Instance game: I signed a pact with the gods, and the gods accused me of cheating

Chapter 926: Retreat to Advance

……

"General, you are extremely busy. It was my dereliction of duty that I failed to identify these 'wanted players' before the cabinet selection meeting. In the end, I had no choice but to hold this small pre-meeting to conduct a brief trial. This in itself has already disrupted the organization's long-standing tradition, so naturally I dare not disturb you."

Grand Secretary Chen forced himself to control his emotions and then adopted a very humble posture.

It was as if he wasn't the one who had just been shouting threats at Yin Shisan, acting as if it was a matter of life or death.

Upon hearing this, Fang Mo, who was sitting on the high platform, glanced at him with a cold smile;

"Old man? Me? Me? You look like you're more than twice my age, right? You're calling me old man?"

Grand Secretary Chen gave a wry smile, forcing out a fawning one. Even the slowest among them should have realized what was going on by now. Anyone who still didn't realize that this was the legendary Bad Commander was truly missing a screw in their head. Everyone present was shrewd; the only person who could elicit such a reaction from Grand Secretary Chen in the cabinet was that Bad Commander…

"Such a small matter, others would turn big problems into small ones and small problems into nothing, but you, instead of handling the small matter well, insist on bringing it up in a special occasion at a special time. You are a strange person."

The next moment, Fang Mo pointed at Yin Shisan, then glanced at the row of "wanted players" behind Yin Gongzi, his gaze lingering a little longer on the red-clothed cult leader Pei Ziqi.

Upon seeing this, Young Master Yin stepped forward, his eyes showing vigilance, and he seemed to be trying to protect these people behind him.

This was also the first time that Young Master Yin had dealt with the Bad Commander. Although he had heard from his henchmen in Jiangcheng that the former seemed to appreciate his subordinates, such a big shot would not openly go against his own interests just because he appreciated his subordinates. The Five Elders of the Cabinet played the role of the central hub and the mainstay of the Cabinet, a powerful institution. Unless he could replace the role and position of Grand Secretary Chen, in Yin Shisan's previous assumptions, even if he threw all the evidence in the face of the Bad Commander, he would still pretend not to see it.

"Yes, the Bad Commander is right to reprimand you!"

Grand Secretary Chen bowed deeply; his anger came and went quickly.

However, a smug glint flashed in his eyes. Judging from the Bad Commander's tone and manner, he seemed to regard the "wanted players" as a trivial matter. Since it was a trivial matter, it wasn't worth the Bad Commander's attention or concern, so he wouldn't interfere too much. As for the Bad Commander's earlier mention of a trial of the Five Elders and the Cabinet, Elder Chen thought it was probably more of a subtle warning against his overstepping his bounds. After all, the kind of behavior that those at the pinnacle of power despise and resent the most is when someone who should be supporting them tries to climb up to their level and imitate their tone of voice. This makes him feel uncomfortable and offended...

"As for Grand Secretary Yin!"

The next moment, to Grand Secretary Chen's somewhat astonished gaze...

The Bad Commander actually turned his head and glanced at Yin Shisan.

Moreover, the title was still retained as Grand Secretary Yin.

"Regarding how to handle the aftermath of these 'wanted players,' you and the man surnamed Chen will make the arrangements. Get the Tribunal back in, and you will lead a team to thoroughly investigate anything related to these 'wanted players.' If they've broken the law, then deal with them according to the law; if they've committed crimes, then punish them accordingly. If it's just some unintentional little things or coincidences that caused them to lose [reputation] points and accidentally become 'wanted players,' then let them stay with the swindlers."

"Handle problems humanely, implement specific rules and attitudes, and avoid using one-size-fits-all policies. Remember three things: never forget to investigate the source of clues, never arbitrarily draw conclusions to determine the facts of a crime, and never easily restrict personal freedom or treat people as criminals. Don't forget that you are not only law enforcement officers but also public security officers, and you must use scientific and legal methods to work..."

Wow!

Upon hearing this, Yin Shisan was slightly surprised. It seemed that he wouldn't have to really fight with Old Bi Deng surnamed Chen today, and he would even have the opportunity to give these "wanted players" another chance to prove themselves.

Upon hearing this, Minister Chen could no longer sit still. He was as clear-headed as a mirror and knew perfectly well that the “wanted player” who could be taken in by the swindler and brought into the gambling world could not possibly be a heinous person.

However, the Bad Commander brought this up, implying that Yin Shisan should take it seriously. If Yin Shisan were to investigate and issue a public statement to clarify the situation, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Chen Ge Lao, proving his incompetence? He hadn't even properly investigated whether these people were "wanted players" who deserved to be executed according to the law, yet he was already planning to hastily make decisions and disregard human life based on his reputation as a high-ranking official. This would not only damage his own prestige but also make some people realize that perhaps some of the content in Chen Ge Lao's previous announcements was untrue or seriously distorted?

