PC Chapter 45

Originally, he thought that after going through so much, it would take some time to fall asleep. But almost as soon as Li Shi closed the door, Su Cen was already being invited by Duke Zhou for tea.

He slept soundly and peacefully—the comfort of a dragon bed, not bad at all.

When he woke up, Li Shi still hadn’t returned, and the room was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. No wonder he slept so deeply. He wasn’t sure what kind of calming incense Li Shi used, but every time he smelled it, it was as if he had been drugged. He wouldn’t wake up until the fragrance was completely burnt out.

Even after waking up, he didn’t want to move. He just stared blankly at the elegant and simple canopy of Li Shi’s bed, and his thoughts slowly drifted to that face. Those eyes were so deep, capable of holding the stars of the Northern Desert and the intrigues of the court. But what about when they looked at him? How much of that was genuine, and how much was pretense?

In their few confrontations, Li Shi always came swiftly and retreated cleanly. Unlike Su Cen, who hesitated and wavered, dragging things out until, in the end, he trapped himself.

It made sense—Li Shi was a master of the game, while he was just a small beast falling into a tiger’s den for the first time. No matter how many times he looked into those eyes, he couldn’t see through them.

Realizing that thinking about it further would only trap him in a dead-end, Su Cen snapped out of it and sat up, looking around the room.

Li Shi’s bedchamber, in line with his usual style, gave an immediate impression of stability and dignity. Yet in the details, it exuded a grand and vast atmosphere. Unlike other rooms that were divided by screens and decorative items, this room was laid out in a straight line. From where he sat, Su Cen could see the study on the other side.

Suddenly, something came to mind. Su Cen jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to the bookshelf. Upon getting closer, he hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the desk didn’t have any documents related to state affairs, he breathed a sigh of relief. He casually picked up a leisure book and started flipping through it.

After a short while, he closed the book with a satisfied smile. The handwriting on the umbrella was indeed his.

Though the writing in the book wasn’t in wild cursive, it was sharp and powerful, especially the main strokes, which were heavier than the others. The script was slender yet strong, like bent iron. It was clear that mastering this style was no easy feat. Many scholars tried, but few succeeded. He had practiced it before, but his wrist strength wasn’t sufficient, so he eventually gave up.

Now, on a whim, he looked at the ready ink, brush, and paper on Li Shi’s desk. He spread the paper and ground the ink, feeling the urge to try again.

He had barely written one line before Su Cen frowned. The form was there, but it lacked spirit—like a person who had lost their bones, an empty shell without essence. Frustrated, he put the brush down and flipped through more of Li Shi’s handwriting.

He soon became absorbed in it. Li Shi’s books had few annotations, but when he did write something, it was always precise and insightful. Sometimes it was praise, other times criticism. Next to a passage in Zuo Zhuan that said, “Though a generation may be unjust, the state has not yet perished,” Li Shi had simply written one word—“Nonsense!”

Su Cen burst out laughing.

He became so engrossed that he lost track of time. It wasn’t until he heard the door creak softly that Su Cen jolted back to reality. When he tried to put down the book and run back to bed, it was already too late.

Li Shi was standing by the door, looking at him with a faint smile. When Su Cen looked up, Li Shi beckoned to him, “Come here.”

Su Cen took one step forward, then froze. He wasn’t wearing shoes.

Saving face was a small matter, but losing dignity was a serious one. Here he was, in someone else’s bedchamber, improperly dressed. What would Li Shi think? Although they had seen each other naked before, that was due to circumstance—this was not the same as him voluntarily undressing.

Seeing that Su Cen wasn’t moving, Li Shi frowned slightly and called out again, “Come here.”

“I…” Su Cen hesitated, picking up a book. “I haven’t finished reading this… Can I finish it first?”

“Come here.” The command was firm, carrying an undeniable authority.

Su Cen held the book up to his face, and, with no other choice, slowly made his way out from behind the desk. His skin was naturally pale, and his feet, which hadn’t seen much sunlight, were even whiter—like jade. His big toe lifted off the cool stone floor before he quickly curled his toes and tried to hide them under his robe.

Li Shi remained silent for a long time. Su Cen peeked from behind the book, and in the next instant, he threw the book aside and bolted.

The desire in Li Shi’s eyes was unmistakable, as though he wanted to consume Su Cen whole.

As Li Shi spoke about court affairs—how Wang Yan, that old man, opposed his land policy again, and how Lang Jie, the toad, was after the swan, seeking to take a share in Hangzhou—he didn’t stop exerting force. He also mentioned how the young emperor was still indecisive and too easily swayed by others.

He discussed these serious matters of the court while relentlessly continuing his efforts.

What did Wang Yan, Lang Jie, or the young emperor have to do with him? Su Cen wasn’t responsible for the failure to station troops, nor for eating meat, nor for lacking decisiveness… Why was he being tormented just because Li Shi had been frustrated outside?

