Chapter 738: Fabricating Charges

"Your guess came true; what should we do next?" Sun Daoning asked.

Chen Guanlou pondered for a moment. This time he was pondering seriously, changing his habit of having a wild imagination and talking nonsense.

"Stay put and watch the changes!"

He gave eight words.

Sun Daoning threw out an official document. "After verification, the Nanshan Marquis's mansion occupied fertile land and treated human life like grass; the charges are confirmed."

"Congratulations, Old Sun, you can report to His Majesty."

The original edict didn't even have a formal charge.

After a period of busyness, Sun Daoning finally fabricated a few charges, and they had been verified with solid human and material evidence; it was definitely not a baseless frame-up.

Sun Daoning shook his head in distress. "These two charges don't count for much. The Nanshan Marquis holds no position in the court; there's no chance to charge him with corruption. Although his descendants are incompetent, they don't cause trouble either. Sigh..."

As a powerful noble, being too law-abiding is not good either; there isn't even a loophole. What is the court to do, what is the Emperor to do?

"His Majesty just needs a pretext; whether the charge is big or small is up to him. A twenty-tael case turned into a two-hundred-thousand-tael case; it's not like we haven't operated like that before." Chen Guanlou said casually.

He knew the internal dealings of the Three Judicial Offices like the back of his hand.

Handling big cases as small ones and small cases as big ones was not just once or twice, but many times. It all depended on the intentions from above.

Emperor Taixing had made his stance clear: he wanted to handle a small case as a big one. Sun Daoning was very familiar with this operation; what was there to worry about?

"But there's no way to convince others in the court. The Censorate is watching closely; they dare not impeach His Majesty, but they will definitely impeach this official. How innocent am I! So we must find solid charges that can shut everyone's mouth. Help me think."

"Intentionally deceiving His Majesty, does that count?" Chen Guanlou gave a bad idea.

Sun Daoning began to ponder.

"Harboring great ambitions from the ancestors, does that count?"

"Do you really want the Nanshan Marquis's mansion to be wiped out?"

"I'm just following your words. You want charges, I'll be the villain and fabricate charges for you. In the end, you sold me out and acted as the good guy. Old Sun, you can't cross the river and tear down the bridge that fast. You should at least have some conscience."

Chen Guanlou looked heartbroken; it was unbearable to look at!

How could a person be so despicable!

Sun Daoning was so angry he laughed. "Even if I have no conscience, I'm still better than you."

"I don't agree with that!" Chen Guanlou snorted twice. "If His Majesty is just venting anger, actually, as a minister, doing nothing and keeping silent is also an attitude. His Majesty is not the late Emperor; he doesn't have the qualifications to be willful. If you can't bear to see the Nanshan Marquis's family suffer an unprovoked disaster, it's best to bring this matter to the court for public discussion and let all the ministers participate. Once a large-scale discussion is formed, His Majesty won't dare to ignore everyone's opinions and act arbitrarily."

Sun Daoning pondered this matter.

Be a dog or be a human?

Be black-hearted to the end, or keep a bit of conscience.

Headache!

It was hard to choose for a moment.

Chen Guanlou took the opportunity to say goodbye; these were all the opinions he could give, and he couldn't do anything more.

Returning to the Heavenly Prison, he immediately went down to the Jia-grade prison and told the Nanshan Marquis the fact that the ancestral graves had been looted.

Nanshan Marquis:...

Completely stunned!

It was really guessed right!

"Why would it be like this? Why did the tomb guards have no news at all? How could it come to this? Even my ancestral graves were not spared."

His expression was tragic, his heart was angry, and roaring and shouting were not enough to vent the anger in his heart.

Chen Guanlou told him another piece of bad news. "The people sent there risked going down into the tomb chamber of your Xuanzu ancestor, Mao Gong; it had already been looted clean, leaving only broken jars and pots, and copper coins scattered on the ground."

"Is my Xuanzu ancestor's corpse still there?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head. "According to those who went down into the tomb, the coffin was empty. Not only that, the coffin lid had been removed and stolen as well."

"Too bullying!" The Nanshan Marquis smashed his fist hard against the wall. "Too bullying! By what right can he act so willfully? Digging up people's ancestral graves, he will be struck by lightning. What heavenly law did my Nanshan Marquis's mansion violate, to suffer such a disaster, even the ancestral graves were raided. Unfilial descendants!"

The Nanshan Marquis slid to the ground, howling at the sky.

Chen Guanlou advised him, "Stop crying. Do you want the prisoners in the whole Heavenly Prison to know that your ancestral graves were raided? Since things have come to this, you'd better think about what to do."

"I ask Warden Chen to point out a clear path; what should this old man do to escape this disaster?"

Being old has the benefits of being old; emotions can be controlled freely, and one can quickly calm down instead of venting emotions pointlessly.

The Nanshan Marquis wiped his tears, his expression cold, but in his heart, he still held the thought that he might be able to escape death.

Chen Guanlou said sincerely, "To say something cruel, the lives of your whole family are all in the Emperor's single thought. We have analyzed the basic situation, and it is not optimistic. If His Majesty is really venting anger, your family must have a few people die."

"Then take this old man's head! Anyway, I've long been tired of living; these days are bitterly endless." The Nanshan Marquis's old tears flowed; to preserve his family, he was willing to sacrifice himself.

"Maybe dying alone isn't enough." Chen Guanlou knew how to strike people.

The Nanshan Marquis's mouth twitched, looking completely broken, his eyes starting to become crazy, like a lone wolf about to explode.

"How many people must die for him to vent his anger?"

"Are you prepared?"

"Prepared to die? From the day I inherited the family business, I was prepared to die at any time! The position of Nanshan Marquis is not a good thing; it's a curse. The ancestors made the wrong choice, and the descendants bear the consequences. This old man has nothing to say; after all, this old man enjoyed decades of glory and wealth."

This mindset is not bad.

Chen Guanlou comforted the other party, "It's not time to die yet; sit in prison with peace of mind. If you really have to die, you can't escape it. If there is a glimmer of hope, for the sake of money, I will also fight for you. As for you, cooperate well, don't play tricks, don't cause trouble."

The Nanshan Marquis nodded and agreed.

It can be said that at the moment, the only person he can count on is Chen Guanlou.

If Chen Guanlou refuses to help him, he really can't think of anyone else who can help him get out.

Old friends?

I'm afraid they are all busy distancing themselves.

He bowed to Chen Guanlou and performed a grand salute.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand, left the prison, and called Medical Official Mu.

As soon as Medical Official Mu saw him, he became vigilant. "What do you want to do? Don't mess around. This old man has nothing; this time, no matter what, I won't help you."

"I haven't even opened my mouth, and you're already in a hurry to refuse. Old Mu, are you still the Old Mu who is obsessed with medical skills and doesn't ask about the future? You've changed! You've become mercenary! It's truly sigh-inducing!"

Chen Guanlou looked heartbroken; there was no accusation, but it was more piercing than an accusation. ===== CHAPTER 739 =====