Huo Qi Lang pulled this hairpin from under the bed and held it in his hands to examine. This was the most common and ordinary ornament worn by women on their heads—the pin head was shaped like a butterfly, with two prongs at the tail. From frequent wear, the thin layer of gold plating had worn away by more than half, revealing the copper base underneath.
As for the poem, it was the final line from the “Elegy” by Master Five Willows, Tao Yuanming. It seemed to have been written with a finger dipped in rouge in the darkness, which is why the characters were crooked and misshapen.
When Bao Zhu saw this line of poetry, her heart felt an ominous premonition. She said to Huo Qi Lang: “This is a death poem.”
“You mean the kind of last words people write when they know they’re about to die?”
Bao Zhu nodded and fell into silent contemplation. The dust traces under the bed were just enough for a petite person to hide, leaving some white round dot-like marks at one end. Others might not know what those were, but to the tearful Bao Zhu, they were familiar—those were the marks left when someone had cried while wearing heavy makeup, and the face powder had fallen to the ground mixed with tears.
“That assassin who was beaten half to death by your Third Senior Sister first pretended to be a female attendant from the Pang family to infiltrate the Xiao household, then entered Xiao Ran’s boudoir, only to discover the room was empty. So he put on the bride’s wedding dress and jewelry, disguising himself as Xiao Ran in a magpie stealing the dove’s nest. He probably never imagined that the real bride was hiding under the bed crying at that very moment.”
Huo Qi Lang said: “If Miss Xiao was tied up with her mouth gagged and stuffed under the bed unable to make a sound, she could certainly cry, but how could she write on the underside of the bed board?”
Bao Zhu sighed: “No one had bound and gagged her. The criminal who kidnapped the bride was the bride herself—Xiao Ran. The Lu family conveyed a letter by dismissing the little maid, and the letter probably contained threats to annihilate both the Xiao and Pang clans, forcing Xiao Ran to kidnap herself. Once the wedding procession left and the Xiao mansion became quiet again, she could put on a veil, climb over the wall, and run away.
That poem ‘On Behalf of Jiujiu’ hidden in the makeup box where it could easily be discovered was just a smokescreen, deliberately creating the illusion that the bride had eloped on her own. The poem hastily scrawled on the underside of the bed board was her true feelings.”
Bao Zhu explained her analysis to Huo Qi Lang, then looked down and fiddled with the gold-plated hairpin in her hands. After a moment she said: “Miss Xiao should have feelings for Sixth Brother.”
Bao Zhu asked: “How can you tell?”
Huo Qi Lang said: “This is a gold-plated copper hairpin with a copper core, taking the meaning of ‘united hearts.’ It’s a common token of love exchanged between lovers.”
Bao Zhu was startled and asked in confusion: “How do you know this so clearly?”
Huo Qi Lang smiled faintly: “Because people often give me these things.”
Bao Zhu was at a loss for words, unable to imagine what she looked like when she wore women’s clothing with hairpins in her hair. She said: “That still can’t confirm this was a token of love between her and Pang Liangji. The Pang family is wealthy—they could afford to give gold or silver. Why would they give such a worthless copper hairpin?”
She walked out of Xiao Ran’s room and called over Steward Pang, who had followed them to the Xiao mansion, showing him the gold-plated copper hairpin.
Steward Pang was shocked: “This is a gift my young master gave to Miss Xiao when he was small. I secretly took it from the shop’s inventory. How does she still have it?”
When Bao Zhu voiced her suspicions, Steward Pang smiled bitterly: “The Xiao family wasn’t wealthy back then. If their daughter had suddenly appeared with gold, silver, and precious jewelry of suspicious origin, it would certainly have made her parents suspicious. So Young Master specifically ordered a copper hairpin. The pin tail originally had a small horse carved on it, representing the meaning of his name.”
Steward Pang pointed out that hidden spot to Bao Zhu, but they could see it had been deliberately filed away with a hard object.
