The Golden Hairpin

She turned around in surprise to see Wang Yun standing behind her, holding a branch of flowers in full bloom, a gentle smile on his face. His gaze lingered on her as he said softly, "I just saw Prince Kui's carriage passing by on the street, and then noticed you getting off, so I came over to say hello."

The branch of flowers remained before her, its fragrance so rich it was almost intoxicating. Without thinking, she reached out and took it, asking, "You've already joined the Imperial Guards?"

"Yes, today's my first day. The capital is so vast, yet on my very first patrol, I ran into you. It must be fate." His smile was easy and unhurried. "I always thought you'd be out more often at night for investigations."

"That's true. I probably still will be. Now that you're gone, I hope the brothers at the Defense Bureau will still turn a blind eye for me," Huang Zixiao replied.

"Even if others don't, Zhang Xingying will definitely escort you personally," he said with a laugh, then turned to greet Li Shubai through the carriage window. "Your Highness."

Li Shubai nodded in acknowledgment and asked, "How are things in the Imperial Guards?"

"Just fine, same as the Defense Bureau," he replied lightly, his tone casual.

Huang Zixiao held the branch of privet flowers, feeling a pang of guilt well up in her chest. After all, Wang Yun, who had once thrived in the Defense Bureau, had been transferred to the constrained environment of the Imperial Guards—all because she had exposed Empress Wang's true identity, giving the emperor an opportunity to rein in the Wang family.

She tucked the privet branch into her sleeve and said to Wang Yun, "Wait a moment." Then she climbed back into the carriage and retrieved a bag, handing it to him. "If you get the chance, could you see if this can be delivered to Xiao Shi?"

Wang Yun recognized its contents the moment he took it. He cast a quick glance at the two skulls inside before securing it to his horse. "Where did these come from?"

"Don't ask. I just thought... she at least deserves to be whole," she murmured.

"Yes. I've always regretted it too. Her death... I can't escape responsibility for it." Wang Yun's gaze lingered on her downcast face for a long moment before he finally whispered, "Thank you..."

"For what?" someone chimed in, popping up behind them with a grin.

This sudden, ghostly appearance could only be Zhou Ziqin. Today, he was dressed in a striking combination of violet and pale yellow, as eye-catching as ever.

With one arm slung over Wang Yun's shoulder and the other around Huang Zixiao, Zhou Ziqin beamed. "Come on, let me in on the drama between you two~"

Huang Zixiao swiftly shook off his hand, while Wang Yun simultaneously pulled Zhou Ziqin's other arm away. Their coordination was so seamless that even Li Shubai, watching from the carriage window, raised an eyebrow, his eyes clouded with something unreadable.

"Captain Wang gave me a flower, and I returned the favor with a little something," Huang Zixiao explained.

Li Shubai then said, "Yunzhi, why don't you skip returning to the office and join us at Brocade Tower instead?" Yunzhi was Wang Yun's courtesy name.

"Exactly! The food at the Imperial Guards is downright atrocious—bottom five in the capital!" Zhou Ziqin immediately agreed.

And so, Wang Yun rode alongside the carriage, Zhou Ziqin climbed aboard, and the group set off for Brocade Tower."Chonggu, tell me, what did you give in return? 'Give a plum in return for a peach'—since he gave you flowers, you must have reciprocated with something equally elegant, right?" Zhou Ziqin was incessantly noisy the entire journey, pestering for details.

Huang Zixiao had no intention of telling him that the "elegant" return gift was actually those two skulls he had provided.

Unable to get an answer from Huang Zixiao, Zhou Ziqin pouted in frustration, leaning against the carriage wall and glaring at the sprig of privet in Huang Zixiao's hand. "Honestly, this flower was probably just snapped from my family's doorstep, wasn't it? What kind of gift is this—borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha!"

Li Shubai, gazing at the passing streets outside, asked, "And how do you know Yang Chonggu didn't borrow flowers to offer to Buddha?"

Completely unaware that his flowers had been borrowed twice, Zhou Ziqin perked up at this remark. "Wait, does that mean Chonggu's return gift to Wang Yun came from you, Your Highness? These two are so stingy—sending each other things that aren't even theirs!"

