PCA Chapter 101

An eleven-year-old case was resolved in just three days, with everything returning to dust.

 

The raging fire consumed the entire shop, bringing to light all that had been hidden in the shadows – the sinister, the ugly, the obscure, and the painstakingly planned.

 

This fire had been burning for eleven years, from Sichuan all the way to Chang’an.

 

In the end, he chose to follow his master in the same manner.

 

As Su Cen watched the fire burn through the last beam, he turned and left. The predecessors had passed, but he still had tasks to complete. The truth had yet to be fully revealed, the sacrifice case had not been closed, and the Shen family massacre case was still open.

 

Without looking back, Su Cen strode towards the Imperial City. Though only a few bailiffs followed him, it felt as if he was leading a procession of over thirty people.

 

The three-day deadline had arrived. The young emperor sat on his throne, listening to Su Cen’s clear and orderly explanation of the case. A few days ago, he had been too frightened to sleep, but now, after hearing the whole story, he couldn’t help but sigh.

 

He immediately issued a decree: The Shen family massacre case was to be reopened and reinvestigated, with the results to be announced to the public. Considering that the Shen family had no surviving members, Shen Cun was posthumously appointed as a Court Painter and given the posthumous title of “Wenzhen.” As for Xu Youhuai, Liu Kang, and Cao Wei, their crimes of murder, arson, grave robbing, and selling funerary objects were unforgivable. Although they were already dead, their bodies were to be exposed for three days, and all their property was to be confiscated. All the illegally sold funerary objects were to be recovered. Su Cen was to be rewarded with 100 taels of silver for solving the case within the time limit, with further rewards to be determined after the case was fully concluded.

 

The court officials’ eyes reddened with envy. What else could the additional reward be but a promotion, a high position with generous pay? In just three days, someone had claimed a position that others had spent half their lives trying to attain. The officials in the Ministry of Justice had thought they were passing on a troublesome case – an assassination attempt in the imperial court would inevitably involve various factions, making it a thorny issue to handle. They never expected that unraveling this thread would reveal such a prize. Now it was too late for them to get involved, and they were green with regret.

 

Su Cen thanked the emperor for his grace, raising his head slightly. He noticed that the seat on the right side of the great hall was empty, and his heart felt inexplicably hollow.

 

You set a three-day limit for me, and I’ve arrived as promised, yet you’re absent without reason.

 

To say he didn’t care at all would be a lie.

 

After the court session, Su Cen deliberately walked at the back of the group. When no one was paying attention, he slipped into the Hanlin Academy to investigate.

 

He couldn’t go directly to Xingqing Palace in broad daylight, so he decided to first sound out the situation with Zheng Yang.

 

To his surprise, Zheng Yang was also clueless, tilting his head as he said, “Uncle has never missed a court session without reason. Could he be ill? But yesterday he was still full of energy, even scolding the young emperor.”

 

Su Cen only knew that he had been summoned to the palace for an audience yesterday, but he didn’t know the details of what had transpired. Although he had sensed something unusual at the time, he had been too busy solving the case to think about it carefully. Now, hearing Zheng Yang’s words, he broke out in a cold sweat. Didn’t this person know how to avoid drawing attention to himself? With so many eyes watching him, waiting to criticize, how could he say such treasonous things in front of the court officials?

 

Combining this with the events of today’s morning court session, could something have happened at Xingqing Palace?

 

Zheng Yang didn’t seem worried and instead smiled, “They say the emperor isn’t worried, but the eunuchs are. My uncle probably hasn’t even given it a thought, yet here you are worrying on his behalf.”

 

Su Cen collected himself. With the emperor still young, it was unlikely that he would move against Prince Ning yet. Xingqing Palace was like a fortress, impenetrable to outsiders. He realized he was overthinking due to his concern. Ignoring the teasing in Zheng Yang’s words, Su Cen said seriously, “I’ll go check on him when it gets dark.”

 

Zheng Yang frowned, “Why wait until dark? If you want to go, just go.”

 

Su Cen shook his head.

