Chapter 996

Several days later, the news reached the capital.

Meng Laoda and his group were ambushed en route; they fought to the death and suffered heavy casualties. Meng Laoda, severely wounded, died on the spot.

The fake Ma Liu also died on the spot.

The surviving Six Shanmen brothers are bringing Meng Laoda’s body and the others’ corpses back to the capital.

The Ministry of Justice was enraged!

It was said that Sun Daoning launched an attack on the Dalisi during the morning court session; the two sides actually clashed with real weapons.

Xie Changling seized the opportunity to step forward, accusing the Dalisi of instigating the conflict and harboring sinister intentions—likely with grand designs that warranted a thorough investigation.

Emperor Jian Shi nodded in agreement.

Instantly, the roles reversed; the Dalisi became the target, under intense fire. To demonstrate fairness, the Ministry of Justice invited the Censorate to join the investigation and thoroughly probe corruption within the Dalisi .

While the immortals above fought, chaos also stirred below.

Chen Guanlou convened a mid-level meeting.

Everyone’s expressions were solemn, slightly tense.

Especially Xu Fugui, drenched in cold sweat, his face filled with lingering terror, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He had nearly died!

Every time he thought of it, he had nightmares at night.

Ever since the news of Meng Laoda’s death reached him, he had been having nightmares every night. He never imagined that the Ma Liu case would escalate so severely, claiming so many lives.

Had it not been for the Prison Warden’s timely discovery and proper handling, he would be dead now.

Xu Fugui had truly experienced the feeling of surviving a near-death ordeal.

“You all know what happened—Meng Laoda died outside. All of you have been in the prison service for at least a decade, some for decades. Why Meng Laoda died—no need for me to say it; you all know.”

Everyone nodded slightly, deeply moved. This line of work paid well—but it cost lives.

“I’ve repeatedly warned you: in the Tianlao service, you must follow regulations. Why? Because doing so will save your lives at critical moments. You all know the full story of the Ma Liu case—if Xu Fugui had strictly followed regulations and verified the prisoner’s identity from the start, would there have been this chain of troubles? Would anyone have died? Would the Dalisi have had any grounds to pick a fight?”

Everyone turned to look at Xu Fugui.

Xu Fugui hung his head, unable to refute.

Chen Guanlou, face stern, continued: “Many think I’m too rigid in how I handle things. Some even say regulations are just decorations, unimportant.”

The Ma Liu case has now shown us: regulations exist for a reason. They may seem trivial or even redundant in daily life—but at critical moments, they save lives.

But no one knows when the critical moment will come, or which case will be the critical one.

Take the Ma Liu case: who among you could have foreseen that Meng Laoda would die over it? Who could have imagined it would become the Dalisi ’s opening wedge against the Ministry of Justice?

So don’t rely on luck. Don’t think you’ll always be the lucky one. Starting today, every prisoner, every case—you must follow regulations strictly. No slacking, no cheating. Otherwise, next time something goes wrong, Xu Fugui won’t be so lucky.

I can’t catch every problem during my inspections. Don’t expect me to clean up after you every time!”

“Your Excellency, rest assured—the A-cell block has always strictly inspected every prisoner, ensuring each matches their dossier. For years, we’ve never dared to slack off.” Chen Quan spoke first.

Someone muttered under their breath, “Suck-up!”

“Who called someone a suck-up?” Chen Guanlou roared. The previously calm office instantly grew tense.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

No one stepped forward to admit it.

Chen Guanlou thundered: “Why accuse Prisoner Warden Chen of being a suck-up? When did following rules and doing your job properly become sucking up? Do you all want to emulate Xu Fugui—mess up catastrophically, then hang your heads on the Tianlao gate to prove you’re clever?

I tell you: the Tianlao doesn’t need clever, slippery men. It needs careful, responsible ones. If you have objections to my words, speak now. If you have objections to me, I’ll have you dismissed!”

No one spoke.

The office fell silent, so quiet a pin could be heard dropping.

Everyone kept their heads down, avoiding Chen Guanlou’s gaze—as if each one felt guilty.

Chen Guanlou knew perfectly well who had muttered “suck-up”—even the whisper hadn’t escaped his ears. But he didn’t name names; some things don’t need to be spoken aloud.

He growled: “I thought Meng Laoda’s death would teach you something. Now I see I was naive. You lot—drunkards, gamblers, womanizers, addicts—you’re why everyone outside calls you scum, lowlife trash.

Look at your conduct: you eat the state’s rice, yet you despise yourselves. I don’t ask you to strive upward—I only ask you to be responsible, to do your jobs properly. Is that too much to ask? If you can’t, leave now!”

“Your Excellency, calm down!” It was Chen Quan again. “The Ma Liu case, Meng Laoda’s death—everyone’s still adjusting. Please give us some time. We’ll learn from this.”

“Dismissed! Dismissed!” Chen Guanlou waved them off impatiently, visibly furious. “If you want to die, go ahead. I won’t stop you. If you won’t listen to me, fine. But one thing: next time something happens, don’t come crying to me for help. I’m busy!”

“I’ll follow Your Excellency’s orders!” Xu Fugui leapt to his feet, the first to speak up. “Your Excellency, rest assured—from now on, the C-cell block will strictly enforce regulations and never repeat this mistake.”

Chen Guanlou glanced at him, then gave a reluctant nod—barely an acknowledgment.

“Your Excellency, watch me—I’ll run the C-cell block with perfect order.” Xu Fugui made a promise.

Chen Guanlou gave a slight nod of approval. “Prisoner Warden Xu learning from his mistake and improving his work—that’s excellent.”

Prisoner Warden Miao cleared his throat. “The B-cell block is complicated. Often, we can’t even tell who’s who. We just follow orders from above—we have no say.”

“I’m aware of the B-cell block’s peculiarities,” Chen Guanlou said. “Prisoner Warden Miao, your work is hard. If you spot anything, report it directly to the Ministry of Justice.”

The Ministry didn’t want him meddling in the B-cell block anyway. He didn’t care what dark dealings festered inside—just as long as it didn’t interfere with his own work.

The meeting ended.

Everyone dispersed.

Xu Fugui lagged behind, hesitating.

After everyone had left, he returned and handed over an envelope. “Your Excellency, this is a small token of my gratitude. I owe my life—and the lives of my brothers—to you.”

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow. “I handled Ma Liu’s case, not for you.”

“I know, I know. But you still saved my life—and the lives of my brothers. Please, don’t refuse this small token!”