The Golden Hairpin

Fortunately, the patrolling soldiers arrived quickly on the street. After seeing Li Shubai, they promptly bound the murderer tightly.

When the midwife arrived, she was greatly astonished and said, "The mother was frightened, which caused her to exert sudden force, and the baby came out immediately. Thankfully, the mother is in good health, so both she and the child are safe—I’ll hurry and wash the baby."

The baby’s father then held his wife’s hand and said affectionately, "My dear, you’ve worked hard. I’ve decided—how about we name this child ‘Jingsheng’ (Born from Shock)?"

The weakened mother leaned weakly against the bed and replied, "‘Jingsheng’? Why not just call him ‘Xiasheng’ (Born from Fright)?"

"Great idea! It’s settled then—Wei Xiasheng. Sounds perfect, perfect..."

Huang Zixiao noticed that even someone like Li Shubai couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth slightly.

By the time Cui Chunzhan and Wang Lin arrived at Prince Kui’s mansion in a fluster, it was nearly dawn.

Seeing their bloodshot eyes, Li Shubai didn’t say much. He ordered tea to be served to calm their nerves and said, "The suspect in the Four Directions Case has been captured. Hold the trial tomorrow."

Wang Lin quickly nodded in agreement, but Cui Chunzhan hesitated slightly and asked, "Your Highness, we still have no leads on the motive or evidence for the Four Directions Case. Are you certain the person caught tonight is the culprit?"

"Whether he is or not, won’t we know after tomorrow’s interrogation?" Li Shubai raised his teacup, signaling the end of the meeting. "The capital is under curfew at night, and the wards are closed, preventing movement. He must have stayed at an inn in Puning Ward beforehand. You can investigate the inn where he lodged."

The next day, the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple conducted a joint trial. The murder weapon was verified to be the same one used in the previous killings. Additionally, scriptures copied by the suspect were found in his inn room, and the handwriting matched perfectly with the notes left at the crime scenes.

Knowing he couldn’t deny it, the culprit confessed fully, revealing the details and motives behind the previous murders. Thus, the Four Directions Case, which had stirred the capital for over three months, was solved in one stroke.

At the Zichen Hall in the Daming Palace, Emperor Li Cui, who had been unwell recently, perked up upon hearing the news. He summoned the princes, along with Dali Temple Deputy Minister Cui Chunzhan and Ministry of Justice Vice Minister Wang Lin, for an audience.

"Change your clothes and come with me to the palace."

Huang Zixiao had just caught up on sleep and hurried to the Yubing Hall to see Li Shubai when he motioned to her.

She was slightly surprised and asked, "The palace?"

"I told you that if you could solve this case within ten days, you’d earn the right to work for me. So, starting today, there’s something I need you to do for me—and for that, you’ll need a proper identity." He stood up, his demeanor relaxed and elegant, not at all like someone discussing a transaction. "In any case, today is an important day for you, the little eunuch of this mansion. If I didn’t take you along, wouldn’t it be missing out on a lot of fun and excitement?"

She lowered her head and replied, "Understood."

Li Shubai then walked to the door and instructed the attendant standing there, "Summon Jing Yi."

Soon, Jing Yi arrived—a very neat and sharp-looking man. He glanced at Huang Zixiao a few times before asking, "What are Your Highness’s orders?"

Li Shubai asked leisurely, "You’re in charge of personnel matters in my household. Tell me, how many eunuchs are currently registered in the mansion?"

"In total, there are three hundred and sixty-seven.""If three hundred and sixty-seven people suddenly became three hundred and sixty-eight?"

Jing Yi understood his meaning and glanced at Huang Zixiao before replying after a moment's thought, "This servant recalls that during last year's torrential rain disaster at the Jiucheng Palace, many young eunuchs were scattered and lost. Most of those eunuchs were orphans sent into the palace, and some whose remains were never found remain unaccounted for to this day."

Li Shubai nodded. "So you're saying she might be one of the young eunuchs who went missing at Jiucheng Palace?"

Jing Yi said earnestly, "That is precisely what this humble servant suspects. But as to exactly who, I cannot recall at the moment. Please allow me to check the records, Your Highness."

Li Shubai waved his hand dismissively. Shortly after, Jing Yi returned carrying a thick register and said, "This servant has found the record. There was a young eunuch named Yang Chonggu at Jiucheng Palace, responsible for cleaning the 'Everlasting Mist Pavilion.' Around sixteen or seventeen years old, approximately five feet five inches tall, slender and delicate. He was an orphan sent to the palace and kept to himself at Jiucheng Palace, staying alone in the Mist Pavilion. Thus, everyone assumed he had perished in last year's disaster, and his name was already removed from the palace records."

