Chapter 274: Promoted

Whether to pursue this matter or not, Liu Guanshi hadn't decided; he only said, "Let me think about it, let me think about it."

With this thinking, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month passed in the blink of an eye. The yamen opened for business, and officials went to court to handle national affairs. The Hou Fu's Head Steward remained silent, and Liu Guanshi made up his mind.

Zhao Laosi was already dead; when a person dies, all matters end. The Head Steward didn't want to create extra trouble, so he went along with the flow. However, from this day on, he became more vigilant toward Chen Guanlou.

The first lunar month in the capital was very cold, and the Heavenly Prison was even colder.

But Chen Guanlou's heart was burning hot.

Because he had officially been promoted to Prison Clerk. Back then, his father's position as Prison Clerk had been taken by someone else, and now, relying on his own ability, he had snatched it back.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu overcame all opposition and promoted him to be the managing Prison Clerk of the Jia-character prison, putting him on equal footing with Master Xiao Fan. One managed the money, and the other managed the people.

He had fulfilled his original promise.

Chen Guanlou was grateful!

He liked superiors like Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu—few matters, kept promises, and could get things done. Everything was clear-cut; he didn't play games.

After being promoted, he went to the office to express his thanks at the first opportunity and prepared a generous gift to show his sincerity.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was also in high spirits; seeing Chen Guanlou, he hurriedly beckoned him closer. "The Jia-character prison will be handed over to you from now on. This official believes that with your ability, you will certainly be able to suppress those discordant voices. In a while, have a good talk with Prison Clerk Fan and strive to reach a consensus. Even if you don't look at the monk, look at the Buddha; his uncle works in the Ministry of Justice, so you must not insult Prison Clerk Fan. Only by widening the road can you have a future."

"I will keep your teachings in mind, my lord. I cannot repay your kindness, my lord. Please do not refuse this small token of my sincerity."

Chen Guanlou presented the gift list.

To send this gift, he had specially consulted Master Du and asked Master Du to write the gift list.

Master Du's handwriting was very upright, possessing a kind of uprightness washed by time. Compared to his own ruggedness, it was clearly more suitable for writing things like gift lists.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu looked over the gift list, his brows slightly raised. Then, he closed the list and said with a laugh, "This official knew you were a sensible person; my promotion of you was not in vain. Among the hundreds of people in the entire Heavenly Prison, this official values only you; do not let this official's expectations down. Do your job well and do not make any mistakes."

"I will keep your teachings in mind, my lord, and will certainly do my job with heart; I will never smear your reputation, my lord."

"That is very good! Also, this official is about to be transferred away from the Heavenly Prison; you know this, but do not spread it." Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu said with a smile.

Hearing this, Chen Guanlou felt it was a great pity; another Jiang Jiang Yucheng change, it was too troublesome. He and Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu got along quite well, and both sides had reached a tacit understanding; in the blink of an eye, he would have to think of ways to please the new Jiang Jiang Yucheng again.

In the workplace, such things are hard to avoid; one can only accept them.

"I wonder which yamen you will be transferred to, my lord? Will I still have the opportunity to follow your orders in the future?" Chen Guanlou asked.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was in an extremely good mood. "It doesn't hurt to tell you; this official is about to be transferred to the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen, still working in the criminal department. However, this time, I have been promoted two ranks."

Ah!

Chen Guanlou hurriedly congratulated him. "Congratulations, my lord, congratulations! I wish you a bright future, my lord!"

"Hahaha..."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu laughed heartily. "This official is also lucky. I met an acquaintance from many years ago and learned that there was a vacancy in the Jingzhao Prefecture; I hurriedly pulled strings and spent a considerable amount of money, and finally managed to secure the position. I reckon in a few days, there will be an official document from above. Before the document comes down, you must not reveal a single word. Lest people outside say this official is frivolous."

