PCA Chapter 86

The imperial ship arrived in Luoyang in mid-winter. After docking, the group disembarked. Although the young emperor was unable to personally leave the capital to welcome his uncle, he specifically sent a ceremonial escort from the Ministry of Rites to receive Prince Ning. Along the way, banners fluttered, and the procession stretched for miles.

 

The journey from Luoyang to Chang’an would take another day. After disembarking, Li Shi didn’t even glance at the Zhou Mountain Palace that local officials had spent half a month preparing for him. Instead, he directly boarded the Ministry of Rites’ carriage.

 

Joining him in the carriage was a youth who looked no older than eleven or twelve. Dressed in black robes, his face was youthful, yet his demeanor was rigid and meticulous. His cold expression gave him an air of incongruity, as though he were an illegitimate child of Qi Lin—an impression difficult to shake.

 

Once Li Shi had settled into his seat, he nodded at the boy. The youth immediately began his report: “There are twenty-eight officials in Chang’an who have accepted bribes from salt merchants. The evidence has been obtained by informants planted in their offices. Among them, Minister of Personnel Li Qiong and Vice Minister Sun Yang are the leaders. It’s their desperation that has driven them to act recklessly this time. They’ve rallied the officials to submit a joint memorial accusing you of violating ancestral laws by forcibly abolishing the salt monopoly, disregarding the emperor, and disrupting court order. They’ve even threatened to resign en masse if you don’t leave office. The young emperor summoned you back to the capital urgently because he likely has no other choice.”

 

A mass resignation of officials would undoubtedly throw the court into chaos. Governance would grind to a halt with no one to execute orders, and grassroots concerns would never reach imperial ears. At best, it would require replacing an entire generation of officials and enduring a lengthy period of adjustment. At worst, it could destabilize the foundations of the state itself. Mishandling such a crisis could provoke widespread unrest among the populace and even threaten the dynasty’s survival.

 

“Hmph, their last-ditch struggle,” Li Shi sneered coldly, appearing unconcerned. He then asked, “What about Liu Cheng? Is he involved?”

 

The youth replied, “Prime Minister Liu hasn’t joined in stirring up trouble this time. On the contrary, he’s been working to placate the officials. It seems he wasn’t aware of the bribery.”

 

“He certainly knows how to play his cards,” Li Shi remarked, lightly tapping his jade thumb ring against the window frame. “Those people wouldn’t dare actually resign even if you gave them a hundred chances. When they back down later, they’ll claim it was thanks to Liu Cheng’s tireless persuasion that they stayed on. Meanwhile, I’ll be left as the villain who bore all the blame. He’ll earn goodwill with just a few words and gain even more favor from His Majesty—and who knows? He might even carve out another share for himself in official salt profits. Why wouldn’t he?”

 

The youth nodded in agreement before continuing, “There’s one more thing…”

 

Before finishing his sentence, however, he deliberately glanced at Su Cen.

 

Su Cen looked up and met the youth’s gaze directly. In that moment, he understood what was being implied.

 

Setting aside his unauthorized departure from the capital and absence from court meetings without reason, Su Cen had already offended many by implicating figures like Xue Zhi in recent events. As chief investigator in the Yangzhou case, there were those who wouldn’t dare target Prince Ning directly but would have no qualms about retaliating against him.

 

Li Shi frowned slightly and said to Su Cen, “Zi Xu, you might have to endure some grievances for now. I’ll make it up to you later.”

 

Su Cen nodded calmly. He wasn’t afraid of hardship; his main concern had been that someone might use him as leverage against Li Shi amidst all this political turmoil in the capital. Now that this seemed unlikely, he felt relieved.

 

Li Shi asked if there was anything else.

 

The youth shook his head.

 

Leaning back against his silk cushion seat, Li Shi said lightly, “Then tell them it’s time to close the net. Leave Li Qiong untouched for now—I still have use for him—but I want evidence of everyone else’s crimes distributed into every official’s hands by tomorrow morning’s court session.”

 

The youth acknowledged the order and disappeared through the window in an instant.

 

Su Cen watched as the curtain fell back into place but hesitated to speak. Sensing this, Li Shi asked directly: “What do you want to ask?”

 

Su Cen tugged at the corner of his mouth before replying dryly: “…That kid’s skills aren’t bad.”

 

The implication behind his words was clear: *You’re a prince—how could you even involve a child in something like this?!*

 

“Child?” Li Shi laughed. “This ‘child’ is actually older than you.”

 

Su Cen: “?”

 

Li Shi continued with a smile, “If I remember correctly, he’s two years older than Qi Lin. He just stopped growing after an illness in his youth. But his mind is sharp—he’s the one who set up all my covert networks in the capital. With his appearance, he easily fools those who lack insight.”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

Well, he was clearly one of those lacking insight.

