The Golden Hairpin

West of Shu Commandery, by the Ginkgo Ridge on the outskirts of the city, lay countless graves facing south.

"They say this land has excellent feng shui, so many wealthy people buy burial plots here. After Huang Shijun met an unnatural death and Huang Zixiang fled, his clan declined, and there was no one to collect his remains. A few local gentry pooled money to bury him here," Zhou Ziqin said, holding tools he had just brought from home. He circled the modest grave and sighed while reading the inscription on the tombstone. "Huang Zixiang's name isn't on the stele."

Li Shubai replied indifferently, "It will be added eventually."

"I wonder if Huang Zixiang has ever come to visit her parents' grave," Zhou mused, searching for a gap in the blue-bricked tomb to start working. "If that's the case, if I secretly kept watch here every day, I’d surely catch her when she sneaks back to Shu to pay respects. Then I’d jump out, grab her, and say, 'Let’s work together to solve the mystery of your parents' deaths!' What do you think, Your Highness? Would Huang Zixiang be so moved that she’d stay by my side and help me crack all the unsolved cases in the world..."

"No," Li Shubai coldly interrupted.

Zhou Ziqin, utterly oblivious to social cues, continued cheerfully, "You're right. So my current approach is correct—I’ll team up with Chonggu first to solve the Huang family case. Once that’s done, Huang Zixiang will surely return to Shu Commandery to thank me. Then I’ll say to her—"

As if Huang Zixiang were standing right before him, Zhou waved his hand and laughed heartily, "No need for formalities, Huang Zixiang! This is all in a day’s work for a constable like me! If you really want to thank me, just stay. Let’s join forces to solve cases for the good of Shu’s people and make a name for ourselves!"

Li Shubai, somewhat exasperated, steered the conversation elsewhere. "Where do you think we should start digging?"

After examining the nearby tombs of the matriarch and the uncle, Zhou said, "Digging up five graves in one night is too much. The uncle’s tomb, though also bricked, is much smaller. Besides, the local gentry only buried him as an afterthought—the work’s shoddy. I think we can dig a slanted tunnel from the back and reach the coffin by dawn."

Following the tombstone’s orientation, the two began digging a diagonal tunnel from the rear. The freshly buried soil was loose, and they soon reached the burial chamber. After removing the bricks, they uncovered one end of the coffin.

"This should be the head side. We’ll snip a lock of hair from here too," Zhou muttered as he pried open the coffin lid. "We’re lucky this time. Back in Chang’an, there was a suspicious case where the Dali Temple ordered an exhumation. The family was so rich they’d mixed the grave soil with egg whites and glutinous rice paste—after years of weathering, it was hard as iron. The Dali Temple team dug for four or five days just to reach the burial chamber. Then they found the brick seams sealed with molten copper, airtight as a cage. In the end, we had to dismantle the whole thing..."

"Did your father dismantle you afterward?" Li Shubai asked.

Zhou stuck out his tongue. "Your Highness truly sees all."As dawn approached, Li Shubai returned to the inn and noticed a faint light still glowing from Huang Zixiao's room. Hesitating for a moment, he saw the kitchen staff already preparing breakfast and asked them to prepare two bowls of noodle soup before knocking on Huang Zixiao's door.

Huang Zixiao answered the door, her eyes red from staying up all night waiting for his news.

Li Shubai placed the food on the table, gesturing for her to eat something.

With the approaching dawn and a solitary lamp in the room, Huang Zixiao held the warm bowl of noodle soup, silently gazing at him.

He looked at her and finally spoke, "It's poison—confirmed."

Huang Zixiao abruptly stood up, nearly knocking over the bowl. Li Shubai calmly reached out to steady it and said, "Hear me out first."

She bit her lower lip and nodded, though she couldn't suppress the slight trembling in her body. Forcing herself, she pressed a hand to her throbbing temples, trying to steady herself as she looked at him.

"Emotions cloud judgment. Though you're usually composed, this involves your family—it's natural to be overwhelmed. That's why I didn’t let you come with us. I feared you might lose control in the moment."

"Yes... I understand," she murmured.

"Now that there’s a major breakthrough in your parents' case, I believe your vindication is within reach." He pushed the bowl toward her. "But for now, the most important thing is to take care of yourself. If you’re consumed by grief, how can you clear your family’s name?"

She nodded silently, then picked up the bowl and finished every last bite before setting it down to look at him.

The faint light of dawn crept across the sky, heralding another summer morning.

Only then did Li Shubai continue, "Based on the poison’s properties, your parents—like Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang—were killed by a second refinement of the toxin. So, the culprit couldn’t possibly be you, who only had arsenic."

She nodded again, barely holding back tears as she whispered, "Yes... All these days, I’ve been searching for a way out, but every piece of evidence pointed to me. Now, at last, there’s decisive proof—my guilt can finally be overturned..."

"Indeed. A sliver of hope in a barren wasteland." Li Shubai’s voice was low, tinged with exhaustion. He and Zhou Ziqin had spent the night exhuming graves, disregarding his usual fastidiousness—even handling strands of hair clipped from the corpses (though he’d worn the gloves Zhou Ziqin provided).

