The Golden Hairpin

The world before her eyes was bright yet hazy.

In the small springtime pavilion, the window was half-open. Outside, clusters of radiant cherry blossoms bloomed in full splendor, so plump and abundant that it seemed the slightest breeze would send them all tumbling from the branches, dissolving into a mist of pink like the glow of dawn.

Huang Zixiang pushed open the window and gazed toward the governor's residence ahead. The morning air was crisp, almost biting, rushing straight at her. Yet her mind was a foggy void, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

Ahead lay the governor's residence—her parents and elder brother lived in the front courtyard, while she, enchanted by the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the garden, had moved into the small pavilion there just a few days prior.

The front courtyard was separated from her by the garden. She could see the layered rooftops, the upturned eaves and ornate brackets, and figures hurrying back and forth in the courtyard, their muffled voices faintly reaching her ears.

A flicker of surprise crossed her mind—why were there so many people in the house today? Hastily throwing on her clothes, she picked a silver hairpin from the dressing table to tie up her hair, then slipped the bracelet lying there onto her wrist.

This was the bracelet Yu Xuan had given her last year. After passing the provincial examination and receiving his first month's stipend from the prefecture, he had chosen a piece of mutton-fat white jade and commissioned a craftsman to carve it. Yu Xuan hadn’t had much money, so the jade wasn’t of the finest quality. Together, they had deliberated for a long time before deciding on a design of two small fish, head to tail, which allowed the flaws in the stone to be carved away while maintaining smooth, flowing lines.

The fishes’ eyes were inlaid with two tiny white seed pearls, delicate and lively. Against the milky-white jade, the pearls were subtle at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the two textures and lusters played off each other beautifully. Many of her close friends had envied it, though no other piece of jade could ever replicate its charm.

As she slid the bracelet onto her wrist, her hand still hovering, she glanced around and realized a thick black fog was creeping in. Everything around her grew indistinct. Lost, she no longer knew where she was, only that the dark mist was slowly enveloping her, as though she would never escape.

Panicked, she looked around and stumbled forward, unsure of where she had come from or where she was going.

A voice called to her from the darkness: "Huang Zixiang… Huang Zixiang…"

She turned, but there was no one. In the abyss, she was utterly alone, searching in vain.

Staring into the surrounding blackness, she murmured, "Who… who’s calling me?"

"You are alone now…"

A cold breath seeped down from above, freezing her entire body. Mechanically, she repeated the words: "I am… alone now?"

"Your father, mother, brother, uncle, grandmother—all dead…"

She stood there, stunned, as a deafening roar filled her skull, leaving only emptiness in its wake.

When the noise finally faded, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. Darkness swallowed her vision, streaked with swirling crimson, as if the blood in her veins had been stirred, her organs twisted and torn apart.

Clutching her chest in agony, she doubled over, gasping for breath. Yet in that moment, a desperate thought surfaced—was this a dream? Just a nightmare returning to haunt her?

Because this unbearable pain—she had endured it countless times before.After her parents passed away, she kept having the same dream over and over—dreaming she had returned to that day, dreaming of all the beautiful spring days crumbling and rotting away, her life forever plunged into irredeemable ruin from then on.

Realizing she was dreaming, the darkness before her eyes suddenly dissipated in an instant.

She found herself standing in the front courtyard, surrounded by clamor. Amid the noisy crowd, her gaze immediately fell upon the bodies of her parents.

Covered with white cloth, they lay quietly on wooden planks placed in the courtyard, on the bluestone ground.

Having seen countless corpses since the age of twelve, she stood before the bodies of her loved ones, feeling no different from before—yet also feeling that since the entire world had already collapsed, it no longer mattered whether it was the same or not.

She heard the voice of Jiang Songlin, the most experienced coroner in the commandery, as if it came from a thousand miles away, yet also as clear as if whispered right beside her ear—

"Examination: Commandery Governor Huang Shimin, his wife Lady Yang, their eldest son Huang Yan, Huang's mother the Dowager Huang, and Huang's cousin Huang Jun—all died of poisoning. Five deceased in total. Huang Yan and Huang Jun showed traces of vomiting in their throats. All five had rice-water-like diarrhea in their lower abdomens, with Lady Yang exhibiting bloody stool. All five displayed signs of abdominal pain and convulsions before death. Upon examination, it is confirmed to be arsenic poisoning."

