After knocking Zhang Wantong unconscious and returning him to his lover's bed, Chen Guanlou scouted the area to ensure it was safe before heading home.
He lay in bed, unable to sleep for a long time.
He had never dealt with Wan Yuli, not even exchanged a single word. Yet, the history between them ran deep. The position his late father had left for him had been snatched away by Wan Yuli, who had pulled some strings. The incident had nearly cost him his iron rice bowl—his secure job at Tian Prison.
Wan Yuli was vying for the position of Deputy Warden, and Chen Guanlou couldn't let him succeed, no matter what. But where could he even begin? As a mere prison guard, he had no standing to join the struggle, nor could he influence the decisions of his superiors.
Was he supposed to just stand by and watch Wan Yuli get his way?
If that happened, his own future would be bleak.
However...
The situation wasn't entirely hopeless.
No matter how lowly, a Deputy Warden was still an official, a part of the government hierarchy, even if at the very bottom. And no matter how influential a Jailer was, he was still just a functionary. As the saying goes, "Officials flow like water, but the functionaries are cast from iron."
For a Jailer to cross that class divide and become a Deputy Warden was not just difficult, it was exceedingly rare—as rare as a phoenix feather. No official would risk the scorn and contempt of his peers by promoting a mere functionary to an official post. The only exception would be if one encountered a patron so powerful, with a background so formidable, that they could disregard the unwritten rules of officialdom and shatter a tradition that had stood for a thousand years.
For Wan Yuli to get promoted, he had to rely on his connections. If his backing were truly strong enough to flout tradition, he wouldn't still be a mere Jailer. This suggested his connections weren't as formidable as they seemed. His path to promotion would not be a smooth one.
Other Jailers had connections and backgrounds as well. Take Xu Fugui, for instance. A crafty old veteran like him, having worked at Tian Prison for so many years, must know a few influential figures. He might not be able to out-compete Wan Yuli, but Chen Guanlou was certain that even if Xu Fugui couldn't win, he could definitely find a way to sabotage Wan Yuli's ambitions.
It was a classic case of being not good enough to get things done, but more than capable of messing them up. Find the original chapter at g.com.
...
The next morning, Zhang Wantong awoke from a deep stupor. The sharp pain in his chest proved that the previous night had been real, not a dream. He cursed resentfully, vowing revenge. At the same time, a seed of terror had been planted in his heart. The more he thought about it, the more he suspected that someone within Tian Prison was out to get him.
His captor had only been interested in the prison's internal affairs, clearly targeting the recent contest for the Deputy Warden position. With that in mind, the person who had abducted and interrogated him last night was very likely someone from within Tian Prison. He remembered the man's voice. As long as the culprit was still in the prison, he would find the bastard and tear him limb from limb.
To that end, he dragged his aching body to his shift at Tian Prison, not even considering taking time off to see a doctor for his injuries.
As he entered, a rookie under Xu Fugui named Chen Guanlou went out of his way to greet him. He was a surprisingly polite young man, not yet tainted by the cesspool that was Tian Prison. A pity he was too soft-hearted, even showing kindness to the prisoners. What an idiot. He'd heard the kid liked to collect martial arts manuals. Hmph. For someone without a Martial Vein, collecting all the manuals in the world was completely useless. It might even bring him a world of trouble.
Young people these days are so naive!
Next time, I'll have to teach him a lesson, show him just how cruel the world can be.
Once inside Tian Prison, he ran into his usual card-playing buddies and they all shot the breeze. He didn't suspect any of them; he knew them too well. It couldn't have been one of them who had tied him up.
In truth, he already had a suspect in mind. He suspected the guards from the Type A Cell Block. Wan Yuli had promised him that after everything was settled, he would be promoted to Jailer and put in charge of the Type A Cell Block. This clearly encroached upon the interests of the guards already stationed there.
He wasn't the only one who wanted to get ahead.
If he wanted to become a Jailer, the others certainly wanted it even more.
He even suspected that Wan Yuli might have made similar promises to other guards. Perhaps the news that he was working for Wan Yuli had been leaked by someone in the man's inner circle. Otherwise, why would a minor guard like himself be specifically targeted?
Damn it.
Zhang Wantong spat fiercely on the ground, mentally cursing out every last man in the Type A Cell Block. As he fumed, he schemed for a way to infiltrate their ranks and find his captor from the previous night. Playing cards was the best way to socialize, and to that end, he had even stolen money from his lover to ensure his plan went off without a hitch.
During lunch, Lu Datou complained to Chen Guanlou, "That bastard Zhang Wantong is getting more and more out of hand. Fooling around is one thing, but he used to at least stay in the duty room. Today, he's been gone since morning. And guess where he went? He ran off to the Type A Cell Block to kiss some ass. Hmph. Him, wanting a transfer to the Type A Cell Block? He should take a good look at himself. An illiterate who can't read a single word—how does he expect to deal with all those fallen officials?"
Chen Guanlou smiled to himself. He had already guessed why Zhang Wantong had run off to the Type A Cell Block—he must suspect his attacker was one of them.
But he was more curious about something else. "Since when do prison guards need to be literate?" he asked.
Damn it, what kind of scholar would willingly become a prison guard in this day and age?
He was probably the only one who, despite having a few years of education, was still content with his stable job at Tian Prison.
Picking his teeth, Lu Datou rambled on, "There was no such rule in the past. The guards in the Type A, B, and C blocks were all illiterate brutes, and it never hindered their work. I don't know what year the rule changed, but the story goes that a high-ranking official, on the verge of death after his downfall, left a crucial note. The guard on duty was illiterate and destroyed the note on the spot. Now, that should have been the end of it—the rules state that anything with writing on it must be destroyed. The problem was, the official's case was later overturned, and the story of the note he left behind came to light. That really stirred up a hornet's nest, and heads rolled.
"Ever since then, you have to be literate to work in the Type A Cell Block. Actually, with your background, you could easily get a post there. But you're a newcomer and don't know the ropes. If you rushed into a job in the Type A block, I'm afraid one careless mistake could cost you your life."
"Brother Datou is right. I still have so much to learn, and I'll need to rely on your guidance," Chen Guanlou said, offering a bit of timely flattery.
"Hahaha..." Lu Datou beamed, clearly enjoying the praise. "To be honest, the Type A Cell Block isn't all it's cracked up to be. The pay is higher, sure, but so are the risks. Don't look down on those disgraced officials just because they're prisoners today. Who knows, one of them might get pardoned and reinstated tomorrow. It's a tough gig! It's much more relaxed here in the Type C block, where we don't have to worry about stepping on anyone's toes."
"Brother Datou, you're so insightful. That's the absolute truth. In this world, there's no one harder to serve than an official," Chen Guanlou said, diligently pouring him more tea.
Lu Datou was on a roll now, his words flowing freely. "Exactly! If it were me, I'd never want to work in the Type A Cell Block. All that bowing and scraping like a servant? It's pathetic. Besides, a lot of officials from Jixia Academy have been thrown in here lately. You know of Jixia Academy, right? That bunch loves to stick together; you don't want to cross them. Every last one of them is arrogant as hell, looking down their noses at us, not even treating us like human beings. And yet, you have to serve them hand and foot, terrified that one wrong word will get you a sword through the gut, and there'd be nowhere to even plead your case. Am I right or am I right?"