Chapter 259: Can

The guards of the Jia-class prison all hung their heads in gloom, as if they'd lost their parents.

Seeing Chen Guanlou appear, they all gathered around him.

Before anyone could speak, Chen Guanlou said first: "Don't worry—you won't lose your heads. The main blame lies with the Crown Prince's guards; they failed to protect Grand Tutor. The Tianlaomiao and the Ministry of Justice bear only secondary responsibility."

Hearing they wouldn't be beheaded, the guards all sighed in relief and instantly came back to life.

As long as we don't die!

If we don't die, we carry on living—do what we must.

"Chen Tou, Master Xiao Fan is here. He wants to see you."

"I know. Are any of the brothers hurt?"

"Don't worry, Chen Tou. Everyone's got sense—no one fought to the death."

"Good!"

Who'd fight back against such fierce bandits? We're not fools.

Like me—I foolishly chased after them and nearly became a casualty of a ninth-rank martial artist's sword. This capital's full of experts; you can't afford to be careless.

If not for my superior lightness skill, I truly wouldn't have had the confidence to escape alive.

Master Xiao Fan hadn't appeared at Tianlaomiao in a long time—he'd clearly put on weight. As the chief jailer of the Jia-class prison, he bore full responsibility for the Grand Tutor's abduction and hadn't slept a wink last night.

"Xiao Chen, do you know the current situation?"

"My lord, rest assured—this big matter doesn't fall on Tianlaomiao to shoulder. Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice has already clarified the responsibilities: the main fault lies with the Crown Prince's guards; they failed in their duty."

"Yes, yes, you're right. Clearly, those Crown Prince guards are incompetent, which is why the Grand Tutor was abducted. But wait—that doesn't make sense. Who would abduct the Grand Tutor instead of killing him on the spot? Could the Crown Prince be crying wolf?" Master Xiao Fan's mind raced, conjuring up conspiracies.

Chen Guanlou hurried to dissuade him: "My lord, you mustn't say such things. That's the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince holds Grand Tutor in the highest esteem—they sought only to rescue him honorably. Abducting him from prison? That would disgrace Grand Tutor. This has nothing to do with the Crown Prince."

"You make sense. But someone in court might still suspect it. Think about it—Grand Tutor was safely locked up. Who'd be so foolish as to abduct him instead of killing him? It makes no sense!"

"Why not? Abduction stirs up chaos. As you said, people will suspect the Crown Prince is crying wolf. Brilliant strategy—it drags the Crown Prince into the mud. And the Crown Prince can't clear its name. Killing Grand Tutor would make the Crown Prince the victim—how could that possibly achieve the goal of framing them?"

"Brilliant!" Master Xiao Fan immediately accepted Chen Guanlou's analysis. "You're right. Only someone who understands the Crown Prince's position would do this—abduct the Grand Tutor, leaving the Crown Prince with no defense. What a masterstroke. Poor Tianlaomiao—what god have we offended? Every year, we get hit with a prison break. Sigh…"

Master Xiao Fan looked despondent.

Last year, cultists broke in; this year, who knows what bandits struck.

Luckily, last year the Zhao Prison took the brunt; this year, the Crown Prince's guards bear the main blame. Thank heaven, heaven still favors Tianlaomiao—we didn't lose our heads.

Master Xiao Fan patted Chen Guanlou on the shoulder. "Thank you for being here."

"It's my duty to ease your lordship's burdens."

"My tavern opens in three days. Have everyone come—it'll liven things up, make the place festive."

Chen Guanlou agreed at once, but inside he sneered at Master Xiao Fan—again trying to squeeze money from the guards' pockets. Every time, the same trick: when he's short on cash, he thinks of the guards.

The guards suffer!

They work hard to earn a few coins, yet it's never enough for bribes to their superiors.

"Wishing my lord boundless wealth and daily gold."

"Hahaha…" Master Xiao Fan no longer cared for promotion—he only wanted riches. He aimed to amass ten thousand taels within a few years, then retire, buy land, become a wealthy landlord, and raise his descendants to take the imperial exams.

Chen Guanlou relayed Master Xiao Fan's message about the tavern opening and his expectations—the guards all sighed and cursed under their breath.

"Can't we just skip it?"

"You can skip going—but the money must be paid."

"Can't we skip the gift?"

"Try wearing the little shoes and see how you like it."

"How much should we give?"

"At least a bit more than market rate—ideally double."

"We don't have the money, Chen Tou."

"What's that to me? Your monthly bonuses haven't been cut—where did all your money go? It sure didn't end up in my pocket. I told you all to gamble less, less—yet you all let it go in one ear and out the other. You deserve to be broke!"

"Chen Tou, could you lend us some?"

"Get lost! I've got no money."

Chen Guanlou didn't indulge these gamblers—he wasn't Lu Datou, with whom he shared life-or-death bonds.

The prison's atmosphere was rotten—everyone gambled. Even relatively honest men like Liu She and Chen Quan couldn't resist a hand or two. But he himself had no interest. If he sat at the table, he could strip every guard down to their underwear in one night—but what was the point?

If there were cigarettes, he wouldn't mind becoming a chain-smoker. Dry tobacco? Forget it. In his mind, gambling was as repulsive as dry tobacco—its stench was unbearable. A bunch of men who hadn't bathed in weeks gathered to gamble—the smell alone could kill you.

After work, go buy a few bolts of cloth from Qu Boss and make himself some new clothes.

Qu Boss was out—his wife received him.

"Greetings, Chen Tou. My husband specifically instructed that if you come, you must get the best discount. These are all this year's new fabrics—patterns and quality match any shop in the capital."

Chen Guanlou didn't look at the cloth—he looked at the woman. A graceful, delicate little wife, her face slightly thin, with weariness and hardship lingering in her brows and eyes. Knowing her background—a convict's family—she'd clearly suffered much and hadn't fully recovered.

"I serve in the prison. May I ask—do I know your former husband's family?"

"You wouldn't, Chen Tou. My former husband was imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture jail—he had no status to enter Tianlaomiao."

"Was his case decided?"

"Yes. Sentenced to exile two thousand li. I was fortunate—my husband used connections to secure my release and restore my good standing."

"Qu Boss is that powerful?" Chen Guanlou was astonished.

Qu's wife pursed her lips. "I won't hide it, Chen Tou—my husband used connections from Hou Fu. Had Hou Fu not intervened, I'd already be two thousand li away in Nanzhao—likely dead."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow.

Qu Boss was formidable—how much money had he spent to get Hou Fu to intervene for him?

"Madam, your hardships are over—you've found a good man. Better days lie ahead."

Qu's wife smiled faintly, looking genuinely pleased. "Thank you for your kind words, Chen Tou. Today, all fabrics are 20% off—please choose freely."