Chapter 269: Establishing the Persona of Someone Who Sees Money and Loses All Sense

Qi Wuxiu was poor, compared to Chen Guanlou.

Not every Embroidered Uniform Guard is rich; if you make a list, that many people split the take, and what ends up in your hands is barely any money. And the officers take the biggest share. Add to that social obligations and high expenses—you barely save anything.

Next time he wants to get promoted and give gifts to curry favor, he'll have to ask his family for money. Relying on his own savings to bribe his way up, he might never gather enough.

When he learned of a thousand taels in income, he instantly felt tempted. That group of Embroidered Uniform Guards who dealt with the Meng brothers were just paid to do their job.

We're all paid to do jobs—biting each other a little won't hurt.

Then he hesitated, "I can't handle this alone. A thousand taels split among everyone won't amount to much for each person. It'll be hard to pull off."

"I didn't ask you to kill him or cripple him. Zhao Lisi allied with Jiang Tu—that's betrayal of the Hou Fu. He climbed the official ladder thanks to the Hou Fu. You only need to harass him. Zhao Lisi acts so brutally, he must have many enemies in the bureaucracy. When the Embroidered Uniform Guard shows up to cause trouble, you don't even need to do anything—his enemies will smell blood and move on their own."

"You want him stripped of his post? That won't be easy. Jiang Tu spent years getting his hand into the military through Zhao Lisi—he won't let go so easily."

Chen Guanlou chuckled, "If Jiang Tu abandons Zhao Lisi, that's best. If he doesn't, it's fine too—it won't interfere."

Qi Wuxiu frowned, then suddenly understood, "Tell me the truth—are the Hou Fu ordering you to target Zhao Lisi? On the surface it's Zhao Lisi, but really you're aiming at Jiang Tu? Has the aristocracy finally lost patience and decided to strike Jiang Tu?"

Chen Guanlou's lip twitched, silently marveling at how well he could imagine things.

He evasively replied, "You can think that way if you want."

"No." Qi Wuxiu immediately rejected his own guess, "The Pingjiang Marquis isn't in the capital. For him to move against Jiang Tu now seems unreasonable. Are you just fooling me?"

Chen Guanlou grinned, "Think of it this way: you and I are just the thread ends. Behind us runs a string of court ministers. Jiang Tu meddling in military power—can they tolerate it? No. Will the old emperor trust him? Probably not. You, as a thread end, just need to twitch slightly, and Jiang Tu's ambition to seize military power will die in the womb. You'll be a great contributor."

Qi Wuxiu pointed at his own head, "Do I look stupid?"

"Then do you want to make money or not?"

"Give me more. Without enough incentive, I can't convince my superiors to open an investigation into Zhao Lisi."

"You're an idiot! Zhao Lisi's embezzled fortunes over the years are enough to make you all fat. As for grounds for investigation? Even simpler. Zhao Lisi's hands have never been clean. I'll give you an idea: start with his concubine's younger brother. You'll hit the jackpot. Zhao Lisi's corruption is a sure thing—once proven, you'll make a fortune off it."

Qi Wuxiu was clearly tempted.

The saying "minor official, massive corruption" fits Zhao Lisi perfectly. Back when he entered the Five Cities Military Command thanks to the Hou Fu's recommendation, he never stopped lining his pockets. And he oversaw Dongcheng—the district with the most merchants and the most wealth. Every merchant paid monthly dues to the Military Command; just that single income swelled his purse. Add the gifts for the three festivals and two birthdays, and over the years it totaled a astronomical sum.

That's only the legitimate income. Under-the-table earnings were at least several times higher.

All this money was in the hands of his concubine, Hua Niang. Zhao's family and his wife, Lady Meng, hadn't seen a single copper coin.

"If Zhao Lisi has too much money, I fear the situation will spiral out of control." Qi Wuxiu's unspoken meaning: if the amount involved is huge, the case won't be under his control—higher-ups will inevitably interfere.

A case involving a few thousand taels is treated nothing like one involving tens of thousands—or a hundred thousand.

"It doesn't matter. You'll definitely get your cut. I said it before—we're just thread ends. How the case develops after that, we don't interfere. If Zhao Lisi escapes, that's his skill. If he can't escape, it's his fate."

Chen Guanlou gently persuaded Qi Wuxiu to drop his doubts.

Qi Wuxiu was a good executor, but not a competent planner. Strictly speaking, he'd never led any case—he always just followed orders.

That's why he hesitated and agonized. He worried his ability wasn't enough to pull it off. He also feared the case would grow too big for him to handle.

Chen Guanlou kept reassuring him: he didn't need to show up to close the case. He only needed to keep watch on Zhao Lisi's younger brother-in-law. The rest? He didn't need to worry. Given the Embroidered Uniform Guard's nature, they'd definitely follow up. Once they investigated, Zhao Lisi couldn't escape.

Qi Wuxiu was convinced. "Fine, I'll handle it. The thousand taels—make sure you deliver on time. No money, and the men below won't move."

"Understood. I'll give you the money in a couple days. The Meng family's ancestors were once wealthy—they must have savings. If needed, we'll sell ancestral property."

"What about the two Meng brothers in the future?" Qi Wuxiu asked casually.

"Either die or live. I think they lean strongly toward death. No face to show, can't bear the gossip, and they bring shame to the family—better off dead." Chen Guanlou spoke truthfully. Despite their loud vows of revenge, the two brothers still had death on their minds.

They didn't even want to see their relatives, afraid they'd see them now. They'd rather keep the memory of their former proud selves alive in their relatives' hearts.

"It's just lost tongue and lost genitals. Better to live than die," Qi Wuxiu sneered.

Chen Guanlou chuckled, "You say that lightly. If it happened to you—if you lost your genitals—would you still have the face to live? Even if you lived, wouldn't you care about others' stares and whispers?"

"I…" Qi Wuxiu wilted. Imagining himself—mute and castrated—he couldn't accept it. Unless he changed his name, left the capital, and hid in some remote mountain valley where no one knew him. But what meaning would such a life hold?

Imagine spending the rest of your life squatting to urinate…

He'd barely begun the thought—he couldn't continue.

Qi Wuxiu rubbed his face. "Now I get why you're targeting Zhao Lisi—he's truly inhuman."

"No! I'm not targeting anyone. I just take money to do jobs. The Tianlaomiao has its own rules: if a prisoner pays, I do what I can to ease his burden. Payment made, debt cleared."

Chen Guanlou firmly denied any deeper motive. He steadfastly built his persona as a man who sees money and loses all sense—purely greedy, petty, a jailer who takes bribes to do jobs. Never imagine him as anything else.