The Golden Hairpin

Huang Ziyao held her spoon and glanced at Li Shubai, who shook his head at her. Then, lowering his voice into a hoarse and unpleasant tone, he said to Zhou Ziqin, "The two of you make a valid point. For now, we’ve only found the horse. I believe he himself has already turned misfortune into blessing and safely overcome this calamity."

"You think so too?" Zhou Ziqin immediately perked up and eagerly replied, "I could tell at a glance that the two of you are extraordinary. May I ask where you’re from and what brings you to Shu Commandery?"

Li Shubai replied naturally, "My surname is Wang, and I hail from the capital. I’ve come to Shu Commandery with my cousin, primarily to admire the landscapes of Sichuan. We plan to stay for a few months."

"Oh! That’s certainly true. The scenery of Sichuan is breathtakingly beautiful, especially sailing down the river through the Three Gorges—from White Emperor City to Nanjin Pass, the misty clouds of Wu Mountain, the wondrous peaks of the Goddess, and the towering cliffs along the way—it’s absolutely awe-inspiring!" Zhou Ziqin enthusiastically recommended. "It’s a pity I’m swamped with work right now, otherwise I’d definitely go for a visit!"

"Captain Zhou is currently responsible for the mounted patrol of the entire city. Finding time for leisure is likely quite difficult," Li Shubai remarked casually.

Zhou Ziqin nodded solemnly. "Exactly! I have to look after the safety of the city’s residents—how could I possibly leave? Besides, with Huang Ziyao setting such a high standard, I can’t afford to slack off. I must do my best to catch up to her!"

Huang Ziyao, expressionless, added another pinch of cilantro to her bowl and drank half of her tofu pudding.

Zhou Ziqin asked her, "Is it good?"

She nodded.

"I think cilantro has a strange taste. I heard the Hu people from the Western Regions prefer it..." As he spoke, he also sprinkled a pinch into his own tofu pudding, took a sip, then quickly picked it out.

A waiter passing by casually remarked, "Back when the late governor’s daughter, Miss Huang, was around, she was famously fond of cilantro. She always added a pinch to her tofu pudding."

"Really?" Zhou Ziqin grabbed another handful and sprinkled it in, drinking happily. "Ah, now that you mention it, it does have a unique flavor!"

Li Shubai turned his gaze to Huang Ziyao, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly with a hint of teasing amusement.

Flattered, Huang Ziyao happily finished the rest of her tofu pudding, cradling her bowl.

Once she set the bowl down, Li Shubai stood up and said to Zhou Ziqin and Zhang Xingying, "My cousin and I plan to explore Chengdu today. We’ll take our leave."

Zhou Ziqin quickly finished his cilantro-laced tofu pudding and said, "It’s getting late—I should hurry out for patrol. If I have time this afternoon, I’d like to check the mountain forest where Prince Kui disappeared..."

"I don’t think you need to search there anymore," Li Shubai said offhandedly.

Zhou Ziqin froze. "Why not?"

"Because..." He leaned in and whispered into Zhou Ziqin’s ear, "I’m already standing right in front of you."

Zhou Ziqin’s eyes widened instantly, his mouth gaping so wide it could have swallowed an egg.

"Don’t be so shocked. With the enemy hidden and us exposed, a disguise was necessary."

Zhou Ziqin finally managed to close his mouth, stammering in a hushed voice, "Then... then what should I do?"

"Pretend nothing happened. First, rein in that look of surprise on your face."

But Zhou Ziqin’s expressions had always been the most animated—asking him to tone it down was nearly impossible. Even if he managed to compose himself slightly, it would only fool someone as guileless as Zhang Xingying."You can invite me to the Governor's residence as your guest. Just say I'm a new friend you've made. Your father should understand what to do."

"Yes..." Zhou Ziqin quickly nodded, then realizing his expression and movements were off again, he hurriedly put on an arrogant demeanor and said, "Hmm, sure. Since you were introduced by Lord Li Ming, what's so difficult about meeting my father? I happen to be free now—let's go quickly!"

Huang Ziguang stood up with Li Shubai. Zhou Ziqin's gaze fell on her, sensing something strangely familiar. As they walked, he kept turning to look at her. Only after they exited did he deliberately fall behind with her and cautiously whisper, "Chonggu?"

Huang Ziguang gave a slight nod.

Instantly overjoyed, he couldn't help but nudge her shoulder with his elbow and was about to throw an arm around her neck.

Li Shubai's back seemed to have eyes as he said coolly, "Don't draw attention."

Zhou Ziqin stuck his tongue out at Huang Ziguang and shrank back, not daring to speak further.

"Introduced by Lord Li Ming? Which Lord Li Ming? No, I won't see them."

Upon hearing Zhou Ziqin mention Lord Li Ming, Zhou Xiang immediately scolded him irritably: "Did they dig up some dried corpse or ancient bones for you again? Why bring strangers to see me when you have nothing better to do?"

"Governor Zhou, you've misunderstood Ziqin this time," Li Shubai interjected with a smile.

Hearing his voice, Zhou Xiang was startled and rose trembling to his feet. When he finally looked up and saw him, he was utterly bewildered, staring for a long moment without daring to speak.

