Chapter 517

"Prison Clerk Chen, you might as well think it over carefully. Ever since the explosion, the imperial court has been in chaos. Who benefited in the end? Aside from that person, everyone else is a loser. Do you really think he is innocent?"

Jiang Tu had endured terrifying interrogation, as if he had attained enlightenment overnight; his speech now carried a hint of Zen, unlike the empty-headed, corrupt official of the past who spoke only of money and power.

"Lord Jiang has already fallen to such a miserable state, yet your courage hasn't diminished; on the contrary, you've become increasingly bold," Chen Guanlou teased.

Jiang Tu gave a bleak smile and mocked himself, "The words of a man on the verge of death are sincere. I am certain to die, and no one can save me. It's not too much to speak a few truths before I die, is it?"

"Not at all. Do you really think the new Emperor did it?"

"Even if it wasn't him, he is inextricably linked to it. I heard that Prince Yan is not doing well."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had heard news of Prince Yan since returning to the capital.

"Prince Yan was the heir to the throne chosen by the court officials; he posed the greatest threat to His Majesty. Whether he was poisoned or not, and whether the poison can be cured, he must die. Otherwise, if Prince Yan were to raise his arms and call out, followers would gather in droves, fundamentally shaking the new Emperor's position and the status of the next generation."

Chen Guanlou agreed.

If Prince Yan were alive, even if he couldn't finish off Emperor Taixing, Prince Yan's son, supported by 'legitimacy,' would create massive trouble for Emperor Taixing's next generation. If their strength were sufficient, overturning the throne wouldn't be impossible.

Only by Prince Yan dying—and dying early, dying beyond any doubt—could Emperor Taixing spend eight or ten years thoroughly eliminating the 'legitimate' status of Prince Yan's lineage, ensuring the throne remained secure and could be smoothly passed to his own son.

"Do you still think he is innocent now? Do you really think it was luck that he managed to sit on the throne? There has never been anyone who sat on the throne relying solely on luck. Especially when there are so many competitors."

Jiang Tu was adamant and absolutely certain.

"Even if things are as you say, what of it? Things have reached this point, the dust has settled, and one can only accept fate. Lord Jiang, are you innocent?"

"I am, of course, innocent. I knew nothing about the altar explosion beforehand. If I had known, I would have stopped it even at the cost of my life. No one wished for the late Emperor to live more than I did. The late Emperor died such a tragic death!"

Jiang Tu wept miserably and sincerely. The late Emperor had shown him favor, and all his wealth and status came from the late Emperor. In all the world, he was likely the one who missed the late Emperor the most and regretted his past actions the most. Because of his negligence, someone had exploited the loophole, leading to the altar explosion.

Oh, the regret!

Tired from crying, Jiang Tu looked up at Chen Guanlou, "Prison Clerk Chen, let me die, let me die quickly. I have said everything; I have held nothing back."

Chen Guanlou sighed, "It is better to live in misery than to die."

"Living is worse than death! If you are afraid of taking the blame, I will leave a final letter so that the world knows I was forced to my death by that group."

Chen Guanlou looked at the man, who no longer looked human, and realized that living was indeed worse than death.

The house had been raided, the assets confiscated, and the officials who were supposed to get their share had already gotten it. No matter how much one looked into the altar explosion, it was impossible to link it to Jiang Tu; at most, it was a matter of negligence in supervision.

He did not agree to Jiang Tu's request, only telling him to lie down properly and not waste his strength. Then, he left the Heavenly Prison.

Jiang Tu watched his retreating figure and laughed silently, his mouth stretching wider and wider.

That same night, Jiang Tu died suddenly in prison.

By the time the prison guards discovered him, the body was already cold.

The Ministry of Justice official who came to interrogate him personally ran to the cell to verify, confirmed the body was indeed Jiang Tu, and confirmed he was thoroughly dead, cursing, "Bad luck! When others came to interrogate him, he was fine, but when it's my turn, he's dead. What rotten luck."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves and left, looking furious.

Medical Official Mu squatted in the cell with his medicine box to examine the body, ensuring there were no questions before it could be sent to the morgue.

He glanced at Chen Guanlou, who was standing at the cell door.

Chen Guanlou was expressionless, looking exceptionally serious and strictly impartial. If anyone dared to say there was a question about Jiang Tu's death, he would surely turn hostile the next second.

Medical Official Mu understood, and immediately said, "There is no question about the cause of death; it was excessive blood loss, lack of timely treatment, and he died of pure agony. Take him away."

The laborers took the order, wrapped the body, and carried it out of the cell. Other laborers immediately entered to disinfect and clean.

Medical Official Mu followed behind Chen Guanlou out of the Heavenly Prison. Not until they entered the office did he close the door and ask, "Prison Clerk Chen, you have such great nerve."

"Old Mu, food can be eaten indiscriminately, but words cannot be spoken indiscriminately. I just returned from leave, and you come at me with this 'great nerve' nonsense. What's wrong? Can't I take leave to go out and play for a few days?"

Chen Guanlou skillfully employed the skill of counter-attacking to first dampen the other's arrogance.

Medical Official Mu, however, didn't fall for it, saying sternly, "Don't try to change the subject; you know what I'm talking about. Before you returned, although Jiang Tu was severely injured, he was alive and well. You return, and in just a few hours, he's gone. I am a physician; you can fool others, but you can't fool me."

Chen Guanlou snorted coldly, showing no fear, "Exactly, there's something I also want to ask. Jiang Tu was severely injured; why didn't you apply medicine and treat him? This doesn't conform to the rules of the Grade-A prison."

Medical Official Mu explained, "He refused treatment himself, saying he would rather die in pain than linger on. As soon as you returned, he got his wish. You really have such great nerve. Countless people above are watching Jiang Tu, all wanting to dig information out of him. You arrive and directly finish him off; there will certainly be people above investigating this matter. Once the coroner examines the body, nothing can be hidden. Just wait to be reprimanded. Don't end up losing your position as Prison Warden because of this; that would truly be a loss that outweighs the gain."

Medical Official Mu was very helpless, surprised by Chen Guanlou's boldness, yet admiring his courage. Jiang Tu was a man whose reputation stank to high heaven, like a rat in a sewer, hated by everyone. Yet, for such a person, Chen Guanlou insisted on the principle of taking money and treating everyone equally, without humiliation or mistreatment, and even ran a few errands based on the principle of taking money to do the job.

This was a man who acted with principles and had a bottom line.

He knew the man didn't like abusing prisoners, especially using methods that left them crippled. Sure enough, Jiang Tu's miserable appearance must have touched the man's psychological bottom line, and regardless of the consequences, he had decisively given him poison to end his life.

He sighed repeatedly.

If he himself were to fall into trouble one day, he would also hope to fall into the hands of someone like Chen Guanlou who had principles and a bottom line, at least to maintain some human dignity.

However, as a colleague, this was truly a disaster-inviting act. It might even implicate him.

Annoying!

He was very annoyed.

Chen Guanlou, however, was not worried at all, "What is mine, no one can take away. Whoever dares to grab it, I will chop off their hand."