The Golden Hairpin

Huang Zixiang gazed at the little red fish and let out a long sigh, murmuring, "So far, among all the cases I've encountered, none have had more leads, more tangled clues, and yet been more impossible to solve than this one."

"Not just that. If you continue investigating, you'll find that beneath this case lies an even more terrifying undercurrent." Li Shubai placed the glazed cup in his hand back onto the small table, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "This case will determine the rise and fall of the Empress's influence in the imperial harem and court, the glory and disgrace of the Langya Wang family, the survival of Prince Yi's lineage, the remnants of the rebel Pang Xun, and even..."

At this point, he trailed off, his gaze fixed on the little red fish. His expression was as calm and unreadable as ever, yet Huang Zixiang felt an inexplicable pressure constricting her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

She studied his indifferent profile, wondering silently, "Even what? What could possibly surpass the noble families, imperial relatives, and rebel remnants he mentioned? What kind of existence could be so lofty and unattainable?"

Her eyes fell upon the little red fish, so small it could be crushed between two fingers, and she recalled Li Shubai's words during their first meeting when she had commented on the fish—

"Do you know that even His Majesty the Emperor has explicitly stated he cannot intervene in this matter? Yet you dare to take it upon yourself, claiming you can handle this case?"

Huang Zixiang stared at the oblivious little red fish. What was the origin of this fish that Li Shubai always kept by his side? What kind of secret did it hold?

Sunlight filtered through the carriage curtains, casting a glow on Li Shubai's face. His sharply defined profile, unlike the glazed cup, was not softened by the light. Instead, against the backdrop of the sun, his usually elegant and noble features appeared strikingly vivid and dazzling, almost blinding.

She watched him quietly, the slight jostling of the carriage suddenly making her feel a profound sense of helplessness, as if the heavens were too distant to question.

Kuiwang Manor, Yubing Pavilion.

Before Li Shubai and Huang Zixiang lay a sheet of paper seven chi long and one chi eight cun wide, densely covered in tiny characters.

"This should include almost all the clues in this case," Huang Zixiang said.

Li Shubai stood before the desk, scanning each line one by one.

Wang Ruo's identity: A noblewoman from an aristocratic family, yet escorted to the capital by a qin master from the Yunshao Pavilion, and who had learned vulgar folk songs from women in the pleasure quarters since childhood.

Feng Yiniang's death: Who was her old acquaintance, why did she die among the refugees in Youzhou, and did Wang Ruo know about it?

Prophecy at Xianyou Temple: How did the man come and go freely under heavy guard, what was his identity, what was the hidden past of Wang Ruo he hinted at, and why did the arrowhead used to kill Pang Xun appear there?

Yongchun Palace: Who was the person who openly attempted to assassinate Wang Ruo in the palace, how did Wang Ruo disappear under everyone's watch, and what was the origin and purpose of the half-piece of silver ingot that suddenly appeared beneath the teacup?

Death of the beggar in the capital: Was it related to this case? Why did he die at the same time as the female corpse found in Yongchun Palace, and from the same poison?

Counterfeit female corpse: The true identity of the corpse, the peculiar wounds from poisoning and the condition of her hands, how she appeared at the site of Wang Ruo's disappearance, and who intended to use her to fake Wang Ruo's death.

After reviewing the list, Li Shubai placed the paper into the Boshan incense burner and watched it burn to ashes. Then he turned and sat down in a chair, saying, "Let's sort out the people with motives and suspicions."Huang Zixiao hesitated before saying, "Judging by appearances, the first suspect would be Princess Qile. She has motive—her admiration for you is common knowledge in the capital—and opportunity, as she was in the palace the day Wang Ruo disappeared."

Li Shubai dismissed it with a faint smile. "Who else?"

"Second, Prince E. It's unclear whether he was truly the one who went to the West Market to learn magic tricks. While his reason for sheltering Chen Nianniang seems plausible, it feels a bit too coincidental."

"Others?"

"Third, remnants of the rebel Pang Xun, seeking revenge against you by seizing this opportunity."

"More?"

After a long pause, Huang Zixiao finally said, "Those in the court who oppose your political views or wish to suppress the Wang family."

"That would be quite a long list," Li Shubai remarked, his expression once again tinged with that faint, mocking amusement. "Nothing else?"

"There are a few far-fetched possibilities, such as enemies Wang Ruo might have had in Langya or from Feng Yiniang in Yangzhou."

"But the signs still point more toward this case being aimed at me, don't they?"

"Yes," Huang Zixiao nodded. "So the likelihood of old enemies pursuing her all the way to the capital is slim, let alone having the means to act within the palace."

