Chapter 466

Chen Guanlou arranged everything and returned to Tianlaomiao that same night.

He asked his jailers if their families had been settled; all replied yes, everything was settled, and some grain had been stockpiled.

"Fortunately, my lord delivered the news in time—we managed to stockpile before the grain merchants raised prices."

"We just bought a sack of grain, and the merchants raised prices right after. Saved us a fortune."

"My lord, was the altar really blown up?"

"How could that be false? My lord saw it with his own eyes—no one would dare fabricate such a thing."

"Enough, enough, don't all panic. The Great Ming Prince is no longer under our jurisdiction; the hottest potato has been tossed out—thank heaven and earth. Besides, a similar incident happened last year, so everyone has experience. Heads of shifts, hurry and draft a duty roster. Clear out the storage room, install beds, and prepare resting spots for everyone."

Chen Guanlou gave his orders; as long as people had tasks, their emotions gradually stabilized.

Afterwards, Chen Guanlou summoned Zhang Yuli, the jailer of the Yi-class prisons, and Xu Fugui, the jailer of the Bing-class prisons, for a meeting.

"Lei Yucheng is absent, so I'll humbly preside over this meeting. Logistics are not our concern—key is the Jia, Yi, and Bing prisons. Both of you, speak on what lies ahead."

Xu Fugui spoke first: "What's there to say? Just follow last year's protocol when the deposed crown prince was imprisoned: seal the gates, cut off inside from outside. Reactivate the watchtowers, assign patrols. Reduce prisoners' rations from two meals a day to one, to conserve supplies. Luckily, the weather isn't hot yet—stronger odors won't be noticed."

What he said were proven methods.

Chen Guanlou nodded, acknowledging it.

Zhang Yuli remained silent.

Chen Guanlou turned to him: "Zhang Yuli, do you have anything to add?"

Zhang Yuli slowly raised his head, brows furrowed in deep worry. "The altar was blown up—were the people on it still alive?"

"Some certainly survived." Chen Guanlou had personally pulled several people from the rubble. Gunpowder of this era was nowhere near as potent as later varieties—no one could be wiped out entirely. Those on the altar had a good chance of survival, especially ministers with martial veins and cultivation.

"Then… what of His Majesty?" Zhang Yuli lowered his voice, whispering. "Today, when I went out, I heard rumors saying His Majesty might already be dead. Is that true?"

"I don't know." Chen Guanlou spoke honestly—he truly didn't know if the old emperor was alive or dead. Though Chen Guanfu told him the old emperor had been rescued long ago, he never said whether he lived or died.

The old emperor was ancient, and the primary target of the explosion—his life hung by a thread.

"Suppose—I mean, suppose…" Zhang Yuli rose, walked to the window, glanced outside, then shut and barred the doors and windows, turning back to face them. "Have you ever considered—if His Majesty is gone, how will this empire change?"

"Of course, one of the imperial princes will inherit the throne—what's there to panic about?" Xu Fugui said carelessly.

"Which prince?" Zhang Yuli countered.

"Of course it should be…" Xu Fugui fell silent, bewildered. "Wait—who should inherit? There are so many princes."

He suddenly panicked. He looked at Chen Guanlou: "Could Prince Zhong inherit the throne?"

Chen Guanlou slowly shook his head. "Since the deposed crown prince, Prince Zhong lost his legitimate status—meaning he lost the right to inherit the throne."

"Then who?"

"All princes beneath Prince Zhong should have equal claim."

"Then we're finished. That's the throne! In a common family, brothers fight to the death over inheritance. With the throne? The princes will tear the capital apart! We're done—Jingcheng is finished. This is far worse than last year's deposed crown prince incident. At least then, His Majesty was still alive as the anchor. Now that he's gone, the court will collapse."

Xu Fugui was in utter turmoil, unable to imagine the horrors to come.

"Stop shouting!" Zhang Yuli snapped in disgust. "His Majesty's fate is still uncertain, yet you're already declaring him dead. Watch out—the Embroidered Uniform Guard next door will come for you on charges of spreading false rumors."

"I—I was just saying it offhand, following your lead," Xu Fugui admitted his fault and fell silent, staring helplessly at his two colleagues.

Zhang Yuli, agitated, said: "First, logistics have enough grain and supplies to last us half a year or more inside Tianlaomiao—no need to worry about food."

"What about security?"

"Security shouldn't be a major concern. Tianlaomiao's reputation is terrible—outsiders know it's worthless. Even if they raid, they'll target wealthy households, not a prison. What's there to steal? Just a bunch of prisoners." Chen Guanlou said.

Zhang Yuli and Xu Fugui both nodded—they agreed with Chen Guanlou.

Thank heaven for Tianlaomiao's bad reputation.

Everyone saw Tianlaomiao as a worthless, lowly place—only a fool would come to rob it.

Killing Embroidered Uniform Guards next door would bring more glory.

After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard were feared far and wide—killing one made you an instant hero.

"The old emperor may not be dead," Chen Guanlou added. "So many were on the altar—I heard Embroidered Uniform Guards were there too. They're His Majesty's hounds—they'd have protected him first."

"Yes, yes, His Majesty may be fine. We're just worrying over nothing," Xu Fugui said eagerly. He hoped for good news tomorrow—that His Majesty was unharmed, alive and well. Then the capital's chaos would settle, and Tianlaomiao wouldn't need to seal its gates.

Zhang Yuli wasn't so optimistic: "Given the current situation, do you think they'll let His Majesty live?"

He meant: even if His Majesty lived, he must die. Only a dead old emperor was a proper old emperor.

"Don't speak nonsense!" Xu Fugui rebuked. "How dare you say such a thing? Who would dare harm His Majesty?"

"The altar was blown up—who do you think dared? Many dared," Zhang Yuli sneered.

Chen Guanlou studied Zhang Yuli for a moment—he hadn't realized how deeply the man thought. Indeed, could the old emperor still live now? Even if he did, how could he possibly live on?

He now understood why the mastermind had blown up the court ministers too.

If they hadn't been killed, the old emperor—whether injured, dead, or alive—would have left the ministers to form a council, deciding who would act as regent or inherit the throne, who would command troops—all power would rest in their hands. The empire's fate, the princes' futures, the nation's direction—all controlled by that council. Clearly, that served the mastermind's interests poorly.