PCA Chapter 115

As they say: Like father like son. Su Cen finally understood where Huang Mian had inherited his fiery temper.

 

Stepping out of the room, Su Cen saw Huang Ting standing with his hands on his hips, shouting furiously at Huang Mian: “How many times have I told you not to talk about this outside?! You just won’t listen! Do you enjoy making our family into laughingstocks? You might as well beat drums and announce it loudly—our family’s reputation is ruined because of you!”

 

Huang Mian flared up as well: “Wan’er’s life or death is unknown right now—and you’re still worried about saving face? Is Wan’er even your real daughter?!”

 

Huang Ting’s slap landed with a crisp sound, startling Su Cen into momentary shock.

 

“I’ll just consider her dead! This family will be ruined by you sooner or later, and I’ll end up dying at your hands! You unfilial son, unfilial son!”

 

Huang Mian clutched his face, ready to retort, but Su Cen pulled him back from behind. Only then did Huang Mian stop, though his expression remained defiant.

 

Su Cen stepped forward and clasped his hands in respect toward Huang Ting. “Master Huang, please calm your anger. I lost my way and accidentally ended up here. My apologies for the offense—I hope Master Huang can forgive me.”

 

It was only then that Huang Ting noticed Su Cen. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Lord Su?”

 

As colleagues in the imperial court, Huang Ting outranked Su Cen by only half a grade. They often saw each other at court, and Huang Ting naturally recognized Su Cen, the rising young Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple who had been making waves recently.

 

“Was it this unfilial son who invited you here to investigate Wan’er’s matter?” Huang Ting asked suspiciously. “What have you found?”

 

“Master Huang misunderstands,” Su Cen replied with a calm smile. “Brother Huang mentioned that the crabapple trees in the rear courtyard were in full bloom and invited me to admire them. I became so engrossed that I lost track of where I was and ended up here. I even troubled Brother Huang to come find me.”

 

Huang Ting looked at him with suspicion but still didn’t appear entirely convinced. His expression remained stern as he said, “This is my daughter’s boudoir—it is not appropriate for outsiders to enter.”

 

“Of course, of course,” Su Cen quickly agreed.

 

Huang Ting stepped aside slightly and said, “Lord Su, please join me in the main hall for tea.”

 

Su Cen bowed slightly. “I appreciate Master Huang’s hospitality.”

 

Once inside the main hall, tea was prepared and served. Huang Ting took the main seat and courteously invited Su Cen to sit in the secondary seat while leaving Huang Mian—his face still swollen from the slap—to sit in a lower position. Su Cen quickly protested, saying it was inappropriate since he had come to see Huang Mian and should sit with him. However, this seating arrangement clearly showed that Huang Ting regarded Su Cen as a guest of honor, placing him symbolically above his own son.

 

Huang Ting displayed rare politeness as he said, “Lord Su has achieved the rank of fourth-grade official at such a young age. Since we are colleagues in court, this is only fitting—please don’t decline.”

 

Seeing no way to refuse without appearing rude, Su Cen took his seat.

 

Huang Ting began by asking, “How did Lord Su come to know my son?”

 

Su Cen sipped his tea before replying with a smile, “The heir of Duke Ying invited us all to visit Xingqing Palace one day. I was fortunate enough to meet Brother Huang there—we hit it off immediately and had a delightful conversation.”

 

“I see,” Huang Ting said with a smile. “My son is reckless and unruly; it is his honor to have made Lord Su’s acquaintance. However, I heard that His Highness later returned and drove all of you out.”

 

Su Cen smiled wryly. “It was an embarrassing incident—better left unmentioned.”

 

Huang Ting laughed heartily. “His Highness is quite something—an old man still quarreling with you younger folks.”

 

This remark didn’t sit well with Su Cen. The prince wasn’t even forty yet—hardly an old man—and was in his prime years. What did he mean by calling him old?

