PCA Chapter 230

Within Longxi territory stood Tianshui City, located on the border between Longxi Circuit and Guannei Circuit—a necessary passage from the frontier into the interior.

 

At the first light of dawn, a long queue had already formed outside the city gates. Peddlers and laborers carried baskets and shouldered loads, rushing to enter the city early to sell fresh vegetables and fruits in exchange for a few coins to support their families.

 

Though you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, no one was willing to spend those two coins for lamp oil. The crowd waited silently in the darkness, letting the morning dew gradually dampen their hair and clothing.

 

In the darkness, notices posted on the city wall could be dimly discerned. In this remote small city far from the emperor, no one bothered to maintain the outer wall properly. The notices were pasted haphazardly, wrinkled and tattered from wind, sun, and rain, fluttering in the wind like old plaster peeling from the wall. In the most prominent position was still posted a notice issued from the capital to all prefectures and counties half a month ago—a case of imperial tomb robbery had revealed the truth about the former emperor’s death. The young emperor had personally issued an edict proving Prince Ning’s innocence and the entire court welcomed Prince Ning’s return to the palace. Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. What had once been world-shocking news had faded in the streets and alleys, new notices covering the old ones, yet not even half a shadow of Prince Ning had been found.

 

Rumors said Prince Ning had lost faith in the court and was now living in seclusion beyond the passes, enjoying a carefree life. Others claimed Prince Ning had never actually left but had been hidden away, and the wanted notices were merely a smokescreen. Still others said Prince Ning had contracted a serious illness shortly after leaving the capital and had already died in a foreign land, which was why there had been no news for so long.

 

In the darkness, two people huddled together, heads touching as they whispered.

 

“After Tianshui City, we’ll be in Guannei territory. We went through such trouble to get out initially, but unexpectedly we’re going back so soon.” Su Cen rested his head lightly on Li Shi’s shoulder, gazing at a lone star on the horizon as he spoke intermittently. “I remember I had to put you in a coffin to transport you out. Do you remember?”

 

Li Shi lowered his eyes slightly: “What do you think?”

 

During that period just after escaping Chang’an, he had barely been conscious. Su Cen had prepared two full sacks of sleeping drugs in the carriage, and whenever he showed signs of waking, another bowl would immediately be poured down his throat. The sleeping drugs combined with Su Cen’s constant murmuring of “where there’s life, there’s hope” had made Li Shi feel like he was making up for all the sleep he’d missed over the years.

 

He couldn’t understand how this little rascal had the courage to blow up Xingqing Palace but lacked the courage to look him in the eye and discuss this matter properly.

 

Of course Su Cen didn’t dare discuss it. You were already prepared to die for the state with a heart set on self-sacrifice—such a grand scheme, with Feng Yiming dead and Chen Ying dead, only to have it all blown sky-high by his explosives at the last moment. He was afraid—afraid Li Shi would wake up and scold him thoroughly, and even more afraid Li Shi would stubbornly insist on returning to die.

 

Scholar Su was confident in his quick wit. He wanted to prepare a complete set of flawless arguments to ensure he could move heaven and earth and kill Li Shi’s thoughts of returning to Chang’an.

 

Unfortunately, before he could prepare, Li Shi woke up.

 

He didn’t know exactly when this old fox had awakened or how long he had been secretly planning. That night, he had settled Li Shi to sleep as usual, then picked up a teacup near the window and took a sip of water. Not long after swallowing, he began to feel disoriented, then saw the person who should have been dead asleep sitting up from the bed, looking at him with completely clear eyes.

 

His last thought was: “I’m done for.”

 

Two days later, Lord Su slowly awakened in the carriage. Ignoring the splitting pain in his head, he scrambled up to give chase.

 

Only when he saw the person driving outside, and the endless snow-capped mountains hidden behind that figure, did tears suddenly fall.

 

Li Shi hadn’t abandoned him but had continued west according to his original plan. Su Cen attributed this to his successful ideological work finally making the man change his mind, not knowing that Prince Ning was still here mainly because Su Cen had blocked all the return routes.

