Su Cen sat in the carriage, lost in thought as he gazed out the window. At dawn, Chang’an was relatively quiet; at this hour, the only people wandering the streets were early-rising merchants, patrons just leaving the brothels, and gamblers who had spent the night at the gaming tables. Everyone lived their lives in their own way.
“Do you know what kind of person the young heir is, Lord Su?” Qi Lin broke the silence.
“Hmm?” Su Cen returned to his senses slightly. “He is the eldest son of King Xiao Yan of Northern Liang, the heir of the Northern Liang royal family.”
“Do you know why he has come to the capital?”
Su Cen was unsure what Qi Lin was trying to imply but replied, “There was a memorial from the imperial historian accusing King Xiao of gathering troops and plotting rebellion.”
“Not plotting,” Qi Lin corrected.
Su Cen paused, then widened his eyes in shock.
If it wasn’t just a plot, then it was… real evidence?
Qi Lin continued, “Ten years ago, the prince destroyed the Ashina clan, effectively eliminating the main power of the Turks. However, in recent years, a branch of the Ashina clan has reorganized the grassland forces and is showing signs of unrest. A spy from Liangzhou returned with life-threatening injuries, reporting that King Xiao Yan has already colluded with the Turkic Yuhumo clan. If it weren’t for the fear of Xiao Yuancheng being in our hands, he might have rebelled already.”
Su Cen still found it hard to believe and questioned, “If that’s the case, why doesn’t the court send troops?”
“Because there’s no concrete evidence. Only one spy returned, and he died after delivering his message.” Qi Lin paused for a moment before continuing, “You know that the Xiao family has been stationed in Liangzhou since the reign of the Emperor Taizu. Their branch is vast and has ties to both the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate. Without concrete evidence, launching a military campaign recklessly would only cause turmoil among the troops in Longyou, giving Xiao Yan a reason to rebel.”
Su Cen gently lowered his eyes and slowly said, “He asked you to tell me this, didn’t he? You mention all this just to save Xiao Yuancheng.”
“Xiao Yuancheng cannot die.” Qi Lin noticed the displeasure on Su Cen’s face and softened his tone, “How did your interrogation go today?”
“He isn’t the direct cause of their deaths, but he is inextricably linked to it.”
“Regardless of whether he is or not, the deaths were caused by him.”
“Hmm?” Su Cen was taken aback and abruptly raised his head.
“Whether or not he killed them, it will all turn into him being responsible. Xiao Yuancheng cannot die because the prince intends to use him as a bargaining chip.”
“What is he exchanging?”
Qi Lin fixed his gaze on Su Cen for a moment before saying, “Control over the Northern Liang army.”
The deployment of the Great Zhou army has always been controlled by military tokens, which must be unified into one to mobilize troops. However, there is one exception: the Northern Liang army stationed in Liangzhou. Since Liangzhou is located on the border between the Great Zhou and the Turks, a military force is stationed there year-round. The court pays a hefty sum annually to maintain this army, but it cannot afford to neglect them. The area of Liangzhou is desolate, and the people are impoverished, so they are all conscripted into the military to receive court rations. This practice has been hereditary, creating a vast network that is now well established, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to penetrate. Thus, the Northern Liang army only recognizes their commander and not the military tokens. If the commander wants to lead them in a rebellion, they will naturally follow. To quell unrest, the commander must willingly relinquish control.
What Li Shi wanted to exchange Xiao Yuancheng for was this.
“It wasn’t the Lord who asked me to tell you this,” Qi Lin said. “The Lord didn’t say anything; he’s just afraid it would put you in a difficult position.”
Su Cen opened his mouth slightly but fell silent again, keeping a guard in his heart. Who knew whether what this person said was true or false? Last time, he had been tricked by him.
By the time the carriage reached Xingqing Palace, the sky had just begun to brighten. Su Cen was led directly to the sleeping quarters of Prince Ning by Qi Lin.
Su Cen frowned slightly. “Back here again?”
The memories from a few months ago still left him unsettled. He was genuinely apprehensive about this place, especially the person inside.
But Qi Lin was unyielding, directly calling out to the room, “Lord, the person has been brought.”
“Mm.” A voice responded from within.
With no choice, Su Cen could only grit his teeth and push the door open.
The person was seated in front of the window, wearing a simple ochre robe while a maid styled his hair. His features were deep-set, and his long black hair flowed like a cascading waterfall, shining in the sunlight and making it hard to look directly at him.
Su Cen paused, quietly observing. This person seemed always to have this effect—drawing others in while making them hesitate to approach, like a fiery light in the dark of night. He knew that getting close would be dangerous, yet he couldn’t bring himself to let go.
Thinking back, he had often behaved like an angry cat in front of this person, aggressive and indignant, merely trying to vie for attention.
Seeing the man clearly in the bronze mirror, Li Shi smiled gently. “Keeping your distance, are you afraid I would eat you?”
As Su Cen approached, he asked, “Do you know how to tie hair?”
After dismissing the maid, Su Cen took the sandalwood comb from the table, handling it with care, strand by strand.
The silky hair was clear and pure, and as Su Cen looked at the three thousand strands he held in his hands, he suddenly felt a sense of relief. Life is just like this—pursuing what one wants, loving whom one loves, regardless of all those rules and constraints, being true to oneself and feeling no guilt.
