PC Chapter 10

In early April, the Ministry of Personnel announced the appointment list for this year’s imperial exam candidates.

Cui Hao took advantage of the position of Zhongshu Sheren that Su Cen did not take that day. Zheng Yang was appointed as a Hanlin Shizao at the Hanlin Academy, responsible for reviewing and responding to memorials from all over the country, drafting imperial edicts, and other related matters. Coincidentally, this role involved the same duties as the Zhongshu Sheren position that Cui Hao held. However, the Hanlin Shizao handled internal edicts concerning significant state and military matters, while the Zhongshu Sheren dealt with external edicts such as official appointments and routine proclamations. The two had been at odds since they met, and now they are even more at odds with each other, fighting openly and secretly.

As for Su Cen, he did get into the Dali Temple as he wished, but on his first day, he cursed Li Shi from head to toe.

When Li Shi said he would have him enter the Dali Temple, he never mentioned what position Su Cen would hold there. It was only upon joining that Su Cen realized his role was that of a Registrar of Dali Temple, a seventh-rank position responsible for seals, reviewing documents, and checking discrepancies—a glorified logistics officer. After the front office finished reviewing cases, he had to transcribe, archive, and submit them to the Ministry of Justice. He was also tasked with auditing cases nationwide. Most days, he was stuck in the back hall of the Dali Temple, buried in documents. Not to mention high-profile cases; in a few days, he hadn’t even seen many people.

It was clear this was Li Shi deliberately giving him a hard time. His peers, Cui Hao and Zheng Yang, were already holding central positions in the capital, wielding real power. In contrast, his superior, the Temple Vice-Chief, immediately ordered him to organize all the criminal cases since the founding of the dynasty during the Wude era. Many documents were improperly stored, causing mildew, unclear handwriting, pages stuck together, and missing evidence that required cross-referencing to verify. After being buried in musty documents for several days without seeing daylight, he reeked of mildew and feared mushrooms might start growing on him.

On his day off, Su Cen instructed Ah Fu to move all the books from his room outside to air them out, and he also had his bedding and sheets dried. Lastly, he dragged a lounge chair outside and lay down in the sunlight himself. By now, he couldn’t stand the smell of mildew; any hint of it made him nauseous. Only after sunning himself thoroughly did he get up. When he turned around, he met someone’s resentful gaze.

The uninvited guest in his house had truly made himself at home. Early that morning, Su Cen heard Qu Ling’er ordering Ah Fu to go to the East Market to buy crab-stuffed pastries. He didn’t think much of it at first, but after Ah Fu left and Su Cen was about to go back to sleep, he heard the creak of Qu Ling’er’s door opening.

Qu Ling’er was still nursing his injury and had been confined to his room, with Ah Fu taking care of all his needs. According to Ah Fu, Qu Ling’er hadn’t left his room in days, acting very obedient. It seemed he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer today.

Su Cen immediately sat up in the lounge chair and quietly followed.

He watched as Qu Ling’er, clutching his waist, went to the backyard, arriving at the spot where he had fallen that day. He looked around, flipping through the grass carefully with his foot because of his injured waist. After a while, he chuckled softly and had just pulled something out when he turned around and froze.

Su Cen raised an eyebrow. “Master Qu, are you finding my place too humble and want to spend a few days in the Ministry of Justice’s jail instead?”

“You, you, you…” Qu Ling’er’s face went pale as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Dali Temple?”

Su Cen wasn’t in the mood for small talk and gestured with a nod for him to hand over whatever he had found.

During the few days Qu Ling’er had been staying at Su’s residence, he had come to understand that the owner of this house might have a face like a warm spring day, but he had a temperament like the coldest winter. When he narrowed his eyes, he had a hundred ways to make someone wish for death. After a moment’s hesitation, Qu Ling’er obediently handed over what he was holding.

It was a set of sleeve arrows and a belt. Su Cen picked them up and started examining them as he walked back to the house. The sleeve arrows were likely the mechanism Qu Ling’er had hidden in his sleeve that day. The belt was made of leather, with a beast-head buckle in the middle. It looked unremarkable on the outside, but it was quite intricate on the inside. Su Cen pulled out the hidden contents one by one and examined them, with Qu Ling’er sulking and following behind.

“What is this?”

Su Cen suddenly turned around, nearly causing Qu Ling’er to bump right into him.

Seeing clearly, Qu Ling’er replied, “A swallowtail dart.”

“A concealed weapon?”

“Four blades and three tips, highly concealable, easy to control, and easy to carry. This one’s been lightened, but its power is stronger than a standard dart.”

“Oh,” Su Cen nodded and casually tossed it into the corner, then picked up another item. “What about this?”

