When she reached the cell, her nose stung with emotion, and she burst into tears. Grabbing the iron bars, she sobbed and asked: “Seventeenth Brother, how did this happen?”
Cui Xun shook his head: “Mingyuezhu, don’t worry about how this happened. Right now, only you can save me.”
“How can I save you?” Li Ying asked urgently.
“Go to the Daming Palace and see someone.”
“Who?”
“Her Majesty.”
Li Ying drew a sharp breath: “Her Majesty? But she dotes on Princess Qi’an so much—will she agree? And if Prince Jingcheng asked her to release you and she refused, will it help if I plead with her? Wouldn’t it be better to wait for Father and the others to arrive and discuss further plans?”
“No, it will work,” Cui Xun said. “Mingyuezhu, trust me.”
Li Ying was taken aback, but if Cui Xun asked her to trust him, she would. She quickly said: “Alright, I’ll go see Her Majesty. But given Her Majesty’s status, how will she be willing to see me?”
Cui Xun thought for a moment, then asked for paper and brush. He hastily wrote a line on the hemp paper, then took out the lotus pouch containing their bound hair, folded the paper, and placed it inside: “Go find the Left Vice Minister Lu Huai, and ask him to give this to Her Majesty. After that, Her Majesty will see you.”
Li Ying felt bewildered, but still took the pouch and nodded: “I’ll go find Prime Minister Lu right away.”
“Wait,” Cui Xun suddenly called out to Li Ying. He seemed somewhat embarrassed and stammered: “Mingyuezhu, after everything is done, remember to ask Her Majesty to return this pouch to me.”
Hearing this, Li Ying didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “At a time like this, you’re still thinking about that?”
“Still, please return it to me…”
Li Ying helplessly tucked the pouch into her sleeve: “Alright, I’ll ask her to return it to you.”
Following Cui Xun’s instructions, Li Ying went to find Lu Huai and handed him the pouch, asking him to give it to the Empress. She didn’t have much hope—how could the Empress, who doted so much on Princess Qi’an, spare Cui Xun because of a lotus pouch? But unexpectedly, as soon as the pouch was delivered to the Daming Palace, Lu Huai said that the Empress wanted to see her.
Li Ying was somewhat surprised, but still followed Lu Huai into the palace. She had never been to the Daming Palace before, but for some reason, its pavilions, terraces, and every blade of grass seemed strangely familiar to her. Looking around, she arrived at the Shenlong Hall. Lu Huai didn’t enter but had her go in alone.
Li Ying nervously stepped into the hall. The palace servants closed the door behind her. From a distance, she saw an elderly figure reclining on a couch. She had heard that the Empress was in poor health and had rarely attended court meetings in the past half year. Looking at her now, this was true.
Li Ying knelt and kowtowed: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
The Empress’s voice trembled slightly as she beckoned to Li Ying: “Come here.”
Li Ying was slightly stunned. The Empress softened her voice: “Don’t be afraid. Come.”
Only then did Li Ying rise and anxiously walk toward the Empress. She knelt before the couch. The Empress propped herself up. Being old and frail, she dropped the lotus pouch she was holding. The bound hair with its red cord and the hemp paper Cui Xun had written fell to the ground. Li Ying lowered her head and saw written on the paper: “Past life and present life, bound hair with the same person. Lamp extinguished for sixteen years, a bright moon now appears.”
Li Ying didn’t understand. As she was pondering, the Empress said: “Raise your head.”
Li Ying looked up at the Empress. She had been very afraid of this lofty emperor, but when she saw her face clearly, she suddenly wasn’t afraid anymore. Instead, she felt a sense of closeness. The Empress’s eyes were failing. Her hand trembled as she reached out to touch Li Ying’s face, as if caressing her daughter. She asked: “What is your pet name?”
“Mingyuezhu.”
As she said these three words, she saw a tear flow from the Empress’s cloudy eyes. The Empress’s voice quavered: “What year were you born?”
“The first year of Yong’an.”
“The first year of Yong’an…” the Empress murmured. She gently caressed Li Ying, touching her eyes and nose. She wept desolately: “Good! Good!”
Li Ying didn’t quite understand what she meant by “good.” She said uneasily: “Your Majesty…”
“Stand up,” the Empress said. “Let me embrace you.”
Li Ying didn’t understand the Empress’s reaction, but she still rose as told and sat on the edge of the couch, allowing the Empress to embrace her. At this moment, for some reason, she suddenly didn’t feel afraid at all. It was like a daughter nestling in her mother’s arms. She could even clearly feel hot tears falling on her back as the Empress murmured: “Mingyuezhu, Mother’s Mingyuezhu, has returned…”