The task was to find a grandson for Murong Fuyun, the Khan of Tuyuhun who was currently at war with the Great Tang.

Li Yuanji received this imperial decree in a daze, and before he could even verify the authenticity of this matter, his emperor brother shooed him out of the main chamber of Lizheng Palace like swatting away a fly. In the eastern study, Imperial Uncle Long Sun wasn’t forthcoming either. Squinting his small eyes on his round, plump face, he asked leisurely, “Prince Wu has always paid attention to military affairs, so you must be familiar with the origins and current situation of the Tuyuhun royal family?”

So there’s an examination before receiving the mission… Li Yuanji answered casually, “The Tuyuhun tribes mainly consist of Dangxiang and Qiang barbarians, but their khanate’s royal family originates from the Xianbei Murong clan. Their founding ruler, Tuyuhun, was the elder step-brother of Murong Hui, the High Ancestor and Martial Enlightened Emperor of Former Yan. The Murong Xianbei established successive states—Former Yan, Later Yan, Western Yan, and Southern Yan—ruling as emperors for over seventy years, and still have descendants today. The Murong royal family of Tuyuhun has ruled for more than three hundred years now, with deep-rooted foundations…”

When he mentioned “three hundred years of royal lineage,” he paused, thinking how truly long-lasting this inheritance was—for nearly three hundred years, while Central Plains was in chaos with various kings dividing territories and imperial lineages changing, it was considered remarkable for one emperor to reign for thirty years. Yet the Murong family, as foreign Xianbei rulers, had managed to govern Qinghai for over three hundred years. This family must have had extraordinary qualities.

Imperial Uncle Long Sun looked at him and nodded slightly with deep meaning:

“Fourteenth Brother’s knowledge is profound. Although the Tuyuhun are nomadic barbarians who don’t value Chinese etiquette and traditions, and their nation has experienced generations of internal strife, the position of Khan has never passed outside the Murong clan for over three hundred years. Their royal family’s status is revered and viewed as divine by the common people. This is one reason why His Majesty specifically ordered Prince Wu to search for the Tuyuhun Khan’s legitimate grandson.”

Li Yuanji composed himself, walked back to Long Sun Wuji, sat down properly while arranging his robes, and lowered his head sincerely:

“I am unworthy, and hope for Your Excellency’s guidance—how did the Tuyuhun Khan’s legitimate grandson end up in Chang’an?”

He tried to push away the images constantly flickering before his eyes—the shadows of Chai Yaoluo and palace maids carrying and supporting Wei Shubin out of the hall—and his restlessness about visiting Purple Void Temple. He had just received an important mission directly from the emperor, and both officially and personally, he needed to focus on the task first. Those tangled matters of romance had to be set aside for now.

Long Sun Wuji smiled with satisfaction and finally got to the main point:

“Throughout the Western Qin, Wei, Qi, and Zhou dynasties, in the sixteenth year of Kaihuang under Former Sui, when Emperor Wen unified the realm, Tuyuhun requested a marriage alliance. Emperor Wen married Princess Guanghua to them as a tributary state. The Tuyuhun Khan at that time was Murong Fuyun’s elder brother, Murong Shifu. The following year, Shifu was killed in internal strife, and Fuyun ascended to the throne. Following barbarian customs, he married Princess Guanghua, and they had a son named Murong Shun.”

The name sounded familiar, but Li Yuanji couldn’t recall anything specific even after thinking hard. Long Sun Wuji didn’t expect him to respond, took a breath, and continued:

“A son’s status is elevated by his mother’s rank. Since Murong Shun’s mother was a Sui princess, and Former Sui’s national power was at its peak then, he was naturally established as the Crown Prince of Tuyuhun from birth. However, his father Fuyun was untrustworthy—although he claimed allegiance to Sui and paid tribute, he still occasionally harassed the borders and plundered Han territory. In the fourth year of Daye, the Later Sui Emperor became enraged and sent troops, later leading a great army personally to campaign, shattering the Tuyuhun forces. Fuyun abandoned the capital and fled south, hiding in snowy mountain valleys, not daring to emerge.”

When mentioning the Former Sui “Son of Heaven leading a great army personally,” Li Yuanji suddenly thought of the current emperor’s second brother and almost laughed out loud. Holding back, he asked, “What about Murong Shun and his mother? Did Fuyun take out his anger on them?”

