Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 108 Shang Su Asks a Friend, Bai Xiaofeng Leaves a Note

Not long after.

The maids serving Pang Lingyi in the Pang residence took their places.

In the early Tang Dynasty, truly wealthy and powerful families had extremely luxurious servants.

There were maids who tied up the hair, and were in charge of dressing up and keeping jewelry safe.
The officials in charge of clothing and maids were responsible for managing clothing for all four seasons, as well as preventing moths and using incense.

There were maids who served her with combs and brushes, and helped her bathe and wash her hands.

There were also duties similar to those of a page, such as grinding ink, airing books, and taking care of musical instruments, chess pieces, and paintings in the study.

By the late Tang Dynasty, most of the powerful and wealthy families had been wiped out, and by the Song Dynasty, such customs had largely disappeared.

Despite being a military family, the Pang family received special treatment due to their accumulated wealth over generations, and Pang Lingyi was Pang Ji's only daughter.

There were four personal maids alone, and eight others who served in the courtyard on a regular basis, making a total of twelve people.

Of course, these twelve maids did not serve at the same time; they each took turns on duty, and several of them had already gone to sleep by this time.

But at Pang Lingyi's command, they were immediately roused, and each of them stood up obediently, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

They were completely submissive to this master, not only because of their hierarchical status, but also because of their power imbalance.

At this moment, Pang Lingyi left her seat and came to the front. She didn't say anything, but just looked at each of them. Her gaze wasn't cold and sinister, but it still made the maids tremble.

After a long pause, Pang Lingyi spoke up: "My Pang family has always treated you well. Your monthly allowance is more than a hundred coins higher than other families, and you are never short of clothing and silk given to you at the end of the year. Even the New Year's money is given to you by an extra three cents to help with your household expenses."

"But you should also know my temper. Anyone who does something wrong, whether they cry or make a fuss, will have their monthly allowance deducted and all their rewards taken away. Even if there are some gossips among the ladies saying that I am mean, I will never tolerate it!"

"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. If wrongdoing goes unpunished, who will do the right thing in the future, and how will I manage my subordinates?"

The head maid quickly replied, "Your Highness is fair in rewards and punishments, and we have always been convinced of that!"

"Okay! I'm convinced!"

Pang Lingyi said, "Then you will understand what the consequences will be for those who act behind their master's back and harm my Pang family!"

"I wouldn't dare! I absolutely wouldn't dare!"

Everyone spoke up in turn.

"Tell us one by one what you did tonight, and don't hide anything!"

At Pang Lingyi's command, all the women stepped forward and recounted their activities for the evening in detail.

It was indeed different from usual, after all, there were things to do for the birthday banquet. The noble ladies of the capital were staying in a separate courtyard, and they also had to take care of their daily needs.

Pang Lingyi listened attentively, occasionally asking about a few details.

One by one, the maids went past, until the usually most docile Mo'e stepped forward. As she spoke, she mentioned Luo Shijun: "...This maid, as Madam instructed, went to invite my uncle, but he wasn't there. So this maid took his attendants into the backyard and waited outside. Afterwards, I was told not to tell anyone..."

"It really is 'me'!"

Upon hearing this, Pang Lingyi's gaze sharpened, but her tone calmed down: "My orders? When did I give you those orders?"

Mo'e was also stunned: "This servant was just about to return to her room when Madam called out to her on the road and instructed her to do it!"

Pang Lingyi stared at her, thinking of how this woman always habitually looked down at her feet and walked very carefully, so she changed her question: "Did you see my face with your own eyes at the time?"

"no!"

Mo'e realized something was wrong and trembled: "My lady was standing by the roadside. It was already dark. I walked over without daring to look up, but it was clearly my lady's voice, and she was wearing my lady's clothes..."

Pang Lingyi snorted: "These aren't the clothes I'm wearing today, are they?"

Mo'e knelt on the ground, sobbing, "This servant thought it was you, Madam, who had changed your clothes. I didn't know it was a thief. Please forgive me, Madam! Please forgive me, Madam!"

"As long as you didn't betray us intentionally, but were deceived, there's no need to panic! Tell me! What clothes was that person wearing at the time?"

After clarifying the situation, Pang Lingyi said to another prudent maid, "Go and see if that garment is still there!"

The man left in a hurry, and Pang Lingyi slowly sat down, her eyes flashing with cold light.

Dingchen met four groups of people before he died.

Unexpectedly, the last batch was indeed ordered by "myself".

Fortunately, her senior brother sent her second brother to deliver a message, so that they could investigate the deceased's life trajectory as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they had waited a day or two to find out, she would have been unable to explain herself clearly.

The question is, did someone steal her clothes, impersonate her, and just use a maid to lead Luo Shijun's entourage to the backyard?

Just as I was pondering this, the maid who had gone to fetch the clothes rushed in: "Madam! Madam! The clothes are gone, and there's a note left behind!"

Pang Lingyi took it, her eyebrows immediately rising: "Xi Yan is not precious, Ding Chen is stained with dust?"

