The Golden Hairpin

Today, Wang Ruo was dressed in a light green silk robe, with intricate floral patterns blooming extravagantly at her sleeves and collar. Her black hair was loosely tied up, adorned only with two or three pink begonia flowers at her temples, exuding an indescribable charm.

When she saw Huang Zixiao approaching, an irrepressible smile spread across her face. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she hurried to the door to greet her, her radiant smile so infectious that even Huang Zixiao was affected. The two of them instantly became as familiar as old friends.

"This morning, Aunt Suqi already told me about the imperial relatives—the dowager consorts, princes, princesses, and so many others in the palace. There are so many, I can hardly remember them all! Then Aunt Suqi said you’d be telling me even more rules. Oh dear, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed already."

Huang Zixiao smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry, Your Highness is bright and quick-witted. You’ll pick them up in no time."

"Not at all! When I was little and learning the zither, even the simplest piece—oh, what was it called? 'Flowing Water'—others learned it much faster than I did. My elder aunt always said I was slow, and it drove me crazy!" She seemed a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. "Are the rules of the prince’s household difficult to learn?"

"They shouldn’t be too bad. Your Highness comes from a centuries-old noble family—your own household’s rules might even be stricter." Huang Zixiao handed her the booklet she had brought, noticing the troubled look on Wang Ruo’s face, and added, "This is only part of the household regulations. Once Your Highness has finished reading, I’ll bring the rest next time."

That afternoon, Huang Zixiao nibbled on snacks while watching Wang Ruo diligently study the household rules. Feeling a bit guilty, she also glanced through them herself—it wouldn’t do for the teacher to be less familiar with the rules than the student.

Still, reading the rules today wasn’t as tense as last night. As she read, her mind began to wander, her gaze drifting around the room until she noticed Wang Ruo holding the book, lost in thought.

Seeing her remain motionless, Huang Zixiao closed her own copy and asked, "What is Your Highness thinking about?"

"I was just... reflecting on some things Aunt Suqi taught me earlier," she replied hesitantly.

Huang Zixiao smiled. "What did Aunt Suqi say?"

"In the chapter on 'Devotion,' she told me: 'A chaste woman does not marry twice. A man may remarry, but a wife must never take another husband. Nowadays, many women in our dynasty leave their husbands’ households out of dissatisfaction—this goes against all propriety. A woman must uphold chastity, remaining faithful to one man for life. The imperial family places even greater emphasis on this.'"

Huang Zixiao nodded. "The 'Admonitions for Women' is foundational reading for young ladies. Aunt Suqi was merely reciting convention. Did it resonate with Your Highness?"

"I... of course, I’ve read it before," Wang Ruo said quickly. "But it made me think of a few things, and now I feel unsettled."

"What things? Would Your Highness care to share them with me?"

"Well... I’ve heard that Empress Wu was once Emperor Taizong’s concubine, and Consort Yang was originally the Princess of Shou’s wife..." she said uncertainly.

Huang Zixiao hadn’t expected such age-old dilemmas. Countless historians had struggled to gloss over these matters—what could she possibly say? She could only smile wryly. "Our dynasty... indeed has some matters that are hard to judge."

"And then, during the Han dynasty, Emperor Wu’s mother, Wang Zhi, had already married and borne children outside the palace before abandoning her husband and daughter, falsely claiming to be unmarried to enter the palace, and eventually becoming empress dowager... isn’t that so?"Huang Zixiao was stunned for a long moment before finally saying, "In our vast land of China with its nine provinces and millennia of history, there will always be one or two extraordinary individuals, but they are after all rare."

Wang Ruo lowered her gaze to the books on the table and hesitantly asked, "Then, Chonggu, what do you think would happen to Empress Wang—a woman who concealed her marital history to enter the palace as empress—if Emperor Jing of Han were to find out?"

Huang Zixiao couldn't help but laugh. "Why trouble yourself over the worries of ancient people? Empress Wang eventually became Empress Dowager Wang, bringing wealth and honor to her entire family. When her son Emperor Wu of Han later learned that his mother had borne a daughter with a commoner, he personally visited and addressed her as 'elder sister.' I believe even the imperial family has emotions, and most matters can be judged by common sense."

"Hmm... I suppose so." Wang Ruo hugged the book to her chest, but her expression remained distant and distracted. Huang Zixiao silently reviewed what she had just said but couldn't pinpoint anything significant. Following Wang Ruo's gaze, she noticed a peony placed on the table.

It was that very Qiliuli peony, now displayed in a wide crystal basin with shallow water at the bottom, just enough to nourish the stem and sustain the bloom. Yet the flower was already showing signs of fading, its petals slightly curled, with one or two already fallen.

