The Golden Hairpin

By the side of the polo field, in the resting area, everyone took off their outer jerseys, preparing to rest before heading back.

Prince Zhao had come prepared, having already instructed his attendants to set out the items he brought. On the table before them was placed a basin of crushed ice, its cold mist rising like smoke or fog.

Several crystal cups were arranged on the table, ready for wine. Unfortunately, the eunuchs and guards carrying the wine barrel had unsteady arms, spilling it several times.

"Let me," said Zhang Xingying, taking the barrel and lifting it effortlessly with one hand. His towering frame and immense arm strength made the hundred-pound barrel seem weightless—pouring and stopping with ease.

Prince Zhao cheerfully placed his crystal cup on the ice to chill, then asked Zhang Xingying, "What was your name again? Zhang Xingying? Impressive skills! If the Capital Defense Office doesn’t want you, I’ll take you! You can stay by my side—just pouring wine for me every day would be enough!"

Zhang Xingying, shy and inarticulate by nature, could only offer an awkward smile in response.

Prince E first handed a chilled cup of wine to Li Shubai: "Fourth Brother, this wine was brought back by Ninth Brother from the Western Regions, from Tokhara. They say it’s triple-distilled and triple-sunned. The color is excellent—give it a try."

"Quite good," Li Shubai replied simply, but those four words were enough to make Prince Zhao beam with pride. He turned to Prince E with a laugh, "Seventh Brother, you only like tea—you wouldn’t understand the joys of wine. Especially after a match like this, a few cups of chilled wine are just what’s needed. The only thing missing now is a Gulouzi , preferably fresh out of the oven and still steaming."

Gulouzi was a popular lamb-stuffed flatbread, beloved by the capital’s residents. Zhou Ziqin, who had been inspecting horseshoes nearby, immediately looked up and said, "I love those too! Why not come to my place? I’ll have the cook make one."

Prince Zhao shook his head. "If we order one now, how long will that take?"

Zhang Xingying hesitated nearby, on the verge of speaking. Huang Zixiao asked, "Second Brother Zhang, it’s almost noon—aren’t you heading back?"

Zhang Xingying quickly replied, "When I left this morning, my... my younger sister said today was a special occasion and promised to make me a Gulouzi for when I returned. Maybe... I could go home now and bring it over."

"Oh?" Prince Zhao perked up immediately. "Is your sister any good at making them?"

"I think so, but lamb is expensive—she doesn’t usually make them for me..."

"Then forget about fetching it— Gulouzi is best eaten straight from the oven, piping hot!" Prince Zhao gestured to the wine and table. "Come on, pack up! Let’s go eat right away!"

Huang Zixiao could only laugh helplessly as she followed the three princes out of the polo grounds.

A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "Second Brother Zhang, don’t you only have an elder brother? Where did this younger sister come from?"

Zhang Xingying’s face flushed instantly, and he nearly buried his head in his chest. "A... distant cousin."

Li Shubai cast a glance at this unruly group and naturally had no interest in joining their antics. At the gate, he simply said, "I have matters to attend to," and parted ways with them, heading toward the Secretariat-Chancellery.

The remaining group rode their horses merrily toward Puning Ward.

Zhou Ziqin quietly confided to Huang Zixiao and Zhang Xingying, "Did you know? Once, Prince Zhao woke up in the middle of the night suddenly craving to hear Lady Yuzhi of the Music Bureau play the flute. But it was during curfew, and the prince thought openly breaking the rules wouldn’t be proper, so..."At this point, he snickered but didn’t continue.

Prince Zhao’s ears were sharp, and he had already heard. He turned back with a laugh and scolded, “Zhou Ziqin, you bastard! You keep bringing up this nonsense—do you want to embarrass me to death? So what if I changed into a night watchman’s clothes and sneaked out, only to get caught by the Capital Defense Bureau and spend the night in their office until Wang Yun came the next day to release me?”

Even Prince E, Li Run, couldn’t help but laugh. The vermilion mole between his brows looked especially striking as his expression relaxed. “Ninth Brother, you’re truly absurd. Of course, the Capital Defense Bureau wouldn’t believe you were Prince Zhao.”

