PCA Chapter 185

After the court assembly, Su Cen walked out of the dragon’s tail path. As soon as he exited the Danfeng Gate, he saw an ornate covered carriage waiting outside, its bamboo blinds lightly lowered, through which a silhouette could be vaguely seen.

 

Su Cen approached the carriage, lifted the blinds, and entered. As expected, Li Shi was sitting inside, holding a cup of hot tea and leaning against embroidered cushions. Seeing Su Cen enter, he raised his eyes slightly and said: “Why so slow?”

 

After sitting down, Su Cen smiled at him: “I knew you would wait for me, so I purposely waited until the end before coming out.”

 

The carriage slowly started moving. Su Cen took the tea Li Shi handed him, skimmed off the tea foam, and took a small sip. Looking up, he said: “Actually, I wasn’t the last. There were still two people left, but I couldn’t outlast them, so I came out first.”

 

He gave Li Shi a sly smile: “Guess who those two were?”

 

Li Shi, holding his teacup, took a sip and casually replied: “Liu Cheng and Cui Hao.”

 

“How boring,” Su Cen pouted, then continued: “Today’s court assembly was interesting, like a scene of wild demons dancing.”

 

Li Shi asked: “What did you observe?”

 

Su Cen smiled and said: “Prime Minister Liu’s temper has improved. In the past, he would have stormed out by now.”

 

Li Shi also smiled, “Is that all?”

 

“Of course there’s more.” Su Cen dropped his playful expression and became serious: “The charity granary issue was settled months ago, and it was these same people who strongly promoted its implementation. To suddenly bring it up again now clearly indicates someone’s deliberate guidance. The Empress Dowager’s statement about no longer protecting Prime Minister Liu seems genuine, and judging by the ministers’ attitudes today, it’s not just about withdrawing protection.”

 

Su Cen frowned: “She must be planning to abandon Prime Minister Liu.”

 

Li Shi put down his teacup and nodded, “Without the Empress Dowager’s directive, they wouldn’t dare to do so.”

 

“Since the former emperor’s death, Prime Minister Liu has been pushed forward to confront you, but his foundation isn’t actually deep. Besides Cui Hao, he’s entirely supported by the Empress Dowager from behind, with many watching enviously from the sidelines. Now that the Empress Dowager has withdrawn her support, everyone is pushing the falling wall, making such an outcome inevitable.” Su Cen frowned as he spoke, “But what I can’t understand is, what prompted the Empress Dowager to choose to abandon Liu Cheng? What benefit does she gain from sending him away?”

 

Li Shi stroked his thumb ring and said: “Didn’t you say before that there could be two reasons why the Empress Dowager is comfortable letting you investigate Tian Pingzhi’s case? First, Liu Cheng is truly innocent, so she’s not afraid of your investigation. Second, she has found someone to replace Liu Cheng.”

 

Su Cen was silent for a moment, then pursed his lips: “Looking at it now, it seems to be the second reason.”

 

When Liu Cheng returned home, it was already late at night. He had already adapted to the darkness, but as he turned into his own alley, his gaze was suddenly fixed on a red lantern in front of his door.

 

Liu Cheng was taken aback, following that point of light forward. Only when he got closer did he discover someone standing behind the lantern, their shadow stretched long by the candlelight. The candle inside the lantern was nearly burnt out; who knows how long they had been waiting.

 

Seeing him return, Cui Hao’s heart finally settled back into his chest. He hurriedly went forward to greet him, coming close to Liu Cheng and frowning, “You’ve been drinking?”

 

Liu Cheng raised his hand and pushed Cui Hao away, misjudging his strength and causing Cui Hao to stumble. He was about to reach out to pull him back, but his hand froze in mid-air, then slowly withdrew. In an irritated tone, he asked: “Why are you here?”

 

The candlelight in the lantern flickered unsteadily, almost going out. The dim light only magnified Cui Hao’s aggrieved expression: “I was worried about you.”

 

“I’m not a child anymore, what is there to worry about,” Liu Cheng shifted his gaze, ignoring Cui Hao’s expression, and staggered through the gate on his own, tripping over the threshold and nearly falling headfirst to the ground.

 

Liu Cheng immediately flew into a rage, “Who did this? What’s the purpose of such a high threshold?”

 

Servants rushed over upon hearing the commotion, feeling aggrieved: “Isn’t this the threshold the master likes most?”

 

High gates and large doors, an imposing demeanor—back then, the Liu residence was indeed glorious without limit, with passersby having to admire it. But times have changed; the former glory and honor have now become slaps in the face, mercilessly coming back to hit him.

 

“Take it all away, take it all away!” Liu Cheng flung his sleeve, furiously angry, kicking the threshold several times before leaving in a rage.

 

The servants were at a loss, only able to look toward Cui Hao as if seeking guidance. Seeing him nod, they immediately set about removing the high threshold.

 

Seeing Liu Cheng walking farther away, Cui Hao hurriedly caught up, trying several times to support him but being shaken off each time. In the dark night with high winds, Cui Hao felt that every brick and stone on the ground had become an obstacle. Finally, he simply threw the lantern to the ground and lifted Liu Cheng from behind.

