Chapter 956: Just Can

Xiao Jin reluctantly arrived at the office, head bowed, and bowed deeply. “Servant greets my lord.”

“Dare not look at me? Guilty conscience?”

Chen Guanlou asked casually, his tone light.

Xiao Jin kept his head down and whispered, “No!”

“Then lift your head. You’re a man—speak like a mosquito? Haven’t eaten? Tell me, why quit? Too much money? Or found a new way to make it? Don’t say I’m meddling. You’ve followed me for years; if you’re leaving, I owe you a question.”

Xiao Jin finally raised his head, his face grim.

As if summoning all his resolve, he spoke at last: “Thank you, my lord, for your concern. I dare not hide it—I’ve found a new path outside the Tianlaomiao, so I plan to leave and change my life.”

“Did Xiao Changsheng give you this path?” Chen Guanlou asked bluntly.

Xiao Jin didn’t deny it, nodding heavily. “Xiao my lord is a true man of honor!”

Chen Guanlou laughed bitterly.

“You believe him? Tell me—why would he care for you? Because you share his surname? Why would he give you a path to wealth? Just because you’re a Xiao?”

Xiao Jin looked furious, his face flushed, eyes bulging. “Do you look down on me so much? That’s why, back then, when choosing jail clerks, you picked Chen Quan instead of me?”

Chen Guanlou grew angry. “I chose Chen Quan not because I looked down on you, but because your conduct during that period was deeply disappointing.”

“I repeatedly advised you. I even had Liu She and the others remind you. What did you do? Ask yourself—what were you doing then? Did you ever focus on your duties?”

“Back then, you were certain I’d pick you, so you ignored your duties, treated them carelessly, and spent every day scheming to curry favor with the powerful. If you were in my place, what would you have chosen?”

“I only slacked off for a while. What about before? For years, I was loyal to you, never once slackening. Because of a brief lapse, you’ve utterly dismissed me, gave the clerk post to Chen Quan. Before, they all worked under me. Now, I work under them. Have you ever thought of my situation?”

Chen Guanlou sighed inwardly, deeply regretful. “You’ve truly never let go of this.”

“I couldn’t let it go,” Xiao Jin admitted plainly. “I was so certain. I trusted you completely. I thought you’d keep trusting me, entrust me with responsibility. I never imagined—when the list came out—it struck me like a hammer. I became the laughingstock of the entire jail. Even the prisoners mocked me.”

Xiao Jin roared in fury.

He unleashed all the bitterness, grievance, and resentment he’d held for years.

“If I lacked ability, unfit to be a jail clerk—I’d accept it! If I’d been unjust, unworthy of the role—I’d accept it! But because I sought powerful patrons and slacked off for a while, you dismissed me entirely—I refuse to accept it!”

“Why didn’t you speak up then?”

“Would it have helped? The list was already public—done and sealed. Speaking up would’ve only humiliated me!” Xiao Jin sneered, then exploded again: “What has Chen Quan done to rise above me? He was my junior, knew nothing! He used to ask me for advice. I pulled him up!”

Chen Guanlou rubbed his temples. “And what about me? What have I done to enter the Tianlaomiao in less than a year and rise above you all as your squad leader? Do you resent me too?”

Xiao Jin shook his head. “I don’t resent you, my lord. You’re a Chen—you have the Hou Fu backing you. You’re educated, can read and calculate, and know how to charm your superiors to win benefits for us. For these reasons alone, even if you’d been dropped in as jail clerk, it’d be justified. But Chen Quan? He’s not worthy. He’s worse than me. What has he done?”

“Chen Quan’s conduct these past years has been plain to all. Why do you say he’s unworthy? He spent money hiring tutors, quietly learned to read and write, and now can draft official documents alone. What about you? In all these years, can you even write a single official document?”

Xiao Jin said nothing, but his face brimmed with defiance.

“For years, you’ve made no progress at all—just coasting on your old experience, your cunning, your so-called social savvy. Chen Quan was indeed inferior at first, but he worked quietly, toiled hard, and caught up to you. He surpassed you. Years ago, you could have resented it. Now—on what grounds do you still resent it?”

“I just refuse to accept it!” Xiao Jin roared, stubborn and unyielding.

Chen Guanlou felt profound helplessness. He waved his hand. “Fine, fine. If you insist on quitting, I’ll approve it. But be careful—don’t let others sell you out. If things turn sour out there, you can always come back. No shame in that.”

The atmosphere grew awkward, tinged with sorrow.

Xiao Jin wiped his eyes, chin raised. “Thank you, my lord, for your understanding! I… I must go out and fight for it. Otherwise, I’ll never be at peace.”

“I understand. Fight hard! Just remember—Tianlaomiao is your fallback. When that day comes, don’t feel ashamed to return. Earning money isn’t shameful. Go where you can earn. If Tianlaomiao pays well, come back.”

Xiao Jin nodded heavily.

Chen Guanlou signed the order at once. From this day forward, Xiao Jin was no longer of Tianlaomiao.

He instructed Qian Fugui: “Pay Xiao Jin his full month’s salary and bonus. You others—if you’re able, throw him a farewell feast.”

“I fear even if we want to throw a feast, Xiao Jin won’t show up,” Qian Fugui murmured.

Over the years, their fates had diverged drastically; the old closeness was gone.

Take Chen Quan and Xiao Jin—they were irreconcilably at odds. These past years, they’d merely kept up a facade of peace. In private, they had no contact.

Chen Guanlou didn’t press. He simply sent Liu She to see Xiao Jin off.

Liu She had changed the least among them, got along well with everyone, and was easy to please.

He took Xiao Jin to a roadside stall, they drank a few cups, then parted ways.

Xiao Jin was off to chase his future, following the nobleman Xiao Changsheng.

The others remained in Tianlaomiao, eating the state’s meal—sometimes savory, sometimes foul.

Chen Quan, uneasy, approached Chen Guanlou. “My lord, blame me if you must.”

Chen Guanlou glared at him. “Blame you? For being too good? For working too hard? Don’t overthink it. Everyone has their own path, their own Dao. He made his choice. We only need to respect it.”