Chapter 290: Chapter 46: Surprise Attack

“Insolent?”

In the courtyard of the Chen mansion, Lu Sheng fearlessly locked eyes with Chen Yujing:

“I’m conducting an investigation by the book at the Inspection Bureau, and you say I’m being insolent? What, does the Chen Family dare to show contempt for the nation’s laws?!”

Chen Yujing narrowed his eyes; Lu Sheng’s attitude was unexpected.

On what grounds did the Inspection Bureau dare to be so forceful?

“Arrest them!”

With no more wasted words, Lu Sheng waved his hand, signaling his men to start making arrests.

Chen Yujing, suppressing his anger, said, “Lu Sheng, if we truly come to a head, are you certain the acting Inspector General can clean up the aftermath?!”

He placed emphasis on the word “acting.”

Lu Sheng looked at him: “Chen Yujing, considering the Chen Family’s numerous crimes, you should be thinking about how your family will ultimately face the consequences.”

Chen Yujing sneered but said no more.

Ten minutes later, Lu Sheng had taken away eleven people from the Chen Family.

The last time the Inspection Bureau directly took someone from the Chen Family was due to Li Fei being attacked; that time, they had only taken away a common steward.

Though it caused them to lose some face, it wasn’t too severe.

But this time, among the eleven people arrested, five were core figures of the Chen Family!

This wasn’t just a slap in the face, it was a declaration of war!

So as soon as Lu Sheng left, the Chen Family began to mobilize all their influence.

Inspection Bureau.

Inspector General’s office.

The first call that Li Lei received was from the Chief’s office.

“Hello?”

“Inspector General Li, this is Cui Ding.”

“Secretary Cui, what can I do for you?”

Li Lei asked calmly.

Cui Ding was the secretary of the newly appointed Chief Lan Changqun of Xing City, brought over with him, a true confidant.

“I’ve heard that the Inspection Bureau suddenly took a number of people from the Chen Family. Chief Lan is very concerned about this matter, hence the call to inquire.”

Cui Ding spoke slowly, “May I know what crimes the Chen Family has committed? Does the Inspection Bureau have conclusive evidence?”

Li Lei replied in an equally unrushed tone, “We have already obtained some key evidence, and arresting those people is also for further investigation. The Chen Family is implicated in multiple homicides of a heinous nature, so the Inspection Bureau had to take swift and decisive action.”

“So, you’re saying they haven’t been convicted yet?”

Cui Ding asked.

“There is a process to handling cases. If we could convict immediately, what would be the point of having the Inspection Bureau? Don’t you agree, Secretary Cui?”

Li Lei responded with a question of his own.

“Ha-ha-ha, you’re right, Inspector General Li; I was being presumptuous.”

Cui Ning’s tone softened, then he shifted gears, saying:

“However, the Chen Family does contribute significantly to Xing City. If there’s no solid evidence, we hope the Inspection Bureau can release them soon, as per Chief Lan’s wishes.”

Li Lei laughed as well, “Of course, please convey to Chief Lan that the Inspection Bureau will certainly act in accordance with the law, and we will not act rashly.”

After both parties hung up, Li Lei sat in his office deep in thought.

The Chen Family and the new Chief Lan Changqun were indeed close, not because the Chen Family was so powerful to have swayed a Chief, but because Chief Lan needed to maintain a balance.

Now, the Inspection Bureau and the Zhi Ge Court were clearly aligned, and the Inspection Bureau had inherited the power left by Gu Zhenhui. Due to their relationship with Li Fei, they maintained good relations with Li Lei’s side as well.

The Righteous Court always held a surpassingly detached position, while the Court of Judicial Review, after a reshuffle, had seen the most upright Han Zhangwen promoted to Judgment Chief (as detailed in volume one, chapter 95).

Under Han Zhangwen’s influence, the current Court of Judicial Review was impartial and generally able to ensure the execution of justice.

In this way, among Xing City’s Six Institutes, the new Chief Lan Changqun could only influence the Internal Affairs Office.

He naturally sought to win over the Chen Family; otherwise, the ‘ecosystem’ of Xing City would be imbalanced, and as Chief, he might have to heed the wishes of others in future actions.

Of course, Li Lei couldn’t ignore Chief Lan’s words entirely, after all, he was his direct superior, and Li Lei was still just the “acting” Inspector General. Whether he could assume the position permanently was partially within Chief Lan’s power to decide.

After the call from the Chief’s office, the Inspection Bureau subsequently received numerous calls from the Internal Affairs Office:

One from the Main Military Department, saying that the batch of training bullets the Inspection Bureau had requested the previous month couldn’t be approved for now.

One from the Main Household Department, mentioning that the Inspection Bureau’s budget for the next quarter might be reduced.

Another from the Main Civil Affairs Department, stating the annual evaluations of several Platoon Leaders needed to be reviewed once again…

Though the Inspection Bureau was a force-based institution, and could be quite confident if a head-on conflict arose,

everyone was playing in the same system, making it too easy to impede one another. The structure of the Da Lan Dynasty had determined, from the outset, that military collectives like the Inspection Bureau, Zhi Ge Court, and City Guard Army could never operate independently.

Funds, equipment supplies, wages, promotion evaluations, and so forth; these were all areas through which the Internal Affairs Office could affect the Inspection Bureau.

When every department had someone calling to put pressure on the Inspection Bureau, the influence of the Chen Family really came to light.

Before long, Li Lei received another call, this time from the Inspection Bureau:

“Brother Li, this is Cheng Bi.”

Cheng Bi, it was he who arranged for Li Fei to become a secret inspector, a confidant of the former Chief Gu Zhenhui.

Before his departure, Gu Zhenhui had made special arrangements, leaving a way out for his people in the Inspection Bureau. Cheng Bi was promoted to the position of Secret Keeper, becoming an important personage just one step below the head of the Inspection Bureau, a level 10 Imperial Official.

“Little brother Cheng, what’s the matter?”

Li Lei inquired.

“Just now, some in the Inspection Bureau wanted to investigate a few Captains and Platoon Leaders of the Inspection Bureau, but I’ve suppressed it.”