Bao Zhu thought to herself that judging by the worn condition of the gold plating on this hairpin, it must have been worn regularly. If Xiao Ran was going to wear this hairpin when marrying into the Lu family, she would naturally be careful not to let her husband’s family discover it was a token from her childhood sweetheart, which is why she had filed away the identifying mark.
They were in love.
Imagining the scene during the wedding, Xiao Ran hid under the bed waiting for an opportunity to escape, only to discover a stranger had infiltrated her boudoir. Xiao Ran had no idea this was another group entirely—she thought it was a substitute arranged by her former in-laws. That person put on the bridal gown that should have belonged to her and was about to marry the sweetheart she had longed for in her place. In despair, she could only let tears silently flow down her face.
“When death comes, what is there to say? I entrust my body to the same mountain slope.”
The ominous feeling in Bao Zhu’s heart grew stronger. The Lu family had already set a murderous trap, then forced Xiao Ran to elope—it was unlikely they did this just to embarrass the Pang family. The three families had formed a deadly feud all because of Xiao Ran’s remarriage. Her former husband Lu Dan was already dead—what use was there in forcibly taking her back?
The more Bao Zhu thought about it, the more frightened she became. She immediately called for Huo Qi Lang to prepare to go to the Lu family to demand answers, but felt their numbers were somewhat thin. Walking out the main gate of the Xiao mansion, she saw Xu Baozhen mounted on horseback, waiting outside.
He spoke concisely: “Pang Six is busy looking for people and hasn’t spread any news in the martial world at all. Someone is behind gathering those martial artists at the Pang family.” He paused, then said toward the empty space: “Perhaps it’s about Master’s dying words.”
Huo Qi Lang frowned: “Should we call Senior Brother?”
Bao Zhu didn’t understand what they were talking about, but she understood this sentence and quickly stopped them: “There’s no need for him! I’m about to find the missing bride. It’s just that we’re entering enemy territory and there might be quite a few opponents. You two come with me.”
When Huo Qi Lang heard this, he touched his empty waist with a helpless expression: “Tsk, if I’d known we were going to fight for real, I would have borrowed a blade to bring along. I’m afraid going empty-handed will be a bit challenging.”
Xu Baozhen sighed and said with disappointment: “Next time, don’t become a weapon. I’ll come with you two.”
With another ally added, Bao Zhu’s spirits immediately lifted. She brought along the little maid who had delivered the message and led everyone toward the Lu family estate.
On the road, Bao Zhu said to Huo Qi: “If we end up fighting, beat the Lu family members hard for me.”
Having only seen Bao Zhu’s dignified and steady side all along, this was the first time Huo Qi Lang heard her speak so viciously. He asked curiously: “What, did they offend you?”
Bao Zhu nodded: “There are some personal grudges. Have you heard of the nickname ‘Pepper Minister’?”
Huo Qi Lang laughed: “That’s known by everyone in Chang’an. Don’t tell me that Lu Songzhi is from the same family?”
Bao Zhu said: “Exactly.”
When she had paid a high price for pepper to treat Wei Xun’s illness in Xiagui County, she had mentioned that there had once been a controversy involving pepper in the palace. A self-righteously noble Imperial Censor thought pepper was too expensive and submitted a memorial requesting the palace switch to Sichuan peppercorns.
The Emperor naturally didn’t want to agree. While Sichuan peppercorns had a stronger fragrance than pepper, they caused numbness in the mouth and could only be used as seasoning, not eaten directly with meat. However, since this was a memorial from an Imperial Censor, it couldn’t be dismissed outright—there had to be a proper reason to refute it.
A minor official from the Imperial Medical Bureau named Lu Songzhi submitted a memorial citing passages from the Medicine King Sun Simiao’s “Supplement to Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold,” explaining that Sichuan peppercorns were mildly toxic and excessive consumption would cause mouth sores and dizziness, while pepper was non-toxic and had the medicinal effects of warming the center, stopping pain, and improving appetite. For the sake of the Emperor’s health and the Imperial Consort’s beauty, pepper was naturally the safer choice. With this explanation, anyone who still insisted on substituting Sichuan peppercorns for pepper would have malicious intentions, plotting to poison the imperial family.
