The Golden Hairpin

She once again donned the attire of a eunuch, tightly binding up all her hair and covering it with a gauze cap. By his side, Yang Chonggu had returned.

Chang'an. The waning moon had set, and the sky was filled with stars.

The night wind of early spring was bitterly cold, and the seventy-two wards of the city lay in complete silence.

The knocking at the door in the dead of night startled the gatekeepers of Kuiwang Residence awake, filling them with alarm. The prince had only just returned—who could be knocking at this hour?

With trepidation, they opened the small side gate and looked at the figure outside.

Cloaked under the starlight, the figure was tall and slender. The faint glow of the palace lanterns under the eaves illuminated her face, revealing her pale cheeks and clear eyes, causing the gatekeepers to exclaim in shock, "Lord Yang... Miss Huang? Why have you come at this late hour?"

"I'm here to see His Highness," she said softly, lowering her hood as she stepped inside.

Some hesitated, glancing at the sky, but the quick-witted among them immediately ran to the inner quarters to announce, "Miss Huang requests an audience with His Highness!"

Tonight, it was Jing Yi on duty at Jingyu Hall. Hearing the commotion, he immediately rose, straightened his clothes, and hurried out, barely suppressing his delight. "Miss Huang!"

Huang Zixiang nodded to him and asked softly, "Has His Highness retired?"

"Yes, it's quite late. And earlier, word came from the palace—His Majesty has summoned His Highness for an audience first thing tomorrow."

Huang Zixiang walked to the door and lightly knocked. Jing Yi glanced outside, then shrewdly led the others away to brew tea.

Left alone at the door, Huang Zixiang was still debating whether to call out when the door opened. Li Shubai stood inside, silently watching her. He wore only plain white robes, unadorned, his hair loose over his shoulders, unbound. The lanterns hanging by the door cast a bright glow, spilling light over him, as if he were bathed in a faint luminescence, strikingly vivid.

Perhaps freshly roused from sleep, the night breeze stirred, gently swaying the palace lanterns under the eaves. His gaze, fixed on her, rippled like water in the undulating light, shimmering and radiant.

Huang Zixiang bowed outside the door and said quietly, "Forgive my intrusion at this late hour, Your Highness."

He nodded but did not reply, studying her for a long moment before reaching out to grasp her arm.

Through her sleeve, he felt the soft warmth of her skin and suddenly laughed at himself. "How foolish. I thought I was still dreaming."

Huang Zixiang's heart skipped a beat, a strange warmth flooding her chest. She clasped his hand in return and whispered, "If this were a dream, it wouldn't be so bad."

Li Shubai smiled faintly and led her inside by the hand.

Following him in, they sat together on the couch. He casually picked up a hairpin to tie up his hair and asked, "What is it? Has something happened in the palace?"

Huang Zixiang nodded, stood, and took the pin from his hand. Then she opened a drawer, retrieved a comb, and began to comb his hair before the mirror.

Li Shubai raised his hand to grasp her wrist, looking up at her.

She calmly withdrew her hand and continued combing, slowly gathering his hair into a topknot. "Have you forgotten, Your Highness? Back in Shu, when you were injured, I was the one who combed your hair."Li Shubai gazed at her through the mirror. The bright bronze surface reflected her lowered face, like a lotus bowing its head in the twilight. And those eyes, half-hidden beneath her lashes, were the clearest, purest dewdrops upon its petals.

Unable to restrain his emotions, he murmured softly, "Back then, we lived each day not knowing if we'd see the next, in such wretched states. Yet now, looking back, those were the most precious moments of my life."

Huang Zixiao's lashes trembled slightly as she raised her head to meet his gaze in the mirror.

Their eyes locked in the bronze reflection as if beholding the trajectory of their shared destiny, unable to look away for the longest time.

After what seemed an eternity, Huang Zixiao finally lowered her head to fasten his hair and secure the jade hairpin before saying quietly, "Your Highness, don't go to the palace tomorrow morning."

"Why not?"

"Wang Yun came to inform me today that we won't be able to depart for Shu tomorrow," Huang Zixiao said, letting her hands fall to her sides as she stood behind him. "The reason given was that he'll be occupied with transferring the Buddha's relics to various temples for worship and won't be able to get away."

"Your journey to Shu was settled long ago, just as the transfer of the relics to the capital's temples was scheduled for tomorrow. How could he suddenly become unavailable?" Unwilling to continue speaking through the mirror's barrier, Li Shubai turned to face her directly.

Huang Zixiao nodded gently. "His Majesty has been gravely ill for some time. If this Buddha relic ceremony brings no improvement to his condition... I fear he may move quickly against Your Highness."

