Chen Gan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Gan (陈干)
Alias(es)	Third Uncle; Old Gan
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Changping County yamen, Fast Squad 1
Occupation/Role	Veteran Assistant Servant; local intermediary and strategist for Su Mo 1 6
Status	Active 41
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “Corpse Case” 1

Background / History

Chen Gan is Su Mo’s third uncle and a long-serving Assistant Servant of the Changping County Fast Squad. He has worked at the yamen for over a decade, accumulating enough local influence in Ping’an Ward that thugs and other dangerous men answer to him; ordinary residents fear his name. He initially tries to secure Su Mo a Fast Hand position, but the vacancy is sold for twenty taels of silver instead. 1 6

When the dried-corpse ritual is discovered at the West Mountain Locust God Temple, Chen Gan recognizes the likely involvement of an heretical cult and warns Su Mo to prioritize survival. He brings Su Mo into the temple investigation as extra muscle, then worries when Su Mo is ordered to remain behind and burn the site. 1 2 4

After Su Mo cripples Zhou Meng, Chen Gan first attempts to resolve the matter with money. Once Clerk of the Court Ma Yingshi demands 150 taels and Qin Bi’er’s surrender, he concludes that compromise would destroy their standing and chooses open resistance. He has Zhang Si and Scar Meng identify Zhou Meng’s victims and compel them to file accusations, producing evidence strong enough for Zhou Meng to be sentenced to one hundred strokes and exile. 7 8 10 19

Chen Gan treats his associates as tools rather than trusted allies. To protect Su Mo and Qin Bi’er, he assembles Chen Bao, Zhao Han, and the Tu brothers—men connected to salt smuggling, litigation, theft, intelligence gathering, and Immortal Path cultivators—while explicitly warning Su Mo that none of them are trustworthy. 9

Fearing that Ma Yingshi could use Su Mo’s case to implicate him in salt smuggling and send him to death row, Chen Gan knocks Su Mo unconscious and has Chen Bao take him toward Eagle Ravine Dock. Su Mo returns to Changping County anyway, relying on his Imperial Guard connection to survive the trial. 13 19

After Su Mo becomes a Regular Servant, Chen Gan becomes his principal adviser in yamen affairs. He offers fifty taels for Imperial Guard bribes, explains the value and danger of the East Market assignment, advises Su Mo to recruit ruthless subordinates, and urges him to preserve his reputation by leaving dirty work to others. 21 22

Chen Gan later identifies the Heavenly Mother Cult as a remnant of the previous dynasty and recounts its alleged responsibility for the catastrophic locust plague thirty years earlier. He also interprets County Magistrate Xue Shan’s gift of hometown tea as a request for help with promotion, showing Su Mo how to answer through symbolic return gifts. 34

Appearance

Chen Gan is a thin, short older man with an unpleasantly lecherous-looking face. His narrow triangular eyes and mouse-like whiskers give him a shifty, calculating appearance. 1

• Often strokes his whiskers while assessing a situation. 1
• Regularly carries and smokes a bronze or copper tobacco pipe. 10 34
• His age-worn appearance conceals quick, practiced movements. 13

Personality

Chen Gan is pragmatic, ruthless, and intensely conscious of status. He sees law enforcement, money, reputation, and personal connections as tools for survival rather than moral ideals. When Su Mo seeks proof against Zhou Meng, Chen Gan criticizes him for not simply imprisoning the target and extracting a confession through torture. 6

Despite his harsh methods, he is fiercely invested in Su Mo’s future. He spends heavily to protect him, risks confrontation with Ma Yingshi, arranges an escape when he believes Su Mo is in danger, and repeatedly teaches him how to navigate the yamen’s political structure. 7 10 13 21

Chen Gan’s deepest ambition is official rank. Having spent more than ten years as a menial, he sees becoming an official—and ensuring that his descendants can inherit that status—as worth nearly any price. Su Mo’s rapid rise leaves him both proud and jealous, particularly because Su Mo gains in months what Chen Gan failed to obtain over years. 10 21 25

“Practicing martial arts... cultivating immortality... they are only means. Becoming an official is the fundamental goal! Becoming a high official is the ultimate goal!” 10

Abilities & Skills

Yamen Politics and Strategy

Chen Gan understands the power structure of Changping County and the distinction between officials, subordinate clerks, and unregistered runners.

• Recognizes when Ma Yingshi’s extortion terms are meant to force Su Mo’s side into a no-win confrontation. 8
• Builds a case against Zhou Meng through victim accusations rather than directly challenging Ma Yingshi’s office. 10
• Explains the political meaning of gifts, official favors, bribes, and symbolic return presents. 21 26 34
• Advises Su Mo on managing the profitable but dangerous East Market assignment. 21 22 35

Network Building and Leverage

Chen Gan maintains extensive local connections despite his low formal rank.

• Commands the services of unregistered runners Zhang Si and Scar Meng. 9 10
• Has working arrangements with salt-smuggling leader Chen Bao, legal specialist Zhao Han, and the Tu brothers. 9
• Keeps associates compliant through shared interests, debts, and compromising leverage rather than loyalty. 9
• Is influential enough that yamen clerks treat his clash with Ma Yingshi as a significant county-wide power struggle. 11 12

Combat and Coercion

Chen Gan is capable of sudden, effective violence when needed.

• Uses his copper tobacco pipe to knock Su Mo unconscious before arranging his removal from the county. 13
• His strike is described as swift enough that Su Mo, despite enhanced strength, cannot evade it. 13
• His formal martial-art level is not stated. 13

Equipment / Items

• Copper tobacco pipe — used for smoking and, when necessary, as a weapon. 10 13 34
• Personal funds and silver reserves — keeps substantial sums available for bribes, settlements, and political maneuvering. 7 21

Relationships

• Su Mo — nephew and protégé. Chen Gan gives him political instruction, uses his network to protect him, and pushes him toward official advancement. 1 10 21
• Madam Qian — wife; she is described as a virtuous and kind woman who has treated Su Mo well. 9
• Chen Yiyao — daughter. Chen Gan is her father, though his obsession with status centers on the Chen family’s future as a whole. 9 10
• Chen Bao — fellow Chen clansman, salt-smuggling boss, and major business associate. Their cooperation is based on mutual benefit and shared exposure to risk. 9 13 41
• Zhao Han — litigation expert indebted to Chen Gan after Chen Gan saved him from enemies and settled his trouble. 9
• Tu Ren and Tu Yi — dangerous associates; Tu Yi gathers intelligence and steals, while the brothers have connections to Immortal Path cultivators. 9
• Ma Yingshi — political adversary during the Zhou Meng case. Ma regards Chen Gan as a capable but ultimately inferior clerk. 11 12
• Qin Bi’er — Su Mo’s protected widow. Chen Gan initially treats her situation as a problem to be solved through coercive yamen methods, but shelters her at his home during the conflict with Ma Yingshi. 6 9