Chapter 706: You can always achieve your goal

Protecting the lives of the water bandit and the bandit leader Chang Qing is a difficult matter for others, but for Chen Guanlou, it is not a difficult task at all.

The difficulty of this matter does not lie in saving their lives, but in how to let them legitimately escape the disaster of prison and walk out of the Heavenly Prison with a legal identity.

Sun Daoning gave Chen Guanlou plenty of face.

"As long as enough money is paid for these two people, the beheading can be commuted to exile."

That's being a good friend, right!

He didn't even ask why and agreed directly.

If it weren't for their established friendship, Sun Daoning wouldn't even bother with this matter. Two lousy thieves, and they actually bothered him, the dignified Minister of Justice; it's outrageous! Since when did two small thieves have such high status?

He grumbled a few words in his heart, disgusted that Chen Guanlou was meddling in everything and helping everyone. If the small thieves died, they died; what was there to pity?

"Can the exile be commuted to imprisonment?" Chen Guanlou asked.

Sun Daoning glared, very dissatisfied. "You brat, you are pushing your luck; you've gone too far! Look at the files of these two yourself; based on the things they have committed, exile is already the lightest verdict. You still want imprisonment? Why don't you fly to the sky? What do you think the cells of the Heavenly Prison are? You want to keep them locked up until the end of time? Get out quickly and go to the border to serve as forced labor."

"Can't you make an exception? The money is already there anyway; they are just two lousy thieves, why are you being so calculating?"

When Sun Daoning heard this, he wasn't happy. "I also want to ask you, they are just two lousy thieves, why are you so concerned? Tell me, what kind of shady business are you doing in private?"

"What kind of shady business could there be? It's nothing more than cherishing talent. Talent is easy to talk about, but the key is that these two haven't been polluted by the officialdom. Compared to those old slickers of criminal officials in the Jia-grade prison who chase after fame and fortune, they can be considered real men, and they are convenient to dispatch."

Sun Daoning immediately became curious. "You cherish talent? What do you want to use them for?"

Chen Guanlou said half-truthfully: "You also know my brother Zhao Mingqiao; he is sometimes shrewd and sometimes stupid. I think he lacks a secretary like Chang Qing by his side. As for the water bandit, he has good swimming skills and has traveled all the great rivers and lakes in the world. Such a person is naturally suitable for running boats and doing business. Old Sun, don't say I don't take care of you; do you want to buy a share?"

When Sun Daoning heard this, he pondered it, and it seemed to make some sense.

"You want to recommend Chang Qing to Zhao Mingqiao; will he agree? As far as I know, the Youth Society is a bunch of scholars, each one of them looking down on everyone else; would they look up to a bandit leader?"

"My lord, those are all old concepts. Heroes don't ask where they come from. Besides, before Chang Qing became a bandit, he was a scholar to begin with. Also, the members of the Youth Society don't have the habit of looking down on others; they are very down-to-earth!"

Chen Guanlou had to rectify the name of the Youth Society; he couldn't let the gossip of the marketplace ruin the reputation of the Youth Society.

Sun Daoning chuckled. "You plan to use a water bandit to run boats; aren't you afraid that the person will run away and the money will be gone?"

"He wouldn't dare! Just tell me if this business can be done? It's a rare talent!" Chen Guanlou instigated.

"Why did you suddenly think of doing business?" Sun Daoning found it hard to understand. "In the past, there were plenty of opportunities, but I never saw you get interested. Those people at the tax checkpoints have passed through your hands many times, plus you have the Hou Fu as your backing; why do you need a water bandit to come forward to do business? If you fly the banner of the Hou Fu, you can go anywhere in the world."

"Old Sun, don't joke. You know what the situation of the Hou Fu is right now. Isn't it just the mess you people in the Grand Secretariat created? The war was going well, and suddenly you want to recall Marquis Pingjiang. The Embroidered Uniform Guard must have been busy lately, right? I see that both the late Emperor and the current Majesty are full of wariness toward the Hou Fu, thinking every day about how to get rid of the people in the Hou Fu. As a member of the Chen clan, I have to plan for danger in times of peace and always find a way out."

When Chen Guanlou spoke of this, his face was full of bitterness!

He had to complain!

The imperial court doesn't act like humans, crossing the river and tearing down the bridge, killing the donkey after the grinding is done; is one not allowed to complain a few words?

Being scolded to his face, Sun Daoning felt a bit embarrassed and stroked his beard. "This matter of yours..."

"Old Sun, you can't kill them all. I finally want to do something; even if you don't support it, you shouldn't block it, right?"

Sun Daoning felt his teeth ache and clicked his tongue twice. "I didn't say anything; don't be in such a hurry to put a label on me."

Chen Guanlou immediately rolled his eyes, very disgusted. "They are just two small thieves; to put it bluntly, if they escape from prison one day, it's just that; no one will take it to heart. No one will even ask afterward. Two small thieves, with zero destructive power. Even if they escape, they can only be rats in the gutter, hiding all day. For such harmless characters, the Ministry of Justice doesn't need to pay much attention. You just sign and stamp it, and let them serve their sentence; how simple."

While he was speaking, he had already picked up the seal.

Sun Daoning was anxious. "Put it down, put it down, put it down for me immediately. This is an official seal; how can I allow you to be so presumptuous? You are comfortable enough here with me, but the official seal is the bottom line; it is absolutely not allowed to be touched."

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't touch it. Just give me a straight answer: can this matter be handled?"

If it were anyone else, this matter would have been handled.

But Chen Guanlou... Sun Daoning subconsciously became more vigilant; he suspected that this brat's intention was not in the wine, and he hadn't figured out exactly where it was.

Anyway, in his consciousness, Chen Guanlou wouldn't just do a simple thing; there were always some thoughts and intentions behind it.

Whether it was doing business or being a secretary for the Youth Society, he always felt that this wasn't the real intention.

However, Chen Guanlou's expression didn't look fake.

"Old Sun, you can't even handle such a small matter; you've gone too far!" Chen Guanlou accused.

Sun Daoning stared at him. "Are you being honest? Have you confessed everything? No other thoughts or purposes? Not deceiving me?"

Chen Guanlou nodded repeatedly, guaranteeing that everything was true and valid, and there was absolutely no deception.

"If you deceive me and do some shady business in secret, how should I deal with you?" Sun Daoning asked again.

Chen Guanlou looked frank. "If I deliberately deceive you, I am not a human; may I be struck by lightning, I..."

"Enough of that! I just want one word from you: if something happens, you are not allowed to implicate me."

"Old Sun, you can rest assured a hundred times. If something really happens, I will take all the responsibility alone and will absolutely not implicate anyone. I mean anyone!"

Chen Guanlou was particularly sincere and particularly solid. He was absolutely serious at this moment.

Sun Daoning was still a bit uneasy. Despite this, he finally signed the document and tossed it to the other party.

"In the future, don't let me hear the names of these two people. Also, among the prison guards of the Heavenly Prison, is there someone gambling with the little eunuchs from the palace? You old slickers are bullying the little eunuchs from the palace, rigging the gambling to get money. You manage this matter. Someone complained to me; within three days, I want to see results."

Chen Guanlou:...

That bunch of little bastards below actually rigged the gambling against the little eunuchs from the palace.

That's going too far!

Old slickers bullying a group of newcomers; what kind of skill is that!

This matter must be investigated strictly and punished severely. ===== CHAPTER 707 =====