The Golden Hairpin

Chapter 6: The Four Directions of Bodhi (Part 3)

Finally, news came from the palace. It turned out that the Emperor had a serious head ailment this time, so he would not come over for the time being. Therefore, Li Shubai and the few princes got up and went with the palace supervisor to check the completion of the palace. Naturally, the Imperial Li Palace was not as luxurious as the Palace of Great Brilliance (大明宫Dàmíng gōng), nor was it as vast as the Palace of Nine Cities (九成宫Jiǔ chéng gōng). However, walking and sightseeing still took an hour.

Huang Zixia had naturally been following Li Shubai. Her figure was so light, that ordinary eunuch clothes on her body looked particularly neat and slender; even if she didn’t say a word and kept her head bowed, she was still beautiful.

Li Rui looked at her along the way and said with a smile, “Fourth brother, when did you change the people around you? I don’t seem to have met this little eunuch.”

Li Shubai, as if nothing happened, said: “Jing Yang and Jing Yu, do not know who infected the other, are down with a cold.”

However, Li Run looked at Huang Zixia again and again, slightly confused, and felt that she was similar to someone in his memory, but for a moment, he did not think that this little eunuch would resemble a young girl he had caught a glimpse of.

“What’s the name of your little eunuch and how old are you?” Li Rui asked.

Li Shubai smiled and turned to ask Huang Zixia. “The Prince of Zhao seems to have an eye on you. Anyway, I don’t like your clumsy appearance. Why don’t you follow him?”

Huang Zixia was stunned for a moment. Seeing that all the people’s eyes were focused on her, she knelt down slowly and said in a low voice, “This humble servant has heard that, it’s hard for a bird to live on two branches, and a servant to serve two masters. After germination, it is difficult to move a tree sprout, the sweet orange tree when moved elsewhere becomes bitter orange. This humble servant is stupid. I’m afraid it’d be hard to adapt to it after leaving the Kui palace, but instead ruffle someone’s feathers and make mistakes.”

Li Rui said with a smile, “The Fourth brother is really good at teaching the servant. If I insist on it, it will rob him of his aspiration.”

There was a faint smiling expression on Li Shubai’s face and he said, “A glib-tongued indeed.”

Fortunately, at this time, Prince of Kang, Li Wen, hollered that he was tired, and the group of princes let go of Huang Zixia and returned along the original road.

Li Shubai gradually slowed down in the garden with numerous palace walls. When he came to a clump of Phoenix’s Tail Bamboo (Bambusa) trees, there were no other people around him, only Huang Zixia still followed him. Li Shubai coldly turned to look at her: “Huang Zixia, what are you doing here by being by my side?”

Huang Zixia lowered her head in deference and said: “A good bird chooses wood to live in. I want to stay with the prince and help him with my meager strength.”

“With what?” He asked coldly.

“In the long term, such as the little red fish; in the near term, such as the recent ‘Four Directions’ case in Chang’an.”

His eyes fell on her drooping face, cold and contemptuous, as if she was a speck of dust in the air. “Some of these things, you do not deserve to help, others, have nothing to do with me; it even more have nothing to do with you.”

She stood under the Phoenix’s Tail Bamboo tree; the thin bamboo leaves shrouded her body, reflecting on her face a faint turquoise green, making it seem slightly pale and delicate. She looked up at him and said in a low voice without hesitation: “However, since the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice are helpless, and the Emperor has a head ailment. I think the only one who can share the worries for the Emperor is Prince Kui.”

“Don’t you just want to find a patron to help you wash away the so-called injustice?” He said without mercy, “Just now Prince of Zhao gave you a chance, why didn’t you take it?”

“Follow him, I don’t stand a chance at all.” Huang Zixia’s face was pale, and her eyes were pale with a faint bluish tint in her eyes, but she did not hesitate. “I don’t need a place to live (shelter), and I don’t need to settle down. I need to stand in the sun with my head held high again and wash away all the humiliations my family has suffered.”

Li Shubai had a calm face and looked at her coldly. And she looked up at him, on her face in addition to the pleading look, there was also a slight hint of stubbornness, like the fog that reigns the nights, hard to detect, but clearly there.

Li Shubai snorted coldly and turned to go back to the WaterFront Palace Hall (水殿Shuǐ diàn). Huang Zixia  followed behind him; he did not turn back, but also did not slow down the pace.

When they arrived at the gate of the palace, they found that several princes were waiting to say goodbye to Prince Kui. Hearing the eunuchs say that the emperor in a few days would summon his ministers to get together in the Imperial Li Palace to recite poems, everyone smiled bitterly at each other.

Li Run and Li Shubai were left behind. Li Run could not help sighing: “The emperor is really a carefree person. Nowadays, the vassal state is divided and the eunuchs are powerful, but the emperor is still enjoying banquets all day long…”

Li Shubai indifferently said, “The emperor is the Son of Heaven (rightful emperor), which is also blessing him as well as of the people in the world.”