"Hmm, who would have thought this Yang Chonggu survived against all odds and ended up in my household?" Li Shubai looked at Huang Zixiao and asked, "What do you think of this identity Jing Yi has provided?"

Huang Zixiao stood there, overwhelmed with emotion. After months of fleeing, traversing countless mountains and rivers while desperately concealing her identity—who could have imagined that with just these few words, she could now assume another identity, become another person, and henceforth appear openly before others without needing to hide anymore.

Who would dare question—who could even think to question—the words spoken by Prince Kui Li Shubai of this dynasty?

Thus, she bowed deeply to Li Shubai and said, "This servant Yang Chonggu thanks Your Highness."

Entering through the Jianfu Gate of the Daming Palace and passing through layers upon layers of vermilion gates and towering walls, one would see the lofty Hanyuan Hall standing tall upon its high platform, its interconnected halls and towers stretching like a phoenix spreading its wings to embrace all who entered the palace gates.

Behind Hanyuan Hall stood the solemn and magnificent Zichen Hall, its golden and resplendent flying eaves and bracket sets extending endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Zichen Hall was an inner palace hall. In recent years, the emperor had rarely summoned officials at Hanyuan Hall, preferring Zichen Hall instead, especially for meetings with princes and close ministers. Huang Zixiao had not waited long in the hall when the emperor, dressed in dark casual robes, entered surrounded by eunuchs. His figure was slightly plump but not obese, with a rounded chin and narrow, elongated eyes that gave him an amiable appearance.

Emperor Li Cui was only thirty-five this year, but ever since being enthroned by eunuchs over a decade ago, he had indulged in pleasures and neglected state affairs. While calling him a peaceful ruler might be a stretch, he had at least avoided troubling the common people, who remained relatively stable.

Huang Zixiao thought to herself, Though they are brothers, the emperor seems much gentler than Li Shubai. Then, glancing at Prince Zhao Li Rui and the others, she mused further, Everyone seems easier to deal with than this Li Shubai—why is it that the only one who can help me has to be someone like him?

Once the emperor was seated, he smiled warmly at Li Shubai and said, "Fourth Brother, truly nothing has ever been able to stump you. Just the day before yesterday, I was considering entrusting you with this case, and before I could even speak, you had already solved it last night—such remarkable speed indeed."Li Shubai said, "This is not my merit. The one who solved the case is someone else."

The emperor's gaze fell upon Cui Chunzhan, who immediately bowed in trepidation and said, "The resolution of this case is entirely due to Prince Kui. We are at fault—we only patrolled the eastern part of the city and did not follow Prince Kui's instructions. It was Prince Kui who went alone to the scene, apprehended the true culprit, and solved the case."

Only then did the emperor's eyes land on Huang Ziguang standing behind Li Shubai. He asked, "Fourth Brother, that young eunuch behind you—I don’t recall seeing him before?"

"Your Majesty, this is the person who solved the case. Hence, I dare not claim the credit and have brought her before you to receive your recognition."

Everyone immediately turned their surprised gazes to Huang Ziguang. The young eunuch had an exceptionally refined and delicate face, but her eyelashes remained lowered, her expression calm, not even a strand of hair out of place.

The emperor smiled and said, "This is the inner court, where I am usually quite informal with my brothers. As you can see, today it’s just my brothers here—Chunzhan is also the nephew of Consort Cui, and Minister Wang is the uncle of the empress. There’s no need for you, young eunuch, to be overly restrained. What is your name?"

"Your servant, Yang Chonggu, pays homage to Your Majesty." She stepped forward and knelt in salute.

Prince Kang Li Wen, being young and impulsive, couldn’t hold back his curiosity upon seeing someone around his own age. He jumped in and asked eagerly, "So you’re the one who solved the case? I’ve been racking my brains over this! Tell me quickly—wasn’t this supposed to be a case of the four directions? Why were the murders in the south, west, and north, but the last one wasn’t in the east?"

Huang Ziguang glanced at the emperor, who nodded, before explaining, "This was merely a trick of the mind. After combining the concept of the 'Four Noble Truths'—suffering, origin, cessation, and path—with the murders occurring in the north, south, and west of the capital, everyone assumed the killer’s pattern followed the four cardinal directions. But in truth, the killer was merely using this notion as a guise, not adhering to the pattern. The third victim was actually killed in the southwest Chang’an District, not the due west of the city. Thus, I realized that basing the investigation on the four directions was a mistake from the start."

Prince Zhao Li Rui quickly followed up, "Then, I heard afterward that on the first day, you predicted the killer’s next target would be the southeast of the capital, and on the second day, it was the Puning District in the northwest. What was the reasoning behind that?"

