Chapter 208

The Eldest Master stroked his beard and laughed, "It's just a painting; you don't need to be like this."

"What if..."

"If it really comes to that 'what if,' my list of charges won't be missing one for privately hiding court paintings." The Eldest Master appeared very indifferent, instead carefully observing the painting, liking it more the more he looked at it. "As expected of a famous court painting from the former dynasty; the lady in the painting seems to have come to life. I will take this painting."

Chen Guanlou instantly felt reassured, his whole body feeling clear and cool.

"This junior is deeply grateful."

"This matter is not your fault. For a young man like you to successfully deliver the goods is already quite remarkable. You don't need to worry about these trivial matters of appraisal." The Eldest Master comforted Chen Guanlou in turn, telling him there was no need to take this matter to heart. Anyone doing this would find it hard to avoid being used by the Liu family.

Chen Guanlou felt grateful, not expecting the Eldest Master to be so generous and righteous.

"However, Liu Daowen is truly bold; I underestimated him." The Eldest Master clicked his tongue in wonder. A mere Physician of the Ministry of Works actually had the guts to steal and hide imperial treasured paintings; he must have eaten the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard!

One of the guests said, "Is it possible that this painting was kept by Liu Daowen on behalf of Jiang Tu?"

"Rather than saying he was keeping it for Jiang Tu, it's better to say he was hiding it behind Jiang Tu's back. That villain Jiang Tu is truly detestable; over these years, he doesn't know how many good things he has swiped from the palace. Yet the Emperor still trusts him so much, and everything is inseparable from him. The fact that the Marquis didn't get promoted this time is largely due to that villain Jiang Tu."

"Alright, why talk about these things? With Jiang Tu in the court, it's not all bad. At least that bunch of civil officials has no energy to target the nobility and military generals, and they have all concentrated their firepower on dealing with Jiang Tu, sharing quite a bit of pressure for me."

The Eldest Master was very open-minded and seemed very satisfied with his current life, very willing to follow the old Emperor's wishes and be a middle-aged playboy shut-in, not asking about national affairs or government business.

The old Emperor was also satisfied with the Eldest Master's tact; without necessity, he wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for the Eldest Master or look for trouble with the Hou Fu.

This matter was considered settled for the Eldest Master.

But Chen Guanlou was someone who held grudges.

The Liu mansion steward secretly schemed against him; this account must be settled.

The Eldest Master helped him resolve the disaster, bearing the risks that the painting might bring in the future. Chen Guanlou returned the favor, not asking for a high price. For the antiques and paintings worth a total of over forty thousand taels, he only asked for a break-even price of ten thousand taels.

But the Eldest Master didn't agree, saying he had worked hard to get the goods and had to share the profits with others, decisively raising the price to fifteen thousand. Chen Guanlou couldn't be more stubborn than the Eldest Master, and in the end, it was settled for fifteen thousand.

Following the steward to the accounting office to collect the bank notes, he happened to run into Young Master Ye, a distant cousin of the Eldest Young Lady, who was withdrawing money.

Young Master Ye wanted to give a gift, a heavy gift, but was tight on cash, so he went to the Eldest Young Lady to borrow money. The Eldest Young Lady mostly had jewelry and ornaments on hand, with limited gold and silver, so she gave him a slip to withdraw money from the accounting office.

The two sides met, and the steward introduced them to each other.

Chen Guanlou remembered Young Master Ye; he had been introduced to him by Zhao Mingqiao, who rented a room at Sister Chunxiang's house.

However, Young Master Ye clearly didn't remember Chen Guanlou, only feeling that the name sounded familiar.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Chen Guanlou left with the steward.

Young Master Ye, while withdrawing money, suddenly became curious and asked the accountant casually, "What did that Chen Guanlou come here for? The steward even brought him here personally."

"He came to the accounting office, of course, to withdraw money."

"He's not a person from the Hou Fu; why is he withdrawing money?" Young Master Ye couldn't figure it out.

The accountant chuckled and said, "He found good things for the Marquis. The Marquis is satisfied, so the accounting office naturally has to pay him."

Young Master Ye was even more confused now. "He's a prison guard; what good things could he find that the Marquis would actually covet?"

"Antiques and paintings, authentic and genuine—you tell me if the Marquis covets them." The accountant was impatient to serve him, but since he was a relative of the Eldest Young Lady, the accountant could only patiently stall him, hoping in his heart that he would leave quickly.

Young Master Ye was speechless, clearly not expecting it to be like this.

He couldn't figure it out. "He's a prison guard; where does he have the ability to find antiques and paintings? He doesn't specialize in the antique and painting trade."

The accountant chuckled. "This little one doesn't know. If Young Master Ye is truly curious, you might as well ask the Eldest Young Lady. The Eldest Young Lady might know."

Young Master Ye was filled with frustration. After withdrawing the money, he went to the back courtyard to thank his cousin, the Eldest Young Lady. By the way, he mentioned running into Chen Guanlou at the accounting office.

"... The envelope was bulging; I reckon there were at least several thousand taels in bank notes. Eldest Sister, this Chen Guanlou..."

"Don't you worry about this matter, and don't mention it in front of others; just act as if you don't know about it." The Eldest Young Lady, Lu Shi, decisively interrupted the other party's words.

"Eldest Sister, why is that?" Young Master Ye didn't understand.

Lu Shi's expression was serious, and she said solemnly, "This person Chen Guanlou is not important, but he is doing things for the Marquis. You only need to know this point. Regarding the Marquis's affairs, no one in the Hou Fu, from top to bottom, has the qualification to ask, including the Old Madam. Do you understand?"

Young Master Ye nodded; he understood.

He just couldn't figure out how a mere lowly prison guard had the ability to share the Eldest Master's worries.

"He's a prison guard; how can he handle the antique and painting trade?"

"Why can't he handle it?" Lu Shi snorted coldly. "You underestimate the prison guards of the Heavenly Prison too much. Capable prison guards—let me tell you this: except for the stars and the moon in the sky, whatever exists in this world, they have the ability to get their hands on."

Young Master Ye seemed to have heard something incredible, his eyes widening in disbelief. "How is that possible!"

The Eldest Young Lady, Lu Shi, chuckled. "How is it impossible? Do you know what kind of people are locked up in the Heavenly Prison? Great bandits, imperial court officials, and family members of powerful clans who have committed crimes. You tell me, how many good things are held in the hands of these people? Is it difficult for a prison guard to get some good things from their hands?"

Is it difficult?

Young Master Ye subconsciously wanted to say it was very difficult.

But looking at Lu Shi's eyes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Does Chen Guanlou have the ability to get the good things the Eldest Master wants?" Young Master Ye asked subconsciously.

Lu Shi picked up her teacup, took a sip, and taught him earnestly, "Of course he has this ability. This place, the capital, is different from our hometown. Don't underestimate the small figures under the shadow of the imperial city; sometimes the ones who save your life, or the ones who take your life, are exactly this group of inconspicuous small figures.

I have warned you repeatedly not to look at the people and affairs in the capital with the perspective of our hometown. Even if high officials and powerful nobles are high and mighty, if one day they become prisoners, a tiny prison guard can make their lives worse than death.

Nowadays, there is a popular saying in officialdom: the end of being an official is the Heavenly Prison. Officials in the capital, even if they hold the first rank, can hardly avoid going to the Heavenly Prison one day. Just take your teacher, for example—take my advice and don't get too close. Some of your teacher's remarks are very dangerous, you know? Perhaps one day, you will have to go to the Heavenly Prison to visit him."