Placid Chang’an Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Procrastination

It was as though he was drowning in a pitch-black pool, depths unknown, suffocating, calling out for help, only to be engulfed by water rushing in from all sides, flooding his nostrils and mouth. He struggled with all his might, but his limbs betrayed him, and as his consciousness wavered, he glimpsed a figure reflected on the water’s surface.

A hand reached out, and he extended his own, but the hand passed through his grasp, landing on his chest, forcefully propelling him deeper into the murky abyss.

He saw it clearly—Gao Miao, his face bloodied from seven orifices, grinning malevolently at him. His voice echoed through the water.

“You’re the one who caused my downfall. I demand retribution with your life!”

Suddenly, Su Cen jolted awake, coughing violently as if to expel water. His heart raced, cold sweat drenched his body, and he felt as if he had just been pulled from the depths.

Startled, Ah Fu, who had been dozing by the bedside, immediately woke up, relief in his eyes as he looked at Su Cen. “Second Young Master, you’re finally awake.”

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Fvyakdt yv vbl qyxkzkya nydsru ycshl, Fw Uld alxykdle eygle qsa y xsxldv clqsal alyzkgkdt bl oyp yv bsxl.

Xrldkdt bkp xswvb, bl ekpnshlale bkp vbasyv oyp rykdqwzzu eau, bkp hsknl vayrrle kd bkp nblpv, wdyczl vs lpnyrl.

“Flnsde Zswdt Yypvla, usw qaktbvldle xl vs elyvb,” Gb Ww lmnzykxle, vlyaqwzzu shlafsule. “Zsw tsv nywtbv kd vbl aykd vbl svbla eyu, eked’v lyv yzz eyu ulpvlaeyu, yde bye y qlhla yzz dktbv, xwvvlakdt ycswv xwaelalap yde hknvkxp. Zsw dlyazu pnyale xl vs elyvb.”

Fw Uld nzlyale bkp vbasyv, cwv clqsal bl nswze prlyj, Gb Ww nwv kd ytykd. “Ebyv kd vbl osaze byrrldle? Gppyppkdyvksd yvvlxrvp, kzzdlpplp… Rq vbl Yypvla, vbl Ozelpv Zswdt Yypvla yde Yyeyx jdlo, vblu oswze cl ps osaakle. Rd xu srkdksd, ol pbswzed’v csvbla okvb sqqknkyz rspkvksdp. Rq vblu esd’v valyv wp yp bwxydp, obu pbswze ol akpj swa zkhlp qsa vblx? Rv oswze cl clvvla qsa wp vs xydytl vbl Fw qyxkzu’p cwpkdlpp okvb vbl Ozelpv Zswdt Yypvla yv bsxl.”

Fw Uld aykple bkp byde vs pvsr Gb Ww, rskdvkdt vs vbl vyczl. Tsolhla, clqsal Gb Ww nswze alynv, Cw Nkdt’la bye yzalyeu bydele bkx y nwr sq oyvla. Fw Uld esodle vos pkrp clqsal xydytkdt vs prlyj. “Ebyv vkxl kp kv?”

Cw Nkdt’la tzydnle yv vbl pwd swvpkel vbl okdeso. “Rv’p vball iwyavlap rypv vbl dkdvb bswa.”

Fw Uld rywple, bypvkzu vbasokdt sqq vbl nshlap. Jwv Gb Ww kdvlanlrvle bkx kd vkxl. “Zsw’hl clld taydvle zlyhl. Nsae Fsdt yrrashle kv. Tl oydvp usw vs alpv yde alnshla yv bsxl clqsal alpwxkdt uswa ewvklp.”

“Tl’p nlavykdzu rzlyple R’x nsdhyzlpnkdt yv bsxl. Rv oswze rzlypl bkx lhld xsal kq R dlhla tsv wr ytykd, qwzqkzzkdt bkp elpkal,” Fw Uld rwpble Gb Ww ypkel, nsdnldvayvkdt sd tlvvkdt ealpple. Tl tzydnle ycpldvxkdelezu yv vbl casdgl xkaasa, bkp qynl ryzl yde elhske sq nszsa, yjkd vs y nsarpl fwpv lxlatkdt qasx y nsqqkd. Tl iwknjzu yhlavle bkp tygl, vkeukdt bkp yvvkal, yde pvsse wr, alyeu vs zlyhl.

Qu Ling’er, waiting by the door, intercepted him,his hand gently touching his forehead to gauge his temperature. It was still warm, but much improved from the previous night. He withdrew his hand before Su Cen could react and placed a bowl of porridge on the table. “Have the porridge before you leave.”

Su Cen stared blankly, lifted the bowl of porridge, and downed it in one gulp before diving into the sunlight.

When he arrived at the Dali Hall, Song Jiancheng was preparing to escort Gao Miao to the prison.

The Dali Hall handled state cases but didn’t carry out imprisonments; cases decided here needed to be sent to the Ministry of Justice for final approval of sentencing. Given Song Jiancheng’s personality, once a case was closed, he promptly sent the accused to the Ministry of Justice, wasting no time in seeking promotion and rewards.

Su Cen stood directly in front of the temporary cell at the Dali Hall. “If you want to take him away today, you’ll have to step over my corpse.”

Song Jiancheng’s expression looked as if he had eaten excrement and didn’t know what to say. Pointing at Su Cen for a while, he finally pointed at Su Cen and shouted to the bailiffs behind him, “Hurry up, drag this person away!”

“You mentioned that someone higher up would vouch for me,” Su Cen raised an eyebrow. “If I were to die in this cell, would that person spare you?”

