The Golden Hairpin

Li Shubai gave up his room to Jing Yu and Zhang Xingying, then booked another one for himself. The innkeeper nearly burst into tears at the sight of the bloodstained bedding, but since the room was registered under Zhou Ziqin's name, he could only remind them, "Honored guests, please remember to pay extra for the bedding..."

Before dawn, Huang Zixiang awoke. After washing up and dressing, she stepped out to see Li Shubai emerging from Jing Yu's room. Closing the door softly, he said, "His condition is stable—slight fever, but much better than last night."

Huang Zixiang nodded, relieved.

As they ate breakfast in the front hall, she lowered her voice and said, "Last night, something occurred to me that I'd like to ask Your Highness about."

Li Shubai looked up at her attentively.

"Aside from signs of arsenic poisoning, do victims of poisoned wine show other marks? For instance, blackened fingertips?"

After a brief pause, he asked, "You mean the dark stains on Fu Xinruan's fingers?"

"Yes."

"That shouldn't happen. I believe those stains must have come from another source."

"Then this becomes another major inconsistency," Huang Zixiang murmured. "As a woman—and one of striking beauty—how could Fu Xinruan neglect her appearance before death? Why would she allow her delicate hands to remain stained with unsightly marks after dying?"

Li Shubai nodded in agreement, then inquired, "Speaking of which, I noticed your hesitation yesterday while examining Fu Xinruan's wardrobe and cosmetics. What did you find?"

"This is something men wouldn't understand." Glancing around to confirm they were still alone in the corner, she explained softly, "Your Highness, recall how Fu Xinruan was dressed at death—her hair in a coiled chignon, wearing a gray-purple robe, blue skirt, and plain silk shoes."

He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Her wardrobe contained only light greens and pale pinks. Clearly, she preferred bright, vivid colors. That gray-purple robe looked like faded pearl-purple fabric repurposed as casual wear."

"You mean most women would choose their favorite new clothes for their final moments, not old garments like this?"

"Especially when dying with a lover. Would she really ignore a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes to clasp hands with her beloved in such shabby attire? At the very least, she'd want to look presentable." Huang Zixiang paused, then shook her head. "Though we can't be certain—in utter despair, one might not care about appearances."

"Then our next step is to discover what could have driven them to such despair," Li Shubai concluded.

As they finished breakfast and left the inn, Huang Zixiang finally turned to him, hesitating.

"Speak," he said calmly.

"I just find it strange... Don't you ever think about the recent assassination attempt?" His daily involvement in the investigation made her almost doubt whether that violent attack had truly happened days before.He merely glanced at her lightly and said, "What's the hurry? It won't be long before the next one comes."

"Fine... Since you even know the leader of the assassins, I suppose everything is under your control. I spoke out of turn." She rolled her eyes, returning his glance with one of her own.

Li Shubai saw this expression on her face for the first time and couldn't help but smile slightly. Tilting his head toward her, he said, "I might as well tell you—that leader is..."

Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly fell on a figure ahead, and the words died on his lips.

Standing across the street, his green robes fluttering in the wind, was Yu Xuan, looking as pure and transcendent as ever.

And the person standing opposite Yu Xuan made the two of them exchange a glance—it was none other than Qi Teng, the fiancé of Zhou Ziqin's younger sister.

It was still early, and the streets were sparsely populated. The two men stood by the roadside, engaged in conversation. Yu Xuan's expression was grim; no matter what Qi Teng said, he only shook his head slowly but firmly.

Huang Zixia hesitated, but Li Shubai tapped her shoulder and said, "Come with me."

He led her across the quiet morning street toward the two men.

Huang Zixia followed behind him, head bowed and silent, like a servant.

Just as they were about to reach them, Li Shubai stopped at a stall and said, "Two steamed buns, please."

They watched the vendor prepare the buns, their backs turned to Yu Xuan and Qi Teng, but they could still hear the conversation—

Qi Teng said, "Yu Xuan, I truly admire your talent. Though we haven't interacted much, I hold your intellect in the highest regard. Now that the entire Huang family is dead, how can you live freely on just the meager stipend from the prefecture? General Fan values your abilities—that's why he invited you to join the military governor's office. You'd start as a secretary and be promoted to deputy by next year. He said so himself!"

Yu Xuan's voice was cold, as if he hadn't heard the key point at all. "The Huang family isn't entirely gone. There's still a daughter left."

"Pfft... Huang Zixia? If she dares to return, she'll be dead the moment she steps foot here. That venomous woman who poisoned her own family—can she even be considered human?" Qi Teng scoffed, his tone neither soft nor hard. "You were the one who exposed her to General Fan back then. Why bring her up now?"

Yu Xuan fell silent for a moment before turning to leave. "I have matters to attend to. Excuse me."

Qi Teng sidestepped to block him again. "Oh, what matters could you possibly have? Save it. It's been over half a year since they died. Why do you keep sweeping their graves and burning paper offerings every few days? You were just an adopted son—a political tool to groom a successor..."

Yu Xuan's voice turned icy, like shards of frost striking water. "I am but a speck of dust—how dare I approach General Fan? Please relay my message: in this life, Yu Xuan is nothing more than a gravekeeper, unworthy of sullying the threshold of the military governor's office!"

"Hah, how noble of you." Qi Teng sneered mockingly. "I heard when you were recommended by the prefecture to serve as an instructor at the Imperial Academy, you were quite close with Princess Tongchang—almost climbed the ranks through her skirts, didn't you? What a shame fate intervened. Who would've thought the princess would die, and you'd come crawling back to Shu Prefecture? Now that you're back, you've forgotten everything you did in Chang'an and suddenly turned into a saint?""Gentlemen, the steamed buns are fresh out—be careful, they're hot." The vendor wrapped the buns in taro leaves and handed one to each of them.

