The Golden Hairpin

Huang Zixiang followed Li Shubai to their quarters.

In the western courtyard of the military governor's residence, the newly cleaned compound had the main hall occupied by Li Shubai, while the two side rooms were assigned to Huang Zixiang and Zhang Xingying.

"It's late, and you must be exhausted tonight. Rest early," Li Shubai said to her.

Huang Zixiang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness, please punish me for my offense."

His expression remained unchanged as he turned to look at her. "What offense?"

She lowered her voice. "The situation is still unclear, and I... shouldn't have exposed everything prematurely."

Seeing her unease, a faint smile touched the corners of his lips. "You were worried I might face a third assassination attempt, weren’t you? That’s why you acted hastily."

Huang Zixiang nodded silently. "But before this, I truly never expected it would be Wang Yun..."

"That’s precisely what makes it troublesome." Li Shubai thought for a moment, then gestured for her to enter his room.

The two knelt facing each other on the low couch by the bed. Li Shubai retrieved a paper pouch from his person, drew out the talisman inside, and handed it to her.

Huang Zixiang examined the six characters written on it. Apart from the third character, "lonely", which still bore a crimson circle, the marks on the other characters had already faded.

She scrutinized the character "废" (deposed), but the paper surface appeared normal, with no trace of the previous bloody stain.

Li Shubai said calmly, "Earlier, after the incident at the inn, I checked this talisman. The character '废' was still circled in red—unchanged."

"So, it must have altered during these past few days in the military governor’s residence?" Huang Zixiang handed the talisman back to him, frowning.

"Isn’t that strange?" he remarked.

Despite discussing such eerie matters, their tones remained light. He returned the talisman to the pouch and added, "Since it was inconvenient to carry during the journey, I didn’t keep it locked away but chose to carry it on me. Recently, the Western Sichuan troops retrieved my belongings, so I placed it back in the small round box. Unexpectedly, the change occurred immediately."

Huang Zixiang lowered her head in thought, silent.

Noticing the tea in the pot was still warm, Li Shubai poured her a cup himself. After smelling its aroma and observing its color, he handed it to her. "The tea here is quite good."

Huang Zixiang held the cup, a pang of sorrow rising in her chest. From the moment he took over governance for the pleasure-seeking emperor, he had likely been on constant guard, facing countless life-and-death crises.

Seeing her expression, Li Shubai smiled reassuringly. He poured himself a cup and took a sip. "Actually, it’s nothing. Do you think Fan Yingxi isn’t afraid of something happening to me in his residence? As long as I’m here, he must take responsibility."

Huang Zixiang nodded, still deep in thought, when she heard him murmur softly, "Sometimes I think the only time in my life I’ve truly enjoyed peace and tranquility was those few days fleeing and recuperating with you in the mountains."

Her eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at him."Though we were in dire straits, hanging by a thread, it was as if all the pain and fear in the world had vanished in that moment. The past and future of my life no longer mattered. There were only the two of us walking together under the shade of trees, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting brilliant, shimmering spots of light upon us..."

He gazed at her intently under the lamplight, the glow of the palace lantern trembling slightly in the night breeze. Flickering light enveloped them, hazy and indistinct, creating an almost illusory sense of unreality. Yet what struck Huang Ziyao as even more surreal than the light was Li Shubai's voice, whispering softly in her ear—

"At thirteen, when my father passed away and the Emperor ascended the throne, I was plunged into prolonged instability. My elder brothers all died mysteriously, one after another. Apart from my three youngest brothers, I was the only one left among those of age. Every day, I wondered—would I be next?" he murmured softly, his eyes fixed on the candle flame, its grey-blue core wrapped in a warm orange glow, swaying gently in the faint air current. The warm light bathed the glass vessel, where the Agashini fish, forgotten in the carriage earlier, lay motionless at the bottom, its state unclear—awake or asleep.

"Over three years ago, Pang Xun rebelled in Xuzhou, and I volunteered to quell the uprising. The court could only spare me a few thousand old and weak soldiers. Yet I wasn’t afraid at all. I thought... perhaps this was my chance for release..."

Listening to him, Huang Ziyao suddenly recalled what he had once told her about his first encounter with Xue Se and Xiao Shi. Back then, he had ventured alone into the enemy's lair to slay the fleeing soldiers under Pang Xun. At the time, she had wondered if such recklessness was unwise. But now, she understood his state of mind back then.

In truth, when he set off for Xuzhou, he hadn’t been seeking an opportunity to rise—he had been searching for a way to die on his own terms.

Yet, against all odds, he emerged victorious, earning the allegiance of six military governors. The day he returned in triumph marked the beginning of his rise to power.

"After my return, I was reinstated as the Prince of Kui, basking in glory, but my days were far from peaceful. I was caught between two opposing forces—sacrificed by one side and targeted by the other. Countless people wished for my disappearance from this world." His eyes darkened as he spoke, and he lightly tapped the glass vessel. A faint ripple stirred within, causing the little fish to flick its tail before settling back down, undisturbed. "Around me, endless mysteries arose, keeping me perpetually on guard. No one knew the torment of living shrouded in enigmas. I thought I would spend the rest of my life consumed by this relentless anxiety—until the day... you appeared."

He released the glass vessel, and in his shadowed eyes, bright stars seemed to have appeared, reflecting the flickering lamplight. Unwavering, he gazed at her, and her figure swayed gently in his eyes, mirroring the dance of the flames.Huang Zixiao felt extremely tense, as if afraid that she might be drawn into those bright stars and lose all her anchors in existence, or that once she recklessly escaped his gaze, she would become lost, never again finding her way toward the light.

So she let her heart pound violently in her chest until her body burned with heat, unable to control the overwhelming emotions any longer. She took a deep breath and said softly, "I... am deeply ashamed that I haven’t been able to ease Your Highness’s worries. I still haven’t uncovered the secrets surrounding you..."

