Chapter 488: Too Proud to Mention Money, Finding It Dirty

"I've already told you, no one put me up to it. Don't be so suspicious, my lord." Chen Chen Guanlou clarified with particular sincerity.

"You think I would believe you? As a member of the Chen family, you naturally do the Chen family's bidding. Speak—how did Chen Chen Guanfu instruct you, and what does he want me to do?" Jiang Tu insisted on biting down that all of this was Chen Chen Guanfu's design. Chen Chen Guanlou was nothing more than a mouthpiece.

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

Small fry aren't taken seriously, lack a voice—perfectly normal.

He didn't care.

He smiled and said, "My lord, I think you've got one thing wrong. Back when the Great Ming King was imprisoned in the sky prison, without any outside help, the Grade-A sky prison relied on its own strength to keep the Great Ming King safe, holding out all the way until the Heaven Worship Ceremony. In the end, he died in the explosion.

My lord, all your fear right now comes from the belief that someone wants to harm you. How they'd harm you is nothing more than taking your life. But don't forget—this is the sky prison, the Grade-A sky prison, my turf. Anyone who wants your life has to ask me first whether I agree. Wouldn't you say so?"

Jiang Tu narrowed his eyes at once, staring at him with some puzzlement. "You're not here to pass on Chen Chen Guanfu's message?"

"Mm, ever since the Heaven Worship Ceremony, I haven't seen Chen Chen Guanfu, nor have I been home. Where would any message come from? Besides, would Chen Chen Guanfu even need to pass a message? Even though the two families had a bit of a falling-out last year and some people died, everyone knows the reason well enough. Rest assured, Hou Fu won't pin it on you."

Chen Chen Guanlou's words of comfort did not comfort Jiang Tu in the slightest.

Anyone can say pretty words—how could he be fooled by a mere few pretty phrases?

He didn't believe anyone in this world could be so magnanimous. Judging others by himself, he certainly wasn't magnanimous. If it were him, and his enemy had fallen on hard times, he'd absolutely kick them when they were down, finish them off for good.

"Chen Chen Guanfu can let it go? I made him lose so much face, forced him to bring out even his most treasured possessions—how could he not hate me for it? Chen Chen Guanlou, you might as well speak plainly. What exactly do you want, and how does Chen Chen Guanfu intend to humiliate me?"

"Sigh, my lord, you hold too deep a prejudice against the Chen family. Forget it, I won't waste words on this with you. I only mean one thing—I'm a jailer here, and I can keep you safe, keep you from dying in the sky prison. The premise is, you have to be worth my protection."

Chen Chen Guanlou simply laid it all out in the open.

Otherwise, the other party would keep guessing wildly—now Chen Chen Guanfu, now Sun Sun Daoning… always suspecting he was passing messages, always reading hidden meanings into his words.

He did indeed have hidden meaning in his words, but his meaning was simply money.

Lord Jiang, could you please stop reading so much into it, stop letting your imagination run wild, stop making things up?

Such a simple monetary relationship—once you start imagining, it turns into a treacherous court conspiracy.

He was a mere jailer—would he bother getting involved in such a high-level struggle? Wouldn't earning money and eating be far better?

"How can I be worth your protection?" Jiang Tu countered.

Chen Chen Guanlou was greatly puzzled.

That's not right!

Everyone in the world says Jiang Tu has a heart with seven orifices, exquisitely perceptive, best at reading other people's minds. Often, before the old Emperor even spoke, he already knew the meaning.

How had he suddenly turned stupid, unable to grasp the implication behind his words?

He gave a small cough. Ever since becoming a jailer, he'd grown used to speaking in subtle hints. Officials were all masters of drawing inferences—often, one hint from him, and the other party understood. He hadn't mentioned the word 'money' in ages, finding it a bit distasteful. What pretentiousness! Yet he'd grown accustomed to it and even come to enjoy such pretentiousness.

But with Jiang Tu, this bastard was playing games, wasn't he? He was forcing him to spell it out, not understanding the slightest rule of officialdom.

"Lord Jiang, what do you think you have that's worth my protection?"

"Me?" Jiang Tu's mind was a tangled mess at this point. In normal times, he would have understood Chen Chen Guanlou's meaning long ago. But now, he couldn't help overthinking. Could mere money make a top expert of the Chen family protect him?

Absolutely not!

He had clearly put himself in Chen Chen Guanlou's shoes. He was convinced the other party valued not money, but something else more important.

"Can Warden Chen speak plainly?"

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

The first time encountering an official as dense as a wooden club.

He sighed, having no choice but to make a gesture for money.

Jiang Tu saw this, his face full of disbelief. "Just that?"

Mere money?

Chen Chen Guanlou's face fell, and he said unhappily, "Lord Jiang, what do you take our sky prison for? If not this, could it be something else? What else could I possibly covet?"

"You don't covet anything else?" Jiang Tu's perception was refreshed once more. "But you're a member of the Chen family."

"The Chen family is the Chen family, I am me. If Lord Jiang is reluctant, just say so. From today on, whether you live or die is none of our concern."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant at all—Warden Chen has misunderstood. It's just that this matter is indeed a bit hard to believe, especially given the current situation. Last year, I only just had dealings with Chen Chen Guanfu, and the two sides parted on very bad terms. Now that I've fallen into your hands, it's just a matter of mere money—Warden Chen, name your price, just say the word, and I'll give you a note. Go to my residence and find the steward. Warden Chen truly has no other requests? You don't want to inquire about anything, don't need some token or the like?"

Jiang Tu was still not at ease.

To be precise, he didn't believe it.

How could things possibly be this simple?

Just a bit of money to protect his life—could such a good deal really exist in this world?

The other party was a member of the Chen family, after all. Surely he didn't need to stand up for the Chen family, didn't need to do Hou Fu's bidding?

If the other party wasn't lying to him, then he vaguely understood why Hou Fu would let Chen Chen Guanlou continue serving in the sky prison.

This man was simply someone who did as he pleased, refusing to be controlled. Trying to order him around, using pressure—that would absolutely be the worst strategy.

Having figured out the key to all this, Jiang Tu immediately became overjoyed, almost wanting to grab Chen Chen Guanlou's hands and swear brotherhood, become sworn brothers!

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

After spending a long time in the sky prison, one always comes to recognize the vast differences among people.

"You truly won't harm me for Chen Chen Guanfu's sake?"

"I won't!" Chen Chen Guanlou assured him repeatedly. Unless Chen Chen Guanfu offered way too much.

"You truly aren't doing anything for Hou Fu?"

"One day a man of the sky prison, a lifetime a man of the sky prison—I serve only the court." Chen Chen Guanlou was filled with righteous fervor. As for who exactly he served, that depended on who offered the higher price. If Hou Fu was willing to pay, killing a Jiang Tu would be a cinch.

However, he figured Hou Fu wouldn't bother with murder—utterly pointless, and would only bring trouble. Better to let the censors and remonstrance officials in court deal with Jiang Tu.

"Really, no one instructed you to harm me in secret?"

"Not yet. If Lord Jiang offers more money than the people outside, we'll definitely prioritize protecting you, until such time as you no longer need our protection."

"I'll pay, I'll definitely pay. My life is worth a great deal. Warden Chen, from today on, my safety rests entirely with you. You must keep a close eye on the Grade-A sky prison, don't let anyone find a loophole. Let me tell you—this time, I might not die. Whether it's the new Emperor or the old, both need people to gather wealth. And gathering wealth—I'm a professional."