The Golden Hairpin

Zhou Ziqin, who used to frequently sneak into the funeral parlor by climbing through windows to peek at the corpses, had finally come into his own. Now he swaggered in on horseback through the main gate and called out to the caretaker inside, "Uncle Jiang, I'm here to see the most beautiful corpse in Shu Commandery!"

Uncle Jiang greeted him with a beaming smile, though there was a hint of awkwardness in his expression. "Ah, Young Constable! You're really too meticulous! Coming to see it again?"

Dismounting, Zhou Ziqin replied, "This time, I'm not just here for myself—I've brought someone else along. This is our new... uh, constable. Quite skilled in solving cases. I brought her to take a look."

Uncle Jiang hastily bowed and nodded, eyeing Huang Zixiang with a puzzled frown. "This young lad... seems vaguely familiar. Have we met before?"

Huang Zixiang, who had dealt with him many times before, simply smiled to avoid complications and didn’t respond.

Uncle Jiang frowned, trying to recall, but as Zhou Ziqin led the way inside, he quickly called out, "Young Constable, Young Constable..."

Zhou Ziqin turned back. "What is it?"

"That... that corpse..." He hesitated, looking troubled.

"Has it decomposed? No way!" Zhou Ziqin panicked. "That can't be! It's stored in such a cold ice cellar—how could it decay so quickly?"

"No, it's not that, but..." Uncle Jiang looked guilty, stumbling over his words. "Earlier, a woman came by, claiming to be the deceased's sister. She wanted to see her sister's remains. She didn’t seem like a bad sort, so... I took her down."

"Where is she now?" Zhou Ziqin asked.

"Inside, paying her respects..." Uncle Jiang fidgeted with his sleeve, which sagged slightly—no telling how much money the woman had given him.

The funeral parlor in Shu Commandery was one of the places Huang Zixiang knew best.

She first went to the records cabinet and retrieved a copy of the autopsy report, which was routinely kept there, flipping through the entries.

The latest entry was labeled "Double Suicide Case at the Fu Residence in Songhua Lane."

The examiner was Jiang Songlin, the local veteran coroner.

Findings: One male corpse, one female corpse.

Male corpse: Height six chi, age 37, slightly plump, dressed in plain fine linen clothes and plain silk shoes. Lying supine on the low bed where Miss Fu usually slept, facial expression slightly contorted, body relaxed and stretched out, with mild signs of diarrhea.

Female corpse: Height five chi and two cun, approximately under 30 years old, well-proportioned, hair in a coiled bun, wearing a gray-purple top, blue skirt, and plain silk-thread shoes. Lying supine to the right of the male corpse. Left hand clasped with the male corpse's right hand—rigor mortis had set in, making their fingers tightly interlocked and difficult to separate. Fingertips of the right hand slightly blackened, possibly stained with pigment.

Examination concluded both corpses showed no signs of external trauma, evidently poisoned. Time of poisoning estimated between the hours of you (5–7 PM) and xu (7–9 PM) the previous day.

Suspected poison: Arsenic.

After carefully reviewing the report, she followed Zhou Ziqin into the mortuary.Inside were several empty bamboo beds, and on one side of the room was the entrance to a cellar. They descended the steps, going deeper and deeper, the air growing colder. Summers in Shu Commandery were scorching, making it difficult to preserve corpses, so two years ago, when the mortuary was renovated, Yu Xuan and she had devised a solution. They dug deep cellars within the corpse storage room, lining the walls thickly with blue bricks and leaving only a few small vents for airflow. Multiple heavy doors were installed, and in winter, ice was stored inside. If the doors weren’t opened too frequently during the height of summer, the ice might last the entire season without completely melting, making it ideal for preserving bodies.

As they descended further, the chill grew more biting. In this icy gloom, the only light came from the small lamps in their hands, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls, intensifying the eerie coldness.

Zhou Ziqin led them into Cellar Xuan. A faint candlelight glowed within, illuminating a woman standing motionless before a corpse.

Though dressed in plain cloth and with her hair simply tied up, her slender and graceful figure made them instantly recognize her.

She was none other than the current Gongsun Daniang—Gongsun Yuan.

Huang Zixiang immediately realized who Zhou Ziqin had referred to as the most beautiful corpse in Shu Commandery.

