Chapter 22: Accomplices
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Wen Zhiyan’s words became the final straw that crushed the last vestige of Li Youwei’s belief in rigid ethics and the proper order of things.
She had been born with a sense of justice, a boundless love for her people, grand ambitions, and a deep devotion to family and country.
Why should she be confined to the inner palace and household merely because she was a woman? Why should she become an ornament to men who were plainly inferior to her?
“A husband is Heaven. Heaven cannot be escaped, nor can a husband be forsaken. Defy the divine, and Heaven will punish you; violate propriety and righteousness, and your husband will cast you aside.”
“Pity the fate of a woman—lowly and wretched, with no further words to say. A man should uphold the family gate; the moment he is born, he possesses divine vigor. His ambitions reach across the seas, his gaze stretches ten thousand miles toward the dust of the world. A daughter brings no joy in her upbringing and is not treasured by her family.”
“Only women and petty men are difficult to raise. Draw near to them, and they become insolent; keep your distance, and they grow resentful.”
“The singing girls know nothing of the sorrow of a fallen kingdom. Across the river, they still sing the tune of Flowers in the Rear Palace.”
“…”
Each line was one of the verses that had made Li Youwei uncomfortable as a child, when she attended the imperial academy alongside her elder and younger brothers.
She memorized her lessons faster than they did, recognized more characters, calculated more accurately, and often had her essays presented by the tutors as model compositions for the entire class. Her imperial father was proudest of her.
When she was still young, she had not sensed the faint regret hidden within his admiration. But as she grew older, she finally understood what he meant when he said, “Youwei surpasses my sons in every respect. What a pity that she is a girl.”
Those words were what first taught her to restrain her brilliance. Slowly, cautiously, step by step, she became a foil for her father’s sons, so that their own intelligence might shine more brightly.
Her strengths could only be displayed in other ways. She was kind, filial, and filled with a great love for all beneath Heaven.
She offered incense before the Buddha in the temples, taking nearly half her monthly allowance to pay for it, and prayed every day for the health of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress.
She distributed porridge and donated to impoverished scholars, unwilling to see the common people trapped in a life where they suffered not from scarcity, but from inequality.
Men were not expected to possess such virtues. By shining in these areas, she would not obscure the brilliance of her elder and younger brothers.
Once she began doing so, her imperial father indeed praised those sons of his more often.
“Youwei is a woman, after all. Her heart is kind. But the sons of an imperial family must safeguard the dynasty’s foundations; they are better off with harsher hearts.”
“Boys are mischievous when young, but they have greater stamina as they mature. Look at these lads—when they were little, they were far behind Youwei. Now, whether in poetry or prose, they are no longer inferior to her.”
“The eldest is becoming more steady by the day. He has much of the bearing I possessed in my youth. The second has grown increasingly skilled at riding and archery; he will surely win a fine title at next year’s hunt. And the seventh…”
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“Youwei has grown into a fine young woman. It is time to seek a suitable match for her. A daughter cannot remain at home forever…”
Li Youwei heard these words and urged herself not to take them to heart. She was a woman; this was simply the fate she had been born to bear.
But then Wen Zhiyan appeared.
Wen Zhiyan’s words caused the weeds of ambition in Li Youwei’s heart—the ambition to seize power—to grow wildly.
Of course, Li Youwei knew that Wen Zhiyan would not throw herself at her and offer assistance for no reason. She must want something in return.
“If matters succeed, what do you wish to obtain from me?”
Wen Zhiyan knelt at her feet and solemnly pressed her forehead to the floor.
“If matters succeed, and Your Highness ascends to a position of power, Zhiyan hopes that Your Highness will reopen the investigation into my father’s case.”
Wen Zhiyan’s voice caught in her throat, but she persisted and finished every word with perfect clarity.
“For a hundred years, the Wen family has been loyal and battle-hardened. Our ancestor was one of the founding generals. Forgive me for speaking so boldly, but this realm belongs to the Li family—and it was also won by the Wen family, through the sacrifice of countless lives.”
“I do not believe my father colluded with an enemy state. I alone crawled out from a mass grave along the road of exile, with but one wish: to uncover the truth of my father’s case and restore the good name of the hundreds of lives lost by the Wen family.”
“And what, then, can you offer me?”
“I will not conceal it from Your Highness. I have a secret affair with Prince Fu. I can tell him that Your Highness is willing to join him and help him bring down Prince Qi. Once the matter is accomplished, Your Highness may continue living as freely as you do now. You will not need to enter a marriage alliance, nor will you be forced to become another man’s wife. Or…”
Wen Zhiyan raised her head. She could not tell what Li Youwei was thinking, but she still spoke the rest.
“Or, if Your Highness admires the young lord of the Song family, Song Baiqing, Prince Fu could arrange your marriage to him.”
“How audacious!”
Li Youwei’s cold gaze swept over Wen Zhiyan.
“How did you learn of my connection with Song Baiqing?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I heard Prince Fu mention it. It seemed… it seemed that Your Highness admired Young Lord Song’s talent.”
Li Youwei adjusted the hairpin in her coiffure, then admired her long protective nail guards, affecting an air of indifference.
“I merely thought him somewhat different from other men. Still, I hear that Young Lord Song already has someone in his heart. Do you know who it is?”
“I do not.”
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“You truly do not know?”
Wen Zhiyan looked bewildered.
“Although I was once betrothed to Young Lord Song, it was only an arrangement made by our parents and matchmakers. He and I never met in private, much less exchanged a word. I do not even know why my father arranged this marriage…”
As she spoke, Wen Zhiyan’s face flushed.
“At the time, I already had someone in my heart. He was a soldier under my father’s command…”
But her expression soon turned desolate.
“Then disaster struck my family, and Zhiyan lost all hope in matters between men and women.”
Li Youwei gave a soft, mocking laugh.
“Yet you said you were involved with Prince Fu. Have you not already lost hope in matters between men and women?”
Wen Zhiyan answered at once.
“Prince Fu is merely using me. To him, I still possess the talent and refinement of a noble daughter, but my identity is that of a traitor’s daughter. I give him the thrill of conquering a woman from a great house, while allowing him to cast me aside without the slightest burden once he tires of me.”
Li Youwei found herself intrigued by those words.
“Did he say that to you himself?”
“Of course not.” A trace of mockery appeared on Wen Zhiyan’s face. “Men will say anything to win a woman. Prince Fu naturally swore that once he rose to power, he would help me investigate the truth about my father. He even promised to marry me.”
“You do not believe him?”
“Of course I do not.”
“Why not? It is not impossible that Prince Fu might ascend to the throne. Nor is it impossible that he truly likes you.”
“Truly likes me?”
Wen Zhiyan laughed, as though she had heard something amusing.
“A man’s sincerity is the most elusive and unreliable thing in the world. Prince Fu has people supporting him, and those same supporters will become the ones who constrain him after he takes power. When that time comes, doing what he wishes or marrying whom he pleases will not be as simple as he claims.”
“Excellent!”
Li Youwei gave Wen Zhiyan’s shoulder a hearty slap. For the first time, genuine admiration shone in her eyes.
“Most women are deceived by men’s declarations of love. You, however, are rare in your clarity. Those words suit my taste perfectly!”