"There's one possibility regarding the truth of the case that you haven't mentioned," Li Shubai said, leaning back in his chair, the corners of his lips curling as he watched her.

Puzzled, Huang Zixiao mentally reviewed the case again. "What... have I overlooked?"

"The explanation unanimously believed by the capital—supernatural interference." Li Shubai crossed his arms, the icy smile on his face growing more pronounced. "Isn't that right? Pang Xun, whom I shot dead, must be fulfilling the curse he placed upon me through that talisman. First, leaving the arrowhead as a warning at Xianyou Temple, then seizing my betrothed from under heavy guard, and finally returning her mutilated corpse to its original place."

"Indeed, with that explanation, the motive, method, and process all fall neatly into place," Huang Zixiao conceded.

"If you truly can't uncover the truth, then let the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple close the case as it stands."

Huang Zixiao shook her head slowly. "I will get to the bottom of this. The culprit not only killed Wang Ruo but also implicated Feng Yiniang and four innocent beggars. Even if it's just for Chen Nianniang, even if it's for those beggars no one cares about, I must bring the murderer to justice. Besides—"

Li Shubai watched as her expression hardened, her eyes unwavering. She met his gaze with burning intensity, her voice hoarse with exhaustion yet resolute.

"If I fail to solve this case for you, how can I return to Shu to clear my parents' and family's names?"

Li Shubai naturally remembered her promise to him and remained silent. His gaze lingered on the young woman before him, while hers drifted toward the distant sky outside the window.

As if suddenly recalling something, she turned back to him and asked, "By the way, what happened to that talisman of yours?"

"Care to guess?" He stood up and retrieved a small square box from a cabinet behind him.

The box had no visible lock, only eighty-one squares on its lid, arranged with eighty scattered characters.Huang Zixiao knew this was a nine-square lock. Only when those eighty characters were in their precise positions could the box be opened; otherwise, the only way to access its contents was to destroy the box.

She turned her head away, naturally avoiding any glimpse of how Li Shubai had arranged the characters on his box. When the box opened, Li Shubai reached inside and retrieved a small oval-shaped sphere. The upper hemisphere had fine cracks, resembling an egg carved into the shape of a lotus bud, while the lower base was circular with three concentric rings, each adorned with subtle raised dots.

"Each of these three locking rings has twenty-four small protrusions that can rotate left or right. The spherical container will only open when all are aligned correctly. Otherwise, the contents inside will be shredded to pieces the moment it's forced open," Li Shubai explained as he adjusted the hidden dots.

It seemed he had indeed hidden that cursed talisman extremely well.

As the three rings below rotated into their correct positions, Li Shubai placed the spherical container on the table and pressed its domed top. Triggered by a hidden mechanism, the lotus-bud-shaped sphere instantly split apart, its segments blooming like a wooden lotus flower unfurling before their eyes.

At the heart of the blossoming petals lay the talisman.

The talisman was made of thick, slightly yellowed paper—two inches wide and eight inches long. Against its eerie background pattern, the six characters "Widower, Crippled, Orphaned, Lonely, Disabled, Ill" remained as vivid as if freshly inscribed.

The blood-red circle around the character for "Orphaned" still dripped crimson, while the once-vibrant mark encircling "Widower" had faded to a faint trace, much like the vanished ring around "Crippled" from before.

Huang Zixiao looked up at Li Shubai in astonishment.

With a light sweep of his hands, the opened sphere folded its petals back together, returning to its original half-oval form.

"Clearly, this marriage has dissolved into nothingness—it seems I've evaded another cursed calamity," Li Shubai remarked indifferently as he returned the sphere to its square box, scrambled the nine-square lock, and stored it away in the cabinet with the same unhurried grace as before.

Huang Zixiao asked quietly, "You've kept this talisman securely hidden here all along?"

"I wouldn't say securely, but I've rarely shown it to anyone," he replied, slowly lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Perhaps you could say that after leaving Xuzhou, apart from myself, you are the only person who has seen it."

An inexplicable warmth surged faintly through Huang Zixiao's chest. When she met his eyes—deep and unfathomable—it seemed as though he was looking at her, yet also past her. His gaze held something distant and intangible, or perhaps something near yet unreachable.

Unconsciously, Huang Zixiao turned her face away, avoiding his eyes as she looked out the window instead.

In the Yubing Pavilion, only the soft echoes of their breathing lingered. Outside, birdsong mingled with the occasional chirp of cicadas—a sudden reminder that late spring had ended, and early summer had arrived.