Su Cen abruptly regained his senses, his face pressed against the cold surface of the carved violet sandalwood table. He realized he had been acting recklessly, like a rabbit taunting a tiger, exposing himself to danger.
Li Shi’s hand rested gently on the back of Su Cen’s neck. Though the touch could be considered tender, Su Cen felt as if he were pinned to the table, immobilized.
“For one day,” Li Shi’s gaze traveled down the person beneath him. “I’ll give you one day. If you can’t find another suspect for me, I’ll use him to appease the people.”
Su Cen’s eyes widened momentarily. He attempted to sit up but was pressed back down by Li Shi. Li Shi’s voice remained calm, neither hurried nor slow, “If you regret it, you can leave.”
Leave?
Where could he go? With one move of his finger, Gao Miao’s life would be forfeit. Forget about leaving this room; he didn’t even have the capacity to rise to his feet and negotiate with Li Shi. He was pinned to the table like a helpless animal.
Su Cen gritted his teeth. “Then I want full authority over this case. I need the cooperation of the Three Departments and Six Ministries.”
Li Shi smiled. “You’re quite assertive.”
“I also need to borrow someone – one of your guards – to deal with the assassin from that day.”
There was silence from Li Shi’s end. His hand lightly pinched a tendon at the back of Su Cen’s neck, as if contemplating, or perhaps contemplating inflicting agony.
Trapped in such a position, Su Cen dared not breathe heavily. The situation had reached its zenith, leaving him with no choice but to resign himself to fate.
After an indeterminate period of time, the person behind him spoke, “Don’t wear the fragrance again.”
“Hmm?” Su Cen’s voice still held a hint of surprise when suddenly a hand gripped the collar at the back of his neck and pulled down abruptly. His clothes were torn away, leaving his smooth skin exposed on the surface of the violet sandalwood table.
Su Cen’s pupils dilated rapidly. He took a sharp inhale of breath, then released it slowly.
Did he just agree?
Li Shi’s finger gently traced along the rigid spine, the jade ring on his thumb slightly cold, sending shivers through Su Cen’s body.
“First time?”
Su Cen was briefly startled. These high-ranking individuals were meticulous about details. He closed his eyes and responded with a deep voice, “Rest assured, Your Highness, I haven’t… been with anyone… yet. I’m still… pure…”
“I’m not referring to that,” Li Shi’s hand slowly moved to the back of Su Cen’s neck, locking him between his fingers. “Are you afraid of pain?”
Su Cen bit his lip. “I – Ah!”
Without waiting any longer, the person behind him pressed closer.
Su Cen felt his body being torn apart, a reflexive urge to escape surged within him. He instinctively arched his spine, but his neck was trapped, held against the table.
He was wrong. He wanted to flee, but the overwhelming agony rendered him unable to hold on!
It was as if he were a fish floundering in a dried-up riverbed, mouth agape but unable to utter a sound. The sensation of blood and saltiness choked his voice, sealing it entirely.
What did Gao Miao… or the suspect… matter to him?
It was merely a few lives… just a few lives… nothing more… just… a few lives…
The memorials on the desk were scattered on the floor. The inkstone had been overturned at some point, and the black ink slowly bled into the violet sandalwood surface, staining the face that looked like jade with an obscure hue.
Li Shi lifted the dazed face, observing the delicate tremors in the long eyelashes, drops of sweat or tears falling, leaving a crimson hue on the side of the face.
Bending down, he lightly kissed the trembling lips, tasting a mixture of saltiness and iron.
After adjusting his clothes, Li Shi stood up and left.
Finally released from the grip of his hand, Su Cen slipped down the edge of the table to the ground. By then, he couldn’t determine if it was pain or something else he felt. He stared at the intricate patterns of the curtain above, void of sorrow or joy, ignorant and unconscious.
But one thing was for sure… he felt disheveled.
Li Shi instructed from outside the door, “After the duration of an incense stick, go in and clean up.”
Qi Lin bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Listening to this, Su Cen couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Li Shi was considerate enough to give him the time of an incense stick. As he lay on the ground, waiting for his senses to return, Su Cen slowly sat up and began putting on his tattered clothes one by one.
Qi Lin entered the room shortly after the incense stick’s time had passed. He found Su Cen fully dressed already. Despite the visible signs of tidying up his appearance, the torn clothes, and the remaining vermilion on his face, made him look somewhat disheveled. Yet, his cold, indifferent gaze was just as it was when he led him into the room.
