Chapter 15

The flower-thief was beheaded, and cell number sixty was empty again.

Because of the struggle for the warden position, the Heavenly Prison was fighting more and more fiercely from top to bottom, and the prison guards were also forced to take sides.

If you didn't take sides and wanted to be a fence-sitter, there was only one dead end. When it came to one's future and life, fence-sitters were usually the first group of people to die.

No one could tolerate a fence-sitter operating by their side.

However, before they could deal with the fence-sitters, trouble broke out in the B-grade prison first.

A servant of a noble family had died.

A servant taking the blame for their master was actually just a superficial gesture, a formality. Once things calmed down, the servant would be released.

Never did they expect that before the case was even closed, the person would die.

This was poking a hornet's nest; it couldn't be covered up!

The matter alarmed the presiding official, who finally deigned to cast a glance downward. Upon learning that the Heavenly Prison had been in chaos recently due to the struggle for the warden position and now had caused a death, he was greatly enraged.

"The position of warden is not something you lowly prison clerks can covet."

A single sentence directly sealed off everyone's path to advancement.

"Since you do not keep to your duties, don't blame me for being heartless!"

Once these words were spoken, it meant that people had to die. Only with the blood of the dead could they give an account to the nobles behind the servant, and only then could all the personnel in the Heavenly Prison, from clerks to guards and laborers, know what was good for them.

Even as filthy as the Heavenly Prison was, it was still government territory; it wouldn't tolerate a group of pawns turning the world upside down.

The prison clerk Zhao, who was in charge of the B-grade prison, was always on leave for illness, and usually, several team leaders were responsible for all matters, big and small.

The presiding official made an example of them, arresting, imprisoning, and killing the team leaders and guards who were on duty the day the servant died; not a single one was spared.

After this round of slaughter, everyone in the Heavenly Prison was terrified; no one dared to cry out for the wrongly killed guards. At most, they would add a little more funeral money to express their condolences.

Because of his poor management, although prison clerk Zhao was not held accountable, he was stripped of his authority to manage the B-grade prison and was punished by being sent to guard the warehouse. Prison clerk Zhang took over his work.

For a time, the Heavenly Prison was quiet, and everyone followed the rules.

Zhang Wantong's path to advancement was also cut off, and he appeared exceptionally decadent, sleeping all day and refusing to step into the prison even half a step. Everyone was angry but dared not speak; he was a veteran with many disciples and followers, and even Xu Fugui could only find fault with him but couldn't fire him.

Before, when Zhang Wantong wanted to advance and Xu Fugui found fault with him, he was quite miserable. Now, he had completely given up, and in the face of Xu Fugui's fault-finding, he didn't care at all. He wasn't afraid of being reported; he had just given up, so what?

At this time, if one were to report to the higher-ups about such a trivial matter as a mere prison guard being lazy, the superior would only think that Xu Fugui was making trouble out of nothing, deliberately finding fault, and was incompetent and lacked judgment. Guys without judgment should all be kicked out.

Xu Fugui was a man with judgment, so when he saw Zhang Wantong had completely given up, he couldn't be bothered to care. Anyway, with so many people under his command, there would always be someone who knew how to handle things.

A few days later, the position of warden was finally settled. The higher-ups directly arranged for someone to be parachuted in.

The new warden was surnamed Fan; it was said he was a First-Rank warrior who had taken the imperial examinations in the past but had failed. He had worked as a private secretary for a few years, saved up money and connections, and used his old master's relations to parachute into the warden position, officially entering the ranks of officials. Warden Fan's personal experience could be considered a model of an inspirational life.

His life was inspirational, but for Xu Fugui and the others, it was like their hearts were dripping blood.

They were not resigned!

After work, Xu Fugui dragged Chen Guanlou, Lu Datou, and a few other honest men out to drink. Once drunk, he began to complain: "We've worked as prison clerks our whole lives; is it wrong to want to advance? Why must they block our path to advancement? On one hand, they despise us for being lowly; on the other, they can't do without us. Who is really lowly? That guy surnamed Fan—didn't he just study for a few years? He also has no official rank, so why can he be a warden? I have money too; why won't they give us prison clerks a chance to advance?"

"Xu Shu, you've had too much to drink; have some tea to sober up." Chen Guanlou calmly swapped the other man's wine cup.

"I'm not drunk. Little Lou, you've studied; find a way to use the Marquis's mansion's connections to see if you can transfer to another government office. The Heavenly Prison is not a place for you; staying here is a waste."

"Look at what Xu Shu is saying; I'm doing quite well right now."

"Doing well now doesn't mean doing well for a lifetime. The Heavenly Prison is a lowly trade; don't let a little silver blind your heart and ruin your future. We have no choice; we can't find any other way out, so we can only hold onto this bowl of half-cooked rice and pretend it tastes good. You are different; your surname is Chen, and you share an ancestor with Marquis Pingjiang. You have other paths; don't be stubborn and refuse to let go of this bowl of half-cooked rice in the Heavenly Prison. Really, Xu Shu is telling you this from the bottom of his heart. If I didn't see that you were honest, I wouldn't tell you these things."

Xu Fugui was truly drunk.

When sober, these words would never come out of his mouth even if he were beaten to death.

It was only because everyone was drinking at the same table and emotions were running high that he was willing to speak a few heartfelt words.

However, Chen Guanlou had his own pursuits. In his mind, no government office could compare to the Heavenly Prison. Low-key, practicing martial arts, collecting kung fu from various sects, and having plenty of silver coming in, all without having to work under the eyes of superiors—it was perfect.

Chen Guanlou raised his wine cup: "Thank you, Xu Shu, for truly thinking of me; I toast you. I'll finish mine; Xu Shu, drink as you please."

He finished the wine in his cup in one go, and everyone cheered.

He accepted Xu Fugui's kindness, but he had his own long-term plans.

Xu Fugui hugged him: "You have to listen to me and find more connections. What kind of future can you have as a prison guard your whole life? Don't be afraid to spend money. You have to fight to move up while you're young."

Xu Fugui transformed into a life mentor, giving everyone a big lesson on life. Regardless of whether they wanted to listen, they all had to put on a show of being humble and receptive. If Xu Fugui woke up tomorrow and remembered who was disrespectful or even perfunctory and started holding a grudge, it would be quite troublesome. They weren't veterans like Zhang Wantong and didn't have the qualifications to give up.

After the meal, he felt more tired than working a normal shift. The whole time, he had been listening to Xu Fugui's grand principles and complaints, and he couldn't even refute them. Once someone dared to refute him, he would start acting crazy from the alcohol.

Finally, Chen Guanlou and Lu Datou sent Xu Fugui home, and they left without even having a sip of hot water.

The two walked under the moonlight, and Lu Datou sighed and complained in a low voice: "That guy surnamed Fan doesn't know anything, yet he can parachute in to be a warden; I also think it's a bit unfair. Prison clerks just have less schooling; when it comes to understanding and controlling the Heavenly Prison, ten guys surnamed Fan couldn't compare to us."

Chen Guanlou had only one sentence: "Warden Fan is a First-Rank warrior."

Lu Datou was still unconvinced: "So what if he's First Rank? The Heavenly Prison isn't the Six Fan Sect's constables, and it's not the Embroidered Uniform Guard's agents; it doesn't need such high martial strength. Like me, I only know a few bluffing tricks, and I still do the prison guard job quite well. Instead of you, don't spend every day pondering martial arts manuals; that stuff is useless. We are all ordinary people without martial pulses; it's better to think about how to make more money."