The Golden Hairpin

He walked over with a smile, raising his arms to embrace the child who was rushing toward him, holding him close as he laughed, "So it's A Bao, you still remember me?"

Huang Zixiao silently took a step back, hiding herself behind the large tree at the entrance of the Dali Temple to avoid making the situation awkward.

The Zhang family recognized him as the benefactor who had brought their child home and hurried forward to express their gratitude.

Yu Xuan raised a hand to shield the child from the sun, carrying him into the shade. Zhou Ziqin quickly approached, his face full of admiration, "May I ask your esteemed name, brother? Last time, I heard Second Brother Zhang praising you as an almost celestial figure, and I didn’t believe it. But seeing you today, I’m completely convinced!"

Yu Xuan merely smiled faintly in response, saying, "It was just a small effort, hardly worth mentioning."

He showed no intention of introducing himself, but Zhou Ziqin remained undeterred. "I'm Zhou Ziqin, and my home is near Dong Zhongshu’s tomb in Chongrenfang. May I ask your esteemed name and where you reside? I have quite a few friends in the capital who would surely adore someone like you. We could arrange to compose poetry together, enjoy the winding stream feasts, play polo, welcome spring, or travel the mountains and rivers... Ah, but first, what should I call you, brother?"

Faced with someone like Zhou Ziqin, it was nearly impossible to shake him off. So Yu Xuan had no choice but to set the child down and clasp his hands in a polite salute. "I am Yu Xuan, an instructor at the Imperial Academy."

"What? You're an instructor at the Imperial Academy?" Zhou Ziqin jumped in surprise. "That's so unfair! Back when I was at the Imperial Academy, all the instructors were white-bearded old men! If someone like you had been teaching then, would I have skipped class every day to go bird-nesting?"

Yu Xuan explained, "I was recommended to the capital only a month ago. Fortunately, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy saw fit to appoint me temporarily to teach the Rites of Zhou."

"That’s incredible! You're so young—how did you become an instructor at the Imperial Academy? I still can’t recite the Rites of Zhou by heart." At this point, Zhou Ziqin paused, then asked, "An instructor at the Imperial Academy... Yu Xuan?"

Yu Xuan nodded and said nothing more.

Huang Zixiao observed Zhou Ziqin’s expression—a mix of astonishment and curiosity—and knew he must have recalled the rumors circulating in the capital about Yu Xuan’s unusual relationship with Princess Tongchang.

A dark emotion welled up in her heart, making her lean unconsciously against the tree behind her, silently listening to her own breathing.

Yu Xuan paid no attention to Zhou Ziqin’s strange reaction. Still smiling, he bent down to stroke A Bao’s hair before turning to Zhang Xingying and Zhang Xingwei. "I have some matters to attend to at the Imperial Academy, so I must take my leave now."

Zhang Xingying quickly pulled Dizhui forward. "This is my... fiancée. We’ll be getting married soon. You must come to the wedding feast—please don’t refuse!"

Yu Xuan glanced at Dizhui and nodded with a faint smile but said nothing.

A Bao, however, clung to his hand, unwilling to let go, calling out, "Brother, brother..."

Yu Xuan turned back, crouching to meet A Bao’s gaze. With a gentle smile, he said, "Be good now. Didn’t you like eating lotus seed pods before? I’ll go see if I can find some for you. If I do, I’ll bring them back, alright?"

A Bao tilted his head in thought, then released Yu Xuan’s sleeve and nodded. "Okay. I want... two.""All three are fine," Yu Xuan said with a smile, ruffling the child's hair before standing up to bow to them. He then turned and walked toward the path ahead, disappearing around a corner.

Zhou Ziqin remarked admiringly, "A man who knows how to charm children."

Huang Zixiang leaned against the tree and murmured to herself, "Yes... someone who's always known how to deceive children."

For a fleeting moment, a summer scene flashed before her eyes—lotus swaying in the breeze, bathed in the golden glow of sunset. The younger version of herself gazed up at Yu Xuan as he bent down to look at her. His deep, serene eyes clearly reflected her image—but in an instant, it vanished, never to be seen again.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself before stepping out from behind the tree.

