The Golden Hairpin

Zhou Ziqin quickly asked Wang Yun, "So, what about Brother Zhang's matter..."

Wang Yun turned his gaze to Huang Zixia. She saw the meaning in his eyes, hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

Wang Yun turned to Zhang Xingying and said, "Your skills today were witnessed by all, truly impressive. We will discuss and deliberate in the next couple of days. Please wait patiently."

Zhou Ziqin excitedly raised his hand for a high-five with Zhang Xingying.

While they were still celebrating, Princess Tongchang erupted in anger, her voice carrying from afar. She pointed at the black horse and shouted, "Everyone else is fine, yet my husband just happens to be the one who nearly lost his life?"

Everyone knew Princess Tongchang was extremely spoiled. The princes pretended not to notice, while the polo players could still console Wei Baoheng. The stable and field attendants, however, bore the brunt of her fury, forced to bow their heads and endure the scolding.

The emperor patted Princess Tongchang's shoulder and said, "Linghui, calm down."

Princess Tongchang abruptly turned, grabbed his sleeve, and cried, "Father..."

Her voice trembled slightly, carrying an uncontrollable fear.

The emperor asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"Father, a few days ago... at Jianfu Temple, among so many people, it just happened to be the eunuch by my side who was struck by lightning in the crowd. And now it's my husband's turn... Father, do you really think all these incidents happening one after another around me are just coincidences?" As she spoke, her face rapidly paled. "The eunuch who served me for over a decade died burned alive! And now my husband suddenly faced such danger—if he hadn't reacted quickly, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

Imperial Consort Guo sighed and took her hand, saying, "Linghui, don't overthink it. These are just sudden mishaps..."

"Father, what do you mean by 'sudden mishaps'? A eunuch died, my husband was injured—what if... what if the next one is me?" Her face was deathly pale, the golden hairpin at her temple trembling violently, tracing arcs of panic and unease.

Seeing his daughter so distraught, the emperor was moved and comforted her, "How could that be? With your father here, who would dare harm my daughter?"

Imperial Consort Guo glanced at Princess Tongchang, embraced her shoulders, and said, "Enough, relax. It's nothing serious."

But Princess Tongchang shook her off and pleaded with the emperor, "Father, I beg one thing of you!"

The emperor looked down at her tenderly. "Speak."

"I've heard that the little eunuch Yang Chonggu from Prince Kui's household is exceptionally skilled at solving cases. The officials from the Dali Temple keep insisting it's divine punishment—they'll never uncover the truth. Please, Father, you must agree to let Yang Chonggu investigate these two incidents involving my husband and Wei Ximin."

Huang Zixia hadn't expected Princess Tongchang to make such a request and was momentarily stunned.

The emperor, equally surprised, glanced at Huang Zixia and fell into thoughtful silence.

In her desperation, Princess Tongchang clung to the emperor's arm, shaking it like a little girl begging, "Father! Your daughter... your daughter is truly afraid. If anything were to happen, you'd never see me again..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" the emperor interrupted.

Princess Tongchang looked up at him, her eyes gradually filling with tears, on the verge of spilling over.The emperor, seeing her in such a state, could only sigh helplessly and turned to Li Shubai, asking, "Fourth Brother, since the princess insists, why don't you temporarily assign this young eunuch to the Dali Temple to assist Cui Chunzhan in handling the incident at Jianfu Temple?"

Li Shubai replied impassively, "Your Majesty, please forgive your humble brother's ignorance. Wasn't the chaos at Jianfu Temple caused by a thunderbolt igniting the candles, leading to the tragic stampede? As for the death of the eunuch from the princess's residence, it was likely an unfortunate coincidence—he happened to be near the candles when the fire broke out."

"If it were just this one incident, it could be dismissed as a coincidence. But what about the incident involving the imperial son-in-law? Why do these misfortunes keep befalling those close to me?" Princess Tongchang demanded.

Seeing her speak so rudely, Consort Guo couldn't help but tug at Princess Tongchang's sleeve. The emperor also reproached her, saying, "Linghui, is that any way to speak to your uncle?"

Princess Tongchang reluctantly lowered her head and said, "Fourth Uncle, calamities keep occurring around me. Could you not spare even this one eunuch? Just lend him to me for a few days. After all, he solved the massive Four Directions case with such ease. What harm would it do to have him look into the disturbances around me?"

