Chapter 1428: Wishing Them an Early Ascent to Paradise

"You must have done it on purpose."

Chen Guanlou smiled mysteriously.

Scholar Du shook his head repeatedly, denying it.

"Are you crazy or am I crazy? That's rebellion; it's a capital offense. How could I be so stupid as to deliberately attack the county town? Could it be just to get my head chopped off by the imperial court?"

Scholar Du questioned sharply.

Chen Guanlou pondered carefully. "Did you reach a private deal with someone? Were the starving people in your hometown secretly plotting to attack a certain wealthy family to plunder grain? And then, you bunch of scholars came up with the idea of mixing in, leading the starving people to attack the county town? Directly nailing these starving people to death, executing their nine clans?"

He had to admire himself; his imagination was truly wild, he could even think of this.

Scholar Du, however, looked as if he had seen a monster; his eyes were exceptionally terrified and uneasy, revealing a bit of strangeness.

"You came up with this? How could you so maliciously speculate on my intentions? Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, your path has gone astray."

Scholar Du sneered repeatedly, his expression disdainful, ashamed to be associated with him.

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue twice. "Don't be in such a hurry to deny it! You keep saying you're innocent, but I really can't understand why you'd leave the wealthy families alone and insist on attacking the county town. Why would you not want the able-bodied men who had already experienced a siege battle, and instead choose to voluntarily disband the team?

Your behavior is full of strangeness and illogicality. It's very reasonable for me to speculate on you, right? Why are you so agitated?

Could it be that I hit the truth, and you really are a spy planted by those wealthy families among the starving people, relying on the attack on the county town and the power of the imperial court to solve these unruly people once and for all, directly serving up a nine-clan execution package? Tsk, your heart is black enough. Scholar Du, I underestimated you before. You're a big-time operator, but unfortunately, you're going to die!"

"A pack of lies!"

Scholar Du gritted his teeth, his fists pounding against the wall, so angry he wished he could tear Chen Guanlou's mouth apart.

"You are slandering me! You are ruining my reputation! I will solemnly state one more time: I was pleading for the people! Please don't impose your conspiracy theories on me. I, Du Xiuwen, have a clear conscience before heaven and earth! Don't even think about framing me! You are just a hawk and hound of the imperial court! Kill me or carve me up, as you please!"

Chen Guanlou crossed his arms and observed the other person's reaction with great interest.

The reaction was truly intense.

He always felt the other person was very guilty! Covering up guilt with anger. Brainwashing himself with all sorts of exaggerated rhetoric!

The highest realm of brainwashing is to brainwash oneself, to be incomparably firm. Only when one believes it oneself can one convince others.

He clicked his tongue in wonder; he was a talent.

With this ability, he could succeed at anything, so why couldn't he think straight and run off to rebel?

"Are you going to die?" he asked curiously.

Scholar Du didn't make a sound.

"I mean, are you terminally ill and going to die? I'm not asking when you're going to the execution ground. Otherwise, I really can't understand why you would help the wealthy families, why you would go to rebel."

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Could it be that you owe money? But that wouldn't cost you your life. Or do you have some other hidden difficulty? Have you been held by your weak point?"

Scholar Du kept a cold face and decisively lay back on the bed board, ignoring him.

Chen Guanlou smiled softly. "Do you know that your behavioral trajectory is truly strange? Not only can I see this, but those Ministry of Justice officials handling the case can certainly see it too. In two days, when you go to court, think carefully about how to deal with the Ministry of Justice's questioning. They won't be as polite as I am; one round of boards will take half your life."

Scholar Du turned over, facing the inside, with an attitude of refusing to communicate.

Chen Guanlou didn't care. "You should hurry up and recuperate; I'm worried you won't be able to handle the court session. Those people in the Ministry of Justice are quite ruthless. What's more, you're just a scholar, without an official position."

Scholar Du curled his body, his refusal even more obvious.

Chen Guanlou smiled self-deprecatingly and turned to leave.

This winter, quite a few people died in the prison.

Those old prisoners, prisoners who had been locked up for twenty or thirty years, all at a great age, died seven or eight in one breath.

They notified the families to claim the bodies, but not a single family member was found. They had all returned to their ancestral homes!

They could only notify their former colleagues to see if there was anyone with a conscience willing to pay to help with the burial.

As it turned out, an official actually came—Official Xing, who worked at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"May I ask, Official Xing, which prisoner's body are you here to bury?"

Official Xing was in his early fifties, well-maintained and full of spirit.

"This winter is very cold; I heard many prisoners froze to death."

"Yes!"

Chen Guanlou greeted the other person to have tea.

Official Xing drank half a cup of tea before saying, "How many bodies in total?"

"What do you mean?" Chen Guanlou was a bit uncertain.

"I have decided to bury them all, arrange the funeral, and lay them to rest."

"Official Xing is righteous!"

Chen Guanlou became happy instantly.

Seven or eight bodies were a big project. Not to mention the burial fees, just the labor costs were an expense. That bunch of prison guards and handymen would be full of complaints and cursing when the time came. Doing the work very roughly.

It was different when someone paid for the burial.

With money, everything was easy to handle, and everything was joyous. A funeral could be turned into a joyous event as long as the money was in place.

Official Xing, however, gave a bitter laugh. "Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, please don't mock me."

"I am definitely not mocking you; I am serious. You also know that the Heavenly Prison's budget is tight; with you stepping forward, it saves us a lot of trouble. I am sincerely grateful to you."

"Does Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen not know my past with them?"

"Weren't you colleagues?" Chen Guanlou asked suspiciously.

"More than colleagues, we were also of the same year. You must not have carefully flipped through the case files; we passed the imperial examination in the same year and stayed in the capital as officials. But later, sigh..."

He looked like the past was too painful to look back on.

"They were all warriors, only I was a coward!" Official Xing repented, saying that if it could happen again, perhaps he would choose another path, even if it meant going to prison.

Chen Guanlou completely disagreed. "How could you think that! To your family and friends, you are the true warrior. You protected them and gave them a stable life.

In doing things, one must remember not to act on impulse. You thought thrice before acting and didn't choose to act impulsively with them; that is commendable! They had their pursuits, which doesn't mean your pursuits were wrong. Official Xing, your path has narrowed!"

Official Xing looked stunned.

His hand holding the teacup was trembling. "For so many years, besides my wife, you are the first person to say I am a warrior. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, thank you!"

"No need to thank me! I am very happy to clear up confusion for lost people. There are eight bodies in total; we can provide funeral services here. Simple handling is two hundred taels, heavy handling is five hundred taels, and the most grand handling has no upper limit. Look, do you want us to help?"

"Five hundred taels, sorry to trouble you! Let them leave with dignity."

Chen Guanlou felt a joy in his heart. "Official Xing, don't worry, I guarantee to let them leave with peace and dignity, and I'll find a place of good geomancy, wishing them an early ascent to paradise!" ===== CHAPTER 1429 =====