Chapter 396: The head started to ache

The imprisoned official who needed mountain spring water to decoct medicine was surnamed Tian, an official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who was quite old, sixty-something.

He had been locked in the Heavenly Prison some time ago, and the charge was "secretly harboring great ambitions and plotting wrongdoing."

With this charge, if said lightly, he wouldn't be able to get out for three to five or seven to eight years. If said heavily, he would have to go to the execution ground to taste the "corpse and head separation" set meal.

Master Tian was old and had all kinds of problems, and he insisted on using mountain spring water to decoct medicine, saying it was a suggestion from the imperial physician. If he used ordinary water to decoct medicine, it wouldn't have any effect. For this reason, the Tian family was willing to send someone to deliver mountain spring water to the Heavenly Prison every day.

But...

Such a big business, how could they let the Tian family send water.

If the Tian family sent water, how would the Heavenly Prison make money?

No way!

Whether it was food, drink, or a pot of water, it had to be handled by the Heavenly Prison prison guards.

Give money!

If you give money, we will satisfy the requirement of using mountain spring water to decoct medicine every day.

The Tian family also knew the prestige of the Heavenly Prison prison guards and knew clearly that the Heavenly Prison was knocking them for a bamboo pole. Knowing it, what could they do? They could only pinch their noses and pay the silver, and let the Heavenly Prison send someone to fetch a pot of mountain spring water outside the city every day to use for decocting medicine.

Using the Tian family's silver to help his own brothers, Chen Guanlou was very skilled at this job. The others in the Jia-block prison had no opinion either. They had plenty of money-making businesses and didn't bother to have conflicts for five qian of silver a day, and they also didn't want to offend people.

Besides, Chen Guanlou took care of Lu Datou today, and tomorrow when they had difficulties, Prison Clerk Chen would definitely take care of them too.

Just after this order was obtained, for the first few days, Lu Datou was still diligent, going out of the city to fetch water early every morning and delivering it to the Heavenly Prison in time.

After a few days, he became lazy and had the idea of spending a little money to hire someone to fetch water.

He discussed it with his wife, used a whole night to communicate, had seven or eight red marks on his face, and finally negotiated the price with his wife, twenty coins a day. Every morning, his wife would go out of the city to fetch water, hand over the money and hand over the water, and then he would carry the mountain spring water to the Heavenly Prison to finish the errand.

Perfect!

After Chen Guanlou learned about this, he shook his head and smiled. At least Sister-in-law Lu had twenty more coins of income every day, solving the daily living expenses. It could barely be called everyone being happy.

Xiao Jin and the others whispered privately, thinking that a rotten person like Lu Datou wasn't worth Chen Guanlou's effort to help, and that he should just let that rotten person rot forever.

"Prison Clerk Chen values friendship!"

"Valuing friendship isn't done like this. That guy Lu Datou, last time we gambled together, he lost and didn't have money to pay the bill, and he still owes me three qian of silver. No, I'll ask him for the debt in a while; are you going?"

"Go, go, go... take advantage of the fact that he has money in his hands, and hurry up and ask for the debt. If it's late, it will be gambled away by him."

"Do you hope Prison Clerk Chen values friendship, or is iron-faced and selfless?"

"Better value friendship. Lu Datou isn't too bad, just a rotten person."

"The Heavenly Prison is full of rotten people."

"Rotten people managing prisoners, a perfect match! Hahaha..."

Everyone laughed and complained a few words, and the matter passed.

Chen Guanlou cared slightly about Master Tian's condition. The Tian family was a local landlord and didn't lack money. Master Tian's son was a filial son and couldn't bear to see Master Tian suffer in prison, but he paid the money for all the charging items opened by the Heavenly Prison in the first time. He belonged to a high-quality customer of the Heavenly Prison.

Treating high-quality customers, Chen Guanlou was always amiable, with a friendly attitude, releasing a little care and warmth from time to time, letting the imprisoned officials feel the fine tradition of the Heavenly Prison following rules and having a bottom line.

