Chapter 518: For the Sake of Cleanup, All Refinement Cast Aside

"Fine, even if you can keep the post of Prison Deputy, how will you handle the investigation from above, how will you handle the coroner examining the body?"

Medical Officer Mu's face was full of irritation as he questioned the other man.

Chen Chen Guanlou personally brewed a pot of tea, using top-grade tea leaves he'd fleeced from Hou Fu.

He also personally poured tea for Medical Officer Mu.

"Old Mu, have some tea. I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious just yet."

Medical Officer Mu sat down with a stiff face, a thousand alpacas galloping through his heart. "Don't think you can buy me off with tea leaves. Let me tell you this first—Jiang Tu's death by poisoning can be hidden from everyone, but it definitely can't be hidden from the coroner. The Ministry of Justice's coroners are seasoned experts; one look and they'll know the exact cause of death. Don't even think about bribing anyone either—they're Ministry of Justice men, and they may not give face to the Heaven Prison. It's entirely possible that before they even come to examine the body, they've already received instructions from above to find fault with the Heaven Prison."

Medical Officer Mu's concerns were very reasonable.

Jiang Tu's sudden death had certainly damaged certain people's interests. How could these people let the Heaven Prison—and Chen Chen Guanlou—off easily?

The key was that before Chen Chen Guanlou returned, nothing had happened. The moment he came back, just a few hours later Jiang Tu dropped dead. To say there was nothing fishy going on here—go ask the officials above, would they believe it?

They're all thousand-year-old foxes; what's the point of chatting about Strange Tales? Who doesn't know whom!

Chen Chen Guanlou unhurriedly poured tea, drank tea, his expression not flustered in the slightest.

"Jiang Tu was bent on dying—could I have stopped him? If he didn't get poisoned today, tomorrow he could choke to death eating, or choke to death drinking water—either way, it's just one word: death. If the higher-ups want to make trouble for me, let them come. As far as I know, all of Jiang Tu's possessions have already been confiscated; that lot has eaten until grease drips from their mouths, and still they're not satisfied—they still want to use Jiang Tu to keep framing political enemies. If they really want to make things hard for me, worst case I'll just flip the table, and nobody plays anymore. Everything they've stuffed in their mouths, they'll have to spit it all back out for me."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't go off the rails."

Medical Officer Mu was getting anxious.

Nobody took Chen Chen Guanlou's words about flipping the table as a joke. Sun Sun Daoning didn't dare to, and Medical Officer Mu didn't dare to either. Because Chen Chen Guanlou really did have the ability to flip the table.

Even if he couldn't flip it, sneaking around and carrying out assassinations would certainly be no problem. He could probably kill off a whole string of people in one night—cut the capital's officials in half. What a terrifying sight that would be!

Tell me, who would dare truly offend a martial arts powerhouse who dared to fight a Ninth Rank martial artist, didn't die, and escaped smoothly?

Why are martial arts powerhouses sought after? Why do the noble families all entertain those martial arts powerhouses with fine food and drink? Even a mere Fourth or Fifth Rank can be treated as an honored guest. A martial artist who can fight on equal terms with a Ninth Rank—tell me, what kind of rare existence must that be?

Rare things are precious!

As long as he's willing, he can go anywhere under heaven.

The countless sects, noble houses, and great families across the realm would all throw open their doors to welcome him, treat him as an honored guest, and receive him as a Guest Elder. No one would turn away a quasi-Ninth Rank martial artist.

And no one would be foolish enough to thoroughly offend a quasi-Ninth Rank martial artist.

"Quasi-Ninth Rank" was the outside world's vague assessment of Chen Chen Guanlou's vague realm.

Exactly how many ranks his strength amounted to, the consensus was no less than Eighth Rank, and perhaps he had already reached the peak of Eighth Rank.

Chen Chen Guanlou himself didn't know how strong he currently was, or whether he could fight a peak Ninth Rank without falling behind. In any case, after advancing to the fifth scroll of the Ascension Record, his entire being had been elevated, entering a brand-new realm—an incomparably mysterious realm.

If a Xian Jie existed in this world, he thought, perhaps he had a chance to touch its very edges.

