PCA Chapter 114

The visitor was Huang Mian.

 

This time, however, he had come alone without Zou Mingjing. When Su Cen returned, he found Huang Mian pacing outside the gate of the Su residence.

 

It had been over a month since they last met, and Su Cen wondered if his temper had improved at all.

 

Su Cen approached him and asked, “Why is Brother Huang not coming inside? What are you doing standing outside?”

 

Seeing Su Cen, Huang Mian stopped pacing and politely clasped his hands in greeting. “I was quite rude the other day. I feared Lord Su might not welcome me inside.”

 

“Brother Huang, what kind of talk is that?” Su Cen replied with a faint smile as he gestured for him to enter. “Please, Brother Huang, come in. Whatever it is, let’s discuss it inside.”

 

Once they were seated in the main hall, Huang Mian finally revealed his purpose. “It’s still about the matter from before. I must trouble Brother Su to investigate for me.” After speaking, he stood up and solemnly bowed to Su Cen. “This concerns my younger sister’s life and safety. I hope Brother Su can set aside past grievances and not refuse this request.”

 

Su Cen quickly helped him back to his seat. Huang Mian’s drastic change in attitude over the past month clearly indicated that he had exhausted all other options.

 

Helping him sit down, Su Cen asked, “Have you found some kind of lead?”

 

Huang Mian’s eyes lit up, and he abruptly raised his head. “How did you know…?”

 

“You previously couldn’t confirm whether your sister’s life was in danger, so you weren’t particularly urgent. But now, your behavior is entirely different from before—it’s clear that you’re anxious. That suggests you’ve come across a new clue, doesn’t it?”

 

Huang Mian listened carefully to Su Cen’s analysis and then smiled wryly. “Last time, I made a fool of myself in front of Brother Su. Chongzhi wasn’t wrong—Brother Su truly has extraordinary insight. Please, I beg you to save my younger sister!”

 

Huang Mian pulled a pair of jade earrings from his sleeve and handed them to Su Cen. “I came across these earrings by chance from a woman. They belong to Wan’er. Doesn’t this mean… doesn’t this mean Wan’er might already…”

 

Su Cen took the earrings and examined them carefully. They were made of fine-quality oil-green jade, crafted into a teardrop shape and half-set within a nine-petaled lotus design. The craftsmanship was exquisite, far from ordinary.

 

“Are you certain these belong to your sister?” Su Cen asked.

 

Huang Mian nodded with absolute certainty. “This is a family heirloom. Wan’er was very close to our grandmother as a child, and these were personally given to her by our grandmother before she passed away. Wan’er treasures them deeply and always keeps them with her. I’m sure of it—there’s only one pair like this in the entire capital; it’s impossible for anyone else to have them.” Trembling slightly, he asked again, “Brother Su, do you think Wan’er has already… met with misfortune?”

 

Su Cen returned the earrings to Huang Mian’s hands. “Brother Huang, don’t panic just yet. It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s been harmed—perhaps she simply lost them by accident during some unforeseen event. Where did that woman say she got these earrings?”

 

Leaning back against the chair with a sigh of relief, Huang Mian replied, “She said she bought them from a pawnshop. I later visited that pawnshop myself, but too much time had passed, and the staff there couldn’t remember anything. Brother Su, what should I do now?”

 

Su Cen raised an eyebrow. “Still not reporting it to the authorities?”

 

Huang Mian looked troubled and hesitated before explaining, “Brother Su, to be honest, it’s not that I don’t want to report it—it’s that my father forbids it. He once declared that anyone who dares involve the authorities will be immediately cast out of the family. That’s why I…”

 

“Oh?” Su Cen fell into thought for a moment before smiling faintly. “In that case, I won’t make things difficult for Brother Huang. In a couple of days when I’m on leave, send me an invitation as a friend so I can visit your residence first and take a look around. However, I can’t promise I’ll find anything useful—don’t get your hopes up too high.”

 

Huang Mian immediately stood up and bowed deeply again. “Thank you so much, Brother Su.”

 

After seeing Huang Mian off, Su Cen returned to his courtyard. The spring sunlight was pleasant, with light clouds drifting lazily in the breeze. Standing beside a few crabapple trees just beginning to bud, Su Cen noticed some awkwardly growing branches that stuck out unnaturally. He went inside to fetch pruning shears and decided to give the trees a proper trim.

 

As he clipped away at the branches, he couldn’t help but ponder the peculiarities of the Huang family. A person had gone missing for months without explanation, yet they refused to report it to the authorities. From what he could see, Huang Mian seemed genuinely worried about his sister—his concern appeared heartfelt and sincere. So why was Old Master Huang so indifferent? Could it be that he truly valued sons over daughters so much that he prioritized preserving the family’s reputation over his daughter’s life?

