PC Chapter 36

Su Cen looked up in a daze for a moment, seeing the man before him remain silent and still, merely watching him. His expression showed neither joy nor anger, making it impossible to read his emotions.

The umbrella Su Cen had brought was drifting further and further away on the lake’s surface.

Clutching his injured hand, Su Cen stood up, shook the mud from his clothes, lowered his gaze, and respectfully bowed.

Blood dripped from the lines of his palm, landing on the rain-soaked steps and the delicate white tips of the Biluochun tea leaves scattered on the ground.

Finally, Li Shi’s expression changed slightly as he asked, “What happened?”

Su Cen glanced briefly at the heir, Xiao Yuancheng, who was already pale with fear. Suddenly, Su Cen found it all so meaningless—living by the whims of others, bowing and scraping for others’ approval.

Pitiful and pathetic.

Straightening up, he smiled slightly at Li Shi and said, “It’s nothing. I just tripped.”

“Is that so?” Li Shi raised an eyebrow with interest.

Su Cen was sick of that expression—the calm, confident look of someone who was always in control, as if with a wave of his hand, others would kneel in gratitude. Gritting his teeth and enduring the throbbing pain in his palm, Su Cen said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

But Li Shi didn’t step aside. He looked at Su Cen, his eyes filled with amusement. “Yuancheng is still young. You should be more lenient with him.”

Behind him, Xiao Yuancheng, the heir, immediately lifted his head arrogantly.

“Oh?” Su Cen noticed this and suddenly burst into laughter. How absurd! The three of them, grown men, standing here, scheming and competing like women in a harem. How ridiculous that he had reduced himself to such a state, fighting for favor until he was bruised and bloodied.

After stifling his laughter with difficulty, he said, “Your Highness must be joking. You are the prince, and he is the heir. What right do I, a mere supervisor of the Dali Temple, have to let him have his way?”

“Or are we still playing by the rules of age, hierarchy, and moral duty in the prince’s harem?” Su Cen gave a cold smile. “If that’s the case, there’s no need for concern. The deal between us was simply a transaction where both sides got what they wanted. Now that the deal is over, I won’t come to trouble you again.”

Li Shi frowned slightly. “Zixu, stop this.”

“Don’t call me that name!” Su Cen suddenly exploded, biting off each word, “Don’t ever call me by my courtesy name again!”

When he had come of age, Old Lin had given him the courtesy name “Xu,” hoping he would be as bright as the sun and embody kindness. But hearing it now, in this situation, only made him feel like he had tarnished the name and betrayed Old Lin’s hopes for him.

“Your servant takes his leave.” Su Cen, holding back the burning rage in his chest, stared directly at Li Shi, his eyes almost pleading.

Let him go.

He had already shown every bit of his disgrace in front of this man. Could he not at least preserve the last shred of his dignity?

Li Shi squinted at him for a long time, then finally took a step back, making way for him.

Su Cen exhaled heavily and walked away, stepping on the scattered new tea leaves. The Biluochun was submerged in the low-lying mud, curling and twisting, the scene a wet mess.

It’s just as well that it’s shattered, Su Cen thought, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief. That day, they had sipped tea and discussed philosophy in this very lakeside pavilion, and now it was all coming to an end.

After all, none of them, including himself, were worthy of that tea.

Li Shi only withdrew his gaze once Su Cen, with his back straight, had walked away, disappearing into the misty rain in the distance.

The ground was covered with the finest Biluochun, like the remnants of a broken heart.

Xiao Yuancheng quickly put on a smiling face and stepped forward, “Your Highness, I’ve been here since early this morn—”

“Get out.”

The words were cold, sharp as ice.

Soaked in rain and wounded, Su Cen spent three days recovering at home before returning to the Dali Temple. He thought that after offending Li Shi, his days would be difficult, so he kept a low profile and lived quietly for some time. He even packed his things, ready to return to the decaying back palace at any moment. But to his surprise, it was as if Li Shi had forgotten about him. His duties as supervisor went smoothly; after Song Jiancheng left, there wasn’t even anyone to challenge him.

Naturally, with someone younger and much more agreeable around, who would still have time to bother with him?

It had always been just a transaction between them, so why expect any real affection?

It was only in the dead of night that he would recall certain things, like a thorn buried in his heart. Invisible from the outside, untouchable, but still there, pricking him, causing an ache, bleeding him inside.

He needed something to occupy himself. After much deliberation, he decided to revisit the New scholar case.

If the thorn couldn’t be pulled out, then he’d dull it, adapt to it, and learn to ignore it. If one issue couldn’t be resolved, he’d bury it with another.

