The Golden Hairpin

At last, news arrived from the palace—the emperor's headache had flared up severely this time, and he would not be coming for now. Thus, Li Shubai and his entourage set off, following the palace eunuchs to inspect the newly completed detached palace. Naturally, this palace was neither as extravagant and vast as the Daming Palace nor as sprawling as the Jiucheng Palace, but even with intermittent stops, it took nearly two hours to tour.

Huang Zixiang naturally followed closely behind Li Shubai the entire time. Her slender figure made even the plain eunuch's robe appear exceptionally elegant and well-proportioned on her. Though she walked silently with her head bowed, her presence was strikingly graceful.

Li Rui observed her along the way and remarked with a smile, "Fourth Brother, why have you changed attendants? I don’t recall seeing this young eunuch before."

Li Shubai replied nonchalantly, "Jingyou and Jingyu, among others, somehow caught colds from each other."

Li Run, however, kept scrutinizing Huang Zixiang, a faint look of confusion crossing his face. She reminded him of someone from his memory, though he couldn’t quite place who—certainly not the girl he had glimpsed fleetily in the past.

Li Rui pressed further, "What’s this young eunuch’s name, and how old is he?"

Li Shubai smiled and turned to Huang Zixiang. "Prince Zhao seems to have taken a liking to you. Since I find your clumsiness rather tiresome, why not go serve him instead?"

Huang Zixiang was momentarily stunned. Feeling all eyes upon her, she slowly knelt and said softly, "This humble servant has heard that a bird cannot perch on two branches, nor can a servant faithfully serve two masters. Tea plants, once sprouted, cannot be easily transplanted, and orange trees turn bitter when moved north of the Huai River. This servant is dull-witted and fears that leaving Prince Kui’s household would only lead to blunders and offenses against noble patrons."

Li Rui laughed. "Fourth Brother, you’ve trained your people well. With such words, if I insisted, I’d be robbing him of his principles."

Li Shubai smirked faintly. "Indeed, quite the silver tongue."

Fortunately, Prince Kang Li Wen soon complained of exhaustion, and the group finally left Huang Zixiang alone, retracing their steps.

Amid the winding palace walls and gardens, Li Shubai gradually slowed his pace. By the time they reached a grove of fernleaf hedge bamboo, the others had drifted away, leaving only Huang Zixiang still trailing him. Li Shubai turned coldly to face her. "Huang Zixiang, why are you following me?"

Huang Zixiang lowered her eyes submissively. "A wise bird chooses its perch. I wish to remain by Your Highness’s side and offer my meager assistance."

"Assistance with what?" he asked icily.

"From afar, such as the little red fish. Closer at hand, such as the recent 'Four Directions Case' in the capital."

His gaze fell upon her bowed face, cold and disdainful, as if she were nothing more than a speck of dust in the air. "Some matters are beneath your help, while others have nothing to do with me. Why meddle?"

Standing beneath the fernleaf bamboo, the delicate leaves cast a faint emerald hue over her, accentuating her pale, bloodless delicacy. She looked up at him, her voice soft but unwavering. "Yet, since the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice are at a loss, and His Majesty is afflicted with headaches, I believe the only one who can relieve the emperor’s worries is you, Prince Kui."

"Isn’t this just about finding a patron to clear your so-called grievances?" he cut in ruthlessly. "Just now, Prince Zhao offered you a chance—why not take it?""Following him, there's no opportunity." Huang Ziyao's face was pale, her eyes tinged with a faint jade hue, yet she showed no hesitation. "I don't need a place to take shelter, nor do I need security and stability. I need to stand in the sunlight once more and wash away all the humiliation my family has suffered."

Li Shubai's expression was cold as he scrutinized her. She looked up at him, her face not only pleading but also carrying a subtle stubbornness, like mist in the dead of night—hard to discern, yet undeniably present.

Li Shubai let out a cold snort and turned to walk back toward the water palace. Huang Ziyao followed behind him. He didn't look back, nor did he slow his pace.

At the palace gates, they found several princes waiting to bid farewell to Prince Kui. The eunuchs mentioned that the emperor would summon the ministers in a few days to compose verses for the mountains and waters within the retreat palace. The group couldn't help but exchange bitter smiles.

