Chapter 330: Don

Leaving Qiu Defu's mansion, Chen Guanlou went straight to find Master Du for a drink, deciding to abandon his plan of spending another half-month sleeping in brothels.

Master Du, bothered by the heat, sat in the courtyard with his robe open, sipping tea and holding a palm-leaf fan. Seeing him arrive, he called out, "Let's play another game," and ordered the old servant to set up the chessboard.

On a scorching summer day, only chess could make one forget the sweltering weather.

"Bring some chilled mung bean soup too."

"Good idea," Master Du told the old servant to prepare it quickly.

"Is the Heavenly Prison busy lately?"

The two chatted idly as they played.

"Not particularly busy. The ones doing the work are the subordinates." Since his promotion, Chen Guanlou had far more leisure than before. Any task could be delegated; he no longer needed to handle everything himself or meddle in every detail.

That's why Xiao Fan could spend years slacking off, and Lei Yucheng didn't need to clock in at the Heavenly Prison every day.

Everyone was self-taught; as long as they weren't caught by superiors, they did whatever they could to avoid work.

Having served under four prison wardens and maintained close ties with three of them, Fan Warden was the most self-disciplined, truly embodying the demeanor of an official. Whether there was work or not, he almost always clocked in at the Heavenly Prison—even reading books, he preferred to do so in the office. This sharply distinguished him from Warden Niu and Warden Lei.

There truly is a great difference between those who read and those who don't.

By "reading" here, it means passing the imperial examinations.

Fan Warden had a strong ambition to climb upward; becoming a warden wasn't merely for making money. Of course, making money was still the top priority.

Warden Niu and Warden Lei cared only for money. With money, promotion and wealth would follow.

One seeks money to achieve promotion and wealth; the other seeks money for its own sake, only considering promotion and wealth after acquiring it. There is a fundamental difference between the two.

"Since you're not busy, read more books. If you're inclined, take the imperial exams. You're still young."

Chen Guanlou laughed.

Master Du remained unchanged, always bringing up reading and passing the exams—the path to fame and fortune!

"I read not to pass exams, but to learn more."

Otherwise, next time I encounter a technique like The Ascension Record, I won't understand it and will look like an illiterate.

"It's good to want to learn; you might as well take the exams—it's a way to honor your ancestors."

"Chen clan has no shortage of talent; honoring our ancestors isn't my duty. Besides, the Chen family rose through military merit, not through scholarly exams. Master, don't ruin the Chen family's martial feng shui."

Master Du, furious, puffed out his beard and glared, his whiskers trembling, "How could I possibly ruin the Marquis's feng shui? Don't you go spreading nonsense."

Chen Guanlou chuckled, "So just stop. Even if a Chen clan member passed the imperial exams, what then? Do you think the scholarly elite will accept the Chens, or the civil bureaucracy? Between them, there's a natural barrier—don't force it."

Master Du opened his mouth but couldn't reply; after a long pause, he said, "I can't argue with you. But having an official title still brings more opportunities."

"I have plenty of opportunities for advancement—I just don't care."

He'd already clung to a Grand Master's leg—what's so appealing about a conventional career? Would passing the provincial exam get a girl to gift him twenty thousand taels in silver notes?

Was clinging to a Grand Master's leg fake?

He'd clung to Zhong Susu's leg; Zhong Susu had clung to Cheng Lingzi's leg; didn't that mean, rounded off, he'd clung to a Grand Master's leg?

Even if you step back, he had Wei Wubing's black jade pendant—wasn't that enough to bluff his way through? Who would dare go to Wei Wubing to verify the truth?

Rich, powerful, and happy. Spend leisure time reading books and sipping tea, with two beautiful girls attending to you—easy win!

"We'll see how long you keep up this stubbornness," Master Du grumbled, focusing hard on his next move.

Chen Guanlou grinned, "Tomorrow I'll bring over some good food—calm down, Master."

"I'm not angry—I'm heartbroken over a promising talent being wasted."

"Thank you for seeing such potential in me. Back when I studied at the clan's private school, they all called me a blockhead." Chen Guanlou then grinned smugly, clearly proud of his blockhead lifestyle.

Master Du couldn't understand at all.

The old man and the young man agreed on money, but their views on life were separated by an unbridgeable chasm.

Seeing Master Du was truly upset, Chen Guanlou told him good news: "A business opportunity has come to me. Someone wants to sell paintings and antiques urgently—tomorrow, we'll set a time, and you'll inspect the goods for me."

Master Du immediately perked up. "The Master isn't at home—so who are you planning to sell this batch to?"

"Should we still go to Li the Shopkeeper at Sitong?"

But Master Du lowered his voice. "That might not be safe."

"Why not?"

"You know Sitong has shares owned by Prince Zhong. Now that Prince Zhong has been deposed, Sitong has become a target. Recently, I heard from someone at the Marquis's household that the Second Young Lady seems interested in getting involved. Li the Shopkeeper probably can't make decisions anymore."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow. "The Second Young Lady has such a big appetite? She dares to snatch food from Prince Zhong's mouth?"

"Who else would dare?" Master Du sighed.

Chen Guanlou sneered, "He's merely been deposed—he hasn't lost his title of Imperial Prince. He's still a Prince of the Blood. By status, how does the Second Young Lady have the confidence to snatch from him? Is she just using the Master's military power as a shield? Such a major move—why isn't the Grand Matriarch intervening? Why isn't the Chief Steward asking? Why isn't the First Branch even concerned?"

He was genuinely surprised.

Anyone with eyes could see the old Emperor now felt guilt and was compensating Prince Zhong in every way possible—beyond power.

Arresting officials from the Crown Prince's court was about tightening imperial authority and purging the Crown Prince's faction. Compensating Prince Zhong materially and promoting officials who had steadfastly supported him was the old father making amends to his beloved son.

During this period, every official promoted was not from the Crown Prince's circle—they weren't his subordinates. Though they supported the deposed Crown Prince, they posed no threat to imperial power. Their verbal support was tolerated by the old Emperor.

Under these circumstances, how could the Second Young Lady and her group have the confidence to snatch from Prince Zhong? If word reached the old Emperor, he'd surely make an example of them.

Only he himself may mistreat his beloved son; anyone else mistreating him is challenging imperial authority, defying him as a loving father—every one of them deserves death!

"They'll definitely intervene," Master Du stroked his beard. "The Second Young Lady is a money-grubber—she won't give up until she's been punished. The key is, someone's leading this."

"Who? Who dares to bully Prince Zhong right now? Does he think Prince Zhong is a soft target?"

"The Gao family," Master Du whispered.

"The Gao family?"

"Yes—that Gao family."

Chen Guanlou raised his brow—it made sense.

The Gao family of Imperial Consort Gao was a formidable clan indeed.