After executing his plan, Li Gaosan hurried back to Empress Li Hua's palace to report their victory. However, upon entering, he sensed something amiss. The air was filled with an unfamiliar incense scent, one he had never known his daughter to use.
A sudden unease gripped him. "Empress, where are you?" he called out. No response came. Anxiously, Li Gaosan rushed deeper into the palace, only to find it eerily silent. The guards, eunuchs, and maids were all conspicuously absent.
His eyes caught sight of something unusual—the Empress's bedcover was stained with fresh red. Approaching cautiously, he discerned it was blood. Beneath the blanket, something stirred, emitting faint muffled sounds.
Dread filled Li Gaosan. Fearing the worst for his beloved daughter, he hesitated. Yet, upon closer inspection, the form beneath the blanket seemed too small to be her—more akin to a large dog. Relieved, he lifted the blanket.
What he saw made him recoil in horror. It was A-Zhi, drenched in blood and mutilated beyond recognition. Her eyes had been gouged out, limbs severed, and tongue cut, leaving her writhing in agony. The grotesque sight epitomized the term "human pig."*
Overwhelmed by nausea, Li Gaosan realized the extent of Consort Hua's cruelty. Fear surged within him—was his daughter next? But where could she be? He had no answers.