The Golden Hairpin

Huang Zixiao exchanged a helpless glance with Li Shubai, then sighed in relief.

"Still, even if you didn’t tell me your true identity for my own good, there’s one more thing—" Zhou Ziqin snapped back to reality and began stubbornly sulking again. "Forget the rest, but take Yu Xuan’s case from back then. Prince Kui only mentioned remembering his palm print last time and said nothing else, yet you immediately figured out his identity. So afterward, you two must have discussed a lot more—without me!"

"We really didn’t discuss anything further. Was there even a need?" Huang Zixiao sighed. "Five years ago, in Guangdefang, the first case I ever solved—of course I remember it clearly. The person involved couldn’t have been Yu Xuan, and though he wasn’t convicted, his handprint was sealed in the case records. Witnesses wouldn’t have their records archived, so he must have been a family member of the criminal. Recalling the relatives of the perpetrator from that case, everything became clear."

"...Why does everything sound so simple when you explain it?" Zhou Ziqin slumped down beside them in frustration. After a moment, he turned to Li Shubai. "Your Highness, let’s discuss this—what should we do about Gongsun Daniang and Yin Siniang?"

Li Shubai replied indifferently, "Ask your father. The court will handle everything according to the law. Why do we need to discuss it?"

"But... but they’re both beauties, and their crimes were understandable. Besides, they’re so outstanding. If she dies, it might mean the end of—"

"Have you not heard of how the late emperor executed Luo Cheng?" he asked.

"Fine... fine." Zhou Ziqin lowered his head dejectedly. "But... but do we really have to follow the law so strictly?"

"I’ll remind Fan Yingxi not to pressure your father and to handle everything impartially. Beyond that, it’s up to the law."

"The law... the law shouldn’t be devoid of human sentiment..." Zhou Ziqin muttered.

Huang Zixiao took one look at him and immediately asked, "Did you do something against regulations again?"

"Shh... I only did it for you." He glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then pulled out a small, flat, cloth-wrapped bundle from his sleeve and handed it to her mysteriously, his face eager for praise.

Huang Zixiao knew what it was at once. She slowly reached out, took it, and unwrapped the cloth. Inside was a bracelet—lustrous and translucent, carved with two little fish biting each other’s tails, intimate and sweetly charming.

She held the bracelet in silence.

"By regulation, this should’ve been sealed and stored in the archives... but, but last night I thought, since this belonged to Huang Zixiao, maybe I could find her in Shu Commandery someday and give it to her as a gift. So I..." He pressed a finger to his lips and whispered, "No one checks the archives for decades anyway. No one will notice!"

Huang Zixiao turned the bracelet slowly, letting its gleam glide across her face.

Seeing her silent, Li Shubai said, "Last night, Yu Xuan committed suicide in prison. He took poison."

She let out a soft "Oh," as if she hadn’t heard, her expression calm.Yet, her vision suddenly darkened. The distant flowing clouds and the nearby blossoming trees blurred into indistinct shapes in an instant, no longer clear. Only the bracelet before her, under the sunlight, shimmered brilliantly, its radiance almost burning her eyes.

Suppressing her breath, she raised her left hand and hastily covered her eyes with her elbow, letting the fabric absorb the tears that had yet to fall.

Li Shubai sat across from her, silently watching, but said nothing.

With her hands covering her eyes, no one could see her expression. Even Li Shubai, so close beside her, could only hear her breathing—long, restrained, and heavy.

After what felt like an eternity, she lowered her hands, her face now calm, with only a faint trace of redness in her eyes. She looked at Li Shubai and slowly spoke in a hoarse voice, "I need to pay respects to my family."

"I'll go with you," Li Shubai said, as if nothing had happened, standing up.

She stepped out of the pavilion and walked to the highest point of the rockery, where the cliff abruptly ended. Slowly, she extended her right hand.

With a gentle release of her fingers, a faint, crisp sound echoed. The jade bracelet she had been clutching shattered into pieces on the rocks below.

The delicate, hollow-carved fish dissolved into sparkling fragments, forever beyond repair.

Zhou Ziqin rushed to the edge of the cliff and nearly burst into tears. "Chonggu... I stole this one..."

Li Shubai patted his shoulder and said, "If anyone asks, just say I took it."

Zhou Ziqin sighed in relief, then added, "Well, at least this bracelet wasn’t particularly valuable. Fu Xinruan had an exquisite jade bracelet, didn’t she? That one was also sealed away. If anyone asks, we can just present that one as a substitute."

Li Shubai pondered briefly before replying, "Stealing one is stealing, stealing two is still stealing. You might as well take that one too."

Zhou Ziqin was stunned. "Wh-why?"

"Fu Xinruan’s dying wish was to return the bracelet to its original owner," Li Shubai said calmly. "And I happen to know who that is."

She had rejected wealth and glory within her grasp, choosing instead to shed all pretenses and live as an ordinary housewife. Yet in the end, even this grounded dream was denied to her.

Seeing his resolve, Zhou Ziqin nodded. "No problem, leave it to me—though if you really wanted it, Your Highness, you could just ask my father..."

Li Shubai shook his head. "The fewer people who know, the better."

