Chapter 739: Don't be a silent fool

Medical Official Mu was old and cunning, and remained unmoved.

He didn't ask about the future before because there was no one like Chen Guanlou around him, who would make all kinds of crazy moves every day, making him anxious and unable to sleep at night.

Since getting to know the other party, he felt the weight of life, as if he had returned to his youth, his heart beating faster, almost jumping out of his throat.

Unbearable weight!

Having learned too many lessons, he must be vigilant.

"Just say it, what do you want to do? This old man declares in advance, except for official business, this old man won't agree to anything you say. Whether you want to kill someone or save someone, I don't agree."

"Look at you, you misunderstood me again. I'm neither killing nor saving anyone!"

Medical Official Mu was half-believing, it didn't look like that!

"What do you think of the Nanshan Marquis?"

"A jinx!" Medical Official Mu summarized in one word.

Summarized truly accurately!

The fourth year of Jian Shi, the number one jinx.

"Give him some medicine to make him increasingly weak and haggard, as if he had damaged his spirit from fear and panic."

Medical Official Mu snorted twice; he had guessed it right.

Someone had previously insisted that it was a misunderstanding and definitely not what he thought. And now?

Heh!

"What does the Warden want to do?" he asked.

Chen Guanlou pondered for a moment and said selectively, "The Nanshan Marquis is living in the Heavenly Prison; if he is always fine, without illness or disaster, I suspect the palace won't be happy, which is not conducive to saving his life. Give him some medicine to the point where he can't get out of bed, but it's not fatal. You grasp the degree yourself; I only look at the curative effect."

"Warden, you previously said you wouldn't kill or save anyone this time."

"That's right, I'm not killing or saving anyone, I'm just asking you to give him medicine to make the Nanshan Marquis bedridden. Old Mu, don't nitpick my words, it's meaningless. Listen to me, go do it quickly."

"Are you really planning to help him?"

"The Six Shanmen Sect confiscated the Nanshan Marquis's mansion, and our Heavenly Prison also profited quite a bit. We can't take money and not do things; that doesn't conform to the rules of the Heavenly Prison."

"He is a criminal specifically named by the Emperor!"

"The Emperor didn't give me money! This official recognizes money, not people!"

Chen Guanlou was righteous, the reason was very strong, and it could not be refuted.

The Emperor sends people to do things without giving rewards; only a ghost would work hard for the Emperor. He is not one of those lackeys of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not that cheap!

Medical Official Mu watched this scene, stunned.

There was actually such a shameless reason, and it could be said so righteously.

He had to remind the other party, "You eat the public's food, you should..."

"Should manage the Heavenly Prison well. That's right, I manage the Heavenly Prison in an orderly manner, my official duties are done in every aspect, and I've done my duty. As for helping the Nanshan Marquis, that's work outside of my official duties, which is a different matter from eating the public's food!"

Medical Official Mu:...

People are old, whether it's eloquence or thinking, they can't keep up with young people.

Forget it, forget it!

He obeyed orders and went to give the Nanshan Marquis medicine.

Two days later, the Nanshan Marquis was "seriously ill" from fear and panic and couldn't get out of bed, and the situation was reported to the Ministry of Justice.

Sun Daoning took the opportunity of entering the palace to see the Emperor to reveal this news, adding, "The person is probably not going to make it!"

"Is it really because of fear and panic that he is seriously ill?"

Sun Daoning bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, that person has always been timid; with a little movement, he is scared to the point of trembling."

"Hahaha..."

These words clearly pleased Emperor Taixing.

"How should this case be handled? Please, Your Majesty, give your instructions!" Sun Daojing climbed up the pole as it was offered.

Not seeking merit, only seeking to avoid blame!

He couldn't wait to toss this hot potato away immediately.

Emperor Taixing said casually, "Keep them locked up for now, and investigate slowly."

What exactly did those words mean?

Maintain the status quo?

Investigate slowly—what is there to investigate?

Sun Daojing walked out of the palace gate carrying countless questions, his mind still a mess.

The Emperor's thoughts are not easy to guess!

After returning to the Ministry of Justice, he pondered left and right, but could never grasp the key. His private secretary couldn't offer any useful advice either. In matters like this, one must never offer suggestions recklessly. If the plan went wrong and caused his master to suffer, his own rice bowl would be gone.

Sun Daojing was extremely annoyed; he was raising a group of useless people.

He decisively ordered someone to invite Chen Guanlou over.

Chen Guanlou arrived very promptly, but that mouth of his was truly something that made people both hate and love him.

"Old Sun, I told you, you can't do without me. In this world, only I tell you the truth and genuinely think for your sake. Everyone else has their own plans. Only I have a heart of pure gold, not for fame or profit, just so my brother can live well!"

Sun Daojing really wanted to sew the other's mouth shut; could he say a few less useless words?

Yapping all day about truth and sincerity—would it kill him to say two words less!

Chen Guanlou:...

Saying two words less really would kill me, oh!

If you do a good deed, you have to shout about it every day so everyone knows. Silence only makes certain people climb all over your head, thinking that helping is a duty and that you owe them.

A silent fool, a humble idiot—whoever wants to be that can go ahead.

"I appreciate your sentiment! I called you over today because the Emperor said something that I find a bit difficult to grasp."

And so, Sun Daojing recounted the entire process of his audience with the Emperor today.

"You tell me, what exactly does the Emperor mean?"

"What else could he mean? The Emperor is also a person, and people love face. Arresting people with great fanfare before the New Year and letting them go with a whimper after the New Year—do you think that's possible? Is the Emperor that magnanimous? If he were truly magnanimous, the Prince of Jin wouldn't have died so early."

"Shut up! Do you not want your life? You dare to say anything."

Sun Daojing was scared pale.

The Prince of Jin was a taboo topic; no one could mention it.

Only this rogue Chen Guanlou would mention the Prince of Jin so brazenly, without any fear—he really isn't afraid of death!

"Fine, fine, fine, let's not mention that unlucky Prince... let's just talk about this Nanshan Marquis case. Regardless of how many charges were fabricated, either you chop them down with a 'crack,' or you keep them locked up forever. Anyway, you definitely can't release them right now. The Emperor wants face!"

"If we don't release them, we just keep them locked up without even trying the case?" Sun Daojing frowned.

Chen Guanlou took a sip of tea and said, "What is there to try in this case? I ask you, what can be tried, what can be interrogated? In the end, it was venting anger from the start, a baseless accusation. The Emperor never expected to find anything useful from the Nanshan Marquis Prefecture. Right now, the Nanshan Marquis has fallen ill, and who knows when he might die in prison—that clearly pleased the Emperor. You said the Emperor smiled, so you can see how happy he was inside."

"If being frightened into illness can please him, why not just issue an order to behead him? That would please him even more."

"Still the same point: he wants face! He's worried about being criticized, or perhaps worried about people seeing the truth. There are many smart people in this world. Suddenly arresting the entire Nanshan Marquis family at this time—what we can guess, others can guess too. Others might even know more than we do.

You are an official lacking deep roots, and I am a pawn lacking deep roots. When the two of us get together, what we guess is all superficial. Those great clans and families with deep roots might have already known the full picture of the matter as soon as the Emperor sent people to dig the graves, and they might already have a set of clues in their hands just like the Emperor's."