The next day, when I returned to the Hall of Criminal Law, Chen Teng had me bring along a prepared stack of legal texts, as well as documents proving Han Shanshan's innocence. Then he set off with me for the Court Deliberation Office.★
Along the way, Chen Teng demonstrated his professionalism. He knew the matters concerning the court deliberations like the back of his hand. He also reminded me that the six ministries had basically reached an agreement this time, and releasing Han Shanshan had already been decided in principle. All I had to do was stand aside and wait for him to go through the motions.
I was delighted. "Lord God Chen, I have to say, you're quite reliable. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known there were so many twists and turns in the Court Deliberation Office."
"Haha, I've only spent a few more years than you in the Divine Court. Once you've handled more cases like this, I'm sure you'll understand them even better than I do." Chen Teng laughed, but when he turned back, he said, "The moment our boss arrived today, he told me to be careful of the Administrative Affairs Department making things difficult for us halfway there. You should be careful too. If you run into any high-ranking official from that side, focus on persuasion as much as possible. Whatever you do, don't stick your neck out. Endure it for a while, and perhaps the road ahead will open wide. If you keep acting so forcefully, I'm afraid it may not end well."
"Heh, you think the Administrative Affairs Department might ambush me along the way?" I sneered. I hadn't expected the Administrative Affairs Department to stoop to such an underhanded deed.
"There's no way to be sure. There have been