The Golden Hairpin

True Form.

What did he mean?

Huang Zixiang followed the group out of the prince's residence and rode in the palace carriage with Yongji and Changqing toward the Taiji Palace, lost in thought the entire way.

In the curfew-bound streets of Chang’an, the sounds of hooves and wheels echoed along the broad road, reverberating almost palpably in Huang Zixiang’s chest.

She turned the two words over and over in her mind, but no matter how she pondered them, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Shubai might simply be telling her to give up and resign herself to death—that bastard, in such a critical moment, was he really not planning to save her at all?

Just as she was on the verge of clutching the carriage wall and bursting into tears, Yongji drawled, “Eunuch Yang, we’ve arrived at the Taiji Palace. Time to disembark.”

Her scalp prickled, but there was nothing she could do. She had no choice but to follow him out of the carriage.

The Taiji Palace, long abandoned for a century, was eerily desolate, no different from the cold and neglected quarters of the palace as described in popular rumors.

In the depths of the night, the rear palace loomed in darkness from afar, with only a few palace lanterns lit before the Lizheng Hall, casting light upon the vermilion gates, walls, and pillars.

Huang Zixiang trailed behind Yongji and Changqing, step by step, into the Lizheng Hall.

Tender green grass sprouted between the blue brick floors, the tallest already reaching ankle height. Stepping on them gave an unsettling, floating sensation due to their softness. The stone lanterns at the entrance, weathered smooth and mottled by wind and rain, illuminated the faint traces of moss clinging to them.

The stone lotus carvings hanging from the eaves and the peeling vermilion lacquer on the pillars made it abundantly clear that this was a palace long neglected. No matter how grand and magnificent it once was, it remained a forgotten place, rarely trodden by human feet.

Empress Wang’s attendants were efficient. Though she had only moved into the Taiji Palace that afternoon, the Lizheng Hall had already been thoroughly cleaned, with every furnishing arranged comfortably and meticulously.

It was already the early hours of the morning, yet Empress Wang had not retired. She sat on a couch in the rear hall, perhaps waiting for her. Palace maids brought in steaming snow-milk porridge, accompanied by four delicate side dishes. Empress Wang ate slowly, her expression unreadable, her movements graceful and unhurried, as if she had completely forgotten about the little eunuch summoned from the prince’s residence, standing below in trepidation, awaiting judgment.

Only after finishing her late-night meal and having the table cleared did Empress Wang rinse her mouth and sip a cup of Guzhu Purple Bamboo tea before finally speaking in a measured tone, “Eunuch Yang, do you find the long nights in this Taiji Palace excessively lonely?”

Huang Zixiang could only steel herself and reply, “If one’s heart is lively, everywhere is a bustling marketplace. If one’s heart is desolate, perhaps every place feels cold and empty.”

Empress Wang lifted her eyelids to glance at her, her voice soft and low. “Eunuch Yang, my relocation to the Taiji Palace is entirely thanks to you. The loneliness I now feel is also entirely your doing. I wonder how I should repay you to match the many favors you’ve bestowed upon me?”

Hearing the implication in her words, Huang Zixiang felt a fire burning in her chest, sweat rapidly seeping through her back. Desperately, she racked her brain for the meaning of “True Form” while saying, “Your Majesty has moved to a new palace today. Even for the sake of auspicious beginnings, surely you would treat this servant with kindness and leniency…”

“Leniency?” Empress Wang’s lips curved slightly, but her eyes remained icy. “When you spouted nonsense in the Wang family before, did you ever think to show me leniency?”And what about you? When you were cold-bloodedly eliminating one after another of your past acquaintances, loved ones, and dear ones, did you ever imagine this day would come? Huang Zixiang thought this in her heart but couldn't voice it. She could only stand there with her head bowed, watching helplessly as a drop of sweat from her forehead fell onto the blue brick floor at her feet, unable to seep in for a long time, leaving a conspicuous dark mark.

Empress Wang glanced around again, as if speaking to herself, "Besides, in these palace walls, where is there any true auspiciousness and happiness? Empress Zhangsun died right here in the Lizheng Hall. No matter how magnificent and splendid a place in this palace may be, how could it not have seen death?"

Huang Zixiang stared at another drop of sweat slowly spreading at her feet and forced herself to say, "Empress Zhangsun was a virtuous empress of her generation, cherished by Emperor Taizong throughout his life. Your Majesty will surely be like her, eternally favored by the emperor."

"Hmph... It's too late for such words now, Eunuch Yang. Had you been half as clever then as you are now, you would have known that some things—whether to speak or not—determine whether you live or die!"

These words struck her ears like thunder, jolting her into sudden realization. True identity, true identity—damn Li Shubai, so this was what he meant!

In that instant, enlightenment dawned upon her. She immediately knelt and kowtowed deeply before Empress Wang, saying, "I beg Your Majesty to hear one sentence from me. Just one. After I speak it, even if I must die here today, I will do so willingly!"

Empress Wang sneered and slowly asked, "What is it?"

Huang Zixiang glanced around and remained silent.

Empress Wang slowly raised her hand, signaling her attendants to withdraw and wait outside. Only then did she look coldly at Huang Zixiang, still silent.

Huang Zixiang bowed deeply once more before raising her head and saying, "Your Majesty, this lowly one knows I am a dead woman walking. What difference does it make when or where I die? I only wonder what crime Your Majesty will charge me with."

"Do I need a crime?" Empress Wang looked down at her with cold disdain, as if observing an ant. "You know my greatest secret—isn't that crime enough for death?"

