Princess Imperial’s sacred carriage suddenly descended upon Baotai Temple without giving the monastery’s monks any edict to prepare for her arrival, bringing a vast entourage straight to the temple.
Cavalry led the way with banners fluttering and drums and music playing in unison. The six-horse golden carriage proceeded directly to the mountain gate. Eunuchs from the Palace Domestic Service carried fly whisks and incense burners, while female officials held Buddhist scriptures, incense candles, and ritual vessels as hundreds of people filed in. Officials from the Department of Shrines managing Buddhist and Daoist clergy affairs, along with officials from the Princess’s household, followed closely behind.
Abbot Huaiqian of Baotai Temple was so shocked his hands and feet went numb. Let alone having time to sweep and arrange preparations in advance, he didn’t even have time to change into proper robes. He hurriedly led the temple’s prominent monks, running to greet the royal procession.
Looking at this grand spectacle, the old monk was drenched in sweat, his heart in turmoil, not knowing what business brought this supremely noble Celestial Princess to condescend to visit. She was both the regent princess and leader of the Daoist sect, possessing inconceivable divine powers like rising from the dead and ascending to immortality—truly a living deity in the world.
Baotai Temple was merely an ordinary temple in Chang’an City, possessing neither Buddhist treasures nor famous scenery. On ordinary days, forget about receiving imperial family members—even the eunuchs who held her umbrella were important personages he would never see in his lifetime.
The leading Imperial Guard cavalry had not specifically cleared the roads, allowing common people to stop and watch. Ordinary pilgrims and temple monks crowded together, gaping at this magnificent immortal procession.
The princess was radiantly beautiful, wearing a lotus flower crown and ochre-yellow ceremonial robes—yellow robes were the highest rank of Daoist vestments, and wearing the imperial exclusive color indicated she was not only a religious leader but also wielded supreme worldly power.
Seeing such majesty, Abbot Huaiqian and the other monks immediately cast aside the rule of “only kneeling to Buddha, not to people,” laying out prayer mats and prostrating themselves.
The princess was quite courteous, raising her hand in a gesture of support while two eunuchs immediately stepped forward to help Huaiqian up, simultaneously presenting golden Buddhist scriptures, ambergris incense, gilt ritual vessels, and other generous Buddha-offerings.
The old monk was beside himself with joy. When he saw the eunuchs behind the princess carrying Buddhist treasures like purple-gold alms bowls, brocade-bordered kasaya robes, and gold-and-silver virtue staffs, he was nearly mad with excitement, thinking he must be dreaming.
However, the princess did not bestow these sacred objects upon him. She stood in the middle of the courtyard looking around in all directions, then after a moment locked onto her target and beckoned toward a corner.
A handsome young novice poked his head out from behind the drum tower, cautiously observing her expression. Bao Zhu maintained an expressionless face and beckoned again.
The young novice squeezed through the crowd, coming before her with lowered head, bashfully and guiltily calling out quietly: “Jiu Niang.”
Bao Zhu saw that his height now exceeded her own, still wearing the monk’s robes purchased in Luoyang last year, now worn and tattered with trouser cuffs hiked up, revealing half his calves.
The watching crowd wondered about this shabbily dressed young novice’s identity that merited the princess’s special summons.
In complete silence, Bao Zhu stared at him wordlessly for a long while, then grabbed a bronze bell-striker from a female official’s tray, rolled up her wide sleeves, and viciously struck his bald head three times.
“Clang, clang, clang”—three clear, crisp sounds rang out as if the striker had hit metal, producing copper-iron tones. Everyone was astonished, wondering what material this young novice’s head was made of that after such fierce strikes, he didn’t even blink and not a mark was left on his forehead.
Shisan knew he had erred and dared not move, lowering his head to let her strike him.
After striking three blows to vent her anger, Bao Zhu snorted coldly, threw down the striker, and took up the gorgeous brocade-bordered kasaya from the tray, shaking it out to drape over him. She then stuffed the purple-gold alms bowl and nine-ring staff into his hands, mocking: “This staff should be long and straight enough for you.”
Shisan’s wish fulfilled, his face immediately lit up. If not for the circle of people surrounding them, he would have leaped to the heavens.
Abbot Huaiqian was speechless. He vaguely remembered among the registered monks in the temple there was such a young novice with the dharma name Shanyuan, but the temple had no position for him and provided no food or drink—he had always wandered outside begging for alms. He never imagined these three Buddhist treasures were prepared for him.
“No merit is greater than saving the sovereign’s life. This young novice once saved my life.”
Bao Zhu turned around, raising an eyebrow at Huaiqian meaningfully: “Elder, you are Shanyuan’s teaching master, possessing dual merits and virtues. Now that Baotai Temple has become an imperial temple, you will have great achievements ahead.”