Consort Guo frowned and interjected, "Linghui, I heard Prince Kui will soon depart for Shu. Eunuch Yang is his close attendant. Isn't it inappropriate for you to ask him to stay and assist you?"

"Fourth Uncle has so many attendants—what does it matter if he's short one?" Princess Tongchang turned her gaze to Huang Zixia. "Eunuch Yang, tell me yourself—will you refuse or agree?"

Huang Zixia hesitated for a moment before replying, "In this humble servant's opinion, the stampede at Jianfu Temple was indeed caused by a thunderbolt igniting the candles. The root of the incident lies with the heavens. Even if I wished to find the culprit, I cannot interrogate the sky."

Princess Tongchang pointed angrily at Wei Baoheng and demanded, "Then what about the incident involving the imperial son-in-law?"

"The imperial son-in-law was handling his own horse, which had been changed earlier. In my view, it was likely another accident."

"Accident, accident! I refuse to believe there are so many accidents!" Princess Tongchang erupted in fury, her beautiful yet delicate face contorted with aggression. She glared at Huang Zixia and shouted, "If that's the case, then I demand the groom who nearly killed the imperial son-in-law be executed by a thousand cuts! And all the grooms in the capital's defense office must be held accountable!"

"Linghui, your temper has been worsening lately. Control yourself," Consort Guo said, pulling at her sleeve.

Princess Tongchang shook her off and stared fixedly at the emperor, her face pale and livid, as if she might faint from rage at any moment.

The emperor had no choice but to pat her hand, his eyes filled with pity.

Seeing this, Li Shubai stepped in and said, "Your Majesty, I originally planned to depart for Shu soon, but some minor matters have delayed me for a few days. Since Tongchang has taken a liking to Yang Chonggu, let her borrow him for a while to assist with the case at Dali Temple. If it can bring her peace of mind, that would be best. If no results come of it, it would merely reflect Yang Chonggu's limitations, and Tongchang would surely understand."

"It's good that you can be so understanding, Fourth Brother," the emperor said, casting a helpless glance at Princess Tongchang.

Princess Tongchang bowed stiffly to Li Shubai and said in a rigid voice, "Thank you, Fourth Uncle."Imperial Consort Guo also breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging a helpless glance with the emperor. But Huang Zixiang, standing nearby, couldn't shake the feeling that there was hidden worry between her brows.

Princess Tongchang turned to Huang Zixiang and asked, "Where does Eunuch Yang plan to begin the investigation?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Huang Zixiang replied, "We'll start with that horse."

The princess consort was helped away by attendants from the princess's residence, while Princess Tongchang followed the imperial carriage of the consort, slowly making her way back to the princess's residence.

Princess Tongchang reclined on the carriage couch, curled up and motionless, staring at the swaying carriage curtain. Despite being made of thick brocade, the intense sunlight outside faintly seeped through, its rays fluctuating slightly with the curtain's movement, casting an uneasy atmosphere between the two women.

Imperial Consort Guo frowned at her for a long while before finally speaking: "You shouldn't have asked that Yang Chonggu to investigate for you."

Princess Tongchang's gaze remained fixed on the sunlight filtering through the curtain. After a long silence, she murmured, "I think it must be Doukou causing trouble."

"Even if it is her, do you think Yang Chonggu can subdue a vengeful spirit?" Imperial Consort Guo lowered her voice, speaking through gritted teeth. "I wasn't afraid of her when she was alive—why should I fear her now that she's dead?"

"Even if Doukou is dead, who knows if her friends or relatives might know something? Besides, Mother, don't forget there's someone close to us who still cares deeply for Doukou." Princess Tongchang bit her lower lip and said slowly, "Among those around us, who harbors ill intentions? Can you tell, Mother?"

Imperial Consort Guo sighed softly, frowning at her. "That person in Taiji Palace still dreams of returning to Daming Palace and refuses to give up. I'm at a critical juncture now—we can't afford the slightest mistake. By letting Yang Chonggu investigate up close, aren't you inviting the wolf into the house?"

Princess Tongchang was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, she said resentfully, "That Doukou was a troublemaker in life, and even in death, she remains a scourge!"

"However, Yang Chonggu's involvement might not be entirely bad." Imperial Consort Guo lightly waved her silk fan, a cold smile appearing on her face. "After all, he's close to Prince Kui. If we can use him as a bridge to secure Prince Kui's support, your mother becoming empress is within reach—right now, Prince Kui is the only one in court who can stand against that person."

"But what if Father Emperor finds out what we've done?"

