Chapter 995

After successfully poisoning them to ensure the two subordinates could not be interrogated, Meng Laoda mustered his courage and trembled as he rushed to the Ministry of Justice to confess and report on the aftermath.

Sun Daoning had already drawn his sword, ready to kill on the spot in rage.

Upon learning of the aftermath, he reluctantly lowered his blade.

“You damned fool, look at what you’ve done! If not for Chen Yucheng cleaning up for you and swiftly eliminating Ma Liu, you’d be dead this time—not just you, but half of the Six Gates Bureau would be slaughtered. A bunch of useless wastes! I’ve long stopped meddling in your affairs, and now you’ve grown even more arrogant. Secretly scheming for personal gain, you’ve caused such a massive leak that it nearly dragged me into it!”

Enraged, he kicked out, sending Meng Laoda sprawling.

Meng Laoda took the blow without resistance, rolling twice on the ground, looking utterly humiliated.

“My lord, I know I’m wrong. This time I’ve learned my lesson—I’ll never dare again. I’ll do everything I can to clean up the mess and never let the Dalisi succeed.”

“And what if the Dalisi does succeed?”

“Then let me be killed or flayed—entirely at your discretion!” Meng Laoda knelt on the ground, swearing a military oath, staking his life.

This man had too strong a gambling nature—he’d bet on anything.

If Chen Guanlou were here, he’d already spin a web of nonsense and talk the man into a stupor.

Sun Daoning rubbed his temples. “Fine. Your head stays on your neck—for now. If you fail, bring me your head. I will show no mercy!”

“Thank you, my lord, for giving me a chance to make amends.”

Meng Laoda bowed three times in succession, rose, and left. After being scolded and swearing an oath, he now had to deploy his full strength to punish the underlings, uncover who leaked the information, and root out the traitor within.

The Six Gates Bureau needed a bloody purge!

The private secretary stepped out from behind the screen. “My lord, you’re still too merciful.”

“Do you mean I should really kill him?” Sun Daoning retorted. “He’s still useful. This time, thanks to Chen Guanlou, Ma Liu was killed promptly—no loose ends.”

“Chen Yucheng is good, but he’s too independent, too hard to control. He’s not a proper subordinate.”

“I know. You don’t need to tell me that.”

“Now that this is over, my lord must consider removing certain people. Excessive mercy will hinder your advancement,” the secretary reminded again.

Sun Daoning waved his hand. “We’ll discuss this later.”

…

The Dalisi was in an uproar—the two suspects brought back from the Six Gates Bureau had both been poisoned, clearly by design.

“Their reach is long.”

“Every jail in the capital is a sieve. Ours is no exception.”

“The Six Gates Bureau is clearly panicking. Our direction was right. The only variable is the Heavenly Prison. Is the corpse definitely the real Ma Liu?”

“We can be nearly certain.”

“Chen Guanlou always kept a low profile, yet he’s ruined everything.”

“This man operates with discipline and follows rules strictly. He must have discovered the problem mid-process and, rather than risk exposure, broke ties with the Six Gates Bureau and killed Ma Liu outright, then closed the case. With his Ninth Rank martial cultivation, killing Ma Liu was child’s play. Even the most experienced coroner would find nothing wrong—only conclude Ma Liu died of heart palpitations!”

“If the real Ma Liu is dead, this case can’t proceed.”

“But the Six Gates Bureau’s collusion with prisoners, killing innocents to claim credit, extortion—all these are facts. If we prove these charges, we can strike directly at the Ministry of Justice and unearth its past cases.”

“To turn the tide, we must find the fake Ma Liu. Assume he’s still alive.”

“Would the Six Gates Bureau leave such a glaring flaw?”

“With Chen Guanlou involved, the fake Ma Liu might still be alive. This man has principles—he rarely kills the innocent.”

“Alright. That’s the plan!”

…

Meng Laoda thought of the fake Ma Liu—a massive loophole that must be sealed. He decided to handle it himself, taking all suspicious subordinates along on this mission.

He had warned Chen Guanlou in advance: “At this point, the fake Ma Liu must die! I’ve brought out everyone involved in this case. If word leaks or something goes wrong, Chen brother, I’m counting on you to clean up.”

Chen Guanlou frowned slightly. “Must he die?”

“He must! The only loophole left in this case is the fake Ma Liu! Silence him, and even if the Dalisi tears the roof off, they won’t succeed! I know this violates your principles—I promise to compensate his family afterward. He won’t die in vain. Besides, he accepted money upfront with the condition that he’d face execution. The money wasn’t returned—he’s alive, and that’s a threat. This was a deal. Now I’m just fulfilling it.”

Meng Laoda spoke thus.

Chen Guanlou said nothing.

Since it was a deal, already agreed upon long ago, he had nothing to say.

“The Dalisi must have thought of this too. Watch your back.”

“I’ve brought many men with me precisely to guard against the Dalisi . If things turn violent, we’ll just wipe them out. Either they die, or we do. If I can’t fully eliminate the threat, Minister Sun won’t spare me. If I die, Chen brother, give these two seals to my family. Tell them to take them to the bank, withdraw the silver, and return home to live in peace. Don’t linger in the capital.”

Meng Laoda set out with a death wish, having already arranged his funeral. Clearly, they would face a brutal battle.

Chen Guanlou took the two seals. “Live if you can. Don’t rush to die. Even if Minister Sun wants you dead, he’ll make it dignified. He won’t drag your family into it.”

“I know! Minister Sun is a man of honor. But the others in the Ministry of Justice? They don’t care. After this massive blunder, many in the Ministry hate me. Better to die fighting now, eliminate the threat once and for all, and leave behind a decent name!”

Meng Laoda waved goodbye to Chen Guanlou and led his men out of the capital.

“He’s dead already,” said Mu Yiguan, standing beside Chen Guanlou. “Meng Laoda never intended to return alive. What comes back will be his corpse. The Dalisi wants him alive to extract the Six Gates Bureau’s secrets. But the Ministry of Justice will make sure he dies. Guess how many in his party received orders to kill him?”

Chen Guanlou slipped the two seals into his pocket and murmured, “Roughly half of them have orders to kill him.”

The truth was this cruel.

Though he knew the truth, some things couldn’t be stopped—they were destined to happen. Better to pretend ignorance, watch silently, and perhaps fewer would die.

As always: don’t overreach!

He wasn’t of the Six Gates Bureau. He wouldn’t interfere in their affairs. Even if many died, he wouldn’t interfere!

“More than half! Meng Laoda’s second-in-command—without doubt—is the one leading the kill. That means everyone but Meng Laoda himself has orders to kill him—to rise in rank and wealth by bringing his head!”