Chapter 129: Simply Evil

Having spent two nights in a row at the Heavenly Prison, he got up early again at the crack of dawn to lead the prison guards under his command in welcoming the arrival of the noble guest.

Fearing he might be looked down upon, Chen Guanlou specifically took a cold shower early in the morning and changed into a clean uniform. Under his strict requirements, the prison guards under his command also washed up, shaved their beards, and changed out of their uniforms, which were so dirty they had developed a thick, hardened layer of grime.

The group looked brand new and full of spirit. Each of them stood with chests out and stomachs tucked in, morale high; they were absolutely a group of reliable and reassuring prison guards.

"In front of the noble guest, speak less and do more. Have you all remembered? If you don't know how to speak, then don't speak at all. It is better to say nothing than to say the wrong thing. As the saying goes, the more you say, the more mistakes you make. If you can't make a decision, come and ask for my instructions. Also, keep a close eye on the noble guest's meals every single day; they must not leave your sight for a single moment. If any problems arise with the noble guest's diet, you and I—all of us—will be in deep trouble. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Very good! You can relax for now, but when the noble guest arrives later, I want you all to be on your toes."

That was an Imperial Grandson, a person of noble status. Chen Guanlou had to exercise twelve times the caution to handle this errand.

The two Fan officials also arrived at the scene in high spirits.

Prison Clerk Fan asked him, "How is the preparation? Make sure there are no mistakes."

"Don't worry, Master Xiao Fan, everything is prepared, just waiting for the noble guest to arrive!"

"Very good!"

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan, on the other hand, sized up the brand-new-looking prison guards and nodded secretly, thinking to himself that handing the errand to Chen Guanlou was indeed the right choice. Even hygiene habits had been considered; it was very thoughtful.

The noble guest liked cleanliness; it was indeed inappropriate for the prison guards to appear before him in their usual state. Washing, changing, and shaving made them look much more pleasing to the eye, and the pungent odor was gone.

As for the other prison guards who wanted to watch the spectacle, they had long since been driven away by the two Fan officials to avoid offending the noble guest.

After waiting for about an hour, the Second Young Master of the Prince Jin Mansion arrived at the Heavenly Prison by carriage, accompanied by the managing official, Ministry of Justice officials, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Sun Daoning.

Led by Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan, everyone stepped forward to bow and pay their respects.

The Second Young Master of the Prince Jin Mansion, whose full name was Song Yuanzheng, stepped off the carriage and raised a hand vaguely, "I am here to serve time in prison, you all need not do this. Just handle things according to the rules; there is no need to give me any special treatment. Where is the prison? Lead the way."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan was visibly stunned for a moment. He secretly glanced at the managing official and then stole a look at Vice Minister Sun Daoning: How should this be handled? Give me a hint. As a mere Jiang Jiang Yucheng, he dared not make the decision.

Sun Daoning coughed lightly and ordered, "Listen to the Second Young Master, lead the way."

"Yes!"

Next, it was Chen Guanlou's turn to perform. He bowed slightly, "Second Young Master, please this way."

Descending into the prison, the environment became dark and damp, with a thick, lingering smell of mold mixed with other indescribable odors. Chen Guanlou clearly saw the Second Young Master frown imperceptibly; he was obviously overwhelmed by the smell of the Heavenly Prison.

He thought to himself, it was fortunate that the other prison guards had been driven away. If all the guards had been gathered together, that pungent smell might have made the Second Young Master vomit on the spot.

Chen Guanlou had a deep understanding of how strong the odor on the prison guards was. When he first arrived at the Heavenly Prison to serve, he had also taken a long time to adapt. The A-grade prison, because it had windows, was already many times better than the dark and sunless C-grade prison.

Controlling his pace, Chen Guanlou finally led the Second Young Master to the front of the prison cell.

The cell door was wide open, inviting the guest to enter.

He consciously stood in a corner; the rest of the matters were not for a prison guard like him to step forward for.

Vice Minister Sun Daoning glanced into the cell, his eyebrows raised slightly, and then he looked at Chen Guanlou with a meaningful expression, as if to say: I've learned something new, the Heavenly Prison even has a VIP suite.

Chen Guanlou lowered his head, pretending to know nothing, just a young and inexperienced novice.

Prison Clerk Fan really wanted to show off, but unfortunately, he opened his mouth several times without being able to make a sound. He really wanted to say that he had put a lot of effort into this VIP cell. He had quite a few insights into the layout inside.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan was much steadier, waiting for the superior to speak.

It was still Vice Minister Sun who stepped out and said, "Second Young Master, we have arrived. You will stay here from now on. If there is anything you are dissatisfied with, please let us know."

The Second Young Master, Song Yuanzheng, was expressionless, his young face still retaining two parts of immaturity. Under twenty years of age, the first Imperial Grandson to be sent to the Heavenly Prison, behind him lay the tug-of-war between various forces.

He said softly, "This place is very good! Vice Minister Sun, please tell the Imperial Grandfather that I will definitely reflect well and not live up to his expectations. Please also tell my father, the Prince, that I am doing very well here and there is no need to worry."

Sun Daoning nodded slightly, "Rest assured, Second Young Master, this official will definitely convey your words."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Second Young Master, Song Yuanzheng, stepped into the cell and signaled for the door to be locked.

Chen Guanlou hesitated noticeably, his gaze turning toward the several superiors.

It was not until Sun Daoning nodded that he took out the large lock and locked the cell door.

"Be sure to take good care of the Second Young Master."

Sun Daoning said this to Chen Guanlou.

Afterward, Sun Daoning led the officials out of the Heavenly Prison to the office to discuss matters.

Chen Guanlou arranged for two prison guards to stand guard in the corner. He specifically chose a position that would neither obstruct the Second Young Master's view nor fail to ensure he knew the situation inside the cell at all times.

He set up a shift schedule for the prison guards under his command to ensure that there were people on guard for twelve hours a day.

"Do not be negligent or careless. When you are on duty, I want you all to be on your toes; you cannot slack off for a single moment. Don't think that the Heavenly Prison has no threats and that the Second Young Master is safe and sound. I tell you, as long as the Second Young Master does not leave the Heavenly Prison, we cannot relax for a single day. I will ask the superiors for more manpower and have a few more honest and reliable people sent over. In short, we must ensure that the Second Young Master's days in the Heavenly Prison are peaceful and free from illness or disaster. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Good. Those not on duty, go back and rest, get your energy back. Those on duty, disperse and do what you need to do."

Chen Guanlou could not rest yet. Thanks to his youth and good health, as a practitioner of Wu Gong, he could endure a few more days of staying up.

It was mainly the mental pressure that made him very irritable.

With so many prisons in the capital, they had to choose the Heavenly Prison. These past two years, the Heavenly Prison had really been having a run of bad luck.

He returned to the duty room, splashed his face with cold water, and still had to go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things.

For the Second Young Master's first meal in the Heavenly Prison, he had to lead the prison guards on duty to watch the entire process and walk through the flow to ensure that there would be no mistakes in the future.

Shi Hong even teased him, calling him a very busy man, his tone laced with a sour flavor.

"Why don't we go see Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan now and ask him to assign the heavy responsibility of looking after the Second Young Master to you, how about that?"

Shi Hong sneered, "I'm not stupid!"

"Of course, Constable Shi is not stupid." He was just simply evil. ===== CHAPTER 130 =====