Some things remain unscathed when no one questions them.

However, once the first spark is ignited, it will trigger a chain reaction like a toppled domino, and then become uncontrollable.

It's like building a block set. The longer you cultivate a persona, the more likely it is that when a certain block is pried open and found to be deeply corroded by termites and grime, it will arouse strong curiosity among people.

At this point, some people might wonder if they should also check the other building blocks to see if there are any insects inside.

At that time, Grand Secretary Chen's carefully cultivated public image will be completely destroyed...

No, no, I can't let that happen!

"General, I've thoroughly investigated all of these people's crimes. I suspect there might have been some misunderstandings between me and Grand Secretary Yin. It's highly likely that Grand Secretary Yin was misled by these 'wanted players,' which led to his impulsive actions. But that's not a major issue. The more important thing is not to let these trivial matters delay the start of our cabinet selection conference. Furthermore, I have clearly investigated the crimes of these 'wanted players.' Among them, this guy named General Jin......"

They didn't give Grand Secretary Chen time to finish speaking.

Upon hearing this, the Bad Commander stroked his chin with interest, but his attitude was exceptionally cold as he retorted with a retort.

"The investigation is complete. You called him 'General Manager Jin' instead of his full name? What's wrong? Was he your former boss?"

Grand Secretary Chen was momentarily speechless.

hiss!

A sudden uproar erupted in the arena.

Some people stared at Grand Secretary Chen with astonishment. When they came to their senses, they were surprised that he claimed to have investigated the crimes of these "wanted players" but didn't even know their names and had to use their internal nicknames. What kind of investigation was that?

Some people, after being reminded like this, almost subconsciously wanted to ask the question.

Did you, Grand Secretary Chen, really conduct a proper investigation?

Yin Shisan was slightly taken aback. His gaze towards the Bad Commander changed from initial unfamiliarity and wariness to a sense of familiarity that made him feel suspicious.

Didn't you just say this was a small matter?

Logically speaking, even if Grand Secretary Chen kept insisting on pursuing the matter further, the Bad Commander should have acted as if he was too lazy to care and didn't want to get involved, and continued to issue orders, such as saying that it was settled and that Grand Secretary Yin and Grand Secretary Chen would jointly reinvestigate the matter.

But... he's now deliberately nitpicking and arguing.

This has a rather unusual flavor.

It seems that the original purpose and intention of that statement, which claimed it was a trivial matter, was to provoke Grand Secretary Chen to instinctively agree that it was a trivial matter, to lower his guard based on preconceived notions, and then to express his true thoughts in order to protect himself and continue to try to put an end to the matter.

At that point, when the Grand Marshal finally confronts the persistent Chen, he can adopt the attitude that "you insisted on making me expose this matter in public," and then bring the matter back to the forefront for further investigation. It's as if he had already given Chen face beforehand, but Chen didn't want it, so the final outcome, good or bad, has nothing to do with him; it was his own choice...

The next step would be for me and Grand Secretary Chen to present evidence against each other in court.

But when it really comes to that, Chen Laogou will finally have his last fig leaf torn off.

The "wanted players" were just an excuse and pretext used by Minister Chen to target me and launch an attack. In fact, these people are cleaner than Minister Chen himself!

So, what is the final outcome? Need I say more?

"Why do those two sentences from the Bad Commander sound less like a warning and more like a disclaimer? They have a very hypocritical and fake flavor to them. It's like, even if people mention this matter afterward and suspect that the Bad Commander had already discovered Grand Secretary Chen's dirty deeds and wanted to punish him on this occasion, when it comes to the details, the Bad Commander originally did not intend to waste his precious time on these trivial matters. It was Grand Secretary Chen who insisted on pursuing the matter and wanted to put a final judgment on it today, which led to the Bad Commander having to go to court."

"Later generations, even if they want to blame someone, can't blame the Bad Commander; at most, they can only blame Grand Secretary Chen for being stupid!"

However, from Chen Ge Lao's perspective, if Yin Shisan conducts a thorough investigation afterward, this sensational farce has attracted so much attention. Even if the truth is revealed in a couple of days, clarifying that those "wanted players" were all somewhat wronged and innocent, Chen Ge Lao will still lose face, and his carefully cultivated public image will be completely destroyed.

Grand Secretary Chen actually had no choice at all.

"Hiss! That hypocritical air about the Bad Commander... I feel like I've seen it in someone before..."

Yin Shisan's eyelids twitched.

In the past, whenever Qin Shang wanted to use me or lure me into a trap, he always used this style of rhetoric, which eventually led me to unknowingly and willingly walk into the trap.

However, this tactic is merely a facade; to describe it in four words...

It should be called "retreating to advance"!