Chapter 300 - 75: The Second Red-Quality Talent Appears! Imperial Assimilation

Soon enough, the strong man’s miserable screams echoed throughout the entire Imperial Prison.

Originally.

The prisoners who had just been laughing wildly at the strong man’s words all fell silent at once, their gazes shifting to either fear or dread as they stared at the man who was now beaten raw and bloody.

"Don’t worry!"

Noticing the change in their expressions, Ye Liuyun smiled easily and spoke directly.

"No need to panic, we’ll go one by one—your turn is coming soon!"

"..."

Is this something good? Why the hell would we be in a hurry for this?

"Mercy! Please, my lord, have mercy!"

"My lord!"

Someone had already started begging for their life.

Unfortunately, Ye Liuyun had absolutely no intention of responding to such words.

Maybe realizing begging was futile, a few started cursing outright, and their language was pretty filthy too.

Too bad for them, Ye Liuyun wasn’t about to argue with a bunch of dead men walking.

Let them curse all they want—either way, they won’t be alive for much longer.

...

By the time Ye Liuyun emerged from the Imperial Prison, night had already fallen.

It was obvious.

This time’s haul was quite decent. Though not as fruitful as his last round in Purgatory, it was still pretty worthwhile, and Ye Liuyun’s mood improved along with it.

"Take care, my lord!"

Xiao Yongning followed at his side, respectfully sending Ye Liuyun off as he left the Imperial Prison.

"Not bad."

Ye Liuyun raised his hand and casually patted Xiao Yongning on the shoulder.

"Next time there’s a vacancy for Lord Thousand Households, come see me directly."

Lord Thousand Households!

Hearing this, Xiao Yongning’s eyes lit up. He’d never considered that one day he might become a Lord Thousand Households—he’d always thought he’d just rot away at his current rank until he died.

So it’s true.

Flattering Ye Liuyun had been the right move after all.

See? The rewards are coming now, aren’t they?

"I swear to risk life and limb for you, my lord! I will die a thousand times and never refuse!"

Words like that were for show. Ye Liuyun didn’t pay them much mind—he just waved his hand, signaling to Xiao Yongning not to stand on ceremony.

"You do know what to do once you’re promoted to Lord Thousand Households, right?"

As Lord Thousand Households, he’d have authority to move around some of the Captains and Commanders.

"Understood!"

Xiao Yongning was a smart one, so Ye Liuyun didn’t need to spell things out too explicitly.

A simple hint.

Xiao Yongning immediately caught on and nodded earnestly, fixing his gaze on Ye Liuyun.

"My lord, rest assured: then I’ll definitely make sure Imperial Prison is filled with new prisoners!"

Finally got some prisoners in the Imperial Prison, but after Ye Liuyun’s visit, they’d all been dealt with again.

"Mm. You’re doing this all for the safety of the Imperial City—very good!"

This is getting out of hand.

Given enough time, Ye Liuyun had become a master at self-important speeches and making empty promises.

After patting Xiao Yongning’s shoulder one last time, Ye Liuyun strode off without looking back.

He left Xiao Yongning standing there alone, so excited he didn’t even move, just watching Ye Liuyun disappear into the dark.

...

"My lord!"

Outside the Imperial Prison, Si Nan and Shi Sheng had been waiting for a while already.

They knew Ye Liuyun had things to do, so neither of them dared go inside to disturb him.

They’d decided to wait until he came out, but who could have guessed that the wait would drag on until it was fully dark!

"What’s going on?"

With his own men, Ye Liuyun didn’t put on any airs.

Just a wave of his hand.

Telling them to speak frankly if there was something to say.

"It’s the Ministry of Rites people,"

Si Nan responded seriously.

"After your morning court session, my lord, someone from the Ministry of Rites came looking for you. They said that His Majesty’s birthday is coming up soon, and the safety of the Imperial City will have to be handled by us Embroidered Uniform Guards."

The City Guard Army had been wiped out earlier.

For now, the Imperial Guards had taken over their post in the palace.

But when the emperor’s birthday came, the Imperial City would be bustling—who knows what kind of riffraff could slip in and cause trouble.

Besides,

Banquets like these were always the Ministry of Rites’ responsibility anyway.

"I get it. Where are the Ministry’s men now?"

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun nodded knowingly.

He’d already heard about Yan Shuzhu’s birthday plans from Lv Lan, so this turn of events was exactly as he expected.

However,

As Ye Liuyun spoke, Si Nan and the others suddenly looked as if they’d remembered something funny.

They traded glances, unable to hide the amusement in their eyes.

"Reporting, my lord—we thought the Ministry of Rites people would leave after waiting a while and just come back later. But they all acted like they were terrified—each one just stood there quietly and didn’t dare to leave!"

Well, what could they do? It was Ye Liuyun they needed to see, after all.

All scared to death that if they left before seeing him, Ye Liuyun would remember and come after them later.

If he wanted to retaliate, there wasn’t a damn thing they could do about it!

"Noted."

Ye Liuyun waved his hand indifferently.

What, they’re scared already?

Ye Liuyun couldn’t care less if people liked him or not—he’d never expected to be popular anyway. As long as they were afraid of him, that was all that mattered.

"Tell them to go home. His Majesty’s birthday is my responsibility—they can stop worrying about it!"

Ye Liuyun didn’t even plan to meet them.

He’d gotten some good gains in the Imperial Prison tonight, and was much more interested in getting home and sorting through his haul.

Why waste time bothering with some Ministry of Rites flunkies?