Next time they go to jail, strive to come to the Heavenly Prison again to add bricks and tiles to the private accounts of the Heavenly Prison.

"Master Tian, are you used to living here?"

"Prison Clerk Chen is here! Today's steamed bun isn't as good as yesterday's; the dough wasn't fermented well."

"You are right, old man. Recently, that bunch of cooks in the cafeteria are too unreasonable, doing things half-heartedly. It's just a pity that I only manage the Jia-block prison, and the cafeteria side is not under my management."

"Prison Clerk Chen is also not easy."

"Everyone is sharing worries for the court; it's not easy."

Chen Guanlou chatted about family life.

"The weather hasn't been very good these past few days. When the weather is better, I'll arrange for you to go out for some air; do you want to?"

"Can the price of your air-taking be cheaper?" Master Tian was quite moved. The Heavenly Prison was more humane and considerate in management than the neighboring Imperial Prison.

Chen Guanlou's mouth twitched; don't compare the rough Imperial Prison next door with the Heavenly Prison.

That bunch of people in the Imperial Prison only knew how to hit money, with rough, bloody, and violent methods; once the money was in hand, the reputation was also rotten.

It was still the Heavenly Prison that was good, with various set meals, letting the imprisoned officials actively and voluntarily take money out of their pockets, and also getting a good reputation. The Imperial Prison should learn from the Heavenly Prison, learn how to effectively and elegantly take money out of the pockets of imprisoned officials.

That bunch of rough men in the Imperial Prison were all unlearned and unskilled; it was estimated that they would never learn it in their whole life.

"My Master Tian, the Heavenly Prison is poor; hundreds or thousands of people are opening their mouths waiting to eat, and the landlord's family has no surplus grain. It really can't be cheaper! At most, I'll brew a pot of good tea for you and give you an extra portion of snacks."

Master Tian felt a bit heartbroken.

Prison Clerk Chen's heart was black; it was black through and through.

Everyone said he was half a scholar. I really don't know what he learned when he was studying; did he only learn how to take money out of other people's pockets? It was insulting to literature.

"The old man has a few reading notes, all of which are some of my insights and experiences over the years. My few students wanted them, but I didn't give them. Why not give you one, and you give me a few times for free."

Chen Guanlou:...

I don't know if Master Tian was old and dim-sighted, which eye saw that he treasured reading notes? And one for a few times for free, he really dared to open his mouth.

The self-confidence of scholars, Chen Guanlou respectfully declined.

"Thank you, Master Tian, for your kindness. Such precious personal items as reading notes, how can I want them. No, absolutely not. Silver is still suitable, and it's also good for me to report to those above."

Chen Guanlou severely rejected Master Tian's kindness, only wanting money, even if he was beaten to death, he only wanted money. Reading notes, let them stay and eat dust.

Master Tian seemed very disappointed, sighed long, "Prison Clerk Chen, do you know that the old man's reading notes are very popular among scholars."

"I know. Precisely because I know, I can't want them even more. My lord, I don't intend to do the business of literature and imperial examinations." The last sentence, Chen Guanlou deliberately lowered his voice.

"I am a prison guard; doing this business is not appropriate, and it's easy to attract verbal criticism. By then, stealing a chicken won't be able to erode the rice, and it's possible that even the errand won't be kept."

That bunch of young scholars were all angry youths, sprayers, and paranoids. If they knew that a prison guard had stained the reading notes of an academic big shot that scholars cherished most, each of them could not want their lives, and they would also step on him under their feet and spit on him fiercely.

Chen Guanlou loved money, but he knew the principle of taking it in a proper way.

Some money, he didn't earn. He just guarded his one-third of an acre of land and earned the share of money he should earn.

Saying he didn't want to deal with that bunch of angry youths. Just thinking about it, his head had already started to ache. ===== CHAPTER 397 =====