Chapter 1729

"Knowing there is a way to investigate the case, are you just going to stop because the credit will be split?"

Sun Daooning had his own professional code of conduct.

If it were just an ordinary arson case with a few deaths, he would not be so stubborn about wanting to clear it up as quickly as possible.

But this explosion and arson case had seen five hundred people die in the early stages, and hundreds more had died one after another later on, totaling nearly a thousand. The number of injured was countless, and the destruction of houses and property damage were astronomical figures.

With such a massive man-made disaster, it was impossible not to investigate.

Not investigating would be a disservice to the official hat on his head.

Even if the credit were to be shared by others, he still hoped to find the lair of the Worshiping God Sect and destroy it in one fell swoop. He would never be lenient! He would kill them until not a single piece of armor remained.

"Old Sun, have you ever thought that if you can think of this, can't the other yamen think of it too? Could it be that the Garrison Command has no leads, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has no leads, and the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review have no leads?"

The Garrison Command deals with all walks of life year-round; under normal circumstances, their intelligence should be the most well-informed. Why is there no movement after all this time? Don't forget, the Garrison Command bore the brunt of this explosion case. They aren't even worried about their own heads, which clearly shows they have concerns. Why must you rush to the front?"

"Don't forget, you are currently sitting firmly in the position of Minister of Justice because of a series of power struggles. If this case had happened next year, I would definitely support you. But right now, don't stick your neck out; listen to my advice!"

Chen Guanlou was genuinely thinking of Sun Daooning; he did not want the other party to get involved in the big trouble of the Worshiping God Sect, and even less did he want the other party to become a sacrifice in the court's infighting. One could not let the planning and hard work of the past half-year go to waste.

Sun Daooning frowned in deep thought, his expression anxious and his mind unsettled.

"According to your meaning, I can only investigate quietly, not with great fanfare, and not even let it be known."

Chen Guanlou nodded heavily; that was exactly what he meant.

"The Worshiping God Sect that suddenly popped up—the most anxious ones are the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is specifically responsible for the cults. Such a huge man-made disaster occurred, and there wasn't even a whisper of wind beforehand; the Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot shirk the blame. Yang Deguang is anxious and burning with impatience, and you are eagerly rushing up to share his worries. Do you think he will appreciate your favor?"

Sun Daooning pondered for a while, "Yang Deguang certainly won't appreciate it; on the contrary, he will drag me down with him."

"That's right! Better to have one less thing than one more. The matter has already happened, people have already died, and there is no rush to investigate; there is plenty of time. The prerequisite is to protect yourself well. As for the Heavenly Prison, I will arrange for reliable people to do the screening, and if there are any leads, I will definitely inform you immediately. In short, you must not act rashly. Don't forget, the two Vice Ministers are watching like tigers eyeing their prey. The Ministry of Justice is not your personal domain."

Chen Guanlou's last sentence could be called a heart-piercing remark.

Sun Daooning frowned, "Although the two Vice Ministers have a heavy heart for fame and fortune, they are not as villainous as you think."

"In my eyes, they are villains. Perhaps in your eyes, they still maintain some of the decency of scholars. My lord, the way people get along is different. I am low in rank and my words carry little weight; it is only natural that they look down on me."

Chen Guanlou was not complaining, but rather teasing.

He never cared about others' opinions of him; whether they valued him or looked down on him, a person is still that person. As long as they didn't commit an offense against him, he could be polite. If they did commit an offense against him, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't even look at them straight.

"Don't bicker with them. They value rules and respect the law; sometimes they are indeed an eyesore. The matter of investigating the Worshiping God Sect members is left to you. You must handle the errand with care."

"The Emperor does not send hungry soldiers on errands. Investigating people is an extra task; you should first approve a slip so it's convenient for me to draw silver from the accounts. Lest the masters of the Ministry of Justice's accounting office make things difficult for me every three days."

