In a mountain hollow not far from Purple Void Temple in the Imperial Garden, by a pond, a black-clad figure lay quietly facing the sky, as if asleep. When a temple eunuch went to investigate, he stepped on a mechanism hidden in the grass and immediately fell with a loud cry.
The others cautiously probed the grass with their clubs as they approached, discovering it was an iron animal trap, its coarse black serrated teeth gripping the eunuch’s ankle. Two more animal traps were set around the black-clad figure. After the servants cleared them away and helped the injured man leave, Li Yuanji and Chai Yaoluo approached the black-clad figure and crouched down for a closer look.
It was the corpse of a man in his thirties, hands crossed over his chest, eyes tightly closed, expression peaceful. His rough brown skin and limbs immediately revealed someone accustomed to outdoor labor. Li Yuanji looked at Chai Yaoluo, and the female Daoist shook her head: “Not someone from our temple.”
The body had two wounds. The fatal one was a knife wound to the heart—clean and precise, with barely any blood seepage. But on his right rear was another massive wound, still a bloody mess despite several layers of bandages. Li Yuanji drew the small knife from his belt, cut open the bandages to examine it, and saw the wound’s flesh turned outward, deep enough to expose the bone. This leg must have been immobile before his death.
Smelling the blood, the hunting leopard Ah Tun that Chai Yaoluo was holding became agitated again. Li Yuanji ordered the corpse to be stripped completely to check for anything unusual, while he discussed it with Chai Yaoluo and Yang Xinzhi. They all agreed that the blood drops Ah Tun had smelled likely came from this man’s leg wound while he was still alive. The corpse wasn’t completely stiff yet, indicating a recent death, definitely connected to the leopard keeper’s disappearance.
The corpse wore a black cloth robe over a thin sheepskin jacket, with a rope belt, black cloth pants, leg wrappings, and hemp shoes—all crude, cheap items readily available in any town market. Besides these, he had absolutely nothing else on him. Normally, anyone going out would carry some small useful items, but this man was completely clean inside and out, leaving no clues to trace his identity.
While they were delayed by the pond, men from the Northern Garrison arrived, led by none other than Zhang Shigui, the Great General of the Right Guard himself. After exchanging greetings, Li Yuanji informed Zhang Shigui of what they knew. The General responsible for guarding the Imperial Garden cut straight to the point without wasting words:
“In Prince Wu’s opinion, could this man be one of the arsonist killers from Ganyesi Temple last night?”
When a Buddhist temple in the Imperial Garden caught fire, the garrison troops couldn’t escape the charge of “negligent guard duty.” If they couldn’t quickly catch the arsonists, all responsibility would fall on the Great General’s head—no wonder he was anxious. Li Yuanji nodded:
“In my view, this man was part of last night’s arson, but he wasn’t acting alone. He was just an unfortunate soul with bad luck.”
“Oh? Please enlighten me.”
“Didn’t the General mention that after discovering the fire, the tower guards at Ganyesi Temple fired a volley of crossbow bolts in that direction?” Li Yuanji pointed to the wound on the corpse’s right rear. “This man took an arrow to his leg.”
“Really?” Zhang Shigui was skeptical. “There’s no arrowhead, and the wound doesn’t look like it…”
“That’s because the arrowhead was removed, so the wound looks different.” Li Yuanji sighed. “This man ran with his accomplices for a while, then couldn’t continue. They removed the bolt but made the wound worse, and even bandaging couldn’t stop the bleeding. This pond is well-hidden—the arsonists might have hidden here before, then sneaked back after their deed to continue hiding.”
“We didn’t expect my Ah Tun’s keen nose would smell the blood and lead the leopard keeper here,” Chai Yaoluo interjected. “After a fight, they captured the keeper—dead or alive, we don’t know. They cut Ah Tun’s leash, but that cowardly fat thing ran fast enough back to the temple to alert me.”
