Chapter 143

As long as the connections are in place, things are easy to handle.

With Private Secretary Li's help, a few days passed, and there was feedback on the matter.

Shi Hong was called to the office, where Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan scolded him severely, using very harsh language. This couldn't be blamed entirely on Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan; Shi Hong was a crude man, and if the scolding were elegant and circuitous, the other party wouldn't understand it at all. He might even mistakenly think he was being praised.

Only a blunt, angry scolding, letting the other party witness true fury, would be effective.

And so, after Shi Hong returned from the office, he was completely wilted, no longer possessing his previous arrogance. In the middle of winter, in the cold and damp Heavenly Prison, he even broke out in a cold sweat. The water packages and meal packages he had created were all canceled.

From beginning to end, Chen Guanlou did not have direct contact with Shi Hong; when dealing with a blockhead, one must use power to suppress them. Only when someone with authority suppresses them will the other party be willing to restrain themselves. There is no need to explain why; one only needs to tell the other party what must be done, and the matter can be perfectly resolved. If a peer offers a reminder, the other party will only think of them as an idiot.

Private Secretary Li truly did the work after taking the money.

Soon, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan and Prison Clerk Fan jointly issued a statement: any important measures in the Grade A prison in the future must be approved by the several Company Commanders led by Chen Guanlou before they can be reported and implemented. Do not just come up with ideas on a whim.

This statement emphasized the phrase "led by Chen Guanlou"; the weight of these five words was very heavy, equivalent to publicly declaring that Chen Guanlou was the foremost among the four Company Commanders. The opinions of other Company Commanders were implicitly required to have Chen Guanlou's nod of approval before they could be reported.

Once this statement was issued, the prison guards below were not yet particularly affected, as not everyone could keenly perceive the meaning within. The other three Company Commanders, however, were a mix of emotions, their feelings particularly complex.

When everyone gathered together, Company Commander Wu said with a hint of sourness, "I'm old, I'm old. After working in the Heavenly Prison for a lifetime, I'm ultimately not as flexible in the brain as you young people, nor as good at handling things. What's the use of rich experience? I'm not even fit to carry someone's shoes."

Company Commander Wang was smoking a dry pipe, his mood also difficult to express; he looked up at everyone from time to time but said nothing.

Company Commander Wu suddenly aimed his spear at him, "Puff, puff, puff, just puff yourself to death. The duty room is already poorly ventilated, and you're still smoking a dry pipe in here; are you doing this on purpose to smoke everyone to death?"

Company Commander Wang was clearly stunned for a moment, obviously very surprised that Company Commander Wu's anger had burned onto him. He silently tapped his pipe against the edge of the table to clear the ash. Then he silently tucked the pipe into his waistband, took a sip of strong tea, cleared his throat, and said, "The smell in the duty room is indeed a bit unpleasant. But compared to some people's bad breath, it's still not as bad."

Company Commander Wu immediately widened his eyes, "You..."

Company Commander Wang looked directly at the other party without fear, "We entered the Heavenly Prison at about the same time, our experiences are the same, and our seniority is the same; could it be that you still want to hold me down?"

Once these words were out, it was equivalent to a direct slap to Company Commander Wu's face, making a loud sound. He didn't give him any face at all!

"Good, very good! What benefits did Chen Guanlou give you to make you so devoted to him?"

"I judge by reason, not by personal ties; whoever has the ability, I submit to," Company Commander Wang said, refusing to be outdone.

"He just read two more years of books than us," Company Commander Wu raged helplessly.

Company Commander Wang chuckled, "If you have the ability, go read books for two years too; I'm afraid you wouldn't even last two days."

Reading books is a matter that requires talent.

For those who cannot read, let alone two days, even two hours would be the death of them. Even though they know reading has many benefits and they have money in their hands, not a single person in the Heavenly Prison has any desire for self-improvement, and not one person actively seeks to learn. Let alone reading, usually when asked to flip through the roster and do some writing work, they all run away. In the eyes of the prison guards, a writing brush seems more terrifying than a sword.

Shi Hong was still sulking and did not participate in the argument. He just couldn't understand: he had already sent his cousin to Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan, and with the power of pillow talk, why was Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan still speaking up for Chen Guanlou? Why?

Was he, the brother-in-law by marriage, not good enough?

He could guarantee that if Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan told him to go east, he would never go west. That Chen Guanlou seemed honest, but in reality, he had no loyalty to speak of and always did as he pleased.

He couldn't figure it out, he just couldn't figure it out.

"Shi Hong, what do you say?" Company Commander Wu suddenly shifted his target, wanting to pull Shi Hong into this battle to create a chaotic brawl.

Shi Hong came back to his senses, his face full of anger, "What can I say? What do you want me to say? Little Little Fan Da Ren scolded me severely, saying I was acting recklessly, not considering the big picture, and only caring about immediate petty gains, adding to his troubles all day long.

I just don't understand; it's the same package, but the method Chen Guanlou came up with could get unanimous approval and support from above, while the method I came up with was considered disregarding the big picture. I still don't understand where the gap lies. In terms of experience, in terms of methods, in what way am I inferior to that Chen Guanlou who hasn't even grown his hair out?"

After hearing this statement, Company Commander Wang laughed out loud.

Shi Hong glared, "What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?"

Company Commander Wang said happily, "Want to know where the gap is? You, even now, still can't figure it out; you deserve to be scolded by Jiang Jiang Yucheng Fan."

"Company Commander Wang, can you speak clearly? Since you can figure it out, give me some pointers," Shi Hong said, very unconvinced.

Company Commander Wu, on the side, was drinking tea and was very happy to see this scene. The tactic of diverting the disaster was indeed very satisfying.

Company Commander Wang sneered, "Fine, I'll be kind enough to tell you today. Just one point: Chen Tou's packages didn't cause complaints from the imprisoned officials; they could buy them or not, it didn't affect daily prison life anyway, and at most, they were just envious and jealous of the wealthy officials next door. The higher-ups got the benefits without worrying about the matter being exposed and having their handles caught, so of course, Little Little Fan Da Ren and the others would support it.

Your packages, to use a trendy term, what was it called... draining the pond to catch the fish, yes, yes, that's the word. You killed all the fish, and later everyone will have nothing to eat, and it will also bring trouble upon everyone. That Little Little Fan Da Ren hasn't dealt with you yet is already an extra act of mercy for the sake of your cousin. Don't be unappreciative."

Shi Hong tilted his head; he still couldn't understand, "Chen Guanlou's packages cost dozens or hundreds of taels, while my packages only cost two taels of silver, at most no more than five taels. Why don't those imprisoned officials go and curse Chen Guanlou, but instead catch me and curse?"

This time, even Company Commander Wu couldn't stand it anymore. With Shi Hong's brain, if it weren't for his cousin, he would never have become a Company Commander in his life. He was purely a blockhead.

He coughed lightly and reminded him, "Those imprisoned officials had already paid money when they first entered the prison. Your packages are equivalent to double charging. Chen Guanlou's packages are providing extra services. It's different."

"Hahaha... double charging, this way of putting it is not bad. This term first came out of Chen Tou's mouth, right? Look, those who have read books are just different; in just four words, the problem is explained clearly," Company Commander Wang joked, his expression half-smiling.

"Everyone is here!"

At this moment, the door opened, and Chen Guanlou entered from outside.

"That's great, I'm treating everyone tonight, everyone is going. What, you're not willing to do me the honor?" Chen Guanlou looked at the three of them with a playful expression.