Chapter 1648

Fourth Master Zhang had no serious duties; he only held a nominal position in the yamen, and it didn't matter if he didn't show up for a month. It was a "ghost" salary.

On ordinary days, he would either amuse himself with pretty maids in the mansion or drink and make merry with a few fawning secretaries. The place he went to most often when going out was the gambling den.

He loved to gamble, but strangely, his addiction wasn't great, and his wins and losses weren't large either.

He must have had some real skill.

On this day, Fourth Master Zhang went to the familiar gambling den as usual and went directly to a private room on the second floor. Just as he was about to call two beautiful maids to serve him, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and someone burst in.

The gambling den attendant was about to scold them, but upon seeing who it was, he instantly went silent.

In recent years, the gambling den had an unwritten rule: provoke anyone but don't provoke Chen Guanlou. Firmly remember Chen Guanlou's face and never mistake him for someone else. This person is like a dog; if you provoke him, he bites everyone!

No one's mediation is of any use!

You must lose money to avoid disaster.

The attendant clearly recognized Chen Guanlou's face. "Why has Uncle Lou come today? You are a rare guest. The private room next door is empty right now, so why don't you..."

"No need!" Chen Guanlou waved his hand to signal the attendant not to worry. "I came today to chat with Fourth Master Zhang. We are close friends. Fourth Master Zhang, am I right?"

Fourth Master Zhang was very confused.

He had never had any serious dealings with Chen Guanlou. They only met on some occasions and exchanged greetings.

He didn't understand why the other party was looking for him.

"It is my honor that Brother Chen wants to find me for a chat!" Fourth Master Zhang said with a smile, but his heart felt a bit empty.

Chen Guanlou's reputation as a mad dog had long since spread throughout the noble circle.

Why call him a mad dog?

Because this person does things entirely based on his mood and doesn't follow the rules. If he's in a good mood, he'll give a beggar on the side of the road three points of face. If he's in a bad mood, he doesn't care if you are a Count, a Marquis, or a Duke—he won't be polite to any of them.

If you want to use your status to pressure him, he can flip the table on the spot.

The key is that the Hou Fu protects its own!

They say Chen Guanlou is a straightforward person, that he has principles and a bottom line in his conduct, and that he is righteous—he is a great, good person! If he flips a table, it must be because you did something wrong!

Listen to these words; they could make a person die of anger.

The attendant sensed the abnormal atmosphere and hurriedly retreated to report to the manager.

Chen Guanlou sat down in the left-hand seat with a bold posture. "Fourth Master Zhang is free. I heard that your Count's Mansion had a death a few days ago, and it was a miserable one."

"Ah!" Fourth Master Zhang instantly perked up. "The culprit has already been brought to justice; many thanks for Brother Chen's concern."

Chen Guanlou picked up the teapot and poured himself tea to drink. "I heard the one who died was a Mei family girl, and the daughter of the Mei family's second branch at that."

"Brother Chen is well-informed."

"I am very curious: how did the daughter of the Mei family's second branch appear at your banquet? Is there some story behind this?"

Fourth Master Zhang instantly sat up straight, his back stiff. "May I ask, Brother Chen, in what capacity are you inquiring about this matter?"

"Passing by, curious, just asking."

Fourth Master Zhang raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I have nothing to say!"

Chen Guanlou put down his teacup, not caring at all about the other party's attitude. "How did Miss Mei die? Why are there rumors that she died in an unclear way? I even heard that the Mei family took her body back that day and buried it outside the city the same day."

"How can rumors outside be fully believed! As for the Mei family's situation, don't ask me; I know nothing." Fourth Master Zhang broke out in a cold sweat behind his back; he was firm in his attitude, hoping the other party would retreat in the face of difficulty.

He was very uneasy at this moment.

How could Chen Guanlou be paying attention to this case?

He suddenly remembered that Zhu San was being held in the Heavenly Prison—could it be...

His expression changed instantly, and he looked at Chen Guanlou with a hint of anger.

