PCA Chapter 100

Leaving Xiaoxiang Residence, Su Cen walked back silently, weighing the ink stick in his hand.

 

The bailiff behind him hesitated several times before leaning forward to ask, “My lord, is there something wrong with this Li Yunxi?”

 

Su Cen smiled and asked in return, “What do you think?”

 

“My lord, you flatter me. How would I know?” The bailiff scratched his head embarrassedly and smiled. “But looking at his sickly appearance, he doesn’t seem like someone who would kill. Besides, he has no relation to Shen Cun, why would he go to such lengths to avenge him?”

 

Su Cen smiled and shook his head, “I don’t know either.”

 

The bailiff looked worried, “Then what should we do? The three-day deadline is almost here.”

 

Looking at Su Cen again, he didn’t seem flustered at all, strolling leisurely through patches of bamboo forest, appearing to have everything under control. The bailiff suddenly realized, “My lord, do you already know who the culprit is?”

 

The bailiff had been observing Su Cen closely these past few days. Although this lord looked young, he was extremely meticulous, often discovering clues from the tiniest details. Seeing the ink stick in Su Cen’s hand, his eyes lit up, “Is this ink stick the key to solving the case?”

 

“This?” Su Cen held up the ink stick for a look, then put it back in his palm and smiled, “This is a bribe I accepted.”

 

West Market, Painting Shop

 

Old Zhang had just opened shop not long ago. At this time, there were no customers in the shop. Old Zhang was enjoying the leisure, rummaging through the cabinet and taking out a half-scroll, carefully spreading it on the table to examine.

 

This was originally an excellent blue-green landscape painting, with distant mountains and nearby waters, ink wash with light colors, covered with a thin layer of blue-green. The azurite pigment used must have been of excellent quality. The painting looked quite old, but the colors showed no signs of fading, the mountains still majestic, the waters still flowing.

 

Unfortunately, the upper left corner of the painting seemed to have been affected by moisture, with part of the paper dissolved and lost, along with what should have been the artist’s signature, which was now indistinct.

 

The old man was engrossed in looking at it when suddenly a voice behind him said, “Hu Qingyan’s ‘One Color of River and Sky.’ It was long rumored that this painting was unfortunately lost when old Hu moved house. I never expected it to be here.”

 

The old man didn’t turn around, just chuckled softly, “You’ve got some knowledge, young man.”

 

Su Cen continued, “It’s a pity the signature is gone. I’m afraid people won’t recognize it.”

 

“What does it matter if they recognize it or not,” the old man’s aged voice became a bit hoarse, “I know what it is, and that’s enough.”

 

“If this painting could be repaired by a skilled craftsman, it would be worth more than a thousand gold pieces,” Su Cen stepped forward to stand beside the old man in front of the painting. “Haven’t you thought about repairing it?”

 

The old man gazed at the painting for a long time, then shook his head silently, “Easier said than done.”

 

“It’s not that difficult,” Su Cen fixed his gaze on the old man of the painting shop, enunciating each word, “Have you heard of — grafting?”

 

The old man’s body stiffened. He turned around to seriously examine Su Cen, and after a moment, he smiled, “You didn’t come here today to look at paintings, did you?”

 

Su Cen also smiled, as if meeting an old friend across the years, and said softly, “It’s been a long time, Steward Shen.”

 

Su Cen didn’t take the man away directly as he would with ordinary criminals, and the old man didn’t seem to have the awareness that he was the murderer who had killed three people. He calmly made tea for Su Cen, and the two of them really seemed like old friends, sitting around the stove, drinking and chatting intimately.

 

The old man asked, “How did you discover me?”

 

Su Cen took a sip of tea, “I had people investigate your identity, and this painting shop.” He paused, then continued, “The painting shop has been here for decades, and there has only ever been one shopkeeper.”

 

The old man said, “Then you should be even more inclined to rule me out as a suspect.”

 

Su Cen shook his head, “Except that the shopkeeper fell seriously ill two years ago, and after that, his relationship with his family gradually became estranged. He’s been living in the painting shop ever since.”

 

“The real shopkeeper of the painting shop died two years ago, right? That’s when you used the method of grafting to successfully replace the shopkeeper. I don’t know what method you used to avoid arousing suspicion, presumably some kind of disguise?”

 

“No need for disguise,” the old man, having been found out, wasn’t angry but rather smiled, “My original surname is Zhang. Later, I followed the old master and became the steward of the Shen family, which is when I changed my surname to Shen. The shopkeeper of this painting shop is my cousin.”

 

Su Cen paused, and the old man continued, “After the Shen family was massacred, I made my way to the capital and sought refuge with my cousin. By chance, I discovered that those three beasts were also in the capital! *cough… cough cough cough…*”

 

Mentioning Xu Youhuai and the other two stirred up strong emotions in the old man. He coughed for a while before stopping, but Su Cen noticed that his withered hands holding the teacup were trembling slightly. Even after many years, the old man was clearly still suppressing his anger.

 

“My Lord was a kind and gentle man, humble and reserved. His painting skills were even comparable to those of the Shen family’s ancestor, Shen Xingzhong. However, he knew that being too prominent could invite trouble, so he took his family to live in seclusion in the mountains of Sichuan to keep a low profile. But who would have thought that even then, those three scoundrels would set their sights on him.”

