Jinghong

Biodata

Appearance

• Wears crimson clothing at her first appearance 2.
• Maintains a composed expression and moves with graceful steps 2.
• Her rapid movement is described as phantom-like; while carrying Lu Changfeng, she becomes a white blur 15.
• Wears black while accompanying Taiping and the Twenty-Four Floral Periods outside Chang’an’s Chunming Gate; her gaze is described as sharp as an eagle’s 103.
• Appears in pale-purple palace attire when awaiting Lu Changfeng’s return to the residence 186.
• At Mid-Autumn, wears a plain-colored long gown. Her slender figure and cool, composed features are compared to a graceful winter plum 370.
• After Lu Changfeng’s six-month absence, retains her composed, efficient bearing, with only a barely perceptible relief showing in her eyes 455.

Personality

Jinghong is outwardly composed, respectful, and professionally distant. She accepts Princess Taiping’s orders without betraying emotion, but exercises decisive authority when necessary: after identifying Gao Lu among Lu Changfeng’s attackers, she immediately places the matter under the princess’s judgment 2 19.

Her assessment of Lu Changfeng becomes increasingly favorable after she witnesses his medical judgment and considerate treatment of Zi Zhi. Nevertheless, she remains cautious when asked whether his distance from Taiping is genuine or calculated. Her loyalty also extends to remonstrating with the princess when she considers an expedition dangerously uncertain 16 19 43.

Her professional composure does not eliminate personal concern. Taiping’s medical crises can leave her visibly frightened, and she urgently seeks Lu Changfeng’s help when the princess’s heart meridians or true qi become unstable. She understands the risks of Taiping’s cultivation method, but does not always dare to counsel her when her emotions are already dangerously agitated 72 145 146 216.

Jinghong is also discreet about Taiping’s private life. She recognizes the significance of opening the princess’s private waterside study to Lu Changfeng, shields their later seclusion from visitors, and blushes at Taiping’s frank remarks about their intimacy. When Lu returns with news of another powerful beauty at his side, Jinghong worries that his feelings for the princess may have faded; his immediate concern for Taiping reassures her that he still cherishes his bonds 88 152 176 455.

Abilities & Skills

Movement and Physical Strength

• High-speed movement: Carries Lu Changfeng from the residence to Pingkang Ward, traveling through the streets and over rooftops before landing silently at the Red Silk House 15 16.
• Strength: Drags the enormous, wounded Ba Serpent toward the Ten Directions Secret Prison by lifting its tail with one hand 26.
• Unspecified cultivation: Her movement technique is portrayed as formidable, but the supplied passages do not identify her realm or document a breakthrough 15.
• Stealthy attendance: Repeatedly appears from shadows or moves almost soundlessly, including when receiving confidential orders and bringing wine to Taiping’s study 71 133 134.
• Prisoner handling: Carries the unconscious Hei Chijun out of the shadows and transfers him to Liu Jin at Taiping’s direction 327.

Intelligence and Command

• Intelligence leadership: Oversees intelligence for the Plum Blossom Guards. Gao Jian handles assassination operations; outside the residence, the two commanders hold equal rank 16.
• Background investigations: Reports Lu Changfeng’s upbringing, apprenticeship, formerly mediocre medical ability, and abrupt change following a near-fatal medicine-testing accident 3.
• Political intelligence: Reports the auspicious-omen rumors and circulating ballad associated with Empress Wei’s ambitions 21.
• Personnel coordination: Directs Qing Dai’s escort and protection duties, orders suspects returned for judgment, and arranges reporting to Princess Taiping 16 19 40.
• Protective deployments: Receives orders to reassign the Three Baleful Skeletons to protect Lu Changfeng secretly and later to prepare Plum Blossom Guard support for his southern treasure search 71 176.
• Secure transport planning: When ordered to transport the Blood Tai Sui and recovered treasures, proposes sending decoy parties along several routes to conceal the convoy’s movements 57.
• Secret-report assessment: Consults intelligence reports concerning the Buddha Bone intruder and explains why the Three Signs of Spring Equinox’s ocular-arts testimony is reliable 124.
• Court-threat awareness: Notices that Li Longji appears to be concealing information and warns Taiping that Prince Xiang has received the same Dingkun Pool invitation she declined 176 190.
• Delegated obedience: Taiping explicitly instructs her to obey Lu Changfeng whenever the princess is absent 372.
• Frontier surveillance: Accepts orders, with Taiping’s approval, to monitor Maozhou, Diezhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou, and Shengzhou for Göktürk troop movements and send urgent reports to Chang’an through the eight-hundred-li relay 456.

