Chapter 281: What a Crafty Old Thief

"Make it clear what you mean by 'no one'."

Chen Guanlou pressed the old servant.

Lu Mingchuan's visit today was strange everywhere. Now, hearing suddenly that there was no one at the Lu family, the strange feeling became even stronger.

Old crafty thief, sure enough, old and cunning, not a good person.

Although he didn't know what the other party was trying to do, it didn't prevent him from speculating about the other party with the greatest malice.

"After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone in the mansion, from the mistress to the young masters and the little young masters, all returned to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors. Only the master remained in the capital."

"What about the servants?"

"The servants also went back with them. Only a gatekeeper and a kitchen woman were left, and neither could handle things. Moreover, there were no carriages in the mansion; the carriages all went back to the ancestral home with the mistress."

Hearing this, Chen Guanlou sneered repeatedly. "No carriages, can't you rent one?"

"But, my master's condition cannot be moved easily! I hope Prison Clerk Chen will be considerate and let the master recuperate in the Heavenly Prison first."

"What kind of joke are you telling? This is the Heavenly Prison; is this a place to recuperate? If he dies in the Heavenly Prison, I can't bear the responsibility." Chen Guanlou scolded the other party sternly; it was simply nonsense.

The old servant shrank back, not daring to speak. However, he always stood still and refused to go rent a carriage.

Chen Guanlou made a decisive decision; just treat it as spending money to avoid disaster, and ordered the prison guards to rent a carriage outside and send Lu Mingchuan away as soon as possible. Whether he dies or not, or how he dies, it doesn't matter, as long as he doesn't die in the Heavenly Prison.

He didn't want to poke a big hole before the new Jiang Jiang Yucheng took office. He didn't want to leave any handle for the new Jiang Jiang Yucheng to have an excuse to remove him from his position. Having finally climbed to the position of managing Prison Clerk of the Jia-character prison, no one should think about pulling him down.

He broke the Heavenly Prison's record at a young age with the shallowest seniority; how many people were jealous, all hoping he would be unlucky, watching him at any time wanting to catch his pigtail.

Was there a prison guard younger than him in the Heavenly Prison?

Yes!

However, the Heavenly Prison had never had anyone at his age who could sit in the position of managing the Jia-character prison. That was the Heavenly Prison's god of wealth.

May I ask, who isn't jealous? Who isn't hoping he will have some trouble, preferably stripped of his position?

This big trouble, Lu Mingchuan, must be removed as soon as possible.

Even if he dies, he must die outside the gate of the Heavenly Prison.

He asked the medical officer, "How is it? What's the situation now?"

"The situation is not very good. Master Lu probably hasn't rested well or eaten well these past few days, which is why he suddenly got sick."

Mu Yiguan Mu put away the silver needles.

"Now he needs quiet rest and cannot be moved easily. Otherwise, the condition may recur at any time, or even worsen."

"That won't do. He must be removed as soon as possible." Chen Guanlou's attitude was very firm, without the slightest room for maneuver.

Mu Yiguan Mu raised his brows slightly. "What happened to make you so nervous? This doesn't look like you. You are a Prison Clerk now; you should be steady."

Steady, my ass.

"I don't know what happened. Master Lu's sudden arrival made me very uneasy. Therefore, he must be removed as soon as possible. You only need to ensure that he is alive before leaving the Heavenly Prison. Even if he dies, he must die outside."

Chen Guanlou's tone revealed a sense of ruthlessness. If necessary, he would certainly take extraordinary measures.

Mu Yiguan Mu frowned. "Could your feeling be wrong? It's calm outside; it's not as scary as you say."

"I would rather believe my own feeling than believe this Master Lu."

Mu Yiguan Mu seemed to understand. "That's true. A famous Confucian scholar in the capital, suddenly visiting the Heavenly Prison a year after his student was imprisoned, no matter how you look at it, it feels weird. Caution is never wrong. Since we want to ensure he leaves the Heavenly Prison alive, I will prick him one more time. To tell the truth, if he dies outside, it really won't implicate you or me, or implicate the Heavenly Prison."

"The Heavenly Prison is not a soft persimmon; it's not something anyone can come and pinch. You think everyone is the Embroidered Uniform Guard next door!"

Up to now, only the Embroidered Uniform Guard next door could easily handle the Heavenly Prison, leaving everyone in the Heavenly Prison with no temper. Other yamens didn't bother to pay attention, just roll to the side.

Hearing this, Mu Yiguan Mu finally felt relieved.

Everything went smoothly, just waiting for the carriage to arrive, and then the person could be sent away.

As a result, the prison guard who went to rent the carriage returned empty-handed.

Chen Guanlou's eyes widened, and the prison guard explained aggrievedly, "The small one ran to three carriage shops, and all of them were closed. On the street, for no reason, suddenly there was no one. However, at the city gate, I heard that government troops had entered the city. The small one didn't know what happened specifically and didn't dare to ask, so I hurried back to report."

Once this was said, Chen Guanlou and Mu Yiguan Mu exchanged a look, and both looked at the unconscious Lu Mingchuan at the same time.

What a crafty old thief!

"The capital is in trouble!"

The two spoke almost in unison.

Although they didn't know specifically what happened, it didn't prevent Chen Guanlou from making the worst plan. Something that could make Lu Mingchuan, this Confucian scholar, hide in the Heavenly Prison to avoid disaster must be a major event that would collapse the sky and the earth.

He said to Mu Yiguan Mu: "Don't go back; stay in the Heavenly Prison. Master Lu chose the Heavenly Prison; it is clear that the Heavenly Prison is the safest place in the capital right now. Come, summon all Prison Clerks for a meeting. Order it down, close the gates, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. Let logistics take inventory of supplies, count the population, and calculate how long the grain and oil can support. Everyone must be prepared for a protracted war."

Following his orders, the entire Heavenly Prison moved. The prison guards were panicked.

Other Prison Clerks, at first, didn't take it seriously and didn't want to pay attention to Chen Guanlou.

What is he? A newly promoted Prison Clerk, what qualifications does he have to summon everyone for a meeting, and what qualifications does he have to be the boss.

However, when everyone learned that something had happened outside and government troops had entered the city, they instantly lost their backbone. They consciously united around Chen Guanlou and listened to his orders.

Closing the Heavenly Prison is a must, and taking inventory of supplies is even more necessary.

"There are still many brothers on shift and vacation, all of whom are at home; should we notify them to come to the Heavenly Prison to take refuge?"

"No one knows what the situation is outside right now; I think it's better to find out first before making a decision."

"What else is there to find out! Lu Mingchuan, it doesn't matter if you don't know him, but you should understand the weight of the words 'famous Confucian scholar in the capital'. This person used the excuse of visiting, and didn't hesitate to fake illness to hide in the Heavenly Prison; think about how big a thing that must be."

"It must be related to the palace."

"Only matters in the palace could make a contemporary Confucian scholar disregard his reputation and hide in the Heavenly Prison to avoid disaster."

"Everyone say less." Chen Guanlou raised his hand vaguely. "My opinion is, although I don't know what happened specifically, everyone should be prepared for the worst. First, the two artillery towers must be cleared, and people should be arranged to patrol."

At the east and west ends of the Heavenly Prison, there was an artillery tower each. They had been abandoned for many years and were only used as decorations. I didn't expect that today, they would be put to use again. ===== CHAPTER 282 =====