Chapter 433: To Care About Face, Yet Not Care About Face

The air above Tianlao had begun to stink.

Even winter could not stop what was bound to happen—like a corpse rotting.

All manner of tricks only delayed it.

To solve it permanently, you must quickly drag the corpse out and bury it.

Chen Guanlou simply abandoned his dignity and went to find Sun Daoning.

But Sun Daoning spread his hands and said he was powerless to help.

"The Princess's residence has already been notified by the Ministry of Justice. Since no word has come back, I cannot act. I have no connection whatsoever with the Princess's residence—no dealings, no ties. Even if I wished to help, I have no way to begin."

"Could Your Excellency issue a written order to first remove the corpse and store it at the charity mortuary? There are so many people in Tianlao—this could cause an epidemic. This must be prevented."

Chen Guanlou believed his request was entirely reasonable.

Yet Sun Daoning said, "This violates protocol."

"How is this against protocol? The cause of death and identity have both been confirmed. By protocol, the corpse must either be buried or removed. Because of the Princess's residence, the Ministry of Justice refuses to approve it, so the corpse remains stuck in Tianlao. This is clearly your Ministry's incompetence, dragging Tianlao into your mess."

Sun Daoning snorted, his face darkening. "Chen Jailkeeper, I'll assume your youth and impulsiveness make you unaware of protocol, and I'll overlook your disrespect toward a superior. Only because it's me you're dealing with am I so magnanimous. Any other official would have thrown you out long ago."

Chen Guanlou immediately rolled his eyes.

These officials—none of them are decent. They flip their attitudes as easily as turning a page.

He gritted his teeth. "Great Ming is currently peaceful. I'm helping you shoulder your burdens. You're a high-ranking Vice Minister of Justice—can't you handle such a small matter?"

Sun Daoning picked up the dossier in his hands. "No one in the Ministry of Justice wishes to offend the Princess's residence. I am no exception. Princess Qingyang's reputation precedes her—she's, well, rather straightforward in temperament."

He clearly meant Princess Qingyang was a madwoman, and no one dared provoke her. Otherwise, why would the entire Ministry of Justice tread so carefully, afraid to even approve the disposal of a single corpse?

After all, the corpse wasn't even stored in the Ministry of Justice—why risk angering that madwoman over such a trivial matter?

"Fine, don't involve the Princess's residence. Could Your Excellency speak to that Su Keqing? If Su Keqing agrees, the Princess will surely agree too."

Sun Daoning shook his head, his expression troubled. "This is difficult. I am not of the same imperial examination cohort as the Su family, nor from the same hometown, nor a fellow student, nor have we ever worked together—we have no connection whatsoever. He is now a guest advisor to the Princess's residence. With the court in turmoil and Princess Qingyang holding clear, public positions, I dare not associate with her guest advisors, lest I invite unnecessary suspicion. But I do know someone who might be able to speak to the Su man. You know him."

"Who?"

"Xie Changling."

"Him?"

Chen Guanlou was surprised.

"The Su man and Xie Changling were once colleagues, both having served in the Hanlin Academy, even once serving together as Imperial Readers. I've heard they got along reasonably well during that time. That's all I'll say—what follows is up to your own efforts."

"Your Excellency's conduct fills me with deep frustration. This is clearly the Ministry of Justice's responsibility, yet you shift it onto Tianlao. As a senior Vice Minister of Justice, you not only fail to correct this—you actively encourage this unhealthy practice." Chen Guanlou could no longer hold back and rebuked him sharply.

He was truly furious.

"How dare you!"

Sun Daoning cared about his face.

Precisely because he cared about his face, he was especially angry.

"Chen Guanlou, have I ever given you the right to be so insolent? My courtesy toward you has become your license to mock me! Do you truly think I won't punish you?"

"Then punish me quickly—I'd gladly quit this damned post. If Tianlao erupts in plague, it's none of my concern. Find someone else to handle it." Chen Guanlou seized the chance to walk away.

Everyone else feared that madwoman Princess Qingyang—did he not fear her too?

He didn't want to deal with a madwoman either.

Sun Daoning was furious beyond measure; had it not been for years of self-restraint, he would have broken down right there.

"You… how dare you be so insolent before me? Don't I have the right to reprimand you? I am a third-rank court minister, a high-ranking official of the Ministry—reprimanding you twice is nothing. You should simply listen. Yet you fly into a rage and threaten to quit? What kind of conduct is this?"

This show of weakness felt awkward and unnatural.

Chen Guanlou was slightly startled.

He never expected Vice Minister Sun to be so adaptable—to humble himself before a lowly jailkeeper. Rare indeed!

Enough, enough.

When you can spare someone, spare them.

"First, give me a written order."

"I cannot issue it. I oversee criminal cases; for matters like this logistical issue, you must approach Wu my lord—he's the Right Vice Minister, and these duties fall under his jurisdiction. I cannot interfere in his affairs—that's protocol."

Chen Guanlou: …

He had no connection with Wu my lord—he'd never even met him, never spoken to him. What standing did he have? How could he possibly get Wu my lord to sign an order?

"I don't know Wu my lord. Please, Your Excellency, help me—could you ask Wu my lord to issue the order?"

"Truly impossible. Wu my lord's temper… well, he certainly won't risk offending the Princess's residence to grant you an order. Even if I intervened, it would be useless. Everyone in the Ministry knows this. If you don't believe me, ask someone you know."

"So the Ministry of Justice is a dead end."

"Absolutely. You'll have to find your own solution. As soon as the Princess's residence gives approval, the Ministry will immediately authorize disposal. Since the stench has already emerged, you should act faster. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau says temperatures may rise in a few days."

Rise in temperature!

Damn it!

"Your Ministry of Justice really doesn't care if Tianlao erupts in plague!"

"In winter, an epidemic can be contained. So no one's afraid."

In other words, if a plague truly broke out, they'd simply lock Tianlao's gates and seal everyone inside to die on their own.

Cruel indeed.

Chen Guanlou returned empty-handed, went straight down to the dungeon, found Xie Changling, and explained his purpose.

"You mean Su Zishi?"

The guest advisor's full name was Su Zishi.

"That's the man. Jiang Fang had a grudge against him. Now Jiang is dead, yet the Princess's residence hasn't spoken. The Ministry of Justice won't approve disposal, so the corpse remains stuck in Tianlao's morgue. You've smelled it, right? If this continues, an epidemic is inevitable. When Tianlao is sealed from the outside, we'll all die."

Xie Changling laughed. "Classic Ministry of Justice style—when they can't solve a problem, they just let everyone die. I was indeed once his colleague. I admire his scholarship. To have acquired such knowledge under his circumstances and background—his intellect is extraordinary. But his fortune was terrible: he suffered great calamity as a child, then another great calamity as an adult."

"Can you contact Su Zishi? Can you ask him to make an exception? Whatever grudges existed—Jiang Fang is dead."

"Contacting him isn't a problem. Whether he'll honor me with his favor, however, is uncertain. When he suffered his great calamities, I did not help him. If he still holds a grudge, I might only make things worse."