 

Su Cen replied tactfully, “We were indeed at fault for being too noisy at Xingqing Palace. His Highness is straightforward by nature; the fact that he didn’t reprimand us was already generous enough.”

 

Huang Ting knew that Su Cen owed his rise entirely to Li Shi’s support and would naturally defend Prince Ning’s reputation. As someone aligned with the Empress Dowager’s faction, their political paths diverged significantly. Deciding not to press further on this topic, he changed the subject: “What cases is the Dali Temple currently handling?”

 

This was clearly an attempt to probe whether Su Cen had taken any interest in investigating Huang Wan’er’s disappearance. Feigning helplessness, Su Cen replied, “We’re still working on a major serial theft case from last year—it’s dragged on until now. Lord Zhang has set a strict deadline for solving it, so everyone at the Dali Temple has been working tirelessly without rest. Today’s leave was my only chance to enjoy some spring blossoms; otherwise, I would’ve missed their bloom altogether.”

 

He sighed and added, “I just hope no new cases arise—otherwise I might as well move into the temple permanently.”

 

Huang Ting seemed satisfied with this response and laughed heartily. “Lord Su works hard indeed.”

 

Testing the waters himself now, Su Cen asked casually, “Earlier I overheard Master Huang mentioning your daughter—is something amiss?”

 

As expected, Huang Ting’s expression stiffened momentarily before he waved dismissively. “It’s nothing—no need for Lord Su to worry.”

 

Su Cen sipped his tea calmly and replied simply, “That’s good to hear.”

 

The atmosphere during this tea session remained tense and awkward for both host and guest. Sensing this discomfort, Su Cen rose early to take his leave. Though Huang Ting made a token effort to persuade him to stay longer, he ultimately allowed Huang Mian to escort him out.

 

Outside the gate, Huang Mian still bore the red imprint of his father’s slap on his face as he repeatedly apologized to Su Cen. He felt deeply embarrassed—after all, it was he who had invited Su Cen over but nearly caused him to endure scolding as well.

 

Su Cen brushed it off indifferently but pulled Huang Mian aside once they were out of sight of the household staff. Speaking quietly, he said: “I did notice something unusual in your sister’s room earlier. I’d like to take a look at that servant’s quarters next—does your residence have another entrance?”

 

Huang Mian immediately perked up. He had been worried that Su Cen might refuse further involvement after being insulted earlier; now those fears were gone entirely. He quickly replied: “Yes! There’s a small side gate at the back of our residence—go there and wait for me; I’ll come open it for you.”

 

Su Cen nodded in agreement.

 

Leaving the main entrance of the Huang residence behind him, Su Cen initially headed toward home before circling back through another street with Ah Fu until they reached the small side gate that Huang Mian had mentioned.

 

Standing outside someone else’s back door like this made Su Cen chuckle inwardly—it felt like sneaking around as if committing some crime himself. And all this trouble without any personal gain—what exactly was he doing?

 

After waiting outside for quite some time, Huang Mian finally arrived to open the gate for him. Judging by how long it took despite being closer from within the residence itself—and by how much darker his expression had grown—it was clear that something had delayed him further inside; perhaps another round of scolding from his father.

 

Leaving Ah Fu outside to keep watch by the gate, Su Cen followed Huang Mian into the back entrance toward where the servants lived. Along the way, Huang Mian explained: The missing servant was one of their coachmen named Liu Si—a simple and honest man who lived on-site at the estate along with another coachman they used to employ before Liu Si disappeared. Since then they hadn’t hired anyone new; Liu Si’s room had remained untouched ever since.

 

Soon they arrived at their destination: unlike the front courtyard where family members resided comfortably amidst elegance and refinement—the servants’ quarters were cold and damp rows of rear-facing rooms situated near stables that gave off an unpleasant odor.

