Chapter 170: The Crown Prince Has Gone Mad

Some families rejoice while others worry.

Chen Chen Guanxin grumbled for a while, downed a few cups of wine, and began snoring in his sleep. Probably couldn't wake even if thunder struck.

Chen Chen Guanlou took a fine cotton cloth and carefully wiped the great saber.

The old fellow had been with him for so long, drinking blood without number, and had gradually nurtured a touch of baleful aura.

Baleful aura — this thing, invisible and intangible, yet it truly exists.

Facing the candlelight, he studied the blade's edge, gazing at it in silence. Man and blade as one, a perfect understanding born of heaven.

A sound came from atop the wall.

Chen Chen Guanlou did not step out to investigate; he merely silently sheathed the great saber, hiding its edge. His aura drawn inward, he was once again an unremarkable little jailer, a harmless good citizen.

He took out a wine pot and wine cup, and just as he had filled the cup, Qi Qi Wuxiu barged in.

"You knew I was coming?"

"Other people come to my place through the front door; only you like to climb over the wall."

Qi Qi Wuxiu laughed awkwardly, pointed at the guest room next door, and asked, "You have a guest?"

"A clansman, beaten up with nowhere to go, came to me for shelter. He's not going home for New Year today, and you actually have time to come drink with me?" Chen Chen Guanlou asked, slightly curious and teasing.

Qi Qi Wuxiu picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp, as though he had been thirsty for a long time, treating the wine as if it were water.

He wiped the corner of his mouth, sat down on a bamboo chair, and sighed, "This year isn't exactly peaceful!"

Chen Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly. "Pretty peaceful! The Marquis just won a battle, and the world sings and dances in prosperity."

Qi Qi Wuxiu looked at Chen Chen Guanlou with a half-smile. "Are you sure it's peaceful? How long has it been since your Heaven Prison received pay and provisions? Have you ever seen, or heard of, an era of singing and dancing in prosperity where wages went unpaid for a whole year?"

Chen Chen Guanlou heard this and scoffed. "Similar situations are plenty. The higher-ups say it's singing and dancing in prosperity — am I supposed to contradict them and say the people can't survive? This is Jingcheng, the Brocade Guard's turf; I want to live a few more years. Wait, that's not right — you're not someone who officially eats from the public pot, so wage arrears wouldn't touch you. Besides, you don't rely on that pittance of a salary to eat. Take me, for instance — if I depended on the court's stipend to eat, I'd have starved to death eight hundred years ago."

Qi Qi Wuxiu shook his head and showed a wry smile. "Sometimes ignorance is quite blissful."

Chen Chen Guanlou was unhappy hearing that — damn, it grated. What do you mean, ignorance!

Fine!

As an unremarkable, lowly little jailer, he ought to be ignorant.

He swallowed the urge to retort, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "What got into you, coming to my place to act drunk? Or rather, on the night of New Year's Eve — no, it's now the first day of the first month. The wee hours of the first day of the first month, and you're not lying in some woman's bed, but coming here to sigh about what? My place isn't a brothel."

Qi Qi Wuxiu laughed heartily. "If you opened a brothel, you'd definitely make money."

"Get lost!"

Chen Chen Guanlou nearly drew his saber.

After laughing, Qi Qi Wuxiu pressed down his brows and, with a solemn face, pointed toward the north.

Chen Chen Guanlou was baffled.

Qi Qi Wuxiu didn't care whether he understood or not, and out of nowhere said, "Something happened."

"Where did something happen?" Chen Chen Guanlou was very curious. He looked at the direction he was pointing, then stared at the other's face. Then suddenly enlightenment struck. "You mean Jinzhou? No! You mean the imperial palace?"

Qi Qi Wuxiu nodded, withdrew his hand, and said solemnly, "Everyone's good days are about to end. Though the Heaven Prison probably won't be affected."