 

He had fled the night before the truth came to light, which would have confirmed his guilt in murdering that bastard Li Xun. Returning now would only mean being turned into a sieve. Since he wasn’t simply dying for the sake of dying, why would he walk into a trap? But Su Cen, in his concern and confusion, had focused only on preventing Li Shi’s death, forgetting that the great web Li Shi had woven was premised on this being a case without evidence that couldn’t be solved clearly and had to be judged by the heart.

 

Thus Prince Ning could only begin his exile career with half helplessness and half novelty, until Empress Dowager Chu passed away, the imperial tomb was robbed, and the truth was revealed to the world—only then did he set out to return to the palace.

 

But he couldn’t return in the grand manner the young emperor had arranged for him. Many wanted him back, but many others didn’t, such as Li Sheng, who had originally wished he could drag him back for public execution at the East Market. Now he could only pray that Li Shi was hiding in some corner and would never return for the rest of his life.

 

Just as the yin hour arrived and the city gates were about to open, the queue that had seemed asleep slowly awakened and began moving forward slowly.

 

Su Cen followed Li Shi silently forward. In the dim light, the figure ahead appeared especially tall and mighty, giving an indescribable sense of security.

 

Soon the city gates opened, and two groups of officials emerged, shouting for the queue to line up properly while pulling out two portraits from their chests to compare with each person.

 

Su Cen’s expression darkened slightly. He hadn’t expected Li Sheng’s reach to extend here before they’d even entered the interior.

 

Li Shi glanced back at Su Cen. Fortunately, they had prepared early and were now disguised. Su Cen’s changes were minimal—mainly covering his eyes somewhat. Those eyes were too bright, sparkling with spirit in every smile and frown. Now he had drawn a circle around his eye sockets with charcoal ash, giving him the appearance of a debauched young master. Li Shi had made more dramatic changes, adding many wrinkles to his face, dyeing his black hair gray and white, and sticking a tuft of goat beard to his chin—today they were playing father and son.

 

“Lower your posture more,” Su Cen said in a suppressed voice. “What old man has your bearing? You look more spirited than me, your son.”

 

Li Shi smiled faintly: “Call me father and let me hear it.”

 

Su Cen silently rolled his eyes. What kind of fetish was this? Originally he wanted to play traveling merchants, but Li Shi insisted on father and son. Fine, but now he was developing bad habits.

 

“This is advance practice, so you won’t be unable to say it when the time comes,” Li Shi suddenly lowered his voice and bent down, his lips nearly touching Su Cen’s ear. “Call me father this time, next time we’ll play husband and wife.”

 

Su Cen’s face reddened along with his ears. Fortunately it was dark and no one could see.

 

Still, he called out quietly: “Father…”

 

Before the words were fully out, he was kicked in the buttocks and sent stumbling out of line. Before he could react, he heard Li Shi’s vigorous voice: “Don’t call me father—I don’t have such a scoundrel son!”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

The queue’s silence was broken as people front, back, left and right, including the officials checking identities, all looked over.

 

Su Cen looked at Li Shi with a face full of black lines, seeing that after kicking him once, the man was making as if to kick again. The people around couldn’t stand it and hurriedly held him back. An old man carrying vegetables used his shoulder pole to separate them, pulling Li Shi aside to mediate: “Little brother, little brother… there’s no overnight grudge between father and son. Whatever it is, talk it out nicely—don’t resort to violence first.”

 

Li Shi flicked his sleeve: “I don’t have such an unfilial son!”

 

“What’s this about?” An old man carrying firewood from behind also rushed to join the excitement. “Don’t get angry first—tell us and we’ll help judge who’s right.”

 

What judging—they clearly just wanted to watch the drama.

 

Who knew that the reclusive Prince Ning, taking advantage of no one recognizing him here, would really let himself go, pointing at Su Cen until his two tufts of goat beard trembled: “This scoundrel won’t marry the perfectly good refined young lady I arranged for him, but insists on marrying a forty-something old woman!”

 

Sounds of gasping arose all around—clearly quite satisfied with this gossip.

 

Li Shi winked at Su Cen, then switched to a tone of heartbroken anguish: “That old woman is even a widow! What exactly do you see in her?!”

 

All the surrounding gazes were drawn over, and the entire queue slowed down.

