Chapter 1586: If I can't kill Prince Ning, I can still kill you!

Even if Chen Guanlou spoke with such eloquence that he could make flowers bloom, Xiao Changsheng would not accept his swindling.

It was too bullying.

He was seeking death, and he still had to pay for it!

In this day and age, you can't even afford to die!

This was going too far!

This was outrageous!

One shouldn't go too far in life!

"I want to see the steward of my mansion." He made his request.

Chen Guanlou told him, "Your steward was also arrested after the incident and is currently locked in the Bing-grade prison. If you're counting on him to help you share your burdens, that's impossible."

Xiao Changsheng furrowed his brows. "Has my mansion been raided?"

"It has already been raided twice. Imperial Consort Xiao arranged for a few servants to guard the Xiao mansion to prevent petty thieves from sneaking in to steal."

"The house has been raided clean; what is there left to steal?"

"For the common people, pots, bowls, basins, and ladles are all very important and valuable. Especially the large iron wok in your mansion, which is worth at least seven or eight, maybe even a dozen taels of silver. Those tables and chairs can also sell for quite a bit of money. The doors and windows can be dismantled and sold for money, and the glazed tiles on the roof are all good things. The precious flowers, plants, and famous rockeries in the garden—everything can be converted into cash. You tell me, is it worth stealing?"

Counting it up like this, Xiao Changsheng remembered that his mansion had been built at great expense. Especially the garden; he had hired craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, and the famous rockeries and various precious flowers and plants shipped from other regions had cost at least six figures. It was indeed very valuable.

Even if they were dismantled piece by piece to be sold, at a steep discount, they could still fetch several thousand to ten thousand taels of silver. It was indeed worth a visit from thieves.

He took a deep breath. "Did the Ministry of Justice give the Imperial Consort a hard time?"

Chen Guanlou gave a light laugh. "How could they dare! Imperial Consort Xiao holds the late Emperor's last edict in her hands, which is used for self-preservation. Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice is a loyal official; whatever the late Emperor ordered, he will certainly execute without discount. Unless one day the Emperor tears up the last edict in Imperial Consort Xiao's hands, at which point the Ministry of Justice will also be driven by the current Majesty to act as his vanguard."

Xiao Changsheng immediately gnashed his teeth in deep hatred. "The Emperor's jealousy of Prince Ning is completely unreasonable. Everything is the late Emperor's responsibility."

Chen Guanlou sneered mockingly. "You really know how to joke. With the principles of father and son, and human ethics and morality, you want the Emperor to hold a grudge against the late Emperor? That is unfilial and inappropriate. The Emperor wants a reputation, and the imperial court needs a reputation even more! Therefore, Prince Ning deserves it! And you deserve it too! Someone must bear the Emperor's grudge and fury. If he can't move Prince Ning, can he not move you, Xiao Changsheng? Official Xiao, have you decided? Be quick about it—do you want to die or not?"

"I don't want to die!" Xiao Changsheng roared. "No one wants to die. Don't you dare force me!"

His heart was irritable, as if it were about to explode. His face was twisted, his eyes bloodshot; he had nowhere to escape and could only act like a trapped beast.

Chen Guanlou watched the other man with cold eyes and clicked his tongue. "You don't have to be like this. Since you don't want to die, I guarantee no one will force you to die."

"In this world, besides Emperor Taixing, it is you, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, who is forcing me to die."

Xiao Changsheng accused him angrily.

Chen Guanlou snorted coldly. "I'm forcing you to die because I want you to suffer less; I'm doing it for your own good. You don't recognize a kind heart. Do you want to be tortured into a confession? Do you want to be subjected to three thousand cuts of lingchi? If that's what you want, I'll fulfill your wish, and from now on, I won't ask about your case again."

"I don't want that!" Xiao Changsheng was also afraid—afraid of being tortured, afraid of being subjected to three thousand cuts. He definitely couldn't endure it. He could only compromise reluctantly to appease the other man.

