PCA Chapter 139

Huzi kept his head down in silence for quite some time before slowly raising it. “Big brother, do you not believe me?”

 

Su Cen was startled. Looking into those eyes, he suddenly felt like a soft thorn had pierced his heart.

 

A precocious wisdom had taught this child to read people’s expressions too early in life. Reflected in those eyes was the hurt and distance that came after being questioned.

 

Su Cen’s heart softened. He reached out to touch the boy’s head, feeling the short, hard hair pricking his palm slightly. He said gently, “I believe you. I’m just concerned for your safety. I don’t want either of you to be harmed again.”

 

“It was that official who killed the person. I’m not lying to you,” Huzi looked at Su Cen earnestly. “I’m afraid because of some other things, but I haven’t lied.”

 

“You don’t want to tell me what you’re afraid of?”

 

Huzi pressed his lips together in thought, then shook his head slightly.

 

“Alright, I understand.” Su Cen smiled at him. “Go back now. No one can hurt you here. Take good care of Er Ya.”

 

Only after Huzi had returned to the room did Su Cen stand up and instruct the official behind him: “Gather men to search the mountains. We must find Liang Fang.”

 

Upon leaving the room, Li Shi’s attendant was waiting outside, asking him to return for breakfast.

 

During the meal, Su Cen was somewhat distracted, his chopsticks almost reaching into Li Shi’s bowl. Li Shi raised an eyebrow: “What’s this? Is mine especially delicious?”

 

Only then did Su Cen realize his transgression. Taking advantage of Li Shi’s good mood, rather than retreating, he advanced further, boldly taking a bite from Li Shi’s bowl. After tasting it, he nodded, “It is delicious.”

 

Li Shi pushed his own bowl in front of Su Cen and took Su Cen’s bowl of rice, which was a mess of poke marks. Looking up, he said: “If you don’t finish it, you’ll be charged with deceiving the prince.”

 

Su Cen finally gathered his thoughts and lowered his head to eat properly, finding that Li Shi’s bowl did indeed taste better than his own.

 

Just as his mind cleared of distractions, Li Shi asked: “What are you thinking about?”

 

“I’m thinking about Liang Fang,” Su Cen raised his head with chopsticks between his teeth. “How exactly did he escape? I saw him enter the temporary palace with my own eyes, but after just the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he was gone. The guards at every gate say they didn’t see him. Even if he somehow foresaw what was coming and escaped over a wall, the area outside the palace is filled with refugees. How could he have evaded everyone’s notice?”

 

Li Shi nodded: “It is quite unusual.”

 

“If Liang Fang doesn’t possess the ability to burrow underground, I suspect he’s still inside the temporary palace, hiding somewhere we haven’t found.”

 

Li Shi paused with his chopsticks and said: “Speak plainly.”

 

Su Cen put down his chopsticks and narrowed his eyes with a smile: “Thinking about it carefully, your residence is the only place in the entire temporary palace that hasn’t been searched, Prince.”

 

“Such audacity.” Li Shi heavily placed his chopsticks on the table.

 

In all his years of handling affairs, no one had ever dared suggest searching his chambers, nor had anyone dared to question whether he was harboring a fugitive.

 

Su Cen, recognizing the situation, also put down his chopsticks. His bottom already half-lifted from his seat, he tried to maintain composure: “I’m only concerned for Prince’s safety…”

 

Before he could finish, Li Shi had thrown his chopsticks. Su Cen jumped up and fled in disarray.

 

Only after watching him scurry away like a rabbit did Li Shi soften his demeanor, pressing his brow. This little fox was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

 

After running out of Li Shi’s chambers, Su Cen gradually slowed his pace, a smile playing on his lips as he silently cursed “old fox.” He was determined to see how long this fox could hide his tail.

 

Still hungry, and after all that activity, Su Cen patted his stomach and decided to find somewhere else to get a meal.

 

The porridge tent had just passed its peak serving time. The people responsible for distribution had finally sat down for a hot meal when Su Cen arrived uninvited, disturbing their brief respite.

 

“Please, eat. Don’t mind me.” Su Cen made himself at home, taking a bowl and filling it with porridge. Walking a few steps inside, he finally found a table with some space and approached the person sitting there: “May I sit here? You don’t mind, do you?”

 

The person looked up—it was Uncle Cao from Cao Village. He hurriedly stood up and bowed: “Please, official.”

 

“Just call me Su Cen,” Su Cen set down his bowl and sat down. He tasted the porridge—it wasn’t bad—and started chatting with Uncle Cao while eating. “What brings you here?”

