PCA Chapter 92

When Su Cen returned to the Xu residence, it was just the right time. The sun was setting in the west, and night was falling. He had planned to have a simple meal with the Xu family servants, but just as he entered the courtyard, someone from Xingqing Palace arrived with dinner for him.

 

So, Su Cen could only eat alone under the envious gazes of others, fully embodying the image of the extravagant bureaucracy of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

 

While eating, Su Cen asked if anyone knew anything about the two owners, but Xu Youhuai had been too secretive, not even revealing anything to his two concubines.

 

Su Cen thought as he ate, realizing he would have to get information from the steward.

 

By the time he finished dinner, it was completely dark. Su Cen and a group of bailiffs gathered in the back courtyard. The servants, emboldened by their numbers, also came to join the excitement. They were all armed with makeshift weapons – brooms, ladles, feather dusters, and the like. Someone even brought a basin of chicken blood from the kitchen. They all gathered in front of the bedroom, ready for action.

 

However, the ghost seemed to be shy. Even by midnight, not a shadow had been seen.

 

Su Cen thought for a moment, then sent everyone back to their rooms. He entered Xu Youhuai’s bedroom alone.

 

He naturally didn’t believe in ghosts. The maid and servant must have seen something unusual by chance. Since Xu Youhuai had died during the day before, yet the ghost shadow still appeared last night, whatever it was must still be in Xu Youhuai’s room.

 

Ignoring the horrified looks from others, Su Cen took only a candle with him. Later, he even extinguished the light, hoping to recreate the conditions in Xu Youhuai’s room to draw out the ghost shadow. However, as soon as it got dark, his body reacted before any ghost could appear – Su Cen yawned, reminding him it was time to sleep.

 

At first, Su Cen stubbornly persisted at the desk for a while, but somehow he ended up on Xu Youhuai’s bed.

 

That night, he didn’t see any ghosts, but he slept quite soundly. When he opened his eyes, daylight was already streaming through the windows, and he could faintly hear people whispering outside the door.

 

One person said, “Do you think he’s still alive? There hasn’t been any sound all night.”

 

Another clicked their tongue, “He wasn’t eaten by the ghost, was he? Didn’t you see the candle went out? So young, what a pity.”

 

“Will his promise to free us still be valid?”

 

“A dead man freeing you? Would you dare to leave?”

 

Su Cen opened the door from inside, and the group of people surrounding the door immediately jumped back three zhang. All eyes were fixed on Su Cen, and for a moment, there was complete silence.

 

Su Cen glanced sideways and caught sight of the chicken blood hidden behind the cook’s back.

 

Naturally, Su Cen couldn’t admit that he had fallen asleep while waiting for the ghost. He cleared his throat and said, “The ghost shadow didn’t come.”

 

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Someone approached and asked, “My lord, where did the ghost shadow go then?”

 

Su Cen frowned slightly. He also wanted to know where the ghost shadow had gone. So he asked, “Has anyone touched anything in Xu Youhuai’s room since his death?”

 

The servants shook their heads. “We’re not allowed in the master’s room. Usually, only the steward comes to clean.”

 

Su Cen nodded and instructed the bailiffs to return to the yamen and immediately interrogate the Xu family steward.

 

Before they could leave the main gate, they ran into Xiao Sun from the front office, who was hurrying over. Su Cen’s brow twitched, and sure enough, Xiao Sun began his duty of reporting bad news: “It’s terrible, my lord. Another person has died.”

 

A day had passed, and there was still no clue about Xu Youhuai’s case. Now another person had died. Before Su Cen could react, there was already an uproar behind him.

 

“No wonder the ghost shadow didn’t come last night. It went to harm someone else.”

 

“In just a few days, two people have died. This must be a fierce ghost!”

 

“At least it’s left our house.”

 

“How do you know it won’t come back?”

 

Su Cen sighed. He instructed the bailiffs to keep an eye on the Xu family servants and not let them spread the story of the ghost shadow. Things were chaotic enough; he didn’t want to cause more panic in the capital. Meanwhile, he temporarily put aside the interrogation of the Xu family steward and followed Xiao Sun to the new scene. As they walked, he asked, “What happened?”

 

Xiao Sun explained, “Early this morning, the Capital Prefecture received a report that someone had been burned to death in their own home last night. When the Capital Prefecture people went to check, they found it was just like the one who burned to death in front of the emperor the day before yesterday. So they transferred the case to the Dali Temple.”

 

“They sure know how to make things easy for themselves,” Su Cen remarked sarcastically, then asked, “What’s the situation with the deceased?”

 

“This time, he died in his own home, so we don’t need to identify the body,” Xiao Sun said. “The deceased was named Liu Kang, a medicine merchant. However, his business wasn’t within the city walls. It seems he had some connections with the Anxi Protectorate. Most of his medicinal herbs were transported along the Longyu Road and sold outside the passes, with business reaching as far as the Arab lands and Persia.”

 

“Another merchant,” Su Cen thought aloud, then asked, “Did he know Xu Youhuai?”

