PC Chapter 31

When Su Cen saw the brief hesitation on Liu Cheng’s face, he knew he had hit the mark once again. A policy essay that determined the course of one’s official career—there was no way someone like Liu Cheng wouldn’t remember the topic, let alone the entire essay by heart. Yet, Liu Cheng had hesitated, which made it no surprise that Su Cen hadn’t found Liu Cheng’s exam papers in the Ministry of Rites’ archives.

Liu Cheng stopped and glared at Su Cen. “Are you accusing me of killing Tian Pingzhi?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Su Cen replied, lowering his head respectfully. “It’s just that certain parts of this case seem to involve you, Chancellor Liu. I only wish to untangle the threads and clear your name as soon as possible.” Su Cen appeared humble and harmless, though this same person had just viciously taken a bite out of Liu Cheng moments ago.

“I’ve heard that Chancellor Liu has a brother-in-law named Wu Deshui, who worked as a gatekeeper in the Eastern Market. It was confirmed that on the night of the murder, it was Wu Deshui who opened the market gate for the killer. He was later forced to drink and choked to death in Guiyi District. Does Chancellor Liu know anything about this?”

Liu Cheng stood up, ready to leave. “He was merely the brother of a concubine of mine. I had no contact with him. What does his death have to do with me?”

Su Cen followed closely. “But the wine that choked him was the imperial tribute wine, Huanglu Shao from Luzhou. How could a lowly gatekeeper have access to such wine?”

“My concubine often brought things to her family. I never paid attention to such trivial matters.”

Su Cen’s expression turned serious. “We captured a man in black who incited Old Tian to commit the murders. He confessed that Chancellor Liu was the one who killed Tian Pingzhi. How does Chancellor Liu explain that?”

Liu Cheng paused mid-step, casting a cold, venomous glance at Su Cen, as if he intended to pin him to the ground right then and there. Finally, Liu Cheng let out a cold laugh. “It seems that Scholar Su, who opposed the ruling party in the past, has now chosen his side.”

Su Cen replied calmly, “My only concern is the truth. Solving cases requires solid evidence.”

“Then let me ask you, Lord Su: who investigated this case with you? Where is this man in black now? Did you personally interrogate him, or are you relying on someone else’s word? Don’t forget, I was just an ordinary scholar during that exam. Do you think I had the power to leave the examination hall, commit murder, and then have someone clean up the traces afterward?”

Su Cen stood frozen in place.

It was Qi Lin who had gone with him to investigate Wu Deshui’s residence in Guiyi Ward and had traced the clues from the wine jar and bedding to Liu Cheng. The man in black was being held in the dungeon of Xingqing Palace, and the information had come from Qu Ling’er. However, the man had reportedly been tortured beyond recognition—was it possible his testimony had been altered under duress?

Liu Cheng patted Su Cen on the face. “Don’t let yourself be used by others and think you’re so clever. In the end, if you’re playing with fire, you’ll only burn yourself.”

After Liu Cheng had walked far away, Su Cen finally came to his senses. His fingertips felt icy, trembling slightly. He gazed into the distance, where dark clouds had crept in from the east, now covering the roof of Xingqing Palace’s Hua’e Xianghui Pavilion. It was clear a heavy downpour was imminent.

Su Cen managed to return to the Su residence just before the storm hit. As soon as he stepped through the door, a thunderclap boomed, followed by torrential rain.

Relieved, Su Cen thought to himself how lucky he was. But before he could catch his breath, he heard a soft sound at the gate. A figure approached, holding a sky-blue silk umbrella. From beneath the umbrella, a pair of pale eyes peeked out.

Qu Ling’er, hearing the door creak open, yawned as he walked out of the inner room, asking, “Brother Su, how did the audience with the emperor go? Was that little emperor…” Upon seeing who had arrived, he froze and, like a startled cat, darted back into the inner room in a panic, terrified that Qi Lin had come to drag him back to the dungeon.

Qi Lin glanced toward the inner room, then addressed Su Cen calmly, “Master wants to see you.”

Knowing he couldn’t avoid this, Su Cen sighed inwardly and replied, “Please wait a moment while I change clothes, Guard Qi.”

Su Cen went to his bedroom, leaving Qu Ling’er and Qi Lin awkwardly facing each other in the room. Qu Ling’er felt extremely uneasy, unsure whether to sit or stand. Finally, realizing he couldn’t afford to offend Qi Lin—lest he face consequences later—he picked up a handkerchief and approached with a grin, helping wipe the rain off his face. “Brother Qi, it’s better to resolve grievances than to hold onto them. Your master likes my Brother Su a lot, and we’ll be seeing each other often. Isn’t it better if we all get along?”

Qi Lin grabbed his wrist. Qu Ling’er tried to pull away but couldn’t, as he had him firmly in his grasp. Qi Lin coldly stared at his panicked face. “Wolf cub? Little bastard?”

Qu Ling’er cursed inwardly. How could he still remember the insults he had hurled at him in the dungeon? Smiling nervously, he quickly said, “Oh no, Brother Qi, you must have misheard. That night, you even held me in your arms the whole night! I have nothing but admiration and respect for you—how could I have insulted you?”

Qi Lin’s other hand reached out slowly. Qu Ling’er’s heart raced. Was he going to break his wrist? Or snap a few of his fingers?

