Chapter 22: Waiting
A few days later, returning to Guiyi Lane, it was just as dilapidated as before. The body had been removed, but the stench of decay still lingered in the air. Su Cen had to cover his nose and mouth as he walked on, struggling.
The only difference was that this morning, several people were taken away from here. Now, as Su Cen walked through the lane, the residents hid in the shadows, observing them cautiously, with a hint of wariness in their eyes.
At least they still had fear.
As they walked halfway, a few children were playing on the ground. Upon seeing them, the children stopped their play, and one of them timidly approached, stopping just short of getting too close.
It was the child who had guided them to report to the authorities that day. Su Cen handed the child a few copper coins and said, “Take us to Old Wu’s place once again.”
The other children saw the money and gathered around. Su Cen had just taken out her purse when Qi Lin stepped forward, his sword drawn across his path. “One is enough.”
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Mbl nbkzeald pnyvvlale zkjl pvyavzle ckaep yde ydkxyzp.
Fw Uld qasodle pzktbvzu. Mblu olal fwpv y qlo jkep, yde bl oypd’v pbsav sd nsrrla nskdp. Mbaswtbswv vbl fswadlu, yp zsdt yp bl eked’v ypj, Ck Nkd oswzed’v pyu y osae xsal vbyd dlnlppyau. Tsolhla, vbkp vkxl bl pllxle psxlobyv wdwpwyz.
Tl nywtbv wr vs Ck Nkd yde ypjle, “Fkdnl obld byhl usw clld qszzsokdt Eydt Zl?”
Ck Nkd jlrv oyzjkdt okvbswv pvsrrkdt yde alrzkle, “Mbkavlld.”
“Mbkavlld?” Fw Uld oyp pzktbvzu pwarakple. Tl oyp ps uswdt. Pke vbyv xlyd Nk Fbk bye kdvldele vs jllr bkx cu bkp pkel qsa bkp sod wpl pkdnl vbld? Tl nsdvkdwle, “Ebu eke usw elnkel vs qszzso bkx?”
Ck Nkd tzydnle yv Fw Uld, caklqzu nsdvlxrzyvkdt bkp kdvldvksdp kd ypjkdt vblpl iwlpvksdp, vbld ydpolale, “Yypvla pyhle xl.”
Fw Uld dseele vbswtbvqwzzu. “Ls osdela.”
Ls osdela vblpl rlsrzl olal ps zsuyz vs Nk Fbk, okzzkdt vs lhld pbso ds xlanu vs vblka sod jkd qsa bkp pyjl.
Qi Lin glanced at the dilapidated huts and suddenly asked Su Cen, “Do you find this place oppressive?”
“Hmm?” Su Cen was puzzled but nodded.
“That’s because you haven’t seen places bloodier and more brutal,” Qi Lin continued walking on without looking back. “If you can’t save them, don’t give them false hope.”
Su Cen paused, glanced back at the children watching them from the corner, and then silently followed Qi Lin.
Wu Deshui’s home remained just as it had been during their last visit. The door was still in the same broken state from when Su Cen kicked it down. Inside the house, darkness and confinement dominated. Su Cen took a deep breath before covering his nose and entering.
After a few days of neglect, a thin layer of dust had settled on the tables and chairs. However, the items in the house were not particularly clean to begin with. Instinctively, Su Cen tried his best not to touch anything inside.
Qi Lin, on the other hand, didn’t have as many concerns. He flipped through the pitch-black bedding of Wu Deshui, and then squatted down in front of several barrels in the corner.
“How is it?” Su Cen approached and asked.
Qi Lin touched each of the barrels one by one, then said to Su Cen, “Based on the amount of accumulated dust, these two are new.”
They were indeed the two yellow wine barrels. Qi Lin lifted one of the barrels and showed the bottom to Su Cen. “Palace wine.”
“Palace? Royal wine?”
The barrels were already empty. Qi Lin leaned in and sniffed, then explained, “Huanglu wine, a tribute from Luzhou. When it’s sent to the palace, some is also distributed to the major mansions. As for the rest, it’s just regular yellow wine, probably watered down. You can find it in the Eastern Market wineries.”
