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Chapter 208: Chapter 209: The Law Cannot Show Favoritism

"Princess, the Deer King has given instructions that you may visit the prisoner, but we must be present during the visit," said one of the officials.

"It\'s fine. We\'re just here to take a look," Princess Qianyou nodded in agreement.

With that, Zhong Shan and his group, along with the three officials from the Great Yu Empire, entered the prison.

The prison had a series of powerful formations above, and below, there were long buildings divided into numerous cells.

"Who are you people? How dare you trespass in the prison?" a voice suddenly shouted.

A man with a somewhat rugged appearance and a stern face suddenly blocked their way.

"How dare you! Who are you? Do you dare to defy the Deer King\'s orders? Didn\'t your superior inform you?" an official beside Zhong Shan immediately rebuked.

"I am Lu Jianping, a prison guard. My lord did mention that people from the Great Luo Celestial Court would be visiting, but how do I know you are really from the Great Luo Celestial Court? What if you are impostors?" the man replied with a troubled expression.

"You...!" Gu Lin pointed at Lu Jianping with a look of anger and shame.

How dare a lowly guard make things difficult for the emissaries of the Great Luo Celestial Court? Is this the Deer King\'s intention? Is he trying to humiliate us?

Zhong Shan\'s eyes narrowed slightly, and he furrowed his brows. Lu Jianping?

"Rubbish! I\'m leading them. How could there be any mistake? Bring your superior to see me!" the official beside Zhong Shan said angrily.

"Jianping, what are you doing? Didn\'t I instruct you earlier?" At this moment, another official walked out from within the prison. He appeared to be the head of the prison.

"My lord, I wasn\'t sure if they were really from the Great Luo Celestial Court. Last time, someone posed as them," Lu Jianping explained with a distressed expression.

"How long have you been here? What do you know? Get out of the way. Don\'t block them," the head of the prison scolded.

"Yes, my lord," Lu Jianping immediately stepped aside.

"Sir, I apologize. This guard hasn\'t been at the prison for long," the head of the prison said with an apologetic smile.

"Hmph!" The official beside Zhong Shan snorted and flicked his sleeve, clearly very angry.

However, Gu Lin and the others noticed that it didn\'t seem to be an intentional insult from the Deer King.

"Princess, Heir, please," the previous official said with a bow.

Princess Qianyou nodded and followed the official into the prison.

"My lord, are these people really from the Great Luo Celestial Court? Could it be like last time, where they posed as visitors to extract information from the prisoners?" Lu Jianping whispered to the head of the prison.

"Nonsense! Could anyone impersonate the Princess and the Heir? Moreover, they were personally greeted by the Grand Marshal when they arrived at Sky City. Your sister-in-law happened to be at the city gate that day, and she recorded their appearances with a memory crystal. I would recognize them anywhere—Princess Qianyou and Heir Gu Lin," the head of the prison said with a smug expression.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianping\'s eyes lit up. He immediately said, "My lord, I was wrong earlier for causing trouble for you. Let me personally lead them and make up for my mistake. It will help restore your image in the eyes of our superiors."

"You? You\'re not done embarrassing me?" The head of the prison glared at him, clearly not allowing it.

"My lord, think about it. The bad impression I made is already in our superiors\' minds. No matter how well anyone else performs, it won\'t erase my bad impression. To make our superiors forget it, I must make up for it myself. Otherwise, if they complain to the Deer King, your future prospects could be ruined. I can\'t let that happen to you," Lu Jianping said with a look of urgency.

Inside the prison, there were about a thousand prisoners, including those from the Great Yu Empire and dozens from other dynasties, among whom were six from the Great Luo Dynasty.

"Princess, Heir, I apologize for my oversight earlier. I didn\'t realize you were emissaries from the Great Luo Dynasty," Lu Jianping hurriedly said as he approached them.

"It\'s alright," Princess Qianyou nodded with a smile.

"Although I haven\'t been a guard here for long, I know every single one of the prisoners here— who they are, their habits— even better than what\'s recorded in the prison ledger. Let me guide you, Princess and Heir," Lu Jianping flattered.

"Even better than the prison ledger?" Princess Qianyou was surprised.

"Yes, within the entire prison, when it comes to understanding the prisoners, I rank second. Well, except for the warden, of course," Lu Jianping said.

Impressed, Princess Qianyou nodded, "Alright."

Seeing Princess Qianyou\'s approval, Lu Jianping became excited and asked, "Whom would you like to meet, Princess?"

"The six prisoners from the Great Luo Dynasty," Princess Qianyou affirmed.

"The prisoners from the Great Luo Dynasty? Alright, please follow me, Princess, Heir. This is the first one. His name is..." Lu Jianping quickly introduced each prisoner, displaying a thorough understanding of their backgrounds and offenses.

Inside the prison, the inmates wore white prisoner uniforms, their true essence sealed, rendering them unable to resist, only able to sit idle every day without the ability to cultivate.

For the first two prisoners, Lu Jianping merely gestured to introduce them, and they bowed immediately. Princess Qianyou only offered a few words of comfort.

When they reached the third prisoner\'s cell, a man lay inside, seemingly asleep and snoring.

"Princess, this man is named Wu Wanli. He offended His Majesty and was imprisoned here. Let me wake him up," Lu Jianping said.

