Chapter 1072

Chen Guanlou didn't know that the fact he had his jade pendant stolen by a woman was known to everyone who should know. He still thought he had hidden it perfectly, and at least his face was saved.

The Prince of Chu is dead, so presumably, no one will mention this matter again.

But his weakness, women, is firmly grasped by others.

However, this man only likes to visit brothels and has no interest in respectable women. He visits brothels only for fun and never loses his heart. For so many years, it has never been heard that he ever persuaded a courtesan to leave her profession, nor has he ever been seen spending money to redeem anyone.

He has absolutely no hobby of persuading courtesans to leave their profession or dragging respectable women into the water.

If he did, someone would have set a trap long ago and planted five, six, seven, or eight women around him.

A typical case of pulling up his pants and not recognizing anyone!

On this day, Chen Guanlou was lying in his office enjoying life when the gatekeeper reported that someone was seeking an audience.

"Who wants to see me?"

"They say they are from the south and are seeking an audience with you regarding the case of Miss Lu."

"What on earth?"

"This is the visiting card; please take a look, my lord."

Chen Guanlou opened the visiting card and took a look. The other party briefly introduced their identity as a local minor official who had come to the capital for a performance review. They had a private matter they wanted to ask for his help with and hoped he could spare some time for a meeting.

"How polite. One doesn't hit a smiling face; invite them in. Bring a pot of new tea."

He was still very polite to guests who had manners and wouldn't put on airs.

A moment later, a man with a slightly haggard face, as if he hadn't rested for a long time, was invited in.

Both sides exchanged greetings. "Forgive my presumptuous request for an audience, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen."

"You are too polite! Please sit, Minister Su; bring tea!"

"Did Minister Su just arrive in the capital?"

"I only arrived yesterday."

"Arrived only yesterday, and you came to the Heavenly Prison to find me today. Is your matter very urgent? Could it be that you have a relative in prison?"

"Indeed, nothing can be hidden from Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen. Before coming to the capital, I paid attention to the criminal justice sector in the capital, and everyone said that if one wants to get someone out in the capital, there is no one like Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen—taking money to get things done, fair to all. So, I came straight here after leaving the Ministry of Personnel. I came in a hurry; if there is any discourtesy, I hope you will forgive me."

"Brother Su is too polite. You just mentioned getting someone out; who do you want to get out? I heard the gatekeeper mention the case of Miss Lu earlier."

Su Xuezhi wiped his face and said immediately: "I won't hide it from Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen; I came to get my junior sister, Miss Lu, out. I hope you will grant this favor."

Chen Guanlou frowned slightly. "You might not know, but although I am a Jiang Jiang Yucheng of the Heavenly Prison, female prisoners are not under my jurisdiction."

"I understand! However, the matter my junior sister committed was all under duress. She is originally a virtuous and kind person; if she hadn't been forced into a dead end, forced to a point where she had no other way out, she would never have killed anyone. A life for a life, but her circumstances are pitiable! I hope Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen can save my junior sister!"

As Su Xuezhi said this, he stood up and bowed.

For an official, this was absolutely a grand gesture, abandoning his dignity.

Chen Guanlou's brow remained furrowed.

"I am not clear about this case of Miss Lu."

"I can tell you truthfully."

"No need. Although I don't manage female prisoners, I can still get the case file. Someone, go and fetch the case file for the female prisoner Miss Lu. Brother Su, helping people depends on the situation. You say your junior sister killed someone; according to the law, a life for a life. Whether I help or not, let me finish reading the case file first, how about that?"

"That is only right!"

A moment later, the case file was brought.

Chen Guanlou read through it carefully.

Then, he said one word: Damn!

Miss Lu lost her mother when she was young and had no brothers. Her father, Mr. Lu, loved his late wife deeply and, worried that his daughter would be wronged, did not remarry.

Mr. Lu was a very famous local teacher, quite prestigious in the area, and could be called a local great Confucian.

In his early years, a mother and son were at their wit's end, poor and destitute.

Mr. Lu was kind-hearted and helped the mother and son.

Later, he discovered that the boy was intelligent, eager to learn, and hardworking, so he took the boy as a disciple and kept him at home to study. He also found a job for the boy's mother at the school, sweeping and cooking.

Mr. Lu could be said to have saved the lives of this mother and son, and for the boy, it was a rebirth.

The boy did not disappoint Mr. Lu's expectations, studying hard and ranking at the top among many students.

Mr. Lu cherished talent, and when it came time for the imperial examinations, he took the boy, who was already a teenager, to visit people everywhere and build connections. The boy did not disappoint the cultivation, passing the examination to become a scholar on his first attempt.

Afterward, he passed through all the barriers and became a provincial graduate.

After that, Mr. Lu sponsored him to come to the capital to take the metropolitan examination. But due to an accident, he failed the first time.

After failing, the young man, now a youth, was disheartened for a time. Mr. Lu was anxious for him and wrote a letter urging him to pull himself together, saying he would come to the capital to run around and introduce connections for him.

It was at this time that the young man made a decision, ran to the Lu family, and said he wanted to marry Mr. Lu's only daughter, swearing that he would only have Miss Lu in this life, treat her well for a lifetime, and never disappoint her.

Mr. Lu had watched the young man grow up and knew his character. He also sought Miss Lu's opinion.

The young man was handsome and had studied at the Lu house for more than ten years; they knew each other well. He was also his father's student, so she thought that after marrying him, life would surely be satisfactory! Miss Lu nodded and agreed to the marriage.

Thus, Miss Lu soon married the young man, bringing a generous dowry.

As mentioned earlier, the young man and his mother were destitute; they owed everything they had today to Mr. Lu's sponsorship.

After marriage, they relied on Miss Lu's dowry to set up their family business.

For the second imperial examination, Mr. Lu personally went to the capital to handle things for the young man, and he successfully passed the metropolitan examination. It was Mr. Lu again who handled things for him, and the young man successfully entered the officialdom.

Unfortunately, good people don't live long.

Mr. Lu had worked hard for half his life and died of a cold.

Miss Lu became an orphan without a father or mother in the blink of an eye.

When Mr. Lu first passed away, the young man swore to Heaven that he would be Miss Lu's support from then on, how he would treat her well, how many children they would have, and how happy they would be.

Miss Lu was fragile at that time, and since they were childhood sweethearts, she had no guard against him and believed his words, handing over the Lu family's assets to the young man on the spot.

From then on, the young man rose to power.

With money, his official career went smoothly, and he was promoted all the way to the capital. He set up his family business, had servants at his beck and call, and took a beautiful concubine. As for his previous promises, he had long since thrown them to the back of his mind.

The young man's mother also changed from her initial kindness and began to pick on and suppress Miss Lu everywhere. During Miss Lu's pregnancy, she deliberately made things difficult and provoked her, secretly and viciously poisoning her, causing Miss Lu to miscarry. Because she was poisoned, the physician diagnosed that she would likely have difficulty conceiving again in the future.

If things had ended there, a murder case wouldn't have occurred.

But the young man's ambition was ignited, and by chance, he met a noble lady.

One was moved by lust, the other wanted to climb the social ladder, and the scumbag and the bitch hooked up.

But the noble lady would never be a concubine.

Thus, Miss Lu became a stumbling block to the young man's advancement, a thorn in his side.