Inside the courtyard walls beneath a large willow tree, two small dogs were barking and fighting over a bone. Yang Xinzhi and Hu Jifen stood together, chatting and laughing, clearly enjoying each other’s company.
As guests at the Pei family estate, Jifen no longer needed to wear a veil to cover her face. She wore her hair in a simple bun without any ornaments. Her petite figure stood next to Yang’s towering frame as she looked up at him, her snow-white face full of admiration and joy.
Li Yuangui sat cross-legged by the window on the second floor of the southern pavilion, silently watching his guard and maid for a while. He sighed and turned his gaze to the road beyond the courtyard walls, the greenish forests, and the surging Wei River.
This two-story pavilion showed signs of age and a recent lack of maintenance, but it was built in the most fashionable style of Chang’an. The window panels on all four sides of the second floor could be removed, transforming it into an airy summer retreat. Bamboo blinds could be hung from the eaves for shade, preventing prying eyes while allowing the occupants to enjoy the view and take fragrant, peaceful naps.
It was early spring in the second month, and the breeze was cool at this height. The estate’s owner, Lawyer Pei, had invited Li Yuangui up to the pavilion, opening only the southern window panels as they sat facing each other, drinking tea in the sunshine.
Yes, drinking tea.
Li Yuangui watched with a stern face as Lawyer Pei busied himself among an array of boxes, jars, and bowls on the table. He took out a dark, hard object called “tea,” which he proceeded to knock, chisel, break, and grind while setting out salt, ginger, cream, and other additions. A young servant boy fanned the stove to boil water below, though Li Yuangui would have preferred the pot to be brewing heated wine instead. Rather than face this “water affliction,” he would have much preferred to drink some of the estate’s newly brewed grain wine—
Being from the North and educated, he had heard of that strange Southern habit of boiling dried tree leaves into bitter water for regular drinking. This Lawyer Pei had picked up local customs while serving his father during his exile in Ba-Shu, and now back in Chang’an, was adamant about getting the Prince of Wu to “try his handiwork.” Though meant as a gesture of goodwill, Li Yuangui only wanted to kick over the stove and brazier and shout:
“Go find my Seventeenth Sister! Why are we wasting time here!”
But he could only endure. He had already kicked and shouted last night, to no avail.
Last night, the estate’s steward Zhang was finally found in the main hall. He was a man in his fifties with large hands and feet and a straight back. Speaking in a heavy accent and full of anger, he flatly refused the master’s order to “help the Fourteenth Young Lord find someone”:
“…Last winter was too dry, and now the ground has just thawed after rain and snow. We don’t have enough oxen or men for plowing. What’s this about looking for some Hu girl? You young folk only know about eating your meals and sleeping in your fancy chambers, you don’t understand anything about fieldwork, just talking nonsense! If we waste time during planting season, we’ll all starve come autumn!”
Li Yuangui and Lawyer Pei explained, argued, threatened, and intimidated, repeatedly emphasizing the urgency of finding “a Han girl held captive by the Hu people,” but Old Zhang remained unmoved:
“…The other day, the Jing River flooded and broke the west gate of the Three-Border Sluice. I needed to send five strong men to repair it, but could only spare three; Liu Fifteen’s section of the canal has been blocked since autumn, he was lazy and didn’t clear it before the freeze, and now the water can’t flow through, it makes me stamp my feet in anger just thinking about it, even the women of the household had to go help with shovels! The Bai family’s plot has thirty cart-loads of manure, meant to fertilize thirty-six mu of land, but we can’t transport it all, today we just finished fertilizing ten and a half mu! At this time of year, if we don’t finish fertilizing before the plowing starts, the whole winter’s work will be wasted!
“…What? Pah! Of course, there’s no one to spare! You only know about plowing, but there’s so much more to it! First, you spread the manure evenly, then the ox pulls the plow to turn the soil, but spring plowing can’t be too deep, you have to plow shallow furrows, then quickly use rakes and rollers to cover it. If you don’t cover it properly when the wind comes, the soil underneath dries out completely, and no matter how many seeds you sow, nothing will sprout!
“…Before sowing, doesn’t each mu of land need to be plowed five or six times and covered seven or eight times? How else can you handle spring drought? There’s three inches of water under the hoe! This just shows how little you understand, you can’t just sow seeds carelessly either, poor thin soil gets the rough seeds first, while better soil on the higher ground needs to wait, after Cold Food Festival when the elm seeds can be eaten we sow the good seeds, then later we plant beans and sesame, millet, and sorghum all have different timing, everything needs constant attention!