“I suspect after their hiding place was exposed, the arsonists killed this accomplice to rid themselves of a burden,” Li Yuanji pointed at the corpse on the ground. “One strike to the heart—quick and painless. Afterward, they removed anything that might reveal his identity. This ruthless decisiveness isn’t typical of common poachers in the garden; it seems more like the work of a group of trained killers or death squads.”
“He might even have asked for death himself, to avoid burdening his companions,” Chai Yaoluo added. “Look at his peaceful expression and how dignified the body was arranged. Entering the Imperial Garden to kill and commit arson carries charges of high treason—anyone daring to participate would have already put life and death aside.”
As niece and uncle took turns analyzing, Zhang Shigui kept nodding, his expression somewhat relieved:
“The arsonist was wounded by our garrison guards and finally caught, though he died from his injuries—at least heaven’s justice prevails… hmm…”
So this could count as the Northern Garrison catching the arsonist, providing an initial explanation… Li Yuanji and Chai Yaoluo exchanged glances, both barely suppressing smiles. At this moment, Yang Xinzhi, still kneeling to examine the corpse, called out:
“What’s this?”
The corpse had been thoroughly searched, its clothing examined piece by piece, and besides some old scars, there was nothing unusual on the body. Yang Xinzhi was pointing to several ochre-brown marks on both sides of the collarbone below the neck, which could still be rubbed off, like some kind of pigment.
Li Yuanji and Zhang Shigui went over for a closer look. Li Yuanji carefully examined the corpse’s face and behind the ears, finding more ochre-brown marks, and concluded:
“This man’s face and neck were originally completely covered in this pigment. After he was killed, his accomplices washed it off with water, but in their haste missed some spots—there are still traces on his face too.”
Zhang Shigui exclaimed “Ah!” and slapped his leg: “I remember now! Left Army General Qibi Heli once told me that many tribes in the northwestern barbarian regions have the custom of painting their faces ochre-brown. He only stopped this practice after coming to Chang’an to serve the Son of Heaven! Could these arsonist killers be… be…”
Li Yuanji guessed he wanted to say “Qibi Heli’s tribesmen” but didn’t dare speak it. Qibi Heli was originally a Tiele chieftain who had surrendered to Tang three years ago, earning the Emperor’s high regard and appointments as Left Army General and commander of the Northern Gate Guards, making him Zhang Shigui’s subordinate. Currently, he was following Duke of Dai Li Jing, leading troops fighting on the Tuyuhun front. If these killers and arsonists in the Imperial Garden came from Qibi Heli’s tribe or further implied they acted on his orders—that would be a terrifying speculation.
“These people might be from northwestern barbarian tribes, but not necessarily connected to General Qibi. There are many barbarian tribes constantly warring with each other. Wasn’t the Qibi tribe driven to extinction by the Tuyuhun, forcing them to flee to Shazhou…”
Before he could finish, the hunting leopard nestled against Chai Yaoluo growled softly again. Li Yuanji had a thought and asked the female Daoist: “Yao’er since Ah Tun’s nose is so keen, could you have it track these men’s accomplices? They just fled not long ago, should have left plenty of scent.”
“I’ll try—Ah Tun, come here, smell these footprints…”
Unfortunately, the fat leopard raised indoors for entertainment was no well-trained hunting dog. Despite Chai Yaoluo’s repeated attempts to direct it with head gestures and lip signals, Ah Tun just nuzzled against her, refusing to move. It sat down on its hind legs, staring at her with innocent watery eyes, tears glistening in the sunlight.
Li Yuanji, Yang Xinzhi, and others burst out laughing, while even the Purple Void Temple servants and garrison guards secretly chuckled. Zhang Shigui laughed while ordering men to “bring some hounds from our camp, this beast is useless.” Chai Yaoluo dejectedly gave up her efforts, shaking her head:
“It might work better if the leopard keeper were here. That boy was skilled at training and commanding birds and beasts—I don’t have that kind of patience.”
