Baozhu

Biodata

Background / History

Baozhu grew up surrounded by imperial privilege, with servants attending to nearly every aspect of her daily life. Her father indulged her enthusiasm for riding and archery by commissioning renowned instructors and inviting returning generals to teach her. He also took her on imperial inspection tours, displaying a degree of favor that astonished both court and country 24 29.

During a childhood outing near Chang'an, a barefoot Daoist predicted that she would enjoy wealth and honor but die before marriage. Her frightened father bestowed the title Wanshou, meaning “Ten Thousand Years of Life,” obtained longevity locks and protective charms, and built the Supreme Immortal Temple for her protection. Baozhu later bitterly contrasted that title with her apparent death at seventeen 14.

Her mother, Consort Xue, died in childbirth when Baozhu was ten. Her elder brother Prince Shao subsequently lost the emperor's trust through malicious accusations and was exiled to Youzhou. Baozhu blamed Li Chengyuan and Prince Wei for spreading those rumors; she also resented Chengyuan's earlier proposal to send her, aged nine, to marry Trisong Detsen 21 22 35 47.

An undisclosed conspiracy left Baozhu gravely ill and buried alive in the Underground Palace. Although she survived, society regarded Princess Wanshou as dead. She traveled east with Wei Xun and Thirteenth Son, intending to reach her family in Youzhou and discover what had happened to her 9 14 24.

Appearance

Baozhu is described as a beautiful young woman whose dignified movements reveal her noble upbringing even when her clothes are plain. Initially pale and haggard after her illness, she regains a lustrous complexion and lively expression through her companions' care during the journey 13 16.

• Hair: Glossy black hair approximately four feet long, which she cherishes and takes considerable pride in 23 44.
• Complexion: Naturally clear enough that the magistrate's maids consider rouge unnecessary and powder barely needed 23.
• Brows and makeup: Usually wears curved willow-leaf brows; adopts imposing Cloud-Brushing Brows when angry and drooping weeping brows when preparing to appeal to Bao Lang 34 35.
• Travel clothing: Uses a curtained or veiled hat outdoors and northern-style garments when she needs freedom of movement 13 26 32.
• Fragrance: Wears the rare Auspicious Dragon-Brain scent, which Bao Lang recognizes 27.

Personality

Baozhu is proud, lively, and accustomed to deference. She enjoys hunting, outings, good food, and entertainment, and dislikes being confined or treated as helpless. Her upbringing initially leaves her disdainful of shabby lodgings and unfamiliar with ordinary life, but she recognizes that refusing to adapt can make the journey harder 13 16 25 47.

Her imperious manner coexists with compassion. Seeing families exiled over her supposed death, she vows to clear their names. She worries about Thirteenth Son going hungry, nurses Wei Xun through illness, and arranges medical care for Yang Xingjian. Her distress over Thirteenth Son's arrest briefly drives her to consider risking herself before Bao Lang to obtain his release 9 28 31 35 44.

She has feared ghosts since childhood and cries readily, but fear does not always stop her from acting: during the mansion's staged haunting, she fires arrows at the unseen intruders. Her courage recovers alongside her health, allowing her to confront underworld figures and hostile officials. Her attachment to imperial status also makes perceived rejection painful; Wei Xun's avoidance of her touch provokes anger until she learns the reason for it 11 19 33 37 50.

Abilities & Skills

Archery

Baozhu trained diligently from childhood under instructors selected by the emperor. Her accuracy and eyesight are exceptional, though her grave illness temporarily reduces her drawing strength 12 24.

• Previously killed gazelles and wild boars within fifty paces; she also boasts that she can shoot a sparrow in the eye from a hundred paces 12 13.
• Spots and shoots a small, camouflaged rabbit concealed in thick brush 16.
• Fires through Yang Xingjian's headcloth without striking his head 21.
• Deliberately wounds Luo Chengye in the thigh rather than aiming at a vital point 32.
• Later draws her horn bow fully without trembling and brings down a wild goose 47.
• Limits: Her weakened shots may cause only flesh wounds unless they hit a vital spot. Close quarters leave too little time to draw, and she cannot confidently shoot into the rapid fight between Wei Xun and Tuoba Sanniang without endangering him 12 20 50.

Riding and Court Sports

Riding is one of Baozhu's longstanding interests, alongside archery, polo, and ball striking 19.

• Calms the spirited Khitan horse Te Le Li and mounts unaided, impressing Bao Lang with her expertise 26.
• Formerly hunted with a tribute lynx riding on a blanket behind her saddle and springing down to pursue prey 12.
• Has experienced riding injuries, including a fall from a frightened horse 36.

