Chapter 373: In the name of the Heavenly Prison

Chen Guanlou originally thought that Liu Guanshi's death had the biggest connection to him in helping to handle the funeral, and he couldn't do anything else.

On the day of the burial, someone from the Marquis's residence came to find him, saying the Head Manager invited him.

Truly rare!

He was extremely curious; what business did the Head Manager have to find him? The Marquis's residence was full of talent, and with one order from the Head Manager, the power that could be exerted was shocking. He didn't think he had anything worthy of the other party's concern.

The Head Manager's surname was Chen, the Chen of the Chen clan. He didn't originally have the surname Chen; it was his father who was highly valued by the Marquis's residence and was given the surname Chen by the late Marquis who had already passed away. He had been by the Eldest Master's side since he was a child, first as a study companion, then as a personal servant, then as a manager, and later as the Head Manager.

The bond between him and the Eldest Master was incomparable to others. It was a bond of growing up together, a bond of living and dying together. Anyone might betray the Eldest Master, but the Head Manager would not.

Because of this bond, the Head Manager had a transcendent status in the residence; even the Old Madam had to give him some face. Outside matters, small things were basically handled by the Second Master, and big things were all handled by the Head Manager.

Of course, the Second Master certainly wouldn't see it that way. The Second Master had a high opinion of himself and had always looked down on the Head Manager. However, the Head Manager had always kept his place, doing things in a way that left no room for criticism. Even when threatening people, he was three parts polite, courteous, and made people feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

Chen Guanlou met the Head Manager in the signing room of the First House.

The Head Manager was old, and his eyes looked a bit cloudy.

He looked at Chen Guanlou with deep eyes and no extra expression, "Brother Lou is here, sit down and drink tea."

"I don't know why the Head Manager called me here; what instructions do you have?"

"No rush, drink tea first."

Tea and snacks were brought up.

Chen Guanlou loved the snacks of the Marquis's residence; they couldn't be eaten outside, and money was useless. He didn't stand on ceremony, grabbed a snack and swallowed it first, then drank a sip of tea. The tea fragrance overflowed.

With a tongue nurtured by the top-grade tea leaves of the Marquis's residence, as soon as the tea entered his mouth, he knew the tea leaves were excellent. He just couldn't distinguish the specific variety. Anyway, they were all good things that couldn't be eaten or drunk outside.

The wealth of the Marquis's residence could be seen from this.

"Brother Lou has been working in the Heavenly Prison for several years; how is it?"

"Thanks to the Head Manager's blessing, everything is fine."

"You are capable. Without relying on the Marquis's residence, just by your own ability, you were promoted to prison clerk in just a few years; you are stronger than your father."

Chen Guanlou smiled subtly. He had heard similar words many times; almost everyone said he was stronger than his dead ghost of a father. Both worked in the Heavenly Prison; his father sat on the cold bench for several years, and when dividing money, he could only get a little bit of residue. He started as a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, and when dividing money, he could take the lion's share; whoever saw him had to say he was capable.

Now that he was a prison clerk, money truly passed through his hands like water. The rules of the Heavenly Prison were that whoever passed it through their hands got a share. So he wasn't short of money.

"You've been in the Heavenly Prison for several years; you should have a few people you can use."

"There are a few. Does the Head Manager have something that needs my effort? I am a Chen family member; if the Head Manager has something, just instruct me." Chen Guanlou said politely.

The Head Manager seemed to be still hesitating and struggling, and hadn't truly made up his mind. Today's meeting was more like an inspection.

"I do have a task here that might need you to step out. I just don't know if you dare?"

Chen Guanlou didn't take it all upon himself, but asked, "May I ask what task it is? Is there some noble person who needs to be admitted to the Heavenly Prison?"

"Not so." The Head Manager tapped the table lightly with his fingers, "I heard that you have been busy helping with the Liu family's funeral these past few days; thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work; it's all what I should do. Back then, I was able to successfully replace my father's position in the Heavenly Prison thanks to Liu Guanshi."

"You are someone who knows how to repay kindness; very good. The task I'm talking about has a few connections to the late Liu Guanshi."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow, hesitated slightly, and said simply, "The Head Manager might as well speak directly. If it's something that can be done, I will definitely try my best to handle it properly."

The Head Manager seemed to have finally made up his mind and made a decision, "I want you to go to another place in the name of the Heavenly Prison to escort a batch of goods to the capital, and incidentally bring a person."

Hmm?

Chen Guanlou thought to himself, escorting goods is fake, bringing a person is true, right? Could it be that Liu Guanshi's death was because the person he brought had a problem?

"In the name of the Heavenly Prison? This, is it appropriate? I am just a prison guard; by rights, I have no chance to go on official business outside the capital. Escorting tasks of this kind are all the work of yamen runners."

"No matter! The Heavenly Prison side is not a problem; I can have someone give you a formal official document for the business trip. The key is the goods and the person."

"The Marquis's residence has many capable people, and martial artists are even less rare. I think no matter how valuable the goods and people are, sending a large number of martial artists and flying the Marquis's banner will definitely be able to transport them to the capital smoothly."

Unexpectedly, the Head Manager shook his head repeatedly.

He explained, "The Marquis's banner is too eye-catching, and martial artists are also eye-catching, easily attracting the covetousness of petty people. In the name of government officials, it is more convenient and safer."

Chen Guanlou:...

He was even more curious about what exactly the goods and people were, to require such a big mobilization.

"If the Head Manager is afraid of being robbed halfway, you can completely ask the Six Shanmen or the Embroidered Uniform Guard or even the local garrison to help escort them in the name of the Marquis's residence."

"No! The Embroidered Uniform Guard are the Emperor's eagles and dogs; how can the Marquis's residence use them at will? The Six Shanmen are busy investigating cases and handling business; don't disturb them. Local garrisons cannot leave their local area. After thinking about it, it is more appropriate for you to step out."

It sounded like a very good and powerful reason.

However, Chen Guanlou had been in the Heavenly Prison for many years and knew clearly that the Head Manager's reasons could only fool those who didn't understand the industry. When noble families encountered trouble, they often used public office for private gain, and there were many times they used the Embroidered Uniform Guard or local garrisons. The Marquis's residence certainly wouldn't be an exception.

It is very likely that the goods and people the Marquis's residence wanted to transport could not be known by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Six Shanmen, or local garrison forces, and contained taboo things. It could be goods, it could be people, or it could be both.

What exactly was it?

What he could think of was nothing more than salt smuggling. But with the status and scale of the Marquis's residence, salt smuggling didn't need to be so cautious at all; it could be transported openly, and no one would dare to make things difficult. Even if the Salt Inspection Censor saw it, they could only pinch their nose and admit it, pretending they didn't see anything.

How did these noble families in the capital enjoy a century of wealth, and where did so much money come from?

Relying on farming—that's a fantasy.

Salt smuggling was one of the important sources of income.

Almost every noble family in the capital was involved in salt smuggling. The salt eaten on the market was basically smuggled salt. Whose pockets the official salt fell into, no one knew; this was a mess of accounts. Salt merchants, government officials, noble families, imperial clans, princes and nobles... they couldn't stand investigation. At most, it would be investigated to the level of government officials, and then it would have to be suppressed.

It was even possible that the Old Emperor was also smuggling salt. Only the Old Emperor himself didn't know it. ===== CHAPTER 374 =====