Chapter 998: Harboring delusions

"Is there really a criminal official who scolds the Emperor to his face?"

Lord Bai was very curious.

Chen Guanlou nodded. "There really is! And more than one."

"What is their fate?"

"Some were beheaded on the execution ground, some had their whole families exiled, and some were acquitted and reinstated to their original positions."

"Can they be reinstated to their original positions after scolding the Emperor?" Lord Bai was stunned. "And no one reported it?"

"The conversation between you and me won't be heard by a third person. So, you can rest assured. Don't forget, I am a Ninth-Rank warrior." Chen Guanlou reminded him kindly.

Lord Bai suddenly realized and understood. In the Heavenly Prison, only talking to Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen alone could be considered truly safe.

"I heard people say before that you, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, have eyes and ears that reach the heavens. As long as the money is in place, there is nothing that cannot be done."

"It's all thanks to everyone's support. As for whether things can be done, that depends on what you are doing. There are times when I can't get things done either." Chen Guanlou spoke the truth; he couldn't set the upper limit too high, so as to avoid people pushing their luck and going crazy. Making money can be a long-term endeavor.

"Then look at my case; is there any possibility of acquittal and reinstatement?" Lord Bai asked in a low voice. He just wanted to use it as a reference.

He had other connections in the capital and had already mobilized these connections to run relationships and inquire about the progress of the case.

However, he still wanted to hear the opinions of a bystander.

"Your case..." Chen Guanlou pondered for a moment. "If nothing goes wrong, the best result is to be dismissed from office, get out of the capital, and never step foot in the capital for the rest of your life. Under normal circumstances, you will at least have a charge of exile, starting at ten years."

"So bad?" Lord Bai was half-doubting, still harboring hopes of turning the tables in his heart.

"My Lord Bai, you don't even think about it; your backing is gone, and your charges are all nailed down. What do you have to overturn the case?" Chen Guanlou spoke the truth, leaving no room at all.

He had seen too many officials like Lord Bai. When they first entered the Heavenly Prison, they all harbored delusions, thinking that their fellow villagers, classmates, and teachers would definitely do their best to save them.

After a long time, being locked up for half a year or a year, they gradually recognized reality. In the face of interests, everyone looks out for themselves.

Only the greenhorns, the hot-blooded youths who had just entered the officialdom, would disregard everything, even abandoning themselves to save people.

But anyone who had mixed in the officialdom for three or five years, their hot blood had long since cooled, and they had all become realists.

"Don't talk nonsense! My charges haven't been implemented yet; there is still a chance to turn the tables." Lord Bai didn't believe he was that unlucky.

It wouldn't happen.

Chen Guanlou gave a chuckle and pointed out: "Your political enemies won't give you a chance to turn the tables. Not to mention corruption and breaking the law, just the charge of embezzling disaster relief grain, plus the charge of ineffective bandit suppression, do you think you still have a chance to turn the tables? Unless you can climb onto a new backing? However, do you have a chance? What chips do you have to make officials in the court endorse you and fish you out?"

Lord Bai frowned. "I still have use; how do you know I don't have a chance?"

"Because, I haven't seen a thousand cases like yours, but I have seen a hundred. From beginning to end, there has never been an exception! Lord Bai, you can be considered an old oil stick in the officialdom. What kind of character people in the officialdom have, you should know better than me. If you were in their shoes, would you go all out, regardless of the cost, to save a classmate or fellow villager?"

These words left Lord Bai stunned!

He gritted his teeth, still refusing to bow his head to reality. "There are always exceptions!"

"That wouldn't be you."

"Why can't it be me?" Lord Bai was unconvinced.

Chen Guanlou laughed and said half-truthfully: "I know how to read faces. Your luck and official energy have come to an end. There is a little bit of wealth energy left, but it won't last long. You better take care of yourself."

"Nonsense!" Lord Bai naturally didn't believe that the other party knew how to read faces.

Chen Guanlou looked at him with a half-smile and looked him up and down. "Don't believe it. If you are willing to calm your mind, accept reality, and stop messing around, you can still live a long life. Otherwise, the consequences are unpredictable."

He was serious, looking very authentic.

Lord Bai was half-believing. "Do you really know how to read faces?"

"Martial arts experts who reach the Ninth-Rank realm will all know a little bit. Everyone has their own unique aura; it's called reading faces, but it's actually looking at individual aura. From your aura, this is all I can see. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Lord Bai frowned, looking thoughtful.

"Then, do you have a way to save me?" After a moment, he asked.

"How to save you?"

"Let me get out of prison safely."

"Can't do it!" Chen Guanlou refused decisively. Still wanting to get out of prison safely, dreaming.

This bunch of criminal officials, their appetites are getting bigger and bigger, dreaming during the day all day long. Not dying is lucky, and they still want to return to their hometown to be a wealthy man; you're beautiful.

"Then what extent can you achieve? The price is negotiable."

"Can't achieve anything. You are different from others; others are cases, and you are targeted, plus your charges are nailed down. The person targeting you has a big background; you better think about how to eliminate the disaster."

Lord Bai looked dejected and wiped his face. "I definitely can't die."

"Officials all have to die!" Chen Guanlou dismantled the other party's delusions without hesitation. "Criminal officials locked in the Heavenly Prison don't want to die. However, out of ten people, three or four have to die. Sometimes, just because the Emperor is angry, a batch of criminal officials have to be killed to offer sacrifices to heaven. You better pray to the Bodhisattva to bless you not to become that unlucky person."

"I have had good luck since I was a child; I won't be that unlucky!" Lord Bai said firmly, looking exceptionally confident.

Looking at his resume, his luck was indeed very good. His study grades were above average, but his exam luck was explosive, doing better than his outstanding classmates. His official luck was also good, smooth sailing all the way. Even finding a backing, he found one right every time, without suffering much.

However, his luck had been used up, and he would have bad luck for the next ten years.

Clearly, Lord Bai didn't realize this point and still firmly believed that he would have good luck coming.

Chen Guanlou didn't want to say more.

Time makes people recognize reality.

Xie Changling had such a strong family background and such a bull background, and he still sat in prison for a year before getting out.

How many Xie Changlings can there be in this world?

Chen Guanlou patrolled toward the depths of the prison. The further in he went, the more they were old criminal officials locked up for more than ten years. Some had been locked up for twenty years and were completely forgotten by the outside world. Even the prison guards rarely set foot here.

That is, the handymen insisted on delivering meals every day, cleaning once every five days in winter, and cleaning once every three days in summer.

The smell was very unpleasant.

Chen Guanlou counted the number, and no one was missing.

As for whether these criminal officials were consistent with the records in the files, he couldn't manage it. Everyone had messy beards and hair, like weeds, and their faces were so blurred that they couldn't even be seen clearly; who knows if they were swapped halfway.

These people were all forgotten existences! Most of them would be locked up until the day they died! ===== CHAPTER 999 =====