The Golden Hairpin

After a long while, they heard the faint sound of wooden clogs. Turning around, they saw Zhang Xingying leading Dicui by the hand as they emerged from the house. Dicui was wearing a pair of dark blue cloth shoes with soft wooden soles, embroidered with two facing hibiscus flowers—clearly her own handiwork, exquisitely crafted.

On that summer afternoon, the sunlight was dazzling. Dicui, delicate and petite, stood under the intense rays, her pale skin, untouched by the sun, almost painfully bright.

She bowed to the two men under the grapevine trellis: "Elder brothers, I am... Adi."

Huang Zixiao stood and cupped his hands in greeting to Dicui, saying, "Miss Adi, your craftsmanship is truly exceptional. Ziqin and I have shamelessly come to impose on you again. Please don’t mind our presence."

Dicui returned the greeting, murmuring as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only nodded to them and sat down beneath the grapevine with her head bowed.

Zhou Ziqin then stood and said, "Brother Zhang, didn’t you say your father’s health has improved? Why don’t you take me to see him?"

Zhang Xingying glanced at Huang Zixiao, then nodded to Dicui before leading Zhou Ziqin inside and upstairs.

Left alone with Dicui under the grapevine, Huang Zixiao noticed her unease as she twisted her fingers nervously, her head still lowered.

Huang Zixiao asked gently, "Miss Adi, may I ask you something?"

Dicui kept her head down for a long moment before finally nodding.

"Your gulouzi is so delicious—what’s your secret?"

Dicui hesitated before slowly raising her head to look at her.

Huang Zixiao smiled warmly and said softly, "I never liked it before—I thought it had a gamey taste. But after tasting the gulouzi you made last time, the flavor lingered on my palate, unforgettable... To be honest, I think your skill is unmatched in Chang’an!"

Seeing Huang Zixiao’s relaxed and cheerful smile, Dicui felt slightly more at ease. She bit her lower lip lightly and replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, "I... My mother died from postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth to me. I started cooking when I was very young, so... maybe it’s just practice..."

Huang Zixiao nodded slightly and asked, "Since your mother passed away so long ago, did your father never remarry? Why did you have to cook?"

"Well... my father has a bad temper," she mumbled vaguely. "When I was seven or eight, he brought home a woman fleeing famine, saying she would bear him a son. I... I was terrified of her. She beat and scolded me all the time, but I knew she was meant to give my father a son, so I didn’t dare speak up... Later, my father got drunk and beat her too, and she couldn’t take it anymore, so she left..."

Huang Zixiao had no words to describe Lü Zhiyuan as a man and simply said, "That’s for the best—otherwise, you’d have suffered more."

"Yes... So, as my father grew older, he... gave up on the idea."

Huang Zixiao pressed further, "Then how did you end up fainting on the mountain path?"

Dicui clenched her lower lip tightly, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Just as Huang Zixiao thought she might break down in tears, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse: "My... my father took money from someone to marry me off to a man I didn’t like. I took a rope and went to the mountain path to kill myself, but then I fainted there... That’s why I’ve been hiding at Brother Zhang’s house—I’m afraid... afraid my father will see me."Huang Zixiao remained silent, not exposing her lie, and only gently comforted her, saying, "Don’t worry. Second Brother Zhang is honest and upright, and he truly cares for you. I believe all your past troubles are behind you now. From now on, your life will surely be filled with happiness and smooth sailing."

She nodded tearfully, her damp lashes veiling her eyes, looking utterly sorrowful.

Huang Zixiao then asked, "I heard Second Brother Zhang took you to Jianfu Temple to burn incense the other day? There was quite a commotion at the temple that day—were you both unharmed?"

At her words, Dicui suddenly clenched her hands tightly. After a long pause, she slowly relaxed them and sobbed, "No... That day... I didn’t want to go at first, but the neighbor aunt told Second Brother Zhang it would be best to pray for blessings at the temple before marriage. So I wore a veil hat and went with him."

Huang Zixiao nodded and said, "I’m currently assisting the Dali Temple in investigating this case. If it’s convenient for you, could you describe what happened that day?"

Dicui nodded slowly but hesitated for a long time.

Huang Zixiao didn’t rush her. After a while, Dicui finally spoke, "Second Brother Zhang and I... heard that a eunuch was burned to death that day."

Huang Zixiao asked softly, "Where were you at the time?"

"We... we saw the front hall was too crowded, so we headed toward the back hall. We had only taken a few steps when suddenly there was a commotion behind us. I turned around and saw the fleeing crowd surging toward us like... like a tidal wave. Second Brother Zhang quickly grabbed my hand and ran. Later, we squeezed into a corner and stayed there, pressed against the wall..."

Her head hung very low, and a faint blush spread across her pale face. Watching her expression, Huang Zixiao suddenly recalled how Li Shubai had shielded her in his arms amidst the surging crowd that day.

She wondered silently if Zhang Xingying had done the same, protecting this fragile, reed-like girl beside him.

"Later... when the crowd dispersed, we heard someone had been struck dead by lightning in the front. Second Brother Zhang..." She paused again, then lightly bit her lower lip and whispered, "He said it must have been a terrible sight and that we shouldn’t go look... So... so we left."

Huang Zixiao’s voice grew slightly somber as she recalled her earlier conversation with Zhang Xingying. "So, you were together the whole time and never found out who the burned victim was?"