The nightmare before her shattered in an instant, splintering into countless sharp fragments that pierced her eyes and heart. Excruciating pain surged forth with darkness, engulfing her completely.

Huang Zitang abruptly sat up in bed, gasping in terror, her eyes wide as she stared around her.

The frozen indigo sky, the darkness just before dawn—she sat alone in startled wakefulness, her face streaked with still-warm tears.

She didn’t know where she was, nor where she was headed.

After a long while, the black haze in her mind gradually receded. She was at a courier station in Hanzhou.

After her parents' deaths, she had been falsely accused of poisoning her entire family and was hunted across the land. Disguised, she fled Shu and came to Chang'an, hoping to appeal to the imperial court for a retrial of the wrongful case, to clear the injustice that had befallen her family.

And there, she had met Prince Kui, Li Shubai.

Now, her identity was that of Yang Chonggu, a young eunuch in Prince Kui's household.

She and Li Shubai had set out from Chang'an, traveling south toward Chengdu Prefecture. Hanzhou was now just a day's journey away from Chengdu.

The closer she got, the greater her fear became.

She sat motionless in the darkness for a long time, waiting for the tears on her face to dry before lying back down again. She stared at the sky outside as it gradually brightened.

After half a year of wandering and hardship, she had finally won the chance to return to Shu. The journey to Chengdu Prefecture spanned countless rivers and mountains, and half a year had already passed since the massacre of her family. She didn’t know if she could truly fulfill the vow she had made, to bring justice to the spirits of her loved ones in the afterlife.

That fateful day of tragedy, the unbearable grief that had overwhelmed her, kept reappearing in her dreams, forcing her to relive the helplessness and agony again and again. She repeatedly pondered every possible scenario that might have occurred, but in the end, nothing could be deduced through mere speculation. The only way forward was to return to the scene and re-examine everything.

Perhaps only when the full truth came to light would she finally find release.

Curling into herself, she buried her face in the crook of her arm and stared blankly out the window.

The deep blue sky gradually lightened, the glare of the sun piercing—today would be another scorching day.Rubbing her throbbing temples, Huang Zixiang got up, washed, and went out for breakfast.

The Hanzhou official post bustled with visiting officials, and today's distinguished guest was Prince Kui, Li Shubai. Naturally, the local officials were exceedingly attentive. As a minor eunuch in Prince Kui's retinue, she too was treated with great respect.

Pushing the door open, she saw a bamboo-lined path in the courtyard, flanked by blooming hollyhocks. The towering stems bore clusters of flowers like brocade, dazzlingly vibrant. Also known as "ten-foot red," hollyhocks were most abundant in Shu, their blossoms bright and radiant.

Huang Zixiang remembered the hollyhocks that once grew in abundance at the governor's residence. On summer mornings, before she even rose, Yu Xuan would often tap lightly on her window, presenting her with a hollyhock bloom.

Pink or pale purple, single or double-petaled. She would pin the flowers he gave her in her hair and choose a dress to match. Thus passed a summer, the specific events perhaps forgotten, but the hues of deep reds and light yellows from those days remained vivid in her memory.

Absentmindedly, she reached out to touch a hollyhock petal. Through the blossoms, she saw Li Shubai on the other side of the bamboo path handing his sword to Jing Yi before turning his gaze toward her. The riotous colors of the flowers made his pristine cyan robes stand out sharply amidst the surrounding shades. Amidst the sea of vibrant hues, his cool demeanor alone was breathtaking.

She couldn't help but admire him. From Chang'an to Shu Commandery, across countless mountains and rivers, the journey had been arduous. Every prefecture along the way had turned out in full force, with endless official banquets. She had always managed to avoid them by virtue of being just a minor eunuch, but Prince Kui Li Shubai naturally couldn't escape them—yet this man maintained such discipline. No matter how exhausting the previous day's travel or how late the social engagements, whenever she rose, she always found him already up and exercising, without fail, rain or shine.

Beads of sweat glistened on Li Shubai's forehead as he took a handkerchief from Jing You to wipe them away, walking toward her. Watching his approach, she hurriedly bowed: "Your Highness... good morning."

He gave a slight nod and walked past her without a glance.

She followed him, but after a few steps, he paused and handed her the silk handkerchief.

Puzzled, she reached out to take it, only then noticing the bright yellow hollyhock pollen staining her fingertips.

Lowering her head quickly, she accepted the handkerchief and wiped her fingers clean.