Wei Shubin never imagined that shortly after praising Chai Yingluo in front of her lover, believing she could follow in her footsteps for life, she would end up quarreling with the Abbess of Zixu Temple.

The reason for their quarrel was… nieces taking after their uncles.

After Li Yuangui escorted her back to Zixu Temple from Yong’an Palace, she rushed to find Chai Yingluo. After dismissing the servants, she recounted her adventurous experience, particularly emphasizing, “We’ve been wrong all along. The child in the Hailing Princess’s womb isn’t the Crown Prince’s, but rather the current Emperor’s transgression. The Empress knows about it too and was so angered that she fell ill and was sent back to Lizheng Hall. His Majesty asked you to check on the Empress and try to persuade her…”

As she spoke, she noticed the Taoist priestess’s expression growing increasingly peculiar. At first, she listened attentively, but then her thin lips curled, her nostrils flared, and her cheeks tightened – it appeared as though… she was trying her utmost to suppress laughter.

This expression was quite familiar, remarkably similar to that of the Tang Emperor in Yong’an Palace’s imperial chamber, looking down at her and Li Yuangui with an expression mixing amusement, resignation, and a hint of contempt.

A sudden realization struck Wei Shubin: “Sister Ying, you knew all along that Yang Consort was carrying the Emperor’s child, didn’t you?”

With a burst of laughter, Chai Yingluo finally collapsed onto the bed in mirth. Wei Shubin glared at her angrily: “How long have you been keeping this from me and laughing at my expense!”

“Not long,” the Abbess of Zixu Temple replied patiently after finishing her laugh. “At first I only had suspicions. The fourth Aunt was taken away by the Fifth Aunt’s husband, Imperial Son-in-law Yang. The Fifth Uncle is a senior figure of high status and naturally cautious. I hadn’t heard of him being particularly close to the Eastern Palace. If the Crown Prince had done this and wanted to secretly send someone to escort Fourth Aunt away, he wouldn’t likely have involved Fifth Uncle – the Eastern Palace has its trusted servants. After discovering Fourth Aunt’s pregnancy at the nunnery, I returned to make inquiries about who had visited Fourth Aunt here last autumn… you know, such things can’t be hidden from servants…”

“So you knew in spring that it wasn’t the Crown Prince, yet you didn’t tell me the truth, letting me blindly stumble around with my misconceptions.” Wei Shubin complained. Chai Yingluo sighed:

“Silly girl, don’t you know why I didn’t tell you outright? You’re straightforward and can’t keep secrets – whatever you hear, you want to tell the whole world. If you thought it was the Crown Prince’s incest and told others, that would have been fine – after all, the Crown Prince couldn’t easily have you killed. But if you knew the truth and weren’t careful with your words, angering the Emperor and Empress, then—”

“How could I be so foolish!” Wei Shubin exclaimed anxiously, “This is such a crucial secret – how could I gossip about it everywhere! One careless word could lead to death – how dare I act recklessly! Sister Ying, do you take me for a seven or eight-year-old child?”

“Well, you’re not,” Chai Yingluo looked at her with a half-smile. “Alright, now that you know the truth about Yang Consort’s pregnancy, what do you plan to do next?”

The eldest daughter of Minister Wei blurted out: “Go to Cihe Nunnery and confront Yang Consort directly, threaten her to reveal the true culprit in the Linfen County Princess case!”

With a groan, the Taoist priestess held her forehead: “And you call this not acting recklessly…”

“Uh…” Wei Shubin realized her folly and felt embarrassed. “Then… what other ways are there to make her reveal the truth?”

Chai Yingluo shook her head: “I’ve considered it many times, but have no good ideas. I warn you, do not go to Cihe Temple to find her.”

“Why not?”

“How naive can you be? His Majesty ordered Imperial Son-in-law Yang to settle her mother and daughter there – do you think it’s just them and their servants living with the nuns? Aren’t there people from the Yang household and the palace monitoring and caring for them? Last time when we two rashly barged in, perhaps it was luck, or perhaps Fourth Aunt herself didn’t want to make trouble and suppressed it, so no one reported it to the palace – at least the Emperor and Empress haven’t treated me any differently. Do you want to risk yourself again? Can’t you guess what would happen if the palace learned you had discovered the Emperor’s private affairs?”