“Have you styled someone else’s hair before?” Li Shi asked.
“When I was young and ignorant, I often made my father angry. Every time it seemed like he was about to punish me, I would wait by the door early in the morning, ready to serve him for his grooming and dressing. Then I’d spend a few days reading in the study, and he wouldn’t punish me,” Su Cen replied as he tied a high bun and secured it with a ribbon, donning a ceremonial cap.
“But there were some things I couldn’t escape from.”
Li Shi gestured for him to continue.
Su Cen continued, “When I was nineteen, I came to the capital to take the exam. It was my first time leaving Suzhou, and I was very interested in things from the Shan Hai Jing and Zhi Guai Lu1Classic of Mountains and Seas and Records of Strange Things. On the road, I met a like-minded friend, and we hit it off immediately. We threw down our books and traveled for a year. When I returned, I nearly got beaten to death by my father.”
Li Shi also laughed and asked, “Why didn’t you take the exam?”
“Perhaps it was youthful arrogance. I thought I would definitely pass the imperial exam. After just coming out from Suzhou, I didn’t want to be shackled in Chang’an City; I hadn’t had enough fun and didn’t want to be tied down by chains.” Su Cen leaned closer to Li Shi, looking at the refined and understated face in the bronze mirror. Suddenly, he felt a strong urge to tell this person everything he had experienced and seen in his few short years of life. He knew there was a vast chasm between them, but he felt that he would understand.
So he continued, “Even after getting a beating, I have no regrets. Having traveled through famous mountains and rivers and seen the various states of the world, I finally understood what I truly wanted. People may be limited, but the way is boundless; one must exert oneself to the fullest, adhering to one’s path until the end.”
Li Shi laughed heartily. “What a wonderful saying: ‘exert oneself to the fullest, adhering to one’s path until the end.’ No wonder you have such a temperament.”
“What temperament?”
Li Shi stood up and lightly brushed his finger across Su Cen’s nose. “Naivety.”
Su Cen frowned, about to retort, but then realized that it was indeed naivety. The things he had done before were truly foolish. He fetched the official attire, looked up at Li Shi with a smile, his bright eyes sparkling like thousands of stars. “What’s wrong with being naive? I want to continue walking this path and show you.”
Li Shi smiled gently, noncommittal.
After Su Cen arranged his attire fully, he took a step back to carefully inspect it and smiled in satisfaction. This person was indeed born to wear this outfit—his robes patterned like the sea and cliffs, exuding the demeanor of a noble looking down upon the world.
Li Shi stretched out his hands, and Su Cen instinctively leaned in to adjust his collar and sleeves, smiling, “It looks good.”
“You’ve stayed up all night, and your eyes are red. Take a break here.”
Su Cen was unwilling, frowning, “But I still have to go to Dali Temple.”
“Let Qi Lin give you a leave of absence.”
Su Cen pouted, “I’ve just taken office, and I’m already asking for leave every day. Are you afraid others won’t know I entered the Dali Temple through the back door?”
Li Shi laughed heartily. After laughing, he pinched Su Cen’s chin and said he would let him use the back door when he returned.
Knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave this tiger’s den today, and since he really didn’t want to go to court either—not to mention that today, Zhang Jun would definitely pull him aside to preach his life philosophy of avoiding trouble—there were still the bodies of the mother and child left in the temple. He hadn’t obtained a resolution for Xiao Yuancheng and felt he had no face to confront those two. Choosing not to dwell on this issue, he changed the subject, “Then I won’t sleep here either.”
Li Shi frowned. “Then where are you going to sleep?”
“That room I stayed in before was pretty good… Hey, you!”
Before he could finish his sentence, he was swept up in someone’s arms and carried to the bed, where he was gently set down. Li Shi wrapped him in the blankets, saying, “Sleep here.”
His tone was light but left no room for argument.
Su Cen’s temper flared as he kicked the blanket off with a few swift movements, stubbornly sitting up. “I won’t sleep where Xiao Yuancheng has!”
Li Shi smiled, looking down at him. “Who told you that Xiao Yuancheng slept here?”
Who else could it be? Your confidant! Su Cen angrily accused, “Qi Lin.”
A light sound came from outside the door. “I never said that.”
“You…” Su Cen suddenly fell silent. Qi Lin indeed hadn’t said that Xiao Yuancheng had slept here; he had only repeated twice, “The prince has gone to bed”…
In that situation, he even had the mood to tease him. Su Cen clenched his teeth inwardly; he would definitely get his revenge for this!
Knowing he had been played, he still wanted to save some face. Su Cen stubbornly said, “Even if it wasn’t here, it was somewhere else. That red mark on his neck hasn’t faded in months.”
Li Shi raised an eyebrow. “What does it have to do with me if he has such a striking birthmark on him?”
“… Birthmark?” Su Cen’s face flushed red, feeling like he had lost face for half his life in just one morning. He stubbornly pulled the blanket down to cover himself properly, facing the bed. “I-I’m tired… Don’t you have to go to court? Don’t… don’t miss the time.”
Li Shi laughed heartily, his amusement unmasked. He ruffled Su Cen’s hair before finally leaving.
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
