PCA Chapter 113

Qi Lin escorted Su Cen back to his residence. It was the fifteenth night with a full moon, and the moonlight was bright. With occasional fireworks, the path wasn’t particularly dark. However, the eight-treasure glass palace lantern in his hand added a special sentiment, as if the person who had given it to him was still there, watching over him throughout the journey.

 

When Su Cen returned home, it was still early, with many people still on the streets. However, Ah-Fu informed him that the two visitors from before had returned and had been waiting for a long time.

 

Su Cen wasn’t sure how long “a long time” meant. On Lantern Festival night, most families would be out on the streets after dark. For these visitors to catch him, they must have arrived in the afternoon or even earlier. Unfortunately, he had been called away by Zheng Yang early in the morning. He admired their patience in waiting until now.

 

Su Cen asked Ah-Fu to extinguish the lantern and take it to his room before going to meet these mysterious visitors.

 

The two men, clearly bored from waiting, looked up as someone entered. One of them brightened, quickly standing to greet Su Cen: “Brother Su, you’re finally back! It’s so hard to meet you… You remember who I am, right?”

 

Su Cen smiled in return: “Brother Mingjing.”

 

It was Zou Mingjing, whom he had briefly met at Xingqing Palace. Though it was a fleeting encounter, it wasn’t long ago, so Su Cen still remembered him.

 

The other person was also familiar to Su Cen. Coincidentally, he had met all the new faces from Xingqing Palace that day. This one was Huang Mian, son of the Ministry of Revenue’s Vice Minister Huang Ting, who had fought with Song Fan.

 

Huang Mian looked displeased. Su Cen empathized, knowing he wouldn’t look happy either if he had been kept waiting for half a day. He tried to lower his guard and nodded with a friendly smile.

 

After brief pleasantries, Su Cen asked about their purpose for visiting.

 

Two visits, and waiting for most of the day this time – Su Cen naturally didn’t believe they had come just for a casual visit.

 

“Brother Su, you’ve solved several major cases and your reputation has soared in the capital. We’ve long admired you, and meeting you at Xingqing Palace confirmed your talent and grace,” Zou Mingjing flattered him before getting to the point. “We’ve come to ask for your help.”

 

Before Su Cen could inquire further, Huang Mian suddenly stood up. “Chongzhi, we don’t need his help. Let’s go.”

 

Su Cen couldn’t understand why this person was so hostile towards him from the start. However, following the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, he didn’t try to persuade them to stay. He wasn’t one to force his company where it wasn’t wanted.

 

“Huaizhen, calm down,” Zou Mingjing quickly pacified, forcing Huang Mian to sit back down. He smiled apologetically at Su Cen, “Please don’t mind him, Brother Su. Huaizhen just has a quick temper, he means no harm.”

 

Su Cen maintained a polite smile, knowing they were the ones asking for help. He waited to see what they wanted.

 

“We’d like to borrow your analytical skills to help find someone,” Zou Mingjing took out a long box, opening it to reveal a set of high-quality scholar’s tools – inkstone, ink stick, brush, and paper. Each item was exquisite, likely worth a fortune. Zou pushed the box towards Su Cen, “This is a small gift. There will be a greater reward if you succeed.”

 

Su Cen closed the lid and pushed it back, “I can’t accept payment without merit. Brother Mingjing, please explain the situation first.”

 

“Well… actually…” Zou Mingjing seemed troubled, glancing at Huang Mian several times. Seeing Huang Mian’s sour face, he had to continue himself, “You may have heard, Brother Su, about Huaizhen’s sister, who is like a sister to me too, Huang Wan’er. She… disappeared with a servant.”

 

Su Cen asked, “Did Miss Huang truly… disappear?”

 

Zou Mingjing nodded painfully, “Yes, yes.”

 

Su Cen understood. They wanted him to find this “missing” sister. It was amusing – it should have been Huang Mian seeking help for his missing sister, with Zou Mingjing accompanying him. Yet it seemed as if it was Zou Mingjing’s sister who had gone missing.

