Chapter 412: Waging a Public Opinion War

The elder uncle of the clan acted swiftly, gathering a group of people who did not rush into the ancestral hall to argue, but instead spread a rumor—or fact—with extremely high credibility.

Chen Guanqing was merely a pawn sent to charge ahead; the real situation was that powerful figures within the clan—likely several members of the Clan Elders' Council—had set their sights on Chen Guanlou's source of antiques and calligraphy, intending to seize control of this business. They dispatched Chen Guanqing to probe the waters first.

When the probe failed, they activated Plan B: again using Chen Guanqing as the pawn, they smeared and solidified accusations against Chen Guanlou—abusing power, moral corruption, vile character—and ultimately forced him to surrender his source of antiques and calligraphy under the pretext of atonement, turning him into a tool for others' profit.

This chain of schemes, combined with events already unfolding and Chen Guanqing's reputation, perfectly matched the public's favorite conspiracy theories.

Nothing in the world is eternal; the only eternity is gossip, the conspiracy theory. Even after two thousand years, countless people still rush forward to depict, speculate, and analyze every incident from the Qin Shi Huang era—filled with vast amounts of baseless conspiracy theories—yet they remain endlessly fascinated, utterly addicted.

The elder uncle of the clan had clearly mastered this skill on his own: the more bizarre, the more outlandish, the more unconventional the rumor, the more people would flock to support it, and its sphere of influence would swell further.

Does the truth matter?

It matters greatly!

But people simply adore melodrama; the more outrageous the story, the more it is praised.

The events surrounding Chen Guanlou, layered with his identity—an orphan, a jailer of Tianlaomiao, a man who amassed wealth through ruthless means, isolated within his clan—plus a competent screenwriter, and he becomes the very embodiment of melodrama.

Melodramatic Chen Guanlou: …

After all, I was betrayed!

He was clearly a modern youth, a law-abiding, upright citizen, yet he became the very definition of melodrama.

The elder uncle of the clan began his public opinion war, aiming to occupy the moral high ground and launch a total strike. Meanwhile, what was Chen Guanlou, the central figure of this melodrama, doing?

Naturally, he went to work as usual.

Let them use his identity and background however they like, spin any story they please—as long as they don't cast him as the villain. If they insist on making him the villain, then to live up to that role, he'd have to act like one—do the things villains do. He was looking forward to it.

Ancient-style public opinion warfare wasn't about who had the fastest internet, but who shouted loudest, who had the most people, and who told the better story. Behind the scenes, it was a contest over how to distribute benefits—who could offer enough incentives would win more supporters.

Chen Guanlou participated in none of this; he merely set the stage, provoking the conflict, then swept his sleeves and quietly stepped back, taking a prime seat to watch the show.

His silent coordination with the elder uncle of the clan proved they were both clever men, equally skilled at seizing opportunities.

Master Du, watching the chaos, muttered to himself, "You said you wouldn't cause trouble—now it's turned into a boiling pot."

Chen Guanlou strolled calmly into Tianlaomiao, making final preparations to welcome the rebel leader, Da Ming Wang.

Lei Yucheng had been unusually diligent these days—arriving punctually every day, checking progress constantly, his expression a mix of excitement, agitation, and a faint fear of being made to bear the blame.

Yet whenever fear gripped him, seeing Chen Guanlou was like seeing a savior—he instantly straightened his back, brimming with confidence and fighting spirit.

"Will Da Ming Wang arrive at this time tomorrow?" Lei Yucheng asked.

Chen Guanlou grunted, "According to official notice, he should arrive at this time tomorrow."

"Are all preparations ready?"

"Your Excellency, rest assured—everything is arranged. Three shifts, eight men per shift, rotating guard duty. All meals must be tasted before being delivered to the cell. The physician is on standby at all times. Everything is done to ensure the rebel Da Ming Wang remains safe, healthy, and alive until next spring's Heaven-Worship Ceremony."

"Exactly! The Heaven-Worship Ceremony is paramount—Da Ming Wang must not suffer any mishap in Tianlaomiao."

"Your Excellency, there is one matter I must consult you on."

"Speak."

"With Tianlaomiao's current defenses, we cannot repel martial artists attempting a jailbreak. If Da Ming Wang's followers, still harboring rebellious intent, come to the capital to storm the prison—or hire martial artists to do so—what then? This requires Your Excellency's attention."

Lei Yucheng gasped, his heart pounding.

He asked, "Do jailbreaks happen often in Tianlaomiao?"

Chen Guanlou replied solemnly, "Whenever a figure of national importance is imprisoned, a jailbreak inevitably occurs. The worst case was when both the Zhao Prison and Tianlaomiao were stormed simultaneously—many died. Because Zhao Prison suffered the heaviest losses and was the primary target, Tianlaomiao narrowly escaped."

Lei Yucheng leapt from his chair, "This is Tianlaomiao! How dare these bandits come here? Don't they fear death?"

"Hmm?" Chen Guanlou hesitated, then decided to speak plainly: "Your Excellency, you don't know—Tianlaomiao jailers are all crude warriors with no true martial artists among them, only a few fake techniques. They cannot defeat real martial artists attempting a jailbreak. So whenever a jailbreak occurs… well, everyone prioritizes survival."

"You abandon the prisoners?"

"Survival comes first!"

"If you all act like this, anyone could successfully storm the prison."

Chen Guanlou pinched his nose, slightly embarrassed as if caught in the truth, then Mianqiang salvaged his dignity: "Not that many people are foolish enough to attempt a jailbreak."

"Are you afraid the prisoners will be freed and the authorities will hold you all accountable, leading to your heads rolling?"

"There's always a sliver of hope, right? But facing down hardened jailbreakers head-on means certain death. We're jailers—we just want to earn our daily bread. If we know it's a death sentence, why would we charge forward?"

Chen Guanlou's logic was so sound, Lei Yucheng found himself unable to refute it.

But he was furious.

Clearly, Chen Guanlou was giving him a heads-up—urging him to prepare for a jailbreak, to devise a response in advance, not to rely on a group of cowardly jailers. To fight? Impossible. He'd never fight in this lifetime.

"Chen Guanlou, what do you intend?"

"I intend to do nothing. I'm merely warning Your Excellency, so you can prepare ahead. You needn't worry so much. This is such a major case, with such a high-profile prisoner—the Ministry of Justice will surely intervene. Tomorrow, when you meet your superiors, explain Tianlaomiao's difficulties, and shift the blame elsewhere. If anything goes wrong, let the Ministry of Justice take the fall."

Lei Yucheng: …

A classic case of shifting blame—but to whom? Could the Six Ministries take on this hot potato?

"Those are matters for the Ministry's superiors to handle. You're not in their position, so don't meddle. When the mountain blocks the road, a path will appear. Your luck is so good—you'll surely find a solution."

"Chen Guanlou, don't forget—if a jailbreak happens, the first to die will be the prisoners in Cell Jia, not me."

"I know, I know—thank you for the reminder." Chen Guanlou was utterly unconcerned. Scaring Lei Yucheng was quite entertaining.