"Later... I heard it was... a eunuch from the princess’s residence." Her hands clasped tightly together, her voice strained and hoarse. "I... I thought at the time, he must have done evil deeds and deserved retribution. Otherwise, why would lightning strike him out of so many people...?"

Listening to her sorrowful and faltering words, Huang Zixiao reluctantly spoke up, "Miss Di, you’re lying."

Her hands trembled violently, and she raised her large, frightened eyes to Huang Zixiao.

Huang Zixiao said softly, "To be honest, I was also at Jianfu Temple that day. Based on what I witnessed, I don’t believe you could have easily pushed through the crowd—at the very least, your veil hat wouldn’t have stayed on in such chaos. And someone as careful as you, who doesn’t want to be seen, wouldn’t have overlooked something like that."Dicuì remained silent, her pale face turning ashen, her tightly clasped hands now limp on the stone table.

"Miss Adi, I advise you not to hide the truth from me. Zhou Ziqin is also questioning Zhang Er-ge about the incident. If your account doesn’t match his, it will only cause more trouble." Though reluctant, Huang Zitang pressed on, "I suspect you witnessed the eunuch being burned to death, didn’t you?"

"Yes... At that time, we were in the front hall." Dicuì knew she couldn’t conceal anything from her and finally answered in a trembling voice. "The crowd was packed. Zhang Er-ge noticed there seemed to be some space near the incense burner and candles, so he pulled me through the throng to get closer. But though there was indeed empty space around the candles and incense burner, they were cordoned off with red ropes to keep people away. Then, someone bumped into me from behind, and the veil hat on my head fell inside the rope circle surrounding the candles. I... I was terrified. I immediately crouched down and covered my face, afraid someone might recognize me. Zhang Er-ge told me to wait and quickly stepped over the rope to retrieve my hat..."

As she spoke, she instinctively clutched her head again, her words fragmenting into murmurs. "I crouched there, holding my head, when suddenly a deafening explosion rang in my ears—the candle had been struck by lightning and exploded. The force of the blast knocked me to the ground. People around me screamed and fled in panic. Zhang Er-ge rushed over, wrapped his arms around me, and swiftly patted out the sparks on my clothes before shielding me as we ran. I saw the veil hat in his hand, but in the chaos, I couldn’t even reach out to take it... Then, just a few steps later, I heard a scream—one so piercing it drowned out all other cries, more agonizing than anything I’d ever heard."

The despair in that wail shattered her heart. Unable to resist, she turned to look.

Amid the scattering crowd, she saw a figure engulfed in flames. Not just their clothes—their entire body was burning, from head to fingertips to shoes. They no longer resembled a person of flesh and blood but rather a straw effigy soaked in pine oil, blazing fiercely.

She saw their face. Even twisted and horrifying under the fire’s assault, she recognized them instantly.

It was Wei Ximin—the eunuch who had beaten her unconscious and abandoned her on the street, the one responsible for the tragedy of her life.

Zhang Xingying covered her eyes in haste, whispering urgently, "Don’t look."

Gritting her teeth, she turned away from Wei Ximin’s agonized shrieks and followed Zhang Xingying as they pushed through the fleeing crowd.

They finally reached a corner, where Zhang Xingying shielded her, pressing them both against the wall to avoid being trampled.

Then she noticed—he still clutched her veil hat tightly in his hand.

For some reason, tears welled up uncontrollably. Silently, she took the hat and placed it back on her head.

Most of the crowd had dispersed. Wei Ximin’s cries had ceased—he must have burned to death.

Zhang Xingying took her hand and said, "Let’s go."

His hand was broad and warm, holding hers with such complete assurance, as if he would never let go.Dicu recounted the general sequence of events, omitting only the fact that she knew Wei Ximin.

Huang Zixiang found no obvious flaws in her account and thanked her.

Zhou Ziqin, who had been upstairs for quite some time, came down with Zhang Xingying, smiling as he said, "Uncle is truly invigorated by happy news—he’s already feeling much better. That’s wonderful!"

The four of them sat down together to finish the cold noodles. Seeing that it was getting late, Huang Zixiang bid farewell to Zhang Xingying and A-Di.

After leaving their home, Huang Zixiang and Zhou Ziqin exchanged the details of their respective inquiries.

Huang Zixiang relayed Dicu’s account, and Zhou Ziqin added, "I also spoke with Second Brother Zhang about the incident at Jianfu Temple that day. His version was similar. On the day of the incident, he and Dicu were indeed at Jianfu Temple, and when Wei Ximin was burned to death, he happened to be picking up Dicu’s veil hat near the candles. They witnessed Wei Ximin’s death firsthand."

Huang Zixiang nodded. "Dicu said the same."

"Second Brother Zhang mentioned that at the time, he didn’t know it was Wei Ximin, nor did he see how the fire started."

"Let’s set that aside for now," Huang Zixiang said with a frown. "We’ll have the Dali Temple officials help us investigate when Second Brother Zhang learned about this—whether he truly had no prior knowledge of Dicu’s involvement before Wei Ximin’s death.""

Zhou Ziqin nodded eagerly. It feels great to have a whole team from Dali Temple at our disposal."

Huang Zixiang shot a weary glance at this carefree man, thinking of how he couldn’t even command his own servant. She fully understood his current elation.