Chapter 1021: Double Standards

Chen Chen Guanlou didn't open his mouth like a lion demanding an outrageous price; he quoted a very fair price, just earning a bit for his trouble.

Being so generous might be because he was struck by her beauty, perhaps out of pity for a lovely woman, or perhaps her looks melted his conscience. In short, it all comes down to one word: 'lust'!

The old saying is right—there's a blade on top of the word 'lust.'

If it were a man negotiating with him, he'd make sure to fleece them ruthlessly.

Faced with a beauty, a man's cold, hard heart instantly turns soft.

To sum it up in one word: cheap!

Miss Yue was deeply moved, tears welling up in her eyes, and was about to kneel on the spot to thank him. Chen Chen Guanlou quickly reached out to help her up—soft, tender skin, smooth and delicate, worthy of someone from Wang Fu.

"Miss Yue, you needn't do this. You have a heart for gratitude, and if I hadn't known, so be it. Since I do know, I'll definitely help if I can. But you can't rely on me entirely. I only say I'll help; I can't guarantee things will work out. Understand?"

Miss Yue gently wiped her tears and said emotionally, "I understand everything. During this time, we've run around to many places in Jingcheng and sought out many people, so I know full well the difficulties involved. Lord Chen not caring about personal gain and willing to help us is already remarkable. If it truly can't be done, we'll accept it. If it can be done, then you are my benefactor!"

"No need for talk of benefactors. I take money to do business, fair to old and young alike. Once the money arrives, I'll start pulling strings for you. If you can't gather the funds, you can borrow from a money house. I can tell you which money houses in Jingcheng are fair and have no traps…"

Chen Chen Guanlou was truly warm-hearted today, considering every aspect for the other party.

Miss Yue gazed at him with a face full of gratitude and admiration—big eyes, pretty face—just like an adoring fangirl.

Chen Chen Guanlou knew perfectly well that her expression had an element of acting. But who wouldn't be dazzled by a girl looking at him like an adoring fangirl? It fed his vanity and gave him full emotional value. Just for this, he had to get the job done.

Money or not, he didn't care; he wasn't short of that little bit.

The main thing was the emotional value maxed out!

"Where does Miss Yue live? Once I have news, how do I get it to you?"

Miss Yue mentioned a place name—a rented residence in Nancheng.

"I don't know how long we'll be staying in Jingcheng, so I rented a place for a whole year. Lord Chen, when you get to Doufu Lane, there's a jujube tree at the gate—that's where I live."

"Alright, got it! Want me to see you off?"

"No, no need. I've already troubled Lord Chen too much; how could I dare ask you to escort me? Lord Chen, please go back. I'll send the money over tomorrow."

Miss Yue curtsied with a full blessing, walked out the gate, and left by carriage.

Chen Chen Guanlou stood at the door and glanced at the coachman—indeed had some martial training, enough to handle ordinary street thugs. Against a true expert, he'd only be throwing his life away.

Sister Sister Chunxiang was very nosy. Once the carriage was far away, she sidled up to him. "Lou-ge, taken a fancy to that young lady? Where's she from, who else is in her family, any requirements? If you've really taken a liking, I'll play matchmaker for you."

Chen Chen Guanlou heard this and laughed heartily. "Sister-in-law, don't joke around. She has her own plans, and besides, this is my first time meeting her."

"She has her plans, so that means you have plans too? First meeting doesn't matter—locking eyes is more important than anything. How about it? You're not young anymore—want me to find you a match!" Sister Sister Chunxiang kept egging him on. Summer's here, and a couple has to cuddle to sleep warm.

Chen Chen Guanlou waved his hands repeatedly. "Don't! Don't go playing matchmaker randomly! I don't have designs on that young lady; I just saw she's pretty and took a second look."

He generously admitted he loved beauty!

As the saying goes, everyone loves beauty. But that doesn't mean seeing a beautiful woman makes him want to drag her home.

"You already took a second look, and you still say you have no designs. Saying one thing and meaning another!" Sister Sister Chunxiang was full of contempt. "You, you deserve to be a bachelor for life."

"Being a bachelor isn't illegal."

"But it's embarrassing!"

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

He didn't argue with women!

Especially a matchmaker like Sister Sister Chunxiang—her combat power was such that even ten of him would have to admit defeat.

If he couldn't win, he could at least dodge. He decisively went out the door in style.

No Miss Yue, but there was Miss Honghong, Miss Lanlan, Miss Chen Qingqing…

Two days later, the coachman came alone to deliver the money.

He asked why Miss Yue hadn't come.

The coachman said Miss Yue was at the temple; it rained yesterday, the road was muddy, and she couldn't make it back. He delivered the money and still had to go to the temple to pick her up later.

"You left Miss Yue alone at the temple—is that safe?"

"Miss Yue has others keeping her company, perfectly safe. The money has been delivered; I hope Lord Chen will honor his promise and get things done as soon as possible."

"What I should handle, I will handle. But I have a habit: for one commission, I only deal with the same person. Next time there's something, make sure Miss Yue comes in person. If someone else comes, I won't acknowledge it!"

That's right—he really was this double-standard!

He acknowledged both the money and the person!

With a sweet, soft, pretty young lady available, why would he deal with a rough man? He wasn't into self-torment!

The coachman opened his mouth, seeming about to curse him as a lecher. Thinking again that they still needed to ask favors, he decisively shut his mouth and drove the carriage away.

Take the money and do the job.

He wasn't familiar with the Shaofu side, didn't even have a single proper acquaintance there.

But he did know which way the gates of the Shaofu prison faced.

Speaking of the Shaofu prison, normally it refers to the proper prison next door to the Shaofu yamen.

The Jiafengdao prison is also under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu prison warden. But in the mouths of Jingcheng folk, Jiafengdao prison is Jiafengdao prison, and Shaofu prison is Shaofu prison.

The two prisons are distinguished clearly and unmistakably.

It's said that in its early years, Jiafengdao prison was a mass grave pit, low-lying terrain, perpetually waterlogged, dark and damp. Many people treated the place as a burial ground for the unclaimed, throwing all sorts of things into it.

Later, the Shaofu took a liking to this piece of land, paid to acquire it, hauled in earth and stone to fill and level the foundation, and built rows of houses along the mountain shape—that's the current Jiafengdao prison. It still hasn't changed its dark and damp nature.

People say that anyone locked up in Jiafengdao prison—no matter how healthy they were going in, even a man in his prime—after a few years inside comes out riddled with ailments, aging extremely fast. You can see that place really 'nurtures' people!

Moreover, that place is a wind gap, with fiercer winds than anywhere else in Jingcheng. Come winter, the wind cuts across the face like falling blades, stinging painfully.

Normally, offending imperial relatives and clan nobility are all held in the proper Shaofu prison. Only certain prisoners, or those the palace has specifically arranged, are locked up in Jiafengdao prison.

The womenfolk of the Chu Wang Fu are all currently held in Jiafengdao prison—it's over, this is the rhythm of wanting to kill them off.

To grease the wheels in there, not only must the money be in place, more importantly one must find the right person.

Find who?

Chen Chen Guanlou sought out the neighboring female prisoner's Eunuch Hu! Eunuch Hu had served in the Imperial Workshops early in his career. It was said he had entered the palace in the same batch as the Imperial Workshops' Jiang Jiang Yucheng, both of them eunuchs.