Wei Shubin sat dazed in the hall for a while longer, thinking back and forth before gritting her teeth and rising. She entered the Abbess’s bedroom and related the whole situation to Chai Yinglu.
Chai Yinglu was in better spirits today and listened patiently to the end before pondering for a moment and saying:
“Don’t worry, A-Bin. Given Fourteenth Uncle’s status, no matter how much that old Hu merchant tries to manipulate him, he’ll still be wary of that connection—how could anyone easily bully or harm a prince of Great Tang, the Emperor’s brother? Wouldn’t he fear His Majesty’s vengeful wrath? I think these fifty thousand bolts of silk, might as well borrow them—getting you out of this marriage is what’s important.”
Hearing her speak thus, Wei Shubin felt a surge of deep guilt:
“You’re all too good to me, I’m not worthy… That crafty old Hu Kang Sumi, in dealing with the Fourteenth Prince, how could he leave any evidence that would invite retribution? You know the Fourteenth Prince’s temperament better than anyone, Sister Ying—with just a little provocation, he’ll act impulsively and who knows what crimes he might commit… Moreover, thousands of miles away in foreign lands, with no one watching out for him or protecting him for his father’s and brothers’ sake, wouldn’t he be like a lamb in a tiger’s mouth, helpless against others’ torments? For my sake, this sin is too great, I cannot accept it…”
She still couldn’t cry, her fingers twisting the bedding as she gasped and choked. The female Taoist patted her hand sympathetically and sighed, “Then what do you suggest we do?”
“I’ll go find the Fourteenth Prince and ask him to return the money and cancel the agreement!” Wei Shubin burst out. But Chai Yinglu shook her head:
“I don’t think that will work. First, he has already written and sealed the contract, and that old fox has made many preparations for going to Gaochang—he won’t let you cancel now. Second, the matter of Kang Sumi and other merchants accompanying them has been approved by the Crown Prince; backing out now would be difficult to explain to the Eastern Palace. Third, you can’t even see the Fourteenth Uncle, silly girl… Didn’t Yang mention that he’s under close watch now, with guards following his every move? You can’t just run to the Taiji Palace or the Suobo mansion…”
“I… I could ask the Crown Princess to help arrange a meeting…” Wei Shubin’s voice grew weak even as she spoke, knowing it was futile. What good would meeting Li Yuangui do? Chai Yinglu’s first two points remained unsolvable. Since this fifty-thousand-silk loan was Li Yuangui’s idea, how would he abandon it just because she persuaded him during one meeting?
More likely, seeing each other would only move their hearts more deeply and strengthen Li Yuangui’s determination to redeem her freedom…
“Then I’ll do this,” Wei Shubin said through gritted teeth, “I’ll get the fifty thousand bolts of silk myself, repay his debt, and still cancel the marriage and redeem myself—he’ll have no reason to object.”
Chai Yinglu burst out laughing:
“My goodness, I had no idea Lady Wei was such a wealthy benefactress—where could you possibly get fifty thousand bolts of silk, A-Bin?”
In all of Chang’an, no, throughout the Great Tang empire, those who could produce such a sum at once could be counted on ten fingers… And she faced the same question as Li Yuangui: why would anyone give it to her?
Li Yuangui could at least trade on his status as an imperial prince, but she… she was truly penniless, a rebellious daughter who had turned her back on her family.
“According to my mother, before the Grand Emperor’s passing, someone offered to give my father thirty thousand bolts of silk,” Wei Shubin said slowly. “Given that person’s wealth and power, fifty thousand wouldn’t be much. Or even if he won’t add more money if I do what he asks, I could get thirty thousand, and with some of the untouched betrothal gifts the Cheng household sent to my family, perhaps we could gather fifty thousand…”
“Who are you talking about?” Chai Yinglu asked with furrowed brows.