 

The ceremonial escort for Prince Ning traveled through the night, arriving at Mingde Gate before sunrise. Even with a hundredfold courage, the gatekeepers wouldn’t dare block Prince Ning’s carriage outside the city walls. As a result, the gate opened half an hour earlier than usual, and news of Prince Ning’s return spread across Chang’an before dawn.

 

Su Cen disembarked at Changle Ward to return home. As expected, Ah Fu had meticulously tidied up the house as instructed. The snow in front of the door was cleared, the path was free of mud, and even a snowman had been built—there was no sign that the owner had been away.

 

This was far more reliable than Qu Ling’er, who had vanished again shortly after disembarking yesterday.

 

As Su Cen pushed open the door and entered the courtyard, he saw that unreliable person sitting on the veranda, gnawing on half a pork knuckle. He even greeted him cheerfully: “Good morning, Brother Su! You guys were so slow—I came back last night and even built a snowman for you at the door. Do you like it?”

 

Su Cen: “…”

 

After returning to Xingqing Palace, Li Shi changed into court attire and went straight to attend court—though it felt more like watching a drama. Seated in his chair, Prince Ning narrowed his eyes as he calmly observed officials below taking turns performing their “dog-eat-dog” acts.

 

A group of corrupt officials who had taken bribes were making their last stand by dragging innocent colleagues down with them. Naturally, this infuriated those uninvolved. That morning, every official came armed with incriminating information from various sources, eager to expose those who implicated them. The court was in uproar as old grievances were dredged up.

 

Just days ago, these same officials had been denouncing Prince Ning with righteous indignation. Now they scrambled to align themselves with him, claiming they had been misled by traitors and bore no ill will toward him.

 

Amidst the chaos, Liu Cheng and Li Qiong had the worst expressions. Liu Cheng had hoped to exploit the crisis by simultaneously undermining Li Shi and consolidating his own influence—a perfect two-pronged strategy. But Li Shi’s sudden return disrupted everything; not only did Liu Cheng fail to gain favor, but he also watched helplessly as others pledged loyalty to Li Shi instead.

 

Liu Cheng looked furious as if someone had desecrated his ancestors’ graves. Meanwhile, Li Qiong looked pale as if he’d seen those ancestors rise from their graves.

 

The detailed list of bribed officials delivered that morning left Li Qiong cold inside. It included names, dates, and amounts but conspicuously excluded him. He knew this wasn’t an oversight—it meant he still had some use but would face an even worse fate later.

 

The next day, Li Qiong submitted a resignation letter requesting retirement. However, it was immediately rejected by Li Shi with a note: “You are a pillar of the nation and must remain in court to assist governance.”

 

Li Qiong thought bitterly—how could he assist governance when his life was at stake? Yet every resignation attempt was denied. With no other options, he feigned illness and stopped attending court altogether—anything to avoid facing Li Shi.

 

Prince Ning appeared sympathetic and sent bird’s nest soup and ginseng to help “restore” Li Qiong’s health.

 

That very night, an assassination attempt occurred at Li Qiong’s residence. A favored concubine served him a bowl of calming soup laced with poison. If not for some spilling onto the floor and being licked by a dog that promptly died, Li Qiong would have been buried in his backyard by now.

 

Early the next morning, before dawn, an unexpected guest appeared at the gates of Xingqing Palace. As Li Shi stepped out after dressing, he was immediately clung to by Li Qiong, who had lost all his usual composure. The Minister sobbed uncontrollably, crying, “Your Highness, save me! Someone is trying to kill me! You must save me!”

 

Li Shi calmly helped him up and said, “Minister Li, you are a high-ranking official of the court. Who would dare to kill you?”

 

“My concubine… my concubine tried to kill me! She must have been planted by someone! And my cook, my maid—they might all be trying to kill me!” Li Qiong rambled incoherently. “They think I’ve defected to you and revealed the list of names. They want to silence me!”

 

Li Shi’s eyes narrowed. “Who are ‘they’?”

 

Li Qiong froze for a moment, visibly shrinking in fear. After glancing around nervously, he stammered, “If I tell you… will Your Highness protect me?”

 

Li Shi smiled faintly. “That depends on whether you’re worth saving.”

 

As Minister of Personnel, Li Qiong held immense power over the appointment and evaluation of officials across the empire. By bribing him, secret factions like Secret Door could easily infiltrate the court. In fact, figures like Xue Zhi had risen through Li Qiong’s influence. While other corrupt officials implicated in the Yangzhou case faced demotion or dismissal, Li Qiong remained unscathed under Prince Ning’s protection—arousing suspicion on all sides.