As the two approached, Gongsun Yuan glanced back at them. The candlelight, refracted by the surrounding ice, surrounded her like shimmering rainbows, making her almost too radiant to look at directly. Even the tears on her face seemed crystalline.

She wiped her tears away and curtsied, her voice hoarse as she said, "Forgive me, Constable Zhou! I rushed here from Yangzhou but failed to see my younger sister one last time. Fearing this would become a lifelong regret, I begged Old Brother Jiang to let me in. Please forgive my intrusion."

Zhou Ziqin quickly replied, "It’s no trouble, as long as you don’t touch or move anything."

"I know... I’ll just stand here and look. I won’t go near or touch her..." As she spoke, fresh tears welled up again. "I know... Aruan must be so cold lying here."

Zhou Ziqin said, "This case is practically closed. It’s certain that she and her lover committed suicide together. Wen Yang has distant relatives who are willing to arrange their burial so they may rest in peace. What do you think?"

Gongsun Yuan gazed at Fu Xinruan’s body and nodded faintly. "Perhaps... wait until my other sisters arrive. At least let them see Aruan one last time."

Zhou Ziqin nodded. "That can be arranged."

Gongsun Yuan bowed deeply in gratitude.

Huang Zixiang carried the lamp to the corpse and motioned for Zhou Ziqin to join her. Seeing that the white shroud covering the body had only been pulled down to the neck by Gongsun Yuan, revealing Fu Xinruan’s face, Zhou Ziqin lifted the entire shroud, exposing her fully.

Huang Zixiang carefully examined Fu Xinruan under the lamplight. Her clothes were neatly arranged—a gray-purple top, a blue skirt, and plain silk shoes—matching the details in the autopsy record. Her figure, as Zhou Ziqin had described, was indeed a rare and flawless specimen. Though frozen stiff and tinged blue, her skin remained smooth and fair, her proportions exquisite. In life, she must have been a beauty of perfect measure—neither too tall nor too short, neither overly flushed nor too pale.After a quick scan, she focused on Fu Xinruan's hands. Her fingers were long and well-proportioned, but the tips of her right fingers indeed showed an uneven black discoloration as described in the autopsy report, standing out starkly against her pale bluish skin.

She examined them for a long time, then reached out to rub the discolored areas. They were icy cold and the black marks didn't come off. She bent down to sniff, but the body had been frozen for too long and emitted no discernible odor.

Frowning slightly, she set Fu Xinruan's hands down and proceeded to inspect the rest of the body. Zhou Ziqin said, "I've already checked twice—it's definitely death by poisoning."

"Yes... indeed it is," she affirmed with a nod, gently pulling the white shroud back over the corpse. The icehouse was bitterly cold, and they were all dressed in summer clothes. After speaking and examining the body here, their hands and feet had long gone numb from the chill. Seeing no further discoveries, Huang Zixiang said to Gongsun Yuan, "Auntie, to prevent the lamps from melting too much ice, perhaps you should go up first."

Gongsun Yuan nodded, casting one last silent glance at Fu Xinruan lying peacefully there before ascending the steps.

Huang Zixiang then went to the Celestial Chamber, where the body of Princess Qile was indeed stored. Her round face still bore the pretty almond-shaped eyes that would never open again. The poisoned needles had been removed, but her body remained a dark bluish hue, a clear sign of the poison's potency.

Zhou Ziqin, standing behind her, said, "No need to look further—death by poisoning."

She slightly lowered the collar of Princess Qile's robe, revealing the needle marks on her neck and chest, which had turned into small black holes.

After a careful examination, Zhou Ziqin added, "These needles appear to have been shot rapidly and densely, likely from a mechanical device rather than manually inserted."

Huang Zixiang nodded, thinking to herself how impressive it was that Li Shubai had managed to dodge those poisoned needles—perhaps it was an instinct honed through long experience.

She pondered the assassin again but came up with nothing. Considering Li Shubai's familiarity with the person, she assumed he must already have a grasp on the matter and thus didn't dwell on it further, gently covering Princess Qile's body with the white shroud once more.

Old Jiang, caught red-handed in his misdeeds today, was eager to atone by being of service and had prepared basins of water and refreshments for them.

After washing her hands, Huang Zixiang invited Gongsun Yuan, "Auntie, please join us for some tea and snacks. There are still a few things we'd like to verify with you regarding your youngest sister. We'd greatly appreciate your insights."

