Chapter 991

Chen Guanlou hurried to the Ministry of Justice to communicate with Sun Daoning.

He informed him of the ins and outs of the Ma Liu matter one by one.

Sun Daoning listened to the cause and effect and felt relieved.

"It's fortunate you were decisive and filled the loophole in time. That bunch of trash at the Six Shanmen can't even handle a small matter properly. They played so many tricks in private. Meng Changgen deserves to die!"

"Why is the Court of Judicial Review targeting the Ministry of Justice?"

"Who doesn't the Court of Judicial Review target? They target everyone; they move in as soon as they smell blood. There must be a mole in this Six Shanmen matter, or someone with a big mouth leaked the news. You just need to take care of Ma Liu's corpse; I will handle the other matters myself."

Sun Daoning was furious but also vague and incomplete, clearly hiding something.

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly, "My lord, if there is any inside story, you might as well tell me. At least I can run errands for you or clean up the mess for you. If you don't reveal anything, don't come looking for me for help when the time comes."

"There is no inside story. It's nothing more than those bullshit things in officialdom. Don't overthink it! You must ensure Ma Liu's corpse is unharmed."

How could it be unharmed!

Buried underground for so many days, how could it be unharmed.

After Chen Guanlou came out of the Ministry of Justice, he went to the mortuary.

Ma Liu's corpse had already been dug up from the mass grave.

On such a hot day, the smell was enough to make people keep their distance before even getting close to the mortuary.

He quickly blocked his sense of smell, fearing he wouldn't be able to control himself and would vomit on the spot, losing face for the people of the Heavenly Prison.

"What's the situation?"

"Not very good! The decay is very severe."

"Can some of the physical characteristics be identified?"

The coroner nodded, "Some can be seen. The weather is too hot, so I took the liberty of using lime for preservation. I ask my lord not to blame me."

"You did the right thing! You should have taken preservation measures; you are not wrong, and I will even reward you."

Following the coroner into the mortuary, he saw Ma Liu's corpse lying straight on a wooden board. The face had already decayed for the most part, making it difficult to see the facial features.

The coroner was smart and knew what he wanted to see, so he hurriedly lifted a corner of Ma Liu's clothes to reveal the shoulder blade, "My lord, please look. According to the case files, Ma Liu had a birthmark on his left shoulder blade, which is still quite clear. In addition, several scars on Ma Liu's legs can also match the descriptions in the case files."

Ensuring the corpse had enough characteristics to prove it was Ma Liu's, Chen Guanlou breathed a sigh of relief.

"Someone, transport the corpse back to the Heavenly Prison and wait for the Court of Judicial Review to examine it."

This work was not easy to do!

It stank to high heaven and was also unlucky!

The prison guards were all a bit reluctant and full of resentment.

Chen Guanlou decisively promised a bonus afterward, which finally stimulated everyone's enthusiasm.

He didn't find professionals in funeral services for this job because he was worried about accidents happening midway. It was safer to use his own people.

When the corpse was transported back to the Heavenly Prison, the entire prison seemed to be permeated with a stench of decay, stinking to high heaven.

Chen Guanlou hurriedly asked Medical Official Mu to find a way to solve the stench. And he had to do a good job of preservation!

Ice and lime were not enough; it would be best to use some medicine to keep the corpse in its current state.

Medical Official Mu spread his hands, "I can only use poison! But if I do that, it will affect the autopsy. If the Court of Judicial Review finds fault because of this, wouldn't that be lifting a rock only to drop it on our own feet?"

"Is there no other way?"

"No matter what method, it involves medicine. As long as medicine is used, it will affect the autopsy results, and the Court of Judicial Review will have reason to suspect that Ma Liu's death was man-made and use it as an excuse to find fault. Rather than that, it's better to use traditional methods; the coroner's preservation methods are enough. Although the weather is very hot, as long as there is enough ice, it can still play a role."

Chen Guanlou frowned; in his helplessness, he could only accept Medical Official Mu's suggestion and let logistics purchase more ice.

The Court of Judicial Review's efficiency was very high, and the next day they began the investigation into the Ma Liu case. They questioned the people from the Six Shanmen and the people from the Heavenly Prison separately.

Everyone was cursing, wondering by what right the Court of Judicial Review could manage things over the Ministry of Justice's head, and by what right they came to the Ministry of Justice's territory to investigate.

However, this time the Court of Judicial Review held the Imperial Sword and had obtained permission from the palace to investigate the major corruption case of the Ministry of Justice, so everyone had to cooperate.

The Court of Judicial Review official responsible for questioning in the Heavenly Prison was surnamed Ji, in his forties, slightly chubby, with very upright features and a very likable personality. Only his eyes were like a wolf's, making people shudder when he observed them.

He was clearly an old hand at handling cases, with seasoned experience.

Chen Guanlou invited the person into the office and took out ordinary tea leaves to brew tea for entertaining unfamiliar guests.

"Official Ji, are we starting now? Should we go to the mortuary first or..."

"Let's go a bit later."

"Fine, everything as you wish, my lord. What does my lord want to know?"

Chen Guanlou sat down casually, face to face with the other party.

Official Ji clearly raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised by Chen Guanlou's attitude of seeking equality. In terms of official rank, the two differed by more than ten ranks; where did equality come from? According to logic, the other party should be sitting in the lower seat.

However, he did not point out the impropriety of the other party, but asked directly: "According to the case files, the Heavenly Prison took Ma Liu into custody in the middle of the second lunar month."

"Exactly!"

"Prison Clerk Xu Fugui of the C-grade prison signed and stamped it. Why is there no signature and stamp from Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen?"

"There is no rule stating that a Jiang Jiang Yucheng must sign and stamp. Ma Liu was a major bandit; with his status, the prison clerk's signature and stamp are sufficient!"

"In other words, when Ma Liu was taken into custody, you were not aware of this case, nor did you see this person?"

"Yes!"

"Is the management of the Heavenly Prison so loose?"

"Could it be that for every case the Court of Judicial Review investigates, Official Ji signs and stamps it?" Chen Guanlou asked in return.

Official Ji raised his eyebrows slightly, "You seem dissatisfied with the Court of Judicial Review's investigation."

Chen Guanlou spread his hands, "I don't know what the problem is with the Ma Liu case. Why restart the investigation many days after the person has died? It is said that you suspect Ma Liu is not Ma Liu, but the corpse is right there in the mortuary; whether it is or not is clear at a glance. Official Ji also brought a coroner today; why not skip the questioning process and go directly to examine the corpse?"

"No rush! Since Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen was not the first person to handle the custody, I have nothing to ask. Next, I want to question Xu Fugui, who was responsible for the custody, and the prison guards responsible for guarding Ma Liu. Are these people all present?"

"They are all waiting in the side room next door; if my lord wants to question them, just call them in."

"Then let's start with Xu Fugui!"

Chen Guanlou went out of the office, and Xu Fugui went in. The two sides exchanged a look: keep your mouth shut!

Xu Fugui was very nervous, and sweat was already dripping down. Chen Guanlou patted the other party's shoulder heavily, "Go in, answer whatever Official Ji asks. Remember, you are a person of the Ministry of Justice!"

Xu Fugui nodded heavily.

As soon as Chen Guanlou stepped into the office of the A-grade prison, everyone greeted him.

Medical Official Mu asked first, "How is the situation?"

Chen Guanlou sneered, "They come with ill intent!"