Watching his anxious, frightened display, Xuan Zhenzi felt still greater contempt, yet an inscrutable smile appeared on his face. "Rest assured, Imperial Son-in-Law. When I help someone, I see it through; when I escort the Buddha, I take him all the way west. Since I promised to help you, naturally I have a way to grant your wish."
"What way?!"
Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, Wu Youji pressed urgently, "Master, tonight is June Fifteenth. This opportunity is too precious to miss! Please tell me what to do! If this succeeds, you will be as good as the parents who gave me a second life!"
Xuan Zhenzi pondered briefly. Since he ultimately needed Wu Youji to act, he slowly said, "An imperial decree will arrive tonight, summoning you and the Princess to a banquet in the palace."
Wu Youji froze, then was overcome with joy. He never even considered how Xuan Zhenzi could so precisely "foresee" the sovereign's wishes, merely exclaiming in delight, "Your calculations are truly divine, Master! You can even predict this? Could you also be versed in astrology and divination?"
Xuan Zhenzi: "..."
"You need not ask so many questions."
Xuan Zhenzi could not be bothered to explain the machinations behind it. Expressionlessly, he said, "You need only know that an Imperial Carriage will arrive from the palace tonight to collect you both. By regulation, to uphold imperial dignity and the unity of husband and wife, only you and the Princess may ride in it together. Guards and attendants must follow in separate carriages or escort you outside. That will be your opportunity!"
Wu Youji's eyes shone, his breathing quickening again. "The same carriage! Yes! The same carriage! But... but with her temperament, even in the same carriage, she might not let me near her..."