Qi Lin gave Su Cen a sidelong glance. “Mr. Su.”
Su Cen arched his hand in return. “I appreciate your assistance, Guard Qi.”
“Your room is ready, please follow me.”
Su Cen was taken aback. “Can I leave?”
“You want to leave like this?” Qi Lin looked him up and down. Although his attire and hair were somewhat organized, they were still torn, and there was a mark on his face, vivid and blood-red.
Qi Lin’s intent gaze didn’t hold offense, but Su Cen still felt uneasy, furrowing his brows slightly. Qi Lin quickly shifted his gaze away. “Come with me. This is also His Highness’s intention. Tomorrow morning, His Highness will fulfill his promise to you.”
Under the moonlight’s soft glow, Qi Lin led Su Cen around a significant part of the Dragon Pond. Qi Lin deliberately slowed his pace, still observing Su Cen’s steps through the reflection on the pond’s surface. Each step seemed laborious, and one hand rested on his waist to support him.
Since his return to the capital, Li Shi had been more prudent and deliberate in his actions. When had he last acted so decisively?
Qi Lin led Su Cen to his accommodation and then left in accordance with the situation. The room was already prepared with hot water and food. Su Cen eagerly stripped off his clothes and immersed himself in the water, hoping to wash away the mess that clung to him. Follow the newest chapters on NovelPing.
Leaning against the water bucket’s side, he surveyed the room. The carved beams and painted rafters exuded an antique atmosphere, yet with a careful observation, the window curtains, the dressing table, all seemed to reflect a woman’s touch.
A faint fragrance seemed to arise from nowhere, slowly invading his senses, making him drowsy in no time.
Sliding along the tub’s wall, he submerged himself underwater until it reached his head, drowning him, leaving him unable to call for help.
Why was it this dream again?
A hand reached out to him, but this time it appeared even more attractive. A black inkstone finger, smooth and glossy, lifted him up.
Emerging from the water, there was no sign of Gao Miao, no bloody face. The person gazed at him with a relaxed and open expression, radiating a refreshing aura.
He slept soundly and peacefully through the night, free from dreams and nightmares.
When he woke up the next morning, a black inkstone finger rested quietly on the bedside table, pure and translucent, completely devoid of impurities.
One day. Within this day, he had to clear Gao Miao’s name and apprehend the real culprit.
Getting out of bed, he noticed that the water he had bathed in the previous day had been infused with herbs, relieving much of the dull pain. After eating some snacks sent over the previous night, he headed out. Qi Lin was already waiting for him.
Su Cen instructed, “First, help me find someone.”
He proceeded straight to the Dali Hall. As expected, Song Jiancheng was already there waiting for him. When he returned empty-handed, Song Jiancheng raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Scholar Su, where’s the culprit?”
Su Cen smiled in response and took out the black inkstone finger. “I’ve taken charge of this case.”
“You… Su Cen, you…” Song Jiancheng was dumbfounded. He naturally recognized Prince Ning’s token but still found it hard to believe. He reached out his hand as if to take it but Su Cen swiftly withdrew it into his pouch. “Now, immediately find a physician to examine Gao Miao’s injuries. As for Lord Song…” Su Cen smiled faintly at him. “You’ve been working hard for several days. Rest today.”
“Su Cen, you…” It took Song Jiancheng a while to choke out this sentence. After glaring at him, he leaned in close and whispered with a venomous tone, “Licking honey from a knife’s edge, be careful not to cut your tongue!”
“My tongue is quite well, thank you for your concern, Lord Song.”
Song Jiancheng left with a wave of his sleeves.
Once he was gone, Su Cen took his seat at the main hall and looked at the people below. He said, “Bring back all the gatekeepers from the night of April 8th, as well as the neighbors of Wu Deshui from Guiyi Lane. Question them one by one. Focus on investigating whether Wu Deshui had any enemies, who he interacted with on April 8th, where he drank, and when he arrived at the East Market, as well as when he left.”
After a moment of mutual hesitation among the crowd, they all acknowledged, “Yes.”
Once everyone dispersed, Su Cen looked at Little Sun, the one responsible for serving tea and water in the front hall, and said, “Accompany me to the Ministry of Rites.”
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