Li Shubai smiled at her and asked, "Would he disregard the threat from the Zhenwu Army then?"

"Your Highness understands better than I that the Uighurs have long occupied the northern territories, raiding south each winter when provisions run low. But since their defeat at your hands, their strength has waned considerably. Now they pose little real threat to the court—merely scattered bands of soldiers at the border. What the court truly faces is the entire realm. The succession hangs by a thread—His Majesty is critically ill, the Crown Prince is young, while you, Prince Kui, have grown too powerful."

Li Shubai regarded her in silence as she met his gaze, her eyes filled with worry and fear. Knowing he was the cause, he smiled slightly, stood up, and patted her shoulder gently. "Don't worry. The situation isn't as dire as you think."

"Is Your Highness overconfident in yourself or in His Majesty?" Huang Zixiao couldn't help pressing urgently. "After all these years at court, can you truly not believe in brothers turning against each other, in kin spilling blood? I refuse to believe you could be so naive!"

He shook his head slowly, still smiling. "Rest assured, I'm neither as naive nor is the situation as terrible as you imagine."

Huang Zixiao was momentarily at a loss for words, her breath coming faster. She lowered her lashes, fighting the urge to turn and leave.

"Your Highness, please believe me this once..." She stepped before him and knelt, looking up. "This matter is of utmost importance. I don't want... I don't want you to take risks, and I fear my own negligence might fail you. Should anything befall you because of me, I would carry that regret all my life, never forgiving myself!"

Li Shubai looked down at her kneeling form, a faint curve touching his lips as he asked softly, "Then what do you suggest I do?"Huang Zixiao reached up to grasp his arms, looking up at him urgently. "Your Highness, with your extraordinary talents, you must have already planned the best path for yourself. Just... just don't take any unnecessary risks!"

"I told you, you're too naive," he murmured, gazing deeply at her. Noticing her hands still unconsciously clutching his elbows, he smiled slightly, then extended his arms and lifted her effortlessly, cradling her in his embrace as lightly as if she were a wisp of cloud.

Huang Zixiao froze for a moment, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson. She struggled slightly. "Prince Kui, I was discussing serious matters with you..."

"And I, too, wish to speak seriously with you," he replied, gently placing her on the couch and sitting beside her. "First, I dislike seeing you plead before me. Haven't you once told me that you wished to stand by my side like a catalpa tree, weathering storms together, offering shelter and support?"

Leaning back on the couch, Huang Zixiao raised an elbow to cover her eyes and softly murmured, "Mm."

"Second, I truly deserve my fate—no wonder His Majesty wishes to eliminate me at all costs," Li Shubai said quietly, stroking her hair. "You know about the unauthorized expansion of the Zhenwu Army, but are you aware that the other military governors have also taken their own actions?"

Huang Zixiao widened her eyes in shock. "So..."

"Indeed. Since the Pang Xun Rebellion four years ago, under the pretext of uniting the military governors to suppress the revolt, my people have gradually infiltrated their armies. I summoned troops from various garrisons to the capital, established the Shenwu and Shenwei Armies, and rebuilt the Southern Garrison's Sixteen Guards according to the old system. His Majesty has noticed, of course, and must deeply regret nurturing a threat. By the time we were assassinated in Chengdu, I knew he could no longer tolerate me. Now, the military governors are all, to varying degrees, under my control, and the capital holds my elite forces. Wouldn't it be a wise and decisive move for His Majesty to eliminate me for the sake of the realm?"

Hearing this, Huang Zixiao finally relaxed slightly and whispered, "Was this Your Highness's arrangement?"

"It was their own choice," Li Shubai said indifferently. "I merely poured a ladle of oil onto a pile of kindling already beginning to spark."

Huang Zixiao couldn't tell whether to feel joy or worry. Lowering her voice, she murmured, "Your Highness isn't afraid the situation might spiral out of control?"

Seeing her expression, Li Shubai lightly flicked her forehead. "Don't worry. If I can ignite this fire, I can also extinguish it."

"If Your Highness has already made arrangements, then my concerns were unnecessary," Huang Zixiao said softly, reassured by his certainty. "Yes... no matter what, in times of urgency, extraordinary measures must sometimes be taken."

"The situation has indeed reached a critical point, and tomorrow Wang Yun will be very busy. Today at dusk, during the changing of the palace guards, a contingent was deliberately kept inside—likely reserved for tomorrow's use. And this afternoon, while His Majesty was praying in the Buddhist hall, he suddenly summoned Wang Zongshi. Can you guess what urgent matter compelled him to interrupt his prayers before the sacred relics to summon the leader of the Divine Strategy Army?"

Huang Zixiao murmured, "How many Divine Strategy troops can be mobilized in the capital?"

