PC Chapter 41

The next morning, Su Cen waited at the front gate of the Ministry of Justice with two steaming trays of freshly made soup dumplings, ready to meet Zhang Jun. As soon as Zhang Jun arrived, Su Cen greeted him enthusiastically, jokingly calling it “bribery.”

Holding the dumplings, Zhang Jun was both surprised and suspicious. This little ancestor was never kind without ulterior motives; there was always a scheme involved. Last time, Su Cen came bearing gifts, and Zhang Jun ended up having to renovate his study. Who knew what he’d lose this time?

However, it seemed Su Cen didn’t want anything specific this time. He simply followed Zhang Jun around, chatting idly. How was the study renovation going? Was Song Jiancheng adjusting well in Kuizhou? Were they short on food or clothing? How were the relationships between his wife and concubines at home? Had he taken on any new lovers lately?

What did whether or not he had new lovers have to do with this kid?

After much relief, they finally reached Zhang’s office, where Su Cen respectfully bid farewell and obediently went off to tend to Song Jiancheng’s orchids.

For the next few days, it was the same routine. Sometimes it was new pastries from the Easernt Market, other times fresh spring tea. Zhang Jun was utterly confused by all this sudden attention. Finally, one day, he casually asked, “What have you been busy with lately, Lord Su?” Seeing the eagerness in Su Cen’s eyes, Zhang instantly understood and, with a laugh, said, “Why don’t you start by attending court sessions with Xue Chengzhen?”

Su Cen immediately bowed in thanks, knowing that all his days of bribing and currying favor had not been in vain.

On the first day, Xue Chengzhen gave Su Cen a real lesson in how the judiciary operated.

Xue Chengzhen, a scholar from the thirteenth year of the Yonglong era, had been in the government longer than even Liu Cheng. After decades in office, however, he still held the same position as Su Cen.

By the end of that day, Su Cen understood why.

Xue Chengzhen had no particular skills when it came to trials, just one method: beating.

When a suspect was brought in, they were given a good round of paddling before the questioning even started. Bad attitude? Beat. Slick talk? Beat. Not confessing? Beat. Even after confessing, they were still beaten, because surely they hadn’t confessed everything yet.

Some believed that discipline could raise a filial child, but Xue Chengzhen believed that the truth came from beneath the paddle.

Whenever he was about to be promoted, someone would file an impeachment report accusing him of excessive torture, crippling or maiming people. But Xue Chengzhen was a special kind of character. You submit your report, I keep on beating. What did a promotion matter to me?

Su Cen became increasingly convinced that Xue Chengzhen wasn’t in office to govern but simply because he enjoyed using the paddle.

Seeing the endless flogging, the blood and torn flesh, Su Cen lost his appetite for several days. He even began to think the red bricks of the courtroom were redder than usual, soaked with the blood and flesh of the accused.

In comparison, Su Cen realized that he had indeed wrongly blamed Song Jiancheng for forcing confessions through torture. Next to Xue Chengzhen, Song’s actions seemed like child’s play.

After following Xue Chengzhen for half a month, Su Cen had visibly lost weight, his sharp chin now more prominent, making him look even more delicate.

Perhaps out of concern that Su Cen would become emaciated if he kept watching, Zhang Jun finally waved his hand, allowing Su Cen to take on his own cases.

But if Su Cen had known what his first case would be, he would have preferred to stay and watch Xue Chengzhen beat suspects for another month.

That day, Su Cen had just put on his official robes and sash, finally taking his seat in court. But when he saw the person standing before him, he nearly fell out of his chair.

In his heart, Su Cen cursed Zhang Jun a hundred times over. That old man definitely did this on purpose. How could his very first case be dealing with this troublesome nemesis?

Xiao Yuancheng stood arrogantly in the courtroom, his impatience clear in his expression. When he saw who was presiding, he was momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, he shouted, “Is there anyone else here? I don’t want him to judge my case! This guy is a corrupt official! Remember this, everyone—if you don’t bribe him, he’ll turn white into black!”

Su Cen mentally rolled his eyes: Brother, do you think I want to judge your case?

Though annoyed, Su Cen maintained his composure. He said, “I appreciate the high regard the young heir has for me. This is my first day on the job, and you accuse me of corruption. Could it be that you’re trying to bribe me yourself?”

Xiao Yuancheng was stunned but stubbornly replied, “I don’t want him to judge! We have a grudge. He’s definitely going to take revenge on me!”

Su Cen sighed silently. You tripped me once, and I slapped you twice—aren’t we even by now? With a helpless wave of his hand, he said, “Fine, take them next door.”

Su Cen left the courtroom, and not even a quarter of an hour had passed when Xiao Sun returned to report. The young heir had changed his mind—he wanted Su Cen to judge after all.

“Oh?” Su Cen raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. He didn’t rush but calmly sipped his tea before heading back.

By the time Su Cen returned, Xiao Yuancheng’s previous arrogance had disappeared. His face was pale, and his legs trembled slightly.

It wasn’t surprising. In the room next door, Xue Chengzhen was interrogating a notorious bandit. The man was known for his toughness, and rumors said his thigh bones were visible from the beatings, yet he still wouldn’t confess. Xiao Yuancheng had probably walked in during the climax of the torture session, and as a pampered young noble, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d either thrown up or wet his pants after seeing such a scene.

When he saw Su Cen, Xiao Yuancheng’s eyes lit up, as if he were seeing a long-lost family member.

A yamen on the side shouted, “Kneel!”

A woman and her young son were already kneeling in front of the court. Xiao Yuancheng hesitated, glanced at Su Cen, and after much reluctance, finally knelt down as well.

