PCA Chapter 75

“He Xiao, born in the fourth year of Yonglong, from Dihua Village in Nanling County. Orphaned at a young age, he made a living herding cattle for wealthy families in the village. Later, due to his love for reading, he was taken in by the village’s private tutor to help out and audit classes. In the fifth year of Tianshou, he failed the county examination. He tried again in the seventh year of Tianshou and finally passed, becoming a xiucai. In the eighth year of Tianshou, he went to Suzhou to take the provincial examination…”

 

“Wait,” Su Cen interrupted Qi Lin, who had just returned from investigating He Xiao’s hometown, frowning as he asked, “Was he in the same examination year as me?”

 

“Yes,” Qi Lin nodded slightly, “But he wasn’t as lucky as you.”

 

They both took the provincial examination in the eighth year of Tianshou. They might have even nodded to each other in the examination hall, but while Su Cen claimed the top spot, He Xiao failed to pass and returned home in disappointment.

 

Qi Lin continued, “However, there’s another story that He Xiao was quite talented, but the official in charge of the provincial examination had accepted bribes, so he failed the poor scholar He Xiao and passed the sons of wealthy families instead.”

 

Qi Lin glanced at Su Cen after finishing. Su Cen was startled, thought about the sons of wealthy families, looked at himself, and quickly waved his hands, saying, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t bribe anyone. I didn’t even know that official.”

 

“I relied on my true abilities,” he thought to himself.

 

Qi Lin then continued, “There’s one more thing, though I’m not sure if it’s useful. He Xiao apparently had a childhood sweetheart in his hometown, a silk-washing girl. It seems she even raised the money for his trip to Suzhou for the examination.”

 

Su Cen pondered and asked, “Where is this silk-washing girl now?”

 

Qi Lin shook his head, “We couldn’t find her. She was also an orphan. Shortly after He Xiao left, no one saw her again.”

 

“Could it be that he’s keeping her hidden? One in Yangzhou and another hidden away?” Su Cen thought aloud, “No, that’s not right. He Xiao is too cautious to leave such a vulnerability. A silk-washing girl who could raise enough money for He Xiao’s examination trip? Where did she get the money?”

 

Qi Lin stood by, listening to Su Cen’s muttering. Su Cen’s fingertips lightly tapped the table, his brows slightly furrowed, looking as if he was unraveling a complex case. No wonder the master took an interest in him; when they were serious, the two looked almost identical.

 

Except one was scheming for truth and justice, while the other was scheming for the fate of the nation.

 

The door creaked softly as another person entered. Seeing Qi Lin, his eyes lit up, “Brother Qi, you’re back!”

 

Qi Lin nodded, and Qu Ling’er happily approached him, his peach blossom eyes curved in a smile as he said, “Brother Qi must be exhausted from the journey. You seem to have lost weight. Tonight, I’ll ask Sister Cui in the kitchen to make you a nourishing soup…”

 

Su Cen watched this and lightly coughed, “Let’s discuss business first.”

 

Qu Ling’er reluctantly tore his gaze from Qi Lin and said to Su Cen with annoyance, “Yes, Brother Su.”

 

Qu Ling’er took out a small bottle from his sleeve: “This poison is called ‘Thousand-Day Drunkenness’. When first consumed, it only causes weakness in the limbs and chills, similar to being drunk. But with long-term use, it infiltrates the internal organs until it’s incurable.”

 

Su Cen asked, “How long is ‘long-term’?”

 

Qu Ling’er replied, “That’s the tricky part of this poison. Unlike others that can take effect in one dose, this needs to be administered daily for two to three months to be fatal. The advantage is that it’s undetectable when it takes effect. The poisoned person appears to have caught a cold, growing weaker day by day, killing silently.”

 

Su Cen frowned and said, “So that’s how it is.”

 

The death of the Jia family’s eldest son was certainly not due to a cold, but rather a long-planned scheme.

 

Su Cen asked Qi Lin, “What about the other person I asked you to inquire about?”

 

Qi Lin nodded, “I’ve brought them. They’re settled in the side room.”

 

Su Cen nodded. Now that he had both witness and physical evidence, He Xiao had nowhere to escape. The question was how to link He Xiao to the salt monopoly decree.

 

Meanwhile, Qu Ling’er quietly leaned closer to Qi Lin, who gently supported him with an upraised hand.

 

Su Cen rolled his eyes. “Go on, get out of here. Spare me the public display.”

 

But Qi Lin’s expression turned serious. “Something’s wrong.”

 

He glanced down and saw that Qu Ling’er was almost limp in his arms, his entire body weakening.

 

Su Cen immediately stepped forward to support him, “What’s wrong?”

 

Qu Ling’er struggled to stand up and said, “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy from being with Xiao Hong for too long. That poison maniac, even her perfume is made from two types of poison.”