The moment Zhou Ziqin spotted her, he boasted, "Chonggu! Where were you just now? Did you see that man? In my twenty years in Chang'an, I've never met someone so radiant and extraordinary. It would be such a shame if you missed him!"

Huang Zixiang hesitated, unsure how to respond, when a rider came galloping from the direction of Daming Palace. The messenger dismounted and hurried inside, calling out, "Where is Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Cui Chunzhan?"

Cui Chunzhan quickly emerged to greet the palace envoy. "Eunuch, what is His Majesty's decree?"

The eunuch, Feng Yiquan, a close attendant of the emperor, announced in a booming voice that echoed throughout the yamen: "By His Majesty's decree, the criminal who murdered Princess Tongchang shall be executed by a thousand cuts. The entire family, regardless of age, shall be exterminated."

Huang Zixiang and Zhou Ziqin exchanged glances, both stunned.

Zhang Xingying and Dicui tightened their grip on each other's hands, their palms cold and clammy with sweat.

Zhou Ziqin leaned closer to Huang Zixiang and whispered, "Should we still investigate?"

Huang Zixiang countered, "What do you think?"

"Of course! How can we abandon a case before uncovering the truth?" Zhou Ziqin declared fervently, clenching his fists against his chest.

Huang Zixiang nodded. "Let's go."

"Where to?" Zhou Ziqin asked eagerly.

"Daningfang, to Sun Laizi's house."

When Huang Zixiang and Zhou Ziqin arrived at Sun Laizi's residence, a stocky, middle-aged man was already waiting anxiously. Spotting them, he hurried over. "Are you Eunuch Yang? I'm Chu Qiang from Qian's Carriage Shop. I was the one who led the team to repair Sun Laizi's house last time."

"Ah, Manager Chu," Huang Zixiang greeted him as Zhou Ziqin tore off the seal on the door.

Inside, everything remained as it had been during their last visit, though the air was now stifling and thick with the smell of mildew after days of being sealed shut.

After inspecting the doors, windows, and floor once more, Huang Zixiang said to Chu Qiang, "Your work is indeed well done. The doors and windows are very sturdy."

"Exactly! That's why Qian's Repairs has such a good reputation in the capital—everyone prefers hiring us!" Chu Qiang said proudly, patting the solid wooden window frame. "Look at this window—once it's latched, even an iron rod couldn't pry it open! And this door bolt? Five strong men couldn't break it down!"

Huang Zixiang nodded in agreement as she walked around the room.The interior of the house remained in complete disarray, with the chaotic talismans, Buddha statues, and wooden carvings still hanging on the walls. Chu Qiang pointed at them and said, "When we arrived, all these things were already on the walls. Sun Laizi, that scoundrel, must have done something wicked—he plastered these everywhere, probably fearing divine retribution!"

Huang Zixiao asked, "You knew he had no money and that he was no good. Why did you agree to help him repair the house and reinforce the doors and windows?"

"Ah, well, I heard that Sun Laizi was actually quite wealthy. Boss Lü from the incense shop said he had compensated him a hefty sum, which was why he let Sun Laizi off the hook. I figured, if he had money, why not take the job? So I agreed. Who knew that after paying up, the bastard was left penniless? Not only did Boss Qian curse me out, but now the man’s dead too—what a mess!" Chu Qiang grumbled bitterly, his face full of regret. "That Lü Zhiyuan is a real piece of work. He was supposed to come along to install the lamp brackets, but the moment he saw it was Sun Laizi’s house, his face turned pale. He cursed Sun Laizi up and down, left without installing anything, and didn’t even bother to tell us Sun Laizi was broke!"

Zhou Ziqin had no interest in these petty disputes over a few hundred or thousand coins. While they were talking, he peeled off the wooden plaque of Guanyin’s mercy, the painting of the Child-Giving Guanyin by the bed, and a few random talismans from the walls to inspect them. But he found nothing unusual behind them—just solid walls—and sighed in disappointment.

