Chapter 412

His clan uncle acted quickly; he gathered a group of people, not rushing to the ancestral hall to reason, but spreading a highly credible 'rumor' or fact.

Chen Guanqing was just a pawn charging forward. The truth was that there were big shots in the clan, likely those in the Clan Elders' Council, who had taken a fancy to Chen Guanlou's antique and calligraphy supply channels and wanted to swallow this business. Thus, they sent Chen Guanqing to be the vanguard to test the waters.

When the test failed, they decided to activate the second plan. Again, using Chen Guanqing as a pawn to charge, slandering and pinning various charges on Chen Guanlou, such as relying on influence to bully others, moral corruption, and character flaws. Finally, under the pretext of atonement, they would force him to hand over his antique and calligraphy supply channels, becoming a tool for certain people to make money.

This chain of events, combined with what had already happened and Chen Guanqing's reputation, fit the conspiracy theory narrative that people loved to see.

There is nothing eternal in the world; the only eternity is gossip and conspiracy theories. Even after two thousand years, countless people still follow one after another to depict, speculate, and analyze the events of the First Emperor's era, which is filled with a large number of conspiracy theories lacking evidence, yet people are addicted to it and cannot extricate themselves.

His clan uncle clearly mastered this skill self-taught; the more bizarre, the more strange, and the more unconventional the rumors, the more people would support them, and their survival space would expand.

Is the truth important?

Very important!

But people just love melodrama; the more melodramatic the story, the more people chase after it.

The things that happened to Chen Guanlou, superimposed with his identity—orphan, Heavenly Prison guard, accumulating wealth through extraordinary means, isolated and helpless in the clan... plus a qualified screenwriter, he was melodrama personified.

Melodrama Chen Guanlou:...

It was a misplacement of trust after all!

He was clearly a new youth of the era, a great law-abiding citizen, yet he became melodrama personified.

His clan uncle started a public opinion war, wanting to stand on the moral high ground to play a clean sweep. What was Chen Guanlou, the central figure of the melodrama, doing?

Naturally, going to work as usual.

His identity and his background could be used as they pleased, and the story could be fabricated as they pleased, as long as they didn't cast him as the villain. If they insisted on making him the villain, in order to live up to the villain identity, he would inevitably have to move and do the things a villain does. He was looking forward to it.

In the ancient version of public opinion warfare, it's not about whose internet speed is faster, but about whose voice is louder, who has more people and influence, and even more about who is better at telling stories. Privately, it's about competing in interest distribution methods; whoever is willing to take out enough benefits can win more supporters.

Chen Guanlou didn't participate in any of these things; he just set the stage and provoked the struggle between the two sides. Afterward, he shook his sleeves, quietly withdrew, and stood in a golden position to watch the fun.

This tacit cooperation between him and his clan uncle could only be said to show that everyone was a smart person, and everyone was good at seizing opportunities.

Master Du watched, dazzled, and muttered privately, "And he said he wouldn't act recklessly; it's almost turned into a pot of porridge."

Chen Guanlou stepped into the Heavenly Prison with ease, making final preparations to welcome the rebel Prince Great Ming.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei had been very diligent these past few days, arriving at the Heavenly Prison on time every day to care about the progress. His expression was a mix of excitement, agitation, and a little bit of fear of being the scapegoat.

But whenever he felt afraid, as long as he saw Chen Guanlou, it was like seeing a savior; he would instantly straighten his back, full of confidence and combat power.

"Will Prince Great Ming arrive at this time tomorrow?" Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei asked.

Chen Guanlou hummed, "According to the notice from above, he should arrive at this time tomorrow."

"Is everything prepared?"

"My lord, rest assured, everything has been arranged properly. Three shifts, eight people per shift, taking turns to guard the cell; the daily food must be tasted before being sent into the cell. The medical official is on standby at all times. Everything is to ensure that the rebel Prince Great Ming lives safely and healthily until the Heaven-Offering Ceremony next spring."

"Yes, yes, yes, the Heaven-Offering Ceremony is the most important; we must not let the rebel Prince Great Ming have any accidents in the Heavenly Prison."

"My lord, there is one thing I still need to ask for advice on."

"Speak."

"With the defensive strength of the Heavenly Prison, we cannot stop warriors from breaking into the prison. In case the rebel's remnants are unwilling to give up and run to the capital to break into the prison, or hire warriors to break into the prison, what should we do? This matter still requires your concern, my lord."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei gasped, his heart thumping, and he became nervous.

He asked, "Do prison breaks happen often in the Heavenly Prison?"

Chen Guanlou told the other party seriously, "Whenever an important figure who attracts the attention of the world is imprisoned, a prison break is bound to happen. The most serious one was when the neighboring Zhao Yu and the Heavenly Prison both had prison breaks at the same time, and many people died. Because the most people died in Zhao Yu and it was the biggest target, the Heavenly Prison escaped a disaster."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei jumped up from his seat, "This is the Heavenly Prison! Those thieves have such great courage, daring to run here to break into the prison. Are they not afraid of death?"

"Hmm?" Chen Guanlou hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth, "My lord, you may not know, but the prison guards of the Heavenly Prison are all rough martial men, without warriors, only knowing a few fake moves, and they definitely cannot beat those warriors who break into the prison. Therefore, whenever a prison break happens, well, everyone prioritizes saving their own lives."

"Ignoring the prisoners?"

"One must prioritize saving one's own life first!"

"According to how you all do things, wouldn't it be that anyone who comes to break into the prison would succeed?"

Chen Guanlou pinched his nose, seemingly a bit embarrassed at being hit on the truth, and he barely managed to save face, "There aren't that many people who are so unwilling to give up that they run here to break into the prison."

"Are you all afraid that if the prisoner is broken out, the higher-ups will investigate and everyone will lose their heads?"

"There is always a glimmer of hope, right? But facing the fierce bandits who break into the prison head-on is a dead end. Everyone is a prison guard just to make a living; knowing it's a dead end, it's impossible to rush up."

Chen Guanlou's words were very reasonable, and Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei found it difficult to refute for a moment.

But he was furious.

It was obvious that Chen Guanlou was giving him a preventive shot, making him prepare at all times to face a prison break and think of countermeasures in advance. Don't pin hope on a group of prison guards who fear death. Fighting for their lives is impossible; they would never fight for their lives in this lifetime.

"Chen Guanlou, what do you want?"

"This subordinate doesn't want to do anything. This subordinate is just reminding you, my lord, so that you can make preparations in advance. Actually, my lord, you don't have to be worried. With such a big case and such a big prisoner, the Ministry of Justice cannot ignore it. Tomorrow, when you see your superiors, my lord, talk more about the difficulties of the Heavenly Prison and use the trick of diverting the disaster. If an accident really happens, the Ministry of Justice will take the blame."

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei:...

What a great diversion of disaster. The key is, who to divert it to? Can the Six Shanmen take over this hot potato?

"Those are things for the superiors of the Ministry of Justice to worry about. My lord, you are not in that position, so don't seek that government. When the car reaches the mountain, there will be a road; my lord, you are so lucky, you will definitely think of a solution."

"Chen Guanlou, don't forget, if a prison break really happens, the first to die will definitely be the people in the Grade-A prison, not this official."

"I know, I know, thank you for the reminder, my lord." Chen Guanlou didn't care in the slightest. Scaring Jiang Jiang Yucheng Lei was quite fun.