PCA Chapter 90

The steward’s face twitched as he forced an awkward smile that looked worse than crying. “My lord must be joking! These are just things my master brought back from his travels—they can’t possibly be from tombs!”

 

Su Cen pointed at some nearby jars and containers: “I once accidentally saw an inventory list of burial goods belonging to Emperor Kaiyuan of Southern Dynasties—this three-legged lamp with string patterns is listed among them. And that celadon lotus-mouthed vase over there? It’s from an official kiln of our previous dynasty; most surviving pieces are heavily worn with dull colors due to age—but this one is vibrant and clearly freshly unearthed.”

 

He then pointed behind him: “That *‘Floating Clouds over Mount Wu’* painting uses ‘high antiquity silk-thread strokes,’ a technique lost since Wei-Jin times! Even our imperial palace has only a few such works—you expect me to believe you casually picked this up from some rural shop?”

 

The laws of Great Zhou explicitly prohibited private grave-robbing or tomb excavations—especially those involving royal tombs from previous dynasties—likely out of fear that their own graves might someday be looted by opportunists seeking treasures buried within imperial mausoleums.

 

If Xu Youhuai weren’t already dead now… he’d certainly face execution for this crime.

 

“So,” Su Cen concluded coldly, “this isn’t just some storage room—it’s where you conducted illicit trades involving burial goods.”

 

The steward broke into a cold sweat under Su Cen’s sharp words; retreating two steps until his back hit the wall nervously muttering: “I… I don’t know anything! These were all brought back by my master… I swear I know nothing!”

 

“You don’t know?” Su Cen smiled slightly. “Then let me ask you, besides you, who else in your household knows about this place?”

 

The steward stammered in response, “The… the first madam also knows…”

 

“Your master and the first madam seem to trust you a great deal,” Su Cen pondered for a moment. “One last question, where were you on the day of the incident—that is, yesterday?”

 

“I…” The steward hesitated, then suddenly realizing something, he hurriedly protested, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t harm the master, I didn’t kill him!”

 

“I’ve been wondering from the start. The assassination attempt in front of the emperor yesterday was known throughout the city, and with such obvious evidence as the personal jade pendant, logically the source of the corpse should have been found yesterday. Why did you wait until today to report it?” Su Cen glanced at the steward. “So, you conspired with your first madam to kill your master, and at the same time prevented the servants from reporting it, all to privately keep these burial goods, right? You repeatedly tried to stop me from discovering this place because you knew these items were from tombs and would be confiscated if found. Otherwise, you could have openly shown them, as Xu Youhuai is already dead and his property would naturally go to his wives. They might even have given you a larger severance pay.”

 

Under Su Cen’s relentless questioning, the steward gritted his teeth, his face twitching grotesquely. He suddenly looked up, the murderous intent in his eyes unmistakable.

 

He abruptly pushed the mechanism behind him, closing the secret door. A sharp dagger emerged from under his sleeve. After all, there were only the two of them here. If he killed this man and closed the door, no one would be able to find this place.

 

“If I were you, I wouldn’t do something so foolish,” Su Cen smiled nonchalantly. “Let me remind you, the entire household is now full of people from the Dali Temple. I am a court official appointed by Prince Ning to thoroughly investigate this matter. If they don’t see me come out in a while, do you think they won’t turn this place upside down looking for me?”

 

As if to confirm Su Cen’s words, several shouts were heard from the courtyard. It seemed the scribe, not seeing Su Cen return for a long time, had come looking for him.

 

The steward’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. Unable to contain himself any longer, he broke down in tears, “I did… I did know yesterday that my master had died… I went with him to watch the heaven worship procession. There were too many people, and we got separated. Then I saw him catch fire… I didn’t start the fire, I don’t know how he caught fire, I just… I just thought that since the master was dead, my indenture contract would go to the first madam. The second and third madams don’t know about the dealings with burial goods in the household. If I could please the first madam, maybe she would return my contract to me and set me free.”

 

“My lord, please investigate thoroughly. I really didn’t kill the master,” the steward crawled over and hugged Su Cen’s legs, his face full of tears and mucus smearing Su Cen’s white robe.

 

Su Cen frowned slightly. The scribe had already reached the door outside, his calls of “My lord” clearly audible through the wall.

 

Su Cen knocked on the wall, “I’m in here.”

 

After the scribe opened the mechanism from the outside and saw the situation in the secret room, he was also stunned. “My… my lord, what’s going on here?”

 

Su Cen briefly explained and then ordered, “Go and arrest Xu Lin as well.”

 

The scribe’s face was full of admiration and respect. Although he had been respectful to Su Cen before, he had always thought this gentle-looking young man was just good-looking without much ability, at best rising quickly due to someone’s patronage. He never expected that in just a couple of hours, this person had single-handedly caught an important criminal in this case.

 

After repeatedly confirming that Su Cen was unharmed, the scribe followed the instructions to call people from the front. Some rushed to make arrests, others to search for stolen goods. Xu Lin was still hugging Su Cen’s legs, crying and shouting loudly, but this time it was for herself rather than the pretense of mourning for Xu Youhuai.

 

By the time everything was dealt with, it was already past noon.

 

In just one morning, the master had died, the first madam and the steward had been arrested. The remaining people in the Xu household all hung their heads low. The mourning hall was half set up, but the person who had led them in their fake wailing was gone. Everyone felt uneasy, not knowing what to do next.

 

Su Cen asked the scribe, “Did you find out anything?”

 

The scribe handed Su Cen a stack of interrogation transcripts. “Just as you said, my lord. These people were kept at home yesterday by Xu Lin under the pretext of preparing for the year-end sacrificial ceremony. They didn’t go out, so they didn’t know that something had happened to Xu Youhuai. They probably never imagined that Xu Lin would be so audacious as to conspire with the steward to harm Xu Youhuai in order to seize the Xu family’s property.”