This was the real cause of Wei Shubin’s serious argument with Chai Yingluo. Their previous deceptions, anger, teasing, and contradictions were just their daily banter – their true disagreement lay in “how much importance to place on the Linfen County Princess case.”

Solving this case, catching the real culprit, obtaining the Emperor’s promised reward, and clearing Li Yuangui’s debts to secure his freedom was Wei Shubin’s most important matter now – no, in her entire life. She was willing to pay any price for it. But Chai Yingluo had many more concerns.

This couldn’t be blamed on her either. Hadn’t she done enough, suffered enough entanglements for Wei Shubin and Li Yuangui?

So after the two women tired of arguing, they each returned to their rooms in anger. After waking from a nap, Wei Shubin no longer went to discuss or argue with Chai Yingluo. She had no right to force others to take risks for her. In this world, being able to follow one’s heart and bear one’s fortune or misfortune was already a great blessing.

She borrowed an amount from the temple stable, put on a veiled hat, and took her regular serving maid A Yuan. They quietly left the restricted area, entered the inner city, and headed toward Cihe Nunnery in Xixiang District, following her memory. When unsure of the direction, she asked for directions and successfully found the plain, unremarkable nunnery entrance. When she announced herself to the gate nun requesting to see the Hailing Princess Consort, unsurprisingly, the answer was “Amitabha, there is no such person in the temple.”

Though not clever, Wei Shubin had anticipated this response. She reached into her bodice and took out a roll of fine paper, handing it to the receiving nun:

“Please trouble the Venerable to pass this to Lady Yang. If Lady Yang still refuses to see me after reading it, I shall leave and not disturb again.”

The receiving nun gave her a long look but said nothing more, taking the paper and turning away. Wei Shubin sat waiting in the entrance hall. Soon, the receiving nun returned with another person – a middle-aged nun with a clear countenance. Wei Shubin thought for a moment and remembered this was the attending nun she had seen in Yang Consort’s room during her previous visit with Chai Yingluo. Sure enough, this nun chanted Buddha’s name and said “Female benefactor, please follow me,” leading Wei Shubin back to the courtyard where Yang Consort and her daughter resided.

After several months without a meeting, Yang Buyao’s belly had grown prominently large, clearly showing she would give birth soon, yet her delicate beauty still radiated brilliantly. She reclined on a spiral-patterned sandalwood bed and invited Wei Shubin to sit opposite her. Getting straight to the point, she pointed at the fine paper spread on the writing desk before the bed:

“May I ask young lady, where did you obtain this letter? Why do you use it to seek an audience with me?”

The handwriting on the paper was Wei Shubin’s own, but the content was identical to Yang Buyao’s silk pouch letter to the current Emperor, copied word for word – Wei Shubin had transcribed her original document, and could now almost recite that short note by heart:

“This sinful concubine Yang kowtows and respectfully says that in the scorching heat of midsummer…”

The great beauty Yang maintained a calm expression, even showing some curiosity. If Wei Shubin hadn’t personally overheard the Emperor admitting to this matter, she might have doubted whether she had made a mistake, that this “love letter” had nothing to do with her. This level of artifice and pretense was enough to throw naive young ladies like Wei Shubin tens of thousands of miles off track – no wonder she could entangle the current Emperor despite being a widow with a daughter…

Wei Shubin had personally seen the desolate state of Ganye Temple before it was destroyed by the great fire and felt deep sympathy for the widowed former Crown Prince and Qi Prince’s widow and daughter. Even after learning of Yang’s loss of chastity and pregnancy, she had always thought it was forced upon her by Crown Prince Li Chengqian – well, his father – and didn’t feel much contempt or disgust toward her. Now, seeing Yang Buyao lie without changing expression, she felt revulsion rise in her heart and coldly replied:

“I obtained it from the imperial chamber in Yong’an Palace and personally heard His Majesty’s instructions. I have something to ask Lady Yang.”

I haven’t told a single lie – Wei Shubin silently praised herself – I’m much more honest than you.

Yang Buyao paused slightly, deliberately looking Wei Shubin over again, and smiled gracefully:

“Should I congratulate Miss Wei and Minister Wei? No wonder – young lady is as delicate as a flower, and from a noble family, naturally entering the selection with glory and dignity, unlike… *sigh*. What instructions did His Majesty give that troubled Miss Wei to convey?”