Under Luopei’s guidance, Huang Zixia went to the kitchen to find Changpu.

Changpu was still planning tomorrow’s menu for the mansion, instructing several kitchen maids and servants: “The Princess is unwell, so the flavors must be light. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat must be reduced, and there must be four types of blood-nourishing and qi-strengthening dishes—the other day we mentioned the Princess likes wolfberry sprouts, why haven’t you gone to buy them yet?”

The servants responded meekly, with some complaining: “Wolfberry sprouts are only good in season. They’re old now and hard to find.”

Changpu sighed, slapping the table: “I don’t care! Whatever the Princess wants—if you can’t get it, tomorrow I’ll skin your heads one by one!”

Luopei called from outside: “Aunt Changpu.”

She turned to see them, waving the others away while standing up, forcing a smile on her face: “Master Yang, have you come to ask me something again?”

Huang Zixia walked into the room, sat down across from her, and said: “Last time I came to ask Aunt several questions, and now I have one or two more doubts that I hope Aunt can clarify.”

Changpu looked dejected: “Still about Wei Ximin? I wasn’t there at the time, we just had one argument. He argued with many people in the mansion, not just me. Last month, Zuiyu had a big fight with him…”

“No, I’m not here to ask about that.”

“Then… what does Master want to ask about this time?”

Huang Zixia looked at her directly and asked: “Could you please tell me the complete story of how you got that Linglingxiang from beginning to end?”

Changpu was stunned and asked: “What does it have to do with… the Linglingxiang?”

“I can’t say, but I’m here on orders from Young Lord Cui of the Court of Judicial Review to ask questions,” Huang Zixia said formally.

Changpu could only lower her head and say: “Yes… it was given to me by someone outside the Princess’s mansion.”

“May I ask who it was?” Huang Zixia pressed.

Changpu bit her lip but finally said: “Qian Guansuo, the owner of the Qian Family Inn.”

Huang Zixia hadn’t expected that the short, chubby owner Qian Guansuo would have connections with a kitchen maid from the royal mansion, and her brows immediately furrowed.

Wei Ximin had argued with kitchen maid Changpu over demanding Linglingxiang; Wang Yun had smelled Linglingxiang in the room where Sun Laizi died; and Qian Guansuo happened to be the person who broke down Sun Laizi’s door, as well as the one who sold the black horse that caused the Prince Consort’s injury…

How was all of this connected? What was that still-invisible thread linking everything together?

She asked further: “Aunt Changpu, please forgive my prying into your privacy, but you’re in charge of the Princess’s kitchen, while Qian Guansuo runs an inn—they seem completely unrelated…”

“Yes… we only met at the beginning of the year,” she lowered her head, drawing with her finger on the table, looking lost and shy. “At that time, his workers were repairing the drainage system in the Princess’s mansion. Since the kitchen had the most drains, I discussed the layout with him, and that’s how we got acquainted. He… he’s a bit fat and short, but he’s a good person. When they were working here, I once accidentally stepped in mud, and he was the one who fetched water to clean my shoes and return them to me.”

Seeing the slight blush on her face, Huang Zixia couldn’t help but remind her: “Owner Qian must have a wife and children at his age?”

“Yes, he has a wife and concubines, and three sons.”

Huang Zixia didn’t say more about that, only asking: “Owner Qian gave you the Linglingxiang, then you presented it to the Princess, who unexpectedly bestowed it on Wei Ximin?”

“Yes, and then that greedy Wei Ximin—I only had that much, but he thought I must have kept some for myself and came to ask for more. When I said I didn’t have any, he asked for Owner Qian’s address, saying… saying he’d go ask my lover for some instead!” Changpu’s face was still red with anger as she spoke about this. “What nonsense! People who heard might think there was something between Owner Qian and me!”

“Aunt Changpu, don’t be too angry. Actually… I think Master Wei’s guess wasn’t entirely unreasonable,” Huang Zixia explained. “Linglingxiang is very precious—who would expect Owner Qian to be so generous as to give you such a valuable gift?”

“Nonsense, I helped him so many times, I even took risks myself…” At this point, her words caught in her throat, as if realizing she shouldn’t have mentioned this, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back. She could only sit there frustrated, saying nothing more.

Huang Zixia looked into her eyes, saying nothing but continuing to watch her.

Under her steady gaze, Changpu sighed and had to speak: “Owner Qian once told me that he had a daughter years ago who would be seventeen or eighteen now if she were still around. Unfortunately, when he fled famine to the outskirts of Chang’an with his wife and children, the family was suffering from hunger and cold. They had no choice but to sell their eldest daughter, who was only seven at the time, for five strings of cash. With these five strings of cash, his family survived, and he started his business selling fodder. Later he met some important people and connected with several large horse farms beyond the frontier. Now his business keeps growing, and his three sons have grown up, but… he says his greatest regret in life is what he owes his daughter, but he probably can never find her again.”

Huang Zixia nodded and asked: “Shouldn’t he look for this information at the Ministry of Revenue? Why would he ask you?”

“His daughter was bought by a eunuch who was supposedly buying palace maids for the court. He figured his daughter must either be in the palace or one of the royal mansions. But as a mere merchant, what connections could he have with the palace or royal mansions? However, I’m at least someone from the Princess’s mansion who can talk to the maids close to the Princess. They sometimes visit the palace or other royal houses, so they might be able to gather some information. Though the hope was slim, it was still a possibility.”