Su Cen followed the train of thought. “Wu Deshui was just a gatekeeper at the Eastern Market. He usually drank cheap diluted wine. Given his position, nobody would have gifted him such fine wine. So where did this wine come from?”
“And not just the wine, but also the bedsheet on his bed. Even though we can’t clearly discern its color now, the fabric is of high-quality Dongyang flower brocade.”
Su Cen stared at the two wine barrels for a moment, then stood up abruptly. “Liu Xiang.”
Wu Deshui was Liu Xiang’s younger brother-in-law. Connecting Wu Deshui with these luxurious items, this was the only possible explanation.
Did Liu Xiang give Wu Deshui these two barrels of wine on the day of his murder? Did Wu Deshui’s death result from this gift of wine? Was it a coincidence or was it intentional?
Su Cen began walking towards the door.
Just as he stepped out of the house, a sword blocked his path. Su Cen furrowed his brow and looked over. Qi Lin’s expression remained unperturbed, and he spoke in a cold tone, “If you keep investigating, I won’t be able to protect you anymore, and Master might not be inclined to protect you either.”
Su Cen halted in his tracks.
Once the tension subsided, Su Cen found himself drenched in cold sweat. He was right—he had acted impulsively. Liu Xiang was, after all, the esteemed Liu Xiang. There might even be the support of Empress Dowager Chu behind him. Despite the fact that he was now aligned with Li Shi, it wasn’t significant enough for Li Shi to risk offending these two individuals on his behalf.
If he recklessly charged into Liu Mansion, it was almost certain that his head would be rolling next to Gao Miao’s by noon the following day.
Seeing that Su Cen had calmed down, Qi Lin sheathed his sword and asked, “What do we do next?”
Su Cen looked once again at the dark house. The lead had run dry here. He sighed and said, “I’ve done all I can. All we can do now is wait.”
Returning to the Ministry of Justice, Su Cen ordered the release of the gatekeepers and residents of Guiyi Lane. He stood there alone in the empty hall, lost in thought.
The time had passed halfway through the “shu” hour, but there was no news from the Ministry of Rites, nor any updates from Xiu Niang.
Qi Lin brought a bowl of noodles from the kitchen and placed it in front of Su Cen. He said, “Eat a little. Starving yourself won’t help.”
Su Cen picked up the chopsticks and took a few bites, then looked up at Qi Lin. “Have you eaten?”
Seeing Qi Lin nod, Su Cen continued to eat, consuming the noodles almost mechanically.
He had to make sure he didn’t collapse before today was over. If he were to faint again like the last time, he doubted he would wake up again.
“I’ll go to the Ministry of Rites to check.”
“No need,” Su Cen waved his hand. “With Wang Ye overseeing things, they wouldn’t dare slack off. If they haven’t sent anything yet, it’s likely they haven’t found anything.”
Qi Lin nodded and stood silently behind Su Cen, refraining from speaking.
As the sun sank in the west, the dilapidated red pillars of the court cast long shadows, dividing the hall into distinct areas of light and darkness. As the time approached evening, Su Cen sat in the hall, facing the entrance, with the members of the court unwilling to speak or move, sighing as they accompanied this young master in his waiting.
It wasn’t until the last rays of sunlight had completely faded from the corner of the hall that Su Cen suddenly stood up and instructed, “Move Gao Miao to a different cell.”
“Ah?” The crowd was taken aback.
“Change Gao Miao’s cell, right in front of Xiu Niang,” Su Cen repeated.
He had previously told a lie to Xiu Niang, saying that after sunset, he would send Gao Miao to the Ministry of Punishment. However, sunset didn’t mark the end of the day. The day would not conclude until the evening drums were sounded.
Even if Xiu Niang was strong-willed, she was still a woman. Making her spend a day with someone who was on the brink of death, while knowing that person would be taken away, would undoubtedly affect her emotions—unless she truly went mad.
As time passed, following the sun’s descent, the members of the court had labored through the day and were now holding their breaths, watching as it neared its end.
As dusk settled, a person rushed in from outside, a joyful expression on their face. “He confessed!”
Su Cen stood up abruptly.
“Tian!” the person exclaimed. “Xiu Niang said just one word, ‘Tian’.”
Another person rushed in, “The Ministry of Rites has sent the list. The person who died back then was named Tian Pingzhi!”
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