 

Su Cen couldn’t help but recall Shen Yugui from before—a daughter as well—but Shen Cun cherished her like a treasure and risked his life to save her from a burning building. How had things come to this with the Huang family? Why was their daughter treated as if she were disposable?

 

When Su Cen thought of Shen Yugui, his expression softened slightly. Shen Yugui was now recovering well at the Grand Tutor’s residence. Upon hearing about her plight, Old Master Ning had taken pity on her and formally recognized her as his god-granddaughter. Ning Santong doted on this new little sister immensely. Thanks to Shen Yugui’s influence in talking sweet to the old master, the latter had finally stopped scolding Ning Santong daily for being unambitious and idle.

 

Su Cen had originally planned to use his upcoming day off to visit Old Master Ning and check on Shen Yugui. Unfortunately, those plans now had to be set aside for other matters.

 

“Second Young Master, Second Young Master…”

 

Su Cen snapped out of his thoughts to see Ah Fu standing nearby with a pained expression. Looking down at his hands, he realized that he had inadvertently pruned away more than half of the budding crabapple blossoms.

 

This particular crabapple tree was one that Ah Fu tended to daily, caring for it more meticulously than he did for Su Cen himself. After much effort, the buds had finally begun to form, giving him a sense of pride akin to watching a young girl blossom into adulthood. He had been eagerly awaiting its flowers, only for Su Cen to ruin it in an unguarded moment.

 

“Just like that potted Buddhist pine before,” Ah Fu lamented. “You completely stripped it bare! And don’t forget the jade plant and the fern—if you don’t like them, why even bother buying them?”

 

Seeing Ah Fu’s aggrieved expression as he began another round of complaints, Su Cen quickly surrendered and retreated sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Next time you should fence them off with iron bars to keep me out. I promise I won’t interfere again.”

 

At that moment, Qu Ling’er entered the courtyard carrying a branch of peach blossoms. As soon as he stepped through the gate, Ah Fu pulled him over to complain. “Look at what Second Young Master has done again—he’s ruined the crabapple tree just as it was about to bloom!”

 

Qu Ling’er took the pruning shears from Ah Fu’s hands and promptly snipped off the last surviving crabapple branch. Hugging it happily alongside his peach blossoms, he said with delight, “It matches my peach blossoms perfectly.”

 

Ah Fu was speechless: “…” Life in this household was truly unbearable!

 

When Su Cen’s day off arrived, Huang Mian indeed sent an invitation asking him to visit the Huang residence for a discussion.

 

Su Cen instructed Ah Fu to prepare a tin of this year’s fresh tea leaves before heading to the Huang residence with him.

 

The Huang family was one of the prominent households in the capital. They had produced officials for generations, including a prime minister in their lineage. Although their current patriarch, Huang Ting, was somewhat less distinguished, he still held the position of Vice Minister in the Ministry of Revenue—a fourth-rank official. Their residence was located in Xuanyang Ward, an area populated by many high-ranking officials. It was said that if you threw a tile there, you could hit several government officials.

 

Huang Mian had been waiting at the gate for their arrival. Seeing that Su Cen had brought a gift with him, he felt quite apologetic and tried several times to decline it. Su Cen smiled and said, “If we’re putting on a show, we might as well do it properly. It’s nothing valuable—just some tea from my own household.”

 

Only then did Huang Mian reluctantly accept it. He initially planned to take Su Cen to the main hall for tea first, but Su Cen expressed a desire to see Huang Wan’er’s room instead. Huang Mian thought this made sense—especially since Huang Ting was currently out of the house—and agreed readily. It would indeed be inconvenient if they waited until Huang Ting returned later.

 

Huang Mian led Su Cen to the rear courtyard, passing through halls and courtyards, walking along several corridors, and finally entering a hanging flower gate before arriving at Huang Wan’er’s residence.

 

Su Cen remarked with a smile, “The Huang family truly lives up to its reputation as a prestigious household. This mansion is indeed grand.”

 

“Just the blessings of our ancestors,” Huang Mian replied with a smile. “But Brother Su, your residence is indeed a bit small. It doesn’t quite match your current status. Should I help you find a larger one?”

 

Su Cen shook his head with a smile. “When I first arrived in the capital, I only wanted a place to settle down. Now I’m used to it. My household is small, and I wouldn’t even be able to fill a large house.”

 

“That’s true,” Huang Mian nodded. “But Brother Su, you’re already of marriageable age. Why haven’t you taken a wife yet? There should be a lady in the household to manage things.” His expression darkened slightly. “If Wan’er were still here, I would’ve canceled her engagement with the Song family and introduced her to you.”

 

“Brother Huang, you flatter me,” Su Cen replied with a smile, tactfully steering the conversation away.