 

“They somehow learned that the ‘Houyi Subduing the Sun’ painting was hidden in the Shen family home. Disguising themselves as lost hikers, they were invited into the house by my Lord. When their search for the painting was discovered, they drugged everyone, fearing they might be identified later. They even went so far as to burn down the Shen family home! *cough cough cough…*”

 

The old man coughed painfully, and Su Cen stepped forward to pat his back, offering him another cup of tea to soothe his throat. Knowing his time was limited, the old man suppressed his cough and continued, “When I saw those three beasts in the capital again, I knew it was heaven-sent opportunity. My cousin and I plotted to make them pay with their lives!”

 

“Unfortunately, my cousin’s health was poor, and he passed away two years ago. After much consideration, I took his place and took over this painting shop. My cousin and I looked quite similar, so people just assumed he had become frail due to illness, not suspecting anything else. My family helped keep the secret, and in these two years, you’re the first person to discover my true identity.” The old man sighed deeply, “The young are indeed formidable. I truly am getting old.”

 

Su Cen smiled calmly, “Actually, I was just guessing, as I had no evidence. But what confirmed to me that you were the steward was another matter.”

 

“Oh?” The old man raised an eyebrow, “What was it?”

 

Su Cen smiled, “Last night, a friend of mine came to the Dali Temple to find me. He was carrying a food box, which I thought was for me, but he was just passing through on his way to deliver food to someone else. A while later, my actual meal arrived, and I finally got to eat.”

 

The old man looked confused, not understanding what this had to do with him. Su Cen continued, “Each food box has its designated recipient, ensuring everyone gets their meal. If my friend had come to me first, I would have had two food boxes, and someone would have gone hungry.”

 

The old man suddenly understood.

 

“Only you could have managed to deliver these three paintings to Xu Youhuai and the others.”

 

Su Cen said, “The first time I came here, I felt something was odd, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t until I saw those two food boxes that I suddenly understood. Normally, if someone obtained those three paintings, they would display them together, as their combined value far exceeds their individual worth. The first person to see them would buy all three, as they’d be more likely to find the treasure’s location together. However, Xu Youhuai, Liu Kang, and Cao Wei each had one painting, and they were even concealing this fact from each other. I assume you told them that if more paintings were found, only one of them would receive it. They were still hoping to complete the set themselves, which is why they went to such lengths to hide the fact that they had a painting.”

 

The old man held his teacup, smiling candidly, “Lord, you are indeed clever.”

 

Su Cen asked, “Did you apply the white phosphorus to the paintings?”

 

“I did everything myself,” the old man nodded. “The fire that killed Xu Youhuai on his way to the sacrifice was also my doing. I wanted to attract attention, to bring the best officials of the Great Zhou to investigate and bring justice to the 32 members of the Shen family!” The old man smiled contentedly, “Young man, you haven’t disappointed me.”

 

Su Cen smiled at these words, unsure whether to take them as praise, and continued, “So the drug that affected Liu Kang was also your doing?”

 

The old man hesitated slightly, then nodded.

 

Su Cen: “Where did you get the white phosphorus?”

 

The old man replied, “I traded a painting for it.”

 

Su Cen: “With whom?”

 

The old man frowned, thinking, “I didn’t know the person. He traded for the painting and left. I never saw him again.”

 

Su Cen nodded, realizing that finding this person wouldn’t affect the final outcome. He finished his tea and stood up, “The rest can be discussed at the Dali Temple.”

 

The old man calmly finished his tea as well. As he stood up, he seemed to remember something and asked Su Cen, “There’s some white phosphorus left. Do you want it?”

 

Su Cen hadn’t expected this, but having the white phosphorus would serve as direct evidence. He nodded to the old man.

 

The old man slowly walked towards a partition in the painting shop.

 

“I’ve been to Xiaoxiang Residence,” Su Cen suddenly said.

 

The old man paused, and Su Cen continued, “Painting itself is not a crime. Don’t worry, I won’t trouble him.”

 

The old man turned back to Su Cen and nodded, a rare glimmer in his cloudy eyes. He said “Thank you,” and then pointed to the ‘Jiangtianyise’ painting on the table, “That’s the most valuable thing in this place. Take it with you. If there’s a chance to restore it, it would be a good deed.”

 

Su Cen took out the ink stick and weighed it in his hand, smiling, “Accepting bribes twice in one day might get me dismissed and investigated.”

 

The old man looked closely, then smiled too, turning back to walk inside with his hands behind his back.

 

The bailiffs behind wanted to follow, but Su Cen stopped them with a raised hand. The painting shop was surrounded, so there was no escape. Considering that this was a loyal servant who might have some unfinished business, Su Cen wanted to give him a final moment of dignity.

 

However, before Su Cen could turn around, thick white smoke suddenly billowed out from the inner room!

 

Su Cen cursed under his breath and looked around frantically. Apart from the little water in the teapot, all water had been cleared from the shop. With no other choice, Su Cen picked up the teacup, intending to douse the fire. But the painting shop was full of calligraphy and paintings, all highly flammable. With the addition of white phosphorus, once it caught fire, it would be beyond human power to extinguish.

 

The path to the inner room quickly became impassable due to the fire. Thick smoke billowed out, and flames licked at their faces. Seeing that the fire could not be extinguished, the group of bailiffs had to forcibly drag Su Cen out.

 

Outside the shop, a crowd had already gathered. Some were trying to help put out the fire, while others were just spectating, creating a chaotic scene.

 

The flames leapt high into the sky, flickering against the early morning light, too bright to look at directly. Amidst the crackling of the fierce fire, a long sigh was heard from inside the shop.

 

“This old servant has lived in hiding for eleven years, not in vain, and has finally avenged with his own hands! Lord, your servant is coming to join you!”

 

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