 

“I knew you’d ask that, my lord,” Xiao Sun said. “We’ve already checked. Although the Liu family is in the capital, Liu Kang usually traveled abroad, only returning once or twice a year. This time, he came back because it was close to the New Year. They didn’t expect this to happen. We haven’t heard of any connection between Liu Kang and Xu Youhuai. Although they were both merchants, one dealt in medicine while the other in antiques. Their paths shouldn’t have crossed. It’s probably just a coincidence.”

 

Su Cen nodded, not saying anything more.

 

The Liu family resided in Yongchong Ward, quite far from the Xu family in Yankang Ward – one in the east of the city, the other in the west.

 

Looking at the Liu mansion, it appeared to be a wealthy household. As soon as Su Cen arrived at the gate, he was bumped into by a servant rushing out from inside. Su Cen frowned but before he could say anything, Xiao Sun had already started scolding, “What’s the rush? If you had injured our Lord, could you have taken responsibility?”

 

The servant looked up at Su Cen, perhaps surprised by his young age. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes before he lowered his head and said, “Please forgive me, Lord. My mistress is suffering from heart palpitations, and I was in a hurry to fetch medicine, which is why I accidentally bumped into you.”

 

Su Cen naturally wouldn’t quibble with a servant. He waved his hand, allowing the servant to go fetch the medicine first, and then followed Xiao Sun inside.

 

The Liu household was much quieter than the Xu family’s. In the main hall sat a middle-aged woman, presumably the mistress mentioned by the servant. She was holding a string of prayer beads, muttering to herself. When Su Cen entered, she merely stood up, gave a slight bow, and then sat back down, ignoring him.

 

The body was laid out in the adjacent courtyard. Su Cen didn’t linger in the front hall, heading directly to the courtyard to examine the corpse.

 

Ning Santong had received the news early and arrived ahead of time. Seeing Su Cen, he stood up to greet him, quickly cleansed his hands, and pulled out a handkerchief from his bosom to carefully wipe his pale hands.

 

Su Cen glanced at the body lying in the courtyard and, without any pleasantries, went straight to the point, asking how things were.

 

Ning Santong, long accustomed to this young Lord’s demeanor, continued wiping his hands as he spoke, “There are red spots and blisters on the body. I’ve also opened up the trachea and found soot and charcoal particles. The person undoubtedly burned to death while still alive.”

 

“But?” Su Cen inquired.

 

Ning Santong put down his handkerchief, intrigued. “How did you know I was going to say ‘but’?”

 

Su Cen lowered his gaze to the body. “After witnessing the previously burned victim, a normal person wouldn’t question the cause of death when seeing another body with similar characteristics. Yet you went to great lengths to verify if he burned to death while alive. Naturally, there must be a reason.”

 

Ning Santong excitedly bumped Su Cen’s shoulder, not too hard though, “Lord Su, we truly are a match made in heaven!”

 

Su Cen frowned and brushed off his shoulder. Setting aside why this person was suddenly so familiar with him, just the use of that idiom made him uncomfortable. “Get to the point.”

 

Ning Santong pointed at the body and asked, “Have you noticed anything?”

 

To distance himself from any notion of being a “match made in heaven” with this person, Su Cen coldly replied, “Are you the coroner or am I? If I have to look, what’s the point of having you?”

 

Ning Santong’s face showed a hint of disappointment, but he persisted, “Take another look, Su…”

 

Su Cen shot him a sharp glance, and Ning Santong swallowed the word “brother” that was on the tip of his tongue.

 

Ning Santong took out his handkerchief and continued wiping his hands. “The body is in an extended position. Compared to Xu Youhuai’s state at death, this person died quite peacefully. No struggle, no curling up, not even a cry for help. This is extremely unusual for someone burned to death. Even if a person is determined to die, the body’s instinctive reactions are unavoidable. But look at the ashes on the ground – they’re confined to the area beneath him, indicating he didn’t move at all.”

 

“He was drugged,” Su Cen hit the nail on the head.

 

Ning Santong slapped his thigh, “I knew we…”

 

Then, meeting Su Cen’s icy gaze, he wisely changed his words, “Lord, you are truly wise and unparalleled.”

 

Su Cen instructed a nearby yamen runner, “Bring back all the cups, bowls, and tea sets from the study. Examine each one carefully.”

 

He then asked the clerk who had been recording statements earlier, “Last night, someone burned like this in the house and no one noticed?”

 

The clerk from yesterday naturally didn’t dare approach Su Cen again. Today’s clerk was new and, without much flattery, directly said, “This study is located in a side courtyard, separated from the servants’ quarters by several courtyards. The fire started at night, and Liu Kang didn’t call for help, so it wasn’t until this morning when a servant came to call him for a meal that they discovered he was dead.”

 

Su Cen nodded and entered the study.

 

“I heard you were catching ghosts at Xu Youhuai’s house last night?” Ning Santong leaned against the doorframe, addressing Su Cen’s back.

 

The news of the haunting at the Xu family could be kept from the common people, but not from those in the Dali Temple. Su Cen, while examining the study’s decor and layout, gave a noncommittal “mm” in response.

