The Golden Hairpin

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone froze in place as if under a spell. Though they couldn’t discern what token she held in her hand, her commanding presence made them all sense the gravity of the situation. They exchanged bewildered glances before turning their stunned gazes toward Fan Yuanlong at the back.

Fan Yuanlong himself was momentarily dazed by Huang Zixiao’s boldness. He scurried over to her, reaching out to take the token for a closer look. Instead, Huang Zixiao lightly tapped it against his face and said with a smile, “Alright, let’s have General Fan step forward. Prince Kui has arrived—do you think it’s appropriate for him not to come out and greet His Highness?”

Fan Yuanlong immediately wilted. Though he didn’t recognize Li Shubai, the man’s aloof and noble demeanor as he stood with his hands behind his back was unmistakable. Recalling recent rumors of Prince Kui’s disappearance nearby, Fan Yuanlong panicked, still scrambling for a way to verify the man’s identity when a voice from behind chuckled, “Oh, Eunuch Yang, it’s been a while. You’ve grown quite imposing.”

Huang Zixiao looked up to see the speaker emerging from a side door with a gentle smile. Though his face was slightly pale, his serene and tender demeanor, like a spring breeze or morning sun, was irresistibly captivating—

Huang Zixiao couldn’t help murmuring softly, “Wang Yun…”

Wang Yun nodded at her before stepping forward to bow respectfully to Li Shubai. “Greetings, Your Highness. We were deeply concerned upon hearing of your peril in the mountain pass. Now, by heaven’s grace, you’ve arrived safely in Chengdu—truly a blessing for the realm and its people!”

Li Shubai smiled faintly. “The Emperor’s well-being is the true fortune of the realm. How is it that after just a few days apart, Yunzhi has changed so much? Could physical pain have altered your speech as well?”

Wang Yun’s expression stiffened slightly, and he instinctively glanced at Huang Zixiao. But she was already showing the token to Fan Yuanlong, her expression unchanged.

He smiled again. “Your Highness must possess divine insight—how did you know I was injured while searching the mountains with the Western Army two days ago? If I may say so, it was all out of devotion to you.”

Huang Zixiao glanced at him, noticing his pallor, and couldn’t resist asking, “Where were you injured, Commandant Wang? Is it serious?”

“Not at all. Just a light prick, like a rose’s thorn grazing my heart,” Wang Yun replied with a laugh.

Huang Zixiao gave a faint, wry smile but said nothing further, only remarking, “Prince Kui and I have both disguised ourselves, yet Commandant Wang recognized us at a glance. Such sharp eyes.”

“Not sharp eyes—I heard your voice first and hurried out,” he admitted candidly, his gaze lingering on her with quiet intensity. “On my way to Shu Commandery, I often wondered if I might coincidentally run into you here… When I heard your voice just now, I could hardly believe my ears.”

Huang Zixiao lowered her head in silence as Li Shubai strode past her. She quickly followed, brushing past Wang Yun’s smiling gaze to keep pace with the prince.

Zhou Ziqin was thoroughly frustrated.

Lanterns had already been lit for the evening, and with Governor Fan about to arrive at the prefectural office, the three of them—Huang Zixiao and the others—had vanished at the most critical moment."Could something have happened? Or maybe he's having too much fun somewhere and forgot about me? Or maybe..." Before he could figure out a reason, a servant hurried in to announce, "Young Master! General Fan has arrived—his personal guard is already at the manor gates."

"Alright, alright, let's hurry and follow Father to greet them." Zhou Ziqin adjusted his rose-purple Shu brocade robe and followed Zhou Xiang to the entrance. There, they saw Fan Yingxi dismounting from his horse. The moment he spotted Zhou Xiang, he barely had time to clasp his hands in greeting before rushing to another horse nearby, bowing respectfully. "Your Highness, please dismount."

When Zhou Ziqin saw who stepped down, his jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

Huang Zihuang followed closely behind Li Shubai, striding toward Zhou Xiang. As she bowed in greeting, she winked at Zhou Ziqin.

His lips twitched, and he shot her a glare, mouthing silently, "What's going on?"

