Chapter 1361: He resents the lord; he deserves to die

"So it turns out you were dissatisfied with the money I gave you. If the money wasn't enough to spend, you should have just said so! Was it worth risking your own life?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head and sighed. How foolish!

"If I don't risk my life, what else can I risk? We are all just cheap lives; apart from a dog's life, we are nothing. The lord is different. You carry the surname Chen, you have the Hou Fu to lean on, and you are noble and elegant. Even in a filthy place like the Heavenly Prison, no one dares to look down on you. Lord, I had no choice!"

A single sentence—"I had no choice"—exhausted the pain of the prison guard.

"You had a choice. As long as you told me the truth, I could have protected you. However, you people didn't trust me."

Chen Guanlou pointed at the other man.

"None of you trusted me. You all treated me as a corrupt official. So, you wanted to risk your life, and now that you are about to lose it, you deserve it!"

Wang Erlin suddenly roared, "That's right, I deserve it! I deserve to only have my life to risk, I deserve to seek death. Lord, just enjoy watching our jokes to your heart's content; this is all what you deserve, after all, you are a corrupt official."

Chen Guanlou sneered, laughing at the other man for being self-righteous, laughing at him for being jealous of wealth, and laughing at him for being powerless.

"If you're jealous of me, just say so. Whether I am a corrupt official or not, I know better than anyone in my heart; it's not something that can be defined by you alone. You... have quite a big heart, but unfortunately, you are going to die."

Wang Erlin suddenly became dejected; all his spirit and energy seemed to be drained away in an instant, leaving only an empty shell without a soul.

He chuckled, "That's right, I'm going to die! May I ask, Lord, how do you want me to die?"

"I will let you die quickly. Before you die, is there anything else you have to say?"

Wang Erlin said nothing.

Chen Guanlou didn't care either. He said to himself, "You took money to kill, yet you didn't use a poison that kills on contact, but rather an ordinary poison, leaving enough time for Master Hu to save his own life. Do you actually want to kill him, or do you not want to kill him? Wang Erlin, can you tell me?"

"Things are not as complicated as the lord thinks." Wang Erlin laughed heartily, quite smugly, "As for the specific reasons, the lord can guess for himself."

"Look at you, as long as you cooperate and clear up my confusion, for the sake of us both being people of the Heavenly Prison, I would give you a quick death. But you, you insist on going against me, you insist on not seizing the opportunity, and you insist on suffering before you go. Why must you do this? Could it be that you think acting this way makes you look tough and will be praised by others? No, no, no, the brothers in the Heavenly Prison will only curse you for being truly stupid!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Erlin's face immediately turned ferocious, his eyes triangular—those were eyes filled with hatred.

"You hate me? Why do you hate me?" Chen Guanlou was puzzled; it couldn't be just because of those few words just now.

"Forget it, I don't want to know what you are thinking either. Someone, take him down and subject him to water torture!"

"Chen Guanlou, you will not die well! I curse you to die without a burial place..." Wang Erlin immediately cursed loudly upon hearing about the water torture.

The cursing gradually faded into the distance. Chen Guanlou sneered, "I thought he was truly afraid of nothing. It turns out that as soon as he heard about water torture, he panicked. You all tell me, why does he hate me? I didn't dig up his ancestral graves, nor did I ruin his future."

"Lord, don't take it to heart; he's just insane."

"Wang Erlin is usually silent and reticent; I don't know what he was thinking either."

"His brain is sick."

"He's just jealous!"

"He's jealous of my mother?"

"Lord, I might know a thing or two about the reason."

Huang Ye suddenly stepped forward.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand, letting the other man come closer, "Tell me, why is he jealous of me?"

"Wang Erlin has a distant relative who is an official in the court. He originally wanted to strive for the position of Head Constable, but failed. Later, when the lord was promoted to Prison Warden, he set his sights on the vacant Prison Clerk position, using his relative's connections, and it is said he spent quite a bit of silver. As a result, the lord made a unilateral decision and appointed the Prison Clerk, so his money was spent in vain. Later on, his distant relative was transferred to a local official post, and he lost his backing in the capital. The reason he is jealous of the lord is because he believes the lord stole his opportunity."

"I stole his opportunity?" Chen Guanlou looked shocked; how exactly did Wang Erlin's brain grow?

"Do you all also think that I stole Wang Erlin's opportunity?" He asked everyone.

"Of course not!"

"The lord was promoted based on his own ability; if Wang Erlin were to be a Prison Clerk, I would be the first to disagree."

"I disagree too!"

"Wang Erlin can't even let out a fart after three strikes; what right does he have to be a Prison Clerk? He's not even as good as me!"

"Exactly, exactly."

"Wang Erlin really has gone insane."

"Could it be that he thought that because his relative is an official in the court, he could dominate the Heavenly Prison? Simply ignorant."

Everyone discussed it heatedly, never imagining that Wang Erlin, a colleague for many years, actually harbored such thoughts.

Chen Guanlou asked Huang Ye again, "What else do you know?"

"Wang Erlin has a dull personality, but he is meticulous in his work and cautious in his conduct. I suspect that some previous cases might also have been his doing."

"Previous cases... since they have already been closed, don't create extra trouble."

"Yes!" Huang Ye hurriedly lowered his head.

Chen Guanlou swept a shallow glance at the other man, "Everyone disperse, do your duties well. If anyone encounters difficulties with money, just tell me. We are all brothers; if I can help, I certainly will."

"The lord is benevolent and righteous!" everyone said in unison.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand, dismissing everyone. He then arranged for Qian Fugui to take money to the brothers of the Liushan Sect and set up a table of wine and dishes to entertain them. Since they helped investigate the case, naturally, benefits had to be offered.

Closing the door, he chatted with Medical Official Mu.

"Do you believe what Huang Ye said?"

Medical Official Mu stroked his beard, "Wang Erlin resenting the lord is perhaps for the reasons Huang Ye mentioned. The lord has come a long way, and it is inevitable that he has blocked some people's paths. The Heavenly Prison temple is small, yet it handles a lot of money. A mere Prison Clerk position is looked down upon by outsiders, but the prison guards of the Heavenly Prison cherish it dearly. The lord occupied the opportunity, so naturally, some people lost their chance."

Chen Guanlou sneered, "This place, the Heavenly Prison, is a place that eats people; everyone relies on their own ability. If your ability is insufficient, you have to accept your fate. Wang Erlin is a very lonely person, stubborn, and obstinate; once he decides on something, no one can persuade him. Bestowing water torture upon him is what he deserves."

Just as they were talking, Wang Youfu from the torture room ran over in a hurry to report.

"Lord, the prisoner Wang Erlin could not withstand the torture, and he is gone."

"Dead?"

"Dead!"

"Are you sure?"

"Dead as can be." Wang Youfu emphasized; he had done it himself and watched Wang Erlin take his last breath. No one could fake death and escape in front of a professional executioner.

"Notify the family to come and collect the body. Let Qian Fugui dispense two taels of burial silver to the family. Don't let people say the Heavenly Prison is heartless and unrighteous!"

"The lord is benevolent and thick-hearted! Wang Erlin backstabbed the Heavenly Prison and almost ruined the lord's important business. The lord doesn't hold it against him and even gives burial silver. If the Wang family has any complaints, they are simply ungrateful."

Wang Youfu had also learned to flatter; he had some level of skill.

Chen Guanlou made a prompt decision, "You will be the one to negotiate with the Wang family." ===== CHAPTER 1362 =====