Chapter 1408

Cold sweat broke out on Chen Guanqiang's forehead again.

In the middle of winter, it was truly hard on him.

He coughed lightly, "Brother Lou..."

"Don't!" Chen Guanlou interrupted quickly, "Don't you dare disgust me; you're not a sixteen-year-old girl. I can't believe you can say that."

"Why can't I say it, and why is it disgusting? I call you 'brother'—is there a problem?" Chen Guanqiang felt wronged and retorted.

Chen Guanlou held his forehead, his face showing a look of pain.

Sigh...

Communicating on different channels is truly painful. He doesn't understand my pain, and I don't understand his bitterness!

"Don't call me 'Brother Lou' 【Ge-ge】, just call me 'Brother' 【Ge】!"

"What's the difference between 'Ge-ge' and 'Ge'?" Chen Guanqiang didn't understand.

Chen Guanlou closed his eyes in disgust and said, "Only women can call me 'Ge-ge'. You, a grown man, calling me 'Ge-ge'—do you think that's appropriate?"

"It's appropriate! Everyone calls me that. Is it not popular in the Heavenly Prison? It must be popular in brothels. If the girls in the brothels can call me that, why can't I call you that? Brother Lou, you are truly practicing double standards."

"In any case, it's not allowed with me!"

"Fine, fine, fine, everything as you wish. You're the boss!" Chen Guanqiang complained.

The issue of address was temporarily shelved.

He said again, "Regarding the goods, um, what you said also makes sense. But it's not appropriate!"

Chen Guanlou waited for his follow-up.

Chen Guanqiang continued, "How about you take the accountant with you to the South? The accountant knows which goods need to be retrieved. I really can't conveniently tell you."

Chen Guanlou sneered, looking down on him, "It's nothing more than contraband like military equipment or gunpowder. What is there that I can't know?"

Chen Guanqiang drank his wine and remained silent.

Chen Guanlou looked surprised, "It's not that! Could it be that the goods are people?"

Many years ago, he had also helped the Marquis's mansion transport people.

Chen Guanqiang remained silent.

"It's not people either!" Chen Guanlou said with certainty, "If it's not military equipment or gunpowder, and it's not people, what else is worth you being so cautious that the goods must be retrieved?"

"Brother Lou, can you not ask?"

"If you don't satisfy my curiosity, how can I satisfy you by retrieving the goods for you and killing the people who robbed them along the way?" Chen Guanlou said righteously.

He had no other flaws, only that his curiosity was very strong. Once he set his mind on something, he had to get to the bottom of it.

Chen Guanqiang's expression was very pained, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but the higher-ups issued a gag order. At worst, I'll double your reward afterward, how about that?"

"A gag order even for me? While gagging me, you're still asking me to handle things for you." Chen Guanlou sneered; was he someone who was easy to talk to?

Chen Guanqiang picked up his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

"Fine, fine! Since you insist on asking, I'll tell you. If the higher-ups ask afterward, you have to cover for me."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely carry it for you." Chen Guanlou promised, patting his chest. His reputation was excellent, his words never fell to the ground, and his character was top-notch.

People like him who kept their word were rare animals these days and should be cherished!

Chen Guanqiang lowered his voice and whispered two words, "Molds!"

"What kind of thing?" Chen Guanlou was shocked, incredulous, his expression cracking, "Molds? What kind of molds are worth the Marquis naming them specifically?"

How beautiful must they be!

That's not right!

He said before that what was being transported wasn't people.

This mold is not that mold.

"What kind of mold exactly? Speak clearly." Chen Guanlou urged. He had almost made a fool of himself and lost face!

Chen Guanqiang blinked, "What other kind of mold could it be? Of course, it's a mold for casting money."

"What? You actually..."

Chen Guanlou didn't know what to say for a moment.

He wanted to say, 'How can you be so bold?' but then he thought, the Marquis of Pingjiang could even use the Emperor's edicts as toilet paper; a mere mold was nothing.

He wanted to say, 'Are you crazy!' but then he thought, of all the things the Marquis of Pingjiang had done over the years, which one was something a normal person could do?

If they were crazy, they had been crazy for a long time. For many, many years. When the late Emperor was alive, they would still pretend to cover it up a little, not daring to openly oppose him.

Once the late Emperor died, they showed their cards and stopped pretending. They just opposed him, and they just wouldn't return to the capital. The Emperor made move after move, year after year, but none could force the Marquis of Pingjiang back.

Of course, the Marquis of Pingjiang didn't rebel either.

Rebellion is the final step!

Unless absolutely necessary, the Marquis would always be a loyal subject of the Great Qian Dynasty! Extremely loyal!

It was like walking a tightrope; if you weren't careful, a loyal subject would instantly become a rebel!

He wanted to say, 'Why do you need so much money? The Marquis's mansion isn't short of money.' But then he thought, no one would complain about having too much money. Moreover, the Marquis of Pingjiang was now the General Manager of Immigration and would serve as the Grand Admiral of the Navy in the future. So, money would definitely not be enough. Taking the opportunity to make a fortune in the Northwest was completely feasible!

He believed there was no loyal official or general in the North who would secretly report them!

Wherever the blade points, everyone bows and obeys!

One step further, and it would be bowing and calling themselves subjects!

Mere money, compared to carving out territory and becoming a king, was far behind!

He believed that even if the Emperor knew, he would pinch his nose and endure it.

But...

The premise for everything was that this matter could not be made public, could not be known by the people of the world, and could not be known by all the court officials. It had to be done quietly.

Even if everyone knew, as long as it wasn't made public for a day, as long as there was no evidence for a day, and as long as it wasn't officially defined for a day, this matter could only be deemed as groundless and non-existent! Slander, a frame-up!

To appease the anger of the Commander-in-Chief, the court would even have to kill a few people, using their heads to show the attitude of the court and the Emperor: We have absolute trust in the Marquis of Pingjiang!

Chen Guanlou figured out the joints in this matter and clicked his tongue twice.

He asked softly, "Is it the first mold?"

Chen Guanqiang remained silent.

Chen Guanlou understood in a second; silence meant it wasn't the first time. It was likely the Marquis's mansion had long started casting money in the South, shearing the sheep of the Great Qian Dynasty.

In any case, heaven is high and the Emperor is far away.

Thinking about it this way, curiosity arose, "Is the Xie family of Xie Changling also making molds?"

Otherwise, as the strongest powerful family in the South with eyes and ears everywhere, it was impossible for the Xie family not to know that the Marquis's mansion was secretly casting money. Since they knew but didn't speak up, they were either peers or had some other collusion. He leaned toward them being peers.

A thief wouldn't voluntarily report a peer unless they were caught by the police.

This was the tacit understanding among peers.

Only the original would report the pirated version!

Chen Guanqiang immediately gave a thumbs up, "Truly amazing. I didn't say anything, and you guessed everything."

Chen Guanlou smiled.

The Heavenly Prison was a sieve, with loopholes everywhere. He hadn't expected the Great Qian Empire to have also become a sieve now, with loopholes everywhere.

Everyone was shearing the sheep of the Great Qian Empire. Even the Prime Minister was involved!

Incredible!

If things went on like this, it would be intolerable by heaven if the Great Qian Empire didn't perish!

He coughed lightly, "Only molds?"

"Yes, only molds. Three molds in total, very important, and they must not fall into the hands of others. Brother Lou, this matter is yours alone; no one else will do. However, I will arrange enough manpower to help you. You only need to retrieve the molds and kill that bunch of thieves who don't know the height of heaven and earth!"