Li Run smiled, “What Fourth brother said is right.” His eyes fell on Huang Zixia’s figure, and his gentle and kind face was full of doubts.

Li Shubai asked, “What’s the matter?

“This little eunuch, I seem to have seen him somewhere.” He motioned to Huang Zixia.

“I met him for the first time today. How about giving him to you and serving you by your side?” Li Shubai casually said. 

“The Fourth elder brother must be joking. Ninth younger brothers had just been rejected. Am I still asking for trouble?” He smiled; the little cinnabar mole between his eyebrows looked more tender in the smile.

Huang Zixia stood quietly with her head down. She could see the spring day that was accessible within her reach, but she had already chosen the most difficult road*, so she would not look back again. It would not be her life if she decided to just muddle through.

(that she knew that she had chosen a more arduous and difficult path which was to avenge her family and clear her name instead of choosing to live a low-key, unsuspecting life.)

When all the Princes were gone, Li Shubai got on the carriage. Huang Zixia stood at the door of the carriage, still hesitating, but heard his voice: “Come up.”

Quickly she got into the carriage and stood against the door.

The carriage moved slowly leaving the Imperial Li Palace which was surrounded by mountains and wilds. Li Shubai looked up at the scene outside and said coldly, “I’ll give you ten days.”

She leaned against the door and looked at him, quietly waiting for him to continue.

He slowly withdrew his eyes from the window and his gaze landed on her. His eyes were like cold stars. It was so clear that there was no temperature inside, but it was so deep and bright that made her breath a little stagnant.

“You’ve just heard the case we were talking about at the Palace of Jianbi this afternoon. Can you solve it?”

“Perhaps.” Huang Zixia answered simply.

“Just perhaps?” He leaned against the wall of the carriage, looking languid: “Now, you have a chance to resolve your own grievances and regain your innocence. Of course, you can also let your parents get revenge and get the truth out.”

Huang Zixia pondered for a moment and asked, “What Your Highness means is that if I help you solve this case, you’re willing to give a helping hand, to help me to clear my family’s grievances for me?”

“Of course it’s not.” On the rugged mountain road, he saw her body shaking with the bumps, raised his chin slightly, motioned for her to sit down on the small stool in front of him, and then said, “I have a thing, I want to find someone to help me do it, but now you suddenly appear in front of me with no evidence, how can I believe your ability?”

“I see.” Huang Zixia nodded slightly, “If I solve this case in ten days, I would be qualified to be trusted by the prince.”

Li Shubai nodded and said, “At least, you should let me see that you are a person worth helping. I don’t have so much leisure time. I will never help a person who has no ability at all and can only talk about it verbally.”

Huang Zixia, sitting on the low stool, lowered her head while contemplating, and asked, “There are so many talented people in the Ministry of Justice and Court of Judicial Review. Surely many people have been deployed to deal with this case. In which operation entity is the prince going to let me participate in this matter?”

“I’ll take you directly to the Department of Justice to investigate the case file.” Li Shubai answered without hesitation.

“Good.” Huang Zixia raised her hand to reach the back of her head and pulled out the wooden hairpin she used to tie back her hair. As soon as the hairpin left her hair, the beautiful long black hair suddenly fell and spread over her shoulders. Her hair was still damp from the shower, was entangled and half covered her pale cheek like black algae.

She was stunned for a moment. She brushed her hair behind her and said, “I’m sorry, I used to have a lot of hairpins, habitually I would pull one to make notes. I forgot that I am now a little eunuch with only one hairpin to tie with my hair…”

Li Shubai frowned slightly and did not speak. She quickly lowered her head and swiftly raised her hands to bundle up her long hair into a bun in front of him.

The girl, who had traveled thousands of mountains and rivers but never had the slightest hesitation and fear, showed a shy look in front of him at this moment.

Li Shubai glanced at her and saw that her drooping face showed a faint blush. At this moment, he seemed to suddenly realize, more than when his hand locked her throat, that the person in front of him was actually just a young lass, and was 17 years old, not as mature and calm as she appeared on the surface.

As she could sense his intense gaze, she lifted her chin and looked up at him for a moment. At this moment, he saw her extremely bright and clear eyes, half-hidden under her eyelashes, as if it melted the charm of autumn water, embedded on her peach-like face.

Although her facial features are not the most beautiful, she had rare, clear eyebrows which imbued a spirit, clean and pure like May. There was a sense of alienation, as if not understanding the world, and as if too familiar with the world, as if a little estranged from the world, was faintly revealed in her vigilant gaze.

He remembered what Li Run had just said about his impression of 14-years old Huang Zixia.

