Chapter 66 Money Makes the Mare Go

The Criminal Investigation Division!
This was an agency under the Ministry of Punishments of the Great Qian Dynasty, specifically responsible for arresting criminals and investigating criminal cases.
Hearing the commotion outside the door, Chen Jie and the other three instantly had a bad prehension.
The main door opened.
Clatter—!
A squad of constables marched in from outside.
There were ten of them in total, with sabers tucked at their waists. They were tall, fierce, and exuded an imposing aura.
In terms of martial arts, the constables' skills were not exceptionally high.
Even ordinary chief constables were merely martial artists at the basic External Force realm, let alone the ordinary constables.
However,
under normal circumstances, when the constables handled a case, no martial artist dared to easily resist.
Once they resisted, the consequences would be grave, and those around them would be implicated.
The uniform they wore uniformly represented status and authority.
Ordinary people naturally felt a sense of fear toward the constables.
When the constables appeared here, the onlookers who had been so eager to watch the show dispersed far away, and no one dared to come close.
The person walking in the very center was dressed in a cyan uniform.
He stepped forward and cupped his fists in a salute toward Thirteenth Aunt.
Swish!
Next, he produced a piece of paper, unfolded it, and said in a deep voice:
"I am Lei Tuo, Chief Constable of the Criminal Investigation Division, ordered to apprehend the criminal Liu Qi, who is wanted nationwide for the crime of murder and corpse destruction last night!
Criminal: Liu Qi;
Alias: Ghost Foot Seven;
Age: 20;
Gender: Male;
——
Anyone found harboring the criminal will be severely punished according to the law once verified!"
Having said this,
Lei Tuo looked at Thirteenth Aunt and said in a deep voice, "Miss Ji, I am very sorry. As a constable, I am simply fulfilling my duty—please forgive me!"
Thirteenth Aunt frowned, took a deep breath, and asked:
"Chief Constable Lei, what on earth has happened?"
Clearly,
this Chief Constable Lei and Thirteenth Aunt were acquainted and had dealings with each other in the past.
Last night, Liu Qi, Chen Jie, and the others launched a surprise attack on the people of the Flying Eagle Transport Agency in the reed marshes outside the West Gate, unleashing a flurry of attacks.
Over a dozen people from the Flying Eagle Transport Agency died instantly.
Liu Qi had never dared to tell Thirteenth Aunt about this, only claiming that he had a scuffle with the Flying Eagle Transport Agency last night.
Normally, such feuds between gangs were
turned a blind eye to by the government officials, who rarely investigated deeply.
Yet now, the officials had suddenly arrived to arrest Liu Qi, making the matter somewhat suspicious.
Thirteenth Aunt cupped her fists and asked, "Chief Constable Lei, the conflict between us and the Tiger Gate Guild just now was agreed upon with life-and-death contracts signed; we did not break any rules!"
"Besides, they were the ones who came to challenge us. Why are you—?"
Lei Tuo shook his head, put away the document, and said in a deep voice:
"Miss Ji, this matter has nothing to do with your conflict with the Tiger Gate Guild!"
"Martial world feuds and life-and-death arenas comply with the imperial court's laws, and we have no right to interfere, but the Flying Eagle Transport Agency was wiped out last night!"
"All thirty-two people of the Flying Eagle Transport Agency were massacred, leaving no survivors!"
"Originally, we intended to bring Tu Feiying in for questioning just now, but Tu Feiying is already dead as well!"
"Through investigation, the members of the Flying Eagle Transport Agency were all killed by Liu Qi, and Tu Feiying also died at the hands of Liu Qi just now!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qi immediately shouted anxiously:
"What are you saying? Everyone in the Flying Eagle Transport Agency is dead?"
"Tu Feiying is dead too? Impossible! I didn't kill him, everyone saw it, I just broke his leg earlier!"
Lei Tuo let out a cold snort and said, "Go to the magistrate's office and explain yourself there. You were the one who led the attack on the Flying Eagle Transport Agency outside the West Gate last night, weren't you?"
"Your people from the West Gate Transport Agency have already confessed, so spare your breath and come with me!"
"Miss Ji, back then Mr. Ji showed me great kindness of recognition; I never intended to make things difficult for you."
"However, please forgive me for being powerless in this matter. Everything is being handled in accordance with the imperial court's laws."
