PCA Chapter 88

Su Cen took the jade pendant from Ning Santong’s hand, wiped off the surface dust, revealing a milky white corner. The pendant was about half the size of a palm, with a pattern of flowing clouds and a hundred blessings carved on its surface. Su Cen held it up to the sunlight, and saw that the jade was of fine quality, smooth and lustrous, resembling congealed fat with a faint translucent glow.

 

Su Cen said, “Mutton-fat white jade?”

 

Ning Santong nodded, “It was found under his body. The pendant cord must have burned off when he caught fire, and it got trapped underneath him when he was rolling around.”

 

Su Cen frowned, “No one would carry something that could identify them during an assassination attempt, and this jade pendant is of high quality and quite valuable.”

 

“These matters are now for Lord Su to investigate,” Ning Santong directed people to carry the body back to the Dali Temple, and cupped his hands in salute to Su Cen, “This humble official will take his leave now.”

 

Su Cen called over a clerk and handed him the jade pendant, “Make a rubbing of the pattern and focus on investigating the merchants and official families in the capital. Find the source of the corpse as soon as possible.”

 

The clerk took the jade pendant and retreated with a bow. Su Cen surveyed the Vermilion Bird Street, which had been bustling with activity earlier. Now the crowds had dispersed, with only a few curious onlookers peering cautiously from a distance, afraid of being mistaken for accomplices or called for questioning. Due to the heaven worship ceremony, the stone-paved road had been cleaned spotless, making the few charred spots even more conspicuous.

 

Su Cen slowly walked back along this road. With the autopsy not yet completed and the source of the corpse still unknown, there was nothing he could do at the moment. Some ideas were forming in his mind, and he wanted to find someone to help him sort them out.

 

As he stopped, Su Cen looked up and saw the three large characters for Xingqing Palace gleaming in the sunlight.

 

Li Shi hadn’t returned from the palace yet, but Su Cen made himself at home, treating Xingqing Palace like a free restaurant. He went in and ordered a table full of dishes for himself, eating while waiting for someone to return.

 

This wait lasted until nightfall.

 

When Li Shi returned, he saw Su Cen dozing off at the table, hugging an empty wine jar in his arms.

 

For someone so young, he had quite a taste for alcohol. Who knows who had indulged him in this habit.

 

Hearing a sound, Su Cen immediately raised his head. His face was slightly flushed, and his eyes were alarmingly bright. Upon seeing Li Shi, he stood up at once and said, “You’re back? Have you eaten yet?”

 

It was as if he belonged there, waiting for someone to return like this every day.

 

“I ate at the palace,” Li Shi approached, his eyes narrowing, brimming with the night’s darkness. “But seeing you makes me hungry again.”

 

“What wine did you steal from me this time?”

 

Before Su Cen could respond, Li Shi had already grasped his delicate chin and leaned down.

 

Their lips and tongues met. Li Shi was like a fierce beast, relentlessly pushing forward, delving deeper and deeper. Su Cen strained his neck, trying to parry for a few rounds, but found himself at a disadvantage on all fronts. After several advances and retreats, he was forced to yield, only able to furrow his brows and whimper softly.

 

Li Shi only stopped when he was fully satisfied. The alcohol in Su Cen’s system had been forced out, leaving his usually fair neck with a bewitching flush. His eyes sparkled, making for a rather pleasing sight.

 

Li Shi licked his lips contentedly, “Xinghua Village wine. Fine wine suits a beauty like you.”

 

Su Cen glared at him, panting slightly, “I’d prefer that jar of Xifeng Lie. ‘A strong wind knows hardy grass, the conqueror takes by force.'”

 

Li Shi’s eyes narrowed, “So Zi Xu likes to be taken by force.”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

Well, that’s what you call shooting yourself in the foot.

 

Li Shi had just returned, still wearing his ceremonial robes from the heaven worship ceremony. Su Cen dismissed the serving maids and stepped forward to help him change as soon as Li Shi raised an arm.

 

Originally, only the emperor was entitled to wear the great fur robe with twelve pendants and twelve emblems. But considering Li Shi’s special status, to distinguish him from ordinary princes, he was allowed to wear robes with twelve emblems on the day of the heaven worship ceremony. The only difference was that the sun and moon patterns on the left and right shoulders were swapped to differentiate from the emperor’s robes.

 

As Su Cen undid the waistband, he asked, “How is the young emperor?”

 

“He’s frightened,” Li Shi pressed his brow. “Even adults would be unsettled for days if they saw such a thing from afar, let alone having it happen right before his eyes. He’s been crying all day. I only came back after coaxing him to sleep.”

 

Su Cen handed the changed clothes to a maid and offered a cup of freshly brewed tea. “I find this case rather strange.”

 

Li Shi sat down and took a sip of tea, asking, “In what way?”

 

“I don’t have evidence yet, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just doesn’t seem logical,” Su Cen pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. “Look, if this was an assassination attempt, who would set themselves on fire to assassinate someone? And it was just him alone from start to finish. Even if he hadn’t caught fire, he couldn’t have reached the imperial presence, let alone in that state. But if it wasn’t an assassination, the timing is too coincidental. How did he burst into flames just as the young emperor arrived at that spot? The perpetrator must have planned meticulously, timing it perfectly. I don’t believe they went to all this trouble just to scare the young emperor. There must be some special significance.”