“Aunt was kind to help—I assume you did help him inquire?”

Changpu’s expression showed a strange embarrassment as she said: “Well… it’s quite a coincidence. He was looking for his daughter, and as it happened… she was found right here in the Princess’s mansion.”

Huang Zixia was also surprised. Among the palace, royal houses, and princesses’ mansions, there were countless maids, numbering in the tens of thousands. How could it be such a coincidence that right after asking someone from the Princess’s mansion to look, the person was found right there? It seemed too convenient.

“Perhaps it’s… because his sincerity moved heaven, and it was destined to be, that’s why it was such a coincidence,” Changpu said.

“Then who is his daughter in the Princess’s mansion?”

Changpu’s expression became even stranger, her eyes shifting for a long while before finally saying: “I think it might be… Chuizhu.”

“Chuizhu? How was this determined?”

“Well… Chuizhu is seventeen this year and was bought into the palace at age seven. Her family… reportedly had two younger brothers, and she has a… mark on her right wrist that matches exactly what Owner Qian described.”

“Two younger brothers?”

“Yes, Owner Qian’s three sons—one child was born after he sold his daughter and became successful.”

“This is quite a coincidence indeed. Owner Qian must have been very happy?”

“Yes, it was like a blessing from heaven. I was happy for them too. But please, Master Yang, keep this confidential and don’t mention it to others unless necessary,” Changpu sighed and said, “After all, I privately accepted gifts from others and helped them behind the Princess’s back. By rule, this would get me expelled from the Princess’s mansion.”

“Don’t worry, Aunt, this is you doing a good deed. As long as it’s not related to our case, I absolutely won’t mention it!” Huang Zixia promised.

Changpu finally nodded, though her face still showed worry.

Huang Zixia thought for a moment and asked: “Aunt came with the Prince Consort’s household, right?”

Changpu quickly said: “Oh my, we’re all the Princess’s people now, there’s no this side or that side.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Huang Zixia smiled. “I just think Aunt’s name is very elegant, and I’ve heard there are others named Cardamom and Kite Iris, so I thought you must all be sisters from the same group.”

“Yes, we’re all about the same age. When the Prince Consort was young, we were always working in his quarters. Madam valued us—I managed the food, Kite Iris managed daily life, and Jade Bamboo managed books and writing materials… Those were good times.”

“What about Cardamom?” she asked.

At the mention of Cardamom, Changpu’s face was clouded with sorrow as she sighed: “Cardamom was more distant from us. She was the earliest to serve the Prince Consort—when he was three or four, she was thirteen, so this year she would be… thirty-three.”

“Where is she now?”

“Just last month, she slipped and fell into the water at Knowledge Brocade Garden… and died.”

Huang Zixia immediately recalled what Chuizhu had said about the ghost stories in Knowledge Brocade Garden. She tentatively asked Changpu: “I heard the Princess sealed off Knowledge Brocade Garden?”

“Yes… they say after Cardamom died, someone heard crying in Knowledge Brocade Garden at midnight. Even Taoist priests’ rituals didn’t help, so the Princess ordered Knowledge Brocade Garden sealed and never opened again.”

“Was the crying male or female?” Huang Zixia asked.

“That I don’t know. The Princess said she heard crying—if she heard it, how could it be wrong?”

Huang Zixia nodded and asked: “Then… did Cardamom live there before?”

Changpu shook her head: “No, she lived in Suwei Garden. When Prince Consort married, the master and madam originally said they would find a good match for Cardamom too, but Prince Consort insisted he was used to her care since childhood and must have her come. Later, Cardamom managed Suwei Garden where the Prince Consort lived. I was busy to death in the kitchen, and though Kite Iris had it easier, she still had to supervise more than ten embroiderers daily, while Jade Bamboo was busy with her studies. The four of us each had our duties and could barely exchange a few words when we met. Later when we suddenly heard Cardamom had died, I was truly sad and asked Kite Iris and the others, but they also said they didn’t know. Some people in the mansion said perhaps the ghost in Knowledge Brocade Garden had bewitched her and pulled her in. Otherwise, Suwei Garden isn’t even close to Knowledge Brocade Garden—how did she end up dying there?”

Huang Zixia pondered this and asked: “So… the Prince Consort had deep feelings for Cardamom?”

“Yes, Cardamom was ten years older than the Prince Consort and had cared for him since childhood, so the Prince Consort always greatly respected and loved her. Sometimes even madam joked that Cardamom had been by the Prince Consort’s side for so many years, closer than she was as his mother.”

Huang Zixia nodded and said: “I see.”

Seeing she had no more questions, Changpu opened her account book and began checking the accounts.

Huang Zixia noticed her fingers were somewhat slow when using the abacus and knew her presence was making Changpu uncomfortable, so she stood up and said: “In that case, I’ll take my leave now, Aunt.”

“Take care, Master Yang.” She breathed a sigh of relief but casually added: “Why not stay for dinner? I can have them prepare some dishes you like.”

“No need, Duke Kui is waiting for me at the Prince Consort’s place.”