Just as Thirteenth Aunt and Chief Constable Lei were conversing,
Chen Jie pulled Liu Bamei and leaned in close to her ear, whispering:
"Bamei, do you know this person?"
Liu Bamei nodded and replied softly:
"I know him! He is Lei Tuo, a chief constable of the Criminal Investigation Division, holding a junior ninth-rank official post, responsible for maintaining law and order on West Gate Street."
"However, martial world affairs are settled in the martial world; the government rarely interferes in conflicts between major gangs."
"Thirteenth Aunt is quite familiar with the people of the Criminal Investigation Division. Xu Shichang, the Imperial Academy Supervisor of the Criminal Investigation Division, once had ties with the Ji family."
"But that was over a decade ago, and even the best of friendships fade over time."
"I have no idea what has happened for the people of the Criminal Investigation Division to suddenly show up at our doorstep today!"
Hearing this, Chen Jie nodded and said nothing more.
He looked Lei Tuo up and down for a moment.
This fellow was merely a chief constable, yet his face was glowing with health and his bearing was ambitious.
It seemed his official salary must be quite high!
Yet how high could the salary of a mere junior ninth-rank minor official possibly be?
When handling the matter, this person wore an air of righteousness, but his eyes were darting around slyly.
If nothing else, he had surely lined his pockets quite a bit!
After a brief thought, Chen Jie gripped two silver dollars in his palm and narrowed his eyes.
At that moment,
Lei Tuo waved his hand and instructed the constables behind him:
"Men, tie Liu Qi up!"
Clatter—!
Two constables stepped forward, preparing to bind Liu Qi with rope.
However, Liu Qi's right arm was injured, and seeing that they intended to tie him up, his anger flared instantly.
He was naturally a person of extremely violent temperament; how could he possibly allow himself to be arrested?
"Who the hell dares to tie me up!?"
Swish—!
Liu Qi braced his feet, his eyes flashing with a fierce glint.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely heavy and tense.
Thirteenth Aunt grew anxious as well, wanting to say something, yet she did not know how to begin.
"Wait a moment!"
Chen Jie took a deep breath, smiled at Lei Tuo, and said:
"Chief Constable Lei, may I have a word in private?"
With that, Chen Jie stepped closer to Lei Tuo, shook his hand, and said:
"I have long heard of Chief Constable Lei's great reputation; seeing you today, your demeanor is truly extraordinary!"
"I am Chen Jie, a disciple of the Chen clan, having recently returned from overseas!"
"A small token of my regard, just to make a friend!"
The two silver dollars in his hand slipped seamlessly into the palm of Lei Tuo.
Money makes the ghost push the mill!
Convenience for others is convenience for oneself!
Ever since Chen Jie came into wealth, the principle he adhered to was that whatever could be solved with money should never waste other energies.
Simple, efficient, and direct!
Of course, this also depended on the person.
If the individual were truly upright and incorruptible, Chen Jie naturally would not think of resolving matters with money.
Lei Tuo felt an anomaly in his palm and immediately lowered his gaze to take a look.
"Cough, cough—cough, cough—!"
He clenched his fist, looked up at his surroundings, and coughed twice in pretense.
At that moment, his eyes lit up.
Some Chen clan disciple—he had never even heard of them.
Yet the silver dollars in his palm were genuine, high-quality goods.
Lei Tuo curled his fingers over the silver dollars and quickly tucked them away, his movements extremely practiced.
What Chen Jie did not know, however, was that Chief Constable Lei's heart was trembling with excitement at that very moment.
Two silver dollars!
Damn it—he had struck it rich!
Hoo—.
He couldn't help taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
One had to know, his official salary was only five hundred copper coins. Although he had previously skimmed plenty of perks,
each time it amounted to at most a few hundred copper coins.
Two silver dollars all at once made his heart burn with heat.
As a chief constable, he naturally understood the rules of the martial world.
Once money was accepted, a task had to be carried out!
As long as it did not exceed the scope of his duties, he had to handle the matter brilliantly.
After pocketing the silver dollars, Lei Tuo's expression changed instantly, turning exceedingly warm and enthusiastic.
He nodded and bowed with a smile toward Chen Jie:
"Young Master Chen! You are far too courteous, haha—!"
"Rest assured, if there is ever anything you need this chief constable for, just say the word!"
"However, let's get our ugly truths out first: today I am still acting by the book, and the man—I must take him away!"
"I hope Young Master Chen will understand and not make things difficult for me!"