Lu Songzhi was extremely skilled at reading the Emperor’s mind, using medical texts to provide justification for the Emperor’s extravagant consumption. He was a learned sycophant who gained the Emperor’s favor through this incident, and from then on rose rapidly through the ranks. He now held the fourth-rank position of Remonstrance Official and concurrently managed the Imperial Pharmacy, overseeing all court physicians.
Bao Zhu was less than ten years old at the time and remembered the medicinal properties of pepper from then on. Being mischievous in her youth, she jokingly gave him the nickname “Pepper Minister” at a banquet. Somehow it spread, and everyone from the court to the common people called him that. He would probably be remembered in history by this sycophantic nickname.
Lu Songzhi naturally didn’t dare make things difficult for Princess Wangshou, who was most beloved by the Emperor. However, the Imperial Pharmacy was specifically responsible for diagnosis and medicine for the imperial family, and he had introduced many dubious alchemists to the palace, causing the Emperor in recent years to frequently consume elixirs, his temperament changing from gentle and benevolent to suspicious and irritable.
Before Bao Zhu was buried alive, she had suddenly fallen ill, and the court physician assigned to treat her was mysteriously replaced. She knew that Lu Songzhi was the only one who could interfere with this procedure. Given their past grievance and his vile character, the possibility that he had harbored resentment for years and taken this opportunity for revenge was extremely high. However, with her current loss of identity, she had no power to investigate the truth and could only silently remember this person.
Naturally, she couldn’t share these matters with the present company. Bao Zhu only said: “I’ve seen their Lu family genealogy. Pepper Minister is this family’s patron. The family head Lu Tingfang is his younger brother, which makes him Xiao Ran’s father-in-law.”
Huo Qi Lang said: “These family relationships are quite complicated. Will we have to engage in back-and-forth arguments like we did with the Xiao family?”
Bao Zhu recalled that death poem and shook her head: “We can’t afford to delay. A quick battle is best.”
They rode all the way to the Lu family estate. The entrance was very different from the Xiao family’s—it truly had the atmosphere of a noble household, except the servants sitting at the gate had white hemp cloth strips tied around their arms, suggesting there was a funeral in the family.
Bao Zhu got straight to the point: “I’ve come looking for Miss Xiao. Have Lu Tingfang come out to see me.”
Several gatekeepers heard her address the family head by name with such an impolite tone. They stood up to push and shove her, but Huo Qi Lang kicked them away, one with each foot. Bao Zhu strode forward boldly. The Lu family’s guards heard the shouting and rushed forward wielding clubs.
Xu Baozhen threw the long sword from his back to Huo Qi, while he held a whisk and moved forward as if entering an uninhabited realm. Taking the Yu Steps steadily forward, the snow-white, slender whisk danced gracefully, his entire bearing transcendent and otherworldly, with the demeanor of an immortal descended from heaven. However, his attacks were ruthlessly efficient—when the guards were touched by that soft whisk tail, it was like being viciously struck by a steel whip. They collapsed with broken tendons and bones, groaning and crying out in pain.
Huo Qi Lang took the long sword but didn’t draw it, using it as a club while still in its scabbard. She stayed close to protect Bao Zhu, not attacking proactively, only casually stabbing with a “club” when someone tried to approach.
The group pushed forward unstoppably into the main hall. Bao Zhu sat in the primary seat and looked back to see the path littered with injured bodies.
She called out loudly: “Have Lu Tingfang come see me! I’ve found all the things you hid in the Xiao and Pang families. ‘Two Emperors with combined merit and power supreme’—are you qualified to speak such treasonous words?! If you don’t come out, be careful your own family faces annihilation!”
