Chapter Twenty-Four: Princess Yuzhen, Li Chiying

Jade Truth Temple!

Ye Fashan was currently expounding on the “Classic of the Way and Virtue.” In Daoism, Laozi is held in the highest esteem. During the reign of Emperor Huan of the Han, Laozi was revered as the progenitor of the Immortal Way, and Daoists honored him with the title “Supreme Elder Lord.”

The “Classic of the Way and Virtue” was, of course, essential introductory knowledge for any Daoist. Ye Fashan hailed from a family of Celestial Masters; for three generations his ancestors had all been Daoist priests, serving the royal house of Li Tang across five reigns: Emperor Gaozong, Empress Wu Zetian, Emperor Zhongzong, Emperor Ruizong, and now the era of Li Longji. He himself was renowned for his diligence and love of learning; history records that he “delighted in ancient studies and literature, recited the classics at eleven, learned rites and music at twelve, delved into the Book of Changes, savored Laozi and Zhuangzi, and thoroughly reviewed the diagrams and treatises of the He and Luo Rivers.” The royal family of Li Tang had always been devout followers of Daoism; to enhance their own prestige, they even claimed Laozi—Li Er—as their ancestor. When Wu Zetian usurped the throne and established her Zhou dynasty, she favored Buddhism, causing Daoism’s standing to decline. But after the Li family regained the empire, Daoism’s status rose once more.

Thus, Ye Fashan was again able to serve the imperial family, granted the title of Celestial Master, and ennobled as Minister of State with honors. The Ye family, three generations of Daoist priests, were all recognized and commemorated with steles by imperial decree—an honor unique in the annals of Chinese Daoism, surpassing even Zhang Daoling, the founder of Daoism.

Since he received imperial stipends, it was only natural for Ye Fashan to serve the Li house faithfully. Moreover, it was a common pastime for princesses of the royal family to become Daoist nuns, either out of genuine interest or as a pretext. As one of the leading figures of Daoism of his time, Ye Fashan would induct them into the Daoist order, guiding them as their teacher and imparting Daoist learning.

At that moment, the only person listening to Ye Fashan’s lecture was Princess Yuzhen—Li Chiying—the beloved daughter of the Retired Emperor Li Dan and younger sister of the current sovereign Li Longji, and the abbess of Jade Truth Temple.

Li Chiying was only twelve years old, utterly uninterested in becoming a Daoist. She had taken up the path solely to avoid being married off to a distant land as part of a political alliance, following her elder sister into Daoism under Ye Fashan’s tutelage. After all, the Tang dynasty was no longer as it once was. In its early days, Tang princesses enjoyed supreme status and the empire’s might inspired awe. But those days had passed, and being married off to some faraway place was surely an unhappy fate.

Li Chiying found Ye Fashan’s lectures dreadfully tedious, but forced herself to listen. She realized that, dull as the old Daoist’s ramblings were, being alone in the lavish temple was even duller; in the end, she might as well endure his prattle.

“Master, there is a visitor outside the temple named Sun Pu! He claims to be the grandson of Old Immortal Sun and says he has urgent business with you…”

Ye Fashan furrowed his brow and glanced at Li Chiying.

Li Chiying smiled and said, “Master, please go at your leisure. The Old Immortal has done great service for our Li house; his descendants must not be slighted.”

Ye Fashan bowed and departed.

Li Chiying flipped through the well-worn “Classic of the Way and Virtue.” She had read it a thousand times, and it was no more interesting now. Her eyes darted mischievously, and she stifled a laugh as she crept after Ye Fashan.

Ye Fashan received Pei Min and Sun Pu in a side hall.

Sun Pu knew nothing of Liu Shenwei’s troubles, so Pei Min recounted the entire matter in detail.

Pei Min said, “The group from Shengshan Temple have blocked the southern gate of the West Market, and I suspect the other entrances are also guarded. Whether Daoist Liu has fallen into the hands of those villainous monks is still unclear, but even if he has not been captured, he cannot escape the West Market.”

Having heard the story, Ye Fashan’s anger flared and he shouted, “That rascal Huifan is truly outrageous and reckless beyond measure!”

Pei Min was unfamiliar with Liu Shenwei, but Ye Fashan knew him well. In the old days, Sun Simiao’s reputation was unmatched; though he lived among the common folk, he was often summoned to the palace to treat Emperor Taizong, Empress Zhangsun, Emperor Gaozong, and Empress Wu. As the most celebrated physician in the land, he was universally admired. Both Li Shimin and Li Zhi went to great lengths to persuade him to remain in the capital, but Sun Simiao was devoted to the people and had no desire for imperial salary. In the end, they had to settle for keeping his most capable disciple, Liu Shenwei, in the capital to serve at the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Though Liu Shenwei’s medical skills did not quite match his master’s, he surpassed all other court physicians and rendered great service to the imperial family. Later, after training two disciples—Zhang Wenzhong and Qin Minghe—he resigned and followed in Sun Simiao’s footsteps. Though many years had passed and Liu Shenwei was now a commoner, his contributions and status could not be erased.

Buddhism and Daoism had always been at odds. Ye Fashan regarded even upright monks with suspicion, much less a disreputable foreign monk like Huifan. Seeing his friend now bullied by such people enraged him to the point of shouting curses.

Pei Min was about to speak when his vigilance was piqued, and he called out, “Who’s there, eavesdropping?” He whipped his head toward the doorway of the side hall and saw an extraordinarily pretty young girl craning her neck to peer inside. Their eyes met.

Li Chiying had only been playing around, but, caught red-handed, she started in guilt and tried to withdraw her head. In her panic, she moved too quickly and banged it hard against the doorframe, crying out in pain and squatting on the ground, clutching her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

Pei Min saw a young girl and had no idea she was the very Princess Yuzhen—Li Chiying—whom history would remember as the favorite of both the “Poet Buddha” Wang Wei and the “Poet Immortal” Li Bai. He hurried over and said, “Are you all right? My apologies, let me help you.” As he spoke, he gently pried her hands away from her forehead and, seeing a large, swollen lump, felt genuinely sorry. He began to massage it gently with his palm.

Li Chiying was momentarily stunned. She never expected that the young man who had startled her into bumping her head would be so bold as to touch her so directly.

Pei Min’s actions were entirely instinctive. Though he retained the memories of the historical Pei Min, his true soul was still led by Pei Jingyuan. At moments like this, he would unconsciously act as he would have in his former life. In his own time, if you accidentally caused a little girl to bump her head and cry, apologizing and checking the wound would be natural, and massaging the bruise to improve circulation would be normal behavior—no one would accuse you of impropriety toward a young girl. Thus, Pei Min acted on pure instinct...

After a couple of passes, he noticed the girl had tensed up all over and suddenly realized that he was now living in ancient times—where girls of twelve or thirteen could be married off, and physical contact carried a different significance...

His mind racing, Pei Min reacted swiftly and said, “Please don’t be upset, miss. The bump on your forehead is quite severe; if it’s not treated, it might leave a scar, which would be a shame. I know a bit of medicine—let me help, and I promise there won’t be any mark left.”

A love of beauty is a woman’s nature. Li Chiying was at the age where she cared about her looks and was confident in her appearance. She certainly didn’t want a scar on her forehead. Swallowing her embarrassment, she let him continue.

Ye Fashan now approached. Although he was nominally Li Chiying’s master, their interactions had always been limited, so he hadn’t recognized her cry. With Pei Min blocking his view, he only realized who it was when he drew close. He looked at Pei Min with the eyes of one beholding a hero and bowed, saying, “Greetings, Your Highness…”

Pei Min was dumbfounded!