Chapter 573

Xu Laosi's expression twisted slightly.

In the past, he had always heard people say that the Heavenly Prison only recognizes money, not people. Today, he had finally witnessed it.

People on the outside all say that Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is a man of his word; I fear that statement is untrue.

The person before him is clearly someone who loves money above all else.

He silently took out a few more silver notes and placed them on the table. "If the Wei family comes looking again, I trouble Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen to send someone to notify me. No matter what, I must protect my third brother."

Chen Guanlou laughed heartily; he liked people who knew the rules.

"Fourth Master Xu, rest assured. If the Wei family comes again, I will certainly send someone to notify you in time. Given the Xu family's sincere efforts, I will reveal one thing first: the Wei family wants to cut off Third Master Xu's manhood. How could that be allowed! I didn't agree and rejected the Wei family's request. We in the Heavenly Prison are only responsible for guarding prisoners; we do not engage in such heinous acts."

Xu Laosi didn't say another word; he stood up immediately, bowed deeply, and thanked Chen Guanlou for his kindness.

Chen Guanlou did not dodge, generously accepting the other party's gesture.

"Fourth Master Xu, you are too polite!"

"This matter was caused by the ancestral conflict between the Xu and Wei families. Regarding the Heavenly Prison side, I trouble Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen to take extra care of my third brother. As for the Wei family, we are already thinking of ways to resolve this conflict."

"Resolving it is for the best. When will the cycle of vengeance end! I shall wait for good news from your Xu family."

Chen Guanlou served tea to see his guest out.

Xu Laosi left in a hurry, busy trying to resolve the grudge. It was just unclear whether the Wei family would agree. If the Wei family refused to reconcile, this case would drag on for a long time.

Mu Qingshan came in from outside, saw the silver notes on the table, and asked, "Master, should these funds be entered into the accounts?"

"Tell Qian Fugui to put half into the private account. Split it according to the old rules."

"Master is generous!"

"We are all brothers eating from the same pot; I don't care for eating alone."

Eating alone invites a lightning strike.

He took fifty percent, and he could still take a cut from the remaining fifty percent. He would distribute a little to the prison guards below so they would take good care of Xu Lin. The Emperor does not send hungry soldiers to battle; as the head of the Heavenly Prison, he naturally cannot have hungry soldiers either. Following the rules and doing things well brings rewards.

Mu Qingshan accepted the order. He did not touch the silver notes on the table but instead called Qian Fugui over to register and account for them on the spot, ensuring the accounts matched reality.

"Master, do you really intend to help the Xu family and reject the Wei family?"

"Helping anyone is all the same. But I am very displeased with the Wei family's attitude."

Mu Qingshan hesitated, seemingly not quite approving of his handling method. "Master comes from the Chen clan, a branch of the nobility. Noble families are of one mind; normally, Master should stand on the side of the Wei family."

Chen Guanlou sneered, looking extremely disdainful. "You said it yourself, normally I should stand with the Wei family. But look at the Wei family's attitude; do they even hold me in any regard? Even if I am just a small prison warden, don't forget I also have the status of a martial artist. Outside, would the Wei family dare to let out a fart in front of a Ninth-Rank martial artist? They wouldn't! Yet today, when coming to see me, they only sent a steward. What is this? Do they look down on me as a martial artist? Mu Qingshan, are you trying to make your master press his hot face against a cold butt?"

"Student would never mean that. It's just that, regarding the Xu family... Student is worried that Master won't get any benefits and will have played the good guy for nothing."

"Your worry is reasonable. That is why I have established the rule: we take money to get things done, and we treat everyone fairly. In this place, the Heavenly Prison, we don't distinguish between civil officials, military generals, or nobility. Whoever gives money, gives more money, and shows full sincerity, we help them get things done. We don't set up positions in advance; we only talk about interests."

"This..."

Mu Qingshan seemed unable to accept this concept for a moment.

Chen Guanlou smiled at him. "Do you know why you scholars often cannot escape the disaster of imprisonment after becoming officials? Because you like to set up positions in advance and like to judge right from wrong based on personal concepts. Little Mu, if you want to remain evergreen in the officialdom and sit firmly in your position, you cannot set up positions in advance. Even if you must have a position, it can only be: whatever the Emperor thinks, you do."

"Wouldn't that make one a sycophant?" Mu Qingshan absolutely disagreed.

Chen Guanlou chuckled, his expression indifferent. "If you don't become a sycophant, you become a prisoner. If it were you, what would you think? With your pedantic scholar's nature, you would probably choose to be a prisoner. But have you forgotten your aspirations and your ambitions?

Being a prisoner, besides satisfying your moral sense, accomplishes nothing and will even implicate others. Being a sycophant, you can still use your authority to do a few good deeds that benefit the people's livelihood. One is to be mediocre and accomplish nothing; the other is to have a foul reputation but be able to plead for the people. Are you sure you still want to choose to be a prisoner? Is your so-called studying for the country and the people just empty talk?"

Mu Qingshan's face turned pale, looking hardly human.

Chen Guanlou took a few steps forward, passed by his side, and said again, "Old Mu said you understand flexibility and have a sharp mind. Now it seems that is not enough. You are still too pedantic. You must establish your own principles; these principles should not involve positions or human nature. The Heavenly Prison is in my hands, and the principle is very clear: only recognize money! Money has no position and no human nature; it all depends on the person using the money."

"Do poor officials deserve it? Do people who are wronged deserve it?" Mu Qingshan asked.

"Look, you've fallen into your old habit again, setting up positions in advance and judging right from wrong based on human nature. You must remember that this is the Heavenly Prison; we are only responsible for guarding prisoners, not for investigating cases, and certainly not for judging right from wrong or the goodness of human nature. Remember, don't overstep your boundaries."

"People should have a conscience, right?" Mu Qingshan muttered, his face pale.

Chen Guanlou turned back to look at Mu Qingshan, who was ten years his senior, and sighed. He had lived all those years in vain, and still had to rely on a young man like him for guidance.

Forget it, forget it; it's not like he hadn't been a life coach before.

Today, he would be a life coach once more, pointing out a bright path for a lost middle-aged workhorse.

"What is conscience? It is to provide convenience within one's capabilities. We are prison guards; our conscience is not to make things difficult for the prisoners, and to give them good food and good drink.

As for wrongful convictions, on what basis do you determine that someone is being wronged? Did you investigate the case? Were you the chief judge? You draw conclusions based on one-sided words; in my view, that is not only arbitrary but also absurd and self-righteous.

Official masters all know that when judging a case, one cannot listen to one-sided words; one must call both the plaintiff and the defendant to confront each other, and send people to verify the evidence. In this world, it is not that whoever is weak is right, and whoever is strong is guilty.

Not all wealthy landlords eat people without spitting out the bones, and not all disadvantaged groups have a conscience, will not lie, and will not harm others.

If you don't set up positions in advance, you won't be led by the nose and won't be deceived.

Mu Qingshan, you still have much to learn. For now, forget the benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust from your books. Listen more and watch more; in this place, the Heavenly Prison, there is more to learn than from the great Confucian scholars outside. If you can graduate from the Heavenly Prison, no matter what you do in the future, you will be able to do it smoothly. If you enter the officialdom, you will be invincible, seeing through the hearts and nature of people."