Treasured Sword, Golden Hairpin

Chapter 3: A Notoriety (Part 3)

She didn’t expect that this man could tell all the information about a little bodyguard. She was stunned for a moment, and then she could only say, “In fact, Zhang Xingying and I are sworn brother and sister. We…” She looked like she had a fish stuck in her throat*, but he pretended not to notice, and waited for her to continue to make up the following words.

(too embarrassed or shy to talk/ difficult to express)

She knew that this man had already understood everything, but now she was on the verge of an attack. She could only immediately replace the central idea of her lies and quickly replace the relationship between cousin and sister with an ambiguous relationship. With a hesitant look on her face, she said, “I have a good relationship with Zhang Xingying. Since I was a child, I have liked playing polo and dressing up as a man. I was afraid that he would be punished by military law, so I wanted to replace him and come here because his stomach is upset. So, I robbed his horse, but he could not catch up with me. That’s it.”

“Then, when you left for the palace, why didn’t you choose to speak these words to the team leader, and made a choice that would put both you and Zhang Xingying in a more serious situation — hide in my carriage?” He used the slender fingers to tap on the table, and the slow rise and fall of the fingertips seemed to hit her in the heart, and she began to have an ominous premonition.

Sure enough, he sneered and mercilessly exposed her words: “Therefore, you must cover up one thing, which is more serious than you pretending to be one of my guards, or even more serious than being executed on the spot as an assassin.”

She was silent, and the situation was better than others. She had been taking risks, but now she was caught. She had no choice but to wait for his judgment.

“A woman in the suburbs in the early morning, wearing men’s clothes which still have traces of your journey on the road in the rain. I think no one would believe that you and Zhang Xingying had not planned and colluded this in advance.”

He looked at her; her head lowered and speechless, only her thick black eyelashes were trembling slightly, resisting her stubborn appearance. He couldn’t help but sneer, and said, “Hold out your left hand.”

She bit her lower lip, held the palm of her left hand up, and slowly stretched it out.

“Everyone’s hands record everything they have done in their life so far. Other things can be hidden, but your hands can’t be hidden.” He lowered his eyes and looked at her palm, and on the corners of his lips finally appeared a faint smile, “Your hand tells me that you have a good background and have been smart since childhood. There was a change in your life at the age of thirteen. You left Chang’an and went to Sichuan. Am I right?”

She looked up at him, trying to calm her voice: “Yes.”

“There you met the person you like. As can be seen from your palm prints, you are cold-hearted and resolute. Therefore, you could completely slaughter the family members for love. As for the technique…”

He curled his lips at her and said coldly: “Kill by poison.”

As if a needle pierced them, her eyelashes jumped suddenly, and her hidden identity was suddenly revealed. She subconsciously folded her fingers, as if to hide a nightmare. She put her hand on her chest, staring at the person in front of her.

The person in front of her gazed at her, on his countenance was a kind of happy expression of seeing the prey throw itself into the net: “So, your name is Huang Zixia.”

She looked down at her palmprint, and her initial shock gradually subsided. She put down her palm, retracted her sleeve, and whispered, “No.”

“Which one is wrong?” He asked faintly, “Life experience, murder, or your identity?”

“I’m Huang Zixia, but I didn’t kill people.” She took a deep breath and whispered, “It’s even more impossible that I would kill my family.”

He leaned on the brocade mat behind him, and even his mouth was filled with a cold smile: “Do you mean that you have been wronged?”

She knelt in the carriage and looked up at him. The peony flowers woven on the soft blanket were bright and clear. She was a tiny insect on the peony petals. She was tiny and thin. The person opposite could crush her with a finger at any time.

However, she did not care about the situation of being looked down upon from above. Even if she knelt down there, she still kept her back straight. When she looked up at him, her expression was calm, but she was even more stubborn: “Prince Kui, who does not have parents? How can I do that as a child? I came all the way to the capital for this unjust case. Suffering injustice is second, but my parents’ and relatives’ grudges must be reported, so I fled to Chang’an to find opportunities to redress for my parents and relatives. Zhang Xingying pitied me, so he would help me even if he was punished. Please forgive him for his kindness and don’t involve him.”

“A good heart? Who knows if his kindness has helped the wicked?”

“If I’m a murderer, I can find a place to hide my name, but I can’t hide for a lifetime, otherwise my parents and relatives will not die in peace!”

“You don’t have to explain to me. You can talk to the Court of Judicial Review* or the Ministry of Justice.” He cast his eyes indifferently on the pattern of the brocade curtain beside him and said, “You can go now. I hate staying with people who are dishevelled. Especially in such a small place.”

[大理寺 da li si = civil force of a state/police]

In such a case, ignoring her was already a leniency to her.

Huang Zixia slightly pursed her lower lip and saluted him. When she looked up, her eyes fell on the glass bottle. The little red fish in the bottle was still swaying in the water, and its long tail was like tulle.

She lowered her voice and whispered, “The name of this fish is ‘Agashine’. It comes from the country of Tianzhu. It is said that it is the result of the wandering thought of the Dragon girl who serves the Sutra in front of the Buddha’s throne, and often appears next to people who have died.”

Prince Kui’s eyes brushed over the glass bottle, and his voice was calm: “Really?”

“Yes, I have heard of it. However, in my opinion, this may be a hypothetical rhetoric conjured up by people with ulterior motives. There are two reasons for this. One is that some people who can’t solve the case fabricate the theory of gods and ghosts to evade responsibility; the second is that the murderer deliberately spreads rumours in order to confuse the public. “

The corners of Prince Kui’s lips finally raised slightly and asked, “What else?”