Weapons and Martial-World Knowledge

• Historical weapon knowledge: Identifies Wind-Raising as Zhuge Liang’s personal sword, explains its place among the Eight Swords of the Sovereign of Shu, and describes its ritual significance 39.
• Recognition of spiritual awakening: Recognizes Wind-Raising’s acknowledgment of Lu Changfeng as the awakening of a divine weapon 39 40.
• Intelligence on other swords: Provides reported or suspected locations of the remaining seven swords, distinguishing uncertain leads from secret reports linking Yang Kaitian to Dragon-Soaring 40.
• Swordsmanship: Beheads Fifth Ying’er with a single sword stroke when the Plum Blossom Guards intercept her escape from the palace. Fifth Ying’er is attempting to use talismans to take others with her at the time 275.
• Cultivation awareness: Knows the origins and full-moon backlash risks of Taiping’s Purple Tenuity Heavenly Heart Formula. She also notices the increasingly subtle, natural quality of Lu Changfeng’s aura as his cultivation advances 145 370.
• Origin-Sealing Needle handling: Removes an Origin-Sealing Needle from a vital point below the back of Hei Chijun’s neck, allowing his sealed true qi to begin returning 327.

Power Progression

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lu Changfeng’s Entry into the Residence

After Lu Changfeng cures Xue Chongyin, Jinghong escorts him to the Snow Listening Tower and introduces Qing Dai as his attendant. The arrangement provides him with support while also enabling surveillance and limiting his independent authority. Jinghong subsequently presents Taiping with the investigation into his unexpectedly transformed abilities 2 3.

When Lu presents his distilled alcohol and Fragrance Dew, Jinghong announces his audience and receives the formulas at Taiping’s direction. Afterward, the princess orders her to have Zi Zhi watch him 8.

Pingkang Ward Rescue and the Gao Family Plot

Jinghong urgently brings Lu Changfeng to treat the poisoned Plum Blossom Guards at the Red Silk House. During treatment, she removes the needles from the other four patients after the existing approach proves unsuitable, then observes Lu stabilize the poison and reassure Zi Zhi 15 16.

A request for reinforcements draws her away to support Gao Jian against Yang Kaitian. Before leaving, she orders Qing Dai to escort Lu home secretly and protect him. Her departure leaves Lu exposed to the ambush arranged by Gao Jian’s faction; the passages do not show Jinghong participating in that conspiracy 15 16.

Returning after the fighting, she identifies the defeated attacker as Gao Lu, Gao Jian’s household steward. She orders everyone brought before Taiping, arranges Lu’s recuperation, and instructs Qing Dai to give a complete account of the incident 18 19.

Su Bonian and the Great Vehicle Sect

Jinghong presents Taiping’s reward of three-hundred-year-old red ginseng to Lu Changfeng. She also receives instructions to give him a Phoenix Feather Invitation if he succeeds in treating Su Bonian. As the poison’s next flare approaches, she and Fu Rong become anxious about his apparent lack of progress, and she reports his daily routine to Taiping 19 21.

Following the capture of the Great Vehicle Sect’s holy maiden, Taiping orders Jinghong to secure the prisoner and confine the wounded Ba Serpent. Lu receives permission to question the woman himself, while Jinghong drags the serpent away. She is also instructed to bring Lu a classified dossier 26.

The Gathering and Wind-Raising’s Awakening

At Taiping’s gathering, Jinghong displays Lu Changfeng’s “Qingping Tune” to the audience and brings the Lovesick Zither for his musical duel. After his disguise falls, she is among those captivated by his revealed appearance 36 37 38.

She then escorts him to the weapon treasury on Taiping’s orders and witnesses Wind-Raising awaken and choose him. Astonished by the implications, she congratulates him, answers his questions about the other Shu swords, and reports the event to the princess 38 39 40 41.

Gu Preparations and Jade Pillar Peak

Jinghong explains that Taiping intends to counter Chi Ming’s Gu Formation with help from Nanzhao experts, then guides Lu to the Gu Department’s texts. Taiping later entrusts her with preparations for the Heavenly Spider Envoy, a staged attempt to steal the Poison-Averting Pearl, and warnings intended to stop interference over Zhang Shouzhuo’s death 40 41.

When investigators return injured from Jade Pillar Peak, Jinghong volunteers to assist and waits at the Spirit Pivot Institute during Mu Lan’s treatment. She subsequently urges Taiping not to investigate the dangerous site personally, but the princess dismisses her objection 41 42 43.

During the mountain operation, Jinghong and Fu Rong prepare to cut the Blood Tai Sui’s roots. Jinghong reports that the Sun-Burning Temple is engulfed in fire, alerting Taiping and Lu Changfeng to the destruction of evidence. She later announces the Heavenly Spider Envoy’s arrival and guides the envoy to the hidden cave entrance 51 55.