Chen Chen Guanlou frowned at him. "You were on duty at the imperial palace tonight? So you really are someone who officially eats from the public pot. It's New Year, the palace is bustling and lively, everyone's busy currying favor with Your Majesty — what could possibly happen? I haven't heard any bells toll, so Your Majesty must be blessed with boundless fortune and certainly fine."

Qi Qi Wuxiu poured and drank by himself. "It's enough that you know I eat from the public pot; some things I can't tell you. I can only give you one hint — the Crown Prince has gone mad!"

Chen Chen Guanlou's eyes went wide, staring fixedly at the other, trying to read some inside story from his face.

But Qi Qi Wuxiu avoided his gaze.

Chen Chen Guanlou blinked and asked doubtfully, "Literally? Or is it exaggeration?"

Qi Qi Wuxiu chuckled and said, "Both."

Chen Chen Guanlou bared his teeth — he was miserable. Hearing half a piece of gossip, anyone would be tormented with unbearable itch.

He asked, "Can you elaborate? You've already started, you can't just leave it hanging. Honestly, from the very start you shouldn't have come to my place, and certainly shouldn't have said these half-baked things. If you don't elaborate, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."

"That wouldn't be proper."

"Tell me how many rules you've already broken tonight. Slipping away halfway through your shift, leaking information, gossiping about the Crown Prince... You've already broken them anyway, what's one more? As the saying goes, break before you build. From the look of you, you must have had some shock; keeping it bottled up inside is hard to bear, and you might slip up later. You know I keep my mouth shut — I swear I won't spread it around."

Chen Chen Guanlou was sweet-talking the other.

He guessed that Qi Qi Wuxiu, neither too big nor too small, was probably a second-generation sort — the kind with drive and passion, willing to get things done. Add decent martial skills, so he had been embedded in the thug guild. After vetting, his superiors saw he could do the job, and with his family backing him, they were willing to give him a chance — hence the assignment to stand watch at the imperial palace at night.

He just hadn't expected that whatever the imperial clan members were doing had shattered Qi Qi Wuxiu's beautiful illusions, and he urgently needed a place to vent. Family was out of the question — his complaints were improper and he had to shut up. Friends were no good either; they might betray him. Colleagues were even worse — they were all rivals.

Only he, a nobody, a lowly jailer, with no conflicting interests, could let Qi Qi Wuxiu speak freely and ease the pent-up frustration in his heart.

"Won't spread it around?"

Chen Chen Guanlou nodded heavily, swearing solemn oaths, guaranteeing he wouldn't spread it.

Seeing Qi Qi Wuxiu still didn't believe him, he poured out his grievances: "Who would I even tell! Tell the brothers in Heaven Prison? Unless I've lost my mind. Tell the Chen clan brothers this and that about the family? I haven't lived long enough — I'm still counting on the great lord to soar to the heavens and take me flying along. Tell the neighbors gossip about the Crown Prince? I'm not that vicious, ruining someone's life. As for the person beside my pillow, you needn't worry even more. The people beside my pillow are always changing. Look — I don't even have a place to spill my secrets, so what are you afraid of?"

Qi Qi Wuxiu had wanted to quip that the other was truly pitiful, but on second thought, he himself was pretty much the same. Fifty steps laughing at a hundred — no need.

He cleared his throat, and Chen Chen Guanlou immediately brought him a cup of hot tea. "Moisten your throat first. There's still a long way till dawn."

Qi Qi Wuxiu:...

He suddenly felt a bit of regret — he shouldn't have come to the Chen household.

He moistened his throat, scratched his head, and was very troubled. "Now that you know I eat from the public pot — tonight is New Year, the palace needed more hands, so I was sent."

"And then?" Chen Chen Guanlou, as a qualified straight man, had to stoke the other's urge to unburden.

"Maybe it's because I'm good-looking and my family background is clean, so I was assigned to Zhengyang Palace for duty. Zhengyang Palace is where the palace banquet was held tonight."