"Of course it is a capital crime," Huang Zixiang replied respectfully, lifting her gaze to meet the empress's. "But now this lowly one has something to tell Your Majesty. Perhaps after hearing it, you may find there is still room for reconsideration."

"Speak."

Huang Zixiang could feel her heart pounding violently in her chest. She knew her life hinged on this single sentence—she could only hope what Li Shubai had told her would prove useful.

Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "This lowly one still remembers three years ago, when I was fourteen and first summoned by Your Majesty. At that time, you said to me, 'If I had a daughter, she might be about your age, as lovely as you.'"

Empress Wang's gaze froze upon her, her expression shifting unpredictably in the lamplight. After a long silence, she finally asked slowly, "You... are that girl from three years ago...?"

Huang Zixiang prostrated herself before Empress Wang. "The guilty woman Huang Zixiang pays homage to Your Majesty."

Empress Wang asked coldly, "Knowing full well I detest you and want you dead, why would you reveal your weakness to me?""The secret of Her Majesty the Empress has already received the Emperor's forgiveness. I believe that the deep affection between the Emperor and Empress will soon be restored to its former harmony. But my secret is truly a matter of life and death for me. I am willing to place my life in the hands of Her Majesty the Empress. Should she ever fear that I might pose a threat, a single word from her would condemn me to death ten thousand times over, without her needing to lift a finger."

Empress Wang remained silent, studying her grave expression for a long while before slowly rising and walking to the window, gazing at the faint lights outside. Her profile was exquisitely graceful, like a white peony quietly blooming in the dark of night.

Huang Zixiang watched her profile, weighing the likelihood of her changing her mind. The cold sweat on her back had yet to dry, seeping into her skin and sending an involuntary chill through her body.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally heard Empress Wang's voice—measured, neither hurried nor slow, neither loud nor soft, yet still carrying that dignified and deep resonance that filled the hall: "Do you think that by placing your life in my hands, I will overlook your past offenses simply because I find you useful?"

"Huang Zixiang would never dare presume such a thing!" she replied, looking up at Empress Wang with earnestness. "But I believe Your Majesty must recall the historical accounts of Emperor Taizong and Wei Zheng, or Empress Wu and Shangguan Wan'er. Times change, and even enmities between nations and families can transform. So long as I can be of service to you, what does the past matter?"

Empress Wang stepped slowly toward her, looking down at her kneeling figure. Her gaze traveled inch by inch from Huang Zixiang's head, to her shoulders, to her waist. After a long silence, this formidable woman suddenly let out a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible. "Very well," she said. "For now, I shall hold your life in my hands. If you fail to serve me in the future, I can always reclaim it then."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's mercy!" Huang Zixiang bowed her head, feeling the cold sweat prickling every pore of her body. Yet she dared not wipe it away, remaining motionless as she responded.

Empress Wang paid her no further attention, standing before her for a long while before murmuring, "Huang Zixiang, Huang Zixiang... you have indeed done me a service."

Huang Zixiang was taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Without you, I might never have learned of Xue Se's death—nor that she... died by my own hand." She clenched her teeth, forcing out the words with difficulty before exhaling deeply. "Had you not uncovered the truth, I might only have realized the weight of my sins when I met her in the afterlife... and then, I truly wouldn't know how to face her."

Huang Zixiang remained silent, thinking to herself: And how will you face Jin Nu, who revered you as heaven itself and loved you as a mother? Or Feng Nianniang, who repaid your kindness by traveling a thousand miles to escort the daughter of an old friend to the capital?

"Enough... what does it matter now?" Empress Wang turned and seated herself on the divan, pulling an embroidered cushion to rest beneath the window. She tilted her head back, gazing at the vast starry sky outside. The palace lanterns had dimmed, and the inverted Milky Way stretched across the heavens above Taiji Palace, its scattered stars like the tiniest motes of dust spilling across the firmament.Huang Zixiang heard her voice, as if each word was being squeezed from the depths of her heart, resolute and coldly firm: "Since I could rise from the pleasure quarters to the highest halls of the Daming Palace, then I can surely return from the cold palace to the Daming Palace once more! In this Great Tang, in this world, the person who can truly break me has yet to be born!"

Huang Zixiang knelt before her, overwhelmed with emotions, momentarily speechless.

And this indomitable woman, under the dim glow of a half-broken palace lantern, lying in the desolate silence of the ancient palace, gazed at the starry river outside the window. In that fleeting moment, she raised her hand to cover her face, wiping away something that threatened to fall with the back of her palm.

The palace water clock dripped endlessly, yet no matter how long the night, dawn would eventually come. The starry river shimmered, heralding the break of day.

Huang Zixiang silently kowtowed to her. As she rose to withdraw, she suddenly heard Empress Wang's low, hushed voice slowly drift over: "Huang Zixiang, in your life, have you ever encountered a desperate situation where you felt death would be preferable?"

Huang Zixiang replied, "Yes... when my parents and family were all dead, and I was accused of being their murderer, hunted across the land. But I never wished for death. Even if I were to die, I would not die bearing the stigma of slaughtering my own family!"

"But I truly have... had that moment when I wished for death." She lay quietly on the brocaded couch, her body draped in seven layers of exquisitely embroidered gossamer robes, submerged in a sea of silk and brocade. Her jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, flowing gracefully around her. Her plain face was etched with exhaustion and sorrow.

"Have you... ever seen Xue Se? Did she truly resemble me?"