"I don't want to die, but I don't want to suffer either. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, if you truly have my best interests at heart, then decisively fulfill my wish, and don't ask me for money again. I have already given you money before. Besides, there is no one in the Xiao mansion right now, and it has been raided; I have no money to give you."

Xiao Changsheng simply acted like a rogue, with the feeling of someone who had given up on everything.

Whatever happens, happens; he didn't care!

Chen Guanlou would not be deceived by him. "I need a definite answer, not something ambiguous. Tell me, do you want to die? Will you regret it?"

Xiao Changsheng irritably grabbed his hair, then scratched an itch.

He took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Die! I must die! The sooner I die, the sooner I can be reborn! I don't want to continue being interrogated, I don't want to become a tool for the Emperor to strike at Prince Ning, I don't want to be used by others, and I especially don't want anyone to cling to me to suck my blood and use me to deal with my relatives. Therefore, I must die! To die for a worthy cause!"

He gave a definite answer, though in reality, he was also trying hard to convince himself.

He had to do this so that his heart could calmly accept death and not regret it halfway through.

Chen Guanlou could see that the other man's resolve was not firm. But it didn't matter. He only needed a definite answer; even if he regretted it later, there was no medicine for regret.

"Remember, I am helping you." Before leaving, he didn't forget to remind the other man not to forget his kindness.

Xiao Changsheng cursed inwardly, but his face remained calm, as if he had accepted everything.

Killing him wasn't enough; he also demanded that he remember his kindness—he had so many demands.

Chen Guanlou exited the Jia-grade prison, summoned Medical Official Mu, and instructed him: "Prepare the medicine. First, take care of the Xiao mansion's steward, then take care of Xiao Changsheng."

Medical Official Mu instantly stiffened, his heart filled with panic.

He was afraid!

Terrified to death!

He felt that Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen was becoming more and more insane!

"My lord, have you gone mad? Xiao Changsheng is a prisoner personally designated by His Majesty. We haven't even finished the interrogation, and you want to finish him off in private. What if..."

"There are no 'what ifs.' Precisely because we haven't finished the interrogation, we must seize the time to finish him off. Do you want the case to expand?"

"I don't! But this matter has nothing to do with us. The people implicated behind Xiao Changsheng have nothing to do with the Marquis's mansion either. Why do something unnecessary and leave behind hidden dangers? My lord, this matter should be thought over three times!"

"Who says it has nothing to do with us?" Chen Guanlou's face turned cold. "Both of my own sons are in the Lu Prince's mansion. As for Prince Ning's side, who can guarantee it won't implicate the Lu Prince's mansion?"

"This, this, this... how could it implicate the Lu Prince's mansion?" Medical Official Mu's head was full of lawsuits; if there were a picture, it would definitely be a tangled mess that couldn't be sorted out.

"Don't fear the 'what if,' fear the 'ten thousand.' You just follow my instructions. If something happens, I will take the blame; it will absolutely not implicate you."

Medical Official Mu bared his teeth; his internal panic hadn't eased in the slightest—he was even more afraid.

"My lord, can you give me the truth—why must you kill Xiao Changsheng?"

"Do you believe in my judgment?"

"Please speak, my lord."

"I feel that Emperor Taixing can't hold back for much longer; he is reaching a critical point and is about to go mad. The bloodline of the Song family, especially those sitting on the throne, all share one common trait: madness. In the first few years of their reign, they kill without mercy; they are all very mad and must use countless amounts of blood to wash away the irritability and hostility in their hearts!

Regarding the Xiao Changsheng case, regardless of whether there is a result, Emperor Taixing will ultimately blame it on Prince Ning. By finishing off Xiao Changsheng now, we are accumulating virtue; we are saving innocent lives. Whether Prince Ning and the others die doesn't matter. Think about it: once Emperor Taixing starts killing, will he only kill the people in Prince Ning's mansion? Impossible. He will turn the world into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!" ===== CHAPTER 1587 =====