Chapter 305

In the office, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei met with the various prison clerks. They were introduced, and throughout the entire process, he was all smiles, his attitude extremely amiable.

Before coming to assume his post, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei had clearly already familiarized himself with the resumes of the various prison clerks, and he also understood that as the Heavenly Jiang Jiang Yucheng, he only needed to keep a tight grip on the three major prisons: Jia, Yi, and Bing. As for the logistics side, his predecessor and his predecessor's predecessor had never been qualified to interfere, so he was even less qualified to do so, and he had no intention of interfering either. Following established practices, everything was handled according to the old rules. This was the wisdom of navigating the officialdom.

Unless one had sufficient backing and was sufficiently greedy, one would not break the existing rules of the game. Clearly, while he had backing, he had not reached the level where he could change the rules of the game.

The prison clerks were also very well-versed in the rules and presented generous welcoming gifts.

The private secretary brought by Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei accepted the gift money on his behalf. He only needed to weigh it in his hand to know that it was full in weight and full in sincerity.

It was no wonder everyone said the Heavenly Jiang Jiang Yucheng was a lucrative post, no wonder this position was fought over so fiercely, and no wonder a new warden had to be changed every two or three years.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei pondered that he would only be in the warden's position for about two or three years. He had to seize the time to rake in money! Above, he had to be worthy of the benefactor who promoted and cultivated him; below, he had to be worthy of his own efforts.

After some polite and encouraging words, he sent off the various prison clerks, but kept Chen Guanlou behind alone to talk.

Chen Guanlou stood ready, posture upright, with an attitude of respectfully listening to his superior's instructions. Regardless of what he was thinking inside, at least this attitude of his clearly pleased Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei nodded secretly; he was a person who knew the score. This was excellent!

"The Jia-sized prison holds officials who have offended the imperial court; this is the top priority of the Heavenly Prison. Before I assumed my post, the head of the Ministry of Justice gave instructions, requiring me to ensure the stability of the Jia-sized prison without fail. I do not wish to see a repeat of what happened last year."

"My lord is right. Last year, there were many accidents in the Jia-sized prison; it was because we did not do our jobs well. Previously, things were not peaceful in the market, and everyone was filled with fear. Now that you have finally arrived, everyone in the Jia-sized prison is like a long-awaited rain after a drought. From now on, under your wise leadership, the Jia-sized prison will certainly change its appearance, perform our duties more diligently, and not fail the expectations of our superiors."

Chen Guanlou expressed his stance firmly and decisively, flattering Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei without a trace.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei felt completely refreshed. He himself had not studied for many days and only knew a few more characters than most prison guards. In his past experience, he had rarely dealt with scholars. To be honest, this was the first time he had enjoyed such subtle and refined flattery as he did today. The flattery he had enjoyed in the past was so direct that he felt embarrassed just hearing it. Scholars really did speak nicely; it was truly pleasant and comfortable.

He laughed heartily, his first impression of Chen Guanlou being extremely good. "Before I came, many people said you were a capable person in the Heavenly Prison. No matter how troublesome the matter, as long as it was handed to you, it could certainly be handled well. Originally, I still had some doubts, but seeing you today, I know that everyone was not speaking blindly."

"My lord is too kind. I am merely fulfilling my duty; everything depends on the wise leadership and proper instruction of you and the previous lords."

Chen Guanlou remained calm, taking the opportunity to also praise the two previous wardens. One must not complain about an old superior in front of a new one the moment the old one leaves; this was a major taboo in the workplace, and likewise a major taboo in officialdom. One must praise everyone. Unless the two successive superiors had irreconcilable conflicts, that would require a different strategy.

"This is excellent!" Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei's smile faded. "You first introduce the situation of the Jia-sized prison."

Chen Guanlou's brows twitched slightly. "I wonder which aspect you wish to hear about, personnel or finance?"

"Oh?" Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei's heart stirred, and instantly there was a tacit understanding. "Hmm, why not start with finance first. Nowadays, every yamen is crying poverty, and the Ministry of Revenue's allocations are slower year by year. I don't know what the situation is in the Heavenly Prison, and whether there are instances of insufficient expenditure?"

Chen Guanlou understood in his heart; this was another one who had come to rake in money.

Raking in money was good!

A warden who raked in money was the easiest to deal with. If it were a warden who didn't care about money and only wanted to achieve some results, that would be the greatest misfortune for the prison guards of the Heavenly Prison; not only would they be exhausted from dealing with it, but their income would likely plummet as well.

And so, Chen Guanlou began to introduce the financial situation of the Jia-sized prison.

Meanwhile, the other prison clerks were all distracted, having only taken a casual look at the prison before running to the east wing office to drink tea, their eyes fixed on the warden's office, speculating on the conversation between the two.

By the time Chen Guanlou finished talking with Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei, an hour had passed.

As soon as he walked into the east wing office, the gazes of all the prison clerks fell upon him, their eyes shining like cats seeing fish.

"What's the situation?"

"What kind of person is Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei?"

"Did you probe him out?"

Everyone spoke at once, eager yet forced to lower their voices, trying their best to appear calm. They were all old hands and could not be as impatient as young people who had never seen the world.

Chen Guanlou sat down at his desk, wanting to drink tea, and the teacup was already at his side.

These prison clerks were all very attentive when serving people, provided one made them willing. Otherwise, one had to guard against something untoward being mixed into one's food and drink.

Chen Guanlou drank half a cup of tea in one breath, scanned the crowd, and only spoke when everyone was waiting impatiently: "Rest assured, follow the old rules."

"Haha, following the old rules is fine." Upon hearing this, the prison clerks breathed a sigh of relief one after another.

Raking in money was good! A warden who raked in money was a good warden.

"Is the appetite big?"

"I chatted with Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei and exchanged a few words with his private secretary. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei seems to be carrying debt, so everyone needs to be more accommodating in the early stages. The split ratio follows the old rules, but I hope the amount can be a bit more."

"You mean increasing the apportionment for the prisoners."

Chen Guanlou said with a smile: "This is also good for us, isn't it? We increased a portion of the apportionment in the Jia-sized prison, and at the same time improved the living environment of the cells; the prisoner officials are basically very satisfied with the response. When everyone collects money, just make some changes along the way, and I believe the prisoners will understand and cooperate."

"Those who don't cooperate will be sent to the torture room to see blood." The prison clerks had no psychological burden regarding squeezing the prisoners. As long as they could handle their superiors well, everyone's job would be stable.

Torturing prisoners was the rule. As for the Jia-sized prison, it was not within the scope of everyone's worry; anyway, Chen Guanlou always had ways to achieve his goals through bloodless means. Scholars were just insidious!

"Is there a specific amount for the increase?" Xu Fugui asked.

Chen Guanlou said solemnly: "It would be best to increase it by ten percent."

"So much? Wouldn't that be too greedy?" The prison clerks felt slightly dissatisfied, beginning to miss the days when Master Fan was the warden. Master Fan was a proper scholar and would be mindful of decency when taking money. Master Niu was at least an old hand in officialdom and knew the principle of long-term gains. When it came to Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei, a guy from a rogue background who hadn't studied for many days, his way of eating was indeed the ugliest.