The Flower Thief was beheaded, and Cell 60 was empty once more.

The struggle for the Deputy Warden position had intensified the infighting throughout Tian Prison. The prison guards were forced to take sides.

Refusing to pick a side and trying to be a fence-sitter was a death sentence. Fence-sitters were usually the first to die.

No one would tolerate a fence-sitter in their midst.

However, before anyone had time to deal with the fence-sitters, a disaster struck the Yi-Character Cell Block first.

The household slave of a nobleman was dead.

A slave taking the fall for his master was, in truth, just for show—a formality. Once things blew over, the slave would be released.

No one could have imagined that he would die before the case was even closed.

This had stirred up a hornet's nest, and there was no hiding it.

The matter alarmed the supervising official. He finally deigned to look down and see what was happening, and upon learning that the struggle for the Deputy Warden position had thrown Tian Prison into chaos and now resulted in a death, he was enraged.

"Is the position of Deputy Warden something that you lowly jailers can covet?"

With that one sentence, he sealed off everyone's path to advancement.

"Since you won't stay in your place, don't blame me for being merciless!"

This declaration meant that people had to die. Only the blood of the dead could serve as an apology to the nobleman behind the slave and teach everyone in Tian Prison—from jailers to prison guards and handymen—to know their place.

As squalid as Tian Prison was, it was still the government's territory. It would not tolerate a group of pawns causing an uproar.

Jailer Zhao, who was in charge of the Yi-Character Cell Block, was on sick leave for most of the year, leaving a few section leaders to handle all matters big and small.

To make an example of them, the supervising official had the section leader and prison guards who were on duty the day the slave died arrested, imprisoned, or executed. Not a single one was spared.

After this round of slaughter, everyone in Tian Prison was scared into silence. No one dared to cry injustice for the wrongfully killed guards. At most, they would add an extra two taels to the funeral money as a small gesture.

Although Jailer Zhao was not held responsible, he was stripped of his authority over the Yi-Character Cell Block for mismanagement and was punished by being sent to guard the storeroom. Jailer Zhang was to take his place.

For a time, a somber quiet fell over Tian Prison. Everyone followed the rules.

With his path to promotion cut off, Zhang Wantong grew exceptionally demoralized. He slept all day and refused to set foot in the prison. Everyone was furious but dared not speak out. He was a veteran with many protégés and followers; even Xu Fugui could only find petty faults with him, unable to get him dismissed.

Before, when Zhang Wantong had been ambitious, Xu Fugui's fault-finding had bothered him. Now that he had completely given up on trying, he was utterly indifferent to it. He wasn't afraid of being reported—so what if he slacked off?

At a time like this, complaining to the higher-ups about a trivial matter like a prison guard slacking off would only make them think Xu Fugui was a troublemaker who was both incompetent and tactless. And tactless people deserved to be kicked out.

Xu Fugui was a tactful man, so when he saw that Zhang Wantong had completely given up, he couldn't be bothered to manage him either. In any case, with so many people under him, there would always be someone who could get things done.

Several days later, the matter of the Deputy Warden position was finally settled. The higher-ups directly appointed someone from the outside.

The new Deputy Warden's surname was Fan. He was said to be a 1st Rank Martial Artist who had previously taken the imperial examinations but failed. He had worked as an advisor for a few years, saving up money and connections, and used his old master's influence to be parachuted in as Deputy Warden, officially entering the ranks of officials. Fan Yucheng's personal history could be considered an inspirational success story.

His life was inspirational, but for Xu Fugui and the others, it was as if their hearts were bleeding.

They couldn't accept it!

After work, Xu Fugui dragged Chen Guanlou, Lu Datou, and a few other "honest men" out for drinks. After drinking too much, he began to complain. "We've worked as jailers our whole lives. Is it wrong to want to get ahead? Why do they have to block our path? They look down on us as low-class, but they can't do without us. So who's really the worthless one? That Fan guy, just because he studied for a few years, he doesn't have an official title either. On what grounds does he get to be Deputy Warden? I have money too! Why won't they give us jailers a chance to advance?"

"Uncle Xu, you've had too much. Have some tea to sober up," Chen Guanlou said, calmly swapping out his cup.

"I'm not drunk. Little Lou, you're an educated man. Try to find a way to use your connection to the Hou Mansion, see if you can get transferred to another office. This place, Tian Prison, isn't for you. You're wasting your time here."

"Look at you, Uncle Xu. I'm doing just fine right now."

"Fine now doesn't mean fine for a lifetime. Tian Prison is a lowly profession. Don't let a bit of silver blind you and ruin your future. We're all stuck. We can't find another way out if we leave Tian Prison, so we have no choice but to hold this bowl of half-cooked rice and pretend it's delicious. You're different. Your surname is Chen, same as the Marquis of Pingjiang. You share an ancestor. You have other options. Don't be stubborn and cling to this bowl of half-cooked rice. Really, Uncle Xu is telling you this from the bottom of my heart. If I didn't see you as a sincere person, I wouldn't be saying any of this."

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Xu Fugui was truly drunk.

When sober, he would never let such words escape his lips.

It was only because they were all drinking together, emotions running high, that he was willing to speak his mind.

However, Chen Guanlou had his own ambitions. In his mind, no government office could compare to Tian Prison. It was low-profile, he could practice his martial arts, collect techniques from various schools, earn a fortune, and he didn't have to work under the direct watch of a superior. It was perfect.

Chen Guanlou raised his cup. "Thank you, Uncle Xu, for genuinely thinking of me. I'll toast to you. I'll drink it all; you can drink as you please."

He drained the cup in one go, earning a chorus of cheers.

He appreciated Xu Fugui's good intentions, but he had his own long-term plans.

Xu Fugui threw an arm around him. "You have to listen to me. Use your connections more. What future is there in being a prison guard for your whole life? Don't be afraid to spend money. You have to fight your way up while you're young."

Xu Fugui became a life coach, giving everyone a grand lecture on life. Whether they wanted to hear it or not, they all had to put on an appearance of humbly receiving his teachings. If Xu Fugui sobered up the next day and remembered someone being disrespectful or dismissive, he might hold a grudge, which would be troublesome. They weren't veterans like Zhang Wantong; they didn't have the right to just give up and do nothing.

The meal was more exhausting than a day's work. They spent the entire time listening to Xu Fugui's pontificating and complaining, and they couldn't even talk back. If anyone dared to contradict him, he would throw a drunken fit.

In the end, Chen Guanlou and Lu Datou took Xu Fugui home and left without even getting a sip of hot water.

As the two walked under the moonlight, Lu Datou sighed and muttered, "That Fan guy doesn't know a damn thing, yet he gets to be parachuted in as Deputy Warden. I think it's unfair too. Jailers might not be as educated, but when it comes to understanding and controlling Tian Prison, ten of him wouldn't be a match for one of us."

Chen Guanlou had only one thing to say: "Fan Yucheng is a 1st Rank Martial Artist."

Lu Datou was still not convinced. "So what if he's 1st Rank? This is Tian Prison, not the constables of Six Doors or the agents of the Jinyiwei. We don't need that much martial prowess. Look at me, I only know a few flashy, fake moves, but I still do a perfectly fine job as a prison guard. You, on the other hand, you should stop obsessing over those martial arts manuals. That stuff is useless. We're just ordinary people without a Martial Vein. We'd be better off thinking about how to rake in more money."