Chapter 467: At Worst, At Very Worst, It's Just a Change of Emperor

"Matters inside the palace are none of our concern."

Chen Chen Guanlou cut off the two men's argument.

"No matter who becomes Emperor, it won't interfere with our duties. At worst, the environment will be a little worse, but not a single copper will be missing."

"I'm just afraid we'll have the fortune to earn, but not the life to spend it."

Chen Chen Guanlou figured it out clearly: Zhang the Prison Clerk was a pessimist who always thought of everything in the worst possible light, yet never strove toward the best.

This won't do!

Before things had even reached their worst, he'd frighten himself to death first.

He gave a small cough. "Zhang the Prison Clerk makes a fair point. But as long as we don't die for a single day, does whoever becomes Emperor interfere with our collecting money? It doesn't!

Even if those Imperial Princes fight over the throne, does it interfere with our collecting money? It doesn't! Even if the old Emperor is controlled by someone and can't act on his own, does it interfere with collecting money? It doesn't!

As long as it doesn't interfere with collecting money, what's there to worry about? Nine out of ten things in this world can be solved with money. The remaining problems that can't be solved with money can only rely on fate. Do you feel your fate is good or bad? Anyway, I feel my fate is pretty good."

Xu Xu Fugui opened his mouth, thought it over carefully. He had originally wanted to say his fate wasn't good. But compared with his neighbors on either side, compared with his relatives and friends, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He could only echo, "My fate isn't bad either, pretty good. Among my brothers, my family lives the most comfortably, with the fewest worries. The only bad part is my reputation isn't great, which has held back my children's marriages."

The two men turned to look at Zhang the Prison Clerk in unison.

Zhang the Prison Clerk gave a cold snort. "You two really think being a prison clerk counts as a good fate."

"What else? You still want to take the imperial exams and become an official?" Xu Xu Fugui shot back. "Think it through clearly—once you become an official, sooner or later you'll end up in the Heaven Prison. It may not be any freer than what we have."

"Ignorant! You already understand the principle that your reputation has held back your children's marriages, yet you're still being led astray by Chen the Prison Clerk. He's a bachelor—one man eats his fill and the whole family isn't hungry—and he has Hou Fu behind him, so naturally he doesn't care about so-called reputation."

Zhang the Prison Clerk's rebuttal of Xu Xu Fugui was well-reasoned and powerful.

Chen Chen Guanlou gave a derisive laugh. "Zhang the Prison Clerk, if you have a grievance with me, just say it outright—no need to beat around the bush. Whether fate is good or bad, everyone has their own unique perception. I said all this just to tell you that we Heaven Prison people aren't that unlucky. Matters of the court are none of our concern. Zhang the Prison Clerk, what good does your worrying do? The old Emperor won't know, and he certainly won't promote you. Better to do the work in front of you well and live each day properly."

"Chen the Prison Clerk certainly takes things in stride."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Aren't you worried Hou Fu will be dragged in and fall from grace?"

"So what? Without Hou Fu, does that mean the entire Chen clan can't survive? Zhang the Prison Clerk, you really have a talent for telling jokes. Step back a moment—the Marquis is still leading troops up north to put down the rebellion. On what grounds do you assume Hou Fu will fall? Unless you have inside information?"

Chen Chen Guanlou was quite curious; Zhang the Prison Clerk was indeed acting strangely today.

He never looked down on these Heaven Prison people. They rubbed shoulders with people from all walks of life, knew all sorts of factions, and had information channels so wide they were jaw-dropping. Maybe Zhang the Prison Clerk really had gotten hold of some inside information.

"Old Zhang, do you actually have inside information or not? Out with it." Xu Xu Fugui nudged him with his shoulder.

Zhang the Prison Clerk wore a dark, sullen face. "No inside information. I just thought—someone even dares to blow up the sacrificial altar, clearly aiming at His Majesty—and I feel very uneasy. I've lived several decades, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this. Have you heard of anything similar? In three hundred years of the dynasty, this is the first time, right?"

Xu Xu Fugui nodded. "Something like this—not only have I never heard of it, I wouldn't even dare imagine it. Chen the Prison Clerk, what about you? With Hou Fu behind you, you must be well-informed and experienced."

"In three hundred years of the dynasty, something like this indeed never happened. But flip back a little further, back to the Great Yu Dynasty, and look at its history—you'll find a mere explosion is nothing. In the eight hundred years of the Great Yu Dynasty, what demons and monsters, what freaks and villains hadn't they seen? Read more history books, and nothing will seem strange."

Chen Chen Guanlou's carefree attitude actually influenced the two men.

Xu Xu Fugui was very curious. "Was the Great Yu Dynasty even more insane than today's events?"

"Ten times more insane, at the very least."

"Then I need to flip through some history books too. Ugh, the moment I open a book my head starts to hurt. Better find someone to read it to me. Damn it—every single person in the Third-Class Prison is an illiterate roughneck. Where am I going to find someone to read to me now?" Xu Xu Fugui's face was irritable.

Zhang the Prison Clerk, curious, asked, "The history of the Great Yu Dynasty is even more explosive—so what were the consequences? After something even more terrifying than an explosion happened, what were the consequences?"

"At most, just a change of Emperor, and then the singing and dancing continue as before." Chen Chen Guanlou spread his hands. "History is a cycle. No matter how bizarre, how inconceivable the things we encounter now, flip through the history books and you'll always find similar cases. Even more explosive, even more inhuman, completely beyond the realm of human comprehension. But life still goes on just the same.

There's nothing new under the sun. Today's altar explosion—at first hearing, how terrifying, beyond imagination, worrying about what comes next. Think it over carefully, and it doesn't seem like such a big deal.

At the very worst, it's just a change of Emperor. The sky is still that sky; the sky of Great Qian won't be shattered for a while yet. Even if it really were shattered, what does it have to do with us Heaven Prison people? Wouldn't we just keep being prison guards watching over prisoners? Does the new dynasty have no prisoners? Think about it that way, and things aren't hard to understand, right?"

"Shh, that's not something to say carelessly. The sky of Great Qian definitely won't be shattered." Xu Xu Fugui wore a tense expression.

"Still, Chen the Prison Clerk's last words make sense—regardless of new dynasty or old, prisoners must be held. Where there are prisoners, there are prison guards. Where there are prison guards, prison clerks are indispensable. Haha, our line of work really is an iron rice bowl that lasts a hundred years."

Xu Xu Fugui grew cocky, looking very excited.

Zhang the Prison Clerk's expression also improved slightly, clearly comforted by Chen Chen Guanlou's words.

Yes—at the very worst, it's just a change of Emperor. No matter who becomes Emperor, there will be prisoners, and the Heaven Prison will be needed. Where there's a Heaven Prison, prison guards are indispensable.

Zhang the Prison Clerk took out his smoking pipe—his pipe was far more exquisite than Squad Leader Wang's, inlaid with a gold trim.

Xu Xu Fugui teased him. "Is it worth it? Got so much money you don't know where to spend it, inlaying it with gold? Watch out or someone'll steal it."

"You know nothing! Not only will I inlay gold, when I have money in the future I'll inlay jewels on it too. In a few decades, this thing can serve as a family heirloom, passed down generation after generation." Zhang the Prison Clerk spoke with solemn conviction, as if what he held in his hand weren't a smoking pipe but a genuine antique family heirloom.

Hearing this, Chen Chen Guanlou wondered whether he too should get a few antiques to pass down as family heirlooms.

Hey!

Wait a minute—he didn't even have a wife. What family was he going to pass anything down to?