“Exactly! That’s why it felt so good to put them in their place today!” Prince Zhao brandished his riding crop and laughed heartily. “Yang Chonggu, if there’s another opportunity like this, call me again!”

Huang Zixiang could only pretend she hadn’t heard this utterly shameless prince and turned away with a wry smile.

Under the large locust tree in Puning Ward, a group of idlers was still gathered, eagerly spreading gossip. “Hey, hey, did you hear? Old Zhang’s second son was kicked out of Duanrui Hall yesterday!”

“So what if he was kicked out? He got himself a pretty wife for free—worth more than a lifetime at Duanrui Hall!”

“Don’t say that—I think there’s something off about that girl. Last night, I heard faint sobbing from a young woman in their courtyard! It was downright eerie… Do you think Zhang Xingying hit her?”

“No way… He doesn’t seem like that kind of person…”

Listening to the idle chatter, Zhang Xingying looked at them helplessly and awkwardly, stammering an explanation. “A-actually, they’re talking about A-Di. She’s not some distant relative—I found her collapsed by the roadside with no family, so I took her in out of pity. We… we’re doing fine. We’re planning to… to…”

Seeing his flushed face, everyone immediately understood. Zhou Ziqin, who had played a game with him and now acted like a sworn brother, immediately teased, “Great! When’s the wedding? We’ll come for the feast!”

“It’s not settled yet… Mainly, we don’t have much money right now. Oh, everyone, please come this way.” He was so flustered he could have dug a hole to hide in, quickly leading them toward his home.

Though the Zhang residence wasn’t large, the courtyard was spacious, tidy, and well-kept.

Outside the courtyard was a hedge of hibiscus trees, with a pomegranate tree on the left and a grapevine trellis on the right, beneath which stood a stone table and stools. A small channel diverted water from outside into a little pond, where three or four red carp swam. Beside the pond grew a cluster of calamus and several irises, fresh and charming.

At that moment, a young girl was crouched by the pond, washing freshly picked white hibiscus flowers. Hearing the sound of people entering, she stood and turned, her eyes darting nervously over the group until she spotted Zhang Xingying. Only then did she relax, murmuring, “Brother Zhang.”

“A-Di, um… when I left this morning, you said you’d make gulouzi for me. These are, uh…”

“Friends—Brother Zhang’s friends, here to try your famous gulouzi !” Prince Zhao cut in with a hearty laugh.The girl named Adi had a delicate and fresh beauty, much like the dewy hibiscus flower in her hand. Though not a dazzlingly gorgeous bloom, her youthful and tender charm was particularly captivating. Seeming rather shy around strangers, she merely nodded slightly at them before lowering her head, picking up the freshly washed white hibiscus, and turning to enter the house.

Zhang Xingying quickly ushered everyone inside, but Prince Zhao waved his hand and ordered the wine to be placed under the grape arbor. He casually took a seat on the stone bench and said to Prince E, "This little courtyard is truly lovely—far more interesting than your tea room, Seventh Brother."

Prince E, Li Run, smiled helplessly and gestured for Huang Ziguang and Zhou Ziqin to sit as well.

Zhang Xingying brought out a square, two-foot-wide ancient-style meat pie and placed it on the table. The pastry was golden and crispy, its rich aroma making mouths water. Everyone eagerly broke off a piece to taste. The savory lamb mingled with the crisp crust, creating a heavenly flavor that seemed almost too divine for this world.

Having just finished a game of polo, the group was ravenous, making the pie taste even more exquisite. Prince Zhao nearly snatched half for himself, holding it in his hands as he asked, "Zhang Xingying, did that girl just make this?"

Zhang Xingying nodded. "She said she’d make a hibiscus egg drop soup next. Please take your time eating—I’ll go help her."

With that, he dashed inside. Huang Ziguang, holding a piece of the pie, strolled to the doorway and saw Adi by the stove, beating eggs, while Zhang Xingying sat tending the fire.

Flames flickered in the hearth, and a speck of ash flew out, landing on Zhang Xingying’s face. Adi called to him softly and pointed to her own cheek. Zhang Xingying looked up at her and wiped his face haphazardly, smearing the ash into a streak.