"This case is complex, and it all traces back to the misrecited scripture by Master Zhuangzhen," Huang Ziguang elaborated carefully. "That day at Jianbi Palace, when I heard the details of the case from the princes, it struck me that during the Ullambana Festival, Master Zhuangzhen must have recited lengthy scriptures, yet the killer instantly noticed the single mispronounced word. Unless the killer was a monk, they must have been a devout follower well-versed in Buddhist scriptures. Moreover, with the capital under curfew, the killer would have had to stay overnight near each crime scene beforehand. Since the previous locations had no temples, a monk staying there would have drawn attention. Therefore, it was more likely a follower committed the crimes. Yet, someone who slaughters multiple people cannot be a true Buddhist—they must have been misled by heretical beliefs. Those who are superstitious inevitably rely on something. Given that the earlier assumption about the four directions was incorrect, I considered another habit of the superstitious: they often act based on almanacs."After consulting the almanac, she discovered that the directions in which the murderer committed his crimes perfectly matched the auspicious directions recorded for those days. On the day of the third murder, the almanac indicated "Great Auspice: Southwest." Checking the previous two murder dates, one was "Great Auspice: Due North," and the other "Great Auspice: Due South," exactly corresponding to the directions where the murders took place. Thus, she surmised that the murderer must be following the almanac's guidance rather than, as many speculated, targeting one victim in each cardinal direction.

Li Shubai also noticed this detail immediately after she checked the almanac. So, on the day marked "Great Auspice: Northwest," the two of them lay in wait outside the pregnant woman's home in Puning Ward, ready to ambush the killer.

"So that's how it was!" Li Wen quickly asked again, "But how did you know the murderer would definitely target that household? How did you know this time the victim would be a pregnant woman?"

"Of the first three victims, one was an elderly night watchman, another a middle-aged blacksmith. Setting these two aside, the child from the charity home was frail and weak, already on the verge of death—even without being killed, he wouldn't have lived much longer. So why did the murderer target him?" Huang Zixia paused briefly before continuing, "Then I noticed something—the middle-aged blacksmith was killed at a medical clinic. In other words, he was murdered while seeking treatment."

Li Wen was still pondering this when Li Run, holding a wine cup nearby, sighed softly, "The four sufferings of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death."

"Exactly. One old, one sick, one dead. The only one left was 'birth'—and that pregnant woman was the only one in the northwest of Chang'an about to give birth. If the murderer were to strike that day, she would inevitably be the target. When he went to kill her, he happened to encounter her in labor and was overjoyed, believing it was heaven helping him complete this 'birth.'" Cui Chunzhan sighed. "After joint interrogation by the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, the murderer confessed without resistance. It turns out his family had suffered calamities, and within a month, he was the only one left alive. In his fear and despair, he became a follower of a sect from the Western Regions—a cult so despised there that it was driven out, yet somehow it spread to the Central Plains. Their doctrine included a sinister method claiming that misfortune could be transferred to others. Consumed by this twisted belief, he thought that by killing those four people, he could transcend the four sufferings and thereafter live free from illness and calamity. Even now, imprisoned, he remains unrepentant, ranting in his cell that he was following Buddhist scriptures to save others and himself. Truly incorrigible!"

The hall fell silent. The emperor waved his hand and said, "I see no need to wait until autumn. Since he has confessed and the evidence is conclusive, why keep such a heinous criminal alive? In the coming days, wrap up the case properly to avoid his continued clamoring."

"This crime undoubtedly warrants the death penalty. What does Your Majesty decree?"

"Execution by waist-cutting."

Thus concluded the bloody case that had gripped the capital for months. As everyone reflected on the tragedies and then looked at the slender young eunuch before them—barely sixteen or seventeen, standing there like a willow shoot in early spring—they couldn't help but feel an inexplicable emotion. This seemingly fragile youth had effortlessly unraveled the first thread from a tangled mess where everyone else had been at a loss, piecing together the entire logic of the case.Li Rui laughed, "This little eunuch is truly clever and quick-witted. No wonder when I asked Fourth Brother for him last time, Fourth Brother couldn't bear to part with him."

Li Shubai smiled, "Ninth Brother is talking nonsense. I never said no at the time."

"That's right, I can vouch for Fourth Brother," Li Wen chimed in.

The emperor, in good spirits, watched their banter with a smile until a female official entered and whispered in his ear. He then said with a laugh, "Fourth Brother, with two joyous occasions coming your way, I shall first host a family feast for you. On your wedding day, the empress and I will personally visit your residence to offer our congratulations."

The group immediately showed expressions of delight. Prince Kang, Li Wen, was the first to ask, "Fourth Brother has chosen a consort? From which family is the lady?"

The emperor smiled, "Since the golden decree and jade certificate will be issued soon, can't you bear your curiosity a little longer? Rest assured, Fourth Brother's consort is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished noble ladies in the realm, a perfect match for him, complementing each other's brilliance."