Huaiqian, over seventy years old, was a shrewd monk—how could he fail to understand the princess’s implied meaning? With slight guidance, he comprehended. For whatever reason she wanted to promote this child, he had gained the opportunity to carry the imperial sedan chair, with incalculable benefits. Baotai Temple’s fortunes had turned—perhaps Buddha had spoken with the Three Pure Ones.
He quickly put on a face full of smiles, saying repeatedly: “This poor monk is dull-witted. Being favored by the princess fills me with trepidation. Novice Shanyuan has deep wisdom roots and boundless prospects. This poor monk will naturally teach him wholeheartedly, forming good karmic connections to repay the imperial grace.”
Everyone understood—this young novice who had not yet received full ordination was already the designated second-in-command of Baotai Temple, only waiting for him to come of age to become abbot of this imperial monastery. The monks were both envious and jealous, wondering where this vagrant acquired such fortune, his begging bowl instantly transformed into a golden alms bowl.
Having carefully prepared this trip to elevate Shisan, Bao Zhu was pleased and contented on the return journey, corners of her mouth upturned. She had also greatly missed Shisan and originally planned to bring him into the palace. On second thought, the martial brothers were accustomed to freedom and would probably not endure palace regulations, so she changed her mind.
Returning to the inner court, she planned to visit Li Yuanying at Qingsi Hall along the way before going to Supreme Immortal Temple to supervise renovation and relocation progress. Looking from afar, she saw over thirty palace maids standing on the ball field in front of Qingsi Hall, lined up in neat rows, each carrying a bundle, while a female official was giving them instructions.
Bao Zhu asked Madam Yu: “What are they doing?”
Yu Ninghua observed and explained: “Palace servants graciously released by the Two Saints leave the palace in batches. To prevent them from revealing forbidden secrets, they must all receive instruction before leaving.”
Bao Zhu nodded without thinking much of it. Drawing closer, she noticed a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in the front row whose features looked familiar, so she took a closer look.
The female official and palace maids all lowered their heads and curtsied upon seeing the princess’s procession approach. That little girl crouched down but frequently raised her eyes to steal glances. Bao Zhu was also concentrating on studying her. When their eyes met, the girl panicked and ran away headlong. This abrupt action was extremely conspicuous.
Bao Zhu said to her guards: “Capture her alive, be careful not to hurt her.”
The guards immediately pursued like wolves and tigers. Having the princess’s orders, they dared not use force, grabbing her thin arms and legs to carry her back.
The little girl was tied up and brought before Bao Zhu, already frightened to trembling and tears streaming down her face. Bao Zhu stared at her as memories surged like a tide—this was the little maid who had taken the wrong pomegranate skirt on the day she was buried alive.
All other palace servants from Qifeng Hall had been ordered by the late emperor to be buried alive—how had she alone survived? Who was behind her?
The little maid’s clothing was disheveled when captured, her back covered with old whip marks. Bao Zhu ordered someone to give her a silk shawl for covering, then moved to the viewing corridor beside the ball field, dismissed everyone except Madam Yu, and began questioning.
“What’s your name?”
The little maid prostrated herself trembling, not daring to speak. Yu Ninghua smiled threateningly: “Being taken to the forbidden prison by Imperial Guards, having fingernails pulled and kneecaps beaten—such punishments are unpleasant. Better to confess honestly.”
The girl’s face turned white as paper: “This slave is called Gao Tuan’er…”
Bao Zhu asked: “That day when you brought me the pomegranate skirt, whose instructions were you following?”
Gao Tuan’er shook her head, voice trembling: “No one instructed me. This slave got the qualification to enter the hall through connections with Eunuch Lu Yuan. It was my first time serving the princess—I didn’t know the palace had such strange rules.”
Seeing her young age, Bao Zhu asked: “All palace maids and eunuchs who served in Qifeng Hall died—how did you survive?”
Tuan’er said tearfully: “This slave took the wrong skirt and did wrong. As soon as the princess left, Supervisor Xia whipped me and sent me to do menial labor, forbidding me from entering the hall again.”
Bao Zhu thought silently: Qifeng Hall’s registry listed over three hundred palace servants total, with fewer than fifty qualified to personally attend her. Being sent away to hard labor had actually been a blessing in disguise, helping her avoid the Imperial Guards’ searches and interrogations.
Supervisors were female officials responsible for inspecting palace quarters and punishing mistakes. Looking at the whip marks on Gao Tuan’er’s neck, Bao Zhu frowned: “My palace never had rules about beating people, and Supervisor Xia wasn’t someone who abused punishments.”
Tuan’er wailed: “She naturally wouldn’t dare in front of the princess. The night before, she had lost money gambling and was in a bad mood, saying she would make an example, stripping this slave naked and making me kneel before everyone while being beaten.”
Bao Zhu’s heart shook, then she understood. Xia Fangchun was over thirty and had served at her side since she took over Qifeng Hall, deeply trusted for her mature prudence. Looking back now, trusted subordinates using their master’s authority to intimidate others and deceive superiors while oppressing inferiors was a common occurrence.
