The Golden Hairpin

She bore a striking resemblance to her mother in profile.

Without realizing it, Huang Zixiang felt a sense of closeness toward her and found herself asking, "Nianniang, if I were to learn the qin, which pieces should I start with?"

"For beginners, there are many introductory pieces that are popular nowadays. They have simple melodies and are easy to pick up."

Suddenly, Huang Zixiang remembered something and asked, "What if we use an introductory piece?"

"You jest, little eunuch. To play it well is extremely difficult. Even my teacher often lamented that he couldn’t reach perfection, failing to capture its true essence."Then, is there any beginner piece whose title starts with the character 'Liu'?""

Chen Nianniang thought for a moment and said, "Having taught in Jiangnan for so long, I’ve covered many pieces, but I don’t recall any qin composition that begins with 'Liu."What about similar-sounding characters, like 'Liu' (willow), 'Liu' (to stay), or 'Liu' (six)?""

"There’s 'Liuyao,' but that’s a grand pipa piece. As for 'Liu,' there’s 'Zheliu' (Breaking the Willow), which is simple and easy to learn."

Huang Zixiang shook her head. "Not 'Zheliu.I mean a piece whose first character is 'Liu'."

Chen Nianniang pondered, then suddenly let out a soft exclamation. "Ah, there actually is one—simple and easy to learn. But it’s a tender, sentimental piece, quite popular in the pleasure quarters of Yangzhou. Many girls at our Yunsiao Court learn it when they first start playing, and I teach it too. The title is 'Liu...' But someone like you, a eunuch from the capital and serving in a noble household, surely wouldn’t know of it."

Huang Zixiang thought of the shy and reserved Wang Ruo and felt somewhat awkward. "Then I suppose it’s not that one."

"I thought so too. Such a piece is hardly fit for refined company."

As they spoke, Li Run had finished writing his letter and stamped it with his seal. Familiar with Chang’an, Huang Zixiang accompanied Chen Nianniang to retrieve the small portraits of her and Feng Yiniang. She reassured Chen Nianniang to leave the matter to her, then casually unrolled the small scroll to take a look.

The portrait depicted two women—one seated, the other standing. The seated figure was Chen Nianniang, rendered with striking likeness, her eyes vivid and expressive. The standing woman leaned against Chen Nianniang, her smiling eyes curved like crescents. Though she appeared to be in her forties, she still carried an indescribable charm and grace.

Huang Zixiang studied the woman in the painting intently and asked, "This is Feng Yiniang?"

"Yes, my senior sister was very beautiful."

"That’s evident. Like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, both are beauties," Huang Zixiang said slowly.

"My senior sister’s grace and bearing were truly exquisite, though the portrait can’t fully capture it. When you see her in person, you’ll understand," Chen Nianniang said with a smile.

Indeed, only by seeing her in person could one appreciate that warm, endearing charm. Huang Zixiang thought to herself—little did Chen Nianniang know that she had just seen Feng Yiniang a few days ago, outside Chang’an, riding in the same carriage as Wang Ruo, the future Princess Consort of Kui, who had even invited her to join them.

The daughter of the Langya Wang family, traveling with a qin player from Yangzhou’s Yunsiao Court, and insisting she was family—Wang Ruo certainly had many strange things about her.

So, the so-called "daughter of an old friend" must be Wang Ruo? But how could Wang Ruo, a noble lady from the prestigious Langya Wang family, have parents who were acquainted with Feng Yiniang, even entrusting their daughter to her and traveling together to Chang’an?She pondered for a moment and decided not to reveal the truth to Chen Nianniang outright. After all, there were many people in the world who bore resemblances to one another. It would be better to feign ignorance for now. Perhaps the Ministry of Revenue had records on Feng Yiniang, and she could check how the Langya Wang family had documented her identity.

She tucked away the small portrait and bid Chen Nianniang farewell with a composed expression before boarding her carriage.

As she was about to step into the carriage, Chen Nianniang suddenly remembered something and pointed at the portrait in her arms, saying, "It just occurred to me—Yiniang had a black mole between her left eyebrow. Anyone who saw her would have noticed it."

Huang Zixiang tried to recall the woman she had seen in Wang Ruo’s carriage that day but could only remember the forehead band the woman wore, which had precisely covered the spot between her eyebrows.

She nodded and made a mental note of this detail. The carriage set off toward the Ministry of Revenue.

In this dynasty, the Three Departments and Six Ministries were all located within the imperial city. She entered through the Anshang Gate and headed straight for the Ministry of Revenue. The clerk on duty that day, Hu Zhishi, was very helpful and assisted her in searching through the records of women who had arrived in the capital over the past few months. However, none matched either in age or appearance, and there was no record of anyone named Feng Yiniang.

