Chapter 355: Curiosity killed the cat

"Your Highness, calm your anger! Could there be some misunderstanding in this?"

"There is no misunderstanding. This Prince knows Yu Zhaoan's temper well. The court officials all mistakenly think that Yu Zhaoan will look after this Prince and plan for this Prince. Little do they know, this person is a selfish ghost through and through; if there is no sufficient benefit to move him, he gives no one face."

The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth, hating him to the extreme in his heart.

He really couldn't understand why Yu Zhaoan, newly appointed as Prime Minister, would come out to impeach the Prince of Zhong at such an important juncture.

The Prince of Zhong had already been deposed; what was the use of impeaching him? It was truly a waste of paper. It would be better to impeach the rebel Prince of Chu, win the status of the leader who defeated the Prince of Chu, and take the opportunity to take charge of quelling the rebellion, holding military and financial power, and calling the wind and rain.

It sounded like a daydream, but the Prince of Jin thought that if Yu Zhaoan were willing, he would have the opportunity to do it. It had always been like this; as long as it was something Yu Zhaoan wanted to do, there was nothing he couldn't accomplish. Even if everyone didn't look favorably upon it, and everyone thought it was whimsical, Yu Zhaoan still had the ability to achieve his goal.

"Does Your Highness want to submit a memorial to plead guilty?" the strategist asked softly, "To timely distance yourself from Prime Minister Yu."

The Prince of Jin held his forehead, frowning in deep thought.

"If this Prince submits a memorial to plead guilty, will Father Emperor conclude that this Prince is trying to cover up, hiding unspeakable intentions?"

This...

It was very likely.

After all, the old Emperor had reached the late stage of paranoia; this was a recognized fact.

"Should we do nothing and sit by while Yu Zhaoan ruins Your Highness's reputation?"

"How about Your Highness enters the palace and pleads guilty to His Majesty in person?"

"This move will only make this Prince appear guilty." The Prince of Jin felt annoyed; Yu Zhaoan had given him a difficult problem—advancing was not an option, and retreating was not an option; it could be called a dilemma.

"Should we let the Princess enter the palace and talk to the Empress? Let the Empress come forward and mediate for Your Highness?"

"His Majesty hasn't been to the harem for a long time. Concubines in the harem are not allowed to enter the Taiji Palace without an edict."

Obviously, the harem strategy was not feasible in reality.

The Prince of Jin felt restless inside and waved his hand, "Stop talking. Let this Prince think about it carefully."

"Your Highness, why not invite Prime Minister Yu to the mansion as a guest and have a good chat?"

"This strategy is excellent. However, the mansion is not suitable; Prime Minister Yu certainly won't come. Better to meet outside, preferably in disguise."

The Prince of Jin nodded secretly, approving of the strategist's method.

It was indeed time to meet Yu Zhaoan and have a good talk.

If Yu Zhaoan wanted to go crazy, that was fine. But don't drag him into the water.

He was indeed eyeing that position, but that didn't mean he wanted to be the first bird to be shot.

With so many brothers, let the others charge first; he would watch the situation from behind and cheer, and it wouldn't be too late to take action. The old man's body, looking at it, probably had several more years to live. Rushing out now would easily make him cannon fodder.

The Prince of Zhong was the best warning.

A dignified eldest son, without committing any unforgivable mistakes, was deposed just like that. He was just one of many Imperial Princes and wouldn't be arrogant enough to think he had a better chance than the Prince of Zhong.

Of course, if there was an opportunity to step on the Prince of Zhong, he would definitely lift his foot and step hard.

Chen Guanlou was drinking tea in the office. There was a basin of ice in the room to lower the temperature, and in his hand was a bowl of iced mung bean soup, which he drank very comfortably.

Xiao Jin came in from outside, carrying the heat of summer. He squatted in front of the ice basin and fanned himself vigorously.

"It's still most comfortable here with the Boss."

"The duty room below is also quite cool." Chen Guanlou flipped through the outdated court gazettes, reading with great interest.

Half of the duty room was underground, drawing the earth's chill, which was quite cool. It was just too cold and damp; staying in such an environment for a long time was bad for the body. Don't blame the prison guards for slacking off; everyone came to make money, not to throw their lives away. Completing the basic patrol tasks and slipping out to slack off and bask in the sun was truly normal.

"No matter how cool the duty room is, it can't compare to the Boss's office." Xiao Jin chuckled.

Chen Guanlou gave a hum, "Are the prisoners alright?"

"Boss, rest assured, the prisoners are adapting well. Only Zhang Wenfu is still having diarrhea. The medical official changed the prescription, but the effect isn't very good."

"That's because his mental pressure is too high, which manifests in his body as diarrhea; don't worry about him. After a long time, when he completely adapts to the environment, it will improve. Is there anything else?"

Chen Guanlou looked at the other person, clearly seeing that he was hesitating to speak.

Xiao Jin hesitated for a moment, "There is something, I don't know if I should say it or not."

"What is there that can't be said? Speak." Chen Guanlou signaled for the other person to close the doors and windows to prevent anyone from barging in.

After Xiao Jin closed the doors and windows, he deliberated and said: "Regarding that nameless prisoner in the depths of the Heavenly Prison, the handyman who was responsible for delivering food previously confessed some things."

"What things?"

"Someone secretly went to visit that nameless prisoner."

Someone secretly visited Wang Qiren?

Chen Guanlou beckoned for Xiao Jin to explain in detail.

"The handyman recalled that there were two times in total. I compared the time; one time was during the period when the cult bandit Zhang Daohe was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. When the handyman went to deliver food, he found oil stains on the corner of the nameless prisoner's mouth, clearly someone had secretly visited the nameless prisoner and even brought food. Another time, seven or eight days before the nameless prisoner passed away, the handyman found a clear palm print on the railing. Boss, there is a traitor among us."

"Don't say it so harshly; there are no traitors in our team, at most there are a few insiders who take money to do things."

Chen Guanlou corrected Xiao Jin's statement in an understated manner.

Xiao Jin was a bit confused and asked cautiously: "Does the Boss mean that this matter won't be investigated?"

"The person is already dead; what do you want to investigate? Don't create side issues. With so many prison guards in the Heavenly Prison, ask around and see who hasn't secretly taken money to help pass messages or give special care to a prisoner?"

Chen Guanlou picked up the bowl and drank the remaining iced mung bean soup in one gulp.

"Insiders can't be cleared out. It's the Heavenly Prison, after all, imprisoning people from all walks of life and harboring all kinds of shady dealings. Just turn a blind eye to some things. If you really want to investigate, how do you plan to investigate?"

"I compared the duty roster and screened out more than twenty names. If the Boss wants to investigate, we can start from these people."

Chen Guanlou beckoned, and Xiao Jin immediately handed over the list.

Looking at the familiar or unfamiliar names, Chen Guanlou burned and destroyed the list in front of Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin both understood and didn't understand.

Chen Guanlou said to him, "Your current status is a squad leader; your task is to take good care of the prisoners under your charge, manage your prison guards and your own little patch of land, and hand over the money in full and on time; let's all get rich together. Don't do unnecessary things.

Insiders, heh, the Heavenly Prison is like a sieve; it would be abnormal if there were no insiders. If you want to investigate, what if you investigate someone extraordinary? How would you clean up the mess? This job in the Heavenly Prison, it's safe if you say it's safe, and dangerous if you say it's dangerous. I hope everyone can live safely until they are old." ===== CHAPTER 356 =====