“What appears at the scene of the murder should be ominous, but the Your Highness always takes it with you. Obviously, the relationship between the dead and Your Highness is extraordinary. Moreover, the murder case may still be unresolved.”

“And then?”

She pondered for a moment, then finally said slowly, “If Your Highness is willing to help me, I can help you find out the result of the murder. No matter how long ago, no matter whether the trace still exists or not, I will be able to give you a clear explanation.”

Prince Kui raised his hand to the glass bottle and looked thoughtfully at the scarlet light on the fish.

The fish swam slowly in the glass bottle, and was not startled by the ripple.

Prince Kui raised his hand to touch the head of the little fish. He watched it dive into the water after being frightened. Then he slowly took back his fingers. He slowly raised his eyes and looked at the person kneeling in front of him. He said, “Huang Zixia, how daring you are?”

Huang Zixia knelt down in front of him, and looked at him with her own eyes as clear as dew.

“Do you know that even the current emperor says that he can’t interfere with this matter, but you dare to take charge of it and say that you can handle this case?” He looked down at her coldly, and she found that he had a pair of extremely deep eyes, which were even more daunting on that indifferent face. “This is a taboo of the imperial court, but it still leaked out. Where did you hear about this old case, and you’re going to trade it with me?”

Huang Zixia hadn’t expected that there were so many ferocious waves hidden behind this little fish. She bowed her head to him, but her face was still calm: “Forgive me, I haven’t heard about it. I just saw the little fish and thought of that absurd statement. The rest, I guessed; I really didn’t know in advance.”

He coldly put the glass bottle on the table and looked at her expression: “I thought so you wouldn’t dare.”

“But the revelation of the truth in the world lies not in daring, but in being able to.” Huang Zixia said in a low voice, “Listening to what Your Highness just said, this case must be thrilling and implicated, perhaps more bizarre than the death of my parents. But I think that as long as someone really dares to check, the truth will come out.”

Prince Kui did not answer, but asked, “Since you have come to the capital to redress the injustice, there should be solid evidence to know who your family’s enemy is?”

“I…” She was silent and frowned slightly. “After the incident, I was regarded as a vicious suspect and could only abscond. But as long as Your Highness helps me and gives me some time, I believe I can find it!”

He raised his eyebrows slightly: “I remember that when you were in Chang’an, you had solved several dubious cases in the capital city. I heard that when you were in Shu County, you helped your father solve many problems, didn’t you?”

“…… Yes.”

“That’s absolutely you during your younger days, however people change as they grow. When you were 14 years old, you helped your father solve a pending case. How come you can’t even find your own enemy now?” His lips rose and said with a little mock, “Even her own injustice can not be washed away, but also dares to speak up to this prince without being ashamed, trying to make a deal with me?”

Huang Zixia was silent. Li Shubai saw her biting her lower lip, but she just didn’t make a sound, so stubborn. The 17-year-old girl was haggard and dishevelled, but it was difficult to cover up the clear and bright complexion, compared with the something that appeared in his mind, vaguely reconnecting piece by piece.  

So he lowered his voice a little bit and said, “Huang Zixia, everyone in the world says you are a murderer. If I speak for you, will the world suspect that I have any private affair with you? What’s more, if the Court of Judicial Review or the Ministry of Justice really gives you extra legal grace because I help you out, wouldn’t it be that I use my power to distort the legal principle of the country?”

Kneeling down, Huang Zixia listened but did not not utter a word, only bit down on her own lips.

Li Shubai didn’t look at her, but said, “You go out. I’m not interested in asking about your business, and I’m not interested in disclosing your whereabouts to the yamen. You are on your own.”

She paused, just silently bowed her head, ready to get out of the carriage. She knew that the man on the opposite side, though holding heavy power in his hand, was not related to her. It was impossible for him to help her. He had not sent someone to tie her up and deliver to the Court of Judicial Review on the spot, and it was already a mercy.

So, she had to bow down to him. Just as she was about to get up, the carriage stopped slowly. The imperial guard outside said, “Your Highness, you have arrived at Jianbi Palace.”

Jianbi Palace is just the newly completed Imperial Li palace [离宫- Lí Gōng]* . It’s just around the outskirts of Chang’an, it was only ten miles away from the Grand Daming Palace and the journey took just enough time for them to finish speaking.

[离宫- Lí Gōng, it means leaving the palace. When a prince is an adult, he may build a new palace, get married and live separately from the monarch.] 

Li Shubai lifted up the window and looked outside. Seeing that all the princes had arrived, there was a lot of noise outside. He could not help but frown, and said, “It seems that I will inevitably be found in the same carriage with the female murderer.”

Huang Zixia obstinately said in a low voice, “I didn’t kill anyone!”

He also ignored, lifted the curtain, and said: “Get down.”

She hesitated and followed him out of the carriage. A low stool had already been placed under the carriage. She stepped down on the stool, but her feet were not yet stable. She felt that she was gently kicked; her knees bent back, and her body fell forward involuntarily. There was a pond in front of her. The freshly planted lotus leaves were drooping listlessly, and the water was very muddy. She fell into the water and coughed violently by the sewage. She was so embarrassed that she could not get up. (Please read original translations from cloudmanor)

Li Shubai turned to meet the palace maids who were coming towards him, he said: “This person is clumsy! You get her to wash up, and let her walk back on her own.”

He was too lazy to explain as to whether she was a man or a woman, and let Huang Zixia deal with it by herself.

[He/Him(他) and She/Her(她) Chinese pronunciation are homogeneous]