The Golden Hairpin

In the dead of night, a sudden downpour poured forth. The distant and nearby mountain peaks and forests, the long and short rivers and valleys, all lost their outlines in the abrupt storm, fading into formlessness.

The road ahead grew increasingly indistinct. The lilac flowers planted along the mountain path outside Chang’an City were battered by the relentless rain, their splendid clusters of blossoms broken and scattered in the torrent, falling into the muddy road, unseen in the deep night.

Huang Zixiang trudged through the darkness of the mountain path. The pale blue oil-paper umbrella in her hand had two ribs broken by the violent storm, and raindrops pierced through the damaged canopy, striking her cheeks like icy blades.

She merely glanced up before decisively discarding the umbrella on the road, continuing forward in the pouring rain. The raindrops pelted her body with an unusually heavy chill. In the darkness, the faint light of the occasional raindrop barely illuminated the vague scenery ahead, the entire world a blur.

At a bend in the mountain path stood a small pavilion. This dynasty had established long pavilions every ten li and short pavilions every five li as resting places for travelers. On this stormy night, three or four people were inside, some leaning, some sitting, chatting. Chang’an City enforced a nightly curfew, and the city gates only opened at the fifth watch and third point each morning. It was still early, so these were likely people waiting for the gates to open.

Huang Zixiang splashed through the mud toward them. Dressed in the most ordinary blue men’s short robe, the people inside turned their heads at her approach. Seeing what appeared to be a slender young man, an elderly man among them called out, "Young man, are you also heading into the city early? You’re soaked to the bone—poor thing. Come warm yourself by the fire."

Meeting his kindly smile in the firelight, Huang Zixiang tightened her drenched collar, thanked him, and sat by the fire, keeping two feet of distance as she silently added kindling to the flames.

Seeing her silently tending the fire, the others resumed their conversation, discussing all manner of strange tales from across the land with great enthusiasm, as if they had witnessed the events firsthand.

"Speaking of strange happenings, have you all heard about that bizarre case in the capital recently?"

"Old sir, are you referring to the one they call the 'Four Directions Case'?" someone immediately chimed in. "Three people dead within three months, all living in the south, west, and north of the capital with no connection to one another, and each left with the bloody characters 'joy,' 'me,' and 'pure'—utterly baffling and terrifying!"

"Indeed. Now it seems the next bloody incident will surely occur in the east of the city. The eastern wards are in a panic, and it’s said anyone who can leave has already fled. The east side is nearly deserted."

Huang Zixiang’s fair hands held the firewood, slowly stoking the flames, listening to the faint crackling. Her expression remained calm.

"These are troubled times, with unrest in every province. It’s not just the capital—recently, a massacre occurred in Shu. Have you all heard?" One middle-aged man, clearly a traveling storyteller, habitually gripped his wooden clapper as he spoke with great interest. "Massacres are nothing new, but this one—it was the annihilation of Huang Min’s household, the magistrate of Shu!"

Huang Min.

The name struck her ears abruptly. Huang Zixiang’s steady hands, tending the fire, trembled involuntarily. A spark leapt onto the back of her hand, the sudden pain sharp and unexpected.Fortunately, everyone was too caught up in the commotion to notice her. Seizing the opportunity, they began chattering away:

“Isn’t Huang Min the former Vice Minister of Justice in the capital? The one who solved several baffling cases over the years and earned quite a reputation?”

“I’ve heard of him too! Though they say it wasn’t all his doing alone. He has a son and a daughter. The son, Huang Yan, was nothing special, but the daughter was a rare genius. It’s said that when Huang Min served as Vice Minister, many of the perplexing cases were actually cracked by her—and she was only fourteen or fifteen at the time. The Emperor himself once praised her, saying that if she were a man, she would surely have the talent to become a chancellor!”

“Hah, chancellor material?” The storyteller sneered. “Have any of you heard the rumors? They say that when Huang Min’s daughter was born, the room was bathed in a bloody glow. Those who saw it claimed it was the White Tiger Star descending—a harbinger that she would devour all her kin! And now, those words have come true. The massacre of the Huang family was carried out by none other than Huang Min’s own daughter!”

Huang Ziyao forgot the sharp pain on the back of her hand. She stared blankly at the flickering flames before her. The firelight licked at the darkness, but no matter how warm its glow, it couldn’t mask the pallor of her face.

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, and the old man among them asked in disbelief, “You’re saying… Huang’s daughter slaughtered her entire family?”

“Exactly!”

The storyteller’s declaration was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

“That’s absurd! What daughter would ever murder her own family?”

“It’s the absolute truth. The court has already issued a warrant for her arrest. Huang’s daughter fled from Shu, and if she’s caught, she’ll be torn to pieces—left to die without a proper burial!”

“If this is true, then she’s utterly devoid of humanity—a monster without conscience!”

The old man pressed further, “Such a horrific tragedy… was there any reason behind it?”

