The Golden Hairpin

What had entangled Zhou Ziqin's foot was indeed a bundle. Inside were a pipa, two pieces of clothing, a jewelry box, and a large stone.

At the same time, dragged out from the water was a headless female corpse, tied to another stone. Zhou Ziqin cut the rope binding the stone and pulled her ashore.

"Exhausted," Zhou Ziqin gasped, collapsing onto the grassy bank, panting heavily.

"Without such heavy stones, how could these things sink?" The other two, showing no trace of guilt, were already crouched beside the corpse, examining it.

The headless female corpse hadn't been submerged in water for long. Though the skin was blanched from soaking, it hadn't swollen excessively. She was dressed in an extremely vibrant and soft silk skirt, and judging by her slender waist and long limbs, she was clearly a young and slender woman.

"Ziqin, you're more familiar with corpses. Tell us about this one," Li Shubai turned to Zhou Ziqin and said.

Zhou Ziqin, lying on the ground, said regretfully, "Had I known there'd be a corpse, you should've told me earlier. I didn't bring my tools."

Huang Zixiang explained, "I didn't know there'd be a corpse either. I thought it was just the bundle."

Zhou Ziqin got up, panting as he crawled over to the corpse and gave it a quick examination.

"The deceased is a young woman, approximately five feet three inches tall in life, with a figure... exceptionally good. Among all the corpses I've examined, she'd undoubtedly rank first. Truly, her proportions were perfect—neither too tall nor too short..."

"Get to the point," Li Shubai had to interrupt him.

"Alright, she was decapitated by the murderer before being dumped into the canal. The crime scene must be nearby, and the killer is an experienced veteran. Look, the cut on the neck is very neat, clean and precise. I doubt we'll find the crime scene easily—such an experienced killer would have cleaned up all traces, especially since this area is full of wild grass and trees."

"Hmm... a headless female corpse. Identifying her will be difficult," Huang Zixiang mused, picking up the pipa from the bundle to examine it. The strings were broken, but the mother-of-pearl inlaid peony design remained intact, its colors vivid under the sunlight.

It was the very pipa that Jinnu never let out of her sight—the one her teacher, Mei Wanzhi, had gifted her, named "Autumn Dew and Frost."

The jewelry box contained many finely crafted ornaments. "These are undoubtedly Jinnu's belongings," Huang Zixiang remarked, paying special attention to the silk begonia hairpin Jinnu had worn at their first meeting. She closed the box and flipped through the two soaked garments.

"So it's Jinnu? That seems highly plausible," Zhou Ziqin pondered. "Could she have been lured out to elope, only to be killed here, with her body and belongings tied to stones and thrown into the river?"

"I don't think so. These items don't seem like they were packed by Jinnu herself," Huang Zixiang said, sorting through the clothes. "Though they're the most beautiful dresses, they're only outer garments—no underclothes. Would a woman leave home with only a change of outerwear?"

"Good point..."

"So the killer just grabbed a few pieces of clothing to fabricate the illusion that Jinnu had eloped."

"What about the corpse?""Jinnu was approximately five feet five inches tall. You said this corpse is only five feet three inches, so of course it's not Jinnu."

Zhou Ziqin was still puzzled. "But how could it be such a coincidence that it appeared right here?"

Huang Zixiang looked at him. "What do you think?"

Zhou Ziqin glanced at her, then at Li Shubai, and exclaimed, "Ah! The killer deliberately placed it here to disguise it as Jinnu?"

"Mm. The real Jinnu—" Huang Zixiang said calmly, "should now be lying in Wang Ruo's coffin."

Zhou Ziqin immediately jumped up. "Wh-what? You mean..."

"Exactly. Someone disguised Jinnu's corpse as Wang Ruo, attempting to use its discovery to close the case of the missing princess consort."

"How despicable!" Zhou Ziqin couldn't help widening his eyes. "But why did the killer choose Jinnu and make her suffer so horribly?"

"Probably because their builds were similar. After all, Wang Ruo was quite tall—most women were half a head shorter than her. For example, even though this corpse is headless, we can still estimate her height. But a pipa player's corpse isn't as important as a princess consort's, so the authorities wouldn't pay much attention. Moreover, if a corpse stays in water for too long, it swells up. If it's discovered a few days later, determining the exact height becomes difficult." As she spoke, she rewrapped the pipa and other items, signaling Zhou Ziqin to take them. "Store the evidence at your place for now. It's too crowded where I live."

"Oh, sure." Zhou Ziqin took the bundle, heedless of the muddy water still dripping from it, then asked, "What about this corpse?"

Huang Zixiang coughed dryly. "Well... do you think you could take it back to your place?"

"...Do you really think that's possible?" Zhou Ziqin asked.