She tossed him a playful "Guess" look.

Before Zhou Ziqin could react, Fan Yingxi addressed Zhou Xiang, "I am utterly at fault! I was so focused on searching the mountains for His Highness that I failed to realize Heaven’s protection had already ensured his safety. My wretched son dared to offend His Highness—I deserve ten thousand deaths for this transgression..."

"Not at all. It was my own choice to travel incognito—how could your son have known my identity?" Li Shubai lied effortlessly, his expression unreadable. "Though his guards misled him, I’ve already dealt with them lightly. I trust your son will learn to distance himself from such villains and achieve greatness in the future."

"I am unworthy! When I return home, I shall beat that little beast to death!"

Fan Yingxi spoke as though he meant every word, while his son Fan Yuanlong trembled like a leaf behind him. But everyone knew this was just their usual father-son dynamic, so they exchanged a few perfunctory words of consolation before filing into the manor.

Huang Zihuang trailed behind Li Shubai as they passed through the main gate and into the central hall. Beyond the rear hall lay the governor’s residence, and past three courtyards, the garden.

The flagstone-paved courtyard bore shallow grooves where countless footsteps had worn them down over time. This was where she had once skipped, run, and strolled—where traces of her past still lingered, along with the girlhood she could never reclaim.

Ahead stood two banana plants and a bed of jade hairpins. Beyond the flower beds, on the brick path, the bodies of her family had once lain. The memory of their white-shrouded forms flashed vividly before her eyes, yet now the place was festooned with lanterns and streamers, alive with music and the bustle of a grand banquet.

Her home. Her youth. The happiness she could never return to.

The scenery remained, but the people were gone. Those who had once smiled at her were lost forever in the past.

As she gazed at the unchanged landscape, a lump rose in her throat, and her eyes reddened.

Then, at that moment, her trembling hand was suddenly clasped.

It was Li Shubai. As they rounded the corner of the corridor, shielded from view, he gently took her hand in his.

His long, strong fingers enveloped hers in warmth.

Time seemed to freeze—or perhaps it was just a fleeting instant. She looked up into his face, meeting his deep, concerned gaze.The people behind them had caught up, and his hand had already let go. Huang Zixiang and he returned to their previous state of silently following. She trailed his footsteps, slowly moving forward.

Yet in her heart, the bitterness and fear had dissipated. She knew she hadn’t lost her final support. At a time when it felt like the entire world had abandoned her, there was still one person who would always stand by her side, who would take her hand without hesitation when she needed it most, offering her the greatest strength.

The main hall was set with twelve seats. Li Shubai took the seat of honor, flanked by Fan Yingxi and Zhou Xiang. Huang Zixiang and Zhang Xingying sat at the lower end. When she looked up at those seated beside her, she froze in surprise.

To her left was Qi Teng, Zhou Ziqin’s prospective brother-in-law.

To her right, kneeling silently, was Yu Xuan.

Zhang Xingying was immediately excited and quietly called out to Yu Xuan, "Benefactor, how did you end up here?"

Yu Xuan, his expression somber, looked up at him in slight surprise. "You are... Uncle A-Bao?"

"That’s right! A-Bao still talks about you often, Benefactor!"

Yu Xuan gave a faint smile, but his mind was weighed down with thoughts, and he didn’t respond further. Zhang Xingying had no choice but to fall silent as well.

As the host, Zhou Xiang led the group in toasting Prince Kui first. Fan Yingxi, as the military governor of Xichuan, toasted Prince Kui and then drank a self-penalty cup. Zhou Xiang was the host, the others were guests, so everyone raised their cups to him. Fan Yingxi was the military governor, while Zhou Xiang had just taken office, so the two clinked cups and drank...

The banquet had only just begun, but the elaborate and lively atmosphere was already overwhelming. Zhou Ziqin gave Huang Zixiang a meaningful look, and the two quietly slipped out of the main hall, heading to a side room to drink sweet fermented milk.

"Chonggu, confess the truth! What exactly happened? How did you two suddenly end up on General Fan’s side?"