“…And that’s just talking about grain! Our estate is close to the city, so every year we also plant large vegetable gardens that yield ten times more than grain. Gardens take even more work, one mu of garden needs as much work as ten mu of fields! Just tonight I sent out more than ten people to the western garden to plant sunflowers and lettuce. The overwintered turnip sprouts have also emerged, if we don’t transplant them within half a day, they’ll freeze to death! The eastern garden still needs to plant melons and various beans, I’m already worried about where to find people for that!
“…At this time, everyone’s short of labor, and not just our few estates! That young master’s estate to the east, it’s empty with no one watching, who knows how their storehouse caught fire, years of savings burned to nothing, what a disaster! At this time, which household can spare people to help you look for some missing person!”
After much persuasion, using both gentle and forceful methods, Steward Zhang finally agreed to “look into it after I finish supervising the gardens,” and left grumbling. Before leaving, he warned Li Yuangui and his servants “Don’t go asking around yourselves, these Hu merchants are cunning, and it’ll be worse if outsiders alert them.”
So Li Yuangui could only send his two young servants back to the Great Peace Palace to gather news from the inner court, while he stayed at the Pei estate with Yang Xinzhi and Jifen to wait. He asked Lawyer Pei, “What’s this Steward Zhang’s background? Why does he act so superior, as if he’s captured rebels and saved the emperor?”
Lawyer Pei gave a bitter smile and replied: “He’s just a local worthy. I heard he served as a militia soldier and fought in battles years ago, but gained no real benefits. Now he just holds a nominal position at the military office, with no proper official rank. He’s naturally this stubborn, but he’s excellent at farming. If the Fourteenth Young Lord wants to blame me for allowing subordinates to disregard proper hierarchy, I dare not deflect responsibility, but, ah, there are reasons for this situation…”
The fertile irrigated lands along the White Canal north of the Wei River were densely populated with estates belonging to the royal family and nobility. During the Wude years, when Pei Ji was at the height of his power, he too was granted large properties here. In the early Zhenguan years, when the Pei family fell from grace and hastily fled the capital into exile, their influence scattered and they urgently needed money. These estates were forcibly bought at low prices by new nobles in a very short time, with only a few managed by Steward Zhang remaining under the Pei family name.
When the Pei family was prominent, none of the masters, young or old, had heard of Steward Zhang’s name. He kept a low profile and never received any special favors. When the Pei family “fell on hard times,” this old man watched other estates change hands one by one and became indignant, saying it was “unconscionable” and “breaking faith with everyone.” He stubbornly fought off several attempts to take advantage of the situation, thus preserving at least one residence near the capital for the Pei family.
Because of this, when the Pei siblings came to stay at the Xianyang estate, they treated this old steward with great respect, not as a mere servant. When Steward Zhang refused to help Li Yuangui search, they had no way to force him—this old man commanded great respect locally, and even the county officials gave him face.
Li Yuangui considered that he didn’t want to make a big fuss, and had no better way to find his sister, so he had no choice but to suppress his temper and wait at the Pei estate for Steward Zhang’s response.
A faint bitter aroma wafted from the pot as Lawyer Pei’s “tea soup” was ready. He skillfully poured it into a celadon teapot, then filled two celadon cups halfway with the brown liquid, smiling as he earnestly offered, “Your Highness, please have a taste.”
I’m not sick, why should I drink medicine… Li Yuangui lamented inwardly, but not wanting to completely reject his host’s kind intentions, he picked up a porcelain cup and brought it to his lips. Finding it very hot, he blew on it a few times to cool it down, then carefully took a tiny sip.
Sure enough, it was bitter and murky, nearly impossible to swallow. Li Yuangui immediately shook his head and put down the porcelain cup, indicating he had completed his duty.
Lawyer Pei just smiled, savoring his bitter tea while making casual conversation with Li Yuangui. Born in Hedong and raised in the capital, he originally couldn’t tolerate tea either. A few years ago, when he was demoted to Jingzhou with his father, countless troubles and difficulties weighed on his shoulders, leaving him exhausted daily.