 

Secret Door likely didn’t fully trust that Li Qiong had defected to Li Shi but preferred a dead man over a potential liability. However, they underestimated that Li Shi also had spies in Li Qiong’s household. This forced Li Qiong into a corner, driving him straight into Prince Ning’s hands.

 

Proving his years of experience as Minister of Personnel, Li Qiong recited from memory a detailed list of officials Secret Door had planted in the court—from high-ranking ministers to minor county clerks—leaving nothing out.

 

Li Shi glanced at the list, his expression turning icy. Sensing danger, Li Qiong anxiously asked, “Your Highness… what about me?”

 

Without sparing him another look, Li Shi instructed Qi Lin: “Strip him of his rank and send him out of the capital under a new identity. He is never to hold office again.”

 

Li Qiong collapsed to the ground but felt relieved—at least his life was spared.

 

The political turmoil in the capital dragged on for nearly half a month before subsiding. Just as everyone began to relax, Prince Ning stirred things up again by announcing an unscheduled Jingcha[mfn]capital inspection[/mfn].

 

Jingcha was an evaluation of officials’ performance during their tenure, categorizing them into eight groups such as corrupt or incompetent and determining promotions or dismissals accordingly. Though typically conducted every six years, Prince Ning initiated it just four years after the last one—right before the year-end festivities—causing widespread unease.

 

The inspection inevitably led to personnel changes; some officials were dismissed while others took their place. Quietly and methodically, Prince Ning had reshuffled the imperial bureaucracy.

 

By the time everything settled down, it was already time for the year-end grand sacrifices.

 

At year’s end, the emperor and court officials would first perform rituals at the southern outskirts to pray for favorable weather and national prosperity in the coming year. They would then proceed to the ancestral temple to honor their forebears and inspire future generations. Normally organized by both the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple, preparations for this year’s ceremony were rushed due to delays caused by Jingcha.

 

On the day of the ceremony, the Northern Imperial Guards cleared the way as the young emperor’s carriage took center position. To his left was Prince Ning; to his right was Empress Dowager Chu. Following them were all officials ranked fifth grade and above as they exited Chengtian Gate[mfn]means “Bearing the Mandate of Heaven,” symbolizing the emperor’s divine authority. It served as the main entrance to the Imperial City and was used for significant ceremonies, such as imperial proclamations and celebrations.[/mfn] and proceeded along Zhuque Avenue toward their destination.

 

The grand sacrificial ceremony was meant to bless the people, so the streets along the ceremonial procession were not cleared, allowing the public a chance to witness the emperor.

 

Su Cen followed at the rear of the procession, walking leisurely. Although he had been demoted back to his previous position as **Assistant Magistrate of the Dali Temple** , it wasn’t much of a grievance. His earlier promotion to **Junior Chief Judge was only temporary, primarily to match Xue Zhi’s rank as a regional governor. In hindsight, it seemed Li Shi had deliberately given him that honorary title, knowing he would later be demoted. Additionally, Su Cen was fined six months’ salary, but being wealthy, he hardly cared.

 

Su Cen had seen several memorials impeaching him in Li Shi’s possession—some even demanded his permanent dismissal and exile. However, Li Shi had worked hard to minimize the consequences. Interestingly, most of these memorials came from officials under Li Shi’s father-in-law, Wen Tingyan. Su Cen couldn’t figure out why this influential figure seemed intent on eliminating him as if he were a threat.

 

Regardless, with official salt replacing the salt monopoly decree, Su Cen emerged unscathed. The matter concluded smoothly for all involved.

 

Despite being at the end of the procession, Su Cen wasn’t overlooked. First, as this year’s top-ranking scholar, his recent success in solving major cases kept him in public attention. Second, his youth and striking appearance—dark hair tied high, jade-like complexion, and a cold demeanor—made him stand out among the older officials. This caused quite a stir among onlookers; some young women even followed the procession for miles just to catch another glimpse of him.

 

However, Su Cen remained composed and focused, walking with his head held high and gaze steady. The only moment he seemed distracted was when his eyes lingered briefly on Prince Ning’s carriage ahead.

 

The procession proceeded smoothly for most of the journey until it suddenly slowed down.

 

Something seemed to have caused a disturbance up front. From his position at the rear, Su Cen could only hear murmurs of speculation but couldn’t see clearly.

 

Suddenly, a sharp scream pierced through the crowd. People scattered in panic as soldiers from the Imperial Guards drew their blades. Someone shouted urgently: “Assassins! Protect His Majesty!”

 

Moments later, Su Cen saw thick smoke billowing and flames rising from the front of the procession.

 

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that what was burning… appeared to be a person.

 

 

---