The Golden Hairpin

Zhou Ziyan, Zhou Ziqin's younger sister, had a lovely oval face that bore some resemblance to her brother's, though her features and frame were much more delicate. Yet her presence could overpower Zhou Ziqin a hundred times over.

"Brother, tell me this—with my almost-fiancé dead like this, won't I become the laughingstock of Shu Commandery?" Zhou Ziyan slammed the table, her face twisted in fury.

Zhou Ziqin clutched his head in agony. "Little sister, it's not like it's the first time... Weren't you mocked in the capital before too..."

"Exactly! A second time means I'll probably never marry now. Fine, I might as well return to the capital and find the one I truly love!"

Zhou Ziqin looked at her pleadingly, hoping she'd spare him some dignity. "This is an official interrogation—official business. Sit properly, will you?"

She ignored him entirely, instead propping one foot up and slouching in her chair with a sneer. "Don't think I don’t know how useless you are, Brother. If you really want to solve this case, I’ll give you an idea—guaranteed to unravel every problem in an instant!"

To Huang Zixia's disbelief, Zhou Ziqin actually leaned in and whispered, "What idea?"

Huang Zixia lowered her head, pretending to focus on the testimonies in front of her.

"Post a notice outside declaring Huang Zixia’s innocence and begging her to come back—tell her the yamen is full of incompetents led by Deputy Chief Zhou, and they’re all waiting for her to save them!"

Zhou Ziqin’s mouth twitched. "Would that... actually work?"

Seeing that he was seriously considering it, Huang Zixia could only cough pointedly.

Snapping back to reality, Zhou Ziqin smacked the back of Zhou Ziyan’s head. "Sit properly! This is an official interrogation!"

Realizing Zhou Ziqin was hopeless, Huang Zixia took over, writing as she questioned, "Where were you when the murder occurred, Miss Zhou?"

Zhou Ziyan scowled. "I was in the silk-curtained pavilion the whole time, didn’t go anywhere... Ugh, I’m definitely going to have nightmares tonight. Who knows how long I was sitting next to a corpse without realizing it!"

Huang Zixia pressed on, "Was Magistrate Qi acting strangely while he was with you?"

"Not at all. He just chatted with me about Gongsun the Elder’s sword dance and recited Du Fu’s poem—you know, the one that goes, ‘There was a beauty named Gongsun, whose sword dance astonished all under heaven.’ Like anyone hasn’t heard that before! So I told him I’d read it too and to stop distracting me from the performance. He got awkward and shut up—I thought he was just too shy to show off in front of me. Who knew he was already dead!"

Huang Zixia was at a loss for words with this utterly tactless girl but continued, "During the performance, did you notice anything unusual around you?"

"Unusual..." She pursed her lips, thinking hard. "Oh! Now that I remember—in the middle, when the petals were floating down and things got a little chaotic, I saw someone dragging a person toward the bushes. Then a foul stench blew over with the wind. I covered my face and turned away, and right then, I think I heard Magistrate Qi beside the pavilion make a weird gurgling noise in his throat..."

"You’re sure it was then?" Zhou Ziqin asked excitedly.

"Pretty sure. I remember thinking, ‘At least I have the silk curtains to block the smell—poor Qi Teng outside must be suffocating!’"

"Did you turn to look at that moment?""No, it was so foul, everyone was trying to avoid it—who would turn to look? Besides, the lights outside had been extinguished, leaving only a few lanterns illuminating the pavilion ahead. I was already in the dark, and sitting inside the green gauze cabinet added another layer of obscurity. Even if I wanted to see outside, it would have been impossible!" Zhou Ziyan pressed her round fan against her chin, frowned in thought, and said, "But after that, it seemed Judge Qi truly stopped moving. I think he must have died at that moment."

"Was there any other movement?"

She was absolutely certain, without hesitation: "None. At least, I didn't notice any."

Zhou Ziqin had no choice but to say, "Alright, you should go rest now... In any case, Judge Qi undoubtedly died at that time."

Zhou Ziyan stood up, took two steps, then turned back to look at him and said, "Brother, let me give you some advice."

"Hmm?" Zhou Ziqin looked up at her.

"You should go find Huang Ziguang. Honestly, it’s basically impossible for a useless person like you to solve this case."

Zhou Ziqin was stunned for a moment, then turned to Huang Ziguang with tearful eyes: "Chonggu! I beg you for one thing!"

"Understood." Huang Ziguang flipped a page of the records expressionlessly. "I’ll help you solve this case so you can regain your dignity before your sister does."

Wang Yun still carried himself with effortless grace. Though his face was slightly pale and weary, under the lamplight, it took on a warm, hazy glow, making him appear as refined as jade.

He sat composedly before them, a faint smile in his expression: "It’s late, and you’re still working on this case. You must be exhausted."

Zhou Ziqin said gloomily, "Exactly. Besides, this involves the death of a judge in the military governor’s office—it’s a serious matter. We can’t delay solving it."