She repeated this several times, thinking that if she had Wei Xun’s skill at reciting barrier-breaking incantations, the entire mansion would be able to hear clearly, and she wouldn’t have to work so hard.
The content of her shouting was too shocking for the Lu family to ignore. After a moment, a middle-aged man wearing white hemp mourning clothes with black trim came trembling to the courtyard under the guard of more than ten servants and guards, cursing at Bao Zhu: “What kind of shrew are you, daring to come harass the gate of our Fanyang Lu clan?!”
Bao Zhu smiled slightly: “You’re just a branch family—how dare you call yourselves the Fanyang Lu clan? You must be Xiao Ran’s former father-in-law? Wearing this deep mourning attire, who are you mourning for?”
Lu Tingfang didn’t answer. Seeing the little maid who had been “expelled from the household” standing beside her, he realized their conspiracy had been exposed. Unable to bear the consequences psychologically, he instead asked: “What did you mean by what you shouted just now?”
Bao Zhu said coldly: “You naturally know what I meant. Quickly hand over Xiao Ran and I’ll spare your dog life.”
Lu Tingfang was born into a noble family, his brother was a court dignitary, and throughout his life people had only been respectful to him. No one had ever dared berate him like a slave. He was momentarily stunned, pointing at Bao Zhu and stammering “you, you, you” for a while. Suddenly coming to his senses, he said viciously: “That shameless woman didn’t observe proper conduct and has already remarried. Why would she come back to my Lu family now?”
Bao Zhu said righteously: “If you don’t hand over the person, I’ll give you a big gift. That precious treasure you hid in the Xiao and Pang families—I’ve already moved it and hidden it in your house. This time it’s not so easy to find. Even if you tear off the roof tiles and dig three feet deep, demolishing the entire mansion, you probably won’t find it in three to five days. I’ve already sent people to report to both the prefectural and county governments. Let’s see whether the court’s house search is faster or your treasure hunting!”
Lu Tingfang’s face gradually turned pale. Having used prophetic texts to harm others, he naturally knew the power of such things. With the opponent bringing martial arts masters of extraordinary skill, hiding some items would certainly be effortless. His hands under the white hemp clothes began to tremble uncontrollably. He had known the Pang family was a nouveau riche household with martial world connections, but who could have imagined they could find helpers so familiar with court regulations.
Huo Qi Lang listened with great interest as Bao Zhu interrogated their opponent, thinking that she had been running around since early morning—where would she have had time to arrange for others to hide objects and make reports? These bluffs came so naturally, she was truly delightfully clever.
Bao Zhu pressed her advantage: “That thing you used to harm others naturally has its source—it didn’t fall from the sky. Once this matter is exposed and all the men in your family are arrested and tortured in the Supreme Court prison, even if you endure the torture without confessing and are lucky enough to be released alive, you’ll return with broken hands and legs, disabled for life, never able to take the imperial examinations or serve as officials!”
This struck at the vital point of the noble family. She had expected Lu Tingfang to raise his brother Lu Songzhi’s banner as protection, but instead he said nothing and looked ready to faint, letting the guards support him. Then they heard a cry of anguish, and a middle-aged woman covered in silver ornaments rushed out from the inner quarters, her face full of hatred and despair, shouting:
“That shameless woman killed my son and still wants to remarry a rich man! There’s no such easy deal in this world! That detestable Pang boy dares to spread rumors everywhere that my son’s fate wasn’t strong enough, that he wasn’t wealthy enough to be worthy of Xiao Ran. My son’s funeral coincides with his wedding feast, my son’s death anniversary with his engagement. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! He’ll never see that shameless woman again in this lifetime—she lives as a member of my family, and dies as a ghost of my family! She should obediently go serve my son in the underworld!”
Bao Zhu saw this woman laughing and crying simultaneously, already somewhat mentally unhinged. Remembering Xiao Ran writing that death poem with rouge in the darkness, her heart cried out in alarm.