Li Shubai interjected, "Just notify Cui Chunjian directly. Tell him you found a headless female corpse and a bundle here. As for how the Dali Temple identifies the victim, don't interfere. Also, remember to pack all the evidence properly. If we call for you tomorrow, bring everything immediately."

"Fine." Zhou Ziqin grimaced, pleading with Huang Zixiang to hurry and inform Cui Chunjian while he guarded the bundle and corpse.

Huang Zixiang and Li Shubai emerged from the bushes by the drainage ditch and walked along the deserted path toward the residential area, where a few idlers sat chatting under the shade of a tree.

Huang Zixiang pointed toward the ditch and shouted, "They pulled a corpse out of the water over there!"

Instantly, the idlers scrambled up—some rushing to see the spectacle, others calling for help, and still others yelling to report to the authorities. The commotion was immediate.

Li Shubai and Huang Zixiang slipped into an empty alley where Dì'è and Nàfúshā were leisurely nibbling at the grass. The poor horses could barely get a few blades past their bits, but they still idly rubbed their noses against the sparse weeds at the base of the wall.

Once mounted, they noticed even Li Shubai—who had mostly stood by—had streaks of mud and water staining his clothes. But neither cared as they rode slowly, exchanging occasional remarks.

Huang Zixiang asked, "Has Jing Yi sent word back from Xuzhou?"

"Yes. The arrowhead disappeared around the time Pang Xun's remnants were wreaking havoc near Xuzhou.""It is said that when the arrowhead disappeared, the lock on the crystal box remained untouched, yet the contents inside vanished without a trace. Is this true?"

"It is true. After Jing Yi arrived in Xuzhou, he thoroughly investigated the entire incident, interrogating all the soldiers guarding the city tower at the time. It was discovered that remnants of Pang Xun's faction had bribed the guards, leading to an inside job disguised as supernatural intervention."

Huang Zixiao mused, "Yet what happened in Xuzhou spread instantly to the capital, complete with tales of ghosts and spirits. It seems someone is deliberately manipulating this matter, dragging Pang Xun's name into it to conceal their true intentions."

Li Shubai remarked coolly, "Little do they know that such efforts only serve to make their scheme more obvious—a clumsy attempt that backfires."

"Indeed. It seems another conjecture has been confirmed."

As they conversed casually, their horses carried them through the wards of Chang'an.

Under the azure sky, the seventy-two wards of Chang'an stood in orderly solemnity, bathed in the thin dust carried by the wind. The early summer sun cast a faint warmth, causing Huang Zixiao, clad in layered robes, to perspire slightly at her neck. She lifted her sleeve to wipe the sweat away, riding slowly along the shaded path beneath the locust trees, her mind occupied with the puzzling case before her.

Li Shubai casually handed her a neatly folded white handkerchief. She took it and wiped her brow before snapping back to reality and turning to look at him.

His face, beneath the dappled shade of the locust trees, was suffused with a soft glow. The May sunlight filtered through the leaves like golden threads, shifting and shimmering. When the light touched them, it transformed into dazzling halos. In this ever-changing play of light, she glimpsed an expression on his face—his usual aloofness tinged with something unfamiliar, as if the very air between them had slowed to a standstill.

Huang Zixiao lowered her head and rode silently beside him. As they neared Yongjia Ward, she suddenly turned her horse, urging Nafusha northward.

Li Shubai followed and asked, "To the Daming Palace, Yongchun Hall?"

"Yes. I need to confirm one last thing, and this case will be solved."

"You've already unraveled everything?" He sounded slightly surprised, glancing at Huang Zixiao beside him. The sparse locust trees offered little shade now, and the golden sunlight bathed them both. He noticed that the light enveloping her seemed not just from the westering sun but as if it radiated from within her.

For a moment, he was lost in thought, his gaze lingering on her. She, however, strode straight through the palace gates, past the front hall, and along the brick-paved path winding around the rockery. Near the inner hall, she crouched and pointed at a particular rock, saying, "Right here—this is where I found Wang Ruo's leaf-vein hairpin."

Li Shubai nodded slowly. Watching as she pressed the silver pin in her hair, unfurled its coiled leaf, and drew out the jade hairpin inside, he saw her scratch a faint white line onto the brick path—

"Front hall, rear hall, and the rockery in between. Here..." Her hairpin circled a high point on the rockery, marking the spot. "This is where Wang Ruo's gold leaf-vein hairpin was lost."

Li Shubai pointed to the outer hall's corridor. "This... is where we were standing.""Right, in the outer corridor, there's one guard every ten paces, their eyes fixed on the inner hall entrance. And within the rockery, the guards outside the windows never take their eyes off them." She plucked a nearby leaf, wiped the hairpin clean, then swiftly and deftly slid it back into the silver pin. Tilting her head up, she flashed him a bright, radiant smile. "This case is already closed."

Li Shubai silently stood up, surveying the surroundings. Dusk had begun to envelop the area, the twilight about to swallow the bright daylight.