Adi shook her head helplessly. After quickly pouring the beaten eggs into the pot and giving them a stir with her chopsticks, she walked over to Zhang Xingying, bent down, and gently wiped away the ash with her sleeve.

Zhang Xingying looked up at her with a slightly foolish grin, his cheeks faintly flushed in the glow of the occasional flame leaping from the stove.

Unconsciously, Huang Ziguang found herself smiling too. She recalled a certain spring day when someone had climbed a cliff to pick the most vibrant flower for her, only to end up with dust smudged on his cheek.

Back then, she had also used her sleeve to wipe it away, and they had shared a quiet laugh.

Perhaps all women in the world were like this.

Before the smile could fade from her face, a sharp pain pierced her chest. The dull, knife-like agony forced her to lean against the wall, slowly crouching down to hug her knees as she gasped for breath, struggling to regain her composure.

That person had severed all ties with her.

And because of him, she had become a fugitive, hunted across the land for the massacre of her own family.

If she had never loved him, perhaps her parents, her brother, her grandmother, and her uncle would still be living happily in Shu. None of the nightmare would have happened.

"...Chonggu? Chonggu?"

Zhou Ziqin’s voice echoed in her ears.

She looked up to see his face, filled with concern and worry. "Chonggu, what’s wrong?"

"I..." She slowly came back to herself, staring at him for a long moment before forcing out a reply. "I must be tired from the polo game earlier.""Ah, you're too stubborn. Luckily, Prince Kui stepped in for you, or you would have fainted on the field," Zhou Ziqin said as he pulled her to sit by the stone table. "Here, have a bowl of soup. Fresh hibiscus flowers make it smooth and sweet—you'll love it!"

Huang Zixia took the bowl from him, took a sip, and nodded. "It's really delicious."

Prince E also praised, "Fresh is always better than the dishes kept warm on the stove in the palace, waiting for us to summon them."

Prince Zhao asked Zhang Xingying, "Her name is A-Di, right? Ask if she'd be willing to work in my residence. Every time I play polo, she can just make me a gulouzi to have when I return!"

Huang Zixia held her bowl silently.

So this Prince Zhao was simply fond of poaching people—anyone he took a liking to, he wanted to bring home. Including her, this was the third time she'd seen him try to recruit someone.

But then Zhang Xingying replied, "Your Highness, please forgive me. A-Di really was someone I found by the roadside last month while gathering herbs in the mountains. Her background is unclear, and she hardly ever leaves the house, so I don’t think she can serve you."

Zhou Ziqin was astonished. "What? You really just found her on the road?"

"Yes, she had fainted by the mountain path. I happened to be gathering herbs, so I carried her home..."

Zhou Ziqin couldn’t help but feel envious. "Just randomly finding someone on the road, and it turns out to be such a pretty and sweet girl who’s also a great cook—what incredible luck!"

Huang Zixia, however, pondered and asked, "What is A-Di’s background? Where is her family? And why did she faint on the mountain path?"

Zhang Xingying hesitated before saying, "She... never mentioned it, so I didn’t ask."

Huang Zixia noticed his evasive gaze and sensed he was hiding something. But then she reconsidered—she was just an outsider. Since they were happy together now, why pry into such matters? It would only create unnecessary tension and trouble for them.

Zhou Ziqin suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Oh, right, Brother Zhang, next month my father is hosting a shaowei banquet for the Emperor at home. You must let her make us a gulouzi then!"

"No problem at all. We’ll have it delivered swiftly on horseback. In this weather, it’ll still be piping hot when served."

As they all praised A-Di’s cooking, they noticed Prince E, Li Run, staring blankly into the main hall, his expression distant.

Following his gaze, Huang Zixia saw him looking at a painting placed on the altar table.

The main hall originally enshrined a fulushouxi (symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness), but in front of it hung another painting—one foot wide and three feet long. The material was exquisite: snow-white silk mounted with Shu County hemp paper. However, the painting itself was a chaotic mess of ink blots, lacking any clear lines or shapes. It didn’t resemble a painting at all—more like spilled ink stains from an overturned inkstone.

Prince E, Li Run, stared at the painting, his face gradually turning pale.