 

Su Cen frowned. He had always felt that Miss Qing Chen’s fragrance was unusual. No wonder she said her perfume was deadly; it seemed to be true indeed.

 

The perfume is poison… Su Cen paused, pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Qi Lin and said, “Leave this to me. Go now and save someone for me!”

 

–

 

Qu Ling’er, bored, played with the candle wick on the table, watching the room’s light flicker, stretching and shrinking Su Cen’s shadow who was pacing back and forth in front of him.

 

After a while, he put down the scissors and sighed softly.

 

Su Cen immediately stopped pacing and asked, “What’s wrong? Still dizzy?”

 

Qu Ling’er shook his head, thought for a moment, then nodded, “Brother Su, your pacing is making me dizzy.”

 

Su Cen thought to himself that if Qu Ling’er stopped fiddling with the candlestick, he wouldn’t be dizzy. Considering that Qu Ling’er had just helped him and nearly got hurt, he softened his tone and said, “If you can’t handle it, go back and rest first.”

 

“I’m fine,” Qu Ling’er shook his head, “Don’t worry, with Brother Qi there, nothing will go wrong.”

 

Su Cen responded vaguely, his mind already elsewhere.

 

He had Feng Yiming seal the Jia family’s salt shop while leaving the Wang family untouched, intending to make the two families turn on each other, letting them fight until both were wounded, then he would reap the benefits.

 

But he had miscalculated. A cornered dog will leap over a wall, and He Xiao, when cornered—would kill.

 

Previously, he wasn’t sure if He Xiao had blood on his hands, but now it seemed there was more than one life.

 

Suddenly, there was a sound of something falling outside, followed by a series of chaotic footsteps. Su Cen had just opened the door when he saw Qi Lin supporting someone as they entered. Both were covered in soot, their clothes in tatters. The person being supported seemed to have fainted and was dragged by Qi Lin to a chair. Su Cen immediately followed, urgently asking, “Who is this…?”

 

Qi Lin brushed aside the person’s messy hair for Su Cen to see and said, “Jia Wangchun.”

 

Su Cen frowned, “What happened to him?”

 

“He’s not seriously hurt, just fainted.”

 

“How did this happen?”

 

Qi Lin pointed outside, “The Jia family is gone.”

 

Qu Ling’er peeked outside, couldn’t help but exclaim, and hurriedly returned to call Su Cen, “Brother Su, come quick, look!”

 

Su Cen had just reached the courtyard when he froze. The night was cool, but the southeast direction was a sea of red. Even through the night sky, thick smoke obscured the moon, and flames lit up half the sky in the direction of the Jia family’s residence.

 

–

 

It was late at night when Li Shi returned to Xingqing Palace. Wu Chiha was already waiting outside. As soon as the curtain was lifted, he immediately stepped forward to offer his arm as support.

 

Li Shi got down from the carriage, pressed his brow, and then stepped inside.

 

The night was deep and windy. Wu Chiha draped a prepared cloak over him and asked, “Master, is it resolved?”

 

Li Shi nodded.

 

He never cared about Liu Cheng’s group in the court. No matter what he did, these people would always come out to make a fuss. What he really cared about were his own people.

 

When he married into the Wen family, admittedly, he had ulterior motives. At that time, his father was still alive, and he was in a fierce struggle with Li Xun[mfn]Emperor Tianshou[/mfn]. Li Xun had married the niece of the founding Duke Xiao Yongqian, who is now the Empress Dowager Chu. So he allied with the Left Chancellor Wen Tingyan’s daughter, Wen Shu. But at that time, he was focused on the battlefield, rarely returning home, and barely meeting her before she inexplicably passed away.

 

After Wen Shu’s death, although rumors about him never ceased, nothing was ever proven. This is why Wen Tingyan still considered their in-law relationship and looked after him. When he first entered politics, it was Wen Tingyan who helped him establish a foothold. Later, when Wen Tingyan retired, he handed over all his power to him. Although he had long since made these people his own, he couldn’t just break ties with Wen Tingyan and risk disheartening them.

 

Fortunately, Su Cen had spoken with Ning Yi before leaving this time. Old tortoises live for a thousand years, old terrapins for ten thousand – it takes an even older hand to keep the old fellows in check.

 

Wu Chiha handed him a note from behind, “Master, a letter from Yangzhou.”

 

Li Shi took it, glanced at it, then casually handed it back, asking, “When did it arrive?”

Wu Chiha took out a fire starter and burned the note on the spot, replying, “In the evening.”

 

Li Shi stopped and looked back towards the main gate. After a moment, he pulled his cloak tighter and ordered, “Tell everyone I’m ill. Refuse all visitors for a few days. Prepare the horses, we’re going to Yangzhou.”

 

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