Unfortunately, his attempt to stir trouble was futile. Both Li Shubai and Huang Zixiao, long familiar with his antics, turned their gazes out the window, pretending not to hear.

Zhou Ziqin, thoroughly stifled during the trip, still hadn't recovered his spirits even after ordering a table full of dishes at the Embroidered Tower. He slumped over the table like a dejected puppy while waiting for the food.

Huang Zixiao didn't bother comforting him. Instead, she asked a waiter for a basin of clean water, then mixed some fish glue with glutinous rice flour into a sticky paste.

Zhou Ziqin watched her listlessly from the table. "Chonggu, what are you doing?"

Huang Zixiao took out the broken porcelain shards from her sleeve and carefully washed them one by one in the basin. Wang Yun also stood up to help, saying, "Be careful not to cut your fingers."

Li Shubai observed coldly from the side, neither assisting nor speaking.

Zhou Ziqin, however, suddenly became animated. He picked up a cleaned shard and examined it. "What's this?"

"A broken porcelain piece found in the princess's residence. Any guesses?" Huang Zixiao laid out the cleaned shards on the table.

The piece in Zhou Ziqin's hand turned out to be the dog's ear. He turned it over and mused, "Looks like a small porcelain trinket... a cat or a dog, maybe?"

"Most likely a dog," she said, assembling the shards one by one with the adhesive. Zhou Ziqin, forgetting his earlier gloom, eagerly helped piece them together.

By the time the little porcelain dog was fully restored, the waiter had just begun serving the dishes.

The three of them finished their meal with the little dog on the table. The fish glue had dried by then, firmly holding the pieces together. Zhou Ziqin picked it up and scrutinized it before declaring confidently, "This thing—it'd be pretty hard to buy nowadays."

Wang Yun also took a look and asked, "Isn't it just an ordinary little porcelain dog? I think I played with something like this as a child. Why would it be hard to find?"

"Your Highness grew up in the palace, so I won't ask you. But Chonggu, did you have one of these when you were little?" Zhou Ziqin pressed.

Huang Zixiao nodded. "I think so. I vaguely remember seeing something like this as a child."

"Exactly! These little porcelain dogs were all the rage ten years ago when we were kids, but they've become rare in recent years. For instance, none of my older brothers' children have anything like this now." Zhou Ziqin spoke with certainty. "And porcelain toys like this are easily broken by kids. I guarantee these things are practically extinct now.""These little porcelain dogs? We've got plenty! How many do you want?"

In the small novelty shop at the West Market, the shopkeeper's opening words dealt Zhou Ziqin a heavy blow.

But Zhou Ziqin's thick skin was extraordinary—he instantly brushed it off and eagerly followed the shopkeeper into the storeroom, helping him haul out a large crate filled with these little porcelain dogs.

The shopkeeper opened the crate, revealing neatly stacked rows of small porcelain dogs arranged in three layers—top, middle, and bottom—amounting to at least seventy or eighty in total. The top layer was missing a few, not completely filled.

Huang Zixia crouched down and noticed that nearly all the dogs were covered in dust—except for one in the second layer, which was clean. She picked it up, examining it in her palm as she asked, "Shopkeeper, why haven’t you thrown out these decade-old leftovers? Do people still buy them?"

"Ah, these were shipped from Jiangnan ten years ago—they were all the rage in the capital back then! But later, they fell out of fashion, the kiln went out of business, and no one wanted them anymore. Funny thing, though—just last month, someone came asking about them. I dug around and found this crate still lying around, so I brought it out. Honestly, I might be the only shop in the capital still selling these. Aside from the one sold last month, you’re the only ones who’ve asked about them."

Huang Zixia weighed the little dog in her hand. "Who came to buy one last month? Someone our age, looking for a childhood toy?"

The shopkeeper laughed heartily as he took the money from Zhou Ziqin. "Not at all! It was Qian Guansuo, the owner of the carriage house—a man in his forties or fifties! Imagine, a grown man buying something like this. Isn’t that funny?"

Zhou Ziqin turned to Huang Zixia, mouthing silently: Him again.

Huang Zixia nodded slightly, mouthing back: Just as I thought.

Zhou Ziqin sulked. "You already knew? And you didn’t tell me!"

"I am telling you first, aren’t I?" Huang Zixia consoled him as they left the shop.