Wei Shubin lowered her head, gathering her courage for a while before saying softly:
“His Majesty once summoned my father secretly, ordering him to continue investigating the Princess of Linfen’s death, promising thirty thousand bolts of silk to help my elder brother’s betrothal to the Cui family after finding the truth, but my father firmly refused. I think if I take up this task and thoroughly investigate my sister-in-law’s case, perhaps His Majesty might…”
“Preposterous!” The female Taoist cut her off before she could finish. “If your father had accepted the task then, that would be different, but now the time has passed, and you think you can just go petition the Emperor yourself? How could the Emperor of the Great Tang bargain with an unmarried young woman and assign you official duties? Besides, if you can’t even meet the Fourteenth Uncle, how could you possibly gain an imperial audience?”
“I’ve thought about that too—first have A-Su introduce me to the Eastern Palace, then I’ll speak with the Crown Prince,” Wei Shubin replied. “The Crown Prince naturally won’t pay attention to me, but I’m confident I can persuade him to arrange an imperial audience. Sister Ying, you know, I just need to mention ‘Cihe Temple’…”
The pregnant Princess of Hailing in Cihe Temple was leverage she could use to threaten the Crown Prince—in fact, she had even considered using it to extort fifty thousand bolts of silk from Li Chengqian… But fifty thousand was no small sum even for the Eastern Palace, and Li Chengqian wasn’t an easy-tempered person. If things got out of hand, she might lose control of the situation and implicate her good friend Su Lingyu—how could she repay A-Yu’s deep friendship with betrayal?
If she only asked Li Chengqian to arrange an imperial audience, that wouldn’t be too difficult. Moreover, after accidentally overhearing that private conversation between the Emperor and his son the other day, she had a private feeling:
This Emperor could be reasoned with.
Her father Wei Zheng made his living remonstrating with the Emperor, bombarding him daily with sage teachings in court, and from hearing her parents’ casual conversations, she wasn’t particularly afraid of the “dragon’s wrath.” That day, by chance, she heard the Emperor speaking to his son about parents and brothers, not avoiding the bloodshed, not merely making excuses, but speaking with the rich emotional flavor of ordinary family reminiscence, which increased her fondness for Chai Yinglu’s second uncle. Additionally, she had previously petitioned before the throne about the marriage alliance and other matters, and while the Emperor paid her little attention, he hadn’t made things difficult…
“Cihe Temple?” Chai Yinglu frowned. “You mean the Princess of Hailing’s matter? You—you brought that up in the Eastern Palace?”
“Uh…” Wei Shubin just remembered that Chai Yinglu had instructed her not to mention that matter in the palace, as it would anger and harm the Empress. But she had only told Su Lingyu, so… it should be fine, right?
As she stammered out her explanation, the female Taoist’s crescent eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper. By the end, she pushed aside her covers and sat up straight, hugging her knees and letting out a long sigh:
“What am I to do with you? Don’t you know that Lady Su serves at the Empress’s knee daily and could easily let something slip? She’s always so careful and submissive, never daring to deceive her mother-in-law—if the Empress hears anything and questions her, how could she not tell? Ah… what a mess this has become…”
Wei Shubin blushed and lowered her head, no longer responding. After thinking for a while longer, Chai Yinglu sighed:
“Let’s do this—don’t go causing trouble at the Eastern Palace. In a couple of days, when I’m feeling better, I’ll go see His Majesty and request an audience for you… Though I can’t guarantee he’ll grant it. Even if you do get an audience, what you say is up to you, I can’t help you there. Whether it brings fortune or disaster, you’ll have to bear it yourself. At most, I can have someone fetch General Cheng to wait outside the hall…”
“Why bring General Cheng?” Wei Shubin asked in alarm.
Chai Yinglu looked at her and burst out laughing:
“In case you anger the Emperor and he orders you beaten to death on the spot, at least General Cheng can go in and kowtow for mercy, and drag his little bride—bought for fifty thousand bolts of silk—home for a good scolding.”