Chapter 1483

Everyone has selfish motives and desires, yet you are completely selfless.

If I don't deal with you, who will!

Chen Guanlou thought to himself: if anyone were to nag in his ear, saying that one must have a conscience in life and work, and that one cannot constantly take money from prisoners, as it is illegal. If the Ministry of Justice doesn't provide money and grain, everyone should just endure it; in any case, one cannot ask prisoners for money, and so on—he would turn against them immediately. It's not certain he wouldn't kill the other party.

While Lord Cao is admirable, he has also provoked public anger!

This is a bird that sticks its head out!

Lord Cao looked up and laughed heartily.

"Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is not old, but he sees things clearly. Others don't dare to do this kind of thing, so I have to step up. It's impossible that in the entire court, there isn't a single person who dares to speak up, allowing His Majesty to continue being absurd. Even if I have provoked public anger, I will not change my will."

"Actually, supporting the Third Prince is not wrong. At least package it, put in some personal feelings and desires, and let the world misunderstand you. You are so high-minded; how are others supposed to live? The Emperor has been made to look like a clown and a foolish monarch by you; the Emperor not killing you is already extremely restrained."

Chen Guanlou spoke earnestly.

Persisting in one's position is not wrong, but at least don't be so direct.

Lord Cao waved his hand, not caring at all. "It's because there are too many people like you that the crooked rules of the officialdom have increased. Everything is spoken in circles; anyone who has read fewer books and isn't quick-witted can't understand the subtext. I disdain acting like this; I just want to state my attitude directly. What selfish motives! My greatest selfish motive is to guard the rules of primogeniture and not allow the Emperor to act recklessly!"

Lord Cao was righteous and would never compromise.

At his age, time waits for no one, and he couldn't be bothered to play games. If he died, he died! He wasn't afraid of death! He wasn't even afraid of having his nine generations executed. Future generations would naturally clear his name and vindicate him!

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue in wonder. "If you die, who can inherit your legacy and maintain the so-called orthodox rules and order? If you die, who will carry the flag! Without the flag, everyone will look around and panic! Not for yourself, but for your ideals, Lord Cao, you should also take care of yourself; at least speak more circuitously, at least be more polite."

Lord Cao snorted coldly, his expression exceptionally disdainful.

"If everyone did things like you, looking ahead and behind, what could be accomplished? At such a young age, you've already learned the ways of an old slicker, without a shred of youthful vigor; how absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Guanlou rolled his eyes in return.

Old rascal!

He retracted his previous words; there was no admiration, no respect, only disgust that he couldn't agree with!

He gave a light cough. "Old man, take it easy. Dying is easy; life being worse than death is the hardest thing in life. If the Emperor has made up his mind, he has plenty of ways to deal with you. Don't blame me for not reminding you when the time comes."

"No need for you to remind me; I have my own plans."

Worthy of being an old stubborn fool; he hadn't taken a single word of advice to heart.

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue twice. "You should let the Third Prince know your sincerity and let him be moved. This is such a firm position! Not coveting the leadership of the Third Prince's faction!"

"I am not the leader of any faction. I am just firm in my own advocacy: primogeniture. This has nothing to do with the Third Prince. If the Second Prince were the legitimate son today, I would turn around and support the Second Prince!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Guanlou was so angry he laughed.

In the end, what he supported was just the rules and order, not any specific person. The Third Prince just happened to occupy the status of the legitimate son, and thus received support.

If one day the Third Prince lost his status as the legitimate son, he believed that Lord Cao would turn against him faster than turning a page. This kind of support is the same principle as 'all women only love my money, not me as a person.' When the money disappears, the love disappears along with it!

"Lord Cao, you've opened my eyes today; as a reward, I'll order the kitchen to prepare some wine and food for you, so you can relax! How about that?"

"Many thanks, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen!" Lord Cao was not at all polite.

Having been in prison for several days, his mouth was almost tasteless.

Upon hearing about wine and food, his eyes lit up instantly.

So the old man also had cravings.

Very good!

"Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, if you're not busy, why not accompany me for a couple of cups!"

"Sure!"

The wine and food were served.

One sitting inside the prison cell, the other sitting outside, eating and chatting.

"Your Marquis is definitely not going to rebel, right?"

Chen Guanlou couldn't hold it together. "What do you mean by that! Everyone is convinced Marquis Pingjiang will rebel! Rebel against whom? He is a loyal subject of the Great Da Qian dynasty, as loyal as one can be!"

He shouted loudly, extremely dissatisfied.

They looked down on people too much.

Lord Cao watched his performance happily. "A few years ago, the Imperial Mausoleum was destroyed by a group of unidentified armed personnel, and the Imperial Mausoleum Guards were killed or injured; they never caught the people. Guess who did this? Even with this, you dare to call him a loyal subject! You must not tarnish the word 'loyal subject'."

"Hey! You can eat food indiscriminately, but you can't speak indiscriminately." Chen Guanlou reprimanded sternly. "Do you have evidence? You have no evidence, just speculation; what right do you have to convict someone? When the Three Judicial Offices arrest people, they at least investigate and collect evidence. You, on the other hand, just open your mouth and say it. Do you really think our Chen family has no one?"

He was filled with righteous indignation; today, he had to argue it out and clarify the matter.

He must never bear an unclear charge.

Lord Cao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You and I both know exactly what happened. Your shouting in front of me is useless and will only make you look guilty."

Chen Guanlou sneered. "If I've been wronged by you, and I can't even shout a few words, wouldn't that make me look even more like a thief with a guilty conscience? You scholars love to nitpick, cite classics, and find handles to arrest people. You don't do a single proper thing. I'll just ask you: whether Marquis Pingjiang rebels or not, in the end, it's all forced by people like you; do you admit it?"

Lord Cao didn't want to admit it.

But Chen Guanlou was aggressive; if this question wasn't clarified, there would be nothing to talk about later.

Lord Cao had no choice but to nod. "I suppose so!"

"If you admit it, that's fine! In this day and age, fighting wars, winning battles, the more battles you win, the more you are suspected. Just because he has soldiers and generals in his hands, you worry he will rebel. Who set that rule?"

"Balancing civil and military power is a necessary means. And it's not said that Marquis Pingjiang will definitely rebel. Look at now; there is no one in the court shouting to punish Marquis Pingjiang. This is because the Marquis has made the correct choice. From this, it can be seen that everything has room for negotiation."

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue in wonder, admiring the other party's thick skin, his face showing sarcasm. "You really know how to gild your own faces. There is no room for negotiation; it's nothing more than Marquis Pingjiang choosing to take a step back and giving the court and the Emperor a way out. You were shouting for blood; I don't believe it was all fake."

"Look, you always think of the court in the worst way. Marquis Pingjiang is a rare general who commands troops; do you think the court is really willing to punish him with death? How difficult it is to cultivate a general, I know better than you. Now is a time of many troubles. The court shouting for blood is just a means to force Marquis Pingjiang to choose the correct path. Now it seems it was still useful."

They really know how to gild their faces!