Chapter 275: Getting Rich Together

Chen Guanlou picked up his teacup and, regardless of the other party's attitude, drank it clean, showing his attitude of wanting to be on good terms.

Prison Clerk Fan sneered, "Could it be that you think a cup of tea is enough to make this official let you off?"

Chen Guanlou put down the teacup and lowered his head in silence for a few seconds. Then, he raised his head and smiled brightly. "May I ask, Prison Clerk Fan, what kind of person am I? Do I have a rebellious bone, have I ever stabbed anyone in the back, am I greedy and stingy, or have I ever let down my brothers?"

Prison Clerk Fan was speechless but still kept a straight face: Don't say these useless things; it's no use!

"A prison guard who doesn't want to be promoted is not a good prison guard!" Chen Guanlou slammed the table heavily, startling the Prison Clerk Fan opposite him on the spot. "Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu helped me get promoted; I am happy, I am grateful. I believe the other brothers will also be happy for me. The only person I worry about is you, Prison Clerk Fan. Before coming here, I kept thinking about how we should get along in the future. After thinking it over, it still comes down to that one word: respect! I respect you, and I hope you can respect me. Mutual respect, and getting rich together!"

"You..."

"The money in the Heavenly Prison is endless; as long as I am here, your income will only increase, not decrease, in the future." Chen Guanlou preempted him and continued.

Prison Clerk Fan narrowed his eyes, seemingly not believing him. "If there's one more person sharing the wealth, my income will only decrease, not increase."

Chen Guanlou immediately laughed. "You think I will share your income, causing your income to plummet. I don't blame you for having this thought. It's only because you understand the Heavenly Prison too shallowly and understand those imprisoned officials too shallowly.

I have worked in the Jia-character prison for nearly four years. Over these four years, I have dealt with countless imprisoned officials. I know better than anyone what their needs are and how much they are willing to pay for them. Why did the set menu I formulated get the support of the imprisoned officials, while the set menu formulated by Shi Hong was criticized and even canceled? The tricks here are very deep, and the money is endless.

Let's put it this way: I can guarantee that your income will not decrease. How about it, shall we work together? You continue to run your restaurant, and I will handle everything in the Heavenly Prison. Except for my change in status, everything else will remain the same."

Prison Clerk Fan frowned and pondered, stealing a few more glances at Chen Guanlou, seemingly considering whether to believe him.

Chen Guanlou looked determined; his plan was the best, not destroying the original distribution of benefits, no infighting among colleagues, and everyone could easily make money. If they had to fall out, first, it would take energy; second, they might not win; third, their income would certainly be affected.

No matter how you calculate it, cooperation was the best choice.

Prison Clerk Fan picked up his wine cup and took a gulp. "What benefits did you give Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu, and why did he promote you?"

Chen Guanlou raised his brows; it looked like the other party was tempted and was just one step away from making up his mind.

He said, "Back then, when the Grand Tutor was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was terrified and felt that a great disaster was imminent. I helped him come up with ideas to share his worries, and Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was grateful to me, so he promised that once this case was settled, he would certainly promote me. I thought Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu had forgotten after saying it, but I didn't expect him to be a man of his word and fulfill his original promise so quickly. I am willing to take Warden Niu as an example and be a person who keeps his promises. Today's promise will certainly be fulfilled."

This was a proper pie in the sky.

However, with his ability to rake in money, it wasn't entirely a pie in the sky. As long as he exerted a little more effort and had a slightly darker heart, the money in the Heavenly Prison would be endless. The officials who could be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison were not short of money. Even if there were occasionally a few poor capital officials imprisoned, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

The officials were all very sensible; if they wanted to spend their days in the Heavenly Prison peacefully and complete the Heavenly Prison study course, they had to cooperate well with the prison guards.

The prison guards were also very open; as long as the money was there, they would take care of everything in every aspect and would never do things like burning bridges after crossing them or turning their backs on people.

Both sides kept to the rules and cooperated happily. This was the secret to the Heavenly Prison's long-term operation.

The Zhao Yu next door couldn't do it; they often did things like burning bridges, taking money without doing the work. They promised no torture, but in the blink of an eye, they would take the person to the torture room for a round of interrogation. They had absolutely no credibility. No wonder the Zhao Yu's reputation was so foul; whenever anyone mentioned it, it was always a round of cursing.

Prison Clerk Fan was tangled and hesitant. He recognized Chen Guanlou's argument in his heart, but he couldn't get over his pride. A former subordinate, once in power, was now on equal footing with him; no matter how he thought about it, it felt uncomfortable.

Chen Guanlou saw his inner conflict and immediately stated, "The Jia-character prison will still be headed by you. As for me, I am a newly appointed Prison Clerk, and I will follow your lead in everything, and everything will remain as it was. How about that?"

Very good!

With these words, Prison Clerk Fan finally felt relieved; at least his face looked good, and he maintained his dignity. Even if it was just talk, and even if Chen Guanlou snatched power later, at least at this moment, he had his face.

He gritted his teeth. "I knew long ago that with your ability, you would be promoted sooner or later. Back then, my clan uncle didn't promote you; did you hold any resentment?"

"You are joking. Old Prison Clerk Fan transferred me from the Bing-character prison to the Jia-character prison and appointed me as a squad leader; that was already a great kindness. If I didn't have that resume, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu couldn't have promoted me. Old Prison Clerk Fan laid a solid foundation for me, and I have always kept it in mind."

Chen Guanlou spoke with genuine emotion.

Hearing this confession, Prison Clerk Fan felt very comfortable. As long as Chen Guanlou still recognized the original kindness, his position would be stable. Chen Guanlou wouldn't dare to bear the reputation of being ungrateful to snatch his power.

"I will tell my clan uncle about your matter personally. Learning of your promotion, I think my clan uncle will also be happy. In the future, the Jia-character prison will need you to put in more effort."

Chen Guanlou nodded repeatedly and confirmed, "Everything as before?"

"Yes, everything as before." Prison Clerk Fan still put on the airs of a superior.

Chen Guanlou didn't care about the other party's attitude at all; he had been promoted and had gained real benefits. He didn't care about Prison Clerk Fan's affectation. People always have to want something; if the other party wants face, then give him face. It's better than wanting nothing and insisting on fighting to the end.

Having handled Prison Clerk Fan, his assumption of office was more than half complete.

For the rest, he asked Xiao Jin to pass the word that in the afternoon, he would hold an enlarged meeting of the Jia-character prison, and everyone, whether on duty or not, had to attend the meeting. Whoever dared not to come was not giving him face.

As for Prison Clerk Fan, he felt the Heavenly Prison was too gloomy and feared it would ruin his own luck; after talking with Chen Guanlou, he greeted Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu and left. He had to busy himself with his own restaurant business.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Niu was very dismissive of him and privately gossiped with his confidant, Little Xu, "Fan will be sidelined by Chen Guanlou sooner or later. When the new Jiang Jiang Yucheng arrives, Fan will be marginalized."

"Master Xiao Fan's clan uncle works in the Ministry of Justice now; the new Jiang Jiang Yucheng won't be that ignorant, will he?"

"Whether they are ignorant depends on whether everyone's interests are consistent. Look at Fan; does he know how to handle people? In the two years I've been in the Heavenly Prison, how many times has he paid his respects to me, asked how I was, or sent gifts? His clan uncle can't be useful every time." ===== CHAPTER 276 =====