"At least five to eight thousand. Though they may not even be needed—if you include the palace guards retained during the two shifts, there are no fewer than a thousand. Dealing with me and a few household soldiers would be more than sufficient."Huang Zihuang nodded slightly, then after a moment of contemplation, said, "Then I wish to follow you."

Li Shubai raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at her with surprise.

"Before coming here, I had already packed my belongings—everything is prepared," she said softly, pointing to the bundle placed by the door. "I thought, if the situation has truly reached an irreparable point, then at least the forces you've cultivated in the capital over the years could provide a means of escape at the last moment. And I... I wish to stay by your side, never to part."

He gazed at her and asked quietly, "What about Wang Yun?"

She bit her lower lip and whispered, "I... have wronged him. But from the beginning, we had an agreement—I would return his letter dissolving our betrothal, and he would help you escape. Yet now, he has not kept his promise and has instead become our adversary. The agreement is void."

Seeing the resolute expression on her face, Li Shubai couldn't help but sigh. "Zihuang, you are truly ruthless."

Huang Zihuang was taken aback, and her voice softened involuntarily. "Yes... But if I am not ruthless toward him, he will be ruthless toward you. Now that things have come to this, I cannot possibly care for both sides. I can only choose the one I wish to follow..."

"No, I mean—you are too ruthless toward yourself," Li Shubai said, his hand gently sliding down her back before tightening his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. "What do you take yourself for? You could entrust yourself to Wang Yun for my sake, and now you would abandon everything to flee with me. A woman as intelligent as you—do you not realize that by following me like this, you will gain nothing in the future, left only with a life on the run? If something were to happen to me, or if I were to abandon you, you would have no recourse?"

"I won't let you abandon me," she murmured softly by his ear, her voice distant yet inexplicably firm.

Hearing her whisper, he couldn't help but smile. It seemed he could no longer control himself—the heat in his body made his throat dry and hoarse as he said in a low voice, "You certainly have confidence in yourself."

Listening to his rapid breaths and feeling the scorching warmth against her ear, Huang Zihuang trembled slightly. "No, I... have confidence in you, Your Highness."

"You should indeed have confidence," he said, holding her tightly, his words growing indistinct from his ragged breathing and pounding heart. "Because it seems... I already belong to you."

For a moment, Huang Zihuang was bewildered, unsure of his meaning.

But he buried his face deep in her hair, his tone dreamlike. "When you were angry with me and sought the Wang family's help, I couldn't sleep all night. I sat before the Zhenliu Pavilion with that Agashini in my arms, watching the moonlight reflect off the ice—so blindingly bright that I couldn't sleep at all. I kept feeling that in the next moment, you would step into that light and appear before me, telling me you regretted it and had returned... Isn't that ridiculous?"

Huang Zihuang pressed her face against his chest, her ear against him listening to his rapid heartbeat, and whispered, "No. If you were to leave me, I would surely wait for you like that, night after night.""Upon learning that you and Wang Yun were preparing to head south for the wedding arrangements, I nearly went mad with the news I received in Xiuzheng Lane. At that moment, I secretly resolved in my heart—if by the day of your departure the Emperor still hadn’t permitted my release, I would break out of the Imperial Clan Court at all costs to find you..." He tightened his arms around her, holding her even more firmly. "No matter what, I would take you back, never letting you go again..."

Huang Zixiao felt the strength in his embrace, so tight it almost hurt. Yet, a smile appeared on her face as she raised her hands to clasp his waist tightly in return.

"And... after that day, there was a wish in my heart, one I turned over and over, too ashamed to speak of, with no one to confide in. But tonight, I want to tell you, because I fear that if I don’t say it now, there may never be another chance."

Huang Zixiao nodded against his chest and asked, "Which day are you referring to?"

He didn’t answer, but his breath against her ear grew hotter and quicker. His voice trembled slightly, strained and hesitant: "From that day on, I kept thinking over and over—if one day, I could hold your hand and never let go if I wished; if one day, I could embrace you and never release you if I desired; if one day, I could kiss you again, whether it be your hand, your cheek, or your lips..."

Huang Zixiao’s face flushed crimson instantly. She suddenly understood which day he meant and why he had called his wish too shameful to voice, with no one to share it with.

Instinctively, she struggled to break free from his embrace, turning her back to him. Yet his hold was so firm that her resistance only gave him an opening. He pressed her shoulders and bent to kiss her smooth forehead.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to open them. Her trembling lashes cast faint shadows under the lamplight, tinged with a rosy hue.

