Chapter 257: How Much Money Is It, Anyway? Worth Dying For?

Duty room!

Xiao Jin and the others surrounded Chen Guanlou, each one worried yet delighted, eager to uncover the truth—all with mouths open but words stuck.

Chen Guanlou was thoroughly annoyed. "What are you all hovering around me for? Got nothing better to do?"

"Hehe!"

"Hehe my ass!" Chen Guanlou snapped.

Xiao Jin and the others laughed even harder.

Chen Guanlou frowned. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"Chen Tou, you're the best!" Xiao Jin gave a thumbs-up.

Qian Fugui added, "Only Chen Tou has the guts. The Street Enforcers are all so bold now—knocked out four East Palace guards in one go."

"East Palace guards? Pfft. No real combat experience."

"Chen Tou's truly the boss—didn't even flinch before teaching them a lesson."

"Wait! Shut up, all of you!" Chen Guanlou barked, silencing their chatter. "You're framing me, understand? Who told you I did it? Any proof?"

He firmly denied, fiercely refuted, and staunchly resisted any pressure over unproven accusations.

Xiao Jin grinned. "Chen Tou, no outsiders here. Our lips are sealed—just admit it."

"Yeah, Chen Tou. What are the odds? We all know."

"Chen Tou's righteous—knocked out four in one go. Heard one of them won't get out of bed for a month."

"Bullshit! Slander! All of it slander!" Chen Guanlou denied it outright, his mood sour. What, did his forehead have "I'm the killer" written on it?

"Get out! All of you, get out! Keep your mouths shut. Not a single word out of you. Remember—we cooperate peacefully with the East Palace guards. No dirt, no nonsense."

"Got it! Chen Tou, rest assured—we'll cooperate peacefully."

"Chen Tou, don't worry—we won't clash with them."

"No matter what they ask, I'll say I know nothing. Won't expose Chen Tou."

"Go to hell—what do you mean 'expose'?" Chen Guanlou kicked out, baffled. He'd said it had nothing to do with him, yet none of them believed him. When had his word become so worthless?

After driving off the three "dragon and phoenix" fools, Chen Guanlou regretted it. If he'd killed four East Palace guards, Cui Wei wouldn't suspect the Tianlao jailers. Even with a hundred pairs of balls, jailers wouldn't dare kill East Palace guards. But injuring—not killing—opened a wide range, yet still narrowed the suspects sharply.

Not killing, only injuring—clearly meant to teach a lesson. The Crown Prince's enemies wouldn't be so gentle. If they moved, they'd kill. So Cui Wei suspecting the jailers was reasonable.

Chen Guanlou gritted his teeth. Killing now would be like adding feet to a snake—pointless.

Forget it. As long as Cui Wei has no proof, he can't stir up trouble. Right now, the Grand Tutor's safety is paramount. The Crown Prince won't let Cui Wei clash with the Tianlao.

We must all cooperate to protect the Grand Tutor. The enemy hasn't even arrived, and we're already fighting among ourselves? What nonsense? If the Grand Tutor suffers harm during this, the Crown Prince will likely kill someone.

Cui Wei must weigh the consequences of turning hostile. Even if his cousin is the Crown Prince's concubine, that's no license for him to act recklessly.

Cui Wei was certain Chen Guanlou and the jailers were involved—but found not a shred of evidence. The four injured guards remembered only leaving a brothel at night, seeing darkness, then waking up on the ground, unable to move.

"You really don't remember what the attacker looked like?"

"Honest, Company Commander—we saw nothing. Didn't even know if it was man or woman."

"Useless! All of you useless!" Cui Wei roared. He'd hoped they'd point to the jailers—now they were useless.

The four guards felt guilty and indignant but dared not retort. They bowed their heads and took the scolding.

After venting, Cui Wei's tone softened. "Rest well. I'll cover for you with the Crown Prince. Think hard—remember anything, tell me immediately."

"Yes!"

…

The Grand Tutor went out daily for fresh air, and Cui Wei faithfully accompanied him each time.

The weather was bitterly cold. Rebels from Pingzhou and Jinzhou were active, even raiding wealthy southern regions, causing great havoc.

The Grand Tutor gazed at the horizon, his mood gloomy.

Cui Wei comforted him. "Grand Tutor, don't worry—the Crown Prince is already working on a solution."

"What solution can the Crown Prince find? He can't even make the Emperor listen—he only makes things worse. Warn him: speak less, show less, stay away from the Emperor. Distance breeds respect, closeness breeds contempt—that's the situation now. Tell him this is my order—he must consider it carefully."

Cui Wei bowed deeply in obedience.

Their lives and fortunes rested entirely on the Crown Prince—they waited for him to ascend the throne, hoping to ride his rise. If the Crown Prince suffered, they suffered worse.

He'd even considered: if one day the Crown Prince decided on a palace coup, he'd charge straight to the front. The Crown Prince had the most legitimate claim, support from ministers and generals, scholarly acclaim, and popular favor. A coup might still succeed.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince lacked the resolve—he dared not bear the sin of patricide.

Seeing no outsiders, and knowing they were inside the Tianlao with no eavesdroppers, he dared to whisper, "Grand Tutor… have you ever considered helping the Crown Prince take one step further?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The Grand Tutor whirled around. He knew this topic was deadly—his voice dropped low, heavy, and commanding. "As an East Palace guard, how dare you drag the Crown Prince into impropriety? Never speak such words again. Today, I'll pretend I heard nothing." With that, he swept out.

Cui Wei stood frozen, embarrassed.

Just then, a group of black-clad figures suddenly descended from above, striking with lethal intent.

Cui Wei reacted instantly. "Assassins! Protect the Grand Tutor!"

With his fifth-rank martial strength, he fought off a dozen black-clad attackers alone.

"Assassins! Assassins!" The Tianlao jailers stirred.

Chen Guanlou led the jailers sprinting toward the Tianlao's back courtyard, shouting "Assassins! Assassins!"—but once there, every single jailer froze, hiding in corners to watch the show.

The Grand Tutor's life was life. Their own lives were life too.

The Tianlao jailers had their own rules: shout loud enough, but no need to charge into battle. Just be the audience—play your part.

How much money's it worth, to risk your life? Look—the East Palace guards are already down. They were third- and second-rank martial experts.

"Go to the next compound for help—doesn't matter if it's the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Six Ministries' Bureau—hurry! That's the Grand Tutor! Go, go, go!"

At Chen Guanlou's order, the jailers sprang into action, waving blades and clubs, cheering from the perimeter for Cui Wei.

Cheering? They were professionals.