The Golden Hairpin

She gazed at him weakly, her voice trembling as she asked, "Does Your Highness remember... remember when I was newly pregnant, we saw ghostly apparitions by the garden pond?"

Prince Yun nodded and said, "Fortunately, you were blessed by heaven, and the ghosts could not harm you."

"No... those weren't ghosts. It was... someone deliberately trying to harm me... to harm Your Highness's child!"

Clutching his hand tightly, she struggled to speak, "Your Highness... beneath my pillow, there is a book of poetry. Please look... at the page marked with maple leaves and flowers."

Prince Yun reached under her pillow and indeed found a book. When he opened it, he couldn't help but ask, "This is... A Fu's handwriting?"

"Yes... I only discovered it by chance and realized... that back then, my sister, like me, encountered someone pretending to be ghosts during her pregnancy, intending... to harm the child!" Her tear-filled eyes looked up at him, her breath faint. "It was only after seeing my sister's notes that I learned the truth. But my sister... she was too delicate-hearted, unaware of the truth, and let the murderer succeed, leading to..."

At this point, she covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to utter another word.

Prince Yun turned sharply and saw Fang Fei kneeling on the ground, trembling like a leaf, her face drained of color. The thought that Fang Fei had served both sisters made his gaze turn dark and vicious. "A Shao, do you know who harmed you?"

"That day... she pretended to be ghosts but failed to harm me. I thought, being with child, it wasn’t the time to act, so I planned to tell Your Highness later. Who knew she would devise another cruel scheme when the first failed..." Wang Shao turned, her trembling hand pointing at Fang Fei. "Today... on the day I gave birth, she was so ruthless as to conspire with her aunt to slander me... Your Highness, she is trying to drive me to my death!"

"This servant... this servant did not..." Fang Fei shook her head frantically in terror, pleading, "I never pretended to be ghosts, nor did I conspire with my aunt..."

"You never pretended to be ghosts?" Wang Shao clenched her teeth, mustering her last strength to sit up slightly in Prince Yun's arms, whispering, "Yong Ling, bring it here."

Yong Ling responded promptly, hurriedly opening a cabinet in the back room and retrieving a box from the bottom. Inside were scattered pieces of camphor and several thin bamboo strips tied into a spherical shape, supported by three bamboo sticks.

Wang Shao said no more, merely gesturing for Yong Ling to proceed.

Yong Ling angrily threw the bamboo strips in front of Fang Fei, shouting, "After that night when we saw the ghost and everyone dispersed, Her Ladyship secretly ordered me to retrieve this from the water. She concluded that the white-robed ghost was white paper shaped like a human figure draped over these bamboo strips, meant to frighten us from afar in the dark! And while we were terrified, you went ahead, pretending to reach into the water, tearing off the outer paper, crumpling it, and hiding it in your sleeve. The thin bamboo strips were barely visible in the water, so when the eunuchs came with lanterns, they found nothing."

Furious, Prince Yun demanded, "And what is the camphor for?""This is what I secretly found in Fang Fei's room afterward. Camphor spins wildly when it meets water. That paper ghost was stuck on a piece of camphor, which made it sway and move so eerily!" Yong Ling spat in Fang Fei's face and wailed loudly, "Your Highness! For the sake of her unborn child, Madam forbade me from speaking out. These past ten months, I’ve been treading on thin ice, trembling with fear. I can only imagine... how much worse it must have been for Madam..."

Yong Ling and Wang Shao wept together, while Guo Wan stood by the bed, her face as cold as frost.

Fang Fei collapsed to the ground in terror. Her aunt, as if waking from a dream, quickly pushed her away and began slapping her own face frantically: "Oh, Your Highness, Madam, this is terrible! This old woman had no idea my niece was such a wicked person! I... I only had my doubts. Some women are naturally... more open down there, but I never thought... it would come to this!"

Prince Yun held the still-weeping Wang Shao tightly and said nothing, merely waving his hand dismissively.

Fang Fei, mustering strength from somewhere, lunged forward to cling to Guo Wan’s legs: "Madam, Madam, save me—"

Guo Wan kicked her away, then crouched down and hissed, "You vile creature! How dare you slander Madam Wang? Touching me has soiled my clothes!"

Wang Shao leaned against Prince Yun and murmured as if to herself, "I wonder how a mere servant girl could dare to repeatedly harm the prince’s heir?"

Prince Yun silently tightened his embrace, his gaze resting on Guo Wan. She could hear his heartbeat quicken against her ear, but he remained silent.

So Wang Shao said no more. She watched as Fang Fei and the midwife were dragged away, their frantic screams cut short as gags were stuffed into their mouths, leaving the room in deathly silence.

(V) Pear Blossoms Blanket the Ground, Yet the Door Remains Shut

Wang Shao recovered quickly. Within days, she was able to stroll through the courtyard with her child in her arms.

With Prince Yun and the Langya Wang family’s influence, along with the newborn heir, the imperial court soon issued an edict. She became Prince Yun’s sole concubine, and in the absence of a princess consort, she was effectively the mistress of the household.

However, the Emperor’s health was gradually declining. News came again that day, forcing Prince Yun to reluctantly leave his newborn son and hurry to the palace to attend to him.

Guo Wan came to visit Wang Shao at her invitation, bringing Ling Hui along.

Wang Shao greeted them warmly, then handed the child to Yong Ling, instructing her to take him inside to the wet nurse.

Guo Wan teased with a pout, "I haven’t even held him yet, and here you are, being so stingy, unwilling to let anyone touch him!"

"Children are delicate. Even a single touch can sometimes lead to unforeseen consequences." Wang Shao sat down with them in the courtyard, her gaze lingering on Ling Hui as she smiled faintly. "Besides, Ling Hui doesn’t seem too pleased about having a little brother."

Guo Wan sighed. "I knew you’d still remember that incident. Ling Hui is young; she doesn’t understand—"

"I know. Sister, wait a moment." With a cheerful smile, she went inside and returned with three bowls of creamy pudding. One was topped with finely sliced red and green fruit, vibrant and enticing—she handed this to Guo Wan. The second, sprinkled with crushed walnuts, she gave to Ling Hui. The third, almond-flavored, she kept for herself.