Su Cen gazed up helplessly, thinking to himself, So this is what it means to “regret one misstep for eternity.” The wisdom of the ancients was no exaggeration.

When he finally caught his breath and tried to get out of bed for some water to calm his nerves, a hand grabbed his ankle before he could even cry out, and he was dragged back.

The entire afternoon and evening passed, and Su Cen wasn’t able to leave the bed. Dinner was brought in by Qi Lin, and Li Shi fed him every bite.

It seemed he had quite the ability to make a Prince neglect his morning court duties.

As night fell and the lamps were lit, after another bout of intensity, Su Cen leaned against Li Shi’s chest, panting softly. He gazed up at Li Shi’s face, illuminated by the flickering candlelight. This man is truly handsome, Su Cen thought. His features were sharp, and his profile was deep. When he didn’t smile, he had an unapproachable air, but once he did smile, it was like intoxicating wine, drawing people in.

Li Shi caught Su Cen’s restless hand and examined it under the candlelight. There was a faint scar, different from the lines on his palm—its edges were rough, slightly raised.

It was the scar left from the incident at the lakeside pavilion.

“Does it hurt?” Li Shi asked.

Su Cen was momentarily stunned, but then he understood what Li Shi was referring to. He smiled up at him. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“And back then?”

Su Cen pretended to think deeply, furrowing his brows. “It was fine. I just thought of it as getting bitten by a dog.”

Li Shi chuckled, his gaze so deep it seemed bottomless. “Who are you insulting in a roundabout way?”

Then, he frowned slightly. “A wound on the palm must be especially hard to heal.”

Su Cen lowered his eyelids gently. “The palm is connected to the heart, and the wounds of the heart are always hard to heal.”

It was getting too sentimental, so Su Cen stopped there, straightening up and changing the subject. “So, how should Xiao Yuancheng be sentenced?”

“Qi Lin already told you?” Li Shi withdrew his hand, lightly fiddling with a jade ring. “You’re a Dali Temple official. Do you need me to teach you how to judge a case?”

“If I judge it wrong, and the prince kicks me out onto the street in the middle of the night, where would I go to seek justice?” What began as a serious statement turned into something that sounded pitiful as soon as it left his mouth.

Li Shi laughed heartily, his voice low and rich, and said, “Zi Xu is jealous.”

“I’m not!” Su Cen immediately retorted. “Prince Ning has a harem of three thousand concubines. What’s there for me to be jealous of… Xingqing Palace is so big, the prince can keep whomever he pleases…”

The more he tried to explain, the worse it sounded…

Su Cen, a renowned scholar, suddenly realized that his brilliant reasoning skills were of no use. No matter how hard he argued, he couldn’t escape this trap, so he gave up and bit out each word slowly, “I’m not jealous!”

Li Shi looked at him in silence, the amusement in his eyes clear.

Resigned, Su Cen inwardly admitted defeat. Fine, so he was jealous. This old fox had already seen through him anyway. Returning to the previous topic, Su Cen sighed. “You don’t understand. That kid, when he was alive, told me he wanted to be like me in the future… He was the first person to say he wanted to be like me, the first to recognize what I’ve done… No matter what others say, no matter how much they oppose me, I’ve always believed I wasn’t wrong… But sometimes, walking this path alone is exhausting. I finally had someone who believed in me, and now, that person is gone…”

Su Cen sniffed and looked up at Li Shi, his eyes bright. “What if I want him to pay with his life?”

Li Shi looked at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Su Cen knew he had once again crossed a line.

He understood that he was speaking in anger. The life of one in exchange for thousands of others—he could calculate that balance. Just as he was about to speak again, Li Shi said, “It’s your case, you make the call.”

Su Cen suddenly looked up, seemingly in disbelief, and muttered, “What about Northern Liang’s military control?”

“Take it back.”

It was clearly a joke, but Su Cen found it quite satisfying. So this was what it felt like to be the captivating troublemaker who swayed the ruler. Su Daji wasn’t so bad after all.

It was as if Li Shi knew exactly what Su Cen was thinking. He pulled Su Cen into his arms and laughed, “Not Su Daji, Su Qin¹Li Shi, here, compares Su Cen to the historical figure Su Qin, a brilliant diplomat, instead of Su Daji, who is often viewed negatively in history as a cause of chaos and destruction. Li Shi is saying that Su Cen is more like a wise and talented advisor (Su Qin), rather than a troublemaker like Su Daji..”

Brilliant and peerless, with the talent of a statesman.

Su Cen also smiled. “You’ve already calculated that I wouldn’t kill him. You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I know how to see the bigger picture.”

Li Shi merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. His slender fingers wove through Su Cen’s hair, gently rubbing the top of his head.

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  Li Shi, here, compares Su Cen to the historical figure Su Qin, a brilliant diplomat, instead of Su Daji, who is often viewed negatively in history as a cause of chaos and destruction. Li Shi is saying that Su Cen is more like a wise and talented advisor (Su Qin), rather than a troublemaker like Su Daji.