The case had hit a dead end after Old man Tian was assassinated by the Secret Door, and Su Cen had no way to infiltrate them. Left with no choice, he decided to go back to the case of Tian Pingzhi from twelve years ago.

He scoured the records of the Dali Temple and found a gap in the files from March to April of the 22nd year of Yonglong. Not only was Tian Pingzhi’s case missing, but it seemed that the Dali Temple hadn’t taken on any new cases for an entire month. In May, Emperor Taizong passed away, and Emperor Shenzong, Li Xun, ascended to the throne, declaring a general amnesty. The Dali Temple remained silent until the following March of the following year, when new cases appeared again.

After Shenzong’s ascension, the number of cases handled by Chen Guanglu decreased significantly. Although he was eventually promoted to Chief Minister of the Dali Temple, he retired just a few years later and disappeared from public life entirely.

Since there were no official records in the Dali Temple files, what about Chen’s Penal Code, which was regarded as a legal authority by all criminal officers in the empire?

Su Cen immediately became excited. Chen’s Criminal Laws had been widely circulated, with many versions of varying quality. Luckily, the current deputy minister of the Dali Temple, Zhang Jun, was a student under Chen Guanglu and owned a complete set of Chen’s Criminal Laws. It was prominently displayed on the most visible shelf in his study, and it was said that Chen Guanglu himself had personally inscribed a dedication in that set, making it one of the original and most detailed editions.

Su Cen thought it would be a simple matter—just borrow it, take a look, and return it. But things didn’t go as planned.

Zhang Jun looked at Su Cen with a troubled expression. He explained that it wasn’t because he was being stingy, but because the book was out of print and had his teacher’s handwritten inscription. He planned to pass it down to his descendants as a family heirloom, so he had long ago set a rule that the book could not be borrowed out.

‘If you won’t lend it, then so be it,’ Su Cen shamelessly brought a gift and personally visited Zhang Jun’s home, thinking it wouldn’t be too much to just take a look in his study. Before going, Su Cen even went so far as to bathe and burn incense, as if he were preparing to read Buddha scriptures instead of criminal laws.

At this point, Zhang Jun had no choice. After exchanging a few pleasantries in the front hall, just as the tea was being served, there was a loud commotion from the backyard. The servants rushing about claimed there was a fire in the back. By the time they arrived, the study was already engulfed in flames, and it was impossible to enter.

Zhang Jun collapsed to the ground in despair. This little troublemaker—disaster follows wherever he goes. He hadn’t even caught his breath when he saw someone, soaked in water, rushing straight into the blaze.

Zhang Jun sat on the ground in a slump. This little ancestor is really capable. Wherever he goes, the plague god follows him. Before he could catch his breath, he saw a man in a wet coat rushing into the fire…

He let out a long wail to the heavens. What had he done to deserve this? What kind of person had he provoked? If that person were to perish here, by tomorrow, he’d have to present his whole family’s heads to that high lord!

In a panic, he staggered to his feet, intending to rush into the fire himself, but the servants held him back.

“Why are you standing there? Put out the fire!” Zhang Jun shouted, his sleeves flaring as he dashed like a mother hen, personally grabbing a bucket and rushing to the well.

The moment Su Cen entered the burning room, the intense heat forced him to stumble. Fighting through the stinging pain that felt like needles piercing his skin, he quickly surveyed the area. The fire was most intense around the antique shelf in the study, which was likely where the fire had started.

Someone was clearly targeting him. As soon as he checked here, someone came to destroy the evidence.

This only confirmed that the book must contain some unspeakable secret.

The four volumes of “Chen’s Criminal Laws” were easy to identify and burning fiercely. Just as Su Cen took a step toward them, the beam above, weakened by the fire, snapped with a loud crack and fell just a step in front of him!

Cold sweat drenched his back instantly. He let out a sigh of relief at his narrow escape, stepped over the beam, grabbed the books from the shelf, wrapped them in wet cloth, and dashed for the exit.

Almost the moment he stepped out of the door, the structure behind him collapsed with a deafening crash, the entire beam caving in.

Zhang Jun nearly fainted again, rolling his eyes.

It wasn’t until he saw Su Cen emerge from the swirling dust that he could breathe again.

Su Cen tossed the books onto the ground, grabbed a bucket of water, and dumped it over himself. The icy well water made him shiver under the bright daylight, but only then did he feel like he had truly survived.

Carrying the books, he walked over to Zhang Jun with a smile. “Master Zhang, these books…”

“Take them, just take them!” Zhang Jun hurriedly pushed the books toward Su Cen. “You can read them wherever you want, just please, not in my house.”

 

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