The Golden Hairpin

The morning sun rose, and the summer heat descended upon Chang'an as soon as its rays appeared.

Over a hundred people from the Capital Defense Bureau had arrived. Apart from Commandant Wang Yun, several captains including Xu Congyun and most of the bureau's staff were present. Surprisingly, even Imperial Consort Wei Baoheng was there.

Wang Yun glanced in their direction and approached with a smile, asking, "Only the three of you? Hmm, just two horses—how are you going to form a polo team?"

His smile was warm, but Huang Zixiao couldn't shake the discomfort she felt around him. She knew he disliked her—perhaps even hated her—yet he maintained such a cheerful facade. People like him were the ones she dreaded the most.

Zhou Ziqin, however, grinned at Wang Yun and said, "No need to rush. Two more are coming, and when you see them, you'll admit defeat right away."

"Oh?" Wang Yun glanced at Huang Zixiao and asked, "Could it be Prince Kui?"

Zhou Ziqin winked. "No, but they’ll still leave you stunned."

"Then I’ll wait and see," Wang Yun replied with a laugh before returning to his side. Zhou Ziqin suddenly noticed Imperial Consort Wei Baoheng polishing his polo mallet and exclaimed, "No way! Wang Yun is playing dirty!"

"What’s wrong?" Huang Zixiao asked.

"Wei Baoheng is actually playing!"

"Is the imperial consort that good at polo?"

"Good? He’s exceptional! If he hadn’t dazzled everyone during a New Year’s polo match in Daming Palace, single-handedly dominating the game and defeating five top polo players from Tibet, how else would he have earned the emperor’s praise and caught Princess Tongchang’s eye?"

"This is brutal..." Huang Zixiao looked at Zhou Ziqin’s docile horse, "Xiao Xia," then at Zhang Xingying, who didn’t even have a horse, and finally at her own slender wrists. She couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about their chances.

Just as she was at a loss, a chorus of "Long live the Emperor!" erupted outside the polo field. The emperor had arrived with Consort Guo and Princess Tongchang.

Dressed in a black casual robe, the emperor wore a broad smile as he chatted and laughed with his daughter on their way to the sidelines. Palace attendants swiftly arranged the imperial seating. Consort Guo, ever gentle and attentive, personally set out fruits and pastries for the emperor and covered them with a brocade cloth to shield them from dust.

Consort Guo was about the same age as the emperor, but thanks to meticulous care over the years, her skin remained fair and radiant, her beauty as lustrous and full as a pearl.

Princess Tongchang’s features closely resembled her mother’s, though her sharper contours made her appear more delicate. Despite her cheerful demeanor as she joked with the emperor, there was an underlying fragility to her beauty—like ice that could shatter at any moment.

Once seated, the emperor swept his gaze over the crowd and said with a laugh, "I heard my seventh and ninth brothers are having a polo match today, so I rushed over! This is a rare spectacle—not to be missed."

Polo was a beloved pastime for Tang emperors. Emperor Muzong had suffered a fatal stroke at just thirty after being struck in the head by a polo player during a match. His successor, Emperor Jingzong, was so obsessed with the sport that he was assassinated by eunuchs at eighteen. Yet the royal family’s passion for polo only grew stronger. Though the current emperor wasn’t particularly skilled, he adored watching the game—especially when his relatives participated. Today, he had even set aside state affairs to enjoy the match.The crowd bowed and greeted the emperor. Perhaps it was Huang Zixiao's heightened sensitivity, but she felt the emperor's gaze lingered on her a moment too long, his smile slightly stiff.

Perhaps, upon seeing her, he was reminded of Empress Wang back in the Taiji Palace.

Once the emperor was seated, Prince Zhao and Prince E rode in side by side, surrounded by their entourage. Wang Yun, seeing them approach Huang Zixiao and the others, immediately realized who their reinforcements were. Yet his expression remained unperturbed, as if it didn’t bother him at all. He simply walked over with a smile, exchanged pleasantries with the two princes, and carried himself with such effortless grace that even his delight at seeing them was perfectly measured.

Huang Zixiao could only silently feed her horse, Nafusha.

Zhou Ziqin, ever the bold one, noticed the two princes had no spare horses and directly addressed Wang Yun, "Brother Wang, let’s discuss something. We’re short a horse—how about lending us one?"

The members of the Capital Defense Office stifled laughter. After all, borrowing a horse from the opposing side right before a match was probably unprecedented in history.

But Wang Yun didn’t mind in the slightest, his demeanor open and unruffled. He gestured behind him and said, "We brought over a dozen horses. Ziqin, take your pick—whichever one you fancy."

Zhou Ziqin didn’t hesitate. Pointing to the tall chestnut steed beside Imperial Consort Wei Baoheng, he declared, "That one!"

Wei Baoheng laughed. "Ziqin, you’re truly a sharp one."

"Of course! The horse you picked must be the best—I’ve always admired your taste." Without ceremony, he led the chestnut horse over and handed the reins to Zhang Xingying. "Quick, get on and get a feel for it."

Despite being an imperial consort, Wei Baoheng was good-natured. He casually took hold of a sleek black horse nearby and grinned. "Even with a different horse, I’ll still beat you."

The polo field had been cleared and leveled. Prince Zhao Li Rui and Wang Yun flipped a coin to decide sides, and the teams donned their colors—Huang Zixiao’s side in red, Wang Yun’s in white.

A fist-sized ball was placed at the center of the field, with five riders from each side lining up before their respective goals.

As the referee raised the small red flag, the horses surged forward toward the ball. Nine trails of dust billowed toward the center—only Huang Zixiao’s Nafusha remained still. She sat calmly atop her horse, observing the unfolding play from the rear.