 

He had his own considerations regarding his relationship with Prince Ning. Back when he was in Yangzhou, Prince Ning had covered for him by selling an official position to the court officials. Although everyone later learned that he was helping Prince Ning investigate a case, some people with ulterior motives still used it as an excuse to criticize. Since his return from Yangzhou, Prince Ning’s father-in-law, Wen Tingyan, had been pressuring him. He didn’t care about these trivial matters, but he had to care for Prince Ning’s sake. Old Wen’s students occupied half of the Great Zhou’s official positions. If Prince Ning ever truly fell out with the young emperor, these people could be either a lifeline or the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

 

Seeing this, Zheng Yang couldn’t help but smile, “You really do consider everything for him. But you don’t need to worry. If something had really happened to my uncle, that mother and son would be more anxious than you. Since they haven’t made any moves, it means nothing serious has happened.”

 

Su Cen couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “The way you talk about that mother and son, it’s as if they’re not your cousin and aunt. It seems Prince Ning is the only uncle in your eyes.”

 

“Uncle has always doted on me… although he also likes to tease me. But uncle is different from them,” Zheng Yang’s eyes suddenly turned cold, “You don’t know what they’ve done to him.”

 

Su Cen was taken aback. He sensed there was more to Zheng Yang’s words, but before he could ask further, Zheng Yang put on his usual playful expression again. “Brother Su, the Spring Festival is approaching. Do you have any plans? If you don’t have any other relatives or friends in the capital, why not spend the New Year at our Marquis of Ying’s mansion? We’re practically family now, no need to be formal. I also have a few friends I’d like to introduce you to.”

 

The abrupt change of topic was indeed awkward, but since Zheng Yang was unwilling to elaborate, Su Cen didn’t press further. He rolled his eyes and replied, “Who’s family with you?”

 

“Aren’t you and uncle…” Zheng Yang trailed off under Su Cen’s cold gaze.

 

Su Cen said, “Cui Hao is about to be promoted to Remonstrance Official, right? Do you know why you can’t compete with him?”

 

Zheng Yang snorted, “He has a powerful backer in the Ministry of Personnel.”

 

Su Cen inwardly laughed, “When it comes to backers, who has a bigger one than you?”

 

Zheng Yang also laughed, “That’s true, but Uncle doesn’t show favoritism. He won’t promote me unless I have some real achievements to show for it. Look at me, wasting away in the Hanlin Academy every day. What can I accomplish here? Not like you, who has cases to solve, and big ones at that. You have many more opportunities to shine than I do. I think Cui Hao was promoted this time because Liu Cheng thought you were about to become a Deputy Magistrate. This way, it doesn’t look like he’s a step behind Uncle.”

 

Zheng Yang suddenly leaned in close to Su Cen and whispered, “I’ve heard that Cui Hao has been going to Minister Liu’s house every day recently. He’s probably trying to curry favor by serving tea and flattering others. You should be careful not to let someone get ahead of you.”

 

Su Cen was speechless, “Where do you hear all these rumors from?”

 

Zheng Yang took pride in it, “There’s nothing in Chang’an that I don’t know about. I even know that yesterday you left the palace in Uncle’s carriage, and then…”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

Although he knew that the people in Xingqing Palace were very tight-lipped and Zheng Yang couldn’t possibly know what had happened in the carriage yesterday, Lord Su felt guilty and couldn’t bear to think about that incident. He hurriedly stood up, pretending he had to leave.

 

Zheng Yang laughed heartily, and as Su Cen was leaving, he couldn’t resist teasing him one last time, “How’s my uncle’s technique?”

 

Su Cen gritted his teeth in anger, thinking to himself that this person needed to be taught a lesson. He had no respect for his elders. Next time Prince Ning raised his hand, he would help by handing him the feather duster.

 

After leaving the Hanlin Academy, Su Cen went to the Dali Temple to ask for leave. He had been busy solving the case for the past few days and hadn’t had a proper sleep. He figured the follow-up work could be handled by others, as he didn’t want to hog all the credit and it was a good opportunity to do others a favor. He planned to go home and rest well before sneaking into Xingqing Palace at night.

 

Zhang Jun, knowing the circumstances, immediately granted his request. However, Su Cen didn’t get much rest at home. As the end of the year approached, various offices and departments began to socialize. Su Cen had just made a splash in the court, so naturally, the officials in the capital were eager to curry favor with him. As soon as one visitor left, another arrived, and Su Cen’s household nearly ran out of tea.

 

By the time things quieted down at the Su residence, the sun was already setting. After entertaining guests all day, Su Cen felt more exhausted than if he had been working on a case.

 

After eating a hasty meal and seeing that the time was right, Su Cen set out for Xingqing Palace.