The meaning of these eight characters is quite obvious.

The exotic flowers that Luo Shijun presented as if they were treasures were not rare or precious at all.

And that monk with the Dharma name Dingchen was not a virtuous person either, lacking the tranquility expected of a monk.

So, does that mean the other party still wants to help her?

"what?"

Pang Lingyi carefully read the note, noted the handwriting, and then brought it close to her nose and sniffed it.

"Sister Shang?"

A familiar fragrance surprised her greatly: "Isn't this the scented lotion that Sister Shang usually uses?"

Shang Suwen was the same goddess doctor she had mentioned to her senior brother before, the one who had treated Su Wuqing.

The other party comes from a family of martial arts practitioners. His father is skilled in medicine and has the power to turn the tide, while his mother is a master of poison and has the ability to kill.

With the nurturing of his parents, Shang Suwen mastered the skills of both families at a young age, possessing extraordinary knowledge of medicine and poisons, which perfectly suited his name, Suwen.

Later, he joined a medical organization called "Xinglin Society" and is now recognized as a "Little Medicine Saint," traveling the world to save lives.

Pang Lingyi was quite envious of this older sister, but she also knew that this kind of life, which seemed free and easy, was not actually wonderful.

She can go out for a walk occasionally, but she can't stand being exposed to the elements all day long and going to places where patients gather.

However, precisely because Shang Suwen was proficient in medicine and poisons and had cured countless diseases, this little medicine master naturally had more friends than Pang Lingyi, a lady confined to her home.

Pang Lingyi happened to have done Shang Suwen a great favor, and combined with the message on the note, she couldn't help but silently guess: 'Could it be that she's a friend of Sister Shang, who saw Ding Chen trying to take advantage of Xi Yanhua and intervened?'

'Do not! '

'The other party carries the Xiyan Flower, so they must be related to this flower. Their actions are extreme, resorting to ruthless killing; they're definitely not acting righteously.'

'We cannot assume this person is helping the Pang family just because of a mere note.'

Regardless, Pang Lingyi was very unhappy that the murder occurred on her mother's birthday.

She wants to find out who this person really is.

There are many people in the martial arts world who are skilled in disguise, but not everyone is Han Zhaoye and can transform into a specific person.

The other party's method should be to disguise themselves, steal Pang Lingyi's clothes, select the most suitable Mo'e from among the maids, and instruct Mo'e to do things from the shadows, luring Ding Chen to the backyard in Pang Lingyi's name.

Upon arriving at the backyard, the other party had a conversation with Ding Chen and discovered that Ding Chen was still stubborn and wanted to use the Xi Yan Flower to deceive people. So, the other party had murderous intent, followed Ding Chen to the guest room, and killed him.

The question now is, how did the murderer get in?
Like my former senior brother, who was highly skilled and daring, he used the methods of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world) to sneak into the mansion.

Or should we do as our senior brother does now, disguise ourselves, change our identity, and enter the Pang family mansion openly and legitimately?
After a moment's thought, Pang Lingyi headed towards the Shuyu Pavilion in the villa.

Located in the southeast corner of the Pang residence, it was built by the water, with flowing water forming a winding pool, inspired by the elegant concept of "floating wine cups on a winding stream." Facing the main residence, it ensured privacy while avoiding complete isolation.

Distinguished guests often stay here.

Tonight's gathering is for the other three young ladies. Originally, it could have been a spring tea party, with white walls and green tiles, upturned eaves, no vermilion lacquer, and crabapple blossoms falling outside the window. The four women sitting knee to knee and having a long talk would have been a wonderful thing...

The case was ultimately destroyed by the murder.

When Pang Lingyi approached the outside of the hall, she found that the lights were still on.

She didn't go inside, but stood outside the window, where she heard the three women's voices drift out: "...I wonder which scoundrel dared to commit such a crime in the Young Master's mansion. Tomorrow, the Six Doors will probably be busy again!"

"I don't think so. The deceased was a follower of your maternal uncle, and the Pang family might not necessarily report it to the Six Doors..."

"This is an internal affair of the Pang family, and we shouldn't ask too many questions. It's just a pity about that Xiyan flower. Does it really have miraculous effects?"

"If it had such a miraculous effect, it wouldn't have been used to kill people, but would have been stolen! Perhaps that person had deceived others before and wanted to come to the capital to deceive again, which is why they were killed!"

Birds of a feather flock together. Hu Yanzhuohua's three daughters were all quite knowledgeable, which enabled them to become close friends with Pang Lingyi.

A bloody murder suddenly shattered their dreams of eternal youth, forcing them to examine what this strange flower, which had suddenly appeared, truly meant.

"Speaking of which, I just saw the 'abstinence master' again..."

Pang Lingyi, relying on her superior martial arts skills, eavesdropped for a while. After they turned to discuss her senior brother's good looks, she snorted and walked towards the room.

As honored guests, Huyan Zhuohua's three daughters each brought two maids to check in. Just now, in the hall, each of them had a servant standing beside them, and there should be another person inside the room.