 

Ning Santong tentatively asked, “Do you also believe in that nonsense about divine punishment and evil spirits killing people?”

 

“If it were really the work of gods and ghosts, what would be the use of our Dali Temple? We might as well go to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and find a few shamans.”

 

The Dali Temple and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were both part of the Nine Ministries and Five Departments. In theory, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices handled ancestral temple rituals, while the Dali Temple managed criminal investigations and autopsies, each minding their own business. But since Li Shi took power, he had minimized anything related to the supernatural, even simplifying the biannual heaven worship ceremonies. With the Ministry of Rites also interfering, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices lost its influence and could barely keep its doors open. They could only frequently meddle in Dali Temple affairs, trying to get involved in anything remotely related to ghosts and spirits. Not content with that, they also helped spread rumors, often causing public panic before they were satisfied.

 

Su Cen flipped through a few books on the bookshelf. It was evident that Liu Kang was indeed rarely at home, as these books were almost new, hardly touched.

 

Ning Santong clicked his tongue twice and craned his neck, “You’re right. Our Dali Temple only deals with ‘human’ affairs, not matters of gods and spirits. Besides, if it were really a ghost harming people, why would they need to drug Liu Kang? That would be a rather incompetent ghost.”

 

Su Cen turned his head slightly, somewhat intrigued by Ning Santong’s affected manner. He saw Ning Santong wink at him, gesturing towards the Liu family servants who had gathered in the courtyard.

 

Su Cen thought to himself that Ning Santong wasn’t too foolish after all. This speech served both to reassure people and to send a warning, as those who could have drugged Liu Kang were likely among the Liu household members.

 

Su Cen refocused and continued walking into the inner room. Directly facing the entrance was a blackwood desk with a painting spread out on it. It seemed that Liu Kang’s final moments were spent sitting here, looking at this painting.

 

Su Cen walked around to the front of the desk and glanced at it, suddenly halting his steps as a fine chill spread through his mind.

 

It was a branch with lush leaves, spreading freely and uninhibitedly across half the painting. Yet it didn’t feel crowded or cramped at all. The gaps between the branches and leaves were intricately interwoven, each leaf unique, with delicate forms that looked natural and lifelike.

 

But upon closer inspection, the branches in this painting were identical in their twists and angles to those in the “Peach Blossom” painting found at Xu Youhuai’s house. It was as if the abundant flowers from that painting had fallen, leaving only these branches and leaves behind.

 

The inscription on the painting read: “The peach tree is young and tender, its leaves lush and thick.”

 

The signature was again that of Shen Cun.

 

“What’s wrong?” Ning Santong leaned in. “The peach tree is young and tender? Is there something wrong with this painting?”

 

“There was one at Xu Youhuai’s house too,” Su Cen rolled up the painting and called out, “Someone come here.”

 

When the yamen runner waiting outside entered, Su Cen handed over the painting, “Investigate the origin of this painting, find out who this Shen Cun is, and look into the relationship between Xu Youhuai and Liu Kang. Don’t overlook any details.”

 

As the runner left with his orders, Su Cen looked up and met a pair of eyes.

 

Those eyes had lost their luster, with fine wrinkles at the corners, resembling a long-dried-up well.

 

It took Su Cen a moment to recognize her as Liu Kang’s wife, Madam Liu Qin, who had been sitting in the front hall earlier.

 

In the dim light of the front hall, he hadn’t seen clearly, but now he realized how prematurely aged she was. Her black hair was already streaked with gray, she wore plain clothes, and held a string of prayer beads. With those lifeless eyes, she looked like one of those world-weary old nuns from a convent.

 

Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Su Cen was about to look away when Liu Qin lowered her eyes first. She turned away, sighing heavily, “Karma is cyclical, retribution is certain. Such evil deeds, such evil deeds.”

 

Su Cen’s head snapped up.

 

The meaning behind Liu Qin’s words suggested she knew something.

 

He immediately moved to follow her, but after just two steps, he collided with someone rushing in from outside.

 

Su Cen frowned, ready to continue forward to get answers, but the person at the door blocked his path. Only then did Su Cen properly look at the person he had bumped into. The man wore the attire of a palace eunuch and was dramatically rubbing his chest with a raised pinky finger, stubbornly refusing to move from the doorway.

 

Su Cen didn’t even wonder why a eunuch would be here, his mind focused solely on following Liu Qin’s retreating figure, wishing he could sprout wings and fly over this person.

 

It wasn’t until Su Cen’s brows were almost knotted that the eunuch unhurriedly pulled out a yellow silk scroll from his bosom. “Su Cen, receive the imperial edict.”

 

Su Cen was slightly taken aback, reluctantly shifting his attention to kneel down.

 

“By imperial decree, Su Cen is to enter the palace immediately to report on the case of the assassination attempt during the heaven worship ceremony. There must be no delay,” the eunuch rolled up the silk scroll. “Lord Su, prepare yourself and come with this servant.”

 

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