 

“So, I think this incident might not have been aimed at the young emperor. The key lies in the person who burned to death. Someone might have wanted him to die in public.”

 

“You’re saying the one who burned wasn’t an assassin but a victim,” Li Shi found this new theory quite interesting and looked up at Su Cen. “Have you identified the deceased?”

 

Su Cen shook his head, “Still investigating.”

 

Li Shi said, “To dare kill someone in front of the imperial procession is extremely audacious. This matter must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise it will damage imperial authority.”

 

Su Cen smiled, “So that’s why you berated the people from the Ministry of Justice and the Capital Prefecture so harshly, just to hand the case over to me?”

 

“My Zi Xu is so capable,” Li Shi stroked Su Cen’s chin. “I said before, I’d make up for the grievances you suffered—how does being the Deputy Chief of the Dali Temple feel?”

 

“You mean promote me again?” Su Cen’s eyes lit up, then he looked a bit embarrassed. “Isn’t it too fast? Lord Zhang only just got promoted from that position at his age. If I rise so quickly as a newcomer, some might not accept it.”

 

Li Shi said, “Delaying the heaven worship ceremony, disrespecting imperial authority, intimidating the emperor—isn’t this case enough to convince people?”

 

Su Cen narrowed his eyes and asked, “Aren’t you afraid I won’t solve the case in three days?”

 

Li Shi countered, “Can you solve it?”

 

Su Cen smiled, “I won’t disappoint Your Highness.”

 

In the deep of night, Su Cen heard movement beside him in his half-asleep state. He reached out with his eyes closed, feeling the lingering warmth, but the person was gone.

 

Su Cen squinted, realizing that Li Shi was already awake and being dressed by a group of servants. Apart from the unavoidable soft rustling of clothes, the servants were holding their breath, afraid to make any noise.

 

Seeing Su Cen awake, the servants looked rather uncomfortable, probably having been specifically instructed not to disturb the one sleeping in bed.

 

Su Cen didn’t mind, though, and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

 

His voice was a bit hoarse—partly because he had just woken up and hadn’t spoken yet, and partly because of last night’s intense activities. Lord Su had been moaning softly half the night, and his voice hadn’t recovered yet.

 

Li Shi must have found this husky voice quite charming, as his irritation at being woken up in the middle of the night subsided considerably. He said gently, “Zhuo’er had a nightmare. He woke up crying and wants to see me, so I’m going to the palace.”

 

Su Cen frowned, taking a moment to realize that the “Zhuo’er” Li Shi mentioned was the young emperor Li Zhuo. His brow smoothed as he thought that the relationship between uncle and nephew wasn’t as tense as rumored—the young emperor seemed quite dependent on his imperial uncle, wanting him for comfort after a nightmare, and Li Shi was quite indulgent towards his nephew, otherwise he wouldn’t be going to the palace at this hour.

 

Then he heard Li Shi continue, “Does he think a scolding from me will help him sleep? Or is he trying to fight fire with fire, seeing whether I or the person in his dream is scarier?”

 

Su Cen: “…” So much for the caring uncle and devoted nephew. He had thought too much.

 

Su Cen lifted his eyelids to check the time and asked, “What hour is it?”

 

“The hour of the Ox,” Li Shi said. “You should go back to sleep.”

 

Su Cen nodded with his eyes closed. He had only been asleep for a few hours and felt like his whole body had been taken apart. At this moment, he was too lazy to even move a finger.

 

Wrapping himself tighter in the blanket, Su Cen mumbled, “Respectfully seeing Your Highness off.” Then he returned to his meeting with the Duke of Zhou[mfn]In Chinese culture, “meeting the Duke of Zhou in a dream” became an idiom meaning to have an auspicious dream or to receive sage advice.[/mfn] in his dreams.

 

Li Shi instructed the servants to light some calming incense and ordered them to wake Su Cen up at the appropriate time, lest the esteemed Su sleep until late morning and waste half a day of the three-day period.

 

This sleep was peaceful and sound. Early in the morning, Su Cen left Xingqing Palace feeling refreshed and energetic, heading directly to the Dali Temple.

 

Ning Santong had promised results this morning, so Su Cen went straight to the mortuary upon arriving at the Dali Temple. He met Ning Santong coming out, with two obvious dark circles under his eyes, suggesting he had been up all night.

 

Su Cen’s impression of him improved slightly, but then he saw several more people coming out of the mortuary. Some he recognized – bailiffs, jailers, clerks, and Xiao Sun who served tea at the front office – and some he couldn’t name, but all were from the Dali Temple. Ning Santong cheerfully saw them out, saying, “Our esteemed top scholar, Lord Su, will be coming to see me soon. Let’s have another round another day.”

 

Someone tugged at Ning Santong’s sleeve. He frowned and said, “I said another day. I’ll admit it if I lose…” He looked up and found himself face to face with the top scholar’s icy expression. He shuddered in broad daylight and immediately fell silent.