 

As soon as he entered the main gate of Xingqing Palace, Su Cen noticed that the guards were stricter than usual. Qi Lin wasn’t around, and when he asked others, they were evasive and changed the subject. Su Cen didn’t bother to press further and directly asked, “Where is Prince Ning?”

 

The guard pointed towards the direction of the bedchamber. Su Cen frowned, “In the bedchamber at this hour?”

 

Prince Ning was usually busy with state affairs, even reading memorials while having tea. It was unusual for him to be in the bedchamber before nightfall.

 

Su Cen glanced at the guard again and decided not to ask any more questions. He headed straight for the bedchamber.

 

The bedchamber wasn’t even lit. Su Cen’s heart suddenly panicked. He pushed open the door and was nearly overwhelmed by the strong scent of sandalwood that filled the room.

 

Fumbling in the dark, he found the bed. Only when he saw Prince Ning lying there peacefully, breathing steadily in his sleep, did Su Cen’s heart return to his chest.

 

He then realized his hands were shaking badly.

 

In the darkness, Prince Ning’s features were deep-set, his nose high and straight. When awake, he was intimidating, but in sleep, he inadvertently revealed a hint of tenderness. Su Cen had never looked at him this closely and quietly before. He couldn’t help but reach out his hand, tracing the contours of Prince Ning’s face in the darkness, moving over his eyebrows and eyes, past his nose. Just as he reached the corner of his lips, his wrist was suddenly grasped by a hand.

 

“You’re here,” Prince Ning said without opening his eyes, his voice slightly hoarse but strangely pleasant.

 

“Mm,” Su Cen’s heart melted completely. He leaned down, resting on Prince Ning’s chest. “Did I wake you?”

 

“I was already awake,” Prince Ning patted Su Cen’s shoulder, his fingers threading through Su Cen’s long hair, slowly combing through it.

 

Listening to the steady heartbeat in Prince Ning’s chest, Su Cen felt his restless heart gradually calm down.

 

“Why didn’t you attend the morning court session?”

 

“I overslept.”

 

“…” The answer was so straightforward that Su Cen couldn’t argue. He said helplessly, “I solved the case.”

 

Prince Ning chuckled, the vibration traveling through his chest to Su Cen’s ear. Su Cen felt the tips of his ears tingle.

 

“Zi Xu is so capable, a small case like this is naturally no challenge,” Prince Ning looked down at Su Cen, pinching his delicate chin. “What’s wrong? Feeling wronged?”

 

“You promised three days,” Su Cen genuinely showed some disappointment. “You broke your promise.”

 

“It’s my fault,” Prince Ning admitted frankly. “What does Zi Xu want? I’ll make it up to you.”

 

Su Cen raised his face, his eyes particularly bright in the darkness. “First, tell me, did something happen in Xingqing Palace?”

 

Prince Ning reassured him, “Nothing happened. A few petty thieves got in last night, and the commotion kept me up all night, that’s all.”

 

Such heavy calming incense for just a night of poor sleep? Enough to miss the morning court session? And Xingqing Palace was no ordinary place – what kind of thief would dare to target it? These explanations didn’t hold up.

 

Su Cen frowned deeply, “Was it the people from the Secret Door again?”

 

Prince Ning’s expression seemed to show some fatigue. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, indicating he didn’t want to say more.

 

Su Cen persisted with one last question, “What about you? Are you injured?”

 

Prince Ning’s lips curled into a smile as he began to loosen his own clothes. A moment later, his robe was wide open. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

 

Su Cen chided him, saying “You old rascal,” but his gaze couldn’t help but wander over Prince Ning’s body, only relaxing when he confirmed there were no new injuries.

 

Being called an “old rascal,” Prince Ning decided to live up to the name. He took Su Cen’s hand and placed it on his chest. “Just looking, not touching?”

 

Su Cen’s fingertips trembled slightly at the heat. He glared at Prince Ning, not too harshly. Here he was, worried sick, and Prince Ning was still teasing him. Embarrassed and angry, Su Cen made to leave.

 

The hand holding him exerted a slight force, pulling him directly into Prince Ning’s embrace.

 

Su Cen struggled a bit, but a pair of arms slowly tightened around him.

 

“Don’t move,” Prince Ning gently rested his chin on top of Su Cen’s head. “Let me hold you for a while. I haven’t slept for two days and a night. You’re more effective than calming incense.”

 

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