"You're not mistaken, Governor. It is indeed me."

Zhou Xiang immediately dismissed all attendants and bowed deeply: "Prince Kui, forgive this humble official! The assassination attempt on Your Highness in Shu Commandery is entirely my fault..."

"You've only just arrived in Shu Commandery and are still unfamiliar with local affairs. Why should you bear responsibility?" Li Shubai gestured for him to rise, then added, "The mastermind behind this remains unclear. I hope you can assist me by keeping this quiet for now while we swiftly uncover the culprit."

"Yes! This official will strictly follow Your Highness's orders!"

After a pause, Li Shubai asked, "And Princess Qile... how is she now?"

Zhou Xiang sighed deeply, his face clouding with sorrow: "The princess... has tragically passed away!"

Li Shubai silently closed his eyes. Huang Ziguang couldn't see his expression, only the tight line of his lips.

In her ears echoed the words Li Shubai had once told her: During his darkest hour of grief, it was Princess Qile who had held his hand.

Standing silently behind him, she saw his eyelashes tremble slightly. But soon, his voice returned, as cool and detached as ever: "I trust Governor Zhou will arrange her funeral appropriately."

Zhou Xiang hurriedly replied: "We've already dispatched messengers to Chang'an to report her passing. The princess's remains are being carefully preserved."

"How many of my guards managed to escape?"

Zhou Xiang sighed again: "Only about a dozen of Your Highness's guards and eunuchs returned, all with varying degrees of injuries. They're currently recuperating under General Fan the Military Commissioner's care. Does Your Highness wish to visit them and have General Fan call off the mountain search?""I've just escaped danger. If I go to the military governor's residence now and am discovered, wouldn't I just be walking back into a situation where the enemy is hidden while I'm exposed? Besides, letting him continue searching the mountains might help recover more survivors," Li Shubai said, pausing briefly in thought before asking, "Among those rescued, was there anyone whose name began with 'Jing'?"

"Well... this humble official wouldn't know..."

"Never mind," he ceased his inquiry.

Zhou Xiang suddenly recalled another matter and quickly added, "Also, when this official and Governor Fan inspected the site of Your Highness's incident, we found a glass bowl in your carriage containing a small red fish that was still swimming..."

Li Shubai nodded slightly and asked, "Where is it now?"

"With Governor Fan." Naturally, the military governor's authority surpassed that of a prefect, so when he took it, Zhou Xiang couldn't stop him.

"Then let it remain with him for now. I trust the military governor can find someone capable of caring for fish."

Zhou Ziqin felt his life had never been so perfect. Walking down the street, he practically glowed with radiance, dazzlingly brilliant.

The reason? The person riding alongside him on patrol to his left was none other than the renowned capital detective Yang Chonggu, while the man to his right, casually admiring the street scenes, was even more impressive—Li Shubai, the Prince of Kui of the current dynasty.

Being on official business with these two made him feel like the ultimate winner in life!

Although... the official business at hand seemed somewhat trivial...

"Auntie, these lotus pods of yours look quite fresh and tender—but they're spilling into the middle of the street. What if someone rides by too fast and kicks you? Right, right... let me help you move them back..."

"Hey, brother, your sugar figurines are beautifully crafted, but setting them up on such a dusty street isn't hygienic, is it? Let me suggest a better spot—under that big banyan tree over there. Come on, I'll help you move them..."

"Second Miss, no offense, but why is such a lovely young woman like you selling mutton on the street? Yes, the Tang laws don't forbid women from selling mutton, but with your looks drawing all these young men crowding to buy from you, the street's getting blocked, isn't it..."

The Second Miss brandished her cleaver and shot Zhou Ziqin a glare: "What's it to you? The illustrious Deputy Constable Zhou has nothing better to do than meddle in street affairs? Why don't you go up the mountain and find Prince Kui instead? The whole empire would thank you!"

Zhou Ziqin, holding a lotus pod in one hand and a sugar figurine in the other, stood defenseless before her: "Well... the cavalry's already searching the mountain. My going wouldn't help much..."

The Second Miss, chopping ribs for a customer, retorted even quicker: "Then why not visit the mortuary in your spare time? It's nice and cool there, with plenty of corpses awaiting justice for Deputy Constable Zhou to showcase his talents!"

Huang Zizao watched their banter with amusement from behind, studying the Second Miss. She appeared to be under twenty, petite with a charming round face and the fair, delicate complexion common to most young women of Shu, utterly adorable.Zhou Ziqin was utterly defeated and could only turn away dejectedly to mount his horse. Then he said to Huang Zitang, "Speaking of the charity estate, it reminds me of something, Chonggu. This matter... I think there might be an issue, but then again maybe not... In short, I have no leads at all. I've been waiting for you to come and help me!"

"I'll go with you to take a look," Huang Zitang said, then turned to Li Shubai and added softly, "Your health hasn't fully recovered yet, and you shouldn't overexert yourself. Besides, for matters like examining corpses, Ziqin and I can handle it."

Li Shubai nodded and said, "Don't overwork yourself either. After days of travel, you should get some proper rest."

A warm feeling flowed through Huang Zitang's heart as she nodded in response, "Understood."

"And... pay my respects to Princess Qile on my behalf."