“You…” Song Jiancheng was so enraged that his fingers trembled. “Do you know that the one who stank yesterday… that Wu Deshui, he’s Liu Xiang’s nephew! Liu Xiang flew into a rage in the morning court session, berating us at the Dali Hall for mishandling the case. The murderer is right here, but you’re delaying the case. I’m not letting you mess around just because you have nothing better to do!”

Su Cen thought to himself that Liu Xiang was indeed someone who stirred up trouble at the slightest opportunity. He didn’t care about people in Guiyi Lane on ordinary days, but now he was concerned about it.

Su Cen softened his tone. “Give me a few more days. I promise to find the real culprit by then.”

“What real culprit? He’s the real culprit!” Song Jiancheng almost roared, “Which case doesn’t have its doubts? He confessed himself, admitting to committing the murder. Why do you have to meddle in other people’s business?”

Su Cen glanced at Gao Miao, who was being held up by two bailiffs. His body was covered in blood stains, and there were hardly any good spots left. Yesterday, he still had the strength to argue in the hall, but now he couldn’t even stand up.

Gritting his teeth, Su Cen employed harsh tactics. This approach would work on anyone.

“Tomorrow,” knowing that further discussion was futile at this point, Su Cen ceased to mince his words. “Tomorrow, I’ll provide you with an explanation.”

The two of them remained in a standoff for a while, but ultimately, Song Jiancheng gave in. He realized that unless he made this concession, it would be impossible to release the prisoner from the cell. Clenching his fists, he left in a huff.

“Until tomorrow, if you can’t present evidence, both you and him will be sent to the Dali Hall’s prison!”

Once everyone had left, Su Cen slowly released the breath he had been holding, feeling weak in the legs, his head spinning. He steadied himself and moved towards Gao Miao’s cell. Gao Miao was sprawled on the ground like a lump of flesh, covered in wounds. He saw Su Cen approaching and crawled over, clinging to the bars of the cell. He managed to stand up and grabbed Su Cen’s clothes, viciously spitting a mouthful of blood onto Su Cen’s face.

In the end, he slipped down the wooden bar and laughed without reason.

Chang’an City was splendid, with elegant roofs and houses, carved railings and jade pavements. The streets connected in twists and turns, adorned with luxurious white horses and fragrant carriages. He had merely overstepped his station and unintentionally glanced a few times, yet he had needlessly entangled himself in a life-or-death situation.

That saying was truly accurate—life has its own time, and forcing it when the time isn’t right is pointless. He should have lived a modest life, running a private school in his hometown at the very least, or perhaps taking over his family’s pork business, which would still be better than his current situation.

Su Cen wiped away the blood and saliva from his face, and calmly watched the person lying in front of him. The laughter had pulled at his wounds, transforming his smile into a grimace of despair. As he laughed, tears welled up in his eyes, quickly being absorbed by the blood-soaked hair at his temples.

“I will find the real culprit and clear your name.”

Su Cen’s voice was icy, his words sharp and clear, resonating within the dim cell. By the time Gao Miao looked up, Su Cen had already disappeared.

Under the scorching sun, Su Cen looked at the golden characters on the Chongming Gate, feeling breathless and dizzy. He wasn’t sure if it was due to standing for too long or perhaps his legs were simply weak. He stared intently at the closed doors, afraid of missing something.

However, those doors hadn’t budged for two hours.

He had informed Song Jiancheng that he would provide an explanation tomorrow—not the real culprit, just an explanation. He only needed to receive the decree to delay the conclusion.

But when Song Jiancheng mentioned someone higher up would vouch for him, he had no idea to what extent this person could protect him. He didn’t even know who this person was. However, seeing Song Jiancheng’s panicked appearance, he knew this individual must be a significant figure.

He could only come and try his luck.

As soon as he left the Dali Hall, he headed directly to the palace. However, with his minor seventh-rank official status, he could only wait outside and be notified through layers of eunuchs in order to request an audience. At first, he was told that the Emperor was dining, then it was said that the Emperor was taking a nap. Now, most of the day had passed, and still, there was no news.

Standing in front of the two towering vermilion doors, Su Cen was growing impatient. It wasn’t so much his physical discomfort—it was the time slipping away. If he couldn’t secure the imperial decree today, he knew that if he stood in front of the prison cell tomorrow, he had no doubt that Song Jiancheng would step over his corpse to take the prisoner away.

His money had been exhausted earlier when he settled his affairs. Su Cen assessed his chances of climbing over the towering palace walls, as well as the likelihood of being beaten to death on the spot by the guards even if he managed to get over. In the end, he shook his head and decided to wait.

As he fretted in front of the grand doors, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder from behind. Su Cen turned his head and was taken aback. “Zheng Yan?”

“We’ve been observing you for a while. What are you doing standing here?”

Seeing Zheng Yan face to face, Su Cen was taken aback. “What’s wrong with you? You look so pale.”

Only then did Su Cen remember that Zheng Yan served in the Hanlin Academy, so he was based in the palace. He quickly grabbed Zheng Yan’s hand. “I have an urgent matter to see the Emperor. Can you help?”

“What urgent matter?”

“A matter of life and death.”

Zheng Yan frowned, “To be honest with you, other than the morning court session, I haven’t seen the Emperor.”

“How is that possible? You serve as an attendant in front of the Emperor, so how could you…”

Su Cen suddenly realized.

Zheng Yan nodded, “All the major and minor affairs in the palace are decided by Empress Chu. Those people you sent for notification might not even have gotten close to the Emperor.”

So, making him wait was just an excuse. He feared he might not receive a response even if he waited until nightfall.

Su Cen’s figure trembled imperceptibly, but he gritted his teeth and focused. Looking at the nearly feeble vermilion doors in front of him, his nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.

“However, there is a way…”

Su Cen suddenly turned his head.

He heard Zheng Yan say, “It’s not only Empress Chu who holds power in the palace. Why not try seeking an audience with my uncle?”

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