Li Yu was the late emperor’s eldest son. As the first son, he was deeply favored by his father, who granted him the name “Yu,” meaning to shine bright as the sun and illuminate all directions. Heaven has no second sun, and the people have no second ruler—Li Yu had been raised from childhood as the designated heir. But heaven is unpredictable; a military rebellion erupted suddenly, the imperial family fled the capital in panic, and the late emperor died of shock and illness along the way.
Grand Eunuch Cheng Shou, the Director of the Divine Strategy Army, believed Prince Liang was weak-willed and easy to control. Taking advantage of the chaos of the rebellion, he secretly maneuvered to place the overlooked Prince Liang on the dragon throne. After he secured the imperial position, that elder brother who had once carried their father’s great hopes became a constant threat to his peace of mind. For the sake of maintaining the reputation of brotherly harmony, Prince Qi was sent to Luoyang to serve as Governor of the Eastern Capital.
Li Yu was deeply grateful and immediately packed his belongings to leave Chang’an. In Bao Zhu’s memory, this imperial uncle in the distant Eastern Capital had always kept a low profile, indulging in pleasures and only showing interest in beautiful songs, exquisite dances, flower cultivation, and gardening. His reputation for being obsessed with such diversions had earned him a peaceful existence—he only needed to wait for a comfortable old age and a natural death, allowing his son to inherit the title.
The emperor was quite satisfied with his elder brother’s obedient compliance. Years ago, he had specially issued an imperial decree graciously permitting Prince Qi to return to Chang’an to participate in ancestral worship ceremonies, but only that once.
“Come closer.” Li Yu’s command interrupted Bao Zhu’s recollections. He beckoned with two fingers like summoning a cat or dog.
Bao Zhu hesitated briefly, and someone came to grab her arm, half-dragging her forward. This was one of the criminals who had kidnapped her—that rat-faced man. Bao Zhu stumbled forward into the pavilion, and the man deliberately stepped on her ankle shackles, making it impossible for her to stand properly.
Beside Li Yu’s couch stood a middle-aged man with a plump, pale face. Seeing the rat-faced man’s behavior, he asked, “Xu Shiyi, what is the meaning of these shackles?”
Xu Shiyi immediately explained respectfully, “In response to the House Steward, this woman is naturally fierce and wild. She once severely injured Aunt Zhao of the Rainbow Garment Pavilion with a pipa. For the Great King’s safety, we cannot give her any opportunity to cause harm.”
“Ah! Then she must be watched closely indeed.” The man called House Steward made an immediate decision, ordering attendants to fetch a long chain to connect to the ankle shackles, locking Bao Zhu to the base of the dragon-shaped lamp.
Bao Zhu was forced to kneel before the couch. Li Yu reached out, grasped her chin, and examined her carefully with those gloomy eyes, murmuring, “This year’s appearance isn’t considered top-tier, but with the heavy makeup removed, she has the most divine charm of them all…”
Such humiliation was unbearable, especially when the person before her was a blood relative. Bao Zhu was so furious her hands and feet turned cold. She thought that even if it meant mutual destruction, strangling him with her bare hands would take considerable effort, and she probably wouldn’t have time to act before that Xu Shiyi subdued and killed her.
She forced down her revulsion, met this uncle’s gaze, kept her expression calmly composed, and softly reminded him, “The Great King looks quite familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”
Prince Qi laughed heartily, “Of course we’ve met before!”
Bao Zhu’s heart lurched violently, her heart pounding wildly. When she spoke of meeting before, she meant that palace banquet many years ago. At that time, she was still a child with her hair in twin knots, but now she had grown into a young woman with completely changed features and figure. Could he have fallen so far into depravity that he had recognized her true identity and specifically sent people to kidnap his own niece?
Li Yu continued, “Didn’t we already meet that night during the Mid-Autumn city patrol?”
Bao Zhu’s mind went blank. That night of the city patrol, with crowds of people everywhere—had he been hidden among them then, secretly observing his intended target? Looking back, she had been focused only on interacting with Wei Xun, thoroughly enjoying the glory of being looked up to and surrounded by admirers, completely unaware of any malicious intent emanating from the crowd of spectators.
