The Golden Hairpin

"Right now, the entire Chengdu Prefecture and surrounding regions are searching the mountains where the incident occurred. The military governor has dispatched thousands of men, planning to comb through the area meticulously. As long as Prince Kui has even a sliver of life left, he should be found soon."

As the crowd spoke, someone shook their head and sighed, "Prince Kui had an accident within our Shu Commandery. Forget about the newly appointed Prefect Zhou—I doubt the entire Shu Commandery can escape blame."

"Not just Shu Commandery. The current balance in the court relies entirely on Prince Kui's support. Without him, the court would fall back into the eunuchs' hands. Now that something has happened to Prince Kui, the only ones who stand to benefit are probably..."

The speaker suddenly ducked his head and changed the subject, "It's getting dark. Looks like they'll be searching through the night."

"Let's hope for good news by tomorrow morning... If only Prince Kui could return unharmed."

As the crowd dispersed, Huang Zixiang looked up at Li Shubai on horseback and asked softly, "Should we head to Prefect Zhou's residence first?"

Li Shubai shook his head. "I think there are definitely people who'd be happy to see me missing. Let's find an inn first and let them enjoy themselves for a few days."

Chengdu Prefecture was bustling with merchants and travelers, and the streets were lined with inns. They chose a clean and quiet one tucked away in an alley to stay.

Exhausted from days of travel, they asked the innkeeper for hot water to bathe thoroughly. After Huang Zixiang helped him change his bandages, they immediately went to sleep.

When Huang Zixiang woke the next day, her entire body ached. Just like when she had fled from Shu Commandery before, running through wilderness day after day, she had kept her nerves taut and pushed through. But the moment she stopped, exhaustion hit her all at once, and every pain came rushing in.

She lay in bed for a while, staring blankly at the sunlight streaming through the window. She didn’t know what day it was, nor where she was headed. Outside the window, vibrant hollyhocks swayed, their deep purples and soft pinks glowing under the sunlight, like smudged rouge stains.

For a fleeting moment, she felt as if she were still that pampered young lady from the prefect's household, living a nearly perfect life—born into privilege, beautiful, renowned, with someone by her side to admire flowers together...

That person.

She thought of Yu Xuan, then sighed.

The moment he submitted her love letters as evidence to Military Governor Fan Yingxi, it was truly over between them.

What was the point of thinking about him now?

At this point, dwelling on him was pointless. She’d be better off focusing on the case ahead or what she and Li Shubai needed to do today.

She dressed and sat before the mirror, troubled. Before, she could disguise herself as a eunuch, using her delicate features to pass as a man. But now that Li Shubai was also traveling incognito, how could she pose as a eunuch? Moreover, she was in Shu Commandery, where many had seen her before. In her current state, she’d be recognized at a glance.

As she pondered, a soft knock came at the door.

She stood and walked over, asking quietly, "Who is it?"

"It's me. I have something for you," came Li Shubai's voice.

She quickly opened the door. Li Shubai stood outside, handing her a bundle. He had changed clothes and altered his appearance slightly—now looking gaunt and ordinary, though his tall, upright figure still made him stand out.

Huang Zixiang took the bundle and asked, "So early... Has Your Highness already been out?""Hmm, now that I'm surnamed Wang, let's call me Wang Kui." He followed her inside, watching as she naturally opened the small package he handed her and took out its contents without the slightest surprise. Then, facing the small bronze mirror in the inn, he carefully applied yellow powder to his face, used a bit of glue to pull the corners of his eyes downward, darkened his eyebrows, and added a few freckles.

In the mirror appeared a young man with an ordinary, listless appearance—someone no one would give a second glance.

Casually, he asked, "How do you know about disguises?"

"Back when I was with the constables, what kind of underworld tricks didn't I pick up?" she replied, turning to smile at him. "But for a prince to know this is rather strange."

"I read about it in the Dali Temple archives," he said briefly, turning to head out the door. "Come, let's have breakfast."

Huang Zixiang quickly bound her chest, changed clothes, and followed him to the front of the inn for their meal.

The inn was tucked away in an alley—quiet, but with few guests as a result. The handful of people having breakfast were all lodgers from the previous night.

They sat at a table together. Huang Zixiang nibbled on a steamed bun while Li Shulang casually added a pinch of chopped celery leaves to the wonton soup in front of her.

Halfway through her bowl, Huang Zixiang noticed the guests at the neighboring tables all turning their gazes toward the entrance. Some were even craning their necks like ducks, staring intently ahead.

Holding her spoon, she looked up toward the door.

A wisp of light, graceful cloud drifted slowly into the inn.

No—not a cloud, but a slender, elegant woman stepping inside. She appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in the simplest travel attire: a narrow-sleeved cloth gown, with nothing adorning her except a silk ribbon tying her hair, a cloth bundle on her back, and plain cloth shoes.

Yet this woman moved with a grace more delicate than a maiden’s, like willow branches swaying in the breeze—utterly captivating.

Though plainly dressed and beautiful, what truly drew the eye was the way she carried herself. Even without seeing her face, one could tell her every gesture was a sight to behold, inspiring involuntary admiration.