"A secret that could shift the balance of the court—how could it be unraveled overnight?" He shook his head slowly, his voice low. "I’ve spent years without success, let alone you, who has only just begun."

"But I..." She gazed at his face and suddenly made a firm decision in her heart. Perhaps the night wind and the lamplight had stripped away her restraint. She reached out and gently covered the back of his hand, saying earnestly, "I will stay by your side and uncover this secret. I won’t let you remain lost in the fog. I’ll help you dispel all the obscuring clouds so you can see your fate clearly."

She spoke with such conviction, as if making a vow.

She didn’t tell him that on that night when he lay unconscious, hovering between life and death, she had thought to herself—if this person, for whom she had staked everything to follow, were to vanish from the world, she would have no anchor left, no chance to clear her family’s name and seek justice... Then what meaning would her life hold?

But she thought, some things didn’t need to be spoken aloud. He must understand.

Li Shubai studied her under the lamplight. His usually calm and composed face remained still, but his eyes flickered with countless complex emotions—joy, sorrow, melancholy, and even a trace of hesitant confusion.

Huang Zixiao felt his hand move slightly, as if unconsciously tightening. Only then did she lower her head and realize that, in her distraction, she had overstepped by placing her hand on his.

Flustered and nervous, she quickly lifted her hand to withdraw it.

But just as her fingers twitched, he turned his palm over and clasped her hand firmly in his.

The lamplight spilled brightly around them. In the silent night, with the little fish asleep, the only sounds were the passing wind outside and the rapid, harmonious pulse of their heartbeats.

Huang Zixiao slept lightly that night, her mind swirling with countless chaotic thoughts that crowded in and out, impossible to dismiss or make sense of.

She couldn’t tell if it was sweetness or sorrow.

It was nearly dawn before she finally drifted into a hazy sleep, only to be startled awake by the clamor outside. She raised a hand to shield her eyes, still exhausted, and rolled over in bed, continuing to dwell on the thoughts that troubled her.

Someone outside pounded on the door: "Chonggu, get up quickly! I’ve made a new discovery!"

It was, of course, Zhou Ziqin. He must have grown impatient waiting at the yamen and decided to storm the military governor’s residence to drag her out of bed.The sun was likely nearing noon, its light outside so bright it was almost blinding. Huang Zixiang pressed hard on her temples, responding vaguely before tidying herself up. She put on the clothes prepared by the military governor's residence and opened the door to ask, "What discovery?"

Zhou Ziqin excitedly held up the twin-fish jade bracelet he treasured like a priceless gem and said, "Early this morning, a pawnshop owner came to see me. He said the yamen had contacted him, and he rushed overnight from Longzhou. The moment he saw this bracelet, he remembered—the buyer at the time was—"

Huang Zixiang's eyes lit up, but seeing him deliberately drag out the suspense, she grew impatient. "Who was it?"

"Haha, I knew it! You must have sent someone to the pawnshop to investigate!" Zhou Ziqin looked smug, clearly confident in his insight. "When did you ask them? Otherwise, why would they come to me?"

Huang Zixiang nodded and asked, "So the bracelet was indeed sold by someone from Longzhou? Who was the buyer?"

Zhou Ziqin glanced around the courtyards of the military governor's residence to avoid being seen by acquaintances, then pulled her into the room. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "You’d never guess! The person who bought this bracelet wasn’t Fu Xinruan’s lover, Wen Yang—it was the Western Sichuan Military Governor's Residence!"

Huang Zixiang was stunned. Countless tangled clues and thoughts surged in her mind. Everything suddenly seemed to fall into place, yet at the same time, everything became even more chaotic.

"Apparently, it happened during the New Year festivities. The pawnshop’s old manager, as per tradition, carefully prepared a batch of fine goods and invited stewards from various households to browse. Naturally, the military governor's residence was given first pick. Among the items they selected was this jade bracelet. At the time, someone from Longzhou was overseeing the delivery. Someone from the military governor's residence asked about it—the jade quality was average, but the design was quite charming. Why not give it to them as a bonus? The pawnshop was happy to oblige, so it wasn’t recorded in the ledger and was simply handed over to them."

Huang Zixiang slowly asked, "Who from the military governor's residence was there at the time?"

"The person from Longzhou was just there temporarily to help, so he didn’t know. Since it wasn’t recorded, tracking it down now is difficult. However, the pawnshop staff here recall that Qi Teng was among them."

So, the bracelet had ended up in Qi Teng’s hands.

What exactly was the relationship between Qi Teng and Wen Yang? And what was his connection to Yu Xuan? How had Fu Xinruan and Wen Yang interacted? How had the bracelet Qi Teng acquired ended up with Fu Xinruan? Was the death of the servant woman Tang Zhuniang an accident—or murder? If it was murder, what was the motive?

Who was responsible for Qi Teng’s death? Was it Zhou Ziyan, unwilling to marry him, using some method she hadn’t noticed—or ordering someone else to kill him? Or was it someone he associated with regularly—Yu Xuan? Wen Yang? Or perhaps General Fan?

And what exactly had happened to Yu Xuan? Had his memory failed him, leading to the chaotic scene where he believed she had killed her parents? Or had someone framed her in front of him, setting up the scenario to make him misunderstand her?At this point, the only confirmed fact in her parents' case was the use of poisoned wine. Who at that time had both the opportunity to act and access to such poison? What connection did Fu Xinruan, who died from the poison, have with her family? Could it have been the same perpetrator? Her father was the governor of Shu Commandery, while Fu Xinruan was a courtesan—what possible link could there be between them?

Huang Ziyao quickly sorted through all these threads and grasped the most crucial point—they had both belonged to the same poetry society.