Chapter 504: Collusion

Taking Jiang Tu's personal letter, Chen Chen Guanlou returned to the office and summoned Qian Xu Fugui.

"Go to Jiang Fu, tell the Jiang Fu steward that half will be paid in antiques and calligraphy. Do you know our rules? Market price at three to five tenths, absolutely cannot exceed this price."

Qian Xu Fugui nodded repeatedly, "Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly handle this small matter properly."

"This is no small matter. Since we've taken the money, we must handle it with care. Tell the Jiang Fu steward that the antiques and calligraphy are for gift-giving, to help his master run connections. So, best to bring fine pieces. Don't bring roadside junk to brush people off. Brushing me off doesn't matter, but brushing off the person who decides Jiang Tu's life and death—every soul in Jiang Fu will be done for."

"My lord truly intends to run connections for Jiang Tu?" Qian Xu Fugui didn't understand, very puzzled.

"Are you thinking that since Jiang Tu is a treacherous official, he doesn't deserve to live, he should die."

"Shouldn't he die?"

"He should die. But don't forget, everything he did, ninety-nine percent was following the late Emperor's orders. The one truly deserving of death is already lying inside a coffin."

"But Jiang Tu is a great treacherous official, the late Emperor is already dead, what reason does he have to keep living?"

This argument made a lot of sense.

Chen Chen Guanlou for a moment didn't know how to refute it.

He thought for a while, "We're just prison guards, taking money to do a job. As for whether he should die or not, that's for the Three Judicial Offices and the Emperor to decide. If the Emperor wants him dead, even twenty thousand won't save him, let alone two thousand. If the Emperor wants him alive, without two thousand, with only two hundred, he can still live."

"My lord, I still feel this matter…" Qian Xu Fugui hesitated.

Chen Chen Guanlou patted his shoulder, "I know you have a burden on your heart. If you really can't do it, I'll have Xiao Jin make this trip."

"No need, I can do it. I know my lord's main purpose in doing this is still to extort Jiang Tu, to squeeze money out of a treacherous official's hands. Better to benefit ourselves than benefit a treacherous official."

"Exactly. Better to benefit ourselves than benefit those bastards. Just treat him as a God of Wealth, we've found an excuse to squeeze money from his pocket. As for whether the matter gets done, that's not our concern."

Qian Xu Fugui took the assignment and headed to Jiang Fu to collect the money. To be safe, he had also arranged in advance with someone who appraises antiques.

Chen Chen Guanlou sipped his tea; he had gotten news from Medical Officer Mu, knowing that Monk Liaocheng of Wuxiang Temple was a Grandmaster.

The cult bandits wreaking havoc in the imperial palace—this matter is certainly true.

The cult bandits poisoning the Emperor and Empress—this matter is doubtful!

If the cult bandits truly had such great ability, could they have been beaten by the court for years, not daring to show their heads, only daring to be rats in the gutter?

He had a small guess inside: could that mysterious Boss Qi be a member of the cult bandits?

Cult bandits need loyal believers, capable subordinates, stable financial sources. Kidnapping seems to fully satisfy these three requirements. Kidnap children, keep them to raise themselves, brainwash them into loyal believers, most capable subordinates, and have a stable financial source.

Poisoning also fits the operating style of those cult bandits?

Explained this way, it explains why Pan Pan Niangzi to her death refused to reveal Boss Qi's true identity, and repeatedly emphasized that he must not be provoked. The power behind Boss Qi is very strong, inestimable.

Also, cult bandit Zhang Zhang Daohe, who back then risked exposure, sparing no effort to reveal his identity to abduct Wang Wang Qiren deep in the imperial prison, the former Imperial Son-in-Law.

What use is Wang Wang Qiren?

Familiar with Emperor Emperor Taixing, familiar with the imperial palace, even familiar with certain undying old eunuchs.

The altar explosion case, Emperor Emperor Taixing falling unconscious, dying of poison…seemingly everything connects now.

But, there's a key point that doesn't add up—why would the cult bandits take the risk to kill Emperor Emperor Taixing? What's the meaning and purpose of doing so?

Just for the sake of killing?

At present, the court's forces are concentrated on dealing with the two rebel bands in the north and south; the cult bandits have already moved far from the court's gaze.

Unless…

The cult bandits cooperated with the rebels.

More precisely, the cult bandits cooperated with the rebel Prince Chu.

Is it easier to deal with the cunning old Emperor Emperor Taixing, or easier to deal with a newly enthroned new Emperor whose throne isn't yet secure? Obviously, the latter.

The transition between old and new, court in turmoil, enough to let the rebels catch their breath during this opportunity. The season of shortage, lacking grain. The whole world lacks grain, all waiting for summer grain to enter the granaries before fighting again.

The court can allocate grain from other places to the front lines.

Where can rebel Prince Chu get grain? Only from the granaries of the government offices.

How to get it?

Take advantage of the chaos to get it!

Take advantage of the court losing the Emperor, the new Emperor being unable to be chosen for a long time, the hearts of the world in turmoil, to grab grain.

Of course, all this is his personal speculation.

There's another possibility: the cult bandits in the palace were used by someone, used by some Imperial Prince hiding in the shadows. It's also possible they were used by some radical official.

After all, certain people are indeed waiting every day for the Emperor to die, determined to change heaven and earth, to make the Great Qian's sky take on a new color.

He couldn't help but suspect Zhao Mingqiao.

This madman representative, the leading figure of the radical organization, he truly is capable of blowing up the altar, poisoning the Emperor.

That evening, Chen Chen Guanlou went to Zhao Fu.

Zhao Mingqiao had just seen off a guest, a guest of mysterious identity, and also a martial artist.

Chen Chen Guanlou's sudden appearance clearly startled the other party.

"When did you arrive?"

"Was the altar explosion case done by the cult bandits?" Chen Chen Guanlou got straight to the point, asking directly.

Zhao Mingqiao clearly paused, "How would I know. The Three Judicial Offices have just launched the explosion case investigation, no news has come yet."

"You should know something, right?" Chen Chen Guanlou asked casually.

Zhao Mingqiao shook his head, flatly denying, "I don't know anything. If I had known in advance someone was going to blow up the altar, I would certainly have spoken up to warn them."

Chen Chen Guanlou neither agreed nor disagreed, nodding casually, "So, you're innocent."

"Of course I'm innocent."

"I thought you hoped the old Emperor would die, sincerely hoped so."

"I sincerely hoped he would die, but I would absolutely never use such extreme means to make him die. The words you said back then, I remember them all in my heart. I am the benchmark, the model, the pioneer, I must set rules and be a model for those below me, cannot let the team go to extremes."

Chen Chen Guanlou for a moment couldn't tell if what he said was true or false, his intuition went on strike at this moment.

"Do you truly believe the Dingshi Sect poisoned the old Emperor?"

"If the Ancestor says the Dingshi Sect did it, then it was the Dingshi Sect." Zhao Mingqiao emphasized the word Ancestor with particular force.

"Did you see the Ancestor?"

"I saw him once."

"What did he look like?"

"I'm sorry, I can't recall at all. The Ancestor seems to wish no one remembers his appearance; everyone who has seen him cannot recall his face afterward. I only remember that he seemed very gentle."

"Gentle?" Chen Chen Guanlou felt slightly surprised. A Grandmaster giving an impression of gentleness, yet no one can remember his appearance. This style of conduct is somewhat contradictory.

The ability to erase everyone's impression of his appearance clearly shows the Ancestor is not a gentle person. On the contrary, he appears decisive in killing and ruthless in his methods.