The next day, before dawn, Su Cen was rudely awakened. Qu Ling’er’s cold hand tugged at his warm blanket. Su Cen groaned, frowning as he grumbled, “What are you doing?”
Qu Ling’er sighed helplessly and poked Su Cen’s face. “Su-ge, someone’s here to see you.”
“Who would come looking for me this early?” Su Cen muttered irritably, tightening his grip on the blanket. “Tell Qi Lin to chase them away.”
Qu Ling’er raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Before Su Cen could reply, a furious voice bellowed from outside the door:
“Su Zixu, get out here!”
“!”
Su Cen jolted upright, his face a mix of shock and despair as he turned to Qu Ling’er. “Does this house have a back door?”
—
At the Su family mansion.
The man seated in the main chair calmly lifted a teacup, blowing away the foam before taking a slow sip. His cold gaze fell on the figure kneeling before him. Setting the cup down, he said, “Explain.”
The kneeling figure raised his head, his eyes darting as he spoke, “Big Brother, let me explain. I have my reasons—”
“Forget it. Stay kneeling,” Su Lan interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. He’d heard this kind of excuse countless times growing up—so much so that his ears had calluses. Whenever this kid started like this, the story that followed would be dramatic, complete with a beginning, climax, and resolution—better than any storyteller’s tale, but utterly unreliable.
Su Cen had no choice but to change tactics. Blinking pitifully, he put on a sorrowful expression. “Big Brother, my knees hurt. You don’t know how hard it’s been for me in the capital. I had to kneel before everyone because of my low rank. The stone slabs in Chang’an freeze three feet deep in winter. I’m still young, but I’ve already developed chronic aches in my back and knees. Kneeling too long feels like needles stabbing me.”
“If it hurts, take it as a lesson,” Su Lan said, slamming the table. “Do you think you’re so capable now? Why didn’t you stay in the capital and do your job? What are you doing in Yangzhou? And even if you came, why stay at an inn instead of coming home? Does Lord Su think that he’s too good for our small Su family now that he’s an official?”
“Big Brother, what are you saying?” Su Cen frowned, feigning annoyance. “I, Su Cen, will never change my name or abandon my heritage. Alive, I’m a Su family man. Dead, I’ll be a Su family ghost.”
“Really?” Su Lan shot him a glance. “Then why did I hear that last night, Young Master Li was the star of the flower boat, even catching the eye of the courtesan queen and becoming her special guest?”
Su Cen: “…”
How does he know everything?
Realizing his pitiful act wasn’t working, Su Cen switched strategies. “I changed my name because I didn’t want to disgrace the Su family.”
Su Lan raised his teacup, his interest piqued.
Su Cen, now fully committed to his performance, plopped down on the floor. “I was dismissed from office.”
Su Lan spat out his tea, spraying it three feet away.
Wiping the tea off his face, Su Cen continued nonchalantly, “You know my temperament. How could I not offend people in the treacherous capital? One careless word, and I was sent packing. I couldn’t stay in the capital anymore, but I didn’t dare return to Suzhou. I had no choice but to come to you, Big Brother. I was afraid you’d be angry, so I didn’t dare come home directly. Do you think I feel good about this? All my years of hard work, undone by a single word from someone powerful. As I traveled south, watching the rolling river, I thought about how my efforts were all for nothing. If not for you and our parents, I might’ve thrown myself into the water.”
“You, you, you…” Su Lan pointed at Su Cen, his finger trembling before he let out a heavy sigh.
Su Cen looked up with pitiful eyes, blinking twice. “Big Brother, I’m hungry.”
Su Lan appeared stern on the surface but still instructed the kitchen to prepare a lavish meal to welcome Su Cen home.
The guestroom at Tianxia Tower had already been vacated, and Qi Lin and Qu Ling’er moved into the Su residence along with Su Cen. Though Su Lan wasn’t as scholarly as Su Cen, his years in business had given him an excellent eye for people. He immediately recognized the exceptional nature of the two and treated them as equals, even inviting them to dine at the same table.
The two declined initially but eventually accepted out of politeness.
At the dining table, Su Lan still wore a displeased expression. His sister-in-law, Yue Wanqing, shot him a subtle glare before turning to pile food onto Su Cen’s plate. In no time, a small mountain of food had accumulated in front of him.
The family’s chef had been brought from Yangzhou years ago and had served the Su household since Su Cen could remember. After months away, Su Cen finally tasted the familiar flavors of home. He stuffed his cheeks full, entirely shedding the pitiful demeanor he had displayed earlier in Su Lan’s study.
Seeing his younger brother’s ravenous eating, Su Lan assumed Su Cen had endured hardships during his journey and felt a pang of sympathy. His expression softened as he asked, “Where’s Ah Fu? Why didn’t he come back with you?”
Su Cen looked up from a piece of sweet and sour pork. “He stayed in the capital. Someone has to manage the house in Chang’an.”
“Why not just sell it?” Su Lan suggested, trying to avoid reopening old wounds. “If you don’t want to return to Suzhou, move to Yangzhou and live with me. It’s not like we can’t afford to feed you now that you’re no longer a minor official.”
“Exactly,” Yue Wanqing chimed in with a warm smile. “We’ve been looking for an accountant for the family business. Ah Lan wouldn’t trust anyone else, so it’s perfect for you to take over.”
The Su family’s vast business empire obviously didn’t lack accountants. Su Cen understood that they were simply worried he’d have nothing to occupy himself with and had created a position for him.
