Holding the incense burner tray in both hands, Wei Shubin followed in the long procession of noble ladies and female officials, moving forward step by step.

The fragrant smoke seeping through the copper burner’s intertwined floral patterns was overwhelmingly strong, making her eyes sting and headache, leaving her mind in a fog. Perhaps this wasn’t entirely unfortunate, as her thoughts were already struggling to remain anchored to the present, constantly drifting away into the clouds.

The Xing Sheng Nunnery in Tong Yi District, formerly the residence of Duke Tang during the Sui Dynasty and now home to the current Emperor and Emperor Emeritus, housed the portrait of Empress Dowager Dou – the Emperor Emeritus’s first wife and the current Emperor’s birth mother. Every year on Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s birthday, the temple would hold a grand Buddhist ceremony. The palace would send fresh flowers and precious vessels as offerings and many noble ladies from the capital would come to burn incense and pay their respects.

Following the arrangement made through letters with her mother, Wei Shubin had dressed up early to enter the temple, first joining the procession of noble ladies as they slowly made their way toward the Great Buddha Hall for worship. Among the crowd were many familiar faces – wives and daughters of various ministers and nobles who had previously socialized with her mother. However, most avoided meeting her gaze, pretending not to recognize her as they focused on their devotions.

True, one needed to maintain solemnity and dignity while queuing to offer incense in an imperial temple – there could be no casual chatting or movement. But even someone as socially awkward as Minister Wei’s daughter could sense that she was being ostracized and unwelcome. She even noticed people in corners pointing and discussing her. No doubt the news of her escape from marriage and causing trouble in the forbidden palace had spread widely.

Master Chai Ying Luo of Zi Xu Temple couldn’t accompany her to this nunnery where there were many acquaintances, so she sent Jing Xuan with two serving maids as escorts, all dressed in ordinary women’s clothing. The middle-aged Daoist priestess now followed slightly behind her, carrying a vase of peach and apricot branches. When Wei Shubin looked back, she received an encouraging and comforting glance.

Truthfully, Wei Shubin didn’t much care how other women viewed her. Compared to the secrets she had witnessed in recent days, such trivial gossip meant nothing.

Lady Yang, the Princess Consort of Prince Hai Ling, was pregnant.

Her husband, Prince Li Yuan Ji, the current Emperor’s Fourth Brother, had died nine years ago.

In the side room of Ci He Temple’s courtyard, even the usually unflappable Master Chai Ying Luo stood frozen at the doorway, unable to form a complete sentence. Finally, the beautiful Lady Yang gracefully approached them, extending her fair wrist as her rouge lips parted:

“Master Shang Zhen, you’ve come at just the right time. I’ve been feeling nauseous these past few days and can’t keep down food or water. I trouble the Immortal Master to examine me.”

Chai Ying Luo reflexively took her extended right wrist and checked her pulse out of habit. It was clear she had first collected her thoughts before speaking after a while: “Congratulations, Fourth Aunt… the palace of the earth is stable, the fetus is strong, already three or four months along… Morning sickness is normal, just keep to light foods and eat more sour and sweet things to aid appetite.”

She fell silent again after speaking. Almost simultaneously, Wei Shubin recalled what she had heard the guest manager nun Si Ma Ling Ji say yesterday at the neighboring Wan Shan Nunnery:

“Two catties of preserved apricots sent over the west wall… don’t be too formal, we’re of the same status…”

“Thank you, Master Shang Zhen. Your skills are indeed great, you did end up finding me after all,” Lady Yang thanked her softly. Somehow, hearing this only filled Wei Shubin with a sense of dread. “So that’s how it is… For your own sake and the Chai family’s, you should leave now, pretend you were never here.”

Chai Ying Luo opened her mouth but seemed unable to respond, yet she wouldn’t turn to leave either, standing there staring at the beautiful jade face divided into strips by the window lattice shadows. Wei Shubin stood behind her and suddenly spoke impulsively:

“Was it the Crown Prince who ordered Lord Yang to bring the Princess Consort here?”

Lady Yang’s beautiful eyes turned to rest on Wei Shubin’s face, seeming somewhat surprised yet also understanding something, giving a sorrowful smile without answering.