Before the party departs, Taiping orders Jinghong to seal the Blood Tai Sui and the remaining treasures and transport them to the residence. Jinghong proposes decoy parties to conceal their movements, then leads the men and recovered haul back to Chang’an 57.

Secret Protection and the Gu Poison Investigation

After Lu Changfeng accepts a token granting authority over lower-ranked Plum Blossom Guards, Taiping privately orders Jinghong to station the Three Baleful Skeletons at the Snow Listening Tower as his hidden protectors. Jinghong interprets this as evidence that his standing has surpassed Gao Jian’s 71.

When Taiping’s Gu Poison flares, Jinghong rushes to the Spirit Pivot Institute’s Quiet Chamber, deathly pale and too distressed to observe normal etiquette around the crown prince. She urgently brings Lu Changfeng back to Yao Light Hall. After Taiping recovers, Jinghong is among those ordered to investigate the poisoning plot and monitor everyone who knows of the recovery, including Li Chongjun and Li Xi 72 75.

The Eight-Patient Trap and the Private Study

Jinghong recognizes that eight simultaneously poisoned patients arriving at the Spirit Pivot Institute are almost certainly part of an attack on Lu Changfeng. When she raises the matter, Taiping questions why he has not sought her help despite receiving warnings about Gao Jian’s former subordinates. Jinghong cautiously suggests that he may not wish to intervene between people with closer ties; Taiping rejects the explanation and accuses her of withholding the truth, prompting Jinghong to kneel 87.

Taiping subsequently orders Jinghong to investigate the Spirit Pivot Institute affair and deliver Millennium Snow Jade Ginseng so Lu Changfeng can replenish his vital energy. She also directs Jinghong to prepare her private waterside study for his future visits. Jinghong immediately understands the personal significance of admitting him to a place previously closed to men 88.

Intelligence on the Buddha Bone Intruder

Jinghong presents secret reports concerning the unknown expert who disrupted Wu Sansi’s cultivation with the Buddha Bone. She describes a roughly thirty-five- or thirty-six-year-old initial-realm grandmaster practicing the Fire-Worshipping Cult’s sacred flame canon, with a right hand resembling a blue-gray, striped tiger’s claw. She attributes the description to the Three Signs of Spring Equinox, whose ocular arts support the report’s reliability 124.

Her report prompts Taiping to summon Lu Changfeng. He identifies the strange limb as an application of Corpse Sage Tulingzi’s grafting art, likely involving the beast Mengji, and warns of the method’s dangerous effects on demonic practitioners 124.

Taiping’s Cultivation Crisis and Private Seclusion

At Taiping’s request, Jinghong brings Jade-Ice Shao tribute wine and two luminous cups to the waterside study. Later, she announces an urgent imperial decree, interrupting Taiping and Lu Changfeng as their conversation becomes intimate 133 134.

During Lu Changfeng’s absence at Zhongnan Mountain, Jinghong watches Taiping’s emotional turmoil with mounting alarm. Having served her since childhood, she knows that the Purple Tenuity Heavenly Heart Formula can reverse its true essence under the full moon. When Taiping loses control, Jinghong urges her to calm her qi and attempts to approach, only to be repelled by the rampaging force surrounding her. She and Qing Dai subsequently tell the returning Lu Changfeng that Taiping is near cultivation deviation 145 146 147.

After Taiping and Lu Changfeng withdraw together for two days and nights, Jinghong turns away all visitors—including Xue Chongyin—under the explanation that the princess is in seclusion stabilizing her cultivation. She also passes in food and medicine 152.

Spiritual-Treasure Preparations and Household Attendance

Following Li Longji’s visit, Jinghong tells Taiping that the Prince of Linzi seems to be concealing something. Taiping then directs her to ready the Plum Blossom Guards to support Lu Changfeng’s southern search for a spiritual treasure and to arrange for Zhao Lanjun, Mu Qinghong, and the Twenty-Four Floral Periods to accompany her to Li Mountain 176.

Jinghong continues to act as the intermediary between Taiping and Lu Changfeng, waiting at the residence to convey summonses and reporting the princess’s condition. Her reminder that Prince Xiang has accepted Princess Anle’s Dingkun Pool invitation causes Taiping to depart urgently with Lu Changfeng. She also announces Wu Youji’s requested audience and withdraws to relay Taiping’s refusal 186 190 196 257.

When Taiping returns from the palace pale and subsequently suffers severe pain in her heart meridians, Jinghong again seeks Lu Changfeng at the Snow Listening Tower. She explains what she witnessed, while acknowledging that she does not know the full cause, and escorts him to Yao Light Hall 216.