After thanking Hu Zhishi, she turned as if to leave but then hesitated, as if suddenly remembering something. With an awkward smile, she leaned closer to the clerk and whispered, "Sir Hu, I have an impertinent request. I wonder if you could do me a small favor..."

"Please speak freely, young eunuch," Hu Zhishi replied promptly. With Prince Kui’s rising influence in court, he naturally dared not slight anyone close to the prince.

"It’s like this—our prince has already sent betrothal gifts to the Wang family’s daughter, and the wedding will take place soon. A few days ago, I visited the Wang residence, but my memory is truly terrible. Though the attendants around the future princess consort introduced themselves to me, I couldn’t remember a single name... I heard that all the servants came to the capital with our future princess consort. I was wondering if you could do me the small favor of letting me take a look at the household register?"

"A trivial matter," Hu Zhishi replied immediately, turning to pull out a record from last month’s files. "I remember very clearly—on the twenty-sixth of last month, the Langya Wang family requested that I register their household. It was for the fourth branch’s daughter... Yes, this is it. There were four people in total."

Huang Zixiang quickly scanned the page. It recorded the relocation of Wang Ruo of the Langya Wang family’s fourth branch to the capital, accompanied by two maidservants, Xianyun and Ranyun, both aged fifteen, and a manservant, Lu Yi, aged thirty-five.

Household registration in this dynasty was strictly managed, especially in the capital, where even temporary residents from other regions were required to report to the Ministry of Revenue.

"Ah, only these two maidservants are listed. It seems I’ll have to shamelessly inquire about the others elsewhere," Huang Zixiang pretended to be disappointed. After thanking Hu Zhishi again, she gathered her belongings and prepared to leave.

Just as she was putting away the small portrait, she suddenly noticed a minor clerk from the Ministry of Revenue staring at it with a look of astonishment.

She asked, "Sir, have you seen the woman in this portrait before?"

"Well... I’ve seen someone who resembles her, but I can’t be certain..." He hesitated, as if struggling to speak.

Huang Zixiang pressed, "Where did you see her?"

After another moment of hesitation, the clerk finally said, "The charity cemetery west of the city."The words "charity house" sent a shiver down Huang Zixiao's spine the moment they reached her ears, causing her to frown with an ominous premonition. Cases involving charity houses and handled by the Ministry of Revenue typically involved unidentified corpses.

Sure enough, the clerk turned to retrieve a ledger from the cabinet and said, "There were over a dozen refugees from Youzhou in the western part of the city who fell ill a few days ago and all passed away. When I went to register them this morning, one of the deceased women bore a striking resemblance to the one you're searching for."

He flipped open the ledger and read aloud, "Deceased female, name unknown, approximately forty years of age, height five feet three inches, well-proportioned figure, fair skin, thick black hair, full cheeks and a prominent nose, with a black mole on the left eyebrow."

A black mole on the left eyebrow.

Huang Zixiao immediately straightened up, her voice urgent, "Is the body still at the charity house? Could you direct me to examine it?"

The clerk placed the ledger back and shook his head, "That won't be possible. The entire group died from a severe illness, so according to regulations, the bodies and their belongings have already been cremated and buried deep."

"I see... Then there's nothing to be done," she replied, carefully rolling up the portrait and thanking the clerk. "It seems I'll have to follow instructions and continue searching the capital for someone resembling the woman in this portrait. If I truly can't find her, I'll have to inform the old lady that perhaps she has already passed away."

She left the Ministry of Revenue, the sound of carriages and horses rumbling in the streets. As she studied the portrait repeatedly, gazing at the two smiling women, she fell into silence, recalling Wang Ruo's earlier words.

She had said, "I was selected as the princess consort, so the old lady hurried back to Langya to fetch my daily necessities for me."

Her expression had been slightly unnatural at the time, and she quickly added, "She's getting old and might not return, choosing to retire in her hometown instead."

Not returning. She truly would not return.

Thinking of Wang Ruo's faint dimples and her utterly adorable shy demeanor, Huang Zixiao felt slightly dazed, as if her vision had been blurred by the wisteria in front of the pavilion.

Huang Zixiao did not go to find Chen Nianniang. Instead, she returned to the Kui Prince's residence first, placing the portrait before Li Shubai and recounting the details of her visit to the Ministry of Revenue. Pointing to her own brow, she said, "Both Feng Yiniang and the deceased woman had a black mole on their left eyebrow. But that day, I couldn't clearly see whether the old lady accompanying Wang Ruo had a mole there."

