Chapter 241: Psychological Warfare

"What is his goal? He couldn't possibly be intentionally framing students just to have them sent to the Heavenly Prison for 'rehabilitation,' could he?" Chen Guanlou pressed.

Yu Zhaoan chuckled. Without showing off or being coy, he directly cleared up the confusion: "Lu Mingchuan's goal is simple. He wants to increase his influence in the imperial court and seize the right to speak. The students under his wing, especially those hot-blooded and impulsive ones like Zhao Mingqiao, are the best pawns."

"He's already sent his pawns to prison. What will he do next?" Chen Guanlou continued to press.

Yu Zhaoan couldn't stand for long, and not minding the dirty floor, he sat down and leaned against the cell door.

He had completely abandoned his image now, shedding his arrogance and gaining a touch of humanity; he was clearly not as annoying as before.

He said slowly, "You think his goal is to bring Jiang Tu down, but why don't you consider that he might want to replace Jiang Tu, or become a second Jiang Tu? But he is a great Confucian scholar; he needs to save face and maintain his reputation among the literati."

"Jiang Tu is such a huge target, and with such a good opportunity right now, he definitely has to charge! But he can't charge himself, he can't risk getting himself dragged in, so he lets students like Zhao Mingqiao do the charging. Once the students are in the Heavenly Prison, his reputation in the literati circles and the officialdom will likely have reached its peak. This man is a master of psychological warfare. Your friend... he's in trouble!"

Chen Guanlou:...

"I feel like you're exaggerating. If this Lu fellow were truly as you say, there wouldn't be a complete lack of rumors outside. My friend is not a dull person; on the contrary, he is quite smart and has his own opinions. How could he be easily manipulated?"

"Lu Mingchuan attacks the very kind of people your friend is. Attacking the heart of a smart person is far more effective than attacking a hundred dullards. The cult rebels outside are making a huge ruckus, but have they achieved anything? It is only because the majority of the cult rebels are ignorant people who only know how to swarm forward like a hive, which is why they struggle to succeed. If the cult rebels could only manage to win over ten or twenty truly brilliant people, they would never fail every single time."

Yu Zhaoan's words sounded somewhat reasonable.

Chen Guanlou pondered deeply, "You mean to say, my friend is beyond saving?"

"Smart people have one flaw: they will never admit they have been fooled. Only the bystander sees clearly. This is why Lu Mingchuan's foul reputation hasn't spread. The officialdom is full of interest groups; no one can bear the consequences of their teacher being a black-hearted scoundrel. Regardless, everyone will work together to protect Lu Mingchuan's reputation."

"Even if your friend sees the truth, for the sake of so-called 'righteousness,' and for the sake of his reputation both now and in the future, he will willingly charge ahead. What is a mere Heavenly Prison? The day he walks out of the Heavenly Prison, he will surely be famous throughout the world. Stepping on Jiang Tu's shoulders to gain fame and fortune—if it were you, would you follow Lu Mingchuan's script? Would you be willing to trade three years in the Heavenly Prison for thirty years of a bright future?"

Yu Zhaoan, with his air of having seen through everything in the officialdom, was really quite annoying! Once he got going, he started showing off again. One could only say that while mountains and rivers may change, a person's nature is hard to alter. Fortunately, his mouth wasn't as foul as before, and his words weren't as harsh, making them somewhat fair.

Chen Guanlou frowned in thought, "Fine, I understand."

"Understand what? Tell me, let me give you some perspective. My days in the Heavenly Prison are numbered; you won't have a chance to ask for my advice later." Yu Zhaoan preened a little.

Chen Guanlou smiled and said, "What else could it be? Just sticking to my duties. He is a disgraced official, and I am a prison guard. We should each hold our positions and not interfere with each other."

"You're quite clear-headed. You've treated him as a friend and given him help; you've done all you could. If you interfere and try to persuade him regarding his choices, you'll only make yourself disliked. Officialdom, after all, is divided into ranks, but one thing is the same: no one looks up to a lowly prison guard. He was just a scholar before, and he didn't look down on you when dealing with you, which is good. But now he is a disgraced official, and he could be reinstated at any time. Don't keep offering your warm face to his cold backside; it's not worth demeaning yourself."

Yu Zhaoan, with the air of someone who had been through it all, lectured Chen Guanlou, fearing that the young man would be naive and self-righteous, only to end up with a cold heart and a ruined Dao heart.

In this pitch-black Heavenly Prison, having someone like Chen Guanlou at least added a bit of color. If that final bit of color were destroyed by kindness, he would feel very regretful.

In case he ever had to come back to the Heavenly Prison for 'advanced studies,' one always had to have some expectations. No one wanted the prison guards around them to be all greedy, hateful creatures; having a bit of humanity kept one from despair.

"You're quite talkative today," Chen Guanlou remarked.

Yu Zhaoan laughed, "Seeing that I'm about to get out, I'm seizing the time to nag you. Next time you want to hear me nag, you'll have to come to the yamen for a hearing."

Chen Guanlou was curious, "Are you that confident you can be reinstated? Every position is filled; the Censorate has long since had no place for you."

Yu Zhaoan sneered and pointed to his own face, "Do you know what this is? This face of mine is a pass for officialdom. Once I submit my letter of repentance, the old Emperor will definitely want to use me, perhaps even for something big. With things so chaotic outside, regardless of whether the old Emperor's anger has subsided, he must respond to the criticisms of the court officials. Jiang Tu's lackeys must be dealt with firmly, those unruly soldiers must have their arrogance crushed, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard needs to be kept in check. Who will do this? Who is more suitable than me?"

Such confidence!

Chen Guanlou insisted on ribbing him, "By your logic, the Censorate can't function without you? You think too highly of yourself. The more 'bull' you are, the more I suspect the people in the Censorate don't want you back. If you go back, how will they get ahead?"

"Hahaha... you're half right. There are indeed many in the Censorate who don't want me back, who wish I would die in prison. But I won't give them the satisfaction. Where I fell, I will climb back up. Jiang Tu's tricks, repackaged and slightly upgraded, I will do better than him—twice as well, even ten times. Don't you believe me? Just wait and see. Look again in a year, and you will surely hear my name, loud and clear."

Yu Zhaoan was full of confidence, not doubting for a second that he couldn't get out, and he had even planned every step of what to do and what goals to achieve after leaving. It seemed he was ready to make a big splash and make a name for himself. As for whether that name would be foul or fragrant, he didn't seem to care.

The Heavenly Prison Advanced Studies Program truly lived up to its reputation!

After a stint in the Heavenly Prison, the whole person was sublimated, truly reborn.

Chen Guanlou just said, "If you're really that 'bull,' why don't you fight for some better benefits for the Heavenly Prison and improve everyone's treatment? In case you come back for a second visit, you'll want a better single cell and better meals, right?"

Yu Zhaoan snorted coldly, finding Chen Guanlou's words unlucky. He could consider the issue of a second visit, but he didn't want to hear it from Chen Guanlou's mouth—it ruined his fortune. ===== CHAPTER 242 =====