Huang Zixiang was momentarily spellbound, thinking, She must have been a peerless beauty in her youth. Even now, her grace is utterly mesmerizing.

Yet this beauty wore an expression of deep sorrow, weighed down by heavy thoughts.

She sat by the window, lost in contemplation. After a few sips of porridge, she rested her delicate chin on her hand, gazing silently at the green willows outside.

Noticing Huang Zixiang’s lingering gaze, Li Shulang tapped the table twice. "Finish up. We have things to do later."

Huang Zixiang murmured an acknowledgment and quickly finished her wonton soup. When she glanced back at the woman, she saw her take a jade bracelet from her bundle, staring at it in a daze.

Huang Zixiang’s hand suddenly went slack. The spoon clattered onto the table.

That jade bracelet—she knew it all too well.The mutton-fat white jade bracelet was carved with two slender, sinuous fish, each holding the other's tail in its mouth, forming a perfect circle amidst the rippling waves. The fish were hollowed out inside, allowing light to pass through, creating an exceptionally soft and radiant glow. The eyes of the fish were tiny pinkish-white rice-grain pearls, inlaid into the white jade. The luster of the pearls complemented the brilliance of the jade, exquisitely crafted and dazzling to behold.

This was the jade bracelet Yu Xuan had given her.

He had bought it with the silver awarded to him by the prefecture after passing the imperial examinations. It had accompanied her through countless dawns and dusks, and her wrist had long grown accustomed to its cool touch. When her family met with disaster and she fled Shu Prefecture in haste, the only valuables she had on her were a hairpin in her hair and this bracelet on her wrist.

No one knew the depth of despair she felt when she pawned it. At the time, she had thought that once the bracelet slipped from her wrist, she might never see it again.

Yet, she never imagined that shortly after entering Shu Prefecture, before even reaching Chengdu, she would lay eyes on this bracelet once more.

Li Shubai noticed her sudden change in expression and followed her gaze to the bracelet. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Seeing the beauty had already returned the bracelet to her bundle, Huang Zixiang quickly stood up and said to Li Shubai, "Wait a moment," before hurrying toward the woman.

The beauty glanced sideways at her, taking in the sallow-faced, utterly unremarkable young man, then turned her eyes away and resumed packing her bundle, preparing to leave.

Huang Zixiang immediately spoke up, "That jade bracelet you just had—I recognize it."

The beauty indeed paused, hesitating as she asked, "You... have seen it before?"

Her voice was slightly hoarse, low and gentle, perfectly matching her demeanor.

Huang Zixiang nodded. "Might I ask where you obtained it? To my knowledge, its original owner pawned it on the road after leaving Chengdu."

"If that's the case, perhaps the pawnshop sold it onward..." The beauty sighed softly and murmured, "This was a keepsake from one of my sisters. I came from Yangzhou to find her, but she had already passed away. This bracelet... was likely a gift from her lover."

Huang Zixiang studied her and instantly understood—she and her sister must have been women of humble origins, and the bracelet she had pawned had been bought by someone and given to her sister.

Huang Zixiang said, "Such is often the way of the world. Many pass suddenly due to illness or accidents. Please accept my condolences."

The beauty silently shook her head but said nothing more.

Huang Zixiang pressed, "Might you be willing to part with that bracelet? The original owner cherished it deeply and has longed to recover it..."

"This was my little sister's token of love from her sweetheart. Now that she's gone, it's the only memento we sisters have left. No matter what, I cannot give it to anyone else," the beauty firmly refused, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing her resolve, Huang Zixiang could only concede. "In that case, forgive my presumption."

She turned and walked back. Li Shubai regarded her thoughtfully. "Was that yours?"

Huang Zixiang replied quietly, "Yes. I pawned it on the road when I fled."

"Do you still want it?" he asked.She thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Forget it. It's a memento for me, and for her as well. The meaning is the same either way."

"Besides, you'll soon get to meet the person who gave you that bracelet, while she will never see hers again."

Li Shubai's voice was cold and detached. Huang Zixiao hadn't expected him to have so clearly discerned her thoughts, and her heart clenched slightly, making it difficult to breathe.

She lowered her head and ate in silence, saying nothing.

Seeing her like this, he felt he shouldn't have spoken such obviously resentful words and changed the subject, lowering his voice. "She is the eldest of the Six Ladies of Yunsao, Gongsun Yuan."

Huang Zixiao was taken aback. "Gongsun the Elder?"

"Yes, a disciple of Li Shi'er Niang. An orphan with no parents, so she took the surname Gongsun after inheriting the mantle. Seventeen years ago, she came to the capital to perform. I was only six or seven then, still living in the palace, and I've never forgotten her. Who would have thought that seventeen years later, she remains such a beauty, and her skills must have only improved."

Huang Zixiao was filled with admiration. "Then she must be at least thirty-five or thirty-six."

"Mei Wanzhi is about the same age."

Huang Zixiao couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. These two women, who had once won fame together for their beauty, now led such different lives—one in simple clothes, wandering the world alone, and the other in luxurious silks, secluded in a palace surrounded by thousands. The unpredictability of fate was truly lamentable.

Yet, who could say which of them was happier?