PCA Chapter 119

By the time Su Cen came to, it was late at night. The alcohol had evaporated, taking the poison with it.

 

Qi Lin reported, “We’ve used every torture method, but he insists the antidote was given to Lord Su, and it was Lord Su who didn’t take it.”

 

“The antidote… was in the food…” Su Cen, weak and leaning against Li Shi, had his jaw back in place but still spoke softly to avoid pain. “I… didn’t eat…”

 

He’d rather die again than eat food mixed with hair, maggots, and spoiled rice.

 

“Okay, you didn’t eat,” seeing that the poison was mostly cleared from Su Cen’s system, Li Shi didn’t press further. He asked Qi Lin, “Since there’s no more antidote, is there still poison?”

 

Qi Lin hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”

 

“Once the antidote’s effect wears off, give him the poison. Then place the food in front of him. When the poison’s effect wears off, give him more.” Li Shi looked down at the person in his arms, casually instructing Qi Lin. “I want to see whether the antidote or the poison runs out first.”

 

Qi Lin shivered inwardly. Such torture might leave both the antidote and poison, but the person might not survive. He didn’t show his fear, accepting the order and leaving.

 

Li Shi ordered servants to clean Su Cen, change his clothes, and carried him back to his own room—his bed was too soaked with sweat and disheveled to sleep on.

 

After a day and night of pain, Su Cen finally quieted down, falling asleep before even reaching the bed.

 

Song Yi didn’t come to plead until noon the next day, likely knowing Song Fan had gone too far this time, giving Prince Ning time to vent his anger. Li Shi, still not appeased, didn’t relent, and Song Yi couldn’t take his son back.

 

Unfortunately, Li Shi was still not swayed, saying indifferently, “Don’t try to use the Iron Certificate to pressure me. Since he used private torture on my man, this is also private torture, a matter of personal vendetta, not about ancestral rites or laws.”

 

“Lord, you are right,” Song Yi sighed. “He committed a grave sin this time, and he should suffer. I only ask that you leave him with a breath of life.”

 

“Is he still alive?” Li Shi asked Qi Lin, turning his head.

 

Song Yi’s heart skipped a beat.

 

Qi Lin nodded. “He’s still alive.”

 

Li Shi casually sipped his tea. “Then let him live for two more days.”

 

Song Yi didn’t dare say more after Li Shi’s words, only emphasizing several times for Li Shi to spare Song Fan’s life before leaving.

 

Once Song Yi was gone, Li Shi returned to the back hall, where he found Su Cen awake, eavesdropping on their conversation.

 

Though he had only been ill for a day, Su Cen looked noticeably thinner, his lips still pale, his long hair unbound and hanging loose, making him appear even more slender.

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping more?”

 

“I’m hungry.” He hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and now that the pain had subsided, he felt his stomach was empty. Su Cen smiled at Li Shi. “I wanted to ask when the meal would be served, but I overheard your conversation. I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping.”

 

If he wanted a meal, he wouldn’t need to go through Li Shi, which was as good as admitting he was eavesdropping, relying on the fact that Li Shi wouldn’t punish him given his recent illness.

 

Li Shi didn’t mind, casually ordering the servants to bring up some sea cucumber porridge.

 

Su Cen asked, “What do you plan to do with Song Fan?”

 

Li Shi sat down on the couch, beckoning Su Cen over, and countered, “What do you think?”

 

“He’s involved in a murder case. Letting him go back like this is too lenient,” Su Cen frowned. “But the Song family does have the Iron Certificate, which makes it difficult to do anything to him. Setting that aside, don’t you think Song Yi’s attitude today was strange?”

 

Li Shi said, “He doesn’t want to save Song Fan.”

 

Su Cen nodded.

 

“He kept emphasizing to spare Song Fan’s life, but it seems he only wants to ‘spare his life.’ He doesn’t care about what torture or punishment Song Fan endures. I even feel that he didn’t come to plead for mercy but to confirm if Song Fan was still alive. Is there such a father? Back at the Marquis of Ding’an’s residence, he only intervened at the last moment to stop us. He didn’t care about our interrogation or sentencing of Song Fan. He seems indifferent to what Song Fan does, just wanting to ensure he’s alive.”

 

Just then, the servants brought the porridge. Su Cen reached for it, but Li Shi had already taken the bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Su Cen’s lips.

 

Su Cen: “!”

 

Prince Ning was used to having others serve him, never the other way around!

 

Su Cen opened his mouth in disbelief, and the porridge, at the perfect temperature, soft and fragrant, went down. Only after swallowing did he realize that Prince Ning was personally feeding him porridge! Instantly, thoughts of Song Yi and Song Fan flew out of his mind.

 

Li Shi, seemingly unaware of doing anything extraordinary, continued to feed him spoonful after spoonful, calmly saying, “Maybe because he’s a bastard.”

 

“Hmm?” Su Cen, still in a daze, opened and closed his mouth.

 

“Song Fan is Song Yi’s illegitimate son,” Li Shi explained. “The original young Marquis of Ding’an was someone else, but he died in an accident. Song Yi later brought Song Fan back from outside, claiming he was the result of a one-night stand at the border. He was brought back when he was already in his teens.”

 

“There’s such a connection,” Su Cen was instantly drawn back to the case, accepting Li Shi’s feeding with peace of mind, eating while saying, “The young Marquis of Ding’an… young Marquis…”

 

“I remember now!” Su Cen suddenly sat up, nearly knocking over the bowl. “The young Marquis of Ding’an was accidentally pushed into a lotus pond by a servant named Lu Xiaoliu and drowned. I read about this case in Chen Guanglu’s ‘Chen’s Criminal Law.’ I didn’t think of it at the time, but your mention brought it back to me.”