Investigation and Observation

Baozhu combines close observation with knowledge acquired at court to help untangle the Xiagui cases.

• Recognizes that a “ghost” leaving blood must be human; the discovery of dyed bloodstains also makes her question whether the crimson liquid she vomited during her illness was really blood 12.
• Identifies an imperial lacquer box's inscription as a gift from Cui Keyong 30.
• Identifies Zhang Xu's regular script and ordinary hemp paper in the hidden note, then connects matching funeral money to a possible tombstone carver 33 35.
• Deduces that Chen Yu could have switched the lacquer boxes before the treasure entered the pagoda 38.
• Explains why the supposed Luminous Pearl does not resemble either a natural pearl or a genuine luminous pearl 40.

Literacy and Literary Knowledge

Baozhu is well versed in poetry, history, calligraphy, and court customs.

• Teaches Wei Xun to write after learning that he can read but cannot leave a written note 28 31.
• Copies the hidden note onto matching hemp paper for a replacement 33.
• Detects insulting allusions in Pang Liangji's wedding poems, supplies suitable replacements, and suggests writing reminders on the backs of his court tablets 46.
• Recounts Liu Ju's persecution and explains the allusions in Bai Juyi's “Thoughts at Sizi Terrace” 47.
• Limit: Her formal education initially leads her to assume that everyone should be literate 28.

Musical Discernment

Although Baozhu never formally studied music or dance, exposure to palace performers—and to her mother, an accomplished dancer and pipa master—gives her a discerning ear 49.

• Recognizes the unusual forceful treatment of the normally graceful tune “Green Waist” 49.
• Notices that Tuoba Sanniang's pipa sounds muffled, as though something is concealed inside it 49.

Close-Range Self-Defense

Wei Xun identifies a gap in Baozhu's training: she learned archery for hunting with guards nearby, not for surviving enemies who close the distance 14.

• Receives a three-foot wooden stick from Wei Xun as a safer practice weapon than a sharpened saber 14.
• Holds an arrow as an improvised defensive point when an intruder approaches too closely for her bow 20.
• Strikes Thirteenth Son with the stick before recognizing him as the person climbing through her window 25.
• Improvises a peach-branch saber during Wei Xun's snake prank 43.
• Limits: Her climbing ability is far below Wei Xun's lightness skills, and she remains vulnerable against highly skilled martial artists indoors 36 50.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Horn bow, arrows, and quiver — Her principal weapons. She values the bow's suitable size and draw weight; Wei Xun retrieves the set after Yang Xingjian hides it during their detention. She later purchases a fresh case of arrows 25 30 47 48.
• Three-foot wooden stick — Trimmed, smoothed, and balanced by Wei Xun for self-defense practice 14.
• Riding crop — Used to push Bao Lang out of her path when he presses her about her fragrance 27.
• Household Register — Supplied by Yang Xingjian under the identity of his deceased daughter, Fang Xie, allowing her to pass official searches and checkpoints 21.
• Fish-gutting knife — The wounded mansion thief's discarded knife, handed to her by Wei Xun 12.
• Craftsmen's lacquer box — Given to her by Wei Xun after the Xiagui affair; she accepts the box as the case's true treasure once the pearl proves counterfeit 40.

Relationships

• Wei Xun — Guard, traveling companion, and investigative partner. Their teasing develops alongside mutual concern: she helps him recover and teaches him writing, while he protects her and retrieves her weapons. His fear of exposing his unnaturally cold body causes a misunderstanding over physical contact 21 28 30 33 36 37.
• Thirteenth Son — Young traveling companion whom she scolds and teases but also feeds and protects. His arrest leaves her distraught and determined to secure his release 13 25 31 35.
• Yang Xingjian — Prince Shao's loyal aide and her protector. He provides her false identity, poses as her father, and helps manage their confinement; she later arranges treatment when he falls seriously ill 21 23 44.
• Li Yuanying / Prince Shao — Beloved elder brother, known privately as “Little Fox.” He placed informants around her for protection and sent Yang Xingjian to investigate her death. Reuniting with him in Youzhou is central to her plans 21 47.
• Li Yuanyi — Younger brother whose safety she anxiously seeks to confirm. She has supervised his handwriting practice and is relieved to learn that he is sheltered in Qingyuan Hall 9 31.
• The emperor — Her father, who lavishly supported her training and sought protection against the prophecy of her early death. His willingness to believe accusations against Prince Shao remains a source of pain 14 24 47.
• Consort Xue — Her deceased mother, a celebrated musician and dancer. Baozhu mourns the protection her mother might have provided had she lived 22 49.
• Li Chengyuan and Prince Wei — Hostile relatives whom she blames for Prince Shao's downfall. Baozhu particularly despises Chengyuan and hopes to overturn his fortunes 47.
• Bao Lang — Antagonistic Defense Commissioner who threatens and confines her while coveting her. She resists his pressure and helps investigate the crimes behind his supposed White Snake Pearl 24 25 27 38.
• Huo Qilang — Wei Xun's fellow disciple, who assists with the rescue and departure plans and notices his unusual tenderness toward Baozhu 35 36.
• Pang Liangji — Wedding acquaintance whom she helps escape humiliation through her literary knowledge. She refuses his proposal of sworn siblinghood but accepts his wedding invitation 46 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Eastward Journey and the Haunted Mansion