Palace Coup and Fifth Ying’er’s Death

As Taiping prepares to intervene at the palace, Jinghong hands her armor. During the coup’s aftermath, the Plum Blossom Guards intercept Fifth Ying’er before she can escape through the palace gates. Although the fugitive attempts to use talismans to take others with her, Jinghong beheads her with a single stroke. Taiping later reports Jinghong’s role to Lu Changfeng 273 275.

Hei Chijun’s Release

At Taiping’s summons, Jinghong emerges carrying the unconscious Hei Chijun. She removes the Origin-Sealing Needle from below the back of his neck, allowing his true qi to begin recovering, and hands him over to Liu Jin. After Liu Jin, Li Lingkui, and Hei Chijun depart, Taiping orders the Plum Blossom Guards to proceed with their prepared plan 327.

Mid-Autumn Warnings

Jinghong welcomes Lu Changfeng back for Mid-Autumn and informs him that Taiping has spent much of the day reviewing memorials in Chenghui Hall and is in a poor mood. After he leaves to find her, Jinghong marvels at the increasingly natural, barely perceptible quality of his aura, then turns to arranging the evening’s family banquet 370.

After Taiping enters the palace, Jinghong brings Lu Changfeng two letters: Su Yanqiu’s warning of an ominous divination connected to the Eastern Sea, and a threat demanding the release of Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance. Acting under Taiping’s instruction to obey him in her absence, she immediately asks him to examine them. She also reports that the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Fiends have been killed at Langya Ferry, after which Lu orders closer guarding of the prisoners and begins investigating Xu Fu’s background 372.

Lu Changfeng’s Return and Frontier Surveillance

Jinghong and Qing Dai wait outside the residence to greet Lu Changfeng after his six-month absence. Jinghong is relieved by his return but privately troubled by reports of the powerful fox beauty accompanying him and by his visit to the Moon-Gathering Tower before returning home. Seeing his urgency to meet the pregnant Taiping reassures her that his affection and loyalty have not faded 455.

After a meeting in Chenghui Hall, Lu Changfeng orders Jinghong to place Maozhou, Diezhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou, and Shengzhou under close surveillance. He identifies them as vital chokepoints for possible Göktürk incursions and requires immediate eight-hundred-li relay dispatches if troop movements are detected. Jinghong first glances toward Taiping, then formally accepts the assignment after the princess nods her approval 456.

Relationships

• Princess Taiping — Mistress and superior. Jinghong serves as her personal attendant, intelligence commander, and executor of confidential orders, while also voicing concern for her safety 8 16 41 43. She has followed Taiping since childhood, knows the secrets and dangers of her cultivation, and protects both her health and the privacy of her relationship with Lu Changfeng 145 146 152 216 455.
• Lu Changfeng — Initially treats him with respectful distance while facilitating his supervision. Her esteem grows after his medical successes, and Wind-Raising’s choice leads her to wonder whether he possesses exceptional destiny or an unknown mission 2 16 19 40. She later coordinates his hidden protection, recognizes his growing importance to Taiping, and obeys him in the princess’s absence. His concern for Taiping after returning from six months away reassures her that he remains faithful to his bonds 71 88 372 455 456.
• Qing Dai — Directs her attendance upon Lu and assigns her escort, protection, and reporting duties. Qing Dai addresses her as “Sister Jinghong” 2 15 16 19. They jointly inform Lu of Taiping’s cultivation crisis and later wait together to welcome him home 147 455.
• Gao Jian — Fellow division commander with separate operational responsibilities. After identifying his steward as Lu’s attacker, Jinghong treats the incident as a grave official matter rather than an ordinary dispute 16 19. She later judges Lu’s standing with Taiping to have surpassed his and recognizes the eight-patient incident linked to his former subordinates as a likely attack on Lu 71 87.
• Zi Zhi — Coordinates with her during the poisoned guards’ treatment and later assists with the response to the Jade Pillar Peak casualties 16 41 42.
• Fu Rong — Fellow female official involved in intelligence reporting and emergency coordination; both worry about Su Bonian’s approaching poison flare 21 41 42. They also prepare to cut the Blood Tai Sui’s roots and are assigned to the investigation into Taiping’s Gu Poison plot 51 75.
• Li Longji — Observes his dealings with Taiping and warns that he appears to be withholding information after his return from Zhongnan Mountain 176.
• Wu Youji — Handles his requests for an audience with Taiping and relays her refusal when she claims illness 196.
• Fifth Ying’er — Opponent intercepted by the Plum Blossom Guards during the palace coup’s aftermath. Jinghong kills her with a single sword stroke 275.
• Hei Chijun — Handles him as an unconscious prisoner and removes his Origin-Sealing Needle before transferring him to Liu Jin under Taiping’s orders 327.

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