Chapter 295

"Wait until the Crown Prince is deposed before opening the gates—it's not too late." Chen Guanlou said casually.

"You can't just say things like that!"

"The Crown Prince is perfectly fine—why must he be deposed?"

"Forget the Crown Prince—think about ourselves. We've been locked in Tianlaomiao for half a month; I can't take it anymore. Let's vote right now—should we open the gates or not?"

Those who clung to hope and longed for normal life ultimately prevailed; by show of hands, most agreed to open the gates and restore order.

Tianlaomiao isn't a vital part of Jingcheng—the soldiers have no reason to guard it, let alone come raid it.

"If they truly wanted to raid it, they'd have done so already."

"With order restored in Jingcheng, the palace must have made progress."

"Whether the Crown Prince is deposed or not—what does it have to do with us jailers?"

"Besides, Tianlaomiao needs cleaning. Otherwise, an epidemic is inevitable."

This final point struck home. The sanitation in Tianlaomiao was deplorable—not from laziness, but because there was no space to dispose of garbage and excrement. Hundreds of people eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating produced a massive amount of waste daily. If not cleared soon, as the weather warmed, an epidemic was unavoidable.

Another issue: though the jailers hadn't starved, they'd eaten nothing but steamed buns and pickled vegetables for half a month—no fresh meat or vegetables at all. It was unbearable.

Everyone was eager to go out and improve their meals; logistics also needed to procure supplies.

Boom!

The gates, sealed for half a month, finally opened.

The jailers cheered and laughed—they could finally go home, resume normal shifts, visit gambling dens and brothels.

Chen Guanlou couldn't stop them, nor did he want to. He only warned the men in the Jia-cell block: "This isn't over. Stay alert when you're outside. Don't linger out at night. If any of you get killed by soldiers during this time, you deserve it—no one will hear your complaints."

"Don't worry, my lord—we all value our lives."

"Good. Knowing you value your lives is enough."

Chen Guanlou walked home along the street.

With order restored, the Five City Garrison Command returned to the streets to maintain cleanliness and commerce. He witnessed firsthand how the Five City Garrison faced off against soldiers—only to retreat first. The soldiers strutted away, flaunting their power.

Chen Guanlou ate a quick meal at a street stall, then returned home to wash and change. After lying down for half the day, he carried meat, vegetables, and wine to Du Fuzi's house to share a meal.

Du's old servant saw him, eyes lighting up, hurriedly took the meat and vegetables, pointed toward the study, and went off to the kitchen.

"Du Fuzi, I've come to see you."

"Little Chen! I haven't congratulated you on your promotion—you're an official jailer now, impressive!"

"An official jailer? What's so impressive about that?"

"Rising to jailer through your own merit—do you know how rare that is in any yamen? Many serve their whole lives as jailers without ever touching the rank. You've done it in just a few years—clear proof of your ability."

Du Fuzi lavished praise, extolling Chen Guanlou again and again, saying he was born for the bureaucracy. Now that he was jailer, with effort, he might even become jail supervisor. If he had ambition, he should take the imperial exams. With a degree, he could enter the Ministry of Justice's official ranks. With the Chen surname as leverage, he might achieve something great.

Chen Guanlou stared, speechless, laughing and grimacing at once. "I've just become jailer—and you're already imagining me serving in the Ministry of Justice?"

"Think big, or you'll have no direction. Without direction, you have no plan. You have an advantage no one else has—you're backed by Hou Fu. They'd gladly support a capable clansman. But you must speak up yourself—don't wait for others to act."

Du Fuzi's hunger for fame and fortune had never dimmed—it had only grown fiercer over the years.

Chen Guanlou shook his head with a smile. "I'm not thinking that far. As long as I eat, drink, and make money, I'm fine. I hate trouble. Tianlaomiao pays well and has little work—it's better than most places. Aside from its bad reputation and poor conditions, it has no flaws."

"You're truly undemanding," Du Fuzi grumbled, deeply dissatisfied with his apathy.

Chen Guanlou spread his hands. "I used to be picky—until I nearly starved. Better to be realistic: if you're making money, don't complain about poor conditions or bad reputation. I'm not a scholar, not a bureaucrat—my reputation doesn't matter."

"You're still too young, too narrow-minded. Reputation—what else is life for? Isn't that what people live for?"

Chen Guanlou said nothing. In today's social structure and reality, reputation truly mattered above all else—from village peasants to court magnates, everyone chased it.

Look at the Emperor—he tormented himself endlessly, all just to save face. He'd act, but forbid anyone from speaking—covering his ears while stealing a bell, trying to hide his face until the people raged against him.

"I've been locked in Tianlaomiao for so long—what's the situation at Hou Fu now? Still training?"

"Training! They drill every day—at least half a day. Many can't take it and feign illness to skip. Second Master has flown into two rages, but it's useless. Though Second Master seems powerful on the surface, most of your clan despise him. If First Master were here, one order would make everyone obey—no one would dare slack off."

"Status and prestige—both are essential. Second Master has nothing but status—he's got nothing else. Of course no one respects him—not even me." Chen Guanlou said.

"But Second Master went to the palace yesterday—and hasn't returned yet. It seems the Crown Prince's deposition is about to be decided."

The Crown Prince's deposition was no longer secret. Over half a month of secrecy and whispers, everyone who needed to know knew. Anyone with half a brain understood the source of the chaos in Jingcheng—only no one dared speak openly. Outside the capital, wherever the news spread, the old Emperor had been cursed to the point of being called a piece of filth!

"Foolish monarch" was too mild a term for the old Emperor's madness.

He was a ruler who ruined the nation and harmed the people—he didn't deserve the dragon throne. Even the northern campaign against rebels had grown half-hearted, distracted, their blades dulled.

"The old Emperor insists on deposing the Crown Prince. The ministers have fought for so long—and still no real turning point. It seems the deposition is now inevitable."

"That bunch in the Political Council are useless," Du Fuzi cursed. "In every dynasty, no Political Council has been weaker than this one. Back in the late Emperor's reign, not even an order to mobilize troops would leave Jingcheng—let alone deposing the Crown Prince. The Political Council would've forced the Emperor to hide in the inner palace and never show his face."