His gentle kisses trailed downward, along her cheek. Under the brilliant light, her lips were the color of peach blossoms blended with roses, as if the radiance of an entire spring had melted into them, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yet, gazing at her tense expression for a long while, he ultimately only brushed his lips lightly against that vibrant spring before loosening his embrace with a soft sigh. "There, don’t be afraid."

Huang Zixiao opened her eyes in confusion and surprise, staring at him so close before her.

He raised a hand to caress her cheek and murmured, "I don’t know if I’ll live past tomorrow. Why drag you deeper into this?"

"It doesn’t matter," Huang Zixiao whispered, covering his hand with hers. "By coming here tonight, I wanted to tell you, Your Highness—if you live, I live; if you go to the northern frontier, I’ll go as a little eunuch; if misfortune befalls you, I won’t linger alone."

Li Shubai gazed at her, turning her hand over to press a kiss to her palm. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "Don’t be so reckless, Zixiao. In this world, perhaps you understand my predicament better than anyone. Even I don’t know if I’ll emerge unscathed—how can you not grasp the terror of it?""Of course I know," Huang Ziyao slowly shook her head and said, "All the strange occurrences around you—the tiny red fish spat out by the late emperor when he coughed up blood, the talisman obtained on the Xuzhou city tower, Consort Chen's madness and the hints she left behind, Prince E's bizarre disappearance and death... Once I pieced it all together, I realized what I was facing was the most powerful and terrifying force in this world. But Your Highness, even if my frail body is but a mantis trying to stop a chariot, I still hope that when the wheels come crushing down, I can make them deviate just a little. Perhaps that tiny shift is all it takes to make this chariot, which has been ruthlessly trampling everything in its path, come crashing down."

Hearing her words, Li Shubai was momentarily stunned, his expression turning grave as he asked, "You already know the truth behind all these cases?"

"Yes, I've compiled all these perplexing and eerie cases, untangled their threads, and uncovered every method involved." She looked at him under the bright, cascading lamplight, her gaze clear and unwavering.

Li Shubai stared into her eyes, seeing his own reflection in them, and couldn't suppress the stirring in his heart. He pulled her close to lean against the couch and whispered, "Good. There's still some time before court. First, tell me about that talisman."

Huang Ziyao hadn't expected him to bring this up under such circumstances. Hesitating, she tilted her head to rest on his shoulder and asked, "Aren't you tired? Shouldn't you be preparing for other matters?"

"There's nothing to prepare. Who knows if I'll return after today. Before then, I want to hear you unravel the greatest mystery of my life." As he spoke, he gently embraced her shoulders and added softly, "With the secret uncovered and you by my side, no matter what I must face, I'll be at peace."

Huang Ziyao silently turned her head to look at him, then sat up straight and said, "Your Highness, bring out that box."

Li Shubai gave her shoulders another light squeeze before rising to retrieve the box and place it before her. "This talisman is ever-changing, always hinting at my fate—so bizarre and unfathomable. Can you explain it clearly in such a short time?"

"Neither of us believes in ghosts or gods. As long as we know it's human trickery, what's so unfathomable?" Huang Ziyao placed her hand on the box and said, "The method behind this talisman seems complex, but in reality, it can be achieved with a very simple technique. For example, two identical talismans and two identical boxes."

At this point, as if the final veil had been lifted, Li Shubai immediately understood. "Ah," he murmured thoughtfully. "So that's how it is!""You once mentioned that after obtaining the talisman in Xuzhou, you didn't pay much attention to it and simply stored it away casually. I believe someone must have acted before the military report of your mother's death reached you, stamping red circles simultaneously on the character '孤' (solitary) of both your talisman and his—because to create identical strokes, it could only be done by stamping. Otherwise, you would have noticed subtle differences in the brushwork. After you first discovered the anomaly with the talisman, the other party arranged for an assassin to attack you, and that person also circled the character 'disabled' on the other talisman—Huang Zixiang held the thick talisman gently and continued, "Zhou Ziqin learned from the master craftsman at Yi's Framing Shop that vermilion ink mixed with white vinegar and tea ash is often used on calligraphy and paintings." The tea absorbs the vinegar's odor, and both ingredients help retain color. This blended vermilion ink naturally fades over time, leaving only faint traces. So, if you had perished, the talisman could have been discarded. And if you had truly been disabled in the assassination attempt, they could have replaced it with another talisman circled with ordinary vermilion ink on the character '残' before the original ink faded, ensuring it would never disappear. But since you recovered well, the color naturally faded, making further action unnecessary."

Li Shubai nodded and said, "Then, I began to take this talisman seriously. Distrusting ordinary locks, I specially commissioned this Nine Palaces Box. The box takes an extremely long time to open, and when it was made, a random sequence of eighty characters—which even I hadn’t predetermined—was assembled. I thought this would ensure constant vigilance under my own eyes, yet it was still tampered with."

