PC Chapter 40

Su Cen frowned and glanced at Qu Ling’er.

Qu Ling’er looked equally shocked. “I swear I shook them off! Brother Su, you have to believe me, I would never lead trouble to your doorstep.”

Su Cen knew Qu Ling’er well and, after a moment of contemplation, said, “Go back to your room and hide for now.”

Once Qu Ling’er was safely inside, Su Cen headed to the front courtyard and instructed Ah Fu to open the gate.

As soon as the gate opened, both parties were surprised.

“It’s you?” Xiao Yuancheng spoke first.

“Master Su,” Qi Lin followed immediately.

“Greetings to the Heir and Guard Qi,” Su Cen respectfully bowed after gathering his thoughts. It became clear to him that Xiao Yuancheng must have been led here by Guard Qi.

Out of courtesy, Su Cen normally wouldn’t openly study others, but this time he couldn’t help but scan Xiao Yuancheng from head to toe. Qu Ling’er’s claim that he had stripped the man wasn’t entirely accurate. Xiao Yuancheng’s clothes were still on, though they were slashed to tatters by something with precise strikes. His garments were in ruins, but his skin was unscathed. The parts that should be exposed were exposed, and the parts that shouldn’t be exposed… were also exposed.

Su Cen mused to himself, “Not that impressive, honestly…”

The red mark on Xiao Yuancheng’s neck remained, whether from Li Shi’s heavy hand or from a new injury on top of the old one. Half a month had passed, yet the man still flaunted the mark in public.

Li Shi, it seemed, had an odd tendency. After indulging in the finest delicacies, he was now interested in some untamed wilderness—and of all people, he’d chosen this one.

Catching Su Cen’s meaningful glance, Xiao Yuancheng hastily pulled together the few remaining fragments of his clothing over his chest. He stepped forward arrogantly, saying, “Where is he? Hand him over!”

Su Cen immediately stepped in front of him. “I’m not sure who you are referring to, Heir?”

Qi Lin stood behind Xiao Yuancheng, sword in hand, and said, “Qu Ling’er.”

Su Cen thought to himself, “Guard Qi, you must have learned the art of turning your back on people from your master. Now that you’ve found someone new, you’ve forgotten all about the old.”

Qu Ling’er could no longer stay hidden in the room. Before he appeared, two hidden darts flew out—one aimed at Xiao Yuancheng and the other at Qi Lin.

Naturally, Qi Lin deflected both with ease. Qu Ling’er stormed out of the room and shouted, “You’re siding with him?!”

Qi Lin replied calmly, “The lord told me to look after the Heir.”

“Traitor!” Qu Ling’er cursed angrily.

Xiao Yuancheng sneered and ordered, “Seize him!”

Just as his attendants stepped forward, Su Cen blocked their path. “This is the residence of an official of the court, after all. Ling’er is under my protection. If you wish to take him from the residence of a court official, where is your arrest warrant? On whose orders? And what crime has he committed?”

Xiao Yuancheng scoffed, “What a joke! Since when does Xingqing Palace need a warrant to arrest someone?”

“Oh?” Su Cen smiled instead of getting angry and turned to Qi Lin. “Is he from your Xingqing Palace?”

Qi Lin answered truthfully, “No.”

“You—!” Xiao Yuancheng glared at Qi Lin, furious but unable to refute him. Without Li Shi’s approval, he technically wasn’t part of Xingqing Palace, but having it pointed out so bluntly left him utterly humiliated. Seeing Su Cen’s calm demeanor ignited his rage, and he no longer cared about his tattered clothing. Rolling up his sleeves, he prepared to act himself. Qu Ling’er, of course, wasn’t going to sit still. He grabbed Xiao Yuancheng’s wrist and was ready to break it, but Qi Lin deflected the force with his sword, sending Qu Ling’er flying back a full yard.

Qi Lin calmly said, “I told you, my duty is to protect the Heir. No one touches him while I’m here.”

“You hit me again?!” Qu Ling’er’s eyes reddened instantly, like an enraged young leopard.

After that night, he thought even if they weren’t friends, at least they weren’t enemies. Yet now, because of some random brat of an heir, Qi Lin was willing to fight him again.

Qi Lin’s brow furrowed slightly, barely noticeable. “I have orders.”

Qu Ling’er bit his lip, clearly about to launch himself into a fight, but Su Cen grabbed him and held him back.

Su Cen shook his head lightly. When it came to fighting, even if there were three of them, none would be a match for Qi Lin. Calming Qu Ling’er, Su Cen stepped forward himself.

He didn’t need help to deal with Xiao Yuancheng.

Before anyone could react, a loud slap echoed through the courtyard. Xiao Yuancheng staggered back two steps, clutching his face in disbelief.

“?!”

As everyone stood there in stunned silence, Xiao Yuancheng let out an enraged roar and jumped up. “You dare hit me?!”