"What are you afraid of? Your father dotes on you so much—what could he possibly do to you?" Imperial Consort Guo moved closer to her daughter, embracing her. "Linghui, you're all I have now. If you don't stand by my side, what will become of me in this lifetime?"

Princess Tongchang opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. After a long silence, she lowered her head and said reluctantly, "No matter what, I'll stand with you, Mother."

Huang Zixiang crouched while Li Shubai stood beside her, both examining the hooves of the fallen black horse.

The poor, tall black horse had broken its right foreleg and lay on the ground, panting weakly.

Huang Zixiang carefully inspected the horse's right forehoof and said, "The horseshoe came loose."

The iron crescent-shaped horseshoe showed signs of rust, with slight wear on the underside where it contacted the ground. Though relatively new overall, it was missing two nails.The two missing nails were located on the left and right sides, coincidentally both being the last ones. Without these two nails, the horseshoe was like a person wearing untied wooden clogs—when lifting the foot, the heel would loosen, naturally causing a stumble during rapid running.

Huang Ziyao pressed down on the horse's hoof and carefully examined the indentations in the horseshoe where the nails should have been. Frowning, she said, "There are marks."

Li Shubai crouched down to look. On the horseshoe's nail indents, there were extremely faint, needle-thin scratches hidden amidst the rust.

Li Shubai frowned slightly and said, "It's obvious. Not long ago, someone pried out the nails from this horseshoe. The tool used or the nails themselves left these marks when they were removed, scraping against the rust."

"The first question now is whether the person who tampered with it acted with a specific target or indiscriminately." Huang Ziyao pressed the hairpin on her head, removing the central jade pin, and drew two lines on the ground. "If it was targeted, was it aimed at the consort, or was someone else the intended victim while the consort became an unfortunate scapegoat? If it was indiscriminate—just meant to injure anyone on the field—then what was the purpose, and who stood to benefit?"

Li Shubai nodded, lost in thought.

Huang Ziyao drew two more lines on the ground and said, "The second question is that once the horseshoe nails are pried out, problems would arise quickly. Yet this horse only faltered long after it had been on the field. There are two possibilities: first, the culprit used some method to delay the incident long after the horse was in play; second, the tampering happened just before the accident—when the consort dismounted and went off-field, the moment Princess Tongchang reprimanded him."

Li Shubai raised his hand and pointed at the first line. "If it was tampered with before the polo match, the issue we need to resolve is how the culprit ensured the consort would pick the sabotaged horse."

His fingertip then moved to the second line. "If it was tampered with during the break, then we must consider who approached the horse at that time."

Huang Ziyao recalled the scene and frowned slightly. "After Princess Tongchang summoned the consort, everyone on the field gradually dismounted to rest. If anyone had lingered near another's horse, it would have drawn attention."

"No one acted suspiciously," Li Shubai affirmed. His sharp gaze would never overlook such a detail.

"Also, I remember the stablehands were about to tend to the horses, but all the horses were cowering in fear of Di’e, so they didn’t approach," Huang Ziyao added with a nod.

"Therefore, the first possibility seems far more likely," Li Shubai said.

Huang Ziyao agreed firmly. "In that case, the biggest mystery in this case is how the culprit ensured that, out of more than a dozen horses, the consort would pick precisely the one that had been tampered with."

"And that too, after Zhou Ziqin caused a disruption by taking away the first horse Wei Baoyi had chosen."She pondered and said, "Is there another possibility—perhaps the killer initially intended to eliminate the best horse? Your Highness arrived late, so you wouldn’t know that before the match began, the consort originally chose Zhang Xingying’s chestnut horse. But Zhou Ziqin took it for Zhang Xingying, so he had to switch to this one at the last moment. Viewed this way, it was a series of coincidences that led him to ride this particular horse."

"The consort is now a chief minister and, as an outsider and guest, should have had the first pick of the horses by both reason and courtesy. Yet the killer didn’t target the best chestnut horse, which suggests the consort wasn’t the intended victim. Could they have anticipated that Zhang Xingying would have no horse and that Zhou Ziqin would borrow one from the capital defense office?"

Huang Zixiang thought for a moment, then shook her head. "This horse was chosen casually by the consort, and among the group, this black horse wasn’t outstanding—no one would have ranked it second."

At this point, their reasoning had hit a dead end with no way forward.

Huang Zixiang then had the stableman remove the horseshoe and took it with her as she left the polo field with Li Shulang.