“No, he didn’t. A year before the Sui-Tuyuhun war, they were sent to the capital as tribute envoys and remained in the interior. After Sui destroyed Tuyuhun, Emperor Yang once considered sending Murong Shun back to Qinghai to establish him as Khan, but the plan fell through. Murong Shun returned to Chang’an and thereafter served as a personal guard on Emperor Yang’s side, accompanying the imperial tours east and west. In the thirteenth year of Daye, during the palace coup at Jiangdu, Emperor Yang was assassinated. Murong Shun was at the Jiangdu palace then but managed to escape in the chaos, fleeing back to Chang’an through back roads.”

“Is this Murong Shun the one His Majesty wants me to find?” Li Yuanji quickly asked. This didn’t sound difficult—if Murong Shun had lived in the capital as the Tuyuhun Crown Prince for so long, many noble families in Chang’an should know him, and inquiries would yield clues.

Unfortunately, Imperial Uncle Long Sun shook his plump face: “No, not him. By the end of the Daye era, Murong Shun was already eighteen or nineteen. Emperor Yang, still seeing value in his status, arranged for another ‘Princess Dehua’ to marry him in a peace alliance. After their marriage, they followed Yang Guang to Jiangdu, where they reportedly had a son whose barbarian infant name was ‘Nuoheba.’ The child wasn’t even a month old when the regicidal palace coup occurred. When Murong Shun fled, he couldn’t take his weak wife and infant son, having to abandon them in Jiangdu…”

Li Yuanji’s mouth fell open: “No way… You mean I’m supposed to find Murong Shun’s month-old son?”

“Exactly!”

“How is that possible?” The young prince clapped his hands, “Even in wealthy, prosperous families, about half of newborns don’t survive. Let alone after the Jiangdu palace coup, with mother and child wandering destitute, and no father to protect them—oh, perhaps Murong Shun later met his son and knew the infant had survived?”

“No,” Long Sun Wuji shook his head, “After Murong Shun escaped from Jiangdu back to Chang’an, he never heard the news of Princess Dehua and their son again. When our Tang was established, the Supreme Emperor also treated Murong Shun generously. When we allied with Tuyuhun to attack Li Gui in Hexi in early Wude, at Fuyun’s request, Murong Shun was sent back to Tuyuhun in the second year of Wude.”

“I see, he was sent back that early…” Li Yuanji scratched his head, “This Murong Shun seems rather fixated—since he’d returned to his homeland as Crown Prince, he could have as many concubines as he wanted and have more sons. Why obsess over an infant of unknown fate?”

“It’s not as simple as you think,” Long Sun Wuji gave a bitter smile, “After Murong Shun returned to Tuyuhun—he wasn’t made Crown Prince.”

“What?” Li Yuanji looked at him in surprise.

“Think about it, Fourteenth Brother. Old Khan Murong Fuyun was utterly defeated by Sui forces, forced to hide among the Dangxiang tribes in the snowy mountains for years, only returning to reclaim his capital in Qinghai during the chaos at Sui’s end. How much must he hate the Sui people? Princess Guanghua was never mentioned again, possibly dead, and when this mixed-blood son Murong Shun returned to Tuyuhun, how could his father treat him well? Of course, he wouldn’t be allowed to be Crown Prince.”

“So the current Crown Prince of Tuyuhun isn’t Murong Shun?” Li Yuanji asked.

“No. During those years hiding in the snowy mountains, Fuyun reportedly married a noblewoman from either the Dangxiang or Tubo people and had another son who greatly earned his father’s favor. Called the ‘Respected Prince,’ he is now the Crown Prince. Although Murong Shun is the legitimate elder brother, he ranks below his half-brother, now merely enfeoffed as the Prince of Daning, with only poor pastures and weak forces allocated to him. This is the first point.”

Li Yuanji sighed: “So ultimately, it’s because Murong Shun’s mother, the Former Sui princess, is gone, and Sui has fallen. ‘A son’s nobility comes from his mother’—without background or power, he’s bullied and looked down upon… Is there a second point?”