Zhou Ziqin gave him a pitiful look. "Alright... but if this gets out and my father tries to beat me to death, Your Highness, you’d better remember to collect my body..."

"Don’t worry," Li Shubai said indifferently. "I’ll personally write your eulogy."

In the desolate woods, facing south, the warm glow of the setting sun bathed the gravesite.

The tomb was immaculate, with only a few fallen leaves marring its surface—so clean it could have been a courtyard in someone’s home. The stone incense burner still held ashes, and the stone vessel was filled with fresh water.

Yu Xuan had taken care of everything, so their visit was merely a formality. They set up a small altar and bowed before it.

Huang Zixiang knelt deeply before her parents’ graves, silently offering her prayers.

Li Shubai stood beside her, gazing at her lowered profile.

She was not a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, but she possessed a pure and luminous aura, her stubborn and resolute demeanor setting her apart from all the women he had ever known.In this world, there are countless types of women. Yet as he gazed at her, he thought to himself that perhaps in this lifetime, he would never encounter anyone quite like her again.

When she stood up, Li Shubai asked her, "What are your plans now?"

She looked at her parents' tombstones, but before she could speak, Zhou Ziqin jumped in, saying, "Of course, she’ll come to the yamen and be our chief constable of Shu Commandery! Chonggu—ah, no—Miss Huang! As long as you’re willing, I’ll immediately step down from the constable position for you. From now on, I’ll follow your lead. All cases in Shu Commandery will be handed over to you, just like before. The people of Shu Commandery need you!"

Huang Ziyao shook her head helplessly. "There’s no such thing as a female constable in this world."

"Hey, how would you know? Empress Wu Zetian was a woman, yet she ascended the throne as emperor. What’s wrong with you being a female constable?" Zhou Ziqin even dragged Li Shubai into the conversation, adding, "Besides, with Prince Kui here, establishing a female constable in Shu Commandery would be a piece of cake! Absolutely no problem!"

Li Shubai didn’t respond to his remark.

Huang Ziyao remained silent and turned to look at Li Shubai.

Li Shubai was also gazing at her. Their eyes met squarely, each seeing the hesitation and uncertainty in the other’s gaze.

The vast lands of the Great Tang stretched endlessly, but where exactly did a woman’s future lie?

Zhou Ziqin pressed on, "Now that the truth has come to light, surely you’re not planning to return to Prince Kui’s residence as a low-ranking eunuch, are you?"

"I…" She opened her mouth slightly but hesitated to speak.

Just then, footsteps approached from the side as several elderly men walked over from a nearby path.

Huang Ziyao recognized them as elders from the Huang clan’s branch in the Shu region and hurriedly stepped forward to greet them. They were all her grandfather’s or uncles’ generation. After paying their respects to Prince Kui, they turned to Huang Ziyao and said, "With both your parents and elder brother gone, you are now alone in this world. A woman cannot rely on another family’s name after all. It’s best for you to return to the Huang clan first. There are many matters you may find inconvenient, but the clan elders will naturally arrange everything for you."

Huang Ziyao remained silent, her head lowered.

Seeing her lack of response, the eldest among them added, "You are one of the most outstanding descendants of the Huang family, and the clan will naturally treat you well. Your father served as an official for many years, and the clan has already accounted for his assets. You are of marriageable age now, and when the time comes, you can take them all to your husband’s family."

Huang Ziyao murmured, "Husband’s family?"

"Indeed. Didn’t you already have a marriage arrangement with the Langya Wang family? Even when you were falsely accused and hunted, the Wang family remained steadfast and never once came to us to break off the engagement. Early this morning, your betrothed, Wang Yun himself, came to inform us that your name had been cleared. He urged us to settle your affairs promptly so that the Huang and Wang families may remain united forever."

Huang Ziyao suddenly remembered—her engagement with him had not yet been dissolved. Strictly speaking, they were still betrothed.

Wang Yun’s actions were truly awe-inspiring in their swiftness.

"Prefect Zhou has already taken up residence in the commandery office. It’s hardly fitting for a woman to drift about alone. You should gather your belongings and return to the clan as soon as possible."

Huang Ziyao nodded absently, her heart in turmoil, unsure of what to do.

The clan elders crowded around Li Shubai, basking in the presence of imperial nobility, their faces beaming like chrysanthemums.

Huang Ziyao walked silently to the edge of the grave alone and sat down on the bluestone slab, gazing blankly at Li Shubai, who was surrounded by the crowd.

What exactly was the relationship between them?She was once a eunuch in the prince's mansion, but now that her true identity had been revealed, she could no longer return to being that low-ranking attendant who followed him every day.

He had promised that after she exposed the Wang Ruo case, he would help clear the wrongful accusations against her. Now that her name had been vindicated, their partnership was settled, their debts squared.

They had once relied on each other for survival in the dark wilderness, had once fallen asleep in each other's arms, and had once walked hand in hand under the sunlight.

He had told her that the heavens and the earth were too far apart.

She had told him that she would always stay by his side.

But words spoken, like wisps of smoke, dissipate into the air; deeds done, like flowing water, are left behind—can they truly be counted as real?