 

Su Cen flipped through the transcripts page by page, not looking up as he said, “They didn’t kill him.”

 

“Huh?” The scribe was stunned.

 

Su Cen continued, “If they really wanted to kill Xu Youhuai, they could have found a discreet way to do it quietly and then secretly transfer the property from the hidden room. There was no need to make such a big scene at the heaven worship ceremony. That would only bring the authorities to their doorstep, which wouldn’t benefit them at all.”

 

“Moreover,” Su Cen handed the transcripts back to the scribe, “they themselves don’t even know how Xu Youhuai died, so how could they have killed him?”

 

The scribe looked confused, “Wasn’t Xu Youhuai burned to death?”

 

Su Cen thought about Ning Santong’s suggestion this morning that there might be something suspicious about Xu Youhuai’s body, but judging from the reactions of the steward and Xu Lin, they didn’t seem to know about it. Su Cen shook his head slightly, not explaining further.

 

“My lord,” the scribe pulled Su Cen’s sleeve, avoiding others, “A word in private, please.”

 

Su Cen looked at the scribe, then followed him a few steps away to a secluded spot. The scribe lowered his voice and said, “Congratulations, my lord. The case can be closed now.”

 

Su Cen frowned, and the scribe quickly added, “Now they have a motive and evidence of guilt. If we just pin the crime on them, you’ll have solved such a big case in just one day. You’ll surely become famous throughout the capital. If you’re worried about them retracting their confessions in front of the emperor, to be honest, my lord, I have some methods that I’m willing to use in your service.”

 

“Oh?” Su Cen raised an eyebrow, looking quite interested. “What methods do you have?”

 

The scribe immediately smiled ingratiatingly and said, “Axes, cauldrons, and boiling water – there are always a few methods that leave no traces. Have you heard of ‘iron tree blooming,’ my lord? It involves inserting an iron tube into a person’s throat and pouring boiling water down it. The hot water burns the esophagus, but there’s no visible mark from the outside. It’s guaranteed to make them never dare to speak again for the rest of their life. There’s also water torture, using water mixed with ice shards. You hold the person down in it for a while, and the icy water chokes their lungs. It’s even more unbearable than lingchi (death by a thousand cuts). Do this ten or eight times, and I guarantee they won’t dare to retract their confession.”

 

Su Cen wasn’t one for cruel punishments and didn’t know much about the private torture methods used in the Dali Temple. The most he had seen was Xue Chengzhen using the paddle. Listening to this person enthusiastically describing these methods made his stomach churn.

 

After finishing, the scribe looked at Su Cen expectantly, his fawning expression undisguised. However, Su Cen’s face remained impassive, showing no appreciation for his suggestion.

 

“Tomorrow morning, submit your resignation to Lord Zhang yourself,” Su Cen lowered his gaze, not bothering to look at him again. “Don’t let me see you in the Dali Temple again. Otherwise, those punishments will be tested on you first.”

 

The scribe’s face froze. Seeing Su Cen turn away without mercy, he immediately fell to his knees, kowtowing and performing the same action as Xu Lin and the servant earlier – clinging tightly to Su Cen’s legs and not letting go.

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

Were his legs particularly attractive today or what?

 

In the end, Su Cen had to call some bailiffs from outside to drag the man away before he could free his legs. Looking down, he saw that his moon-white robe was now wrinkled and disheveled beyond recognition.

 

Next time he went out on a case, he would definitely wear clothes that could withstand dirt better. Su Cen felt that this disheveled appearance damaged his pure and refined image.

 

The Xu family members sat quietly together like quails, clearly not understanding how their people had been arrested in such a short time.

 

“Can you think of anything unusual?” Su Cen slowly paced in front of the group. “It doesn’t have to be from the day of the incident. Any strange occurrences from daily life would be helpful.”

 

The Xu family members were all frightened by Su Cen. They shook their heads like rattles, afraid that if they shook too slowly, they would be taken back to the yamen.

 

Su Cen couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He comforted them, saying, “You don’t need to be afraid. As long as you’re innocent, I won’t trouble you. Let’s do this: providing useful evidence will be rewarded. Since the head of the Xu family is dead and others have been arrested, I’ll make decisions on their behalf. Those who can provide useful evidence, I’ll free you from your indentured status.”

 

This was clearly a huge temptation. Several servants immediately showed eagerness upon hearing this, but no one wanted to be the first to try. They looked at each other, waiting for someone to test the waters.

 

Finally, a young maid couldn’t resist the temptation – mainly because she couldn’t resist Su Cen’s handsome face. Blushing, she cautiously asked, “Do you really mean it, my lord?”

 

Su Cen smiled at her, “Of course I do.”

 

The young maid blushed even more, twisting her handkerchief as she spoke softly, “I don’t know if this is the kind of evidence you’re looking for, my lord, but I think I know how our master died.”

 

Su Cen’s eyes flickered with interest, and he immediately asked, “How did he die?”

 

“My lord, you just said that our master hid things from tombs in his bedroom, right?”

 

Su Cen nodded.

 

The maid said, “Our master was killed by those things. A ghost killed him!”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

“Don’t disbelieve me,” the maid saw Su Cen’s disappointed expression and urgently raised her face. Her childish features were flushed red as she enunciated each word carefully, “I saw it myself, just last night. Although the master hadn’t returned, there was a green ghostly shadow in his room, glowing faintly!”

 

Su Cen naturally didn’t believe in ghosts killing people, but he still asked out of routine, “What kind of ghostly shadow?”

 

Before the young maid could answer, a young manservant timidly raised his hand and said, “I… I’ve seen it too, but not last night. It was three days ago…”

 

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