 

Su Cen smiled lightly, “Brother Mingjing, you may have misunderstood my abilities. I’m honored by the recognition, but I usually handle death cases for the Dali Temple. I know nothing about finding missing people. You’d be better off going to the Capital Prefecture.”

 

He, the esteemed Lord Su, had never dealt with breaking up lovers or catching adulterers.

 

“We can’t report this officially,” Huang Mian finally spoke. “Wan’er did nothing wrong, what is there to report?”

 

“Brother Su, it’s like this,” Zou Mingjing hurriedly explained, “People are spreading rumors that Wan’er eloped, but the truth is, Wan’er didn’t even know that servant!”

 

“Oh?” Su Cen raised an eyebrow.

 

“Although that Song Fan is worthless, the Huang family is very strict. Wan’er was secluded in the women’s quarters, rarely leaving her room. Her living area was isolated from the outside world, and male servants weren’t allowed in. Even I, whose father is a close friend of the Huang family and visits often, have rarely seen Wan’er. How could she possibly elope with a servant she didn’t even know?”

 

“And you still won’t report this?” Su Cen frowned at the two. “A person has been missing for so long, possibly kidnapped or met with an accident, fate unknown, and you can sit at home doing nothing?”

 

“What if, what if Wan’er really did elope?” Huang Mian slammed the table as he stood. “Reporting it would announce it to the world, confirming the rumors of her elopement. What about Wan’er’s reputation?”

 

Su Cen laughed coldly. How could they care about reputation when life and death were at stake? He had thought Duke Ying cared too much about face, leaving Zheng Yang at Xingqing Palace for training, but the Huang family seemed even worse.

 

Zou Mingjing hurriedly pulled Huang Mian to sit down and respectfully said to Su Cen, “It’s not that we’re ignoring the matter. The reason we’ve come today is to ask for your help. Could you try to find Wan’er privately without alerting the authorities?”

 

Su Cen lowered his gaze, his expression calm and unreadable. “I’m afraid I must decline. Without involving the authorities, I have no means to assist.”

 

Huang Mian rose abruptly, flinging his sleeve in frustration. “I told you, didn’t I? This young upstart is nothing but an empty name—no real skills, just an inflated sense of self-importance!”

 

“Huai Zhen!” Zou Mingjing stood and rebuked sharply.

 

Su Cen continued sipping his tea as if nothing had happened. “Forgive me for not seeing you off.”

 

With a cold snort, Huang Mian stormed out, his sleeves sweeping dramatically. Realizing the conversation was going nowhere, Zou Mingjing could only clasp his hands in farewell. “Brother Su, please don’t take it to heart. Huai Zhen has such a temper… I apologize on his behalf. You are magnanimous; we will visit again another day.”

 

Just as he reached the door, someone called him back. Su Cen approached with a box of fine stationery supplies in hand and offered it to him. “Please take these back with you.”

 

Zou Mingjing quickly declined. “Since we’ve brought them here, how could we take them back? If not for Wan’er’s matter, then consider it a token of friendship. Brother Su, I hope you’ll accept them.”

 

Seeing how insistent he was, Su Cen could no longer refuse without appearing impolite. Regardless of Huang Mian’s behavior, Zou Mingjing had been courteous enough. Following proper etiquette, Su Cen escorted them out the door and watched them leave before turning back inside. He then instructed Ah-Fu to lock the door.

 

Ah-Fu hesitated. “Ling’er hasn’t returned yet.”

 

“He won’t be coming back tonight,” Su Cen replied.

 

Earlier, Qi Lin had come escort him back. As soon as Qi Lin left, Su Cen noticed Qu Ling’er quietly following him out. It was the Lantern Festival—there was little chance he would return tonight.

 

After Ah-Fu locked the door, Su Cen added, “Go to my room and find something of equivalent value. In a couple of days, send it to the Marquis of Pingyuan’s residence and say it’s a newly acquired item for Zou Mingjing’s enjoyment.”

 

Ah-Fu nodded in agreement.

 

Two days later, court sessions resumed after the New Year festivities had finally dissipated, and everything returned to its usual order.

 

Su Cen now held a fourth-rank official position and had to attend court every few days—a stark contrast to his previous role at the Dali Temple where he focused solely on solving cases. Constantly dealing with seasoned officials in court had made him more adept at navigating political intricacies.