"Indeed, on the surface, without knowing the sequence of the characters, opening this lock would require tens of thousands of attempts. Even if someone memorized the unlocking code, they would still need to align all the scrambled characters one by one, making it impossible to do quickly. And since the box was always under Your Highness’s watchful eye, naturally no one would dare or have the time to painstakingly open it and swap the talisman," Huang Zixiao agreed with a nod.

"However, with two identical boxes, it’s a different story. Close attendants like Jing Yu and Zhang Xingying could easily switch the boxes unnoticed in a matter of moments whenever they had the chance to come and go. Even if they didn’t have time to rearrange the scrambled characters on the other box to match, they could simply claim the characters had shifted while cleaning—hardly a significant issue," Li Shubai mused before adding, "But the unlocking codes on the box were all randomly placed by me. The craftsman might have glanced at them, but I don’t believe he could memorize eighty characters in that fleeting moment."

"True, a photographic memory is Your Highness’s unique talent—no one else in the world possesses it. If that carpenter had such an ability, why would he toil away his whole life only to meet an inexplicable death in the end?" Huang Zixiao remarked as she retrieved a hard object from her bundle and placed it before him. "I found this among the carpenter’s belongings, hidden in the tools he left for his apprentice."

Li Shubai picked up the object and frowned slightly. "Beeswax?"

"Yes, precisely beeswax. Typically, only unskilled woodworkers would use it to fill gaps in joints. Why would a renowned carpenter in the capital need such a thing?" Huang Zixiao rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him expectantly.

Meeting her eyes, Li Shubai exhaled slowly and said, "An impression."

Huang Zixiao nodded. "Exactly. When Jing Yu sought out the carpenter for you, he had already bribed him. During the final step, when you were invited to inlay the characters yourself, the carpenter had spread a thin layer of soft beeswax on the workbench, sprinkled with wood shavings. After you arranged the characters, he pressed them face-down into small copper rods. Under the pressure, the wooden characters left raised imprints on the beeswax through the oilcloth and shavings. Once you left with the box, he carefully lifted the oilcloth, scooped up the beeswax, and brushed off the shavings—revealing the exact sequence of characters you had randomly arranged. He could then replicate an identical box with the same character sequence and deliver it to Jing Yu."

Li Shubai nodded in understanding. "Thus, two completely identical boxes were created. As for the lotus box inside, with only twenty-four points, it was merely a clever device meant to deter the honest rather than the cunning—making an exact copy would be simple. Each time, Jing Yu only needed to tamper with the talisman, place it inside, and swap it with my original box."Huang Zixiao nodded and said, "Eunuch Jingyu must have been extremely cautious over the years. The minor differences in the talismans might have gone unnoticed due to the frequent changes in color. As for the maintenance of the Nine Palaces Box, he had to be meticulous, as even the slightest bump could create discrepancies between the two boxes. For anyone else, it might not have mattered, but for Your Highness, with your extraordinary memory, it would have been a fatal flaw."

Li Shubai sighed softly and said, "But what I admire most is his unwavering loyalty from beginning to end. Even in death, he died for me."

"Yet before his death, he arranged for Zhang Xingying to succeed him, didn't he?" Huang Zixiao murmured. "I've always suspected that perhaps their changes were also related to Master Mershan."

Li Shubai nodded slightly. "Mm... If Zhang Xingying hadn't gone to Shu, perhaps he would still be living well now."

Huang Zixiao rested her chin on her hand and whispered, "But Master Mershan died before the truth could come to light. His death was so timely that everything remains speculation, unverified."

"But when Zhang Xingying slandered you, Master Mershan was already dead. How did this change come about then?"

"It was the little red fish," Huang Zixiao said softly but firmly. "Earlier, in Eunuch Jingyu's room, I saw that hollow stone ball of his, still damp. I think Jingyu must have placed the fish eggs inside and, at the last moment, chose Zhang Xingying to be possessed by the Agashini."

Li Shubai nodded, his gaze falling on the little red fish sleeping peacefully in the water on the table. "A fleeting thought, occasionally appearing beside those who died unjustly... the Agashini..."

Under the bright lamplight, he looked at her, at the clarity in her eyes and the purity of her expression. He couldn't help but take a deep breath to steady the violent pounding in his chest caused by her presence. "So now... is the time to uncover everything?"

She raised her head and smiled at him. "Yes, this case is already over."

The hour of Mao was approaching. Though the sky was still dark, it was time to enter the palace for the morning audience.

Li Shubai adjusted his attire, and his attendants helped him organize the scrolls and tablets. As he led his entourage to the gatehouse, Huang Zixiao was already waiting for him there.