Conflicts between the Ministry of Justice and the Heavenly Prison over accounts were inevitable. One complained that too much money was being spent, and the other complained that the money given was stingy. Qian Fugui now not only had to do the accounts but also had to be responsible for arguing with the Ministry of Justice's accounting office; he was very busy.

Sun Daooning was quite straightforward this time; he approved a slip, very generously giving two thousand taels of operating funds.

He thought that if he gave more money, Chen Guanlou would put in more effort and find the Worshiping God Sect members sooner.

"As for the Bai Lian Sect, are we really not going to contact them?" He still hadn't given up; he still wanted to take a shortcut. As the saying goes, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Finding the Bai Lian Sect to kill the Worshiping God Sect—this move would be so beautiful, yet he couldn't use this move openly.

It was truly bad luck.

"No contact! If someone finds out, ten mouths wouldn't be enough to explain. By then, the Ministry of Justice will bear the charge of colluding with a cult, and you, as the Minister of Justice, will be finished. Perhaps even Xie Gechen will be implicated by you. The Emperor in the palace will thank you for the excellent handle you handed over yourself!"

Chen Guanlou was sarcastic and mocking, not being polite at all, almost stripping Old Sun bare.

Sun Daooning was very ashamed and embarrassed, carrying three parts of anger, "Stop talking nonsense; I would never harm Minister Xie, and even less would I take the initiative to hand over a handle."

"Remember what you said."

Sun Daooning snorted coldly, "I heard that a prison clerk died in the Heavenly Prison, and it was from 'horse-back wind' (a sudden death during intercourse). It's simply absurd! Now all the yamen in the capital know about this, and everyone is laughing at the Ministry of Justice. How are you managing things?"

"A man wants to sleep with a woman, and this matter is also under my management?" Chen Guanlou shouted and yelled, looking like he had been wronged, "Can I stop it, or can I guard the bedside to provide escort? Old Sun, you are a scholar who passed the two imperial examinations; can you be a bit more reasonable? You can't just vent your anger on me because you're being laughed at by other yamen."

"Do you not have even a shred of responsibility?" Sun Daooning's anger rose.

These past few days when going to court, he would run into someone, and the other party would giggle, laughing in a base way. He didn't need to ask to know what they were laughing at. It was infuriating!

The face of the Ministry of Justice had been completely lost by the Heavenly Prison.

As the Minister of Justice, it was very reasonable for him to question it a couple of times, right?

Chen Guanlou, on the other hand, turned around and accused him of managing things too broadly.

How unreasonable!

"What responsibility could I have! Xu Fugui wanted to sleep with a woman, and I couldn't stop him. He couldn't handle the shock, and because of the explosion sound, he was scared to death—what does this have to do with me, and what does it have to do with the Heavenly Prison? Old Sun, look at it from another angle: Xu Fugui's misfortune is entirely the responsibility of the Worshiping God Sect. The Worshiping God Sect killed people in the Heavenly Prison, and the Ministry of Justice is filled with grief and is determined to eradicate the Worshiping God Sect."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Sun Daooning reflected for a moment; venting his anger on Chen Guanlou was indeed not quite right.

But he wouldn't admit it in words, only his tone softened slightly.

"Manage the people in the Heavenly Prison well, and don't let this kind of scandal happen again. That Xu Fugui is simply playing around; hurry up and clean up the matter!"

"Don't worry, it's already been cleaned up."

"That's very good!"

Sun Daooning flicked his sleeves and left, looking furious, but in reality, he had found his backbone.

One sentence summary: Keep it steady!

Chen Guanlou then summoned the prison clerks of the A, B, and C cell blocks to hold a meeting and arrange tasks!

The infiltration of the Worshiping God Sect was so serious that they could cause such a big commotion in the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories, with thousands of casualties. This place, the Heavenly Prison, was definitely not clean! Sun Daooning's judgment was correct.

It was necessary for the Heavenly Prison to screen things a bit. Lest one day, that bunch of lunatics from the Worshiping God Sect blow up the Heavenly Prison!