At the age of 12, she became a famous girl in the world. Now, at 17, she had grown into a graceful girl. She suffered a great injustice and was reviled by all the people in the world, but she was not defeated. Instead, she faced up to the difficulties and tried her best to seek the truth. She hoped to wash the injustice with her own strength and make the truth known.

It could be said that only by her appearance, no one would believe that she was Huang Zixia, either the famous one with a good reputation or the notorious one with a bad reputation.

Huang Zixia stared at him, touched her face, slightly nervous and helpless.

“Very similar to the one on the wanted portrait.” Li Shubai turned his face to one side, staring at the complicated and entangled branches on the brocade curtain and said, “in the future, don’t appear in front of people in this way.”

“Yes.” She answered and tied up her hair. And then, she asked, “Do you still remember the time when they said the crime happened?”

Without hesitation, he said, “January 17, February 21, March 19.”

“Today is April 16. That is to say, if the time (pattern of action) is almost the same, it should be time for the murderer to start his operation.” This time, she used her fingers instead of a wooden hairpin to draw the numbers on the wall of the car, contemplating, “In ten days, the murderer should make a move.”

“With these figures, can you find the murderer among millions of people in Chang’an?”

“No,” She stopped the gesture and began to think about it deeply, “it’s impossible to capture the killer in the vast sea of people without knowing the characteristics and motives of the killer.”

Li Shubai sizing up at her situation, “So, you are not sure?”

Huang Zixia’s fingers began subconsciously drawing on the carriage’s wall again as she uttered to herself: “On the 17th of the first month, by the dead old watchman was left a message: Jing(Pure); on February 21, the middle-aged blacksmith, the murderer’s message: Le(Happy); on March 19, the dead four-year-old child, the murderer’s message: Wo(I)…”

Li Shubai continued after she spoke, “Four directions: the first is due north of the capital, the second is due south of the capital, and the third is due southwest of the city.” 

After sorting out her thoughts, she said, “If these cases really face the four directions, undoubtedly, you should try your best to find the direction due north, south and west, but the third stump was in the south-west of the city, which is a little strange.”

“Maybe it’s because there is no target in the due west orientation, or it’s more convenient to avoid people’s eyes?”

“Hmm, at the moment, everything is possible, but the exact reason is not known.” Huang Zixia replied as she pinched her fingers while recalling the clues, “The first death is an elderly, the second is a middle-aged blacksmith, the third is a child.”

Li Shubai leaned on the brocade mat, sat with a most comfortable posture. Then he slowly relates his thoughts, “I once asked the Court of Judicial Review about this matter. The other two are just old and weak. Maybe the murderer wanted to find victims which were less resistant and easier to kill. But the third victim is a child, which made me unable to understand – because it was a four-year-old child who was dying of cold and hunger. His parents abandoned him on the roadside, although he was rescued by the passers-by but it was too late to treat him. Even if the murderer hadn’t done it, it is inferred that the child would not have survived that night. However, the murderer sneaked into the charity hall and killed the child. Isn’t that unnecessary?”

“Well, it’s really a strange point. What’s the need to risk being discovered and sneak into a charity hall to kill a dying child? ” Huang Zixia frowned, and her fingers began to unconsciously draw the words “Chang, Le, Wo, Jing” on the carriage wall.

Li Shubai looked at her drawing, and slightly frowned. He turned his eyes to the shadow of the mountains and rivers that loomed through the curtain outside. His voice was still calm and still. “With these limited clues, and you only have ten days, where is the main point?”

“Since then we can’t find the clues and physical evidence of the previous times. The best way is to predict the time and place of his next operation and the target.” Huang Zixia did not lift her head, only looked at her own finger and slowly calculated.

“I think so. So, if you’re sure, I can give you a few days to investigate the case with the constables in the capital city – but you need to take care of your hair, and you can’t let others find out you’re a woman.” (Please read original translations from Cloud Manor)

“No need.” Huang Zixia raised her hand, her slender fingers gently stroked on the hairpin, and then shifted her gaze at him. Although her expression was still dignified, her lips were slightly raised, showing a confident and calm expression. “I already know the basis and reason for the murderer’s crime. If I’ve guessed it correctly and as long as the murderer dares to appear, I can find out where he will appear.”

Li Shubai looked at her confident appearance, slightly stunned. “You are sure?”

“Yes, I just need a Royal Almanac*(黄历huáng lì) from Your Highness.” Light breeze blew through the window, lifting up the curtain softly as the afternoon sunlight was beaming brightly on Huang Zixia’s body. Her eyes, which were as clear as dew, were staring at Li Shubai in front of her without hesitation.

Li Shubai was in a trance for a moment and then said, “Alright, I’ll wait and see.”

(黄历huáng lì – A Royal Almanac that keep records of astronomy, twenty-four solar terms, good and bad things to avoid, the twelve gods, zodiac, feng shui, birth, wedding)