She had once again donned the attire of a eunuch—black robes with green silk ribbons, her hair tightly bound and covered with a gauze cap. Her slightly pale, plain face was accentuated by darkened eyebrows. Yang Chonggu, the person by his side, had returned.

Li Shubai nodded to her, and the attendants handed all the items to Huang Zixiao. She took the luggage and prepared to mount her horse to follow.

Li Shubai glanced at her, and she obediently dismounted, entering the carriage with him.

"The early spring chill is biting, and the sky isn't even light yet. You can endure it?" he asked mockingly after she sat down as usual on the small stool.

Huang Zixiao hugged the box of miscellaneous items and looked at him, blinking before suddenly laughing.

He glanced at her but said nothing.

She continued on her own, "It feels like last year all over again... a return to the past."Li Shubai leaned against the carriage wall with his arms crossed, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Back then, someone hid in my carriage, was caught red-handed by me, had their identity exposed, yet shamelessly refused to get off and instead begged for my help."

"Yet after a year, I ultimately kept my promise and helped Your Highness uncover the secret of the Agashini, didn't I?" She glanced at the little red fish still placed as always on the desk and, resting her chin in her hand, asked him.

Li Shubai gazed at her and nodded slightly. "In my life, I've made many deals with many people. But this one with you has been the most worthwhile."

"Given the current situation, it's still uncertain whether I can truly help you. How can you be so sure it's worthwhile?" Huang Zixiao inquired.

"Even if you can't help me, just having met you in this lifetime is already enough."

His tone was light, yet it sent massive ripples through Huang Zixiao's heart. She looked up at him, feeling waves of warmth surge around her, but found herself unable to speak.

The carriage slowly came to a halt—they had arrived at the Daming Palace.

Li Shubai stood up and stepped out of the carriage, standing atop it to gaze at the faint outline of the Daming Palace illuminated by palace lanterns before turning back to look at Huang Zixiao.

Huang Zixiao emerged from the carriage carrying a box, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

The morning wind was biting, howling past them.

Li Shubai squeezed her hand and said, "Let's go. Today, we'll put on a grand show for everyone to see."

Huang Zixiao followed Li Shubai through the Danfeng Gate, heading north.

Crossing the Longshou Canal and entering the Zhaoxun Gate, they ascended along the Dragon Tail Walkway until the Hanyuan Hall came into view. The golden and resplendent Qifeng and Xiangluan Pavilions flanked it like wings, while the Hanyuan Hall stood majestically in the center, its grandeur and magnificence even more pronounced against the dark blue sky before dawn.

In recent years, the emperor had mostly held court at the Xuanzheng Hall, but today, as the Buddha's relics were being escorted out of the palace, the entire court and palace had gathered to bid them farewell, hence the Hanyuan Hall was opened.

At the base of the hall, Wang Yun, illuminated by the continuous line of hanging lanterns along the Dragon Tail Walkway, spotted Huang Zixiao at once. His face darkened immediately, and he strode over to her side, grabbing her arm.

Huang Zixiao, holding the box, looked up at him in slight surprise before curtsying respectfully. "Commander Wang."

Wang Yun's face was ashen as he struggled to keep his voice low. "How did you get here?"

Huang Zixiao tilted her chin toward Li Shubai, who had already ascended the Dragon Tail Walkway. "I came with Prince Kui."

"He sought you out right after leaving the Imperial Clan Court?"

Huang Zixiao shook her head. "No, after you left last night, I went to find him."

Wang Yun stared at her, the veins at his temples throbbing. His expression was so terrifying that those nearby couldn't help but glance over, yet Huang Zixiao remained calm, speaking softly, "Yunzhi, you didn't keep your promise to me, so... I had no choice but to let you down."

As if struck by lightning, he gaped at her, his voice breaking. "You... what do you know?"

Her voice was very soft but crystal clear. "What I know is what Prince Kui knows."

"And you two... still dare to enter the palace today?""If he comes, I will follow him." She turned her gaze to the top of the steps. At the forefront stood Li Shubai, closest to the grand hall. Though obscured by the crowd behind him, she knew he was there in that direction. "Since he is willing to risk his life for the truth, why should I begrudge my own insignificant body?"

Yet he seemed deaf to her words, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on her as he asked, enunciating each word, "So, from the very beginning, you came to my side—for him?"

Huang Zixiao remained silent for a moment before turning her face away, looking down at the vast expanse of blue-bricked ground below the city tower. "When I agreed to return to Shu with you, I meant it sincerely."

So, in the end, all the blame still fell on him?

Wang Yun stared at her profile, wanting to retort sharply. But seeing the sorrow etched on her face, he found himself unable to speak. He could only release her hand resentfully and say, word by word, "If that's the case, I will grant you your wish."