 

Li Shi’s brows furrowed slightly, but Su Cen didn’t notice, continuing, “Later, Lu Xiaoliu was sent back to his hometown due to a general amnesty, then disappeared, and his body was never found. But Song Fan was only in his teens at the time, so this shouldn’t have anything to do with him, right?”

 

This seemed like a case of Song Fan hiring someone to kill and then silencing the witness, which would explain why he became the young Marquis. Song Yi might have suspected something but, since Song Fan was his only living son, his lack of affection was understandable.

 

However, Su Cen couldn’t imagine a teenager having such depth of cunning.

 

Though, knowing Song Fan’s madness, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

 

After finishing the porridge, Su Cen said, “I want to see Song Fan.”

 

“Don’t go,” Li Shi handed the bowl to a servant. “That place is filthy.”

 

“You’ve avenged me, but you won’t let me see the downfall of my enemy? How can that satisfy my heart?”

 

While the servant took the bowl away, Su Cen quickly kissed Li Shi’s cheek, looking at him with a pleading expression. “Can I?”

 

Li Shi frowned at the little fox in front of him, finally flicking his forehead gently. “I’ll have Qi Lin clean it up for you.”

 

This was Su Cen’s first time visiting the dungeons of the Xingqing Palace.

 

Led by Qi Lin, Su Cen arrived at the place. Qi Lin said, “Call me when you’re done, and I’ll take you out.”

 

Su Cen was puzzled. “I can leave on my own.”

 

Qi Lin pursed his lips. “The order came in a hurry, and I only cleaned this area. There are many severed limbs and bodies that haven’t been dealt with yet. I’m afraid you might get lost and be frightened.”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

He finally understood what needed to be cleaned up.

 

After Qi Lin left, Su Cen took a moment to survey the cell. Built at the bottom of a lake, it was dark and damp, with only a small candle for light. It took Su Cen a while to adjust his eyes to see a person lying in the straw on the floor.

 

He almost didn’t recognize Song Fan after just one day. The man was covered in dirt, his body stained with blood. It seemed they had just finished a round of the poison’s effect, and no one had come to administer the next dose yet. He was panting heavily, lying in the straw.

 

Sensing someone’s presence, the sweat-drenched face turned, and upon recognizing Su Cen, Song Fan still managed to smile at him.

 

“Lord Su…” Song Fan struggled to sit up, leaning against the wall. “I knew we were fated to meet again. Look, here we are.”

 

Su Cen looked down at him from above. Now, one in fine clothes and the other covered in blood and filth, they were worlds apart.

 

“How does the taste of the Heart-Eating Grass feel?” Song Fan asked.

 

“Do you need to ask me?” Su Cen replied coldly.

 

“It’s not pleasant, is it?” Song Fan coughed twice, then raised an eyebrow at Su Cen. “If I had known it was this painful, I wouldn’t have done it to Lord Su. Last night was painful, wasn’t it? Just thinking that Lord Su felt the same pain as me gets me excited, hahaha… cough, cough, cough…”

 

Su Cen frowned. This man was truly a madman.

 

“Yesterday you didn’t kill me, and I can’t kill you either. Let’s call it even,” Su Cen said, looking at Song Fan. “Tell me where Huang Wan’er is, and I’ll let you go.”

 

“Sure,” Song Fan stopped coughing and raised an eyebrow at Su Cen. “Kneel down, kowtow three times, and call me ‘Grandfather,’ and I’ll tell you.”

 

Su Cen remained unmoved. “If I kneel, will you tell me where Huang Wan’er is?”

 

He wouldn’t mind kneeling before this madman, just considering it a stumble. However, knowing Song Fan, even if he did kneel, Song Fan wouldn’t keep his promise.

 

As expected, Song Fan laughed at him. “Come closer, kneel, and lick me clean, and I’ll definitely tell you.”

 

“This won’t benefit you at all,” Su Cen looked down at the man before him. “You’ve gotten everything you wanted. You’re now the young Marquis of the Marquis of Ding’an’s residence, with the Iron Certificate granting you immunity from death. No one stands in your way anymore. What more do you want?”

 

“Young Marquis, ha, hahaha…” Song Fan laughed as if he had heard a great joke, his laughter causing his wounds to hurt, tears streaming down his face, his expression turning fierce. Suddenly, his gaze turned harsh. “What do you know?!”

 

“A child took everything from me since I was young. He was high and mighty while I had to become an outlaw. He lived in luxury, while I had to fight for scraps from the dead. When he was laughing and playing with others, I was sweating blood to carve out a path. He was gentle and refined, the center of attention, while I was stubborn, violent, and unruly. He took everything from me, shouldn’t he die?!” Song Fan struggled to stand, moving step by step towards Su Cen. “Lord Su, tell me, shouldn’t he die? Just say he should die, and I’ll tell you where Huang Wan’er is right away!”

 

Su Cen involuntarily stepped back, knowing there was a barrier between them, yet Song Fan’s every step forward made him want to retreat until he was pressed against the moldy wall of the cell.

 

Suddenly, Song Fan looked at him with an innocent gaze. “Then, can you hug me?”

 

“Qi Lin!” Su Cen called out, interrupting. “Qi Lin! Take me away!”

 

When Qi Lin arrived, he saw Su Cen pressed against the wall as if he had seen something terrifying, while Song Fan had slid down against the bars, laughing maniacally.

 

“Take me away,” Su Cen clung to Qi Lin’s arm. “I don’t want to see him anymore. Take me out.”

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