Lan Zhi
Lan Zhi is a Su Clan servant used by Yan Wushuang to ensure that damaging rumors reach Tang Hongrui. Her deliberate indiscretion prompts Su Chen to punish her without formal evidence, making her death an early and explicit illustration of how social rank controls the practical reach of clan law.
Biography
Rumor and interrogation
Lan Zhi discusses rumors in a location and at a time likely to let Su Chen's mother overhear them. Summoned by Su, she insists that the disclosure was accidental and demands evidence. Because Su's secretly recovered eyesight lets him observe her panic when he names Yan Wushuang, he concludes that she is lying. He does not seek a formal confession; he orders Iron Cliff to beat her to death, and she admits the plot under the blows before the execution is completed. (Chapters 93–94)
Political aftermath
Su Chen accepts Scarlet Punishment for exceeding his authority, while Yan Wushuang is punished for spreading the rumors that harmed the head wife. Later reflection states that Lan Zhi's crime alone does not explain why she could be killed so readily: her low status made lethal punishment possible with limited consequences for a powerful young master. The later passages are retrospective and do not suggest that she survived. (Chapters 95, 97, and 137)
Appearance and personality
The corpus does not describe Lan Zhi's age, build, hair, eyes, or clothing. During interrogation she kneels before Su Chen and displays fear once she realizes that his lack of formal evidence will not protect her. (Chapter 93)
Lan Zhi is initially defiant and repeatedly claims innocence. Her carefully staged “slip” and visible panic support Su Chen's conclusion that she knowingly served Yan Wushuang's revenge plan. The source gives no independent account of her motive, payment, or relationship with Tang Hongrui. (Chapters 93–94)
Abilities and cultivation
Lan Zhi displays no cultivation, martial skill, or supernatural ability. Her only demonstrated function in the plot is household access: she knows Tang Hongrui's route and can circulate information among servants in a way that appears accidental. (Chapter 93)
Relationships
- Su Chen: The young master who exposes Lan Zhi's intended disclosure and orders her execution without relying on clan procedure. (Chapters 93–97)
- Iron Cliff: The servant who carries out Su Chen's order and controls his strength so that the beating is prolonged. (Chapters 93–94)
- Yan Wushuang: The factional superior whose revenge scheme Lan Zhi supports and eventually confesses under punishment. (Chapters 93–95)
Items
No finalized signature-item entry is assigned to Lan Zhi in the supplied catalog, and the corpus identifies no personal weapon or enduring possession.