Chapter 355 - 93: Supplementing Prisoners! Has the Old Emperor Emerged? (3)
"Uh!"
After Xiao Yongning said that, the others fell silent.
And Xiao Yongning kept looking expectantly at the rest.
"..."
A few people came up with some ideas in turn, but all were rejected by Xiao Yongning one by one.
Either they were useless, or too inefficient.
By the time the prisoners were caught, the whole situation would be over already.
Just then—
One of the Embroidered Uniform Guards suddenly seemed to think of something, his emotions instantly growing agitated.
"Lord Xiao! Lord Xiao! I have an idea!"
"Hmm? Go ahead and say it?"
So many useless ideas had been mentioned just now.
Xiao Yongning was already starting to lose interest. Was there really no good solution?
When he heard his subordinate speak,
he just waved his hand, signaling the other to speak directly if he had an idea.
He thought it would just be another useless method anyway.
But—!
"Don’t we Embroidered Uniform Guards have the right to transfer commoners from other county yamen prisons?"
"Mm! Hm?"
First he nodded in agreement,
then, as he realized something, Xiao Yongning’s expression suddenly paused.
He clearly guessed at the other’s meaning.
"You mean...?"
"Exactly, Lord Xiao!"
Seeing this, the guard only got even more excited.
"We may have no more prisoners in the Imperial City, but that doesn’t mean the other towns don’t have any! We can totally transfer some serious offenders here to fill up our Imperial Prison!"
The territory of the Great Qian Dynasty really is vast.
There are dozens of big and small county towns, and each yamen has its own prison cells for detaining criminals.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard does indeed have the authority.
They can transfer prisoners from those cells to the Imperial Prison; it’s just that no one used to bother with such a thankless task.
But now things were different.
"If Lord Ye comes over next time and sees a fully packed Imperial Prison, he’ll definitely be overjoyed. Surely, he’ll reward you then, Lord Xiao!"
Hearing this,
Xiao Yongning’s eyes nearly burst with delight.
"Not bad! Not bad!"
The more he thought about it, the more workable this seemed.
This was different from the previous ideas; this one really seemed practical.
Thinking of this,
Xiao Yongning immediately raised his hand and patted the Embroidered Uniform Guard who suggested the idea on the shoulder.
"You did well. After this matter is done, I won’t forget your contribution!"
Upon hearing this,
the guard’s face lit up with joy.
He quickly said,
"Thank you for your appreciation, my lord! It’s all your merit, I only dared to offer a humble suggestion; the actual execution still depends on you!"
He didn’t let the delight go to his head; at least he knew not to claim the merit for himself at a time like this.
"Hahaha!"
Sure enough,
seeing his subordinate behave so appropriately, Xiao Yongning laughed even louder.
"All right, you may all leave for now!"
"Yes, Lord Xiao!"
Upon hearing the order, the people around him responded in unison and promptly turned to leave.
As for Xiao Yongning,
now that he had a plan, of course he had to get to work implementing it.
He immediately began to issue transfer orders, starting with the county yamen of towns closest to the Imperial City, ordering them to send their prisoners over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Those County Magistrates,
when they received the transfer order, were clearly stunned. They honestly hadn’t expected the Embroidered Uniform Guard to need all these commoners—could it be that there’s no one left in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Imperial Prison?
It was odd, yes,
but they had no choice but to obey the Guard’s orders.
Besides, transferring prisoners wasn’t a big deal, as long as they weren’t being asked to deliver money for nothing.
...
As for Xiao Yongning’s little maneuvers,
Ye Liuyun really hadn’t paid them much mind for now.
That day,
when leaving the Embroidered Uniform Guard,
Ye Liuyun encountered an unexpected person.
"Lv Lan? What are you doing here?"
Seeing Lv Lan waiting outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ye Liuyun was clearly surprised.
Usually, when she came to see him,
she always waited at his residence. This was the first time she’d actually come straight to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to block him.
"Did something happen?"
Seeing Lv Lan frowning, a dark cloud seeming to linger over her brow,
he could guess something must have gone wrong.
And it didn’t seem like a small matter.
But Ye Liuyun actually wasn’t nervous; instead, he smiled teasingly.
"You’re already a Martial Artist at the peak of the Innate Realm—what could possibly trouble you so much? Don’t tell me... the old Emperor has left seclusion?"
Except for the old Emperor coming out,
there really didn’t seem to be any big issue that could vex Lv Lan this way.
"..."
Lv Lan knew Ye Liuyun was joking, trying to lighten her mood,
but when she heard his words,
not only did she not find it funny, that dark cloud on her face grew even heavier.
"Uh!"
That reaction made Ye Liuyun realize something.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"So—the old Emperor really did come out of seclusion?"
Well damn, I was just making a joke, but it turns out it’s for real.
The old Emperor leaving seclusion—
doesn’t that mean he’s now a Land Immortal?
"When did this happen? Weren’t they saying it’d be a few more months?"
"Just this morning!"
Lv Lan shook her head slightly and explained,
"After morning court today, His Majesty was planning to return to his study, but as soon as he entered, he found the old Emperor sitting there!"
When Yan Shuzhu saw this scene, he was stunned as well.
He really didn’t expect his own Royal Father to come out of seclusion at this moment.
"Tsk! The old Emperor is back—so, our current Emperor’s throne is probably about to topple. So... when do you plan to set off for the Sword Spirit Sect?"
...