 

Uncle Cao replied: “Those here are representatives of gentry from various regions, all respected individuals who ensure fair distribution. Cao Village is small, but we needed someone to represent us. They saw this old man had nothing to do, so they sent me.”

 

“You’re too modest,” Su Cen said. “You are the head of Cao Village. This position is well-deserved.”

 

“Cao Village is long gone. What village head am I now?” Uncle Cao pulled out his pipe from behind him and tapped it against the corner of the table. “What brings the official here?”

 

Su Cen couldn’t very well say he hadn’t eaten his fill and had been chased out, so he just smiled and said: “Observing the people’s conditions.”

 

The two chatted casually about various matters, discussing the resettlement of Cao villagers, and naturally, the conversation turned to Huzi and Er Ya. Su Cen’s gaze followed Uncle Cao’s pipe—the bowl and mouthpiece were brass, while the stem was rosewood, polished to a lustrous sheen with years of handling.

 

What caught Su Cen’s attention was the tobacco pouch. It was embroidered with two little figures, crooked and with uneven stitches, but one had spiky hair and the other had a small braid—clearly Huzi and Er Ya.

 

The heavy pipe paired with the playful pouch seemed somewhat mismatched. Su Cen pointed this out and asked: “Did Er Ya embroider this?”

 

Uncle Cao looked at it and smiled: “That child made it when she first learned needlework. Once she tied it on, she wouldn’t let me take it off.”

 

Su Cen considered how the little girl was always climbing walls and trees, following Huzi around like a tomboy, and couldn’t help but smile: “I wouldn’t have guessed she learned needlework.”

 

“She only embroidered this one thing,” Uncle Cao hefted the tobacco pouch and chuckled. “All ten fingers were pricked and swollen, and she’s never touched needle and thread since.”

 

Su Cen laughed along, the rising sunlight falling on his profile, revealing his fine pores, straight brow ridge, and slightly curved eyes—quite eye-catching. Uncle Cao’s gaze lingered for a moment before his smile gradually faded. This person was no longer the young man who had shared hardships with them; there was now a vast divide between them, and perhaps they no longer had the basis for shared laughter.

 

Su Cen seemed to see through his thoughts. His smile also faded as he slowly drank his porridge, then spoke matter-of-factly: “Yesterday, someone drugged the two children here.”

 

Uncle Cao didn’t appear surprised and nodded: “I did it.”

 

“Why?”

 

Uncle Cao removed the pouch embroidered with the little figures and took out two tobacco leaves. As he filled his pipe, he replied: “The two children were frightened. I wanted them to get a good sleep.” After a pause, he added: “Too many words bring too much trouble. I didn’t want them to bring misfortune upon themselves.”

 

Su Cen nodded, showing understanding. There’s a folk saying: “The living should avoid government offices, and the dead should avoid hell.” Many people dislike dealing with officials, and speaking too much might catch the murderer’s attention, inviting unnecessary trouble.

 

“Those two children have no parents and have grown up relying on each other. They’re mischievous, yes—they’ve caused plenty of trouble in Cao Village before—but they don’t have bad hearts,” Uncle Cao lit his pipe at the stove. “I hope the official won’t hold it against them for causing trouble.”

 

“It’s no trouble,” Su Cen shook his head. “They’re helping me solve the case, so I’ll naturally protect their safety…”

 

Uncle Cao shook his head, interrupting him, “Huzi is more mature, but he’s still a child after all. Sometimes he speaks and acts inappropriately, so please be understanding. Er Ya is straightforward with no scheming nature—whatever she feels shows on her face. If these two can manage to live together in the future, that would be fine. But if it were someone else, I fear she would be taken advantage of.”

 

“Has something happened?” Su Cen frowned slightly. He had an inexplicable feeling that Uncle Cao was arranging matters as if preparing for his death—something was looming just below the surface that he couldn’t quite grasp.

 

“I’m old,” Uncle Cao took a leisurely puff of his pipe. “Not many years left. I’m afraid I won’t see them grow up. Cao Village did save your life, after all. I’d like to ask a favor of you, if in the future, you could help look after the two children.”

 

Su Cen looked at those eyes, which suddenly seemed to take on the quality of twilight years. After being stunned for a moment, he found himself inexplicably nodding.

 

Uncle Cao’s face full of wrinkles stretched into a relieved smile. He picked up his pipe and leisurely walked out of the porridge tent.

 

Su Cen followed Uncle Cao’s silhouette with his eyes until it disappeared, and only after some time did he return his attention to his porridge. When he looked up, he noticed a small pile of ash at the corner of the table, and his heart inexplicably skipped a few beats.