When the others had left, Li Run and Li Shubai lingered behind. Li Run couldn't help sighing, "His Majesty is truly carefree. With the warlords carving up the land and the eunuchs wielding such power, he still spends his days feasting and amusing himself..."

Li Shubai replied indifferently, "The emperor is a ruler of peace. That is his fortune, and the fortune of the realm."

Li Run smiled and said, "Fourth Brother speaks wisely." His gaze then fell on Huang Ziyao, his gentle and kind face filled with puzzlement.

Li Shubai asked, "What is it?"

"This eunuch... I feel as though I've seen him somewhere before," he said, gesturing toward Huang Ziyao.

Li Shubai replied, "I only met him today as well. Would you like him to serve by your side?"

"Fourth Brother jests. Just now, Ninth Brother was refused. Why would I invite the same rejection?" He laughed, the vermilion mark between his brows shimmering with warmth and grace.

Huang Ziyao stood with her head bowed. She wasn't blind to the peaceful spring within her reach, but she had already chosen the most difficult path. There was no turning back—living in cowardly survival was not her way.

Once all the princes had departed, Li Shubai boarded his carriage. Huang Ziyao hesitated at the door until she heard his voice: "Get in."

She quickly climbed in and stood by the door.

The carriage moved slowly. Once they had left the retreat palace and were surrounded by wilderness, Li Shubai lifted his gaze to the scenery outside and said coldly, "I'll give you ten days."

She leaned against the door, watching him silently, waiting for him to continue.

His eyes slowly shifted from the window to her. Those eyes were like cold stars—devoid of warmth yet profoundly bright, making her breath catch slightly.

"That case we discussed at Jianbi Palace at noon today—I'm giving you ten days. Are you confident?"

"Perhaps," Huang Ziyao answered simply.

He leaned back against the carriage wall, his demeanor relaxed. "Now, you have a chance to clear your name and regain your innocence. Of course, it would also mean avenging your parents and uncovering the truth."

Huang Ziyao thought for a moment and asked, "Your Highness means that if I help you solve this case, you will extend your aid to help me clear my family's name and avenge them?""Of course not." The mountain path was rugged, and seeing her body sway with the jolts, he slightly lifted his chin, signaling for her to sit on the small stool in front of him before continuing, "There's something I need someone to do for me. But you've appeared before me suddenly without any proof—how can I trust your capabilities?"

"I understand." Huang Zixiao nodded slightly. "If I solve this case within ten days, then I'll have earned your trust."

Li Shubai gave a slight nod. "At the very least, you must prove yourself worthy of my help. I don’t have time to waste on someone who lacks ability and only makes empty promises."

Sitting on the low stool, Huang Zixiao lowered her head in thought and asked, "The Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple are filled with talented officials, and surely many have been assigned to handle this case. In what capacity will you allow me to participate?"

"I'll take you directly to the Ministry of Justice to review the case files," Li Shubai said decisively.

"Alright." Huang Zixiao reached up and touched the wooden hairpin at her temple, pulling it out. As soon as the pin was removed, her long black hair cascaded down, spilling over her shoulders and back. Still slightly damp, her hair clung like dark seaweed, half-covering her pale face.

She paused, then awkwardly brushed her hair back, murmuring, "Apologies. I’m used to marking things with my hairpin and forgot that now I’m just a young eunuch with only one pin to tie my hair..."

Li Shubai frowned slightly but said nothing. She bent her head, gathered her hair, and twisted it into a bun before him.

This girl, who had traversed countless mountains and rivers without hesitation or fear, now unconsciously revealed a trace of shyness in his presence.

Li Shubai glanced at her, noticing the faint blush on her lowered face. In that moment, he suddenly realized—more deeply than when his hand had closed around her throat—that the person before him was just a girl. A seventeen-year-old girl, not as mature and composed as she appeared.

As if sensing his gaze, she silently looked up at him for a fleeting moment. In that brief exchange, he saw her clear, bright eyes, half-hidden beneath her lashes, like autumn waters melted into the charm of her peach-blossom face.

Though her features weren’t the most striking, her brows carried an uncommon clarity, as pristine as a May sky. There was an air about her—part naive, part worldly—that seemed to set her apart from the mundane. This detachment flickered in her gaze, both lost and alert as she watched him.

She was beautiful.

He recalled Li Run’s earlier words about Huang Zixiao at fourteen.