• Leaves Chang'an with Wei Xun and Thirteenth Son, learns that Li Yuanyi is safe, and vows to vindicate the physicians' families exiled over Princess Wanshou's death 9.
• Fires six arrows during an apparent haunting at Wealthy Master Fang's mansion. The group exposes a thief's staged supernatural tricks, while the locked storeroom reveals evidence of genuine deaths by hanging 11 12.
• Begins questioning her own apparent poisoning after seeing how dyed stains and dim light can create convincing deception 12.

Confinement in Xiagui

• Becomes trapped when Xiagui is sealed following the treasure theft and apparent murder of Luo Chengye; Wei Xun's disappearance initially makes her suspect his involvement 18 19.
• Reunites with Yang Xingjian and adopts Fang Xie's registered identity. Wu Zhiyuan subsequently places them under house arrest in his residence 21 23.
• Secretly visits Wei Xun after learning that illness, rather than theft, caused his absence. She sends pepper-heavy medicinal porridge and chooses to remain confined until the cases are solved rather than become a fugitive 25 27 28.

Solving the Pearl and Murder Cases

• Investigates Luo Chengye's house with Wei Xun, helps establish that the supposed victim may be someone else, and shoots the disguised Luo in the thigh so that he can be captured 30 32.
• Examines and copies the hidden note, then connects its paper and handwriting to the craftsmen's camp 33 35.
• Joins the inquiry that exposes Bao Lang's murder of Chen Yu's daughter Yingniang and theft of her family's pearl 36 38.
• Leaves Xiagui after the affair ends. The companions discover that the much-contested pearl is a glass counterfeit; Baozhu instead treasures the craftsmen's lacquer box 40.

Lingbao and Pang Liangji's Wedding

• Crosses Tong Pass into the Central Plains and remains in Lingbao while Yang Xingjian recovers from illness 43 44.
• Helps Pang Liangji prepare respectable wedding verses and visits Crown Prince Li's Tomb, where Liu Ju's fate brings her family's persecution sharply to mind 46 47.
• Regains her resolve to reunite with Prince Shao and shoots a wild goose as a wedding gift 47.

Encounter with Tuoba Sanniang

• Invites a sickly wandering pipa player to perform, then notices disturbing details in her instrument and appearance. Her observation about its muffled sound provokes hostility 49.
• Mistakes the woman for a ghost and is immobilized by fear until Wei Xun intervenes. He shields her during the fight, though flying force cuts several strands of her hair 50.
• After learning that Tuoba Sanniang is alive, Baozhu feels ashamed of her terror but recognizes that archery would have been unsuitable in the confined space 50.

Notable Quotes

“If one day I can uncover the truth, I shall clear the names of those people who were just sent into exile and right their wrongs!” 9

“I was given the title Wanshou—Ten Thousand Years of Life—yet I died at seventeen. I was still nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-three years short.” 14

“I aimed for his leg deliberately. Apart from shooting at a ghost in that haunted house, this is the first time I've hurt someone.” 32

Trivia

• Her parents named her Baozhu because she grew up round and lustrous like a jewel and shed tears as readily as pearls 37.
• Her beloved tribute lynx and Wei Xun share the childhood name “Lynx,” a coincidence that embarrasses and amuses her 12 13.
• Despite her literary and martial accomplishments, she initially struggles with elaborate clothing and hairstyling because servants had always handled them 23 40.
• She insists that Wei Xun buy a separate eating knife after learning that his usual dagger was used to behead Bao Lang 43 48.