Chapter 721: The Fragrance and Stench of Reputation

Just past the tenth month, the temperature plummeted with a whistling chill.

After a single night of cooling, everyone dug out the cotton-padded jackets they had stored at the bottom of their trunks and wrapped themselves up.

In the A, B, and C cell blocks, several people died overnight.

When they were carried out, they were all stiff as boards.

Chen Guanlou went down to the prison to inspect.

Master Gong was draped in cotton batting, shivering as he read a book.

"What is the meaning of this? Did your nephew not send you any cotton clothes? This is too outrageous."

"Master Chen, you misunderstand. It is not that my nephew did not send them, but that he is not in the capital; he is personally escorting a shipment of goods on a long journey. The people below are likely too busy and haven't had time to prepare them yet."

"Even if your nephew isn't in the capital, he should have given instructions beforehand to have cotton clothes, trousers, and a quilt prepared for you. Someone, go to the Gong residence and ask: do they care about Master Gong or not?"

Chen Guanlou gave the order, and a prison guard went off to run the errand.

In prison, relying solely on the thin quilts and clothes provided by the government makes it very hard to survive the harsh winter. Especially since half the prison is underground, with all the dampness and humidity...

"Many thanks for your concern, Master Chen. I am deeply grateful." Master Gong pulled his cotton batting tighter around himself.

Chen Guanlou truly couldn't bear to watch, so he ordered someone to add a standard-issue Heavenly Prison cotton jacket for Master Gong. It was very thin, but it could barely serve some purpose.

"Although it's made of 'black-hearted cotton,' it can at least keep out the cold. Make do with it for now; it will be fine once your servants bring your own clothes."

Master Gong gave a chuckle. "Not black-hearted, not black-hearted. As long as it keeps out the cold, it's fine."

"That cotton is all blood."

Dried blood, never washed; they just rip it open, sun it, and sew it back up, and it becomes a 'new' cotton jacket. Some are even worse and don't sun them at all.

Take the cotton jackets in the neighboring Imperial Prison, for instance; they definitely aren't sunned, and the clothes reek of mold and all sorts of stenches.

The situation here in the Heavenly Prison is slightly better. Every summer, all winter gear must be taken out to sun for several days. This became a rule after Chen Guanlou became Jiang Jiang Yucheng.

Before, the Heavenly Prison was the same as the Imperial Prison—a beggar's style, where anything that could be used was fine. Whether it was moldy, stinking, or stained with blood didn't matter.

Chen Guanlou couldn't stand it. Even if he didn't demand it be spotless, he at least wanted the moldy smell gone, if only for everyone's physical and mental health.

Being in the Heavenly Prison, Master Gong didn't mind in the slightest. He was already on his second stint; he had adapted well to the environment of the Heavenly Prison. Wearing the Heavenly Prison's cotton jacket, he felt quite at ease.

As long as one doesn't freeze to death, there will eventually come a day to turn things around.

"I hear there's another Imperial Prince in the palace," Master Gong gossiped.

Chen Guanlou laughed. "Master Gong, your news is quite well-informed."

"His Majesty has been blessed with a son; do you guess there will be a general amnesty?"

"Impossible!" Chen Guanlou directly extinguished the other's hope and explained: "The birth mother of this newly added little prince is only averagely favored—a bit better than an ordinary concubine, but far from the status of a favored consort. Since she is not a favored consort, and His Majesty has many sons, His Majesty will be happy for two or three days at most. A general amnesty only happens if the Empress gives birth to a legitimate son, or a favored consort gives birth to a son; only then is it possible."

Master Gong did not refute him, only feeling slightly disappointed. He knew Chen Guanlou was right. An ordinary prince did not have the qualifications to make Emperor Jian Shi grant a general amnesty.

"Master Gong, don't be too anxious. There are many of you convicted officials. Among you, there is no lack of people with heaven-reaching connections. Surely someone is already working in the shadows; sooner or later, your names will be cleared."

"I only fear that as long as the Prince of Cheng is not destroyed, His Majesty's anger will not dissipate."

"How long do you reckon the Prince of Cheng can hold out? Can he succeed?" Chen Guanlou asked casually.

Master Gong, however, pondered seriously and shook his head slowly. "He certainly cannot succeed. That region in the Northwest is barren; although it possesses the natural soil for rebellion, for the Prince of Cheng, it is actually very unfavorable.

Like Guo Dachun and his lot, they rebelled by following the path of the impoverished masses. The Prince of Cheng rebels by following the path of the local gentry. The Prince of Chu is stirring things up in the South, and following the gentry path is correct. The Prince of Cheng simply cannot replicate the Prince of Chu's path in the Northwest.

He can't go down, and he can't go up. Stuck in the middle, relying on eating his old capital to support himself, he certainly won't last many years."

"Master Gong has great insight!" Chen Guanlou praised. "Then just wait patiently for a few years. A few years from now, after the Prince of Cheng is destroyed, you lot of unlucky ghosts will surely be able to get out."

Master Gong was left between laughter and tears. "A few years from now, how old will I be? I fear that even if I wanted to return to office, I would have the heart but not the strength, and the imperial court would also despise me for being elderly. Sigh..."

Master Gong was filled with bitterness.

He still wanted to continue shining in his official career, but the imperial court wouldn't give him the chance. They wouldn't even give him a chance to quibble... to explain himself, which made him feel quite aggrieved.

"If you can't return to office, you can use the connections you've accumulated in the past to support your children and grandchildren. You official families all operate this way; just being an old patriarch is also quite good."

Master Gong:...

He didn't want to talk.

He was afraid of being angered to death by Chen Guanlou's mouth.

Chen Guanlou laughed heartily. "You lot are all official-obsessed; if you aren't officials, you'd rather die. Ordinary commoners haven't even touched the edge of officialdom for generations; wouldn't they be even more furious? You are just greedy, wanting to swallow the whole world; you want everything. How about I send you to the B-block prison to experience the darkness of the Heavenly Prison? Then you'll know how good your current situation is."

Master Gong cupped his hands and argued with a straight face: "Master Chen, please don't mock me. I am just a worldly person; having more desires is human nature. Since I was young, I was determined to follow an official career, and after walking that path for decades, it has become a physical instinct. You ask me to give it up; how can I let go? The reason humans are human is because of the mischief of greed. Without greed, just for the sake of food and warmth, what difference is there between humans and animals?"

"Master Gong, you should write a book. Write down this theory of yours about greed. Although it doesn't sound pleasant, it is indeed a truth, a great truth for studying human nature. Let more people know; don't shout slogans, don't talk about high-minded things, just face the ugliness within your heart."

Chen Guanlou suggested sincerely. Although he couldn't stand the affectation of the convicted officials, he admired the learning of these people from the bottom of his heart.

The learning was real, and the ugliness of the human heart was also real.

Master Gong shook his head repeatedly. "Fame during life and after death. Although I can face the ugly heart and face the face of greed, I can never write this theory into a book, to be attacked by future generations and ruin my reputation."

"Either leave a name in history or leave a stench for ten thousand years. Although the viewpoint is ugly and unpleasant to hear, it will surely leave you a resounding reputation in the scholarly world. As long as you can leave a name, who cares if it's stinking or fragrant, don't you think? It's still better than being unknown."

"No, no! I would be pointed at by the spine and bring disaster to my descendants. Master Chen, you must not harm me." Master Gong refused repeatedly, saying nothing would make him listen to the other's cajoling. If he were to leave a name, it could only be a fragrant one. Leaving a stench for ten thousand years is usually forced; how could one do it voluntarily?

It was simply absurd. ===== CHAPTER 722 =====