Seeing Huang Zixiao staring at the flower, Wang Ruo's face suddenly flushed crimson. She lowered her head, fidgeting with the book in her hands, her expression one of bashful discomfort.

How strange. Judging by her reaction, it seems she truly has feelings for Prince Kui. Huang Zixiao mused silently, deeply sensing Wang Ruo's youthful infatuation and longing for Li Shubai. For a moment, she felt a strange confusion, as if infected by Wang Ruo's emotions.

Wang Ruo gently stroked the Qiliuli peony in the water and whispered timidly, "Chonggu, you must be laughing at me in your heart."

"Why would I laugh at you?" Huang Zixiao replied with a smile.

Shyly covering her face with her hands, Wang Ruo murmured, "I don’t know if you can understand how I feel... I’ve always imagined what my future husband would be like, what kind of life I would lead, what kind of person would make me feel like ivy clinging to a mighty tree... But the moment I was led into the back hall and looked up to see Prince Kui, I understood everything in an instant. It was as if I could see the path of my entire life laid out before me, and suddenly, I wasn’t afraid of the future anymore... I saw him standing in the light, holding this peony in his hand, his entire being as pure and radiant as jade... In that moment, I knew—he was the one for me..."

Huang Zixiao thought back to Wang Ruo's first meeting with Li Shubai and privately disagreed with her romanticized recollection. Still, she smiled and said, "Judging by your expression at the time, I could tell."

"You mustn’t tell anyone else."

"Of course." Huang Zixiao sat beside her, watching her flushed cheeks and the earnest longing in her eyes. Suddenly, like a fleeting dream, a memory surfaced—a dusk in early summer, a pond teeming with dragonflies, herself turning around with an armful of lotus blossoms to see a young man gazing at her from afar.

Unconsciously, she was momentarily lost in a haze of emotions. When she snapped out of it, she felt a faint ache in her chest. Turning to see the setting sun, she slowly rose to her feet and said, "I should be going now. You can keep these legal texts to read—they’re quite good for falling asleep to.""Alright." Wang Ruo's hand still unconsciously caressed the peony petals, only making the flower appear even more disheveled.

Huang Zixiang reached the doorway and saw the courtyard filled with wisteria, its enchanting purple hue swirling like mist over the trellis. The golden glow of the spring sunset bathed the wisteria, filling the courtyard with a dazzling interplay of gold and purple. Suddenly, her chest tightened with emotion, sensing the same bashful joy that Wang Ruo had harbored.

So she turned back to look at Wang Ruo and said with a smile, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I won’t tell anyone else—only His Highness, that you still treasure the Qiliuli he once picked for you."

Wang Ruo flushed with embarrassment and annoyance, standing up to stomp her foot. "Oh, you—!"

Huang Zixiang laughed and quickly stepped out.

The carriage from Prince Kui’s residence was already waiting at the Wang family’s gate. She boarded it, and as they passed through the streets of Chang’an, nearing the East Market, the carriage abruptly halted. Wondering who would dare block Prince Kui’s carriage, she lifted the curtain and saw that they had stopped beside a tavern. On the second floor by the window, a figure stood watching below. Clad in purple under the sunset, his radiance mirrored the dazzling gold and purple of the wisteria in Wang Ruo’s courtyard. His usual indifferent gaze rested on her in the carriage below, his features—even more striking in the evening light—betraying no emotion.

Since Prince Li Shubai was watching her from above, she naturally didn’t dare delay. She jumped out of the carriage, entered the tavern, and went upstairs to knock on the private room’s door. It was immediately opened by Jing You, the eunuch who usually attended Li Shubai. Still recovering from a cold, he instructed Huang Zixiang to serve the prince carefully before closing the door behind him.

Inside the room, however, it wasn’t just her and Li Shubai. Also present were Prince Zhao Li Rui and Prince E Li Run, both dressed in plain clothes, as well as a woman sitting before a qin, plucking its strings with deliberate grace. The woman appeared to be in her forties, her features strikingly beautiful though tinged with weariness. When she saw Huang Zixiang enter, she didn’t speak, only nodding slightly before continuing to play, the notes clear and hauntingly beautiful.

Li Shubai noticed her studying the woman and said, "She is Chen Nianniang, a disciple of Dong Tinglan’s lineage. Prince Zhao mentioned she had arrived in Chang’an, so Prince E and I came to listen to her play."

In recent years, Western instruments and music had flourished in the capital, while the seven-stringed qin, often dismissed as "too ancient and bland for modern tastes," had fallen out of favor. Yet Dong Tinglan, during the height of the Tang dynasty, had earned great acclaim for his mastery of the instrument. Even the poet Gao Shi had once written of him: Fear not that none know you along the way—who in the world does not recognize your name?