When a martial arts powerhouse like this says he'll flip the table and nobody plays anymore—the deterrent force in those words is absolutely enough to make one's blood run cold.

Medical Officer Mu, drenched in cold sweat, tried to counsel him, his tone softening. He no longer dared to speak to the man in that earlier questioning manner.

"I was just saying it off the cuff, don't take it seriously. Calm down, no need to get worked up over such a small matter. We're all in the officialdom, all eating the public's rice—it's still better to do things by the officialdom's rules, don't you agree?"

This was precisely why there were no high-ranked martial artists in officialdom, no martial arts powerhouses serving as officials.

If at the slightest disagreement one flips the table and refuses to play by the rules, then what's the point of being an official? Every day scheming against others is already exhausting enough; having to guard against martial arts officials suddenly erupting in violence and killing people—better not be an official at all.

Therefore, if martial arts powerhouses wanted to be officials, they could only enter the military camps, and most of them served at the frontier passes. If martial artists wanted to enter the civil official system, they could, but their Martial Path Rank couldn't be too high. Too high, and there was no way to play nicely.

Chen Chen Guanlou grinned. "Old Mu, look at you getting so nervous. I was just saying it casually."

"In the future, don't say things so casually—it's downright scary. In any case, regarding Jiang Tu's sudden death, the best outcome is that the higher-ups tacitly accept it; the worst outcome is that they insist on investigating the truth."

"You're a divine physician—surely you can manufacture some false appearances to muddle through?"

"My dear Chen Prison Clerk, Chen Prison Deputy, you think far too highly of me. If it were a living person, I might have a way. A dead person—what method could I possibly have? You can't even pour poison into a corpse, so how would you fake it? Even if there really were a way to fake it, it might work on ordinary people, but it could never fool a seasoned coroner."

"I refuse to believe there's no one in this world that money can't buy—unless the price isn't high enough. You liaise with the Ministry of Justice's coroner for me, sound them out, see what price they're asking."

Chen Chen Guanlou made a snap decision to pave the way with money. He had accepted Jiang Tu's favor, so naturally he had to handle the aftermath properly.

Taking money and doing the job—that was his principle. He couldn't break his principle. Even though the man was already dead.

Personal reputation was built up through accumulating one small matter after another.

"Me?"

Medical Officer Mu pointed at his own face, utterly bewildered.

"If not you, then who? Am I supposed to step forward myself?" Chen Chen Guanlou countered.

Medical Officer Mu was so angry he was addled. Chen Chen Guanlou was bullying him intolerably. "I am a medical officer; I have never in my life liaised, delivered money, or bribed people. Chen Chen Guanlou, how can you have the nerve to order me around? I've already been working myself to death covering for you, and now you actually want to dispatch me to play the pimp—what an outrage."

"You can't put it that way. This is liaising, networking. Saying it's pimping sounds too ugly." Chen Chen Guanlou waved his hand, looking utterly nonchalant, paying no heed to Medical Officer Mu's anger.

"I won't do it!" Medical Officer Mu declared resolutely, absolutely refusing to compromise. He had maintained a lifetime of dignity; he couldn't afford to lose face like this.

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

"Really won't do it? Once it's done, I'll give you fifty taels as payment."

"Won't do it! Don't talk about fifty taels—five hundred taels and I still won't do it."

He dreamed if he thought mere money could buy him. His reputation in life and after death—his good name—was priceless. And to think Chen Chen Guanlou was supposed to be a scholar; he had simply cast all refinement aside, utterly shameless.

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

He had been looked down upon.

Enough, enough.

You can't force an unripe melon to be sweet.

"If you won't do it, then you won't. Plenty of others will. I'll go call Qian Xu Fugui; if he steps forward, there'll definitely be no problem."

As long as he didn't have to step forward himself to liaise, Medical Officer Mu instantly became all smiles. "How much money are you planning to use?"

"The Ministry of Justice's coroners—ordinarily, haven't they been looked down on plenty? Do they get many chances to skim off the top?"

"Chances to skim off the top are certainly plentiful. All the major cases under heaven end up at the Ministry of Justice. Though the coroner's position is lowly and despised, it's an indispensable role."

"Well said! Then… five hundred taels?"