The girl who had once astonished the world at fourteen had now grown into a graceful young woman of seventeen. Bearing immense injustice, scorned by all under heaven, she hadn’t been crushed. Instead, she faced adversity head-on, striving to uncover the truth and clear her name with her own strength.

Judging by her appearance alone, no one would believe she was Huang Zixiao—neither the celebrated nor the infamous one.Huang Zixiang stared at him, touching her own face with a hint of nervousness and unease.

"Quite similar to the wanted portrait," Li Shubai turned his face slightly away, gazing at the intricate intertwined floral patterns on the brocade curtain. "From now on, don't appear before others looking like this."

"Yes," she responded, tightening her hair before asking, "Does Your Highness remember the dates of the previous incidents they mentioned?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "The seventeenth of the first month, the twenty-first of the second month, the nineteenth of the third month."

"Today is the sixteenth of the fourth month. That means, if the pattern holds, the murderer should be about to strike again soon." She began tracing those numbers slowly on the carriage wall with her finger, deep in thought. "Within ten days, the killer should make a move."

"With just these numbers, can you identify the murderer among millions in the capital?"

"No." She stopped her tracing, thoughtful. "Without knowing the killer's characteristics or motives, finding them in such a vast population is nearly impossible."

Li Shubai glanced at her casually. "So, you're not confident?"

Huang Zixiang's fingers unconsciously resumed tracing on the carriage wall as she murmured to herself, "The seventeenth of the first month, victim an elderly night watchman, message left by the killer: 'Pure'; the twenty-first of the second month, victim a middle-aged blacksmith, message: 'Joy'; the nineteenth of the third month, victim a four-year-old child, message: 'Self'..."

"Four directions. The first case was due north of the capital, the second due south, the third southwest of the city," Li Shubai added offhandedly.

Huang Zixiang pondered, "Logically, if it's truly oriented to the four directions, the killer would aim for due north, south, and west. But the third case was northwest of the city, which seems odd."

"Perhaps there was no suitable target due west, or maybe it was more convenient to avoid witnesses there?"

"Indeed, all possibilities remain open for now, but the exact reason is unclear." Huang Zixiang counted on her fingers as she recalled, "The first victim was elderly, the second a robust blacksmith, the third a child."

Li Shubai leaned back against the brocade cushions, finding the most comfortable position before speaking slowly, "I once asked the judicial officer at the Ministry of Justice about this. The first two victims being weak and elderly could be explained—the killer might have sought those least capable of resistance. But the third victim, a child, is the strangest. That four-year-old was already on the brink of death from starvation, abandoned by his parents on the roadside. Even if the killer hadn't intervened, the child likely wouldn't have survived the night. Yet the murderer still broke into the charity house to kill him. Doesn't that seem unnecessary?"

"Yes, that is indeed puzzling. Why take the risk of being discovered to kill a child already on the verge of death?" Huang Zixiang frowned, her fingers unconsciously tracing the characters "Pure, Joy, Self, Eternity" on the carriage wall.

Li Shubai watched her absent-minded scribbling with a slight frown before turning his gaze to the faint outlines of mountains and water visible through the curtain. His voice remained calm and measured. "With so few clues about this case, if you're to solve it within ten days, where does the key lie?""Since we can't find any clues or evidence from the previous incidents, the best approach is to predict when, where, and who he will target next." Huang Zixiang didn't look up, her gaze fixed on her fingers as she slowly calculated.

"I was thinking the same. So, if you're confident, I can give you a few days to investigate this case with the capital's constables—but you'll need to manage your hair properly and not let anyone discover you're a woman."

"No need." Huang Zixiang raised her hand and lightly touched the hairpin on her head, turning to look at him. Though her expression remained grave, her lips curled slightly, revealing a confident and composed smile. "I already know the basis and motive behind the killer's actions. If my assumptions are correct, as long as the killer dares to strike again, I can pinpoint where he will appear."

Li Shubai was momentarily taken aback by her self-assured demeanor. "You're already certain?"

"Yes. I only need Your Highness to provide me with an almanac." A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, the slowly shifting sunlight streaming in and enveloping Huang Zixiang, making her glow brilliantly. Her eyes, clear and bright as morning dew, were fixed unwaveringly on Li Shubai before her, without a trace of hesitation.

Li Shubai was briefly lost in thought before replying, "Very well. Then I'll wait and see."