 

He had also come to admire Li Shi’s shrewdness.

 

In short, whatever Li Shi wanted—no matter how convoluted or challenging—he always managed to achieve it in the end.

 

For instance, recently Li Shi had been busy implementing a new system for evaluating officials. After the Secret Door had infiltrated Great Zhou’s bureaucracy with numerous spies last year—though many were purged during the capital inspections—it was clear that this was only addressing the symptoms and not the root cause. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t infiltrate again.

 

Thus, at the start of this year’s court sessions, Li Shi decisively introduced reforms. First, he established a new division within the Ministry of Personnel called the Bureau of Clean Officials (Qingli Si). The capital inspections that occurred every six years were now changed to every three years. After three years of service, officials would undergo evaluations conducted jointly by the Qingli Si and other departments. Results would be categorized into three grades: superior, average, and inferior. Those consistently graded as superior would be promoted by one rank; those graded as inferior would be demoted by one rank. This system was known as periodic evaluations.

 

To further limit the Ministry of Personnel’s power, Li Shi also created positions for Censorate Inspectors within the Censorate. These inspectors conducted unannounced inspections and investigations into corruption or misconduct among officials. If they encountered corrupt or treacherous officials, they could report directly to the emperor without going through the Ministry of Personnel.

 

For officials ranked fifth or below, promotions and dismissals were determined according to this system. For those ranked fourth or above, they were required to submit self-reports for imperial approval. During evaluation periods, officials from both the capital and provinces were prohibited from meeting privately to prevent collusion.

 

This system of checks and balances aimed to curb corruption and nepotism while preventing individuals from easily planting their allies within the bureaucracy.

 

Take Su Cen as an example. If he hadn’t been promoted to the fourth rank at the end of last year, under this new system, it would take him at least six years to climb from the fifth rank to the fourth. This assumes everything went smoothly, with no one accusing him of corruption or misconduct during that period. Situations like his sudden leap of several ranks last year would essentially no longer happen.

 

This made it evident why Li Shi had entrusted him with full authority over the case back then and worked so deliberately to elevate him.

 

It’s easy to imagine how many interests this new system disrupted. The favors that used to be exchanged were no longer honored, the bribes that should have been paid were withheld, and those sons, nephews, and relatives waiting for a single official’s rise to bring them all into power now had nowhere to be placed. This was hardly conducive to the “prosperity and stability” of Great Zhou’s bureaucracy or the flourishing camaraderie among officials.

 

Thus, the resistance to implementing this system at its inception was beyond words.

 

This only further highlighted Li Shi’s skillful maneuvering in treating the court like a battlefield, navigating alliances and rivalries with ease.

 

At the end of last year’s capital inspections, Li Shi deliberately left several major corrupt figures untouched. These individuals spent a nerve-wracking New Year, thinking they had narrowly escaped punishment. But just as they began to breathe a sigh of relief, Li Shi struck decisively, using them as a grand opening act for his reforms. He ordered the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate to investigate them thoroughly, digging up every misdeed—even petty ones like stealing from their employers in their youth. All their crimes were then announced publicly, nearly inciting public outrage.

 

Following this, Li Shi calmed the public by encouraging citizens to report misconduct directly. He even assigned clerks to visit rural areas and write petitions on behalf of those who were illiterate. In an instant, accusations poured in like rain, leaving everyone in fear.

 

Just as it seemed Prince Ning was about to purge the bureaucracy entirely, Li Shi made a sweeping gesture and burned all the accusations. This act demonstrated Prince Ning’s magnanimity in not holding grudges and offered officials a chance for redemption.

 

With this display of both severity and mercy, he smoothly introduced the new evaluation system without further resistance.

 

After all, compared to losing one’s position or even one’s life, living cautiously in the future seemed a small price to pay.

 

This upheaval lasted over a month before things finally settled down. By then, it was already March—a time when grass grew lush and orioles sang, with all of nature thriving in vitality.

 

Su Cen had long since put aside the minor matters from January. However, upon leaving court one day, he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure waiting outside his door once again.

 

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