cinnabar:red mercuric sulphide, used in Chinese medicine, rituals and Daoist alchemy.
Zhang Jianzhi:High office holder and general of Empress Wu's 20 year "Restored Zhou" court who plotted her killing. He later received a title of his own, but died under censure. Brief biography in Ciyuan p 546, and official biography in 25 Histories, Tang 91, 3361.4 and Xin Tang 20, 3952.4 A central figure in the story thread.