Huang Zixiang nibbled on a pastry and said, "Don’t worry, we didn’t owe Fan Yingxi any favors. On the contrary, we’ve got a hold over him now—all thanks to his notorious son. Back then, I kept an eye on him for so long, I practically knew him inside out."

"You were keeping an eye on who?" Zhou Ziqin asked.

Huang Zixiang quickly deflected, "Don’t tell me you don’t know? The little tyrant of Chengdu, Fan Yuanlong—his name is infamous even in the capital."

"Really? I had no idea." As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and tugged at her sleeve. "Come on, let’s go see how Gongsun Dayi’s sword dance preparations are coming along tonight."

Gongsun Yuan and Yin Luyi were in the flower hall. The pavilion by the water had its small boat dock already set with chairs. The waterside pavilion had been cleared out, now draped with large embroidered gauze curtains as a backdrop. Light shone from behind, casting a dazzling array of colors that shimmered faintly over Gongsun Yuan standing before the curtains, her entire body radiant like flowing light on jade, too brilliant to look at directly.

Yin Luyi was nearby, eating malt candy. When she saw them arrive, she stood up and wrapped two pieces in cotton paper for them.

Huang Zixiang looked down at the candy in her hand—it was carved into the shape of a swallow, its forked tail and outstretched wings exquisitely detailed, lifelike. She couldn’t help but marvel. Glancing at Zhou Ziqin’s piece, she saw it was a cat dozing off, its lazy posture perfectly captured—except half its head had already been bitten off by Zhou Ziqin.

Zhou Ziqin, feeling rather awkward, opened his mouth and asked, "Uh... can I spit it back out?"Gongsun Yuan smiled and said, "They're meant to be eaten anyway. Besides, she carved so many this afternoon—just take another one."

Zhou Ziqin happily picked a little tiger and said, "I'll bring one for my sister, that tigress... Hey, the rice paper is still on it?"

He peeled off the thin rice paper wrapped around the malt candy to prevent sticking and popped it into his mouth. "I really love eating this," he said.

Huang Zixiao gave him a deadpan look. "Didn't you just eat a full meal?"

"Come on, who could eat properly in that kind of setting?" he retorted, then picked up his malt sugar cat and swallowed it whole.

Gongsun Yuan pressed her lips together in amusement. "Since the young constable has time, why not help me set up the lantern? This oxhide lantern is so heavy—it's not easy for me to handle."

"Oh, sure." Zhou Ziqin carefully wrapped the sugar tiger in cotton paper, tucked it into his robe, and hurried over to help them position the oxhide lantern.

This type of lantern had an advantage—it was covered with thick oxhide. The hide was adjustable, allowing them to block all, half, or just a portion of the light to direct its glow as needed.

Gongsun Yuan had him adjust the lantern to shield the side facing the audience, so that only four beams of light illuminated the stage.

Tonight, there was no moon. The surroundings had darkened, and all other lanterns had been extinguished, leaving only the light focused on the pavilion—on Gongsun Yuan, standing before the gauze curtains.

She held a long and a short sword, standing at the center of the pavilion, turning in a slow circle to familiarize herself with the stage.

She usually dressed simply, but tonight, for her performance of the "Sword Dance of Huntuo," she wore a dancer's costume—a luxurious golden robe woven with dense cloud patterns, its intricate gold embroidery shimmering brilliantly against the rich Shu brocade. Her hair was coiled into a high spiral chignon, adorned with three pairs of golden hairpins and countless floral ornaments. Yet all these dazzling embellishments seemed to exist solely to highlight her—her radiance made onlookers forget her attire, leaving them in awe of her beauty alone.

Huang Zixiao couldn’t help but recall Empress Wang, whom she had once gazed upon in the Penglai Hall of Daming Palace. Her heart wandered into reverie, imagining how breathtaking these six women must have been in their prime, amidst the splendor of Yangzhou over a decade ago—

Alas, time had scattered them like fireflies in the night.

As she watched Gongsun Yuan, she wondered—why had she never married? Who was the one who built the Yunshao Academy for her? Why had they not ended up together?