“Women are narrow-minded—what else could it be but matters of the heart?” The storyteller’s expression grew animated as he spun his tale. “They say she was betrothed from childhood, but as she grew older, she fell for someone else. So when her grandmother and uncle came to discuss her marriage, she personally served them a bowl of lamb trotter soup at the banquet. Vice Minister Huang, his wife Lady Yang, their son Huang Yan, even her grandmother and uncle—all died from poisoning. Only she escaped, vanishing without a trace. The authorities found arsenic wrappers in her room and records proving she had purchased arsenic from a pharmacy days earlier. It turns out she was in love with someone else, but her parents forced her to marry another man. In her fury, she poisoned her entire family and planned to elope with her lover!”

The listeners gasped in horror at this tale of familial betrayal. Someone else asked, “How did such a wicked woman manage to escape?”

“After poisoning her family, she knew the crime would soon be discovered, so she arranged to elope with her lover that very night. But the man, disgusted by her heartless cruelty, turned her love letters over to the authorities and led them to the rendezvous point to capture her. Somehow, the vile woman sensed something was amiss and fled! Now, she’s wanted across the empire—her face plastered on arrest notices at every city gate. Justice may be slow, but it never fails. I’d like to see when this ruthless woman is finally caught and sentenced to death by a thousand cuts!”

The storyteller relished every word, while his audience seethed with righteous fury. In no time, the entire pavilion was filled with an atmosphere of shared indignation.Huang Zixiang sat with her knees drawn up, listening as the crowd hurled insults. Suddenly, she felt utterly exhausted. She rested her face against her knees, her eyes blankly fixed on the dim, flickering fire. Her clothes were half-dry and half-damp, and in the spring night, the cold pierced her skin like invisible needles, leaving her half-awake and half-asleep.

It was still early, and the city gates had yet to open. The conversations around her shifted to the recent strange happenings in the capital—how the Emperor had built yet another detached palace, how the Dowager Consort Zhao had personally sewn the curtains for the Sanqing Hall, and how many noble ladies in the capital were vying to marry Prince Kui, among other things.

"Speaking of which, isn’t Prince Kui returning to the capital soon?"

"Indeed! The Emperor loves feasts and celebrations. With a new palace completed, of course there will be a grand event. And how could any palace gathering be complete without Prince Kui in attendance?"

"That Prince Kui is truly the most outstanding figure in the imperial family. Even the late Emperor doted on him. No wonder Princess Qile is so desperate to marry him—she’s tried every trick in the book, becoming the laughingstock of the capital."

"Prince Yi left behind only this one daughter. If he knew what she was up to in the afterlife, he’d probably come back to life out of sheer frustration..."

When it came to royal gossip, everyone was eager to chime in—except for Huang Zixiang, who paid no attention, keeping her eyes closed and her ears attuned to the sounds outside.

The rain had stopped. In the slowly brightening dawn, the faint sound of hoofbeats drifted in, almost imperceptible.

Huang Zixiang immediately opened her eyes and, ignoring the chatterers, strode out of the pavilion.

In the pale morning light, the glow of the rising sun hovered on the horizon. Along the winding mountain path came a disciplined procession of guards. Though they were still damp from the rain, each was alert and composed, clearly well-trained.

At the center of the procession were two flawless black horses pulling a carriage. The carriage was adorned with coiled dragons and soaring phoenixes, embellished with gold lacquer, mother-of-pearl, and turquoise. Two small golden bells hung from the eaves, swaying gently with the movement of the carriage, their clear chimes ringing through the air.

The procession passed the pavilion and continued forward. Huang Zixiang followed at a distance. At the rear of the group was a soldier about her age, his gaze restless as he scanned his surroundings. When he spotted Huang Zixiang lurking behind the trees, he turned to the man beside him and said, "Brother Lu, I think I ate something bad last night... I need to relieve myself."

"What’s wrong with you? We’re almost at the city gates—can you catch up?" the man muttered under his breath, glaring at him. "The Prince is strict with discipline. You know what’ll happen if you’re caught!"

"Don’t worry, I’ll catch up right away," he said, clutching his stomach as he hastily turned his horse and disappeared into the dense forest.

Huang Zixiang pushed through the undergrowth and hurried to where the soldier waited. He had already stripped off his palace guard uniform and was handing her his helmet. "Miss Huang... you can ride a horse, right?"

She took the helmet and whispered, "Zhang Xingying, I can’t thank you enough for taking such a risk to help me.""What kind of talk is this? If it weren't for you back then, my parents would have died long ago. If I don't help you this time, my parents will beat me to death." He slapped his chest heartily. "Besides, today is just an escort to the capital, not some military duty. Even if we're exposed, it's no big deal. Last time, Liu Wu secretly found someone to substitute for his duty and only got a few dozen lashes. You just need to insist that you're my cousin... my younger cousin passing by who took my place because I had diarrhea and couldn't stand up. Today's just an escort into the city with the ceremonial procession—nothing serious."

Huang Ziyao nodded, quickly took off her outer robe and handed it to him, then put on his clothes. Though the outfit was slightly oversized, her tall and slender figure made it passable.

After hastily thanking Zhang Xingying, Huang Ziyao leaped onto her horse and urged it forward, charging out of the dense forest.