"Regardless, it's a lead we can pursue," Li Shubai remarked with rare satisfaction, gently setting down the glass bottle he was holding. The small fish inside flicked its long tail slightly, startled.

"A music teacher from a pleasure house in Yangzhou accompanies a noblewoman to the capital for the consort selection, only to die among refugees from Youzhou. It sounds like there's much worth investigating here," Li Shubai mused, clearly pleased with the information she had brought back. There was a hint of delight in stirring up trouble, as if he relished the chaos. "First, she used a fake birth chart, falsifying her birth date—likely with the help of someone highly capable, otherwise it wouldn't have passed scrutiny.""Second, Wang Ruo from the Langya Wang family is not well-known to Wang Yun, but her identity is indeed legitimate. The old records from over a decade ago are not forged. When conferring the title of princess consort, it is customary to transfer the household register to Chang'an. I had someone check it—it's indeed an old file from years ago, impossible to fake. It clearly states that Wang Ruo is the youngest daughter of the fourth branch of the Langya Wang family."

Li Shubai spoke without looking at her, leisurely raising a third finger. "These are the points I find suspicious. Now, tell me what you find unusual."

Huang Zixia pulled the hairpin from her bun and began sketching on the table. "Third—"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly raised her hand to gather her loose hair, hastily securing it again with the pin.

Li Shubai watched her silently. Flustered, she lowered her head and muttered, "Habit... I keep forgetting I'm supposed to be a young eunuch now, with only one pin to hold my hair..."

"What a strange habit—needing to scratch numbers with a pin to remember them." Li Shubai frowned slightly and tossed her a sheet of Chengxintang paper from the desk.

Huang Zixia picked up a nearby brush, collected her thoughts, and wrote down the points in order. "Third, according to Chen Nianniang, Feng Yiniang was temporarily escorting an old friend's daughter to the capital. Yet Wang Ruo claims Feng Yiniang had been by her side since childhood. Moreover, I sensed they must have known each other before, because the princess consort learned the qin from a young age, and her teacher was likely Feng Yiniang. The first pieces she learned were those from Yangzhou's pleasure quarters... such as—"

"For a prestigious clan like the Langya Wang family to allow a qin teacher from Yangzhou's brothels to teach such songs to their young lady—and even have her accompany the clan's daughter to the capital as a candidate for princess consort—that is the biggest red flag. Additionally..." Li Shubai's gaze turned cold, his voice slow and low. "Feng Yiniang's death might be because they realized she should no longer exist in this world, lest she bring unnecessary trouble."

"But the question now is whether the dead woman who resembled Feng Yiniang was truly her. After all, people with similar looks are common. A small portrait isn't solid proof, and I didn’t get a clear look at the left eyebrow of the woman beside the princess consort."

Li Shubai tapped the desk lightly with his fingers. After a moment, he said, "Knowing the clerks at the Ministry of Revenue, those who cut corners wherever possible would never go through the trouble of cremation and deep burial."

A sense of foreboding rose in Huang Zixia, making her scalp prickle. Sure enough, Li Shubai opened a drawer and tossed her a small gold ingot. "Go to the Zhou residence near Dong Zhongshu's tomb in Chongrenfang and find their young master, Zhou Ziqin."

Huang Zixia certainly remembered the tales of this young master who aspired to be a coroner. Her unease deepened. "Your Highness wants me to...?"

He looked at her, the corners of his lips curling slightly. Strangely, though it should have been a smile, it sent a chill down her spine, as if she were about to be kicked back into the mud pond by him.

Sure enough, he said, "Of course, to dig up the corpse with Zhou Ziqin and examine it."

Huang Zixia felt like she was about to lose it!"Prince Kui! I'm a girl! A seventeen-year-old girl! And you want me to take a strange man to dig up a corpse in the dead of night?"

"Haven't you often accompanied your father on investigations before? I imagine you've seen plenty of corpses." Faced with her tearful protest, Li Shubai remained unmoved, merely glancing at her with a faint smirk. "Or perhaps all that talk about avenging your parents was just empty words, and you never truly intended to follow through?"

"..." Huang Ziyao stared at the slight curve of his lips and the amused glint in his eyes, her heart seething with indignation. But when he mentioned her parents, that bone-chilling sensation of icy water drenching her seemed to spread through her once more.

Huang Ziyao, didn’t you already swear to cast aside everything in this world, with only the blood debt of your family as the reason you live?

Gritting her teeth, she snatched the small golden fish from the table and turned to leave.

Listening to the night watch drum outside, Li Shubai said, "Hurry up. The first watch is almost upon us, and the capital’s curfew will soon begin."

She spun around and snapped, "Get me a horse!"

He waved her off dismissively. "Two horses. Go quickly!"