“Your leopard keeper?” Li Yuanji pondered, “What’s that boy’s background? I noticed he had somewhat barbarian features?”
He rarely visited Purple Void Temple and had only seen the young leopard keeper once or twice. Given his status, he naturally wouldn’t pay attention to a servant, but looking at the current situation, after fighting with these arsonists, they seemed to have captured the keeper alive. This was peculiar, as these men committing crimes in the Imperial Garden needed to be extremely cautious—killing the keeper with one stroke would have been much simpler and safer.
Chai Yaoluo thought for a moment, then shrugged: “Actually, I’m not entirely sure either. Four or five years ago, I complained to Father that Ah Tun was becoming increasingly difficult to handle. Father said some merchant friends from the Western Regions had given him several servants, and one young boy was particularly good with hawks and dogs. So I took the leopard keeper to specifically tend to Ah Tun. Besides being playful and mischievous, he hasn’t caused any trouble. Who would thoroughly investigate the background of a mere servant?”
“Given to your brother-in-law by merchant friends from the Western Regions?” This was even more interesting. Those Western Region merchant caravans traveling the desert routes traded not only silk, gold, silver, and jewels, but also horses and slaves as major commodities. Now that the empire was at peace, noble families were growing increasingly extravagant, all eager to collect exotic servants as status symbols—whether blue-eyed Western concubines, pitch-black Kunlun slaves, or dwarfs from the southern tribes—all were in high demand. It wasn’t surprising for Western merchants to curry favor with Imperial Son-in-law and Great General Chai Shao by gifting a few mixed-blood servants, but tracing the servants’ origins now would be quite troublesome.
When Chai Yaoluo mentioned that the leopard keeper and Ah Tun had discovered signs of intruders in this area a few days ago, Li Yuanji and Zhang Shigui discussed it further but reached no conclusions. Zhang Shigui scratched his head and smiled bitterly: “It’s all because my Northern Gate Guard is understaffed. I wanted to set up a secret watch post here but couldn’t spare any men. Sigh, now that the Eastern Palace has taken over the palace guard duties, I don’t know how to report this to His Highness…”
“The Eastern Palace has taken over the palace guard?” Li Yuanji and Chai Yaoluo asked in unison. Zhang Shigui looked at them: “Don’t Prince Wu and the Venerable Master know yet? This afternoon, an imperial messenger came to our camp with the sacred edict—the Crown Prince will temporarily oversee the security of the Imperial Garden and Da’an Palace, with routine matters to be reported to the Eastern Palace.”
Li Yuanji and Chai Yaoluo shook their heads, exchanging glances. Though Li Yuanji was surprised, he thought the Emperor probably wanted to focus on managing the Tuyuhun campaign, and with the Empress in poor health, it made sense to delegate some less important routine matters to the Crown Prince. Crown Prince Chengqian had several years of experience and a good reputation both in and outside the court—it was natural for him to help relieve his father’s burdens.
However, Chai Yaoluo’s brows were deeply furrowed. She questioned Zhang Shigui further, confirming he knew no more details. By then, large numbers of garrison guards had arrived with hunting dogs, preparing for a thorough search. Li Yuanji and Chai Yaoluo bid farewell and returned to Purple Void Temple.
As soon as they were away from the garrison soldiers, the female Daoist lowered her voice and said to Li Yuanji: “Fourteenth Uncle, this situation is troubling. The Crown Prince taking over Da’an Palace—you should avoid him. If possible, stay somewhere else for a while; it would be best not to return to your Prince Wu residence.”
“Why?” Li Yuanji asked in alarm.
Chai Yaoluo heaved a long sigh, pulling him to walk faster, leaving Yang Xinzhi and others behind. After ensuring no third person could hear their conversation, she answered:
“Do you remember that jade ring you found in First Lady’s dowry?”