 

Su Cen observed Huang Wan’er’s small courtyard, located in the eastern wing and far removed from where the servants lived. With only one entrance through the hanging flower gate, it was secluded and quiet—a perfect place for an unmarried daughter’s boudoir.

 

As it was improper for outsiders, especially young men, to enter an unmarried woman’s quarters, Su Cen said courteously, “Forgive my intrusion,” before stepping inside.

 

The outer room was a small reception hall separated from the inner room by bead curtains. The inner room reflected a young woman’s delicate sensibilities: a dressing table by the window, a daybed against the wall, and further inside, her bedchamber.

 

Su Cen walked up to the dressing table and picked up a pearl hairpin when suddenly someone shouted from outside, “Who’s there?”

 

It was Huang Wan’er’s personal maidservant. Huang Mian stepped out to explain the situation to her. Just as she was about to leave, Su Cen called out, “Have her come in—I have some questions for her.”

 

The maidservant entered and bowed respectfully to Su Cen. He asked, “Have any of these items in the room been moved?”

 

The maidservant replied, “Everything is as it was when Miss was here. We only clean but dare not touch anything.”

 

Pointing to the pearl hairpin, Su Cen asked, “Was this hairpin originally on the table?”

 

The maidservant looked closely and nodded. “Yes, this is the hairpin Miss often wore. That day when she went out, she changed into a new one and left this one casually on the table.”

 

Huang Mian stepped forward and asked anxiously, “Is there something wrong with this hairpin?”

 

Su Cen pondered for a moment before shaking his head. He then walked over to examine the daybed made of huanghuali wood with a porcelain pillow resting on it. When he picked up the porcelain pillow, he paused as he felt something unusual inside. Gently shaking it produced a rustling sound from within. Not wanting to damage it further himself, he handed it over to Huang Mian.

 

Huang Mian gave it a shake and immediately realized there was something inside. Without hesitation, he smashed it on the ground. Amidst the shards of porcelain lay a book bound in indigo covers.

 

Su Cen first picked up a piece of broken porcelain and examined it regretfully. “There must have been some hidden mechanism—what a pity it’s broken.” He then picked up the book from the ground. The cover read Precepts for Women (Nü Jie). Flipping through it casually brought an amused smile to his face.

 

Huang Mian took the book from him and examined it himself. As he read further, his expression grew darker until he finally threw the book aside and demanded of the maidservant, “What is going on?!”

 

The book had been disguised with the cover of Precepts for Women, but its contents were actually one of those popular romances of the time—full of tales about dashing scholars and charming young ladies meant to captivate naive girls.

 

The maidservant immediately knelt down in fear. “I don’t know! I can’t read! All I know is that this book was brought over by Miss Wang from next door—I had no idea what was inside!”

 

Huang Mian’s face turned livid as he explained to Su Cen. “Miss Wang is the daughter of Censor Wang next door. She often visited Wan’er—they must have been her bad influence!”

 

Su Cen picked up the book again with an amused smile. “It’s just a book; there’s no need for anger, Brother Huang. When I was studying back in my youth, I used to hide storybooks within my copy of Zuo Zhuan, dreaming of becoming some flying swordsman or heroic thief—but look at me now; none of that came true.”

 

Huang Mian sighed heavily. “I’ve embarrassed myself in front of Brother Su.”

 

As Su Cen flipped through the book again, a slip of paper fell lightly from between its pages. Huang Mian picked it up and frowned at its contents: “What is this?”

 

Su Cen took it for examination—a piece of yellowed paper with wave-like patterns commonly used in temples—and read aloud:

 

“A blade of grass seeks water in vain;

Effort yields nothing but hardship gained.

By chance one meets their destined friend;

Together they ascend to heaven’s end.”

 

Though written as poetry, its rhythm and structure were irregular—clearly composed more for meaning than formality.

 

Sniffing lightly at the paper under his nose confirmed Su Cen’s suspicion: “This seems like a divination slip from a temple.”

 

“A divination slip?” Huang Mian asked in surprise.

 

“Yes,” Su Cen explained. “Temples often use this type of wave-patterned paper for interpreting fortunes. This paper also carries traces of incense smoke. The message suggests not forcing things—when fate arrives naturally, all will be revealed.” He added with amusement: “‘A flower won’t bloom if forced; yet an unintentional willow may flourish.'”

 

“Oh!” The maidservant suddenly exclaimed. “Miss went to have her fortune told at a temple just one day before she disappeared! She came back looking very happy and said she’d go back to offer thanks—but then she never returned.”

 

“To offer thanks?” Su Cen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Did she mention which temple she visited?”

 

The maidservant shook her head regretfully: “She didn’t say.”

 

Just as Su Cen was about to continue searching for clues, there was a loud crash from outside in the courtyard followed by an angry roar: “You unfilial son! Get out here!”

 

 

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