Qu Ling’er’s face twisted in pain as he watched but didn’t dare retrieve it under Su Cen’s intimidating stare. He could only continue, “A willow-leaf knife, named for its resemblance to a willow leaf. The blade is thin and curved, capable of taking a life from ten zhang away.”

Su Cen threw it away with a look of disdain and prodded around until he pulled out a cylindrical tube.

Qu Ling’er’s eyes widened in alarm. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed it. “Little ancestor, please be careful with that! This is a peacock plume. Inside are a hundred and eight silver needles. If you trigger the mechanism, we’ll both end up dead right here.”

Su Cen, now somewhat shaken, dared not handle it recklessly anymore. He went back inside and tossed the items on the table, looking up at Qu Ling’er.

Despite only being in the Dali Temple for a few days, Su Cen had already mastered the authoritative demeanor of an official. Qu Ling’er flinched, realizing he couldn’t bluff his way out of this. He reluctantly admitted, “These are the things I brought with me that day. I hid them in the grass, thinking if you found them, you wouldn’t take me in.”

“If you knew I wouldn’t take you in if I saw them, why did you try to retrieve them?”

“These are my lifeline,” Qu Ling’er said as he tried to grab his sleeve arrows, but Su Cen glared at him, forcing him to back off. He picked up a pen from the table instead and twirled it deftly between his slender fingers. “Don’t underestimate these little gadgets. All my hidden weapons have been modified by me. To fit a hundred and eight needles into a tube this size—even the Tang Clan, masters of hidden weapons, couldn’t achieve that.”

Qu Ling’er’s excitement grew as he spoke, his eyes narrowing with delight. The pen twirled faster and faster between his fingers. He had been practicing with hidden weapons since he was a child, so his hands were exceptionally nimble. Even a single silver needle could be spun on his fingertips. Having had to refrain from using his hands for so long, he now took out his frustration by twirling Su Cen’s pen.

After he finished explaining with great enthusiasm, Su Cen nodded. “And what else?”

“What else…?” Qu Ling’er pondered for a moment. “Nothing else, really.”

“How old are you?”

“Tw—twenty-six…”

Su Cen slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, startling him so much that the pen fell from his fingers. He hurriedly corrected himself, “Eighteen, eighteen!”

“You’re not even twenty yet, and you’re carrying all these deadly weapons into my yard—what exactly do you intend to do?!”

When Su Cen remained calm, his demeanor was as cold as ice. But when he got angry, his gaze alone could kill. Qu Ling’er was so intimidated he froze in place, unsure of what to do.

After a long moment, Qu Ling’er finally whispered, “I understand.”

He picked the pen up from the ground and placed it back on the pen holder. Then, he retrieved his belongings from the table. He secured the sleeve arrows to his arm and fastened the belt around his waist. He said to Su Cen, “Thank you for sheltering me these past few days. I will remember your kindness. If I survive, I will repay you one day.”

“But I doubt there’s anything you need me to repay,” Qu Ling’er added with a wry smile. “Everyone in this world has their own way of living. You are a young master of noble birth, never lacking food or clothes. But I need to eat too, and these things are how I make my living. I can’t give them up.”

Seeing that Su Cen remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on him, Qu Ling’er finally gave a slight smile, draped the blood-stained clothes he wore that day over his shoulders, and turned to leave the room.

He first went to the backyard, holding his waist, to retrieve his swallowtail darts and willow-leaf knives. These things might not have seemed precious before, but now that he was on the run with no supplies, each one could save his life.

He circled back to the front yard and glanced into the house again. Seeing Su Cen still sitting at the desk in the same posture, he sighed softly and turned to leave.

There was no need to feel disappointed; after all, he had been asking for too much. Su Cen wasn’t wrong either—breaking into someone’s yard in the middle of the night with no connection or reason, most people would have left him outside to die. The peace he had experienced these past few days was already a gift from the heavens; he shouldn’t expect more.

Just as he opened the courtyard gate, he bumped into Ah Fu returning with the crab-stuffed pastries. Ah Fu gave him a surprised look and handed over the paper-wrapped package. “Here, I had to wait in a long line to get these. I’m not going again next time. Even my young master isn’t this hard to serve.”

“There won’t be a next time.” Qu Ling’er smiled at him and accepted the package.

After stepping out of the courtyard gate, he suddenly heard a cold voice behind him, “You can stay, but those things must be handed over to me for safekeeping.”

Qu Ling’er turned back in surprise, only to see Su Cen leaning against the black wooden doorframe, his eyes carrying the same faint impatience as before. His words were devoid of warmth, yet they inexplicably brought a sense of comfort to Qu Linger’s heart.

“Remember, Qu Ling’er, if anything happens in Chang’an during this time, I will hold you accountable for it. Take care of yourself.”

 

---