“Of course.” That blood jade ring, presumably for a man, had been swallowed by First Lady’s Hebi clan nurse after his discovery. After the Ganyesi Temple fire, Li Yuanji cut open the nurse’s corpse and retrieved this crucial evidence from her intestines, giving it to Empress Long Sun. The Empress had almost immediately seized this evidence, and then… ordered him to stop the investigation and conclude it as First Lady’s suicide…
Li Yuanji suddenly raised his head to see Chai Yaoluo’s beautiful eyes flickering with light as she looked at him and nodded gently:
“Through a series of coincidences, though I have no real evidence and didn’t hear the complete story, based on my reasoning, that jade ring… probably caused the Empress to become suspicious of the Crown Prince and fly into a great rage. Now that the ring is in the Eastern Palace’s possession, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to learn its history from Lizheng Hall, and direct his anger at you as the instigator…”
“That jade ring—was it given to the First Lady by the Crown Prince?” Li Yuanji asked in shock.
“Quiet!” Chai Yaoluo hissed, “Didn’t I say there’s no evidence? It’s all conjecture, and there could be misunderstandings… But the Empress’s anger is certain, and her current illness is related to this. We both know the Crown Prince’s temperament—he’s intelligent, but far from being generous, elegant, or benevolent. Sigh, I truly fear he’ll seek revenge against you in his anger, and now that he’s in charge of the Imperial Garden and Da’an Palace, it would be even more convenient…”
Li Yuanji’s mind was in chaos. He stopped walking, quickly organizing the sequence of these messy events in his mind:
Li Chengqian was born in the second year of Wude, as Prince of Qin Li Shimin’s legitimate eldest son. That same year, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng also had children born after the founding of the dynasty, with his firstborn being daughter Li Wanxi;
Li Chengqian and Li Wanxi, these cousin siblings of similar age, often played together at their grandfather’s side in childhood. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the ninth year of Wude, Li Chengqian was established as Crown Prince, while Li Wanxi was imprisoned in a forbidden temple to preserve her life;
In recent years, with the Emperor and Empress frequently away on tours, the Crown Prince allegedly renewed connections with his cousin and gave her… a ring as a token of love.
Li Wanxi hanged herself on her wedding night, and the male ring in her dowry was discovered by Li Yuanji, eventually making its way to Empress Long Sun after several twists. The Empress recognized it as her eldest son’s possession and promptly stopped the investigation to prevent the scandal from leaking.
Li Chengqian learned from Lizheng Hall attendants that Li Yuanji had given the ring to the Empress, and in his shame and anger planned to take revenge on his fourteenth uncle… Li Yuanji shook his head—well, he had to admit this possibility existed and was quite likely. Chai Yaoluo’s reasoning made sense.
“But…”
If this was the truth behind the First Lady’s death—that the murderer was Crown Prince Li Chengqian or someone acting on his orders—then this case indeed “shook the foundation of the state” and shouldn’t be investigated further. But Emperor Li Shimin didn’t know, as this morning His Majesty had still been trying to circumvent his wife’s obstruction, telling his younger brother to continue investigating thoroughly.
It wasn’t surprising that the Empress would choose to conceal the truth from the Emperor to protect her son. But Li Yuanji, caught between husband and wife, found himself in a position beyond merely awkward—it was now extremely dangerous…
“Yao’er, I think,” Li Yuanji felt his chest tighten and his throat burn, “even if His Majesty has been persuaded by the Empress to issue an edict closing the case; even if the truth can’t be made public and justice can’t be obtained for First Lady; even if this means offending the Emperor and Empress, offending the Crown Prince and Chancellor, I… must continue investigating this case.”
[Note: Explaining the passage about exotic servants: The “Silk Road” (a term first coined by German scholar Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877, not used in Tang times) saw regular trade in slaves by “Sogdian caravans” (another modern academic term rarely used in Tang times). Archaeological evidence confirms that Central Asian “Western concubines” were commonly traded. “Kunlun slaves” generally came from South Asia or even Africa, while dwarfs came from the Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan regions. These figures appear in Tang noble tomb murals from the early dynasty, likely imported via the “Maritime Silk Road.”]