The Golden Hairpin

The Court of Judicial Review.

Cui Shaoling, who would usually slip away right after lunch to be with his wife, was unexpectedly still there today. The moment he spotted Huang Zixiao and Zhou Ziqin arriving, his face lit up with joy: "Ziqin, Chonggu! This is fantastic—the culprit has turned themselves in without us lifting a finger. All the running around and suffering these past days can finally come to an end! The pressure from the princess's residence will finally ease!"

As Huang Zixiao followed him inside, she asked, "Has the suspect already confessed?"

"Yes! She came to surrender with a painting in hand, claiming it was inscribed by the late emperor or something. Honestly, that messy thing didn’t look the part at all."

As they spoke, they reached the back of the main hall of the Court of Judicial Review. The court didn’t have a prison, only a few clean rooms set aside at the rear to temporarily detain those awaiting punishment.

Dicu was sitting in one of these rooms, staring blankly at the leaves swaying in the wind outside the window.

Huang Zixiao, Zhou Ziqin, and the familiar faces from the Court of Judicial Review entered and closed the door behind them. "Lü Dicui," Huang Zixiao called.

Dicu reflexively stood up, but upon seeing the men before her, she instinctively curled in on herself and took an unconscious step back.

Understanding the shadows still lingering in her heart, Huang Zixiao quickly reassured her, "Miss Lü, we’re just here to ask routine questions. All you need to do is answer truthfully."

Lü Dicui bit her lower lip, stared at her for a long moment, and then nodded silently.

Huang Zixiao motioned for her to sit down first, then stood to the side as the two court officials began questioning her about the case.

"Name, age, place of origin?"

"Lü Dicui, seventeen, from the capital."

"You turned yourself in. What crime did you commit?"

Dicu’s eyes were still swollen. She sat before them in a daze, lost in thought for a long while before slowly biting her lip and forcing out a few indistinct words: "I killed someone. Two... two people."

The two officials, clearly already aware of the reason for her surrender, showed no surprise and simply said, "Tell us everything truthfully."

Dicu’s voice was hoarse and slow, her words fragmented: "I killed... the eunuch Wei Ximin from the princess's residence, and also... Sun Laizi from Daning Ward."

"Why did you kill them? And how?"

"Wei Ximin once harmed me. He had me beaten unconscious and then dumped on a street corner, which led to..." At this point, a trace of twisted hatred finally surfaced on her otherwise lifeless face, and her voice grew stronger. "That day at Jianfu Temple, my veil hat fell off. While Zhang Xingying was picking it up for me, I saw Wei Ximin... His eunuch robes made him stand out in the crowd. Just then, a thunderbolt struck, and the candles exploded. The wax chunks were mixed with flammable dyes that ignited on contact with fire. I... I don’t know where the strength came from, but I went mad. When Wei Ximin was pushed toward me by the crowd, I shoved him hard, and he fell into the burning wax. His entire body caught fire..."

Huang Zixiao stood silently by, listening calmly without uttering a word.

The official then asked, "And what about Sun Laizi’s death?""Sun Laizi... that beast... he bribed my father with money, but I will never let him get away with it!" By this point, Dicui's voice had grown hoarse and shrill with fury, sounding truly terrifying. "At noon that day, I went to Daning Ward to find Sun Laizi. Knowing a woman's strength might fail me, I'd coated my dagger with poison. When that beast heard my voice and opened the door, I rushed at him and stabbed him twice. He fled back inside and locked the door. I wanted to stab him more, but couldn't push the door open, so... I turned and ran."

Huang Zixiang studied Dicui carefully, slowly furrowing her brow. "Then, where did you get the poison from?" she pressed.

Dicui gritted her teeth. "There was monkshood in Second Brother Zhang's medicine cabinet. He taught me to recognize herbs."

"But Sun Laizi died in his bed."

"Perhaps... perhaps after being wounded, he crawled back to bed and died when the poison took effect."

Cui Chunzhan quietly asked the two clerks, "Does her account match the case?"

One clerk nodded. "The wounds were shallow and hesitant—consistent with a woman's handiwork."