 

Pushing open one door specifically designated for Liu Si’s use earlier before disappearing without explanation months ago…

 

“This is it,” said Huang Mian gesturing toward it invitingly toward Lord Investigator entering cautiously inside examining clues potentially left behind…

 

The room was much more modest compared to the main residence. There was a single table with a candlestick and a broken bowl on it, all covered in a thick layer of dust due to the long period of vacancy. Apart from that, there was only a bed, with a large wooden chest placed at its head.

 

Su Cen opened the chest to inspect its contents. Inside were some old, worn clothes that had been left untouched for so long they carried a musty odor.

 

As Su Cen continued his search, Huang Mian couldn’t help but ask, “What did you discover in Wan’er’s room?”

 

“Your sister didn’t elope with someone,” Su Cen replied bluntly.

 

“What?” Huang Mian was stunned. “How can you tell?”

 

After finishing with the chest, Su Cen moved to examine Liu Si’s bedding. The quilt, having been left in damp conditions through an entire winter, felt as though it could wring out water. While inspecting it with a frown, Su Cen explained, “First of all, your sister didn’t take her most commonly worn pearl hairpin. If she were planning to elope, she would have taken her usual belongings. However, it seems nothing is missing from her room. I also noticed that most of her personal items were neatly stored in her jewelry box—except for that hairpin left on the table. This indicates that she left in a hurry. A planned elopement wouldn’t have been so rushed.”

 

Finding nothing on the bed, Su Cen began searching elsewhere in the small room. However, the space was only a few square feet and could be surveyed at a glance—there wasn’t much to find.

 

“Secondly,” Su Cen continued as he paced around the room, “the divination slip was something she had just obtained the day before her disappearance. Both the book and the slip were hidden inside the porcelain pillow. Clearly, this pillow was where your sister kept her little secrets. If I were planning to elope with someone, I would destroy anything that could reveal my secrets rather than leave them behind to be discovered.”

 

Suddenly, Su Cen noticed a pair of shoes in the corner of the room and slowly walked over to them.

 

“Although your sister didn’t elope,” he said thoughtfully, “it does seem that she was involved with someone.”

 

“What?!” Huang Mian exclaimed in shock.

 

“It was someone significant enough for her to wear a new hairpin,” Su Cen said as he crouched down to pick up the shoes. “And did you notice what the maidservant mentioned? She said your sister went out the next day to ‘repay a vow.’ Repaying a vow implies that her wish had been fulfilled—so what do you think her wish might have been?”

 

Huang Mian furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t figure it out.”

 

Su Cen smiled faintly. “I have an idea, but I need to confirm it first—I won’t say anything just yet.”

 

Huang Mian grew anxious. “Brother Su, please don’t keep me in suspense!”

 

But Su Cen had already turned his attention back to the shoes and ignored him.

 

The shoes were dirty—not in the sense of being smelly or foul (any odor would have dissipated by now)—but because their soles were caked with dried mud.

 

Without looking up, Su Cen extended his hand behind him and said, “Give me a tool—I need to scrape off this mud.”

 

Huang Mian rummaged around the room but found nothing useful in such a sparsely furnished space. In desperation, he grabbed a spoon from the table and handed it to Su Cen without considering whether anyone might need it later.

 

Su Cen didn’t mind and took the spoon without hesitation, using it to scrape off the thick layer of mud from the shoe soles.

 

In Chang’an City—especially within Xuanyang Ward—the streets were paved with bluestone slabs, making it unlikely for anyone to step into so much mud. Judging by how neatly Liu Si’s belongings were arranged despite their worn condition, it was clear he was someone who valued cleanliness. The mud on these shoes suggested that one or two days before Liu Si disappeared, he had visited a place outside Xuanyang Ward where there was mud—and he had been forced to dismount from his carriage there.

 

Looking up from his work briefly, Su Cen asked, “I forgot to ask—when exactly did your sister go missing?”

 

Huang Mian was momentarily stunned before replying, “Last September…”

 

“That makes sense,” Su Cen suddenly said with a faint smile. From the mud caked on the shoe sole, he carefully extracted a fragment of a maple leaf.

 

 

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