“Last winter in the tenth month, Sixth Sister fell ill with a cold at Gan Ye Temple, her condition was critical. I had already been ordered to enter the temple to arrange the marriage, and fearing she wouldn’t recover and might pass the illness to others, I took it upon myself to move Sixth Sister to my Zi Xu Temple, and Fourth Aunt also came to care for her…” Chai Ying Luo looked at Lady Yang, “During winter, there were frequent hunting parties, men entered and left the forbidden garden daily…”

Lady Yang’s jade cheeks flushed slightly, but she shook her head without answering, telling the middle-aged nun in the room: “See them out.”

The nun acknowledged and walked over. Chai Ying Luo frowned and said:

“Fourth Aunt, please reconsider. Though you and your daughter are comfortable and safe now, in the future… it would be better if you told me more about the situation, it would benefit your safety, not harm it.”

Her meaning was very clear. The Emperor’s sister-in-law becoming pregnant while living as a widow in the forbidden palace would be a scandal regardless of who the father was. Lord Yang being ordered to move Lady Yang and her daughter to the nunnery was likely mainly for secrecy. If those in charge eventually decided to eliminate evidence by killing them, it would be as easy as turning over one’s palm.

If Lady Yang told Chai Ying Luo all the secret details, it would make silencing them much more difficult, and those in charge would have to be more cautious in their actions, actually making Lady Yang and her daughter’s situation safer. Even Wei Shubin understood this reasoning immediately, but the beautiful woman who had weathered many storms just smiled and shook her head:

“I appreciate your kind intentions. But this is my affair, my gamble, I’ll accept whatever outcome… you should go. Third Sister treated me and Fourth and Sixth’s father with such kindness and grace back then, Bu Yao doesn’t want to implicate her family.”

Chai Ying Luo sighed, lowered her head to think for a moment, and finally said:

“Ying Luo is investigating cases by the Empress’s command. Just answer me one question truthfully, and I’ll take my leave, never to disturb you again – In the Eastern Palace poisoned wine case from ten years ago, was it Fourth Brother who intended to poison Second Brother’s cup? Nine years ago when the case was reinvestigated, was it Fourth Aunt who wrote on the food box to hint to investigators, leading them to retrieve that wine vessel from the Eastern Palace well?”

These were crucial questions, and Wei Shubin also focused intently, watching closely for Lady Yang’s reaction.

The beautiful lady first turned to look outside the door, her expression sorrowful, countless memories seemingly flashing through her mind in an instant, and after a very long time, she finally answered slowly and clearly:

“Yes, I did it.”

After speaking, she turned and walked toward the inner chamber, no longer acknowledging the two women. The middle-aged nun chanted Buddha’s name and indicated they should leave:

“The lady is unwell, please don’t pressure her further. Heaven values all life, and the Buddhist temple is no place for disputes. Please see yourselves out.”

Wei Shubin looked at Chai Ying Luo, and seeing that the Daoist priestess had no intention of forcing the issue, they had no choice but to turn and leave. Just as they stepped down from the platform, a clear young voice suddenly called out from the corridor: “Sister Ying!”

A little girl with her hair in three triangular buns threw herself into Chai Ying Luo’s arms, her big eyes full of joy and laughter – it was Lady Yang’s young daughter, the Sixth County Princess, the youngest of the Emperor’s nieces who had been at Gan Ye Temple. The serving maid running close behind her also looked familiar – it was A Luo, Lady Yang’s maid who had previously answered Chai Ying Luo and others’ questions at Gan Ye Temple.

Lady Yang and her daughter’s group, who had quietly left the temple before the fire, were indeed all here, brought by Lord Yang to this Yang family temple, next to Wan Shan Nunnery which had housed imperial consorts who had taken Buddhist vows since the Zhou and Sui dynasties…

This wasn’t surprising. However, the news of Lady Yang’s pregnancy was so unexpected that even the usually calm and collected Chai Ying Luo seemed to have lost her bearings. After returning home from Ci He Temple, she had kept to herself behind closed doors in contemplation, barely responding to anyone. Wei Shubin had asked her twice, but she only answered:

“This case can’t be investigated further… perhaps there’s no need to investigate anymore.”