He turned to Qi Lin and shouted, “Why are you just standing there? He hit me!”

Su Cen, standing near the bright hibiscus flowers by the gate, smiled. “I’m sure Guard Qi knows this well enough—striking a court official is a capital offense.”

“You!” Xiao Yuancheng glared at Qi Lin, seeing that he indeed had no intention of making a move. “Fine, if you won’t, I’ll handle it myself!”

He raised his arm high to strike, but before it could fall, it was blocked by Qi Lin’s sword sheath. “You can’t touch this person.”

Taking advantage of the distraction, Su Cen slapped Xiao Yuancheng again.

Though Su Cen was merely a scholar without much physical strength, his slaps were precise, fierce, and loud. As Qu Ling’er would say, “I didn’t teach you a lesson at the lakeside pavilion. Has that spoiled you?”

After two slaps in quick succession, Xiao Yuancheng seemed dazed. He was raised in a royal household—who had ever dared to bully him like this? Fight back? Qi Lin was holding him back. Walk away? The shame would eat him alive.

But Su Cen wasn’t done. Leaning casually against the gate, he coldly advised, “I’ll offer some advice, Your Highness. This is Changle Ward. To the left lives Imperial Censor Zhang, and to the right, Deputy General Song of the Sixteen Guards. If you continue causing a scene here and it reaches the Emperor’s ears, you wouldn’t want to jeopardize the Northern Liang Palace’s military supplies.”

“A person without self-awareness and shame… If the heir truly wants to become part of Xingqing Palace, it’s fine to wag your tail and amuse the prince. But don’t come out here embarrassing yourself.” After finishing, Su Cen didn’t forget to flash a smile and added, “Ah Fu, close the door.”

Ignoring Xiao Yuancheng’s livid expression, Ah Fu shut the courtyard gate. Xiao Yuancheng kicked the door twice and shouted, “Just you wait!” before storming off in anger.

Su Cen sighed softly. He had hoped to avoid further entanglements with these people, but once again, he couldn’t resist, and now the grudges had piled up.

Of course, it was mostly grudges.

When he turned around, he saw Qu Ling’er standing there in shock. Su Cen couldn’t help but smile, “Close your mouth.”

“Brother Su,” Qu Ling’er’s admiration was practically overflowing as he mimicked Ah Fu’s proud stance, “You were amazing! Did you see the expression on that little brat’s face? He looked like he had just eaten shit! How did you know Qi Lin wouldn’t hit you?”

How did he know? Su Cen chuckled bitterly. It was just an instinct that Qi Lin wouldn’t go that far. The look in his deep eyes as he left the pavilion that day hadn’t been entirely indifferent.

“Next time, remember this,” Su Cen tapped Qu Ling’er’s forehead, “For people like that, just pull down their pants. If he dares to run around naked chasing after you, I’d really respect him as a true man.”

Qu Ling’er nodded, suddenly enlightened. “Brother Su, you’re right.”

Su Cen immediately smacked him on the back of the head. “Right, huh? You spend all day getting me into trouble. Go to the study and copy the Three Character Classic. You’re not allowed to come out until it’s finished.”

Qu Ling’er protested with a pitiful look, “Brother Su, I can’t read~”

“Then just copy it stroke by stroke.”

That night, Su Cen sat enjoying his crystal pork while watching Qu Ling’er copy the Three Character Classic. For every character he wrote wrong, Su Cen would strike his palm with a cane, watching Qu Ling’er grimace in pain. Suddenly, Su Cen understood why his old master, Old Man Lin, had enjoyed punishing him so much.

In truth, Old Man Lin hadn’t taught him for long, but his influence had been the deepest.

The old man had a proud and unyielding spirit. He had risen to the rank of Hanlin Scholar and was highly regarded by intellectuals in the capital. He was just one step away from becoming a prime minister, but he resigned and returned to his hometown in disgust with the court’s corruption. It was said that even Li Shi had sent people to Suzhou to invite him back, but the old man had chased them away with a broom.

At that time, Li Shi had already become the regent, holding immense power over the court. For someone to refuse him so brazenly showed they were truly unafraid of death.

Su Cen didn’t know how much of his own personality came from Old Man Lin, but it seemed he had inherited the tendency to offend powerful officials.

No wonder Old Man Lin had once warned him, “The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled.” The old man must have known his own temperament wasn’t suited for the court, and Su Cen… was too much like him.

The court was all about strategy, navigating social relationships with finesse. How could someone with Su Cen’s black-and-white mentality thrive in such a murky, complex world?

But fortunately, Su Cen’s greatest strength was his intelligence. After stumbling a few times, he learned how to avoid pitfalls. Handling social intricacies? If he could pass the imperial examination as a top scholar, he could certainly figure this out too.

As long as his heart had something to hold onto, no matter how winding the path, Su Cen believed he would eventually find what he was looking for.

 

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