Huang Zixiao remarked, "If the outer walls are intact, how could there be any hidden cavities inside?"

"Just in case," he replied, then stepped onto the threshold to reach for the small iron plaque depicting Mulian Rescuing His Mother nailed above the door.

To his surprise, the seemingly hanging plaque didn’t budge at all. Zhou Ziqin let out a puzzled "Huh?" and knocked on it, only to realize it was actually embedded into the wall—a hollow, narrow box.

Chu Qiang quickly explained, "Oh, that one can’t be taken down. It’s a small iron box built into the wall—a lintel decoration for the door."

"A lintel decoration? What’s it for?" Zhou Ziqin asked.

Chu Qiang said, "Originally, our Boss Qian learned this from merchants from the Western Regions. They liked decorating their doors with a hollow, narrow iron box the same width as the door. It acts as a buffer between the wooden door and the earthen wall, preventing the frame from warping. Nowadays, they’re made with openwork designs, so they look nice too. It caught on in the capital, and we ordered hundreds from the blacksmith. They’re almost all used up in less than a year. This one was just a random one I picked—the pattern looks like… Mulian Rescuing His Mother, right?"

"Seems so," Zhou Ziqin replied. He grabbed a stool to stand level with the iron box and examined it. "It’s openwork, but it’s all blackened. A bit of paint would’ve made it much prettier."

The iron box was long and narrow, matching the door’s width but only about two inches tall. The side facing inward was openwork, carved with the scene of Mulian Rescuing His Mother, while the outward-facing side was solid, painted with auspicious patterns—though the design was now cracked and faded, looking rather unsightly."There was lacquer... Huh? I clearly gave him a brand new one, how does this look like it's been used for years? Who turned it into this grimy mess?" Chu Qiang frowned as he looked up at the blackened iron box. "What's going on? It's only been a few days, how did it get sooty? It was painted before!"

Zhou Ziqin peered through the hollowed-out patterns and wrinkled his nose. "So dirty... full of black ash."

Huang Zitang fetched a stool from the side and stood on it to look inside the iron box. The exterior lacquer had turned charred black as if scorched by fire, while the inside was indeed filled with black ash. In the corners, there were several streaks where fingers had brushed against it.

"Someone reached their fingers through the hollowed-out parts and took something from inside," Huang Zitang remarked before turning to ask Chu Qiang, "Can this box be opened?"

Chu Qiang replied, "The iron sheet is quite thin. If you want to open it, just cut it with scissors."

Zhou Ziqin found a rusted pair of scissors in the room and cut through the outer pattern depicting Mulian Rescuing His Mother. What remained was an iron frame filled with thick clumps of black ash, atop which were several scraped marks.

Pointing at the larger mark, Zhou Ziqin said, "This looks like a round object was pulled out."

Then, indicating a finer streak, he added, "And this, something like a thin wire."

Huang Zitang frowned and compared the larger circular mark. "Did you notice? Based on the size of this dragged-out mark, this large circle couldn't possibly have come out through such small hollowed-out holes."

Zhou Ziqin measured the circle with his fingers and then compared it to the hollowed-out iron sheet he had cut. His face showed confusion. "You're right... even the largest hollowed gap isn't big enough for this circle! Look, the longest hollowed parts are these wispy clouds, about two or three inches long, but they're flat..."

"So this thing definitely wasn't round—it just had a curved part like this," she said, scraping off some of the black ash from the box and sniffing it in her palm. A smile involuntarily spread across her face. "Lingling incense."

In the dim, dusty air of the dilapidated room, her smile—as if she had unraveled a divine secret—shone bright and clear. Zhou Ziqin, staring at the smile on her face, was momentarily stunned.

Huang Zitang pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve, scooped up several clumps of the black ash, and wrapped them inside. Noticing Zhou Ziqin still staring at her, she asked, "What is it?"

"Oh..." Zhou Ziqin quickly averted his gaze and fumbled to scrape some of the ash himself. "I... I'll take some back to examine too, see if it's really Lingling incense."