After hearing the details of the case, Su Cen breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a serious matter. Xiao Yuancheng had been recklessly riding his horse in the street and had knocked over the woman’s stall, scattering her freshly picked plums everywhere. The woman had demanded compensation, but Xiao Yuancheng denied even touching the stall. Unable to resolve the argument, she had reported it to the authorities.

Normally, such a minor case wouldn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple, but even a locust’s legs are still meat. Xiao Yuancheng, though of little standing, was still a member of the royal family. The Jingzhao Prefecture, in line with their philosophy of avoiding trouble when possible, had passed the case on to the Dali Temple.

Though simple in appearance, the case was tricky. Many witnesses saw Xiao Yuancheng knock over the stall, and there were plenty of people who could testify. But for some reason, the young lord was determined to save those two taels of silver and refused to admit any fault. While the case itself was straightforward, handling it wasn’t. Xiao Yuancheng lived in Xingqing Palace and had the powerful Prince Ning as his backer, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to offend the emperor for his sake. However, if Su Cen went easy on him, the crowd of onlookers outside the courthouse would surely accuse him of favoring the rich and powerful, damaging his reputation.

After hearing both sides, Su Cen slammed his gavel down and declared, “Xiao Yuancheng, do you admit your guilt?”

Xiao Yuancheng froze for a moment, then leaped to his feet and pointed at Su Cen, shouting, “See, I told you this guy is an incompetent official! He’s already convicted me without even a proper trial. Where’s the head of the Dali Temple? I want to appeal!”

“Young heir, please calm down,” Su Cen waved his hand and continued, “You know that it’s forbidden to ride recklessly through the streets of Chang’an, right?”

“…” Xiao Yuancheng couldn’t argue with that, so he sulkily muttered, “I had an urgent matter.”

“What was so urgent?”

“I had just bought pine nut lotus leaf pastries, and I was rushing to deliver them to the prince.”

“…” Now it was Su Cen’s turn to be speechless. So the root cause of all this was Prince Ning. Rubbing his forehead, Su Cen gently advised, “Even so, you should’ve been more careful. It’s not as if the prince will starve from missing one pastry, but what if you had injured someone?”

“Mm,” Xiao Yuancheng nodded, then suddenly realized, “I didn’t hit her! She fell on her own and is trying to extort me!”

“Your Honor, I’m innocent!” the woman kneeling on the ground cried, hugging her four- or five-year-old son. “I only harvest these plums once a year, and even then, they barely make me any money. Why would I throw them away on purpose?”

So she didn’t fall for it. Su Cen sighed inwardly and said directly, “Young heir, we have both witnesses and evidence. Just admit it, pay the two taels of silver, and you can go back to delivering those pastries.”

“Don’t try to trick me,” Xiao Yuancheng sneered. “Those people are all in on it with her. Even if they are witnesses, where’s the physical evidence?”

“The physical evidence is right in front of you.” Su Cen smiled slightly and stepped down from the bench. Next to the woman was a basket where passersby had gathered the undamaged plums. Su Cen casually picked one up, inspected it, and then took out two coins from his pouch, handing them to the woman. He wiped the plum on his sleeve and took a bite.

It was fully ripe, sweet, and juicy. Such a shame it had been knocked to the ground.

Standing in front of Xiao Yuancheng, Su Cen asked, “This is the evidence. Want some?”

Xiao Yuancheng scoffed, “How is that evidence?”

Su Cen gently shook his head, continuing to eat the plum as he said, “Young heir, out of all the stalls on the street, selling peaches and apricots, what did you crash into? Plums. And not only that, you happened to be riding a white horse.”

Su Cen walked to where the white horse was tied outside the courthouse. Its left front hoof had a noticeable purplish-red mark. Just as Su Cen approached, the horse snorted and lifted its hoof, kicking a few times, causing Su Cen to step back several paces in fright. He patted his chest, thinking, this horse really takes after its master.

Pointing to the mark, Su Cen said, “Do I need to explain further? The red mark on its hoof clearly indicates that it hit the plums when they fell. If the woman had faked her fall to extort you, the plums would’ve already been on the ground when you passed by, and there wouldn’t be any mark left on the horse.”

The crowd, realizing the truth, burst into discussion, all agreeing with Su Cen. He turned back and smiled at Xiao Yuancheng, “What do you think, Young heir?”

Xiao Yuancheng was left with no argument. Seeing the townspeople pointing and whispering about him, he stubbornly retorted, “Well, it’s still the horse’s fault! What does it have to do with me?”

At that, Su Cen couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming admiration for Xiao Yuancheng. This young heir truly exemplifies the meaning of: ‘If there’s anyone with the thickest skin, it’s me!’

“Then how about this,” Su Cen suggested, “since it was the horse that caused the trouble, let’s have the horse bear the consequences. I’ll sentence it to this woman, and she can deal with it as she pleases. What does the young heir think of that?”

“Are you joking?” Xiao Yuancheng immediately objected. “This is the prized Zhaoye Jade Lion horse from Liangzhou, worth a thousand gold taels! How could I possibly give it to her?”

Su Cen couldn’t help but laugh. “You admit the horse is yours, but refuse to take responsibility for its actions. What kind of reasoning is that?”

Xiao Yuancheng stubbornly stuck to his stance, tossing his head defiantly, “It doesn’t matter—it wasn’t me who caused the accident. My horse, and I’m taking it with me!”

Su Cen sighed quietly. This really is a case of: ‘I’m a rogue, who’s gonna stop me?’ Anyone who crosses his path is unlucky.

Just as the situation was deadlocked, a sudden chill seemed to fill the air. The crowd outside parted, making way for a figure with a sword. The man glanced at Xiao Yuancheng before respectfully saluting Su Cen and saying, “Lord Su, the prince has sent me to escort the young heir back.”

 

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