The grand hall was filled with high-ranking officials clad in crimson and purple robes, while Huang Zixiao, the lowest-ranking eunuch, stood out in her dark blue attire. The fourth watch had just passed, and the sky had yet to brighten. The Hanyuan Hall blazed with countless lamps, illuminating the space brilliantly. The side pavilions, however, were deserted, adorned only with a few dim lanterns, unattended.

Huang Zixiao nodded at Li Shubai, then lifted her case and dashed toward the Xiangluan Pavilion. Her dark robes blended into the pre-dawn darkness, and the guards, preoccupied with the officials ascending and descending the Dragon Tail Path, paid no heed to the figure slipping into the shadows of the pavilion.

It wasn’t until Huang Zixiao climbed onto the railing and shouted "Your Majesty!" that the assembled officials lining up at the hall’s entrance sensed something amiss.

The crowd turned toward the Xiangluan Pavilion, where Huang Zixiao stood perched on the farthest railing, the deep blue sky stretching behind her as she swayed precariously in the wind. The morning breeze billowed her sleeves, as if ready to carry her away.

Before anyone could recognize her, Wang Yun, who had just stepped onto the Dragon Tail Path, spotted her. Stunned for a moment, he roared, "Have you lost your mind? Get down now!"

Huang Zixiao raised a hand to stop him. "Commander Wang, don’t come any closer. If you do, I’ll jump immediately!"

The guards behind Wang Yun, unaware of her identity, cursed, "What lunatic eunuch is this? Commander, let me drag him down!"

"No—no one moves," Wang Yun commanded, his face ashen as he halted his men. He glanced back at Li Shubai, who stood composed at the hall’s entrance, watching Huang Zixiao with detached calm amidst the crowd.

A surge of fury burned in Wang Yun’s chest. Just as he seethed helplessly, he overheard the hushed murmurs of nearby ministers: "Isn’t this just like when Prince E leaped from the Xiangluan Pavilion?"

"Exactly! The scene is eerily similar. Back then, Prince E accused Prince Kui of forcing his hand. Now, it’s Prince Kui’s little eunuch standing on the edge..."

"Could it be... this eunuch is about to deliver a scathing indictment like the others?" The speaker’s tone was ominous, clearly recalling not only Prince E’s plunge but also the tragedy of Zhang Xingying’s father hurling himself from the city walls.

"Shh, Prince Kui is right here..." another whispered urgently, straining to lower his voice.Wang Yun stared at Li Shubai's impassive face, then turned to look at Huang Ziyao's slender figure against the wind, teetering precariously on the railing. His heart leaped into his throat, yet he dared not move or cry out—he could only watch helplessly from where he stood.

Huang Ziyao's voice carried faintly from afar: "Your Majesty, esteemed ministers! I reenact Prince E's actions today to prove that if the heavens are just, I too can shed my mortal form and ascend as immortal, vanishing into thin air."

"Nonsense! How could a lowly eunuch like you dare aspire to immortality?"

Yet if that were so... how could Prince E, who had supposedly ascended, have died at Prince Kui's hands behind Xiangji Temple?

This thought inevitably rose in Wang Yun's mind. Glancing around, he saw the same eerie expressions on everyone's faces and knew they shared his doubts. Unable to contain himself any longer, he shouted toward her: "Get down from there! Why risk your life over such a trivial matter on this high tower?"

"Commander Wang need not worry, nor search below for my corpse, for I shall vanish like Prince E—leaving no trace..." Before the words faded, she struck a flame from her tinderbox and pointed downward. "Prince E burned all gifts from Prince Kui, and I shall do the same with my belongings. Farewell, everyone!"

With that, she leaned back and plunged into the darkness behind her.

The falling flame ignited oil-soaked materials below, instantly erupting into a blaze that devoured the darkness and dyed the predawn sky crimson.

Wang Yun hadn't expected her to leap so casually. With a roar, his eyes reddening, he sprinted toward Xiangluan Pavilion.

His guards followed closely. When they reached the spot where she'd jumped, only burning debris remained in utter silence.

He lunged against the railing, peering down—the illuminated brick courtyard below stood completely empty.

After staring blankly for a long moment, he spotted two guards standing rigidly by the Dragon Tail Path under lantern light and bellowed: "Did you see anyone jump down?"

Looking up, they immediately responded: "Reporting, Commander—no one!"

"Nothing?!" Wang Yun demanded again.

"Not even a falling tile!"

Dazed, he turned—and saw someone watching him from behind a pillar in the gray dawn light. Dressed in dark eunuch robes with jade-like features, it was Huang Ziyao.