But in her agitation, Huang Zixiao forgot to thank him, asking instead, "My parents' remains... how are they now?"

"Since the symptoms and food traces matched across all five victims, and time was pressing, we only tested hair from your uncle and elder brother. Both confirmed poison. I think we should let Ziqin leak this discovery, then formally re-examine your parents' bodies. If it’s confirmed, we can overturn your conviction and reopen the case."

"My mind... is in chaos. I don’t even know what to do..." As she spoke, she pulled a hairpin from her bun and slowly traced lines on the table.At first, her hand trembled, the lines she drew hesitant and slow. But as she continued, her strokes grew faster and faster, with the poison at the center connecting lines that branched out in all directions. As she drew, she softly voiced her questions one by one:

"First, where did the poison come from? Is the perpetrator connected to the palace? Could it be the same person?"

"Second, what links the tragedy in my family to Fu Xinyuan's case, given the same poison was used? Where do their paths cross?"

"Third, how was the poison administered into the lamb trotter soup I personally served?"

"Fourth, where did Fu Xinyuan and Wen Yang obtain the poison? Why choose this method for their suicide pact?"

Li Shubai looked over the questions she had listed and, after a moment's thought, said, "Among these, the third and fourth points seem the easiest to investigate. It's still early now—let's rest first. In the afternoon, we'll go to the governor's residence. I've already asked Ziqin to look into everyone who might have had access to that bowl of lamb trotter soup. By this afternoon, we should have some answers."

The governor's residence of Chuanshu Commandery was located in the heart of Chengdu Prefecture, its high walls enclosing most of the street.

Entering through the main gate, one would first see the official hall. To the left was the largest treasury in Shu Commandery, to the right were the quarters for the three shifts of constables, and behind lay the governor's private residence, beside which was a small garden.

This was a place Huang Ziyao could navigate blindfolded. Her most cherished youthful days had been buried here forever with that bloody incident.

She followed Li Shubai through the side entrance into the constables' office, where Zhou Ziqin was lounging with his feet up, munching on pine nut candies. Seeing them arrive, he quickly handed each a piece before pulling out a scroll from his robe. "Come on, let's go over this," he said.

It was just past noon, and the office was empty.

"Last night, after His Highness and I cut our hair and resealed the grave as it was, we immediately returned to my courtyard to test the poison. It was indeed the same poison," Zhou Ziqin declared proudly. "His Highness then ordered me to investigate everyone in the residence. With my connections and status, gathering this kind of information was a breeze!"

He unrolled the scroll, which was meticulously detailed. Though Zhou Ziqin's handwriting was nothing special, it was neat and legible, making it easy to read:

"Cook No. 1: Lu Songniang, in charge of kitchen provisions. On the night of the incident, she was the one who locked away the leftover lamb trotter soup along with other ingredients. Current status: Her son fell ill the day before yesterday, and she borrowed two strings of cash from the gatekeeper, Ah Ba.

Cook No. 2: Liu Siniang, responsible for the stove, overseeing two kitchen maids. On the day of the incident, she was cooking in the kitchen with one of the maids. Current status: Mostly unchanged, except she recently acquired a small silver ring and has been showing it off to everyone.

Cook No. 3: Qian Daniang..."

"Laborers No. 1, 2, 3..."

"Maids No. 1, 2, 3, 4..."

Huang Ziyao couldn't help but admire Zhou Ziqin's efforts. There were over forty people in the governor's residence, yet he had managed to gather detailed information on every single one in just a morning—down to the smallest details. He was even more thorough than the most gossipy women in the marketplace.

"Well... I usually pay attention to these things. It's part of a detective's daily training, right?" Zhou Ziqin said righteously. "I'm sure Huang Ziyao also keeps a close eye on such matters."

"I don't think so," Huang Ziyao replied, her lips twitching slightly.Li Shubai gave her a faintly amused glance, skimmed through the materials in a matter of seconds, then tossed them onto the table and said, "So, after a whole morning of investigation, you've found that no one is a suspect?"

Zhou Ziqin finally showed a hint of embarrassment, "Y-yeah. Because the poison used is a secret drug reserved exclusively for the imperial family. If someone had given it to a servant in the household to administer, the poisoner would either have been killed or risen to great favor as a trusted confidant. But now, no one has undergone any changes, which clearly indicates that no one involved in the poisoning has formed any connections with higher-ups or experienced any shifts in status."

Huang Zixiao nodded, affirming his reasoning, "Ziqin's analysis is spot-on this time."

Zhou Ziqin immediately puffed up with pride, "See? I'm actually quite talented. Given time, with Huang Zixiao and me working together, Chonggu, your title as the capital's top detective might not be safe anymore—hahaha!"

Huang Zixiao and Li Shubai exchanged helpless glances and unanimously decided to ignore him.

"So, our next breakthrough will have to come from the case of Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang's double suicide."