 

The others left sheepishly under the pressure, leaving Ning Santong and Su Cen staring at each other. Su Cen withdrew his gaze and headed straight into the mortuary. Ning Santong tried to stop him but failed, and could only follow Su Cen inside.

 

They saw that the corpse, which should have been on the examination table, had been moved to the floor. The table was covered with dice, dice cups, and dominoes. There were even a few copper coins scattered on the ground.

 

This group had spent the whole night gambling right in front of the corpse.

 

“Lord Su, don’t misunderstand,” Ning Santong hurriedly used a rag to clear the items from the table. “I called them to help with the autopsy.”

 

“Autopsy?” Su Cen glanced at the neglected corpse in the corner. “How innocent the corpse is.”

 

“…”

 

Ning Santong laughed awkwardly. “Lord Su doesn’t know, after death, muscles contract and stiffen, joints close, causing the mouth to be unable to open, the neck to be unbendable, and the limbs to be inflexible. This is called rigor mortis. Moreover, this person died by burning, so the body was already in a curled position. The heat accelerated the onset of rigor mortis. You wanted results quickly, and I couldn’t undo all this rigor mortis alone, so I called for help. After we finished, it was past curfew, and we couldn’t go back, so we just played a few rounds.”

 

Su Cen looked at the corpse again. Its state had indeed changed from yesterday’s curled position to a straightened one. Su Cen’s expression softened slightly, and he asked, “What did you discover?”

 

Ning Santong raised an eyebrow and smiled, pulling Su Cen down to crouch by the corpse. “Look, this person’s body is over 90% burned, with the skin and flesh charred. If it were just a normal fire, a person wouldn’t burn like this. They could even roll on the ground to extinguish the flames. But this person burned until death without the fire going out. He didn’t just not resist; he even struggled to reach the imperial presence. This indicates that the fire was already quite severe and not easily extinguishable. I have a bold idea: he rushed to the young emperor not to assassinate, but to seek help.”

 

This point coincided with Su Cen’s thoughts.

 

Ning Santong paused, then continued, “I’ve seen a few burned like this before, but that was in a fire scene where the flames were large and the surrounding temperature high. It’s not surprising to be burned like this in such conditions. But to see someone burned like this in broad daylight without other fire sources is a first for me.”

 

Su Cen frowned and glanced at Ning Santong. “Get to the point.”

 

Ning Santong grinned. “As expected, you understand me, Lord Su. I suspect this person must have been carrying something highly flammable, like books or papers, or perhaps there was an issue with the fabric of his clothes.”

 

“I heard from bystanders that the fire started from his sleeve, but…” Su Cen’s brow furrowed deeply as he looked at the charred corpse. Whether it was books, papers, or clothing, everything had burned away by now.

 

“Everything burned away, right?” Ning Santong smiled knowingly, stood up, and stretched. With a warm smile towards Su Cen, he proudly produced three strips of cloth from the table behind him. “That’s why I called them to help. Although the body is severely burned, the armpits, being tightly pressed against the skin, are less likely to burn. So I managed to find these few pieces that escaped the fire.”

 

Su Cen took the cloth strips from Ning Santong and examined them carefully. The fabric was high-quality brocade silk. Although valuable, it could be easily purchased from any major fabric shop if one had the money. This confirmed that the jade pendant indeed likely belonged to the deceased.

 

“Is there a problem with the fabric?” Su Cen asked.

 

Ning Santong shook his head. “I haven’t found any issues yet. Give me more time.”

 

Su Cen turned the three pieces of fabric over repeatedly, rubbing and smelling them. Finally, he noticed a problem: “You said the fabric was taken from the armpits, one piece from each side. Where did this third piece come from?”

 

Ning Santong smiled awkwardly at Su Cen, taking two steps back cautiously. “…The crotch.”

 

Lord Su, who was in the middle of sniffing the fabric: “…”

 

Su Cen wanted to hit him, but Ning Santong had already retreated out of striking range. Su Cen gritted his teeth in frustration, deciding to speak to Zhang Jun as soon as he left. From now on, it would be either him or Ning Santong in the Dali Temple, not both!

 

Ning Santong, fearlessly, continued to ask, “Did Lord Su smell anything?”

 

Su Cen shot him a cold glare. Ning Santong shrugged sheepishly and said resignedly, “I’m not asking you to smell that piece… Alright, alright, forget I said anything. I mean, can you smell anything else standing here?”

 

Su Cen shook his head with a dark expression.

 

“How strange. They also said they couldn’t smell anything,” Ning Santong frowned. “I suspect the deceased might have eaten garlic before dying. There’s a faint garlic smell in the air. You can’t smell it?”

 

Su Cen frowned and tried hard to sniff the room. The smell of decay mixed with the charred odor made him want to vomit… and then vomit some more.

 

To discern other scents in this atmosphere required a skill he didn’t possess like Ning Santong did.

 

Ning Santong sighed and said softly, “Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

 

A clerk rushed in from outside, shouting, “My Lord, we’ve found the identity of the deceased!”

 

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