Meeting his gaze, she nodded slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Commander Wang."

"You... didn't jump?" His lingering fear mingled with relief at seeing her unharmed, leaving his expression torn between shock and joy.

"Indeed, it was all misdirection." Huang Ziyao lifted her half-empty case and walked back with him. The ministers who'd witnessed her "plunge" stared in astonishment as she returned unscathed beside Wang Yun.

Deliberately ignoring Wang Yun, Li Shubai addressed Huang Ziyao: "Explain to the ministers how you—or rather, Prince E—disappeared from Xiangluan Pavilion.""Yes," Huang Zixiang bowed to the curious officials gathered around her before continuing, "In truth, this was merely a simple sleight of hand. This trick required three conditions: First, it had to be performed at night, as daylight would immediately expose the deception. Second, a fire had to be set afterward to completely destroy any traces and prevent discovery of the trick. Third, the clothing worn had to be dark-colored, preferably black."

"Eunuch Yang, stop keeping us in suspense! Explain it to us clearly," urged Cui Chunzhan, whose impatient nature as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review made him particularly eager to solve this mystery. "I was among those present that day and have racked my brains trying to figure out how Prince E vanished."

"The solution is actually quite simple. Did everyone notice that Prince E and I chose different railings to climb? While we were at the Qifeng Pavilion, Prince E selected the left railing of the Xiangluan Pavilion, which, from the right side where Qifeng Pavilion stood, appeared to be the farthest point directly ahead. Meanwhile, I climbed the railing at the back of Xiangluan Pavilion, which, for those standing at the Hanyuan Hall, also appeared as the farthest point directly ahead. In other words, this method could only work when viewed head-on—it would fail completely if seen from the side," Huang Zixiang explained as she retrieved a painting from her case and unfurled it. "Because this trick required placing a painting. Paintings are two-dimensional; they can blend seamlessly when viewed from the front, but from the side, you'd only see a thin sheet of paper, instantly revealing the deception!"

The painting she held had a black background with white spaces that perfectly matched the railings, though slightly smaller in scale. She extended the small wooden rods attached to the painting and unfolded a collapsible wooden stand to hold it up for everyone to see.

Those viewing the painting from the side looked unimpressed, but those facing it directly were astonished. The black background merged seamlessly with the dim twilight, while the white spaces aligned perfectly with the jade railings behind. When Huang Zixiang stepped onto the stand behind the painting, she appeared—from the front—to be standing on the railing just as before.

No one could tell that there was actually another painted railing layer in front of the real one. Her seemingly unsteady posture was due to the slight instability of the wooden stand beneath her, yet it perfectly mimicked the appearance of someone balancing on a railing.

"I believe Prince E, after rising and walking to the back of Xiangluan Pavilion, had already prepared the stand and painting there beforehand. Once he had everyone's attention and after his furious rebuke of Prince Kui—his goal achieved—he simply leaped backward—" As Huang Zixiang spoke, she threw herself backward and vanished behind the painting. "It looked as though he had fallen backward off the railing, but in reality, he landed safely on the ground behind the painting."

"But what about these props? Packing them up would surely draw attention!" Cui Chunzhan immediately questioned."So, an excuse was needed—for instance, setting fire to all the gifts Prince Kui had previously given him. Paper goes without saying, and the wood had already been soaked in oil, so naturally, it would catch fire instantly. At that moment, Prince E only needed to remove his outer purple robe and toss it into the flames before hiding in the shadows of the Xiangluan Pavilion—because on that day, I noticed something very peculiar: while everyone else’s undergarments were almost all white, Prince E’s undergarment was black. Purple paired with black appears very somber, a combination most people would avoid. Yet he deliberately dressed that way—why?"

"Because... a white undergarment would stand out starkly in the darkness... purple is slightly better, but if he still wore purple clothes outside, he would be spotted immediately," someone speculated in a trembling voice.

"Exactly. So he chose to wear black undergarments and hide in the shadows. When the first group of guards arrived, he could slip into the prepared blue robes and blend in with them. Amid the chaos, he descended from Xiangluan Pavilion and immediately took advantage of the confusion to leave the palace, hiding in Xiangji Temple," Huang Zixiao declared loudly as she discarded the items. "Thus, the so-called 'ascension to immortality through corpse liberation' and the so-called 'sacrifice for the sake of the imperial court'—this is the truth behind it all."

In the dead silence that followed, everyone couldn’t help but steal glances at Li Shubai, yet not a single person dared to voice the suspicions lurking in their hearts—

Just what—or who—could have driven Prince E to take such immense risks and pay such a steep price to frame his own fourth brother?

And as for his later death behind Xiangji Temple—could it, too, conceal such unfathomable secrets?