Gongsun Yuan nodded and knelt at the table with them. Zhou Ziqin personally served tea and eagerly offered pastries.

But Gongsun Yuan had no appetite for the refreshments. Holding her teacup, she said, "Eighteen years ago, we were six sisters who admired each other's talents and pledged sisterhood in Yangzhou, vowing lifelong support and companionship. At the time, an old friend of mine spent a fortune to build the Yunsiao Court for us, so people called us the Six Ladies of Yunsiao."

Zhou Ziqin said, "I've heard of this in the capital from Jinnu."

"Yes, Jinnu was the disciple of my second sister, Wanzhi. After Wanzhi disappeared, Jinnu became the foremost pipa player in Yangzhou."

Huang Zixiang didn't know whether Gongsun Yuan was aware of Jinnu's death, but she suspected Gongsun Yuan didn't know that Jinnu had died at the hands of her long-lost second sister, Mei Wanzhi."Each of us has our own strengths. For instance, I excel at vigorous dances, Third Sister Landai is skilled in soft dances, Fourth Sister Yin Luyi was once renowned for her unparalleled singing voice... But Ruan is different from all of us. She wasn't one to appear in public performances, because her expertise lay in choreography." Gongsun Yuan sighed softly and continued, "A few years ago, Ruan was invited by several song and dance academies in Shu to help them compose a grand musical piece. Originally, she was supposed to return in two months, but then she met Wen Yang, and her stay kept extending month after month. In her letters, she mentioned that Wen Yang's wife had passed away early, and we thought it wouldn't be a big deal for her to become his second wife, so we let her stay. Later, because Wen Yang's parents opposed their son marrying a woman from the entertainment class, Ruan returned to Yangzhou for a few years. It wasn't until the autumn of the year before last that she reunited with Wen Yang in another city and learned that both his parents had passed away, so she followed him back to Shu Commandery. Last month, she wrote to inform us that Wen Yang's mourning period was over and they were about to get married. All of us sisters got in touch, and Third Sister from Puzhou and Fourth Sister from Suzhou had agreed to come together. Only I, being the eldest sister, wanted to come early to help with the wedding preparations, so I set out before the others. Who would have thought that upon arriving in Shu Commandery, I would be greeted with the tragic news of Ruan's death..."

At this point, she couldn't help but become emotional, her eyes brimming with tears that she struggled to hold back. She looked at Zhou Ziqin and said, "I heard that you, Young Master Zhou, are the Chief Constable of Shu Commandery appointed by the Emperor. I believe you must also find it impossible to believe—my youngest sister Ruan, after waiting for so long, was finally about to unite with her beloved. With no obstacles left and their love so deep, why would they choose to commit suicide together just before their wedding? I think there must be more to this story!"

Zhou Ziqin nodded and said, "This is indeed against common sense!"

Huang Zixia then asked, "Did Wen Yang have any troubles in his life?"

"Not at all. I even visited Wen Yang's neighbors. They said that after his parents and wife passed away, he lived a reclusive life and rarely interacted with others. His family owned mountain forests, which provided a good annual income, so he spent his days at home reading and painting. He was a man of gentle temperament, which matched what Ruan had written to us in her letters."

"Then, did your sixth sister show any unusual behavior before her suicide?"

"I don't know... Ruan was skilled in choreography and composing music, so she usually kept to herself. In Chengdu, she only rented a small house with a single maidservant. Now that she was about to marry into the Wen family, that maidservant had already been dismissed and sent home, and we couldn't find her." Gongsun Yuan shook her head tearfully. "The song and dance academies she used to help with choreography only said that two days before her suicide, she went to bid them farewell. At that time, she was radiant and full of life, making it truly unimaginable that she would take her own life with Wen Yang just a few days later..."

Huang Zixia nodded thoughtfully. "From what you've said, it is indeed very strange. After waiting for ten years, with all obstacles gone, they chose to commit suicide just before their wedding. No matter how you think about it, it's baffling."

"That's why I hope Young Master Zhou can thoroughly reinvestigate this case. Gongsun Yuan would be eternally grateful!" She looked at Zhou Ziqin with tear-filled eyes, and he couldn't help but nod, saying, "Don't worry, as the Chief Constable of Shu Commandery, it's my duty to take on this case!"