His wife, while socializing with local officials’ families, first learned to drink and brew tea, then served it to her husband the same way. Gradually, Lawyer Pei came to appreciate the refreshing qualities of this leaf soup, becoming addicted to the point where he couldn’t go a day without it.
“Your wife was truly virtuous,” Li Yuangui praised, then asked, “Didn’t she come to help arrange my Sixth Sister-in-law’s wedding?”
When a daughter marries, the family’s mistress should oversee the arrangements. Lawyer Pei paused, then replied calmly:
“After my father passed away, the exhaustion of mourning and watching over his coffin took its toll. At that time, my humble wife had recently given birth and was weak. She caught a chill and fell ill, never recovering, following my father to serve him in the underworld.”
Li Yuangui regretted his tactless question, hanging his head as he mumbled some words of comfort to the widower. Lawyer Pei smiled and shook his head to indicate it was fine, turning to look at the early spring landscape outside the window.
When the Pei family built this pavilion, they chose the location carefully. From upstairs, one could see travelers on the official road outside the estate. Now during spring plowing season, farmers leading oxen, carrying tools, and delivering seeds passed by in groups, chatting and laughing. Further south was a grove of willows, their branches shrouded in pale green mist, and beyond that was the silvery-white surface of the Wei River. In high summer, with gentle breezes blowing, it must be wonderfully cool and pleasant.
Lawyer Pei gazed out the window, his eyes slightly moist but his expression remaining calm and leisurely. Not yet forty, he had lived through the chaos at the end of Sui, the founding of Tang, and his family’s brief glory and rapid fall. He had developed an air of tranquil detachment, unmoved by honor or disgrace.
Born to prominence, capable in administration, yet unable to resist the changing political tides, drifting to his current circumstances… When I reached his age, Li Yuangui thought, what will I have become?
With a bitter taste in his mouth, he unconsciously reached for the teacup before him and took another sip. This time it didn’t seem as unpalatable as before. He frowned as he swallowed, calming his mood, and noticed a subtle aftertaste in his mouth.
On the table were plates of salted plums and dried persimmons. He picked one and put it in his mouth, its sweet and sour taste stimulating saliva production. Mixed with the tea’s aftertaste, it refreshed his senses. Lawyer Pei observed his reaction and smiled, “Besides awakening the mind, this tea is excellent for digestion and relieving stagnation. When I was in that barbaric place, often exhausted and depressed to the point of not wanting to live, unable to abandon my father and relatives, it was this tea that sustained me until now. The Fourteenth Young Lord will understand after drinking it a few more times.”
After founding Tang, Pei Ji reached the highest position among ministers and lived in luxury. Most of his children were born during the Wude years, around Li Yuangui’s age, with only Lawyer Pei being old enough to handle affairs. When Pei Ji couldn’t appear in person, his eldest son Lawyer Pei managed almost everything… Li Yuangui suddenly remembered something and sat up straighter:
“Duke Pei, I have an important matter to inquire about. This matter is of great significance to me, and I hope you’ll tell me the truth.”
“Of course,” Lawyer Pei said, somewhat surprised. “My siblings’ lives and futures depend entirely on the Fourteenth Young Lord’s help. If you have any command, I will serve you to the death.”
“I received a secret order from His Majesty to investigate a murder case related to the Eastern Palace poisoned wine incident from ten years ago. That case was reinvestigated nine years ago, reportedly led by your late father the Duke. Do you know the details?” Li Yuangui asked, staring into Lawyer Pei’s eyes.
“The Eastern Palace poisoned wine… Could it be His Majesty…”
“Yes, that time when His Majesty faced the greatest danger of his life, nearly meeting with disaster.” Li Yuangui nodded in confirmation, watching as Lawyer Pei’s expression quickly turned serious as he put down his teacup and sat up straight.
In the eighth year of Wude, after a night banquet in the Eastern Palace, the Prince of Qin Shimin vomited blood and fainted. The Court of Judicial Review, the Court of the Imperial Clan, and the Eastern Palace Internal Affairs Bureau jointly investigated the case, hastily concluding it was “the Prince of Qin aggravating his stomach condition.” Most of Prince Qin’s supporters were very dissatisfied, and public opinion largely sympathized with Prince Qin, condemning Crown Prince Jiancheng for harming his brother. A year later, when the situation reversed after the palace massacre, shortly after Prince Shimin was established as Crown Prince, he ordered a reinvestigation of the case. According to Princess Pingyang’s husband Chai Shao’s recollection, Pei Ji was put in charge.
