Chapter 85: You Refuse Me Face, So I

During a shift change, a minor incident occurred.

Chen Guanlou had just changed his clothes and was about to leave the yamen when he ran into Wan Yuli.

The two stared at each other; anyone unaware of their relationship would have mistaken them for lovers—perhaps sworn brothers?

Chen Guanlou gave a vague smile and greeted him first.

Wan Yuli kept a stern face. As they passed each other, he muttered, “Feeling proud?”

Chen Guanlou stared straight ahead—outside lay the bustling capital, the lively streets. He replied softly, “I am indeed proud.”

“Don’t get too cocky yet.”

“Enjoy it while you can. If you’re jealous, Wan Yuli, go ahead and hit me!”

“You—”

Chen Guanlou burst into laughter and walked away with ease. He had no interest in chatting with a loser.

That evening, he hosted a banquet for Fan Yuli; the guests were delighted, and the silver spent was enormous.

Chen Guanlou secretly wrapped a packet of silver—a lucky sum: eighty taels.

The others gave roughly the same amount, perhaps a little less, at most a few or a dozen taels short. The stingiest was Li Dahong, who gave only fifty taels.

Even that made him wince and twist his face in agony.

On his first day on duty, Fan Yuli enjoyed fine wine, sumptuous food, beautiful courtesans, and silver pouring into his coffers—so thrilled he nearly shouted that Tianlaomiao was wonderful, that he’d never leave.

Youth knows not the value of Tianlaomiao, mistaking bookish toil for true treasure.

That night, Fan Yuli hugged a courtesan and wept bitterly. Afterward, he silently vowed to serve diligently, uphold Tianlaomiao’s fine traditions, and make sure to keep visiting Zui Xiang Lou’s girls.

With Fan Yuli’s arrival, the A-cell block was completely transformed from top to bottom.

Li Dahong was clearly sidelined; Chen Guanlou rose in favor. Fan Yuli first filled the guard roster, increasing the number of jailers from four to ten. Then, citing his education, he took charge of all ledger submissions—meaning all silver now passed through his hands.

Fan Yuli knew how to play the game—he returned the favor by giving Chen Guanlou the chance to skim silver.

Chen Guanlou: …

A living benefactor!

The other jailer captains, seeing such a windfall fall into his hands, grew green with envy.

Li Dahong, meanwhile, spouted sarcasm and resentment: “Educated men are different—we roughnecks can’t even flatter right; we end up kicking the horse’s leg.”

Chen Guanlou didn’t indulge him: “Li Tou, your last three reports were short on silver. You have one day to make up the difference.”

He used to call him Brother Li; now he called him Li Tou.

Li Dahong rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong? Where’s the problem? Can you even count? Do you even have eyes?”

“Don’t yell at me. I say it’s short, and it’s short.” Chen Guanlou put on a full display of authority—he was using this as an excuse to settle scores.

“Chen Guanlou, you’re a petty man who’s gotten lucky. Don’t think having Fan Yuli as your backer gives you license to act like this. I paid in full every time—why is it short now? I want to know: where did the money go?”

Li Dahong bellowed, desperate for everyone to believe Chen Guanlou had embezzled. The jailers gathered at the door, exchanging glances, unsure whom to believe.

Chen Guanlou sneered. “Li Tou suspects me of embezzling everyone’s silver? Qian Fugui—can you use an abacus? Can you read ledgers? Prove it in front of everyone. Let’s tally the books. See who’s bad at math: you or me. Where did the missing silver go? Let’s lay the ledgers out in the open. Whoever’s pocket grew heavier, we’ll take it from there.”

Qian Fugui lived up to his name—he’d known how to use an abacus since childhood. Too bad he never became a clerk; he became a jailer instead.

Today, his skill finally had its use. He picked up the abacus on the spot and began calculating—not the whole ledger, just the last ten days.

Ten days’ records weren’t much; one by one, the figures added up quickly.

Chen Guanlou announced the audit results aloud to all: “Forty percent goes to the yamen, thirty percent to the public fund. According to the ledgers, Li Tou, you should have paid eight hundred seventy taels and five mace. You paid only seven hundred ninety taels and two mace. The shortfall of eighty taels and three mace—where did it go? Surely not into my pocket.”

“How should I know? I always paid in full before. Why am I the only one with problems now? Chen Tou, don’t be fooling me.”

Li Dahong’s eyes darted wildly, pointing the blame squarely at Chen Guanlou.

Chen Guanlou tossed the ledger down. “The ledger’s right here. If you think I’m lying, fine—let’s go to the scribe. He has the original records; they won’t be wrong.”

“No need!” Li Dahong stiffened his neck, defiant. “Who knows if you’ve already colluded?”

Chen Guanlou laughed bitterly. “If you say that, this can’t be settled quietly. We must go before Fan Yushi and settle this. I won’t bear the false accusation of collusion. Li Tou, come on—let’s go see Fan Yushi together.”

Li Dahong flew into a rage, leaping up. “Chen Tou, you’re pushing too far! We all eat from the same pot—do you really have to go this far?”

Chen Guanlou looked at him with a half-smile.

He was panicking.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand. The seasoned veteran Xiao Jin stepped forward, shooing everyone out of the duty room: “What are you staring at? Nothing to see. Get back to patrolling the cells. It stinks in here—send the cleaners in, scrub the latrines again and again. Apply medicine where needed—don’t let anyone die.”

Inside the duty room, only Chen Guanlou and Li Dahong remained.

Li Dahong’s face turned ashen, breathing heavily like a black ox. “I know you’re proud now—both Fan officials favor you. Educated men always stick together; you never give us roughnecks a chance.”

He complained endlessly, blaming his lack of education for his misfortune.

Chen Guanlou didn’t argue. He said only: “Pay back the money. I won’t report this. We’ll pretend it never happened. We’ll still be brothers.”

“Pay back? How? Nearly a hundred taels—where am I supposed to get it? Chen Tou, we’ve been brothers for so long. Tell me, what kind of man am I? How have I treated you? When you first came, no one accepted you—I stood up for you, silenced the opposition. I don’t ask for thanks, but now that I’m in trouble, can you really force me like this?”

“Then why are you forcing me?”

Chen Guanlou suddenly exploded, jabbing his finger at Li Dahong’s nose. “Before I took over, the ledgers were never wrong. The moment I stepped in, you create a shortfall of nearly a hundred taels. You’re trying to humiliate me, to make me look foolish, to make everyone laugh at me—never once thinking of my position. Now you turn around and beg me for help, then accuse me of pressuring you? Li Dahong, have some dignity!”