 

Su Cen decided to play along with Li Shi’s act to the end, stiffening his neck: “Don’t talk about Chunfang like that! Her short-lived husband died over twenty years ago. I’ll marry no one but her in this lifetime!”

 

“You… you scoundrel…” Li Shi made as if to kick again but was held back by the surrounding people.

 

“Little brother, you’re wrong about this,” the vegetable-selling old man earnestly advised. “They say marriage depends on parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words. How can such an important matter as marriage be treated as child’s play? Listen to your father and go back to marry that young lady.”

 

“But…” Su Cen suddenly smiled slyly, “Chunfang is already carrying my child.”

 

Seeing the timing was right, Li Shi grabbed a piece of firewood from a nearby load and was about to strike. Su Cen was quick-eyed and fast-handed, taking off running. The guards at the gate had watched the whole comedy, knew these two weren’t the people they were looking for, laughed heartily and let them pass.

 

At the end, one couldn’t help teasing: “How does a widow taste?”

 

Su Cen called back while running: “Wonderful!”

 

Only when he ran into an empty alley did Su Cen slowly stop, gasping for breath, laughing continuously, until he was embraced from behind in arms carrying a faint sandalwood scent and gradually calmed down.

 

The person behind him delicately kissed his slightly sweaty neck, breathing heavily: “Say it again—how does a widow taste?”

 

“A widow can’t compare to a forty-something widower,” Su Cen turned back to tear off the man’s goat beard and kiss his face. “I’ll marry no one but you in this lifetime.”

 

“Little rascal,” Li Shi laughed and held him close, rubbing his head. “Let’s go.”

 

Taking advantage of no one around, Su Cen interlaced their fingers: “It’s agreed—next time we play husband and wife, you’ll play my wife.”

 

Li Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled: “That really would be a forty-something old widow.”

 

Su Cen beamed at him: “A husband doesn’t despise his wife’s ugliness. She’s my wife through thick and thin—I’ll make do.”

 

After entering the interior, the road became even harder to travel. The layered inspections grew increasingly strict, and despite their good disguises, Su Cen and Li Shi nearly failed to fool the guards several times. The closer they got to the capital region, the more eerie the surrounding environment became. Though there had been rampaging foreign tribes at the frontier, there were still markets to attend where everyone bartered goods in lively fashion. Here, however, every household kept their doors tightly shut. Usually you couldn’t see a single person on the streets. Everyone hid in their homes with packed luggage beside them, as if waiting for some unknown fate to descend.

 

The closer they got to Chang’an, the more Li Shi’s emotions condensed. The bit of common folk’s air he had finally acquired gradually transformed back into that decisive prince as they neared Chang’an.

 

Su Cen’s heart hung suspended in mid-air. Over two months had passed—who knew what Chang’an had become? No one knew what awaited them.

 

They arrived at a small village in the capital’s outskirts just as the sky was darkening. Su Cen knocked on several households without success. Just as he was about to try one last house, Li Shi suddenly called him back.

 

Following Li Shi’s deep gaze, Su Cen saw a group of black shadows suddenly appear in the gradually enveloping night. These people were all tall and imposing, moving extremely fast yet silently, like night-traveling rakshasas.

 

Su Cen unconsciously held his breath, slowly retreating to Li Shi’s side and reaching out to grab half of Li Shi’s sleeve, ready to pull Li Shi and run if the situation turned bad.

 

But he saw Li Shi’s eyes were deep and profound, without any intention of retreating.

 

That group of people quickly approached, numbering twenty to thirty, dressed in black with black veils covering their faces—clearly not to be trifled with. Su Cen’s palms were drenched in cold sweat, his body involuntarily hunching into a desperate fighting stance, though he didn’t know if he could stop them even slightly.

 

Just a few steps away from them, the group suddenly stopped.

 

After a moment, these people knelt straight down before them.

 

The leader removed his black veil, revealing pale eyes that stared unblinkingly at Li Shi, his gaze flickering intensely.

 

Qi Lin bit his lip hard and prostrated himself on the ground in an almost reverent posture: “The Three Guards of Tuduo, reporting for duty!”

 

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