The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 419

It's important to understand that the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Suzhou Prefecture was not the Northern Garrison Command in the capital. The Northern Garrison Command could arrest people without evidence, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Suzhou Prefecture did not have such power.

Yang Shengzhai's actions constituted overstepping his bounds and breaking the rules.

But Zhou Chu wanted Yang Shengzhai to break the rules, so that the Grand Secretary's grandson would attract all the attention while clearing away all obstacles for Yan Song.

Yang Shengzhai suddenly turned his gun around, catching everyone off guard. They never expected that this young master Yang would be so audacious and unpredictable.

Yang Shengzhai had these arrested officials thrown into the Suzhou Prefecture prison. The Suzhou Prefecture prison had been reformed by Zhou Chu last year, and Yan Song now held the reins of power in the entire Jiangnan region. Even if some of the prison guards had connections with or were relatives of officials in the Jiangnan faction, they dared not do anything out of line.

They still vividly remembered Zhou Chu's scare tactics from last year. Two prison guards tried to take a risk and were arrested by Zhou Chu's men. They faced the swift and decisive action of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Not only were those two guards killed, but many of the prison guards and even the wardens were implicated.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a natural power to suppress prison guards and even clerks in various government offices. The Embroidered Uniform Guard could kill these prison guards and clerks without any evidence, let alone any evidence.

Therefore, these prison guards nowadays are all honest; they only want to save their lives, and on that basis, they can pay money.

In fact, last year, due to Zhou Chu's bold and decisive actions, a lot of officials were arrested, and there were far more officials in prison than before. Moreover, these officials were all richer than the last. Even though their homes were ransacked by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and most of these officials still had some wealth hidden in their outer residences.

Although it wasn't much, it was enough for them to make money in the prison for a period of time. As a result, the amount of money these prison guards made last year was more than the total amount they had made in many previous years.

This is precisely why the prison guards' thoughts have changed. Originally, they were determined to side with the officials of the Jiangnan faction, not because of any kinship or anything like that, but mainly because the benefits were too great.

Now they find that working for the Embroidered Uniform Guard seems to bring more benefits, and they don't have to worry about being targeted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard or living in constant fear.

These prison guards are worthless. They spend their days in this dark and hopeless prison, either gambling or spending their time on pleasure boats or in brothels to find women.

Basically, all prison guards are not good at saving money. If they have money, they will eat, drink, gamble, and whore. Once you become a prison guard, the path to advancement is blocked. You won't starve, but you will also have no hope.

Therefore, when so many officials were imprisoned, the jailers not only did not help them, but seemed quite excited.

They didn't know who the young Imperial Guard leader was, but it was clear at a glance that he was no ordinary person. Moreover, this man dared to arrest so many officials at once, almost filling the entire Suzhou prison to capacity.

These prison guards all realized one thing: they were about to make a fortune. With so many officials transferring money to them, how much money would that be?

"Boss, what kind of strategy is this?"

One of the jailers looked at the head jailer with a puzzled expression and asked.

The jailer was also completely baffled. He couldn't understand what these Imperial Guards were up to. With so many people coming in all at once, did they want to pay money or not?

If fewer people came in in the past, even if these officials held high positions, and even if they might soon be reinstated, they would still have to pay the money.

These are the rules in the prison. After those officials are reinstated, they won't hold it against them. This is the rule, the unspoken rule. Once you enter the prison, you have to accept this unspoken rule.

But there were just too many people coming in this time, and the jailer was a little unsure. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. If so many officials were all reinstated, and if they really bribed the jailers, they would be in big trouble.

"Let me sound you out."

The jailer sighed, steeled himself, and approached a member of the Imperial Guard, subtly producing a silver ingot.

The guard glanced at the jailer, then, without any ceremony, simply pocketed the silver.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards could easily accept money from prison guards and jailers, and it didn't matter whether they actually did anything after receiving it.

The jailer understood this principle, but the money had to be paid. Money was the key to getting information; without it, how could he obtain accurate information?

"If you have something to say, you have to fart."

The Imperial Guard, having received the money, looked at the jailer with slight impatience.

"Sir, what's going on? With so many people imprisoned, is there any possibility that some of them will be reinstated?"

"The jailer said cautiously."

The Imperial Guard chuckled upon hearing this.

"You old bastard, you want to ask if you can get money out of these people, right?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were very familiar with these methods used by prison guards.

The jailer wasn't surprised to hear this.

"My lord, your insight is keen. Without definite information, I am also uneasy. After all, there are so many people. If I offend them all, I will be in deep trouble."

The jailer nodded and bowed.

"You're quite perceptive. With so many people, it's easy for you to offend others. How about this, if you're worried, send some money to our Embroidered Uniform Guard later. We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will take responsibility for this."

"That's what the Embroidered Uniform Guard said."

Upon hearing this, the jailer's eyes lit up.