The Golden Hairpin

Xuanzhan didn't understand these matters and blinked idly, but seeing his mother listening intently, he continued holding his lantern quietly as Xin Niang recounted her story.

"At that time, both Yun Niang and I were busy sewing our wedding dresses at home, so after taking the hairpin, we never saw each other again... But who could have known that, just as the wedding day approached, Yun Niang received a message from our grandmother. Her legs were weak, and she wanted to see Yun Niang one last time before her marriage. As a result, on her way to our grandmother’s house—after days of heavy rain—the mountain path was steep, the earth loose, and Yun Niang... she slipped and..." Xin Niang covered her face, nearly unable to continue.

Xuanzhan widened his eyes in shock.

Though Xin Niang spoke of events so long ago, the pain was still unbearable. She clutched her chest and murmured, "After Yun Niang died... A-Cheng lay by her grave, refusing to eat or sleep, wanting to follow her in death. And in my dreams, I saw Yun Niang. She told me that we were like sisters, and now that she couldn’t watch over A-Cheng anymore, she asked me to take care of him for her. I dreamed of her for several nights in a row. Helpless, I could only tell my parents and ask to marry A-Cheng in Yun Niang’s place. The clan pitied both Yun Niang and A-Cheng, and so... I married him..."

Those around her sighed quietly as they listened, but the woman in green suddenly asked, "Was Yun Niang’s body found?"

Xuanzhan nodded. "It was found in the valley that same day... shattered beyond recognition..."

"And what of her hairpin?" the woman pressed.

"Something so small, falling from such a height—how could it possibly be found?" Xin Niang sobbed into her hands.

The woman in green continued, "And what of your original betrothed?"

"My younger sister married him instead. Now... their family is happy and harmonious... And A-Cheng and I... we were doing just as well..."

The woman in green turned her gaze to Liu Cheng’s lifeless body lying silently nearby and remarked coolly, "Were you? Perhaps you were happy. But your husband’s love was never truly yours. No matter how meticulously you schemed—even if you killed Yun Niang, who was like a sister to you—you could never steal his heart."

Hearing her tone turn icy, Xin Niang shuddered, her body instinctively curling inward. "Y-You’re lying! How could I... kill Yun Niang? You... you didn’t even know her! Stop spouting nonsense!"

The constables stared at her, even more bewildered. Earlier, when they had suspected Xin Niang of killing her husband, it was this woman who had questioned them. Yet now, with just a few words, she was accusing Xin Niang of murder—and not just any murder, but that of someone long dead.

The crowd exchanged confused glances, but no one dared to speak.

The woman in green went on, "Do you know why your husband suddenly died here? Because he discovered the truth behind Yun Niang’s death. Perhaps he still loved her all along. Perhaps he simply couldn’t believe that the woman beside him was a murderer. Or perhaps he truly was happy with you—so much so that he couldn’t bring himself to kill you directly. So instead, he clutched your hairpin in his hand. That way, even if he followed Yun Niang in death, the authorities would still execute you... avenging her."Xinniang's eyes were bloodshot, her expression crazed and terrifying: "You're lying! We—we were so deeply in love. Over the years, A-Cheng had gradually stopped mentioning Yunniang. How could he... think I killed her?"

"What suddenly made him realize the truth might have been a gesture, a word, or perhaps... this golden hairpin he crafted with his own hands, hidden deep in your vanity box." The green-robed woman pointed at the hairpin. "You claimed you couldn't bear to wear it ordinarily, so you must have worn it during the New Year, right? I suspect your husband happened to examine this hairpin carefully during this year's celebrations and understood everything..."

Xinniang trembled violently, her wide eyes fixed unblinkingly on the hairpin in A-Cheng's hand, yet she couldn't utter a single word.

The green-robed woman walked to the corpse, picked up the hairpin, and spoke slowly: "You said Yunniang fell from the mountain path alone—that wasn't true, was it? Because there must have been another person with her at that moment. That person was you."

Xuanzhan held the lantern, his mouth agape and eyes shining brightly as he gazed at his mother. The constables too forgot to speak, watching the hairpin in her hand as she continued.

"Golden jewelry was the most valuable part of a dowry. When Yunniang's grandmother wanted to see her before the wedding, she would naturally bring the hairpin her fiancé made to show her. Perhaps it was on that steep mountain path that you caught up with her. But I doubt you pushed her down immediately—you must have struggled for a while. During the scuffle, both hairpins came loose. Yours fell into the valley with Yunniang, while hers dropped to the ground. You mistakenly thought the one on the ground was yours—after all, your names sound so similar, and plum-blossom seal script is so hard to read..."

The green-robed woman turned the hairpin in Xinniang's hand sideways and presented it to her. "You're likely illiterate and wouldn't recognize plum-blossom seal script. But anyone who's studied it can see at a glance that this character isn't your 'Xin'—it's Yunniang's 'Yun.' The engraving is so small, the characters so similar, and few can read this script. Even your husband only realized the truth much later when he finally saw clearly... that this was Yunniang's hairpin."

Xinniang collapsed to the ground, clutching the hairpin tightly as it dug deep into her palm. She stared fixedly at her husband, then knelt and prostrated herself, wailing in grief.

"You claimed you hadn't seen Yunniang since the dowry preparations began. So when did her hairpin end up in your possession?" The green-robed woman's voice remained calm as she looked at Xinniang. "You grew up together—you should have been most reluctant to part when marrying. Why then did you stop seeing each other? There must have already been tension between you over A-Cheng. But even after stealing your best friend's fiancé, all you've accomplished is ruining three lives."

Xinniang gripped the hairpin so tightly it pierced her palm, yet she seemed not to feel it. She sat motionless, lost in a daze.