As the most favored minister of the previous emperor, Pei Ji was trembling with fear for his safety at the time, so naturally, he put in his utmost effort. He reopened the case and determined it was “Eastern Palace poisoning to harm brother,” though who ordered it and who carried it out remained unclear in the conclusion. The heaviest punishment fell on Ren Gui, the Eastern Palace’s Chief of Imperial Cuisine.
“To be frank with the Fourteenth Young Lord, the situation was delicate then, and my father found it inconvenient to handle matters outside. In investigating that case, I did most of the legwork for my father and indeed remembered many details. However… after so many years, why does the Fourteenth Young Lord suddenly ask about this?” Lawyer Pei inquired.
Li Yuangui answered that he was “investigating under secret imperial orders, the reason cannot be disclosed.” Lawyer Pei pondered briefly, then nodded and began to speak.
After Pei Ji received the investigation order nine years ago, he immediately had his son stay in the Eastern Palace guards’ quarters, using his subordinates to question all palace officials and servants one by one. Naturally, no one admitted involvement in the poisoning case, and there weren’t even any informers denouncing others. Lawyer Pei also found several princes and imperial sons-in-law who had been present at the banquet to inquire about what they had witnessed. After the palace coup, everyone feared for their lives and dared not conceal anything when questioned, but they didn’t provide much useful information either.
Among them, several mentioned that Prince Yi, Li Yuanji, first suggested having the eldest princess come out to offer toasts, and later it was also Li Yuanji who knocked over a lamp stand while leaving the hall to change clothes, making the wine-pouring area dimly lit. The Pei father and son naturally found these two points very suspicious, so they also questioned various people from the former Prince Yi’s household. Unfortunately, the hatred between the Qin and Yi households ran deep, and on the fourth day of the sixth month, the killing in Prince Yi’s household was devastating. Barely one in ten of Li Yuanji’s close attendants survived, and the few who lived and remained under court control all claimed to know nothing about the poisoned wine case.
The investigation hit a dead end here, with no progress for many days, making Pei Ji extremely anxious, even contemplating “forcing a confession from a servant.” At this point, something unusual was discovered in the Eastern Palace kitchen.
“What unusual thing?” Li Yuangui asked eagerly.
“A food box,” Lawyer Pei answered. “A crude wooden box used for delivering meals to those confined in the Eastern Palace, I remember it had three layers. It appeared normal on the surface, but someone had scrawled some characters in charcoal on the bottom.”
“What characters?” Such important words, surely he would still remember them clearly.
“Eight characters: ‘Eastern Palace poisoned, wine vessel in well.’ The writing was crude and irregular, likely written by a servant, and the meaning was rather ambiguous. When the kitchen workers discovered the writing, they reported it to our assigned kitchen supervisor, who then reported it to me. I pondered what ‘wine vessel in well’ meant…”
“Does it refer to the vessel used to pour the poisoned wine for the Prince of Qin?” Li Yuangui guessed. “After the incident, didn’t the Court of Judicial Review already investigate once? Didn’t they thoroughly examine the cups and vessels used to serve the Prince of Qin?”
“When the Prince of Qin felt unwell at the banquet, he immediately left the hall, supported by Prince Huai’an back to his residence. It was already late at night, with strict curfews everywhere. The Eastern Palace said they only learned of the suspected poisoning the next day at noon, by which time the kitchen workers had already cleaned all the cups, bowls, and plates from the previous night’s banquet according to routine. How could anything be found then?” Lawyer Pei shook his head.
Li Yuangui snorted lightly: “When were those base servants ever so diligent? If everything was cleaned, then what’s this ‘wine vessel in well’ about?”
“That banquet was held in Xiande Hall, and in the southwestern corner of Xiande Hall’s courtyard, there was a good well that the Eastern Palace kitchen often used for water,” Lawyer Pei answered. “It was also the closest well to Xiande Hall. I ordered two Kunlun slaves who were excellent swimmers to be tied with ropes and lowered down to check, and sure enough, they found something unusual at the bottom of the well, and when we pulled it up…”
“Was it a wine vessel?” Li Yuangui asked.
Lawyer Pei nodded: “Not just any wine vessel, but a gilt dragon-and-horse patterned… double-heart vessel.”