But he simply took the handkerchief from his hand, saying, “I’ll do it myself.”

“Haha… alright,” Qu Ling’er replied, awkwardly withdrawing his hand.

Just then, Su Cen came out in casual clothes, and Qu Ling’er sighed in relief, as if he had been granted a pardon.

Qi Lin stood, tucking the handkerchief into his sleeve. “Let’s go.”

Qu Ling’er saw them to the door, glaring fiercely at Qi Lin’s back and snatching a handkerchief from him in defiance. How infuriating!

On the way, neither spoke. Su Cen knew that the conversation he had with the young emperor wouldn’t have escaped Li Shi’s notice. He also knew that Li Shi wouldn’t summon him in the pouring rain unless it was to hold him accountable. Su Cen mentally rehearsed a series of excuses, finally deciding that honesty was the best policy. After all, he had promised Li Shi not to involve himself in the case, so it was understandable if Li Shi was angry. However, based on their previous interactions, Su Cen believed that Li Shi wasn’t entirely unreasonable. If he could appeal to his emotions and reason, surely Li Shi wouldn’t do anything too severe to him.

When Qi Lin brought him to the location, Su Cen was momentarily taken aback. It wasn’t the Qinzheng Wuben Tower, where Li Shi usually handled official matters, nor the residence of Princess Ning Consort where Su Cen had stayed before. Instead, it was the official bedchamber of Prince Ning, a place Su Cen had never entered.

Qi Lin gave a curt “Take care of yourself,” opened the door, and gestured for Su Cen to enter.

The room was filled with the scent of sandalwood. The sky outside was dim, and the room had yet to be lit. Only a faint candle burned inside a small alcove, casting weak light. Su Cen walked over and saw Li Shi bathed in the soft glow, which sharply outlined the contours of his face. He wore a long black robe draped over his shoulders, his chest partially exposed, with his long hair cascading down like a waterfall, as though he had just prepared for bed. Leaning against the couch, he was casually flipping through a book.

Just as Su Cen was about to step forward, Li Shi, without even lifting his head, commanded, “Kneel.”

Su Cen was stunned. Aside from the first time he came and knelt until he was half-dead, Li Shi had never asked him to kneel again. After his initial hesitation, Su Cen didn’t dare take another step and immediately knelt down where he was.

Fortunately, Li Shi didn’t make him kneel for long this time. After flipping through a couple more pages of his book, he tossed it aside and got up, moving toward Su Cen.

Thunder roared outside the window. In a flash of lightning, Su Cen saw his expression clearly—cold and ruthless, like a bloodthirsty beast!

He wasn’t going to give Su Cen any chance to explain; it was clear he intended to end him right here!

In panic, Su Cen scrambled to his feet, but before he could steady himself, a hand gripped his shoulder tightly, forcing him back onto his knees.

“Your Highness…” Su Cen spoke out in alarm, his brow furrowing in pain.

Li Shi grabbed his sharp chin, forcing him to look up and meet his gaze. “What did I tell you?” he asked coldly.

“I…”

Before Su Cen could say another word, he was thrown to the ground. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and yanked it down in one swift motion, ignoring his struggles. In just a few moves, his arms were pinned behind him.

“No…” Su Cen trembled, trying to back away, but a hand caught his ankle and dragged him back. With one pull, his clothes were torn to shreds. The cold gleam in Li Shi’s eyes reflected Su Cen’s terror—he was no longer seen as a person but as a beast awaiting slaughter.

“Your Highness… Li Shi! Listen to me! I won’t touch it again, I swear I won’t touch that case again!” If he didn’t defend himself now, he was certain he wouldn’t leave this room alive!

Li Shi paused, raising his hand to stroke Su Cen’s sweat-drenched face, then placed his hand over Su Cen’s trembling eyes.

“Too late,” Li Shi said.

With his other hand pressing down on Su Cen’s hip, he surged forward!

The darkness only intensified Su Cen’s fear, and the pain grew unbearable. He had known both pain and pleasure, but after experiencing sweetness, the agony became even more intolerable. The searing, tearing pain overwhelmed his mind, his entire body curling up in a tight, rigid ball, his brain momentarily going blank.

What followed was a relentless onslaught, as fierce and merciless as the storm outside. The lightning and thunder beyond the window were no match for the savagery inside the room. Li Shi had become a crazed beast, consuming him like raw flesh, desperate to devour him whole, skin and all.

Su Cen’s eyes trembled violently beneath Li Shi’s palm, each tear that escaped leaving a cool trail, slowly soaking the entirety of Li Shi’s hand.

Finally, Li Shi released him, watching as the long-suppressed tears cascaded down Su Cen’s face, mixing with sweat and dampening his jet-black hair.

“It hurts… it hurts…” Su Cen’s pale lips quivered, barely able to form a complete sentence, his voice reduced to broken gasps.

“Alright,” Li Shi withdrew, lifting Su Cen by the waist and placing him gently on the bed. He frowned at the sticky redness between Su Cen’s legs. He had been too harsh this time. With a sigh, he decided to offer some comfort later. Gently, he wiped the tears from Su Cen’s face. “The pain is to make sure you remember this lesson.”

“I remember…” Su Cen murmured, “I also recall now… this isn’t the first time you’ve wanted to kill me, is it?”

“Back at the gates of the examination hall… the one who wanted to kill me… was you, right?”

 

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