♂,
I frowned and asked, "Who can retrieve them?"
"An Upper God can retrieve them." Gong Lin's smile stiffened, and she seemed to have not the slightest hope for how this case would develop. I looked her up and down, then said, "Do you usually speak to Upper Gods like that?"
"Precisely." Gong Lin showed no intention of compromising. She looked refined, but inside she was rigid and coarse, seemingly not knowing how to curry favor with an Upper God.
"Why?" My expression darkened, but Gong Lin seemed completely unaware of my foul mood and said, "Because I feel that going to the Court Deliberation Office would be nothing but a wasted effort."
"Very well. Everyone else is working enthusiastically, so why have you become so negative?" I flung the documents onto the table. The more I looked at Gong Lin, the more displeased I became.
Gong Lin began sizing me up as well. After a while, she suddenly sneered. "Upper God Xia, do you really think they'll all work enthusiastically, while I'm the only one lazing around here chatting with you?"
"Isn't that the case?" I shot back, though I muttered inwardly. Gong Lin looked young, but she wore the face of a seasoned bureaucrat who had been slicking through the ranks until she reached the Subordinate Third Rank.
"Heh heh. Do you understand them, Upper God? Do you know where they were transferred from?" Seeing me fall silent, Gong Lin continued, "They were all transferred from various Criminal Investigation Offices or idle posts! Either they're difficult to get along with, or they're idle and lazy. Other departments can't wait to shove them elsewhere. You gave them three months, and they'll indeed obey without question, but the process will certainly be dragging and perfunctory. After three months, the investigative