Pang Lingyi walked silently, and as she passed by the houses of Wang Xiaoniangzi and Lü Xiaoniangzi, she could hear breathing inside.

When they arrived at Huyan Zhuohua's house, they found it quiet inside.

'The maidservants Zhuohua brought with her were, firstly, Xiange, who was just standing in the hall. She had grown up with Zhuohua since childhood, and was the one who brought her with her when she first entered the Pang family.'

The other was a complete stranger; she was brought here for the first time, and in the inner courtyard, Zhuohua called her "Yu Le."

'Where is this 'Yu Le' now, making the bed and waiting for her wife to return?'

Pang Lingyi narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and slipped inside.

Having identified the maid who was supposed to stay in the room to serve him, but who was nowhere to be found, he immediately had a target in mind.

She didn't alert the enemy or set up an ambush; instead, she chose to leave.

Go directly to the front yard.

Call for reinforcements.

"Little sister, what brings you here?"

The night was as dark as ink, and the sounds of people in the front yard gradually subsided. Pang Xu, the second brother, went in and out and immediately spotted his younger sister.

Pang Lingyi said solemnly, "I have discovered clues about the murderer and dare not act rashly. Go and invite the master to help capture the murderer!"

"oh oh!"

Pang Xu immediately became excited, hurriedly went inside, and soon brought Zhan Zhao to him.

After listening to his junior sister's analysis, Zhan Zhao nodded slightly: "This maid from the Huyan family is indeed quite suspicious."

Pang Xu rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and arrest them! If they really are thieves, the Huyan family won't protect them!"

Pang Lingyi asked curiously, "Second Brother, are you going too?"

Pang Xu: "?"

Zhan Zhao said, "Second Young Master, please don't misunderstand. Your sister means that the thief is highly skilled in martial arts, and she is afraid that you might get hurt if you go with him."

Pang Xu: "..."

Thank you, Master, but I'll feel better if you don't explain!

In the end, Pang Xu could only watch Zhan Zhao and Pang Lingyi's departing figures, silently clenching his fists.

He is determined to master martial arts so that no one will look down on him anymore!

Zhan Zhao and Pang Lingyi didn't look down on each other at all. They were both below the first rank, so what was there to look down on? They walked side by side toward Shuyu Pavilion.

With no outsiders around, Pang Lingyi finally had a chance to ask, "Senior brother, why did you choose such a Buddhist name?"

"This is not my Dharma name, it is a temporary Dharma name."

Zhan Zhao had no choice but to correct his mistakes.

A glint of light appeared in Pang Lingyi's eyes, and a slight smile played on her lips: "So... it can be removed soon?"

"Of course."

After clarifying the cause and effect of the case, he went back and removed his disguise, and the Master of Abstinence from Lust became a legend.

Plan passes.

Pang Lingyi was relieved, as long as her senior brother wasn't hinting. Her mind returned to the case, and she whispered, "If 'Yu Le' really is the murderer, isn't this person's method a bit too careless?"

Mo'e's matter might be overlooked, but as soon as the two sides confront each other, they will immediately know that someone is impersonating Pang Lingyi and giving orders. If they follow the clues, the other party will be in danger of being exposed.

Compared to those meticulous killers, wasn't the other party's approach too crude?

"Don't let your guard down, capture the person first."

Zhan Zhao did not rush to make a judgment.

The two walked very fast, and in less than half a cup of tea's time, they returned to the Shuyuxuan room.

Seeing that no one was inside, Pang Lingyi breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "She hasn't come back yet, Senior Brother, let's hide!"

Where are they hiding?
I'm actually kind of looking forward to it...

Zhan Zhao's gaze swept across the room and landed on one spot: "Was there a note on the bed when you left?"

"what?"

Pang Lingyi's expression changed, and she rushed to the bedside, where she found a note lying quietly.

Above were eight more characters: "Treating kindness with enmity, attempting to capture me?"

"They've discovered us!"

Pang Lingyi was greatly surprised.

She was cautious enough that, after realizing something was wrong, she didn't set up an ambush herself, but instead invited her senior brother, who was more skilled in martial arts, to come. As a result, she was exposed by the other party during this process.
And he was completely unaware of it throughout the entire process.

Zhan Zhao looked at the thickness of the note, then sniffed it carefully. Suddenly, a technique he had read about in the Lotus Treasure Mirror came to mind, and he said, "Go and get a candle."

Pang Lingyi did as instructed, and saw her senior brother roll up the paper and slowly heat it over the candle flame.

As the two watched, words slowly appeared on the back of the note.

It's still eight characters—

Shang Su asked his friend, Bai Xiaofeng left behind a message!
"This person really does claim to be Sister Shang's friend... Wait a minute!"

Pang Lingyi's beautiful eyes widened: "Bai Xiaofeng? 'Yu Le' is actually Bai Xiaofeng, the 'Number One Thief Under Heaven', in disguise?"

(End of this chapter)