Li Shubai noticed Huang Zixiang's slightly trembling hand as she reached out, so he took it for her and whispered in her ear, "Keep watching, don't say anything."

Yu Xuan also remained silent. He simply stood in the middle of the street, exhaling deeply before finally saying, after a long pause, "In this life, I seek only a clear conscience."

"Hah... hahaha..."

Qi Teng burst into laughter, so violently that he nearly knocked over a nearby peach seller's stall. Only after several vendors hastily moved their goods out of the way did he point at Yu Xuan, gasping between fits of laughter, "A clear conscience... hahaha, of course you live with a clear conscience! Because if you had any guilt, you'd have died long ago!"

Yu Xuan didn’t understand what he meant and only stared coldly at him.

Qi Teng slapped the tree beside him, laughing uncontrollably. Amidst his laughter, Yu Xuan suddenly felt a chilling sensation creeping from his chest, spreading through his limbs, and finally stabbing like needles into his temples, the pain unbearable.

He clutched his head, where his pulse throbbed violently, making it almost impossible to keep his balance.

Then he heard Qi Teng’s voice, eerie and mocking, whispering in his ear, "Do you remember... what happened to my little red fish?"

Yu Xuan’s eyes widened in shock. Those once-clear, bright eyes were now bloodshot, staring in horror and confusion, as if he had glimpsed a terrible truth he dared not face.

"Ah, you see, I only wanted to find you a good position. Who knew you’d treat me like this?" Qi Teng crouched down and patted his cheek. "Go home and think it over. I’ll wait for your answer—after all, you and I go way back."

Yu Xuan gritted his teeth and swatted his hand away in disgust.

Qi Teng chuckled again, though this time his laughter was no longer wild or mocking, returning to his usual mild, smiling demeanor. "Don’t overthink it. I’m not Wen Yang—what’s there to fear?"

With that, he brushed off his robes and headed toward the military governor’s residence. The confrontation ended there, leaving only Yu Xuan, unsteady on his feet, pushing past the onlookers as he walked alone toward the end of the street.

Some pointed at his retreating figure and muttered, "Isn’t that Yu Xuan? They used to say the governor’s mansion had two shining stars—the governor’s daughter, Huang Zixiang, and his adopted son, Yu Xuan. A perfect pair, both brilliant and admired by all in Shu. Who could’ve imagined things would turn out like this in just a few months?"

Huang Zixiang stood silently by the roadside for a long while before finally turning to Li Shubai. He took one of the steamed buns from her hand and said, "Let’s go."

The once-sweet bun now tasted like sawdust in her mouth. She remembered she had already eaten breakfast, but what did it matter? She took another mechanical bite.

Li Shubai led her forward, following Yu Xuan all the way.

Yu Xuan walked alone, only realizing he was being followed as he neared the city gates. Slowly, he turned to face them.

Li Shubai greeted him with a calm, "Pleasure to meet you," as if this were nothing more than a chance encounter on the street.

Yu Xuan nodded slightly, then looked at Huang Zixiang.Huang Zixiao couldn't understand why, at such a moment, she was still holding onto that steamed cake and had unconsciously eaten most of it. She clutched the cake, unsure whether to throw it away or finish it, and in the end, could only hold it awkwardly, nodding at him with some embarrassment.

It was Yu Xuan who spoke first, asking, "Where are you two headed?"

Li Shubai replied, "We've been in Chengdu for several days but haven't had the chance to explore the surrounding scenery. Today, we took some time to visit the famous sites in the outskirts."

Yu Xuan followed up, "Indeed, the Guangdu Temple on Mingyue Mountain is an ancient monastery in Shu. The mountain boasts peculiar rocks, flowing springs, dense forests, and tall bamboo—truly remarkable scenery well worth a visit."

Huang Zixiao nodded and said, "We also wanted to pay a visit to Master Moushan."

"Master Moushan is acquainted with me—I can introduce you," Yu Xuan said, gesturing for them to head toward the outskirts.

The mountains of Shu are steep and imposing, and Mingyue Mountain is particularly majestic.

As they ascended the stone steps at the foot of the mountain, Huang Zixiao followed behind Yu Xuan, step by step. Suddenly, she remembered that around this time last year, on a clear and sunny day, they had also climbed Mingyue Mountain together.

Back then, they had walked side by side, laughing and chatting as they climbed. At the steeper sections, when she lagged slightly behind, he would turn to look at her and extend his hand.

Sometimes, she ignored him entirely, declaring, "I can walk by myself," stubbornly trying to overtake him. Other times, she took his hand, using his strength to leap up two or three steps at once. And sometimes, she placed a small flower she had picked by the roadside into his palm, pretending not to understand his intentions.

The flowers she had picked last year still bloomed along the path now.

As she passed by, she absentmindedly plucked one, holding it in her hand as she looked up at the two men ahead.

Yu Xuan, tall and slender as bamboo. Li Shubai, noble and graceful as a jade tree.

One was the unforgettable first love, the dream that first stirred her heart in her youth.

The other was someone she could rely on, the strength that now walked beside her.

One seemed already in the past, the other not yet fully arrived.

She lowered her gaze to the delicate yellow flower in her hand, then raised her arm and let the mountain breeze carry it away to the distant horizon.

She exhaled deeply, as if expelling all distracting thoughts, letting the wind at that moment sweep away her tangled emotions like those drifting petals.

—How could she allow such things to cloud her mind when she had yet to accomplish the most important task of her life?