“Though her temperament has her divine charm, there are some details in her features that are rather distasteful.” After finishing his examination, Li Yu released his grip and said with dissatisfaction, “Especially these ears.”
Ears? Ears? Compared to her brother who resembled their mother, Bao Zhu looked more like their father, especially in having a pair of plump, fortunate ears. Whose shadow was he seeking in her face, and which lineage’s inheritance did he detest?
Having heard his master’s evaluation, Xu Shiyi immediately drew his dagger and pressed it against the back of Bao Zhu’s neck, ready to cut off the offending parts at Prince Qi’s command.
Mi Moyan, kneeling among the crowd, heard these words and his face drained of all color. He risked lifting his head to look anxiously toward the pavilion. Years ago, it was exactly such an ordinary criticism that had led to him being taken away and having his organs severed.
However, this time Li Yu did not give a decisive order. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Forget it. Have her arrange her hair in a hanging style to cover her ears.” Only then did Xu Shiyi sheath his blade.
Prince Qi was over fifty and had begun to grow hard of hearing. He asked, “Say it again—what is your name?”
Having just experienced the terrifying ups and downs of that threat, Bao Zhu’s expression was wooden as she repeated, “My name is Danniao, courtesy name Longnü.”
Li Yu’s eyes suddenly brightened as he murmured to himself, “Heaven sends down the vermillion bird, the river brings forth the responding dragon…”
House Steward Dong Shiguang, well aware of his master’s superstitious nature and love of auspicious omens, immediately echoed in a low voice, “When King Wen received the mandate, a vermillion bird carried the scroll—this is a good omen indeed.”
Li Yu’s interest was piqued, and he pressed further, “Who are your parents? Where is your home, and who gave you this name and courtesy name?”
Bao Zhu answered calmly and composedly, “I come from Chang’an, descendant of a criminal official, and do not know my original surname. This name was given to me when I was still in swaddling clothes by a barefoot Taoist.”
“Barefoot Taoist…” Li Yu pondered silently.
When officials committed crimes, their family members were often confiscated into the Imperial Harem or Musical Training Institute as slaves, many of whom came from prestigious families. This girl before him carried herself with dignity and answered appropriately—she likely came from noble birth.
House Steward Dong Shiguang scolded, “Impertinent girl, how dare you refer to yourself as ‘I’ in the presence of royalty?”
Bao Zhu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, “That barefoot Taoist once said this child has a special destiny. If she refers to herself as ‘concubine’ or ‘slave,’ it might diminish others’ fortune and longevity, so from childhood I have not dared use humble terms of address.”
Li Yu’s breathing became noticeably heavier. After seven consecutive years of empty diversions, he seemed to have found in this vast mortal world a portent that made his heart surge with excitement.
Barefoot Taoist—he had heard rumors from Chang’an about a mysterious old Taoist who had once recognized the emperor traveling incognito at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain and made prophecies about the imperial consort’s descendants. Though he could not know the confidential details, the Taoist had predicted that Princess Wangshou would die before reaching marriageable age, and this had already come to pass. Such a strange person capable of glimpsing heavenly secrets must surely be a master like Li Chunfeng or Yuan Tiangang, possessing supernatural abilities.
Before Prince Liang ascended to the throne, he had encountered the strange omen of a “white fox leading the way.” That detestable man who had forcibly seized the imperial throne from his hands had received revelation of the Heavenly Mandate, which gave him this opportunity. So now, did he still have a chance to turn the situation around?
“Have you… have you ever encountered any rare birds or strange beasts? Such as white foxes, gray eagles, animals that can understand human speech?”
Prince Qi posed what seemed like a nonsensical question, but Bao Zhu instantly perceived his intent—this man was searching for his own heavenly mandate. She keenly caught this opening and secretly calculated her strategy for response.
Bao Zhu took a breath and said slowly, “I once encountered a fierce lynx. It came from the wilderness, yet it obeyed my every word and was infinitely gentle with me.”