He sighed lightly and said, “It’s not like I can’t go back. There’s still a chance for reinstatement.”
Su Lan frowned. “The person you offended is the regent prince himself. Who would dare reinstate you?”
Su Cen’s eyelid twitched. As expected, Su Lan heaved a sigh and continued, “He’s not young anymore. How can he stoop to squabbling with you youngsters? A dignified prince acting so petty—how ridiculous!”
Su Cen glanced nervously across the table, where Qi Lin’s icy gaze swept over. Fearing a bloody confrontation, he hurriedly interrupted, “Big Brother… um, the prince is actually quite magnanimous. I was the one who offended him first, so it’s only natural for him to be angry.”
“What exactly did you say to him?”
Su Cen hesitated. “I might have mentioned something about him being petty and overly concerned with trivialities…”
Su Lan: “…”
By the time the meal ended, the family atmosphere had lightened considerably. Before leaving the table, Su Cen requested that his return remain a secret. Su Lan assumed it was out of pride—Su Cen didn’t want to become the subject of gossip—and readily agreed.
The salt merchant case involved many parties. Since Su Lan had married into the Yue family and taken over the local branch of the family business after moving from Suzhou, the Su family had become a prominent name in Yangzhou. Su Cen couldn’t risk implicating the family before the case was resolved.
After dinner, Su Cen moved into the room Su Lan had prepared for him. It was naturally the best one in the house, facing south with excellent lighting. The bedding and furniture were all made of the finest silk. Yangzhou’s climate was much milder than the north’s, but Su Lan had still ensured the room was warmed with a brazier, making it feel like spring inside.
Living at home as an accountant didn’t seem so bad after all.
When Su Lan arrived, Su Cen was observing a calligraphy piece on the wall. It was written in Han-style clerical script, robust and profound, with each stroke precise and deliberate. The content was conventional:
Top line: “In the harsh winter, the pine and cypress stand firm.”
Bottom line: “In adversity, true feelings are revealed.”
Su Lan coughed lightly and said, “This was written by a friend of mine. There wasn’t any space in the main hall, so I hung it here.”
“A friend?” Su Cen glanced at the signature. “Lan Fu? I don’t recall you ever mentioning him.”
“I met him after moving to Yangzhou. Though he didn’t achieve the same academic success as you, his knowledge is quite decent,” Su Lan replied, handing Su Cen a stack of clothes. “Wanqing thought your attire was too plain and insisted on sending some outfits over from the tailor. If you don’t like them, just forget about it.”
The fabric was of the highest quality, but the colors… left much to be desired.
“No problem,” Su Cen smiled as he accepted them, then asked, “So how did you come to know this Lan Fu?”
“He saved my life,” Su Lan said as he sat down, recounting the story. “Three years ago, during a severe drought, the waterways were impassable. I transported tea from Suzhou to Yangzhou via land routes, but I accidentally entered bandit territory. They robbed my goods and nearly took my life. At that moment, Lan Fu was returning from the provincial exams. If he hadn’t risked his life to divert the bandits, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Su Cen frowned. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?”
Su Lan rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you busy touring famous mountains and rivers back then? Did you have time to care about me?”
Su Cen awkwardly shifted the topic. “This Lan Fu you’re talking about—he’s He Xiao, the Wang family’s son-in-law, isn’t he? I won’t hide it from you; I’ve heard some things about you and He Xiao during my time in Yangzhou. He Xiao owes much of his current success to your help. But, Big Brother, have you ever considered how coincidental his appearance back then was?”
Su Lan shook his head. “I know what you’re implying, and many others have said the same to me. But Lan Fu isn’t that kind of person. You’ve all misunderstood him. I know the situation best. Those bandits were vicious killers, attacking anyone they saw. I had deliberately changed into coarse clothes to avoid attracting attention, so Lan Fu couldn’t have known my identity. He didn’t save me because of who I was.”
“People claim Lan Fu used the Su family’s name to achieve his current success, but I didn’t actually help him much. Back then, I only facilitated his marriage with Miss Wang because they were truly in love. Over the years, he worked tirelessly to build his position. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have accomplished half as much.”
Suppressing his irritation, Su Cen said, “He raised the price of salt from 80 wen to 250 wen, leaving the people of Yangzhou without affordable salt and causing rampant smuggling. Is this what you call success?”
Su Lan frowned and shook his head. “It wasn’t him maliciously inflating the price; the smuggling came first.”
Su Cen was taken aback. “What?”
Su Lan explained, “The ones colluding with the authorities were the salt smugglers. With no market for official salt, Lan Fu had no choice but to spend more money hiring the government to crack down on illegal salt. As a salt merchant, he could only fund this through the profits from salt. If you want to blame someone, blame those corrupt officials in the yamen. They sit there, demanding money, completely ignoring the plight of the common people. There’s a saying, ‘Salt profits flow to the west of Huai,’ but half of those profits end up in their pockets.”
Su Cen frowned deeply. This was completely at odds with what Feng Yiming had said. Feng Yiming claimed He Xiao was the main culprit behind Yangzhou’s salt crisis, but Su Lan argued that He Xiao’s actions were forced by the officials. Who was right? Who was wrong?
After some more instructions, Su Lan got up to leave. Su Cen walked him to the door. Just as he was about to depart, Su Lan suddenly turned and asked, “Were you really dismissed from your post?”
Su Cen was slightly startled. “Big Brother, what’s wrong?”
Su Lan gave him a long, meaningful look, then turned away, shaking his head. “It’s nothing. Since you’re back, take a good rest.”
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
His brother is so sharp too