“Yes,” Long Sun Wuji nodded, “Secondly, Murong Shun himself returned to the Central Plains with his mother as a tribute envoy before he was ten, and thereafter lived as a hostage following the Sui emperor. His diet, living habits, appearance, speech, and behavior became indistinguishable from Han people. After returning to Tuyuhun, although he was a prince, that place is high, cold, and windswept with year-round snow and ice, having barley but no grain, eating meat, and drinking milk—he was uncomfortable with everything. Add to that his father’s harsh treatment and his people’s lack of support, he remained depressed. He’s been back for fifteen or sixteen years, and though he has many concubines, it’s said—eh, he hasn’t had any more sons, perhaps not even daughters, and it seems unlikely he will…”

Imperial Uncle Long Sun, who had already fathered more than ten sons before turning forty, squeezed out these words with a meaningful smile. Though young and unmarried, Li Yuanji understood and laughed along:

“I understand now. Since Murong Shun can’t have more children, he wants to find his only legitimate heir?”

Long Sun Wuji nodded: “Correct. Murong Shun has no foundation in Tuyuhun, and without more sons, there will be trouble with succession after his death, giving his father and clansmen more excuses to suppress him. If we could find his son with Princess Dehua and send him back… His Majesty, in launching campaigns, always emphasizes dividing the enemy internally. Murong Shun is a ready-made useful force, so naturally, we should win him over.”

It did sound like a truly important matter, not simply a cover for continuing the investigation of the County Princess of Linfen case. Li Yuanji scratched his head again and humbly asked:

“I am young and inexperienced. In Imperial Uncle Long Sun’s view, how should we approach this matter?”

Long Sun Wuji smiled: “Fourteenth Brother has me stumped, I don’t have much of a lead either. However, Murong Shun has sent a confidential envoy from Tuyuhun, and naturally, Prince Wu should meet with this envoy first and question him in detail…”

The two agreed in the imperial study that tomorrow Li Yuanji would go to Long Sun Wuji’s residence to meet and talk with the secret envoy sent by Prince Daning Murong Shun. Afterward, they bid farewell, and Li Yuanji left the palace city to meet Yang Xinzhi, who was waiting outside Chengtian Gate and returned home together.

Yang Xinzhi had come from the Imperial Garden. He had been ordered to stay in Da’an Palace last night to secretly observe Consort Yin De’s reaction after discovering the Seventeenth Princess’s abduction. The result was that there was no reaction—Da’an Hall remained as calm as usual. This made Li Yuanji even more uneasy. He knew Consort Yin’s arrogant temperament and vicious heart all too well; suffering such a great loss, she would never swallow this insult without revenge.

The two young men chatted as they rode, entering the Imperial Garden through Fanglin Gate, turning west, and soon reaching the fork in the road leading to Purple Void Temple. Li Yuanji hesitated, reining in his horse, then turned toward the mountain gate with its fluttering yin-yang and Eight Trigrams banners.

Yang Xinzhi followed, and they entered the main gate of Purple Void Temple. After the servants announced them, Chai Yaoluo quickly came out to greet them, wearing an amused smile:

“Fourteenth Uncle is truly impatient. I guessed you would rush to visit Miss Fen, but didn’t expect it so soon—couldn’t even wait half a day? You haven’t even eaten lunch, have you? Tsk tsk, such hot-blooded youth…”

“Yao’er, stop stirring things up.” Li Yuanji immediately got a headache. “I… I and Xinzhi came to… mooch lunch. I just heard two urgent matters and wanted to discuss them with you…”

“Not here to inquire about Miss Fen’s condition?” the female Daoist asked with a smile. “Then I’ve been presumptuous, let’s not mention it. A delicate prime minister’s daughter who has fallen ill in bed shouldn’t be discussed carelessly with men outside the family…”

She was teasing him. Li Yuanji glared at his niece, not knowing how to respond, but Yang Xinzhi caught the meaning and interjected:

“What happened to Miss Wei? She was fine yesterday, how did she suddenly fall ill and take to bed?”

As he asked, his eyes darted between Chai Yaoluo and Li Yuanji, his raised eyebrows and meaningful looks just short of openly asking “What happened between Fourteenth Brother and Miss Wei this time?” The female Daoist covered her mouth with her sleeve:

“Yang Da, you weren’t there, this morning in the courtyard of Lizheng Hall…”

“I’m starving!” Li Yuanji quickly interrupted her. Was Chai Yaoluo not satisfied with how embarrassing his “marriage proposal rejection” was? Yang Xinzhi was a gossipmonger with many close friends—if he heard this amusing and rare story, it would spread throughout Chang’an inside and out within a day or two.

