Chapter 230: Cult Rebels

"These days are truly becoming more and more absurd. My ancestors for four generations have been in this line of work, and this is the first time I've heard of prison guards being asked to donate money."

Xiao Jin grumbled.

"These days, it always feels like a prelude to a great chaos. Chen Tou, am I right?"

Chen Guanlou gave a hum. "Since you know, say less. Be careful that the people above charge you with the crime of spreading rumors to confuse the public."

Xiao Jin raised his hand and slapped his own mouth. "Sigh, I just can't help but speak. Two hundred wen of money isn't much; it's just this matter, it's too strange. The old Emperor has no money to spend and is actually asking us prison guards to beg for alms. I don't know how future generations will evaluate the present."

"How else can they evaluate it? It's rotten to the core. In which dynasty, when a sage monarch was in power, would they be poor enough to beg for alms everywhere? In which dynasty, in the present age of prosperity, would they be poor enough to have a deficit every year? Don't talk about leaving some money for descendants; I'm afraid they are even going to hollow out the money of future generations in one breath."

Chen Guanlou was also full of stifled anger.

That's right, two hundred wen is indeed not much; going out for a meal outside costs about the same. The problem is not how much, but the extremely bad information conveyed by this matter: the imperial court is rotten, and it is rotten, cowardly, and poor. It's like this when the world is peaceful, but if there is any disturbance, can the imperial court hold up? How much longer can these peaceful days last?

People's hearts are unstable, panicked, and uneasy.

A mere snow disaster made the imperial court stretched and begging for alms everywhere, and the way of eating was so ugly. Then if there were large-scale droughts, floods, plus man-made disasters, what should be done then?

"Chen Tou still advised me to say less, but Chen Tou yourself can't keep your mouth shut either." Xiao Jin laughed very proudly.

Chen Guanlou kicked out directly. "Is the patrol mission completed? Hurry up and go. In such cold weather, don't freeze people to death. For those who need bedding, send someone to notify the families of the imprisoned officials to hurry up and send a few quilts. Otherwise, if they freeze to death, we won't be responsible."

Counting on the Heavenly Prison to pay for providing warm clothing and bedding for prisoners? Keep dreaming!

It was all left to the prisoners to find their own ways.

What if the prisoner has no family? Then, reluctantly, pick two rags from a pile of unwashed garbage in the warehouse to keep the prisoner warm. If it really doesn't work, then freeze to death.

In this weather, even if a few prisoners freeze to death, the people above won't pursue it.

Every year during the three nines of cold weather and the three dog days of summer, the Heavenly Prison has legal and compliant death quotas. As long as it doesn't exceed the quota amount, and the ones who die are not key prisoners involving the interests of all parties, the people above turn a blind eye and are too lazy to ask.

Xiao Jin took people to patrol the cells.

Chen Guanlou flipped through the expired court gazettes. In the north and east, the White Lotus Cult was causing trouble, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was catching cult rebels with great enthusiasm. All those caught were, without exception, implicated by the whole family and had to die. For the main culprits, extreme punishment was implemented. Recently, Old Zhang Tou had been very busy, busy sharing worries for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, busy cultivating disciples and grand-disciples. If he couldn't even do a good job of slow slicing, what was the use of him?

Chen Guanlou was glad that these cult rebels were all sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and not sent to the Heavenly Prison for detention.

He didn't hope to have a cult rebel locked up in the prison.

That bunch of fierce people from the White Lotus Cult were truly too crazy and too manic; there had already been multiple jailbreak incidents in local areas, killing many yamen runners and prison guards.

This winter, the Heavenly Prison was destined to be uneasy.

The matter of donating money had just passed, and a new batch of prisoners was sent over. The most eye-catching were the White Lotus Cult rebels.

Chen Guanlou took one look, and his head immediately became two sizes bigger.

He asked Prison Clerk Little Xu quietly, "Official Xu, why are the cult rebels sent to the Heavenly Prison? Isn't this the business of the Embroidered Uniform Guard next door? Are they willing to give up this credit?"