"I remained seated the entire time, watching the dance. After Yu Xuan and Fan Yuanlong left my side, though I was alone, there were still several deputies and advisors nearby. I believe everyone can vouch for me, confirming I never left my seat." Wang Yun was relaxed, seemingly unconcerned about Qi Teng’s death.

Zhou Ziqin nodded and added, "Of course, I absolutely trust you, Commandant Wang. But at the time, everyone was focused on the pavilion. The seating area below was dimly lit, and you were seated on the far left with no one behind you. Yu Xuan and Fan Yuanlong to your right had also left. I wonder if anyone three seats away noticed whether you stood up or left..."

Wang Yun chuckled wryly, "That’s hard to say. After all, everyone was looking forward—who would glance to the left mid-dance to check if I was still there?"

Zhou Ziqin tried to reassure him: "It’s fine. You had no conflict with Judge Qi anyway. Logically speaking, you lack a motive."

Wang Yun, already indifferent, spoke as casually as if making conversation: "What are your thoughts on this case so far?"

Zhou Ziqin sighed in frustration. "At this stage, we haven’t found anyone with the opportunity to commit the crime. So, our main focus has to be on motive."

"Right. Just find out who had a reason to kill Qi Teng, round them up for questioning, and that’s it, no?" Wang Yun said, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he looked at Huang Ziguang. "But I should be the first one ruled out as a suspect, right? After all, I just arrived from the capital and had no dealings with Judge Qi."Huang Zixiao asked lightly, "May I ask what brings Commandant Wang to Chengdu Prefecture?"

"The Imperial Guards are promoting several commanders, three or four of whom are from Shu Commandery. Their family backgrounds need to be investigated. Originally, this wasn't my responsibility, but since you all came to Shu Commandery, I found myself quite bored alone in the capital, so I decided to come along." He spoke with a smile, his words impeccably measured.

Zhou Ziqin was deeply moved and immediately declared, "Brother Wang, you must stay here for a few more days! Once this case is resolved in a couple of days, the few of us can tour the scenic spots of Shu for half a month and truly appreciate its landscapes!"

Huang Zixiao silently lowered her head to sip tea and said, "Commandant Wang is very thoughtful. It's getting late—let's hurry and question the deputy commanders first."

The deputy commanders of the Western Sichuan Army corroborated each other's alibis, firmly insisting they had all been together at the time and that absolutely no one had left alone.

"Besides, we're military officers, while Judge Qi was a civil official. Although we interacted occasionally, it was only superficial courtesy. There were no real ties of interest between us. Even if he died, none of us would have a chance at promotion—why would we kill him?"

The Chengdu Prefecture aides also vouched for one another, stating their relationship with Qi Teng was even more distant—how could they possibly be killers?

The musicians had been on one side of the waterside pavilion, ready to follow Yin Luyi's direction at any moment. Even during the segment with only flute music, the other musicians had to remain seated and waiting—none had gotten up or left.

The servants were on the other side of the pavilion, including Zhou Ziyan's personal maids. Though the dozen or so people standing there were somewhat disorderly, they were packed closely together. If anyone had moved, the others would surely have noticed.

The witness testimonies seemed unreliable, and another crucial piece of physical evidence remained elusive. No matter how many times they combed through the remaining trash, they found nothing resembling the murder weapon.

Huang Zixiao returned to examine Qi Teng's corpse once more, lost in thought.

Fan Yuanlong, surprisingly, still hadn't left. This time, he seemed slightly more sober as he sauntered over to her again. "Eunuch Yang, take my word for it—the killer is Yu Xuan! Relying on his good looks, he's trying to get his hands on the prefect's daughter! First, it was Prefect Huang's daughter he seduced, and now he's set his sights on Prefect Zhou's daughter. When he saw Prefect Zhou was about to marry his daughter to Judge Qi, rage surged in his heart and evil filled his mind—he decided to go all the way! Yu Xuan, ah, Yu Xuan, you specifically target prefects' daughters—how ambitious of you!"

Yu Xuan gave him a cold glance but said nothing, merely tilting his head to gaze at the sky.

His aloof and arrogant demeanor immediately sent Fan Yuanlong into a rage. If not for the people restraining him, he would have lunged forward.

As the late-night commotion showed no signs of stopping, Zhou Ziqin stood behind Huang Zixiao, at a loss. "This case is too tricky! We know the killer is among us, yet no one had the opportunity to commit the crime. Everyone was under watchful eyes, yet we still have no idea who it is. And we can't even find the murder weapon!"

Huang Zixiao nodded. "It is very strange..."Someone handed her a cup of tea from behind and said, "Have some tea first, take your time searching. With Chief Yang's intelligence, I believe this case will be solved within three to five days."

Huang Zixiang took the tea and turned to see Wang Yun standing behind her with a gentle smile on his face. The recent murder case and the surrounding commotion seemed to have had no effect on him at all.