Chapter 547: Being a hypocrite

"But it cannot be handled according to your method."

Sun Daojing pointed at the silver notes on the table. "You must not ask Zhu Ruhai for money again."

"Rest assured, I'm not that greedy."

"Secondly, you must not abuse Zhu Ruhai."

"I don't have a penchant for blood."

"Thirdly, you must not interfere in this case again."

"Why is that?" Chen Guanlou was puzzled. "Are you afraid I'll kill him?"

"Your surname is Chen; even if you don't admit it, the first thing outsiders think of when they see you is the Marquis Pingjiang Prefecture. This case must absolutely not involve the Marquis Prefecture."

Sun Daojing gave a strict order; he wanted to guard against everything and prevent all possible accidents. Is handling Zhu Ruhai easy? It is! But wanting to clean up the aftermath is a difficult task. Therefore, one must be careful and cautious from the very beginning and not leave any evidence behind.

Chen Guanlou:...

Looking at the other party's serious expression, he decisively compromised. "Fine, fine, fine, I absolutely won't interfere. From now on, I won't ask a single word about the Zhu Ruhai case. However, for the Zhang Wenfu case, please help out, overturn the verdict for him, and close it. Keeping him in the Heavenly Prison is purely a waste of food."

Sun Daojing gave a cold snort, expressing his dissatisfaction. "Monopolizing litigation, Chen Guanlou, you have such guts. Tell me, how much money did you collect from him?"

"Three thousand taels."

"Truth?"

"As true as it gets. The money has already been entered into the public account; my lord can send someone to check the accounts at any time."

Sun Daojing gave a hehe laugh. "Three thousand taels is three thousand taels. To overturn a verdict, the Ministry of Justice must take at least seventy percent; I will send someone to collect the rest."

Chen Guanlou:...

He knew he couldn't hide it from Sun Daojing. Just like that, with one opening, he took all three thousand taels, not leaving a single penny. Greedy!

"Old Sun, your matter of buying an official position should have some progress by now, right? Do you still need to spend money? Being too greedy is not good."

"Presumptuous!" Sun Daojing adjusted his tone, put on the identity of the Vice Minister of Justice, gave a contemptuous glance, and was full of official authority. "Since I entered the official career, I have been honest and upright, handling cases impartially; don't you dare slander me. Otherwise, I will punish you for the crime of disrespecting a superior."

Chen Guanlou:...

Being a hypocrite!

Sun Daojing is shameless enough.

"When will you be promoted? Tomorrow I'll send you another gift. Don't forget the twenty-day deadline; my share cannot be a penny less. Look at me, how trustworthy I am. You haven't settled the money you owe me, yet I still put aside past grievances, thinking of you every day, not forgetting to send you silver. I never thought about deducting it from the debt. Old Sun, having a subordinate like me is a blessing you cultivated in your previous life; you must cherish it. Losing me is equivalent to losing your good fortune."

In terms of thick-skinnedness, Chen Guanlou doesn't lose to anyone. Actively sending money to Sun Daojing is a matter that must be repeatedly reminded to deepen the other party's memory and emphasize his own merit. Doing good deeds without leaving a name is not his style. Especially in officialdom, that doesn't work. The rules of officialdom: a one-penny good deed must be exaggerated to one tael of silver. A one-tael good deed must be exaggerated to one hundred taels. If it's a mistake, it must be the opposite.

Mastering this essence, the path of officialdom will surely be smooth.

Sun Daojing picked up the teacup, only then remembering that it was a cup of cold dregs.

He didn't need cold dregs to wake up his brain now, so he put the teacup down again. "If there's nothing else, go back. For the Zhang Wenfu case, I will instruct the people below to handle it. Also, I don't care what plans you have; if I find any tricks in the account books, you'll be in deep trouble."

"My lord, rest assured, the account books are clean and clear, absolutely no tricks."

Sun Daojing raised his eyebrows. "No tricks in the private accounts either."

"What private accounts! Old Sun, you cannot slander my innocence for no reason! You tell me yourself, since I became the Prison Clerk of the Jia-grade prison last year, hasn't the money you've taken from the Jia-grade prison increased? If I had private accounts, could your income still increase? It's a pity I've been thinking of you wholeheartedly, yet you, on the contrary, suspect me of keeping private accounts and embezzling money privately. You really are... no wonder the prison guards all say that the people of the Ministry of Justice are all a bunch of scum who eat people without spitting out the bones."

Chen Guanlou was heartbroken!

The pain of being misunderstood, wronged, and framed.

Private accounts?

If you find them, they exist.

If you can't find them, then they certainly don't exist!

Rumors?

If rumors could be taken as truth, what would be the need for laws, what would be the need for the Three Judicial Offices? This is the Ministry of Justice; everything requires evidence. Without evidence, it's slander. Unlike the Censorate, which handles cases entirely by mouth.

"You've been thinking of me wholeheartedly?" Sun Daojing was so angry he laughed. "Isn't it wholeheartedly calculating against me? Chen Guanlou, listen to what you're saying; do you have any face?"

Chen Guanlou patted his own face. "This face of mine, life and death are all the skin of my lord. If my lord thinks I should have face, I certainly will. If my lord thinks I shouldn't have face, then I won't."

Sun Daojing was amazed. Although he had seen it many times, he was once again conquered by Chen Guanlou's shameless spirit.

"You really shouldn't be holed up in the Heavenly Prison. You should go to court and spray against those censor officials. You would definitely be able to spray them into submission?"

"Old Sun, what's wrong with you? Aren't those censor officials in the same camp as you? You bunch of civil officials, could it be that you are having infighting?"

"What same camp, don't talk nonsense. Those censor officials are just mad dogs, biting anyone they catch. Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this." Sun Daojing looked slightly agitated.

Chen Guanlou understood. "Is someone competing with you for the position of Minister of Justice? You can't beat the other party? That can't be. You've been working at the Ministry of Justice for so many years; this place has almost become your one-man show, yet you can't beat a mere competitor. Don't tell me that the position of Minister still has variables; if you can't become the Minister, who will be responsible for the bragging I've done?"

"The bragging you did has nothing to do with me." Sun Daojing was furious. Every time he met Chen Guanlou, he would be broken through frequently. He couldn't beat him, couldn't curse him, and still had to endure the other party's various acts of overstepping his authority and not following the rules.

Who acts like an official as miserably as him?

Is the silver note on the table money?

Not at all!

It's clearly misery money!

Sun Daojing was so angry he didn't care about anything else and picked up the cold tea again to cool his fire.

"Old Sun, is there really a variable? I've already bragged; you can only succeed, not fail."

"Get out, get out, get out..." Sun Daojing waved his hand impatiently. "If you really have the heart to help me, don't act on your own. In the future, manage the Yi-grade prison less, preferably don't manage it at all. Just manage the Jia-grade prison well."

"I am a Prison Warden!" Chen Guanlou had to emphasize his identity.

Sun Daojing gave a cold snort. "Follow the rules! This is my order; you can toss the Jia-grade prison and the Bing-grade prison as you please. Stay far away from the Yi-grade prison. You don't need to worry about the people detained inside."

"Really don't need me to worry?"

"Remember my instructions! Don't create extra trouble. If you don't create trouble for me, I can manage to turn a blind eye to the private accounts. If you deliberately create trouble, I don't mind letting the Six Shanmen enter the Heavenly Prison to thoroughly investigate the tricks inside." ===== CHAPTER 548 =====