"I understand, my lord; I guarantee I will keep my mouth shut and will not reveal a single word to the outside. I am happy for you from the bottom of my heart, my lord. Speaking of which, this office is quite auspicious; the previous Prison Clerk Fan was successfully promoted, and now you, Warden Niu, are also promoted; your luck is rising."

"Oh, really?" Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu examined the chair he was sitting on. "Is it really that auspicious?"

"Very auspicious! So many things have happened, yet none of them implicated the Heavenly Prison; that is luck. This luck is now reflected in you, my lord; when you arrive at the new yamen, you will certainly have everything go as you wish and have a smooth official career."

"Hahaha... That makes sense. The cultists caused chaos and hijacked the prison, and the Grand Tutor was kidnapped, yet none of it implicated the Heavenly Prison; you are right, the luck is indeed very auspicious."

While Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was speaking, he was pondering whether he should set up an incense table to borrow more good luck to help him have a good start at the new yamen. He didn't know much about this and planned to consult a professional. If necessary, he would simply invite a Daoist priest to perform a ritual.

Chen Guanlou, however, advised, "The Heavenly Prison has its own situation and its own aura. If an outsider comes in and forcibly stirs up the Heavenly Prison's luck, I am worried it will affect this luck, and even affect your own luck, my lord. It is better to let nature take its course; good luck will naturally accompany you."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu pondered carefully. "What you say makes some sense. This place, the Heavenly Prison, is seen by others as extremely ominous. But only we who are in it can understand the true meaning within. Whether it is ominous or not is another matter, but at least the financial luck has always been quite good. With prosperous financial luck, the luck is prosperous. If I let an outsider come to stir up the feng shui, I am afraid it will be counterproductive. Fine, I will listen to you; everything will be left to nature."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu's argument convinced himself, and he gave up the plan to invite a Daoist priest to perform a ritual, and also gave up the idea of setting up an incense table.

The Heavenly Prison has its own situation; I imagine the feng shui is also very different from the outside. If I set up an incense table when it's not a holiday, it would be very bad if I ruined the Heavenly Prison's feng shui.

Chen Guanlou took his leave of Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu and went to see Master Xiao Fan.

Prison Clerk Fan was drinking alone in the middle of the day.

No one expected that after waking up, the world would have changed. The Jia-character prison, which originally belonged to him alone to manage, now had one more person to share half of his power.

His former subordinate had suddenly transformed and was now on equal footing with him.

He regretted giving up power, regretted valuing Chen Guanlou, allowing the other party to take advantage of the opportunity to get close to and please Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu. The two of them colluded to completely sideline him, sharing his power and wanting to share his money.

It was infuriating.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got!

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he felt.

Therefore, when Chen Guanlou walked into the office, he saw Prison Clerk Fan with a gloomy face, full of resentment.

He coughed lightly.

Prison Clerk Fan came back to his senses; seeing him, he immediately narrowed his eyes, looking as if he were about to start a war.

Chen Guanlou cupped his hands. "Happy New Year, Prison Clerk Fan!"

Prison Clerk Fan raised his brows and roared sarcastically, "Congratulations, Prison Clerk Chen. Happy events make one feel refreshed; this saying is certainly correct."

Chen Guanlou smiled and didn't argue with the other party. Instead, he walked straight up and sat on the other side of the desk, exactly in a position of equal footing.

Prison Clerk Fan immediately sneered, "In the past, you only had the right to stand and speak. If I didn't let you sit, there would be no place for you in this room."

"Prison Clerk Fan is right. Over these years, thanks to your care and trust, I have reached where I am today. I am on duty, so it is not convenient to drink. I will use tea instead of wine to toast you first, Master."

Chen Guanlou put on a friendly attitude; they would have to work together in the future, and he didn't want to tear his face off right from the start. Moreover, Prison Clerk Fan was actually a very easy person to coax; if he put in a little more effort, he was confident he could convince the other party. ===== CHAPTER 275 =====