Truly strange.

Prison Clerk Little Xu told him, "This cult rebel surnamed Zhang was caught during a routine patrol by the Six Shanmen; it's the credit of the Six Shanmen, so naturally, it can't be given to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu said that the cult rebels are to be detained in the Jia-type prison."

Chen Guanlou jumped on his feet immediately; this was a hot potato, and he didn't want it.

"Official Xu, this, detaining cult rebels in the Jia-type prison might not be appropriate. The imprisoned officials detained in the Jia-type prison are mostly weak scholars who can't carry or lift; if cult rebels are locked in, I'm worried it will cause chaos. In fact, the Bing-type prison is most suitable for detaining cult rebels; the prisoners there are all ocean-crossing bandits, and each one has a set of skills."

"Precisely because the prisoners in the Bing-type prison each have a set of skills, the cult rebel surnamed Zhang cannot be locked in. That wouldn't be detention; that would be fish entering the sea. Think about it, if the cult rebel surnamed Zhang takes the opportunity to spread the White Lotus Cult in the Bing-type prison and develop believers, what would happen? The Yi-type prison has the same worries.

Only the Jia-type prison, where every imprisoned official has read books and has only the words of the sages in their hearts. The cult rebels' set of rhetoric that confuses people's hearts will have no effect on the imprisoned officials; perhaps the imprisoned officials can even educate the cult rebel surnamed Zhang in turn, making him repent and help the imperial court catch the remaining cult rebels, striking directly at the yellow dragon. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu has painstakingly planned this; you cannot ruin the Warden's plan."

Prison Clerk Xu spoke with reason.

Chen Guanlou was greatly shocked; what a reasonable set of words. If he weren't working in the Jia-type prison, he would have really believed it.

Bullshit education.

What is a cult rebel? Someone whose brain has been washed crooked, full of the Floating Life Old Mother, White Lotus Prosperity, and who can't listen to a single word of other rhetoric—that is called a cult rebel. Taking that set of 'zhi, hu, zhe, ye' to brainwash a cult rebel who only recognizes a few words is clearly playing the lute to a cow; the path is completely wrong.

Chen Guanlou only felt a piece of darkness; he really didn't want to deal with cult rebels.

"Since that's the case, just hand the cult rebels over to Jiang Jiang Yucheng Wu; he is an old man of the Heavenly Prison and is well-informed."

"Not appropriate. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Wu's way of doing things is not as steady as yours, Chen Tou. This cult rebel is a person of top priority and cannot have any mistakes, and he still has to face the Six Shanmen coming to interrogate him at any time. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu specifically instructed that this prisoner is to be guarded by you; he doesn't trust anyone else. This is Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu's trust in you; you must not let down the Warden's painstaking efforts."

Chen Guanlou smiled bitterly repeatedly; he thanked Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu for his valuation. It's no good being too capable; when there's a matter, one really has to go up!

But he really didn't want to go up.

The cult rebel surnamed Zhang had the face of a commoner, rough, but revealing shrewdness. Only a pair of eyes appeared exceptionally spirited. Looking at him, it was as if one saw the determination of a believer to sacrifice his life for the Dao, and his whole body seemed to radiate golden light. The light of a martyr was something one could not look directly at.

Chen Guanlou gasped; this was a sign of going into demonic possession!

This cult rebel surnamed Zhang was definitely a senior believer, perhaps even a high-level person in the White Lotus Cult. However, this was just his guess.

The information given by the Six Shanmen was that the cult rebel surnamed Zhang was just a small leader of a stronghold in the capital.

Hehe!

A small leader can radiate the light of a martyr? Can have such momentum?

I'm afraid this time the Six Shanmen misjudged.

If this person was truly a high-level person of the White Lotus Cult, Chen Guanlou would instantly face a great enemy, looking around to see if White Lotus Cult people were lurking nearby. ===== CHAPTER 231 =====