Cui Chunzhan nodded, then asked her, "Lü Dicui, since you'd already killed two people without anyone knowing, why come forward now and seek your own death?"

Dicui took a deep breath, summoning the courage to meet his gaze. "These two cases have stirred up the capital, and innocent people have been dragged into it. Though I'm just a weak woman, I take responsibility for my actions. Moreover, I want all evildoers in this world to see that wickedness will be repaid!"

Moved by her words, Cui Chunzhan sighed and nodded. "Your feelings are understandable, but your crimes cannot be excused."

Another clerk asked, "Were you aware of the injury the imperial son-in-law sustained at the polo grounds?"

Dicui lowered her eyes and nodded. "I heard... my benefactor Zhang Xingying was on the field that day."

"Was this incident related to you?"

Dicui shook her head, then after a moment, nodded. "I deserve death... When I heard Zhang Xingying would be competing in polo, I prayed at home that day for his opponents to fall from their horses so he could win... I suppose... I suppose the Bodhisattva must have heard my secret prayer..."

Even Cui Chunzhan could only say to the clerks, "No need to record that part—it's clearly unrelated."

The clerk continued, "What about that painting you brought in?"

"That was from Zhang Xingying's home. The Dali Temple was searching for it, but he couldn't find it. Actually... I stole it. With my revenge complete, I wanted to leave the capital but lacked travel funds. Hearing it was an imperial painting by the late emperor, I thought it must be valuable, so I took it to a pawnshop. But then the Dali Temple's search caused an uproar, so I had to redeem it and bring it here."

"Do you know what was depicted in the painting?"

Dicui shook her head blankly. "No... I looked at it for a long time—just three ink blots... so I pawned it for ten strings of cash."

The clerk turned to Cui Chunzhan. "We checked with the pawnshop—this is accurate. The pawnbroker couldn't understand the painting either, but said the paper and ink were fine quality, and the mounting seemed palace-made. He assumed it was extraordinary, hence the ten strings."

Being one who cherished feminine beauty, Cui Chunzhan shook his head with a sigh. "Lü Dicui, is there anything else you wish to confess?"Di Cui knelt in a daze for a long while before finally raising her head to look at Huang Zixiao. "Eunuch Yang," she said, "please tell Second Brother Zhang for me that since we have no fate in this life, A Di will repay his kindness in the next life by holding grass in her mouth to form a ring."

Huang Zixiao felt a pang in her heart and nodded. "Alright."

The group returned to the main hall, where an official had already taken out the painting and laid it flat on the table for everyone to examine.

It was still the same three ink blots—doodles on hemp paper, mounted on white silk brocade. The exquisite framing couldn't hide the fact that it was merely crude scribbling.

Huang Zixiao and Zhou Ziqin had at least seen it before, so after a few glances to confirm it was the same painting, they simply exchanged a look.

Cui Chunzhan nearly pressed his face against it, scrutinizing it over and over before frowning. "How could this be the late emperor's imperial brushwork? This is outright treason, slandering the late emperor!"

The officials from the Dali Temple nearby echoed his disdain, dismissing the painting with contempt. Nevertheless, as it was evidence in the case, once everyone had stepped back, Cui Chunzhan personally rolled it up and prepared to return it to the storeroom.

Seeing the hall now empty, Huang Zixiao lowered her voice and asked, "Vice Minister Cui, may I borrow this painting?"

Cui Chunzhan hesitated. "Ah, this... Eunuch Yang, this is crucial evidence—though I don't see how—but generally speaking, since the case hasn't been concluded, taking it might not comply with legal procedures..."

Huang Zixiao took out a token from her sleeve and presented it to him with both hands. "Vice Minister Cui, I offer Prince Kui's token as collateral. Please lend it to me for half a day. I will return it first thing tomorrow morning."

Cui Chunzhan studied the token for a moment, then decisively handed the scroll to her. "You were personally appointed by His Majesty to assist in this case. If you need to study evidence related to the case, isn't that perfectly justified? Just write a note for the evidence room and take it directly."