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

Chapter 255

Zhou Chu arrived at the Suzhou Prefecture prison. Things were different now. In the past, the Suzhou Prefecture prison was like a backyard for the gentry and wealthy merchants.

Now, the entire Suzhou Prefecture and even the Jiangnan region are under Zhou Chu's control.

Although these jailers were all from the same generation of jailers in this hell, they were quite perceptive and knew what they could and could not do.

No prison guard dared to provoke the Embroidered Uniform Guard at this critical juncture.

Of course, to prevent these people from being killed to silence them, Chen Zhao had already arranged for the Imperial Guards to keep an eye on them in the prison.

"Boss, who are these people who have been locked up here? Why is there such a large entourage?"

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

Upon hearing this, the jailer turned around and glared at the guard who had spoken.

"Don't you know the rules? Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."

The jailer shrank back at the warden's words, realizing that something was amiss, and stopped asking questions.

The jailer was also frustrated. He used to just coast along in this prison, making some money and occasionally getting favors from the officials above him. He was living a very comfortable life.

But since a few days ago, the wind in the whole Suzhou Prefecture seems to have started to change. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, which originally had little say in Suzhou Prefecture, has started to become more powerful, which made the jailer sense something unusual.

Just a few days ago, tens of thousands of rebel troops gathered outside Suzhou. The deafening shouts of battle made the prison warden weak in the knees, fearing that the rebels would storm into Suzhou and massacre the prison.

When the rebels were all wiped out, the jailer, upon receiving the news, was both overjoyed and utterly shocked.

The rebel army was said to number 300,000. Even if it didn't reach 300,000, it was still extremely frightening. The jailer could imagine how many people had died in this battle just by listening to the constant roar of the cannons.

When he learned that the commander leading the troops to quell the rebellion was none other than a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the jailer finally understood one thing: the situation in Suzhou had changed, and even the entire Jiangnan region was about to change.

Who are the Embroidered Uniform Guards? They are the Emperor's men. Everything now indicates one thing: the imperial court has suppressed the gentry and officials in Suzhou Prefecture and even the Jiangnan region.

This sent a chill down the spine of the jailer, who realized that things might not be easy for him in the future. After all, these men were all native Suzhou residents, and their relationships with the local gentry were complicated. Even if the jailer wanted to distance himself from these relationships, who could guarantee that his jailers wouldn't cause trouble?

The jailer knew very well that if any of the guards dared to misbehave, his job as jailer was over. At best, he would be replaced, and he might even be purged. Survival would be a pipe dream.

So these past few days, the prison warden has been on high alert, keeping a close eye on every single one of his guards. The people brought in today, the warden didn't even glance at them or ask them a single question.

That's why he reacted this way when the jailer asked him.

Just as the jailer was lost in thought, the prison gates opened, and the first to enter were a group of Imperial Guards in straw raincoats, who lined up on both sides, which made the jailer straighten his back.

A very important person is coming.

This was the jailer's first reaction.

Moreover, they were no ordinary important figures. The jailer even saw several Imperial Guards standing in these two rows, some of whom were captains or centurions, whom he had met once before.

As a prison warden, he may not have many other skills, but he has an extraordinary talent for remembering people.

This made him even more terrified, and he began to speculate about the important figure who was about to arrive. The jailer subconsciously glanced at the guards next to him, fearing that his subordinates would cause him trouble. He didn't even want to think about what the consequences would be if they caused a big mess.

The person who entered next was none other than Chen Zhao, the commander of the Imperial Guard in Suzhou Prefecture. Chen Zhao was also wearing a straw raincoat, but he was holding an umbrella in his hand. After entering, he put the umbrella away.

Following behind was a young man. Although he was not old, just one look from him made the jailer tremble with fear. He hurriedly lowered his head, afraid of being noticed again.

As soon as Zhou Chu entered the Suzhou Prefecture prison, he couldn't help but frown. The continuous rainy weather had filled the entire prison with an indescribable smell.

Compared to the prison in Suzhou Prefecture, the prison in the capital was much drier and didn't have much of an odor.

Zhou Chu took off his deerskin gloves and handed them to Chen Zhao, who accepted them respectfully. Wearing deerskin gloves during the rainy season can effectively protect against rain.

"Who is the jailer?"

Zhou Chu glanced at the crowd below and asked.

"In response to the question, I am indeed the one who answered."

Upon hearing this, the jailer shuddered and hurriedly stepped forward.

"Have someone clean up this prison properly. It's only been a few days of rain, and it already smells like this? What will happen if it rains for another ten days or so? Will anyone even be able to get in?"

Zhou Chu said with displeasure.

Upon hearing this, the jailer was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

Zhou Chu's words made the jailer realize that the official in front of him would not punish them, otherwise he would not have instructed him to do this.

"I will do my best to ensure that there will be no unpleasant smell when you come again."

The jailer, as if injected with adrenaline, hurriedly made his promise.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu nodded, glanced at the jailer again, and walked directly towards the cell where the prisoners who had dug up the dike were held.

Chen Zhao had these prisoners imprisoned in different cells according to Zhou Chu's instructions, in order to prevent them from colluding or killing each other to cover their tracks.

Furthermore, to prevent these people from committing suicide, the Imperial Guards removed all hard objects from their bodies, and even knocked out their teeth.

Zhou Chu arrived at one of the cells, looked at the man in front of him whose mouth was full of blood, waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards following behind him immediately understood and placed a stool behind Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu sat on the stool, looking at the man pretending to be dead in front of him.

Zhou Chu gave Chen Zhao a wink, and Chen Zhao waved to the people behind him.

Behind Chen Zhao, the Imperial Guards, who were already prepared, splashed a bucket of cold water on the man's face.

The man could no longer pretend and glared at Zhou Chu with resentment.

"Tell me, who gave you permission to breach the dike?"

Zhou Chu asked.

Zhou Chu knew very well that those people who could send out such people to do this kind of thing were probably not powerful slaves or private soldiers; only death warriors raised from childhood could put their minds at ease.

After all, given the lessons learned from the previous incidents, no one could guarantee how Zhou Chu would deal with them once he knew the truth—would he execute their entire family? Or exterminate their entire clan?

Digging up a dike is a grave crime, and even the extermination of three generations of one's family would be no problem.

Therefore, this kind of thing could absolutely not be entrusted to ordinary private soldiers.

"Kill me."

The man before him spoke with a ferocious expression.

With that mouthful of blood, it's hard not to look ferocious.

"You're dreaming. Once you're in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'll show you what it means to have a hard time even if you want to die."

Zhou Chu didn't say anything more to him, and turned to look at Chen Zhao behind him.

"Is there anyone in charge of interrogation?"

"My lord, our Embroidered Uniform Guard lacks everything, but we don't lack talent in this area."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao's face immediately lit up with excitement.