"Are you trying to speak up for Zhu San?" he questioned directly.

The words slipped out, and immediately he felt regret!

He shouldn't have poked a hole in the window paper; now he didn't even have a chance to bluff or escape.

Chen Guanlou laughed happily. "You guessed it. That's right, I want to speak up for Zhu San."

"Why? You are also a person in the noble circle; why hurt the harmony for the sake of an outsider?" Fourth Master Zhang didn't understand and tried to get the other party to stop.

Chen Guanlou chuckled, staring at the other party as if looking at a clown. "Old Zhang, why so nervous? I'm not going to eat you. I came just to verify whether Zhu San really killed the person. Clearly, you have already given me the answer. Many thanks!"

"Don't talk nonsense! When did I give you an answer! Don't you dare make false accusations. The person was killed by Zhu San; no matter who asks, that is the result."

Fourth Master Zhang was fierce in appearance but weak in reality, losing his composure and becoming very angry.

Chen Guanlou kindly reminded him, "The way you look when you're guilty is truly pathetic. Zhang Laosi, you had better hope I don't find out the truth. Otherwise, you're finished!"

"You're threatening me! What right do you have to threaten me? I didn't do anything." Fourth Master Zhang shouted loudly.

Chen Guanlou sneered. "The Count's Mansion banquet—why did you send an invitation to Zhu San? His status is low, yet you insisted on inviting him. Do you still dare to say you didn't do anything? Do you still dare to say you are innocent?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Fourth Master Zhang's face turned pale, and he struggled to argue, "That's right, his status is low, and he wasn't qualified to attend the banquet at the Count's Mansion. However, my purpose in inviting him to the banquet was originally to..."

"To what?" Chen Guanlou asked with a half-smile. "Why don't you continue? Keep talking!"

Fourth Master Zhang gritted his teeth, filled with hatred, and suddenly said sternly: "I wanted him to be the son-in-law of the Count's Mansion. Who knew he would actually kill someone. What a piece of trash!"

Chen Guanlou was stunned!

He picked at his ear, unable to believe it.

"What did you say? You wanted him to be the son-in-law of the Count's Mansion? A merchant? You aren't talking nonsense, are you?"

"Why would I talk nonsense? I didn't kill the person. It was Zhu San who failed my great kindness; he was the one who acted recklessly and brought great trouble to the Count's Mansion."

"Forget about the killing for a moment. Who were you planning to marry off to Zhu San, and why did you think highly of Zhu San? Is the Count's Mansion's daughter really that hard to marry off, that you have to marry her down to a merchant's son? Zhang Laosi, can you be any more absurd?"

Chen Guanlou was furious!

Daring to play with him—today, there must be blood.

Fourth Master Zhang hummed twice, feeling both aggrieved and angry, with a hint of hatred.

He said angrily: "The fourth girl from my eldest brother's branch hasn't come out to socialize for years, so the outside world mistakenly thought she was in poor health. Of course, that's also because that's what we've always said to the outside world. Actually, that's not the case. Her body isn't weak; on the contrary, she can eat and drink, and she's a bit chubby.

But her brain isn't very bright. She had a high fever when she was a child, which burned her brain, and she's been silly ever since. In her situation, there's no hope of marrying into a high-status family, and a match of equal status won't work either. She can only marry down.

After picking and choosing, the reason I chose Zhu San is because Zhu San's family is simple, and he himself has no bad habits. Most importantly, he has money and a son. If the fourth girl marries over, it's best if she can bear children; if she can't, it doesn't matter. In short, with the Count's Mansion as a backer, Zhu San wouldn't dare mistreat the fourth girl. Everything was arranged, and who knew this kind of thing would happen.

What qualification does Zhu San have to cry injustice? I'm the one who wants to cry injustice! You go back and tell him to hurry up and plead guilty, and don't even think about dragging the Hou Fu into this!"

Chen Guanlou:...

There was actually such a turn of events.