 

“What are you doing?!” Liu Cheng struggled, but Cui Hao was in his prime, with arms like cast bronze and iron firmly holding him. Despite Liu Cheng’s punches and kicks, Cui Hao walked with steady steps, swift as the wind.

 

Only when he glimpsed from the corner of his eye that his own gate was properly closed did Liu Cheng slowly give up struggling. Having exerted himself earlier, he now felt dizzy and light-headed. Since he couldn’t break free anyway, he simply rested against Cui Hao’s chest.

 

By the time Cui Hao brought Liu Cheng to the bedroom, Liu Cheng was almost asleep. Just as he laid him on the bed, Liu Cheng’s brow furrowed, showing signs of waking up. Only when Liu Cheng had calmed down again did Cui Hao dare to get up, only to discover that one of Liu Cheng’s hands was firmly gripping the collar of his robe, with no intention of letting go even in sleep.

 

Cui Hao gazed at him for a moment and couldn’t help but smile, lying down next to him and placing a gentle kiss on his temple.

 

How could he not know that Liu Cheng was distancing himself out of fear of implicating him? But in this vast Chang’an, if this person were gone, what meaning would there be for him to stay?

 

Liu Cheng woke up in the middle of the night, staring blankly into the darkness for a while before feeling a splitting headache, his throat burning like smoke. As soon as he sat up, a bowl of water was timely presented to his lips. Liu Cheng hesitated before taking a sip—neither cold nor hot, refreshingly sweet, clearly having been prepared in advance.

 

Liu Cheng finished the bowl of sobering soup before raising his head, examining the person before him in the darkness. After a while, he cleared his throat and said hoarsely: “Why haven’t you left yet?”

 

“If I leave, who will take care of you?” Cui Hao took the empty bowl and handed over a handkerchief. Seeing Liu Cheng wipe the corner of his mouth and close his eyes again, he asked softly: “Feeling better?”

 

“I’m fine now, you can go,” Liu Cheng waved his hand with his eyes closed, then added as a reminder: “Remember to leave through the back door, don’t let anyone see you.”

 

Cui Hao stood still, then asked: “What did the Empress Dowager say to you?”

 

At the mention of the Empress Dowager, Liu Cheng’s brow furrowed again, “Is that any of your business?”

 

His tone was somewhat harsh, and the room fell silent for a moment. Liu Cheng slightly opened his eyes; he knew he was bottling up frustration and knew he shouldn’t take it out on Cui Hao, but once his temper flared, it was hard to control. Just as he was about to soften his tone and offer some words of comfort, he heard Cui Hao say softly: “I know I shouldn’t meddle in these matters, and I don’t intend to. I just want to tell you, if you’re not happy staying in Chang’an anymore, let’s leave. Even if it’s in some rural mountain valley, as long as I have you, I don’t care. I’ll submit my resignation tomorrow…”

 

Liu Cheng suddenly opened his eyes wide, jumping up from the bed: “Resignation? What resignation? Who told you to resign!”

 

Cui Hao frowned slightly: “Zhongpei…”

 

The suppressed fire in Liu Cheng’s heart was completely ignited. He pointed at Cui Hao’s nose and cursed loudly: “I painstakingly promoted you, helped you step by step to become someone of high status, was it for you to reach a high position and then leave? Did your blind old mother weave fishing nets to support your coming to Chang’an just for you to submit a resignation?!”

 

Cui Hao blurted out: “If I don’t leave on my own, should I wait for others to drive me out?!”

 

As soon as the words were spoken, the room instantly fell silent.

 

Cui Hao’s regret came too late. He gave a helpless, bitter smile and said, “The Remonstrance Office said they’re appointing someone to go to Huizhou as a Sima. Though the imperial edict hasn’t come down yet, it will most likely be me.”

 

“Huizhou? Sima?”

 

Huizhou was located in Lingnan, a malarial wasteland, traditionally a place where only officials who had committed serious errors were demoted to. The person he had painstakingly promoted, a top examination graduate and exceptional talent—how could he go to such a place!

 

But amidst his anger, Liu Cheng suddenly realized that the Remonstrance Office fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Secretariat, and now any decisions from the Imperial Secretariat no longer needed to go through him. He was just a puppet in name only; how could he protect anyone?

 

After a while, Liu Cheng pressed his brow and could only say: “Sima… is fine. You’re still young, there will be opportunities for promotion. A few years of hardship…”

 

“Zhongpei,” Cui Hao interrupted, “it doesn’t matter where I go or what position I hold. What I care about is you!”

 

Liu Cheng was taken aback and then laughed, “The Empress Dowager said the emperor is young and still needs me in court. How could I possibly go with you to Huizhou?”

 

“Retained in court for important use?” Cui Hao repeated, then stared at Liu Cheng in disbelief. Unable to find any inconsistency, he could only ask again: “Are you telling the truth?”

 

Liu Cheng’s back was stiff, but he forced himself to stand straight. “The Empress Dowager’s command, naturally it’s true.”

 

After a moment of silence, Cui Hao suddenly smiled, “Fine, then Huizhou it is. I will come back to find you one day.”

 

 

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