 

In the afternoon, the weather changed without warning. Thick dark clouds gathered, slowly pressing from the distant horizon to the peak of Qifeng Mountain. As the saying goes, “when mountain rain is coming, the wind fills the tower.” Gusts of evil wind from the mountains made the window screens and curtains in the temporary palace dance wildly, and even the windows that had been closed with difficulty rattled noisily.

 

It was going to be another heavy rain.

 

The people in the temporary palace couldn’t help feeling anxious. It had finally been sunny for a few days, and the flood had just started to recede. Now, who knew how many more days it would rain, or when these days of displacement would end.

 

The officials were busy finding rocks and piling them high around the perimeter of the temporary palace. On the mountain, the most feared scenario was a flash flood. Although the temporary palace had been positioned to avoid ravines and streams as much as possible, they still had to be fully prepared so as not to be helpless when the time came.

 

Su Cen followed Li Shi on an inspection tour, ensuring everything was secure inside and out, while also comforting the people and stabilizing their morale. The violent gusts made their robes flutter wildly. Seeing that heavy rain was imminent, Li Shi asked Su Cen to retreat first.

 

As Prince Ning wanted to remain with the people, Su Cen naturally refused to leave. He stubbornly stood in the wind, staring at Li Shi. Even with flying sand and stones making it difficult to keep his eyes open, his gaze remained fixed on Li Shi, unwilling to move away even slightly.

 

Before the first raindrop fell, Li Shi unceremoniously draped his outer robe over Su Cen’s head, pushed him back, and ordered his guards to take him away.

 

Su Cen watched helplessly as Li Shi’s figure disappeared into the heavy rain. The guards beside him didn’t dare drag him forcibly, but they also wouldn’t allow him to step forward. Su Cen cast a fierce glance at that retreating figure, then turned and left.

 

Su Cen didn’t return to Li Shi’s chambers, nor to his own room, but went straight to the study. He felt that something was about to emerge, but he was missing that one thread to connect all the clues. Since Li Shi refused to rest, he didn’t want to keep an empty house alone, and thought it better to come review the evidence again.

 

As soon as he opened the door, Su Cen became annoyed. A window near the desk was open, books and papers were blown everywhere, and rain had come in, creating a mess all over the floor.

 

He called in the servant responsible for the study and reprimanded him. The servant quietly defended himself, saying “I did close it,” but looking up at the official’s stern expression, he didn’t dare breathe a word more.

 

Su Cen closed the window and cleaned up the study with a cold expression. Among the fallen items were not only some useless miscellaneous books but also the evidence Huang Mian had brought that day. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so anxious and upset.

 

The servant crouched by the window with a troubled expression. “M-master, this seems to be… broken.”

 

“What’s broken?” Su Cen frowned as he went over, immediately seeing that it was the document used for the transfer of the five hundred thousand taels in Xuzhou. Being close to the window, it had been soaked by rain, causing the ink to blur and even creating breaks where the text met the official seal.

 

Su Cen’s brow furrowed deeply. This was an extremely important piece of evidence, and now it seemed he couldn’t even pick it up. How could it be used now?

 

There was no other way but to dry it in place first, then see if there was any way to restore it.

 

“Go get a candle,” Su Cen said with a frown.

 

The servant, feeling extremely guilty, efficiently fetched a candle. Hoping to make amends, he crouched down and was about to approach, but Su Cen took the candle from him and waved him away.

 

The flame needed to be at just the right height—close enough to provide warmth to dry the paper without igniting it, while also ensuring no wax dripped onto the document. This was delicate work, and Su Cen wasn’t comfortable entrusting it to someone else.

 

Su Cen carefully knelt on the ground to dry the document, examining the damaged areas in the candlelight. He had intended to look for ways to restore it, but unexpectedly discovered something more.

 

“A Chun!” Su Cen called the servant over, handed him the candle, and lay flat on the ground himself, looking at the thin paper almost horizontally.

 

After a moment, Su Cen reached out and, with the gentlest touch, peeled another layer of thin paper from the broken area upward. The paper wasn’t broken after all—it had originally been two layers glued together, and when it got wet, the adhesive dissolved, causing them to separate.

 

“How is this possible?” A Chun’s eyes widened, unable to imagine how two pieces of paper could have been joined so seamlessly.

 

“I understand now,” Su Cen stood up, holding the top layer of thin paper in his palm. “I know what happened to those five hundred thousand taels, and I know where those one hundred thousand taels really went.”

 

Suddenly, crisp applause sounded from behind him. “After so many days, Lord Su is still so clever.”

 

Su Cen turned sharply, his heart skipping a beat. “Song Fan…”

 

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T/N: three updates per week this month :3

(advanced chapters available on kofi)