“Ha! Haha! That’s it exactly!” The aging Prince Qi was emotionally stirred, gripping the edge of his couch and using the leverage to rise abruptly.
A beautiful woman with a legendary background and special destiny, accompanied by a spiritual beast. Though this maiden’s beauty was far inferior to that peerless beauty who haunted his dreams, her beast was much more to his liking.
“A lynx is excellent—lynx is a fierce beast, far more powerful than a fox.” He said with satisfaction, the wrinkles on his face trembling with excitement.
Casting aside his anger over the stolen dual-colored lotus, Li Yu forcibly suppressed the surging waves in his heart and sat back down. He stared fixedly at the maiden before him. At this moment, the distasteful details in her face gradually faded away, while the aspects that resembled his beloved gradually emerged.
A beauty that could topple kingdoms and cities—such a woman was hard to find again. Recalling her unparalleled nobility and charm, Li Yu felt countless waves of bitter, swelling pain in his heart. He wondered to himself: was this heaven’s reward for his long-held dreams and expectations? It truly came too late—for nearly two years now, he had clearly felt his strength failing him.
Li Yu turned to his house steward and asked, “How is the progress on that medicine?”
Dong Shiguang hastily bowed and replied, “The entire family of the medicine shop proprietor has been detained. It’s just that one of the rare medicinal ingredients must be gathered from deep in the mountains, and that physician has not yet returned. Please be patient, my lord.”
Prince Qi cursed angrily, “The procurement people accomplish nothing but ruin everything. They should have bought up all the stock in the shop from the beginning.”
Dong Shiguang dared not speak. Here in Eastern Capital Luoyang, except for contraband items, Prince Qi could obtain anything he wanted with ease. It was just that this Great Joy Powder had a special nature, and the procurement agents didn’t dare openly buy it using his name. Moreover, his urgent desire for results, taking mysterious medicines from unknown doctors—if anything went wrong, how could Princess Qi forgive them?
After Li Yu vented his evil temper, the Auspicious Cloud Hall fell silent as a tomb, everyone lowering their heads to face the ground. Only the maiden before him, though wearing shackles, maintained dignified composure like a tranquil statue. Li Yu reached out his hand to gently caress her silk-smooth, perfect skin, like stroking a caged bird.
Bao Zhu felt her face burning as if seared by hot coals, the shame like receiving facial tattooing punishment. She used all her willpower to barely control herself to remain motionless.
“Danniao, how well have you practiced the Zhezhi dance?”
“My natural talent is mediocre; I am still learning the basics.”
“Remove the chains and dance for me to see.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Shiyi quickly used keys to unlock the chain from the dragon lamp. Bao Zhu slowly rose, step by step walking toward the stage while wearing ankle shackles. Mi Moyan also stood up, preparing to dance with her.
“Wait! Something is still missing.” Li Yu called out to stop her, ordering his servants, “Bestow a jade armband.”
An attendant received the command and immediately ran off. Moments later, he returned carrying a tray with an armband and presented it before Bao Zhu. This time it was not the cheap gold-plated goods from the city patrol, but a genuine white jade armband inlaid with gold and precious stones.
In Bao Zhu’s mind, it seemed as if hundreds and thousands of bells and chimes rang out in unison, deafeningly loud.
“Her lifetime beauty enchanted all living beings, her fragrant form like newly dead in eternal sleep. Bright flowers suddenly ended in the fifth month, fated leaves easily scattered in autumn’s season.”
A gorgeous woman who died in the fifth month and was buried in autumn. This poem inscribed on the Nine Aspects Temple mural at Great Toad Light Temple appeared in her mind along with the image of that beautiful corpse.
Yes—the mysterious patron of Toad Light Temple, the Nine Aspects Temple murals, the gorgeous Guanyin statue whose appearance had been dramatically altered after reconstruction, and the annually disappearing Guanyin slaves.
Everything, like ancient porcelain shards hidden underground, fitted together seamlessly. The beginning of all conspiracies originated from that palace banquet. At that time, her radiant mother had played Guanyin and performed a soul-stirring Zhezhi dance.