Chapter 317: If You Find the Right Person, Pulling Someone Out Is Easy

To pull Zhong Susu out, the matter is hard if you think it hard, but it's also hard if you think it easy.

The difficulty lies in the fact that Inspector Zhong's case cannot be overturned; his crimes are ironclad. The only difference is death or life—there is no possibility of pardon.

As the family member of a convicted official, Zhong Susu is naturally outside the scope of pardon, since Inspector Zhong himself cannot be pardoned.

Go to Sun Daoning?

Chen Guanlou's relationship with Sun Daoning doesn't run that deep; if he sends money, the man likely won't even accept it—and might even turn hostile, thinking: "A jailer who doesn't mind his duty but dabbles in shady arts? Does he really think his surname Chen gives him license to meddle in lawsuits? Utterly presumptuous."

At once, Chen Guanlou abandoned the idea of going through Sun Daoning.

Dead end.

Go to Hou Fu?

That would mean dealing with the second branch of Hou Fu—not only paying money, but also incurring a debt of favor. The first and second branches of Hou Fu are estranged; on the surface, no factions seem to exist, and no one openly takes sides within the clan. But in truth, every matter within the clan is a matter of alignment—either the east wind overwhelms the west, or the west overwhelms the east.

In the past, the second branch dominated.

Now, the eldest lord has risen, and the first branch firmly holds the upper hand over the second.

If he went to the second branch, he might well be mocked.

Go to the first branch? Go to the chief steward?

Zhong Susu alone isn't worth betting his greatest asset. The chief steward—and behind him, the eldest lord—are ties reserved for life-or-death moments, not to be used lightly. Even though Zhong Susu is beautiful, wealthy, and intelligent, it's not worth mobilizing this connection. The situation hasn't reached that point; women, for now, remain mere words.

After much thought, he finally thought of someone who could be bribed—and if this person helped, all future troubles would vanish, leaving him with no worries.

That person was Hu Yuli, the matron in charge of female prisoners.

Is Hu Yuli that powerful? Can he accomplish what others cannot?

In terms of rank, Hu Yuli is insignificant.

But in terms of origin, he must be weighed carefully—he came from the palace, tasked with selecting palace maids and placing the female relatives of convicted officials, wielding absolute life-or-death authority over female prisoners, and holding a place within the palace itself.

Others lack the power to erase a name from the Ministry of Justice, but Hu Yuli certainly has it. All he needs to say is: "This woman is taken by this eunuch—I'm taking her." The Ministry of Justice would dare not obstruct. They'd swiftly complete the paperwork, and Zhong Susu's name would vanish from the entertainment bureau's roster or the list of exiles.

Whether Zhong Susu actually entered the palace to serve, the Ministry of Justice would never inquire. Once the paperwork was done, Zhong Susu belonged to Hu Yuli—whether he let her live or die was none of the Ministry's business.

In essence, female prisoners are nominally under the Ministry of Justice, but in truth belong to Hu Yuli—and deeper still, to the palace.

This is what is called low rank, high power.

Chen Guanlou exerted some effort to learn that Hu Yuli loved tea.

He shamelessly asked Hou Fu for two taels of premium tea—tea unavailable on the open market. As soon as it was harvested, the nobility seized it all; it never reached the marketplace.

Only thanks to the relationships he'd built over the years with Hou Fu's first branch and its chief steward could he obtain those two taels of fine tea.

Carrying tea and pastries, he returned to the female prisoners' quarters to meet Hu Yuli.

Hu Yuli looked the same as ever—his face grim and bitter.

Chen Guanlou presented his gifts. At first, Hu Yuli paid no attention. Then Chen Guanlou casually boasted, "This tea came from Hou Fu. I don't know tea—please, Lord Hu, taste and judge it."

Upon hearing the tea came from Hou Fu, Hu Yuli's interest sparked immediately. He ordered a young eunuch to boil water and brew it, saying nothing until the tea was ready. After sipping just a little, savoring the aroma, he finally spoke his first words: "Fine tea!"

"If Lord Hu likes it, that's all I ask!"

"To be backed by Hou Fu—truly a foundation no one else can match." Just from two taels of tea, Hu Yuli could gauge Chen Guanlou's ability. A powerless clan member could never have obtained such premium tea from Hou Fu.

"Speak. What do you want from me?"

Seeing the man's directness, Chen Guanlou didn't hide his intent: "I want to pull out a woman."

"Who?" Hu Yuli held his teacup, savoring its fragrance, his tone unusually warm.

Even the young eunuch standing by glanced twice at Chen Guanlou, thinking: "Such looks—if he'd been castrated and entered the palace, he'd rise within three or five months. The palace ladies adore handsome young eunuchs."

Chen Guanlou didn't know how the young eunuch had imagined him being castrated to serve the ladies—if he had, he'd have shown him just why the flowers are so red.

He explained Zhong Susu's situation.

Hu Yuli raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is this Zhong woman truly a beauty?"

"She is. Lord Hu knows—I'm past my prime and still unmarried. Ordinary girls? I find them crude. Noble ladies? They look down on me for my low status. Zhong Susu is perfect—her family has fallen, yet she's a proper lady, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, beautiful and intelligent, an ideal wife. I beg Lord Hu to help. And of course, I won't ask you to help for free."

He handed over an envelope containing five thousand taels in silver notes.

Chen Guanlou had no intention of embezzling the silver Zhong Susu had given him.

It's simply that the corrupt official's daughter had a different sense of value. In a corrupt official's household, everything automatically inflated two to tenfold.

What mattered in this request wasn't the money—it was finding the right person. Find the right person, and five thousand taels becomes the true price.

Hu Yuli was that right person. Five thousand taels was absolutely the top price in this trade—after all, Zhong Susu was merely a family member of a convicted official, not an accomplice or ringleader.

To pull out a family member of a convicted official, the going rate ranged from a few hundred to a thousand or two taels. For example, Zhong's wife's family had pulled her out for barely a thousand taels—mostly relying on favors and the right connections.

To pull out Zhong Susu, two or three thousand taels would have sufficed—standard rate. But he feared it wouldn't move Hu Yuli, since Inspector Zhong's case was about to be decided, and time was critically short—he needed the fast track.

So he budgeted generously, doubling it to five thousand taels.

He sought speed—to get her out before the verdict. After the verdict, pulling her out would be far harder, with far more complicated paperwork.

Hu Yuli pinched the envelope's thickness, surprised by Chen Guanlou's generosity: "You're truly generous."

Chen Guanlou put on a look of awkward urgency: "A man must marry. I beg Lord Hu to help—can you get her out quickly?"

"Pulling her out isn't hard. But she can't be handed to you immediately. She must stay with me for a few days—until Inspector Zhong's case is decided. That's the rule. Otherwise, how could I answer to those above? You must play the whole part, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'll follow Lord Hu's wishes entirely," Chen Guanlou said promptly.

The outcome mattered, but the process couldn't be skipped. He was a public official—he understood.

Just like Li the shopkeeper of Sitong, who resold palace treasures, yet still had to route them through his accounts—it's the same principle. People often see only the result, but the process matters too, and cannot be omitted.