She had long heard that Xia Fangchun had gambling problems in her youth—the copper coin burn scars on her neck were left by a previous master’s punishment. After she and her brother took over Qifeng Hall, she hadn’t heard of any more mistakes, but gambling addiction was said to be incurable—she had probably just hidden it better.
After a long while, Bao Zhu asked gently: “The place where you did menial work—was it near the small kitchen?”
The little maid’s entire body shuddered violently, her face ashen.
“You suffered this beating and humiliation and wanted revenge on Xia Fangchun, but couldn’t overcome a supervisor’s authority. Taking advantage of the evening when the small kitchen was preparing pomegranate nectar and sweet melons for me, you secretly put a few ice chunks in. It was summer—beverages and fruit needed to be chilled anyway, and ice was readily available, so no one would notice.
“If I ate dirty ice, I would probably vomit and have diarrhea for a while without serious harm, but my attending female officials would be punished for negligence. You wanted to use this method to indirectly revenge yourself on Xia Fangchun, isn’t that right?”
Gao Tuan’er trembled like chaff, unable even to kneel properly, collapsing directly to the ground.
Yu Ninghua maintained a stern expression, angrily saying: “So the real culprit was you, you wretched girl! Do you know this case implicated nearly a thousand people? How many families were destroyed and lost their heads because of this!”
Looking at the soul-shattered little maid, Bao Zhu remained silent for a long time.
Who could have predicted that the mysterious Princess Death Case was triggered by this insignificant minor character?
Gao Tuan’er mistakenly took the pomegranate skirt, was brutally beaten by the gambling-addicted Xia Fangchun, conceived revenge, and contaminated her master’s food with ice chunks. Ice taken from lakes and rivers was dirty and could only be used to cool through containers, not in direct contact with food.
But it wasn’t deadly poison, so the eunuch who tasted her food ate two bites without reaction. And she was strong and healthy—even eating all of it would only cause abdominal pain and vomiting for a while, naturally resolving without medicine.
However, the pomegranate juice in her vomit was blood-red, making palace servants think she was poisoned and vomiting blood, causing panic. The Pepper Minister Lu Songzhi, bearing grudges against her because of his nickname, deliberately assigned an accident-prone imperial physician team, causing her symptoms to worsen into dehydrated unconsciousness.
In the late emperor’s fury, palace servants were tortured. Innocent servants couldn’t explain the poison’s source and had to fabricate supernatural explanations, triggering the late emperor’s hypochondria and causing him to execute and bury alive everyone involved.
She fell into false death while unattended. The late emperor, believing Taoist masters’ evil words, rushed to bury his daughter before the Noble Consort’s death anniversary to pacify souls, not keeping vigil and burying her immediately—no one discovered the princess still had breath. Link by link, fate’s cruel jest.
The pomegranate skirt—everything was because of a pomegranate skirt.
Yu Ninghua asked: “This matter is significant—should she be handed to the Imperial Guards for further questioning?”
Bao Zhu shook her head: “Everything is past—let her go.”
Madam Yu was startled, asking in surprise: “The princess won’t pursue this?”
Bao Zhu said self-mockingly: “Lu Songzhi is already dead. The rule forbidding pomegranate skirts was set by the late emperor, and he also ordered the execution of imperial physicians, exile of their families, and burial of palace servants afterward. Filial piety comes first among all virtues—how can I pursue the late emperor’s responsibility?
“The little girl contaminated my food with dirty ice and received this beating—the punishment was severe enough. If I had suffered such humiliation, I wouldn’t stop at putting ice chunks in—I’d spit in the drink and crack my enemy’s skull open with a pipa.”
She had many more unspoken thoughts. If she hadn’t been trapped in Prince Qi’s mansion and personally experienced the sadness and humiliation of being a lowly slave, she wouldn’t empathize with someone of such status.
Without experiencing that life-and-death ordeal, she would now be nothing more than an ignorant, leisurely pampered princess. And Li Yuanying would inevitably have died early from his consort’s poisoning—the siblings would never have had the opportunity to step by step ascend the throne and jointly rule the realm.
“Have Eunuch Lu Yuan arrested and verify if his testimony matches. If he has no other crimes, expel him from the palace as well. Simultaneously investigate private gambling in the palace thoroughly. Don’t mention the rest anymore.”
Madam Yu understood her meaning and gently reminded: “The princess is magnanimous with far-reaching blessings. I only fear releasing this little maid from the palace will lead to wild talk.”
Gao Tuan’er prostrated herself desperately kowtowing: “This slave wouldn’t dare!”
Bao Zhu smiled lightly: “So what if she does? It would only add another tale to my legendary stories.”
Author’s Note:
Bao Zhu probably suffered food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus contamination in ice cubes. The incubation period is short, generally occurring 2-6 hours after consuming contaminated food, with symptoms of abdominal cramping, severe vomiting, and mild or no diarrhea. Symptoms are mostly self-limiting, resolving naturally after 1-3 days.