Chapter 130: Fear What You Fear

"The Second Young Master of the Prince Jin Mansion has moved into the Heavenly Prison, is that true?"

As soon as he saw Chen Guanlou, Yu Zhaoan pressed himself against the bars and asked eagerly. He looked particularly manic.

Chen Guanlou took a step back, "What is Master Yu doing?"

"Tell me first, is it true?"

"What if it is true?" Chen Guanlou asked back.

Hahaha...

Yu Zhaoan laughed wildly, dancing with joy.

Chen Guanlou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the other man. He became more and more convinced that Yu Zhaoan was a standard careerist who feared nothing but a peaceful world. Only when chaos arose could he profit from it.

Obviously, the Second Young Master Song Yuanzheng being sent to prison had given the other man a chance to seek profit.

"Very good, very good!" After laughing, Yu Zhaoan said repeatedly, and then asked: "Has the Prince Jin Mansion sent anyone to serve him?"

Chen Guanlou wanted to see what the other man was up to, so he told him truthfully, "No! The Prince Jin Mansion has not sent anyone from beginning to end."

Hearing this, Yu Zhaoan immediately became happy, "That's good too!"

"May I ask Master Yu, why are you so excited?"

Yu Zhaoan chuckled and tempted him, "Want to know? Seize the opportunity I give you, and you will know everything."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Guanlou turned and left.

Yu Zhaoan cursed him for not knowing what was good for him.

Chen Guanlou returned a middle finger. A mere Third Rank, nothing special.

Thinking back to when he first met Yu Zhaoan, a Third Rank warrior, he had been pressed so hard he couldn't breathe.

Now, he could already look down on Third Rank warriors.

Strength is the foundation of confidence.

After struggling for two more days to ensure that all aspects were proceeding according to plan and that the prison guards under his command were doing their best, Chen Guanlou decided to go home and rest.

As soon as he returned home, he heard insults coming from the courtyard of Chen Ergou's house opposite. Pan Niangzi was being scolded again.

Her mother-in-law was very fierce, an old widow who had lost her son and only knew how to bully her daughter-in-law.

Sister Chunxiang couldn't stand it, so she ran to Chen Guanlou's house to nag, using the excuse of borrowing salt.

"That Mother Hu is really something. Her husband is dead, her son is dead, I know she is pitiful. But, at least she still has a little grandson. Pan Niangzi is also an honest, well-behaved, and virtuous woman; if she just endures, it will be fine once the little grandson grows up. She insists on catching Pan Niangzi and scolding her all day long. If she forces Pan Niangzi to death one day, I want to see how she, an old woman, will manage to live with the little grandson."

"Scolding every day?" Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

Sister Chunxiang nodded repeatedly, "I can't stand it anymore, Pan Niangzi is too pitiful. Such a gentle and virtuous woman, what exactly is Mother Hu dissatisfied with? Does she have to force her to death to be satisfied?"

Sister Chunxiang was standing up for Pan Niangzi, but that was, after all, someone else's family business, and as an outsider, it was not easy for her to ask. She could only run to Chen Guanlou to nag.

Chen Guanlou spread his hands; as a single man, he had to be careful about his reputation when talking to Pan Niangzi, let alone interfere in someone else's family business.

Sister Chunxiang sighed repeatedly, "Are we just going to watch like this?" She empathized with Pan Niangzi's encounter and could really relate. After all, she was also someone else's daughter-in-law and had suffered no less from her mother-in-law in her early years.

"Why don't you let Pan Niangzi learn to be a bit tougher. Now their whole family relies on her alone; she is indispensable both inside and outside."

"Will that work?"

"Rivers and mountains are easy to change, but a person's nature is hard to alter. It's hard to say if it will work." Chen Guanlou didn't hold out much hope; he was just casually offering an idea.

Sister Chunxiang had a headache; while sympathizing with Pan Niangzi's encounter, she was also angry at her for not being assertive and annoyed at Mother Hu, the evil mother-in-law.

Unable to think of a solution, she shifted her attention, "Haven't seen you for several days, is the Heavenly Prison so busy lately?"

"Busy! There are many prisoners lately, and the Heavenly Prison is very busy from top to bottom."

"I always feel that the capital is in a mess. The Brocade Uniform Guard is on the street every three days, which is terrifying. It wasn't like this in previous years. What exactly is going on this year? Do you have any inside information while serving in the Yamen?" Sister Chunxiang asked curiously.

"How would I have any inside information? It's all hearsay. I only know that hundreds of officials went to the palace gate to petition."

Chen Guanlou didn't even dare to say the words "forcing the palace," fearing Sister Chunxiang would be scared to death. The words "forcing the palace" were truly too terrifying. However, hundreds of officials gathered at the palace gate; it was called a petition, but in reality, it was forcing the palace.

The old Emperor arrested dozens of officials in one breath, not even waiting for a day. His determination and coldness toward the officials could be seen from this.

The court seemed to have calmed down, but little did they know that a bigger storm was brewing. The court officials' dissatisfaction with the old Emperor was also accumulating more and more.

The officials locked in the Heavenly Prison this time, when mentioning the old Emperor, were so bold that they didn't even call him "Your Majesty," but directly opened their mouths and called him "the old thing."

Calling him "the old thing" every time, Chen Guanlou didn't even dare to listen, let alone report it upward, fearing he would be implicated. If it reached the old Emperor's ears and the old Emperor got angry, he wouldn't care if you were innocent or not, and would just chop everyone—that would be truly unjust.

He also instructed other prison guards and other head constables, and everyone reached a consensus, reaching an agreement with great tacit understanding: don't listen, don't manage, don't ask. Whoever comes, just one sentence: I don't know.

This is a way to save one's life.

The old thing?!

The three words entered his ears, but whoever dared to admit they heard or saw it would end up in deep trouble.

Because of the three words "the old thing," the A-grade prison was surprisingly united, never giving anyone a chance to fabricate, frame, or exploit loopholes. These were all experiences summarized from blood and tears!

After dismissing Sister Chunxiang, he closed the door, took a comfortable hot bath, and had a good sleep.

When he woke up, it was already dark.

He ate something casually, practiced his sword art for a while, and his eyelids began to twitch.

Feeling uneasy, he rushed to the Heavenly Prison before the curfew.

The one on duty at night was Xiao Jin.

Seeing Xiao Jin, he asked immediately, "What happened?"

"Why is Chen Tou back? I was just about to send someone to notify you. The Second Young Master suddenly lost his temper and smashed all the items in the prison."

His expression was particularly pained. Those items were all bought with real gold and silver; smashing them all was money!

It was as if his own money had been robbed; Xiao Jin felt both pained and helpless.

Fortunately, Chen Tou had come, which meant there was a backbone.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guanlou's heart skipped a beat, "What happened? Why did the Second Young Master suddenly lose his temper?"

"I don't know!" Xiao Jin had a bitter face, "He was fine at dinner, but started losing his temper not long after. At first, I thought the food didn't suit his taste, but I tasted the leftovers, and the cook had already used his lifelong skills, without the slightest bit of carelessness."

He couldn't get an answer.

Chen Guanlou simply headed to the cell.

The Second Young Master was sitting angrily on the bed, and the ground was a mess. Several prison guards stood outside the cell door, not daring to go in to clean up, all with bitter faces. Seeing him arrive, they looked as if they had seen a savior, feeling relieved.

"Chen Tou is here!"

Everyone felt relieved.

Hearing the commotion, the Second Young Master Song Yuanzheng slowly raised his head, "Your surname is Chen? The Chen from the Marquis Pingjiang Mansion?" ===== CHAPTER 131 =====