Instantly, Zhou Ziqin climbed out of his pit of gloom. Happily cradling the little porcelain dog, he returned to Embroidered Tower and placed it before them. "Guess who bought one of these from that shop?"

Li Shubai didn’t even glance up. "Qian Guansuo."

Those three words sent Zhou Ziqin tumbling back into despair. He turned tearfully to Huang Zixia. "You said you’d tell me first!"

"He guessed it himself," Huang Zixia said, spreading her hands helplessly.

"But—but even if Qian Guansuo recently bought one of these little dogs, that doesn’t mean the broken one in the princess’s residence is connected to his! Besides, what does a little porcelain dog have to do with the princess’s case?"

"It has everything to do with it. In fact, the princess’s death hinges on this little porcelain dog," Huang Zixia said, carefully wrapping two of them.

Wang Yun, watching her work, smiled and asked, "Chonggu, how’s the investigation into that Sun Laizi case you rushed off to look into the other night coming along?"

"That case... hasn’t progressed," Zhou Ziqin mumbled, slumping onto the table listlessly. "The Dali Temple decided to close it by pinning it on Qian Guansuo—claiming he used the sewer repairs as cover to sneak out and commit murder. But there are still piles of unanswered questions."

Wang Yun asked, "Such as the lingling incense I smelled at the time?"

"Mm, of course," Zhou Ziqin nodded seriously.Li Shubai asked from the side, "What about the Lingling incense?"

Wang Yun explained, "That night while patrolling the streets, I encountered them investigating the case and joined in to take a look. I didn’t understand much else about the scene, but I could recognize the scent of Lingling incense. Your Highness knows I have some knowledge in this area."

"You’re the foremost expert in incense in the capital. If you call it 'some knowledge,' who would dare claim mastery?" Li Shubai gestured for him not to be modest and asked, "So there really was the scent of Lingling incense in Sun Laizi’s home?"

"Yes, it was quite surprising to smell it in such a place. But mixed with other odors, the Lingling incense was extremely unpleasant—unforgettable, really." Wang Yun smiled bitterly at the memory of the nauseating stench.

Zhou Ziqin asked Huang Ziguang, "Do you think we should visit Sun Laizi’s home again?"

"Hmm, among these three cases, this is the only one I still have doubts about. Once we uncover how Sun Laizi could have been killed in such a tightly secured home, I believe this case can be closed."

Li Shubai suddenly remembered something and said, "Yang Chonggu, take the Prince of Kui’s warrant and secure Lü Dicui’s release."

Huang Ziguang looked at him in surprise, then nodded gratefully. "Understood."

Now that Qian Guansuo was the prime suspect, Dicui, though involved in the first two cases, was no longer the focus of the Dali Temple’s attention. With the Prince of Kui—who also served as the Minister of the Dali Temple—personally vouching for a commoner like her, there would naturally be no issue in letting her return home to await further summons.

Zhou Ziqin sighed dramatically. "Dicui really... Once this case is closed, she’ll surely be charged with obstructing justice. A flogging is unavoidable."

Wang Yun chuckled beside him. "What’s there to fear? His Highness can just say a word to Vice Minister Cui, who can then give a meaningful look to those in charge of the punishment. It’ll be over in no time."

"Such upright methods are beyond someone as righteous as me!" Zhou Ziqin lamented, slapping his forehead.

Seeing Huang Ziguang already heading for the door, Wang Yun stood and said, "I should return to the Imperial Guards as well. Since I’m going the same way as Eunuch Yang, we can walk together."

"Me too, me too!" Zhou Ziqin jumped up. "I need to hurry and butter up Dicui—her cooking is absolutely delicious!"

The three of them descended the stairs together, leaving Li Shubai alone. He stood up and walked to the window, looking down.

The excited Zhou Ziqin bounced around on Huang Ziguang’s left, gesturing animatedly about something.

Wang Yun walked on her right, occasionally glancing at her with his usual smile.

Li Shubai stood there, watching them until they left the Western Market. Under the blazing summer sun, all of Chang’an shimmered with a glaring white light that stung his eyes.

Jing Yu and Jing You stood behind him, both puzzled as to why he suddenly turned away, refusing to look outside any longer.