Chapter 386: The Tiger Doesn

"What fire is Prisoner Chen firing? I don't recall ever offending you."

Xie Changling adopted an air of moral righteousness, projecting an image of lofty virtue, determined to overpower Chen Guanlou with his demeanor and presence.

Chen Guanlou's face contorted with mockery as he let out a cold laugh, shattering the other's aura: "You're sure you never offended me? You lot, corrupt officials locked away, still refuse to repent, stirring up trouble every single day."

"Because of you, two of my jailers lost their lives. Of course, to you high-and-mighty types, jailers' lives are like weeds in the field—cut one crop, another grows; worthless, even less than ants. You don't care, but I do. You've crossed my line."

Xie Changling frowned, speaking with unshakable conviction, "The jailers' deaths have nothing to do with me."

"Whether it's your fault or not doesn't matter—what matters is that you lot break the rules and cross the line. I'm unhappy, so no one else gets to be happy. This is my territory, and I call the shots. Starting today, cancel meat, cancel rice and flour—all of you eat spoiled food and swill. If you can't take it, go die. Meal service suspended, laborers sent home on leave. This is all your own doing."

Chen Guanlou delivered his ultimatum, gave the order, and the gates of the Jia-class prison were sealed shut, leaving only a narrow passage for food carriers to enter and exit. All jailers vacated their posts; all laborers responsible for cleaning the latrine buckets were paid off and sent home to rest.

And only one meal per day, half a gourd of water.

He intended to suffocate, stink, and starve these arrogant officials to death.

If they dared to pass messages, fine—but if they dared to kill, let them not blame him for striking back hard.

Within a single day, the imprisoned officials could no longer endure it.

Hunger was bearable; one meal of spoiled food and swill, they could still endure. What they couldn't bear was the latrine buckets—no laborers came to empty or clean them. By day's end, the entire prison reeked of feces and urine, as if they were living inside a cesspit, driving them mad with itching and torment.

The weather made it essential to empty and scrub the buckets daily. Previously, laborers arrived early each morning to clean, sweep, and disinfect.

No one thought it mattered much.

Only after one day did they realize: the prison could lose anyone—but not the laborers.

By the second day, they were starving, the air thick with stench, as if they'd been submerged in a cesspit for years.

By the third day, some had abandoned their dignity and begun eating the spoiled food and drinking the swill—for survival, no shame.

By the fourth day, some collapsed from exhaustion, receiving only a small cup of water to keep them from dying.

The Jia-class prison had become a giant cesspool.

The officials were going mad.

Chen Guanlou had flexed his power to avenge the dead jailers, and every soul in the Jia-class prison naturally stood behind him.

But as time passed, some grew uneasy, fearing disaster and becoming collateral damage. They secretly reported it.

Lei Yucheng rushed to Tianlaomiao and summoned Chen Guanlou to the office.

"Prisoner Chen, what are you trying to do? What madness is this? That's the Jia-class prison—inside are court officials. How dare you act like this? Immediately open the gates and let the jailers in. If someone dies, I want to know how you'll handle it. I won't take the blame for you."

"My lord, no need to panic," Chen Guanlou said calmly. "I know my limits."

"What you've done is knowing your limits? Do you even know how to write the word 'limits'? Open the gates immediately. Today, the Jia-class prison must return to normal. Those inside—we can't afford to offend them. You understand this better than anyone. Don't be foolish."

Chen Guanlou smiled faintly, bowing his head, "My lord is right—we can't afford to offend them. That's why I sealed the Jia-class prison, allowing only food carriers to enter and exit, ensuring no news leaks. My lord, rest assured: the officials' families will never learn of this."

"They don't know now—but won't they know later? When those officials are released and remember today's suffering, you'll be dead."

"Perfect. I'd like to find out which official has such long arms—killing one jailer wasn't enough, now they're coming for me."

"The two jailers who died? Pure accidents. How can you take it out on them?"

"Master Lei has crossed more bridges than I've eaten salt. Do you believe it was an accident?"

Lei Yucheng paused, then his face darkened, "Even if it wasn't an accident, what then? Jailers' lives are worthless. You're not new to this job."

"Exactly. So I don't plan to make them pay with their lives—just make them suffer a little, learn the way of men, stick to their place, stick to the rules, and stop killing at the drop of a hat, crossing the line."

Chen Guanlou spoke lightly, utterly dismissive of Lei Yucheng's fury.

"You—you—you—what will it take for you to restore order in the Jia-class prison?"

"Wait two more days. When they've suffered enough, the Jia-class prison will return to order."

"Two more days? They'll be dead."

"Let them die. Tianlaomiao has monthly death quotas, my lord, no need to worry. Besides, these officials have strong wills to live—they won't die easily. I haven't even starved them."

"That's not food—that's humiliation."

"Humiliation? I didn't feel it."

"Chen Guanlou…" Lei Yucheng's beard trembled with rage. Since Master Fu's incident, Lei Yucheng had noticed his control over Tianlaomiao slipping. Then came a mysterious official order sending Chen Guanlou on a distant escort mission—he returned without the prisoners, and suddenly, he couldn't control Chen Guanlou anymore.

No one could remove Chen Guanlou from his position as jailer.

Even if Lei Yucheng tried to file paperwork to dismiss him, the documents were always returned.

Chen Guanlou was a nail, firmly driven into the Jia-class prison's ground—no matter who became jailer, they could never pull him out.

Like the tightly bonded Tianlaomiao logistics crew—untouchable.

Chen Guanlou had quietly become the second leader of Tianlaomiao's power bloc. No one spoke of it aloud; everyone understood it silently.

Lei Yucheng had wondered: had Hou Fu intervened on Chen Guanlou's behalf? But could such a vast marquis house really care about a lowly jailer's post?

Hou Fu doesn't watch the imperial court—what use is watching Tianlaomiao?!

Then someone else must be protecting Chen Guanlou, ensuring he stays in that position.

What could Lei Yucheng do? He could only accept his fate.

Money in Tianlaomiao was easy to make—a known fact. But this place, especially the jailer's post? Truly not fit for humans—squeezed from both sides.

Ever since Chen Guanlou led the way, the jailers had grown bolder, turning heaven upside down.

"My lord, go home and drink tea. I've got this under control—no need for you to interfere, lest you dirty your hands. If superiors ask, I'll take full responsibility—no trouble for you. And don't worry about this month's revenue—I'll ensure every copper is paid in full."

Chen Guanlou spoke his piece, rose, and left.