Wu Wanli? The group was intrigued. Just as expected!

"Hey, wake up," Lu Jianping called out.

Wu Wanli, with disheveled hair and a somewhat aged appearance, opened his eyes groggily, seemingly indifferent to life and death.

"This is Princess Qianyou and Heir Gu Lin from the Great Luo Dynasty, who came specifically to visit you," Lu Jianping said.

"Heh, trying to deceive me again? And this time, you brought a princess? Tell the Deer King, there\'s no way to open the City of Ten Thousand Treasures. Get lost!" Wu Wanli waved his hand dismissively, showing no interest, then lay back down to sleep.

"How dare you!" an official next to Zhong Shan exclaimed.

Ignoring the others, Lu Jianping seemed anxious. He quickly approached and kicked Wu Wanli\'s right leg, saying, "This time it\'s true. This is Princess Qianyou of the Great Luo Dynasty and Heir Gu Lin, who arrived in Sky City not long ago."

Seeing Lu Jianping\'s action, Zhong Shan squinted his eyes, noticing something odd. Lu Jianping was originally on Wu Wanli\'s left side, but to alert him, he went around to Wu Wanli\'s right side and kicked his right leg?

Not only Zhong Shan but Princess Qianyou and Mr. Shuijing also noticed. While others didn\'t pay attention, Zhong Shan, Princess Qianyou, and Mr. Shuijing were astute individuals.

Sure enough, after Lu Jianping kicked him, Wu Wanli\'s eyes widened, and he immediately knelt down respectfully, bowing to Princess Qianyou.

"I, Wu Wanli, kneel before Princess Qianyou and Heir Gu Lin," Wu Wanli said, now convinced.

Wu Wanli, let me ask you this: Are you now a citizen of the Great Luo Dynasty or the Great Yu Empire?" Princess Qianyou inquired.

"I, Wu Wanli, am born a citizen of the Great Luo Dynasty, and even in death, I shall remain a ghost of the Great Luo Dynasty," Wu Wanli promptly declared.

"Very well. Since that\'s the case, I will request the Great Yu Emperor to release you back to the Great Luo Dynasty," Princess Qianyou solemnly stated.

"Thank you, Princess. However, the crimes I\'ve committed are grave, and the Great Yu Empire may not be so forgiving," Wu Wanli replied, bowing his head to the ground.

"Fear not. In just over seven months, on the occasion of the Great Yu Emperor\'s three-thousandth birthday, in the decisive battle against the Great Venerable Dragon Bodhisattva, when we achieve victory, two auspicious events will occur simultaneously. There will be a general amnesty throughout the land. At that time, I will plead for your release," Princess Qianyou assured.

"Thank you, Princess," Wu Wanli immediately expressed his gratitude, bowing his head deeply.

"Well, let\'s go," Princess Qianyou said, glancing around, preparing to lead the group away.

"Yes," everyone replied promptly.

Next, they comforted the remaining three prisoners from the Great Luo Dynasty before Princess Qianyou led the group away—

At night, in the Great Yu Imperial Prison.

Inside the cell where Wu Wanli was confined, he sat on the ground with his back against the wall, facing the prison guard who had guided them during the day, Lu Jianping.

"Master, people from the Great Luo Dynasty have come. Can they persuade His Majesty to release you?" Lu Jianping whispered.

Master? A prison guard, addressing a prisoner as master?

"What do you think, Jianping?" Wu Wanli smiled bitterly.

"I think even if they kill you, His Majesty and the Deer King won\'t release you," Lu Jianping said worriedly.

"You\'re right. It\'s impossible. However, it won\'t stop them from taking me away on the day of the Great Emperor\'s birthday celebration," Wu Wanli chuckled.

"Are they planning to storm the prison?" Lu Jianping asked in astonishment.

"Heh, you\'ve figured it out? Princess Qianyou has already arranged a time with me. When the city guard utters the passphrase \'general amnesty,\' it means \'forceful action.\' Only I understand it. They\'re planning to storm the prison," Wu Wanli said with a bitter smile.

"Wherever Master goes, I\'ll follow," Lu Jianping said immediately.

"But I can\'t leave," Wu Wanli smiled bitterly once again.

"Why?" Lu Jianping asked, surprised.

"Staying here means death, but returning to the Great Luo Dynasty means a fate worse than death," Wu Wanli said with a pained expression.

"Master, didn\'t you say that the city guard values you greatly, and even the empire wouldn\'t dare to kill you?" Lu Jianping asked anxiously.

"It\'s true that they wouldn\'t dare to kill me, but everything has its laws and regulations, including the laws of the empire. By helping to fortify the city for the Great Yu Empire, I\'ve been aiding the enemy and betraying my country. It\'s grounds for execution and the destruction of my family. While the Great Yu Empire may provide me with a new identity, my family will undoubtedly suffer the consequences," Wu Wanli sighed.

"But there\'s no evidence now, right? The Great Yu Empire hasn\'t killed your family. Why would they do so when you return?" Lu Jianping couldn\'t believe it.

"Because although the Great Yu Empire values me, they cannot overlook treason. There\'s no room for mercy in the law of the empire," Wu Wanli said, looking up with a melancholy expression.