Huang Zixiang quickly nodded in greeting to the woman.

Beside her, Prince Zhao Li Rui chuckled. "Fourth Brother, this young eunuch seems to have earned your favor. What task kept him busy today?"

"His memory is excellent. I sent him to the Wang residence to instruct them on the laws of the princely household."

"Oh? So besides solving cases, he also shares your talent for memorization?" Li Rui teased.

Li Shubai merely gave a noncommittal hum and said no more. Huang Zixiang noticed the setting sun casting light directly into Chen Nianniang’s eyes, causing her to frown slightly as she lowered her gaze. She walked over and gently lowered the bamboo blind in front of her.

Li Rui laughed again. "This young eunuch is truly attentive."As Chen Nianniang's song reached its finale, the golden notes and jade-like tones resonated clearly through the air, so ethereal that it made one forget worldly concerns. No one responded to Li Rui's words, all still immersed in the lingering aftertones—gentle, peaceful, and benevolent. Chen Nianniang pressed her hand lightly on the qin to steady herself before rising to bow to the assembled guests.

Li Run praised, "Truly magnificent. One can almost envision the style of the great Master Dong himself."

Li Rui added, "Indeed, excellently played. Have you considered joining the Imperial Music Bureau? Perhaps we could recommend you."

Chen Nianniang shook her head slowly. "I am already advanced in years. Now, I teach the qin at the Yunsiao Academy in Jiangnan, living comfortably without worries. I fear I am no longer suited for the Music Bureau."

Li Rui asked, "Then what brings you to the capital this time?"

Chen Nianniang replied, "Years ago, I studied under our master alongside my senior sister, Feng Yiniang. We were very close, supporting each other and keeping each other company through the years. A few months ago, Yiniang suddenly bid me farewell, saying she was escorting the daughter of an old friend to Chang'an and would return in three to four months, or at most one or two. But now, over five months have passed without a single word from her. Worse still, when I inquired everywhere, I found no one who knew why she had come to Chang'an or whom she was escorting. So I came to the capital alone to seek news. Yet not only have I found no trace of her, but my travel funds have also run out. Fortunately, I met some former fellow disciples who introduced me to perform here, allowing me the honor of meeting esteemed patrons like yourselves."

Li Run smiled. "I understand your meaning—you hope we can help locate your senior sister, is that not so?"

"Precisely. If I could learn of her whereabouts, I would be endlessly grateful!"

Li Run said, "Though Chang'an is neither too large nor too small, here’s what we can do: I’ll write you a letter. You may take it to the Ministry of Revenue and have them draft a portrait for your search."

Overjoyed, Chen Nianniang bowed deeply. "There’s no need to trouble them with a new portrait. I carry a small painting of my senior sister and me from a few years ago—it resembles us closely. I can show it to them."

"Even better. Give us the painting, and I’ll write the letter first."

With a glance from Li Shubai, Huang Zixiang obediently went to the door to fetch ink and paper from the shopkeeper. As Li Run wrote the letter, Chen Nianniang sat before her qin, adjusting each string. Huang Zixiang sat across from her, opening the box of rosin powder and carefully applying it to the strings.

Impressed by her attentiveness earlier, Chen Nianniang regarded her fondly. Observing her hands, she asked, "Do you play the qin, young eunuch?"

"I’ve studied the pipa and konghou before, but I lacked patience, so I only learned a little before abandoning them."

"What a pity. Your hands are very well-suited for playing."

Huang Zixiang looked surprised. "No one has ever said my hands were particularly graceful."

"Yet your palms appear strong. For instruments like the qin or pipa, slightly larger hands are advantageous—they allow for wider stretches when pressing the strings."

Huang Zixiang smiled. "Perhaps it’s from playing polo in the past."

At the mention of polo, Li Rui perked up. "Oh? Even a little eunuch like you enjoys polo? We’ll invite you next time we play."

Huang Zixiang quickly demurred, "I’ve only played a game or two before.""I never would have guessed someone as slight as you dares to play polo—that's the kind of sport where people lose arms and legs all the time," Li Rui said, reaching out to pinch his shoulder. Huang Zixiang leaned back slightly and glanced at Li Shubai, who pretended not to notice, merely giving a light cough.

Li Rui chuckled awkwardly and turned back to sit beside Li Shubai. Huang Zixiang continued sorting the rosin powder with lowered head. When he occasionally looked up, he noticed Chen Nianniang's downcast face—her high nose bridge and delicate chin—and thought to himself how much her profile resembled his own mother's.