Prince Zhao’s horse, a prized steed, charged ahead and reached the ball first. With his long stride, he was already in position to strike while still two zhang away. As his horse’s hooves pounded, his mallet swung, sending the first shot flying toward the opposing goal.

Wei Baoheng reacted the fastest, wheeling his horse back to defend. The ball struck the goalpost and rebounded, landing right before his horse. With a swift swing, he passed it to Wang Yun, who immediately spotted an opening on the right side of the opposing field and charged straight for the goal.

Huang Zixiao had positioned herself horizontally before the goal. Seeing Wang Yun’s rapid approach, she urged Nafusha forward, heading straight for him.

Their horses flashed past each other in an instant, their mallets crossing mid-air. Wang Yun and her horse rushed past each other.

The ball Wang Yun had carried was now under Huang Zixiao’s mallet. With a light flick of her right hand, the ball traced a long arc through the air, landing precisely before Prince Zhao’s horse.Before Prince Zhao stood an empty space, allowing him to effortlessly send the ball into the goal, scoring the first point.

"Prince Zhao, Chonggu, well done!" Zhou Ziqin shouted excitedly from his horse, completely forgetting his duty to guard against the opposing team.

No one had expected this seemingly frail and small eunuch to be so skilled at polo, managing to snatch the ball from Wang Yun's grasp in the blink of an eye. The spectators fell silent for a moment before erupting into cheers.

Huang Zixia kept her gaze fixed ahead, urging her horse back to the goal to focus on defense.

Wang Yun merely glanced at her without a word, then turned and galloped back to his own side.

The match had started with a small spectacle, earning praise even from Emperor Li Cui, who laughed and said, "Excellent, excellent! Seventh Brother's skills have improved greatly!"

Imperial Consort Guo gently fanned him and added with a smile, "Indeed, and that little eunuch is quite impressive too."

Emperor Li Cui also took a closer look at Huang Zixia and nodded. "That little eunuch is named Yang Chonggu, a close attendant of Prince Kui."

"Oh? Could he be the one who solved the Four Cases of the Capital?" Imperial Consort Guo covered her face with her fan and chuckled. "I heard Prince Zhao once asked Prince Kui for this little eunuch. Truly, he has a refined and handsome appearance, quite endearing."

Li Cui gave a slight smile but said nothing more.

Princess Tongchang seemed distracted, resting her elbow on the back of her father's couch and her chin on her hand, lost in thought as she frowned at the horses galloping across the field.

The atmosphere on the field had grown lively. Prince Consort Wei Baoheng scored a goal, leveling the score, and raised his mallet in salute to the emperor and others outside the field.

The emperor laughed. "Linghui, your husband is looking at you."

"Covered in sweat—why should I care?" Princess Tongchang replied lazily.

The summer sun hung high, its rays scorching.

Less than a quarter of an hour into the match, Huang Zixia already felt stifled.

Not only was the weather unbearably hot, but the dust kicked up by the galloping horses made breathing difficult. Sweat soaked through everyone's clothes, yet the heat only seemed to heighten the players' excitement. The horses raced as swiftly as the swirling dust, leaving no time even to blink.

Under the blazing sun, Huang Zixia positioned herself in front of the goal, watching the figure charging toward her.

Wang Yun.

As if deliberately, he was heading straight for her.

Huang Zixia tensed, gripping her mallet tightly as she urged her horse forward to meet him.

Just as their horses were about to collide, Wang Yun suddenly raised his mallet high. While passing the ball to Prince Consort Wei Baoheng, his mallet also swung past her ear, aiming for the hairpin in her hair.

Instinctively, Huang Zixia ducked low, pressing herself against the back of her horse, Nafusha.

She heard the faint clink of the mallet grazing her hairpin.

A cold sweat broke out on her back, mingling with the heat, sending shivers down her spine.

Had she been even a fraction slower, she would now be sitting on her horse with her hair disheveled—and perhaps someone would have noticed how much she resembled the fugitive woman, Huang Zixia.

She jerked her head up and saw Wang Yun sitting upright on his horse, glancing at her sidelong.

Dust swirled between them, and in his eyes, she saw something cold and inscrutable.

Before she could straighten up, cheers erupted from the sidelines. Prince Consort Wei Baoheng had scored another goal.

Zhou Ziqin rode up beside her and asked, "Are you all right?""It's nothing," Huang Zifang said with a frown.

"Wang Yun is really careless, almost hitting your head," he grumbled. "Seems like he's been corrupted by those rough men in the Capital Defense Bureau."

Huang Zifang didn’t respond, only adjusting her hairpin and tightening it before saying, "It’s fine."

Before she could finish, the surrounding crowd erupted in another wave of commotion.

The players on the field turned to look—it was Prince Kui, Li Shubai, who had just arrived. He wasn’t on horseback, and his attendants led his steed, Die E, behind him.

Huang Zifang froze for a moment. Zhang Xingying moved closer to her and asked nervously, "Uh… Chonggu, the prince is here."

Huang Zifang only glanced at Li Shubai before gripping her mallet and turning her horse. "Never mind that. Let’s finish this match first."

Li Shubai paid his respects to the emperor, who promptly ordered an extra chair to be brought for him. Imperial Consort Guo and Princess Tongchang moved aside, allowing him to sit half a step behind the emperor.

"That Yang Chonggu plays polo exceptionally well," the emperor remarked.

Li Shubai watched the horses galloping back and forth on the field and said indifferently, "Her stamina is lacking. She probably won’t last half an hour."

The emperor chuckled. "Still, he has quite the influence. I heard Prince Zhao and Prince E were both invited by him to help secure his friend’s position in the Defense Bureau."

Li Shubai’s gaze settled on Zhang Xingying, and he frowned slightly before replying, "Perhaps the seventh and ninth princes had nothing better to do today and decided to join them for a game."