Judging from the female divine physician’s relaxed demeanor, the Wei family’s young lady probably wasn’t seriously ill. Li Yuanji wanted to ask more, but suddenly a rank wind arose beside him, and a black and yellow shadow bounded forth with a howl, pouncing directly onto the female Daoist.

“Ah Tun!” Chai Yaoluo stumbled, almost falling from the impact, pushing and blocking while laughing and scolding: “You beast, so rough! Where have you been wandering off to? Ah… what’s this smeared on you?”

The fat hunting leopard raised its upper body, its front paws scratching frantically at the female Daoist, appearing both startled and urgent about something. Chai Yaoluo grabbed one of its front paws, rubbed her fingertips against the pad, and sniffed, frowning: “Blood smell… did you catch and eat rabbits outside again? Where’s the leopard keeper? Who took you out?”

They were standing not far from Purple Void Temple’s entrance, and the leopard had slipped in quietly by itself, with no one leading it. Li Yuanji noticed that the leash on the leopard’s collar was broken halfway, the short end dragging on the ground, and the handle end was missing. Intrigued, he bent down to pick up the broken leash and examined the cut—it was smooth and even as if severed by a sharp blade.

Chai Yaoluo also sensed something was wrong and called to inquire about the temple. She learned that near noon after the leopard keeper had fed Ah Tun meat, he had taken it out for its usual after-meal walk. They should have returned by now, but there was no word of the keeper, while the leopard had returned alone dragging half a broken leash, its paws covered in blood but no blood around its mouth.

Thinking of the great fire at Ganyesi Temple last night, Li Yuanji was alarmed. Chai Yaoluo’s expression also grew serious. She summoned the stronger eunuchs and female servants from the temple with clubs and weapons and sent someone to report to the garrison. She replaced the leash on the hunting leopard Ah Tun, and together with Li Yuanji and Yang Xinzhi, led a group out of Purple Void Temple to search.

The leopard had been well-trained and was quite intelligent. Upon leaving, it turned and pulled Chai Yaoluo into the mountain forest paths. Soon the group found bloodstains among the grass and tree roots. It started with congealed purple-black blood drops, and as they continued, there were more and more stains, the blood pools becoming increasingly fresh.

The morning’s light snow had melted upon touching the ground, leaving little trace, but it had softened the soil, making footprints easier to discern. When Ah Tun reached a bend in a mountain hollow, it refused to go further, curling its tail and rubbing against Chai Yaoluo while making low mewing sounds. Li Yuanji and the others looked around, seeing the tall grass and shrubs trampled in disarray, with obvious sword cut marks—it appeared several people had fought here recently.

“Fourteenth Brother.” Yang Xinzhi pointed to a cluster of blood in the grass. Li Yuanji went over to look and nodded in confirmation: “Someone was cut here.”

The blood trail they had been following consisted mainly of small spots as if dripping from someone’s wounds. But this bright red splash was a narrow funnel shape from spattering outward—someone had been violently struck while moving at high speed. This place had undoubtedly been a battlefield.

Chai Yaoluo lifted her face, sniffed hard, muttered “smoke,” and led the leopard around the mountain rock. Li Yuanji, worried for her safety, quickly followed and saw a small pond not far behind the rock. There was a woodland by the pond, but the undergrowth had been cleared to make a space.

In that clearing, a black-clad figure lay motionless, face up to the sky.

“Leopard keeper?” the female Daoist exclaimed in surprise, stepping forward to rush over. Li Yuanji grabbed her, shouting: “Wait!”

A eunuch beside them who was faster had already run forward, taking a step into the brush. There was a loud clang of metal striking metal, and the eunuch let out a long scream of agony.

[Note: “Tuyuhun” is pronounced “Tu-yu(as in jade)-hun,” and like the Xiongnu, has long vanished into the river of history. The royal succession, the relationship between Murong Fuyun and Murong Shun, and their bloodlines mentioned here are based on historical records and texts, though some details have been elaborated upon. For main reference material, Zhou Weizhou’s “History of Tuyuhun” is recommended.]