Chapter 21: Ink Stick

Two men, one stout and one lean, stood before him. They were the very same Imperial City Guard agents who had shadowed him yesterday and surrounded Wang Anshi’s gate.

Coming back for more?

However, upon seeing Su Ze, their expressions instantly shifted into fawning smiles. The stout commander even held a large grass carp in his hand; it hardly seemed like they were here to stir up trouble.

Both were from the Imperial City Guard, and the stout one held the rank of commander. In the military system of the Song Dynasty, a "commander" led a unit of one hundred men. Though the Imperial City Guard was a secret service agency, it was nominally a military organ under the Palace Command. While a commander might not carry much weight in the capital—a city where officials in red and green robes were as common as stray dogs—he would be equivalent to a county-level police chief in later times, a position of no small authority.

Because the Imperial City Guard was a covert agency, it did not necessarily maintain full strength, and the stout man’s title might have been more of an administrative rank than a command over a full hundred men. Yet, as the old saying goes, it is easy to face the King of Hell, but hard to deal with his impish underlings. Since both men belonged to such a notorious organization, life would truly be difficult if they were bent on making trouble for a commoner like Su Ze, who held no official post.

Still, given that they had tried to arrest him only yesterday, Su Ze did not offer a welcoming expression.

The stout commander remained all smiles, turning to his subordinate and snapping, "Master Su must be hungry! Go and buy some food, quickly!"

The lean agent turned to leave, but Su Ze intervened: "My neighbors are all around. Do not frighten them."

The stout commander, capable enough to lead a unit, was naturally quick-witted. He immediately pivoted: "Did you hear that? Buy it! Pay for it!"

The lean agent acknowledged the order and hurried off.

So, they didn't pay for what they took as a rule, did they?

"Master Su, might we step inside to discuss a few things?"

Su Ze considered for a moment, then pushed open his gate and led the stout commander into his home. Yan Zhi Xue heard the commotion outside and retreated to the rafters. The commander, assuming it was just a common white cat, paid it no mind. Seeing the sparse, modest interior of the room, the commander secretly concluded that Su Ze was indeed a destitute scholar, which made things much easier to handle.

Though Su Ze’s tone remained frigid, the commander, having dealt with many scholars in his line of work, knew their temperament. He played along, lowering his posture. He set down the grass carp and produced an ink stick from his robes.

"Master Su, this is an heirloom ink stick from my family."

As soon as the ink stick was revealed, it emitted a faint, medicinal fragrance. A single glance was enough for Su Ze to recognize it as a top-tier piece.

*He who offers favors without cause has a hidden, treacherous motive.*

Nevertheless, the man’s humble demeanor was quite effective, and Su Ze’s tone softened slightly. "Commander Li, you were arrogant yesterday but are fawning today. What is it you’ve come for?"

Commander Li forced a smile more painful to look at than a grimace. "Master Su, you know how it is. Although my superiors ordered the 'Heretical Book' case closed, Commissioner Li has ordered the two of us to investigate it secretly. If we cannot resolve this case, there will be no explaining it to our superiors!"

"Master Su, it was my own ignorance that led me to misunderstand you before. The Commissioner himself said that you are a man of great talent destined for high office in the future. We are but dull-witted men, truly incapable of finding a way to solve this case, and we can only beg for your help."

The information revealed by these words gave Su Ze much to ponder. That the Imperial City Guard had ostensibly dropped the case while secretly continuing the investigation was exactly as Su Ze had expected. That Li Baohe continued to task Commander Li with the investigation was likely a way to punish him for wrongly accusing Su Ze, intentionally putting him through the wringer.

Su Ze thought it over and decided to agree to help. The reason was simple: he had been framed the moment he arrived in this world, and he could not swallow that indignation. Previously, as a commoner, he had no means to conduct an investigation. Now, with Commander Li’s request, he could use the authority of the Imperial City Guard as a shield to hunt down the true culprit.

He could not make it look too easy, however. Su Ze acted aloof, and only after more flattery from the commander did he concede.

"I know you are preparing for the Ministry of Rites examinations, Master Su, so this won't be a burden. You need only help us sort through the clues and identify our oversights. Once the case is closed, there will naturally be a reward."

Commander Li was secretly wincing; the cost of this case was already bleeding him dry. But the Heretical Book case was of immense gravity; if he just grabbed some random person to serve as a scapegoat, he feared his own skin would be at risk. He held the ink stick aloft with both hands. "My ancestor was Li Tinggui, the famous ink-maker of the Southern Tang. This stick was crafted by his own hand. Please, you must accept it."

*Li Tinggui ink?*

Su Ze looked closely and saw the maker's mark on the base. Li Tinggui was a legendary artisan of the Southern Tang, highly favored by the Last Ruler, Li Yu. His ink was renowned for being light to the touch, smooth to grind, fragrant to smell, as hard as jade, silent against the inkstone, black as lacquer, and capable of lasting through the ages. The Last Ruler had once ordered a vast quantity of these "Imperial Inks" to be made, but he never got to enjoy them; they all became treasures of the Song imperial collection.

*[Pulse of Literary Essence detected!]*

The voice of the guide echoed in Su Ze’s mind. This ink stick contained the Pulse of Literary Essence? It made sense—high-end writing implements were considered art, and it was no surprise they held such energy.

At that moment, the lean agent returned with breakfast. Su Ze spoke: "I have some interest in this case."

Hearing his agreement, the two men breathed a sigh of relief. "Many thanks, Master Su!"

Su Ze asked, "First, tell me why you ever suspected me in the first place."

The two exchanged a glance, and the stout commander began: "We tracked the sales of the heretical books to an underground illegal printing shop in the Cao Shi District."

Su Ze pondered this. "So, the owner of that shop identified me?"

The commander shook his head. "Not at all. Even the owner doesn't know who the mastermind is."

Su Ze grew curious. "Then how were the books printed?"

"According to the owner," the commander explained, "someone left the original manuscript and a letter at his door, telling him that printing the books would make him rich. Driven by greed, he committed this treasonous act."

"Then how did you trace it to me?"

The commander looked embarrassed. "It was the letter. It was written on stationery exclusive to the Changqing Restaurant. We went to investigate, and it turned out you, Master Su, had dined there recently and requested their stationery."

Su Ze glanced at his desk, where a few sheets of snow-white paper were held down by a paperweight. *So that was it.* Realizing that his predecessor had been so desperate as to take advantage of the restaurant’s free stationery, only to bring such a disaster upon himself, Su Ze couldn't help but sigh at how pathetic that was.

It seemed that the trail leading to him was not necessarily a long-planned conspiracy, but perhaps merely a stroke of misfortune. Nevertheless, the case of the Heretical Books clearly ran deep.