Phoenix Emperor: Is This How You [Take Care] of Things?

"Jiangnan!!!"

Shangguan Shuyi stared at the enormous [Heaven-Peering Mirror], so angry that she was about to get her period.

Meanwhile, Ingrika was standing to the side.

After a brief period of stunned silence, the commentary spirit that was in his bones finally awakened!

Her impassioned voice resounded for hundreds of meters around!

"Oh my god!! Fellow villagers of Soul Return Town!"

"Warriors! What have I just seen?!"

"Is the Heaven-Peering Mirror malfunctioning?! No! It isn't!"

"Let's give the biggest shot to contestant number 33, Jiangnan!"

Ingrika was so excited that she stomped her feet on the stage, her golden braids flying in the air.

"In just the past three minutes, this guy started with a massive debt of 500 taels!"

"The player whom everyone underestimated actually delivered a textbook-perfect, effortless victory!!!"

As Ingrika gave her inflammatory explanation, the townspeople stared intently at the image Heaven-Peering Mirror.

"Look, everyone! Those are all the notorious thieves on our Soul Return Town's wanted list!"

"The constables can't catch them usually, but now they've been piled up like a mountain of flesh by these scholars!"

Ingrika swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she pointed to the center of the screen.

"And what is our Jiangnan contestant doing?! He's actually lying on a mahogany rocking chair with his eyes closed, resting!"

"And beside him... his mount had become a maid!"

Let's give her a round of applause for her promotion!

The male townspeople in the audience were so envious of this scene that tears almost streamed down their faces!

"This is life! Other people catch thieves by running themselves ragged, this guy outsources it!"

Even the maid who fans the room is a masterpiece!

"Who just said he couldn't pay back 500 taels?"

"This is absolutely a game-changer!"

At that moment, Ingrika stared at the fluctuating sales figures in the corner of the Heaven-Peering Mirror and screamed.

"It's moved! Everyone! The performance figures for the Jiangnan contestant have changed!"

"Negative 400 taels! Negative 200 taels! Zero!"

He paid off all his penalty debts in less than five minutes!

"It's still rising! 100 taels! 500 taels! 1000 taels!!!"

"Record broken! He instantly surpassed Aeria's current record of 100 points with an absolute crushing victory!"

"Right now, he's the undisputed number one!"

"This isn't catching thieves, it's clearly buying goods!!!"

The audience erupted in cheers as Ingrika provided enthusiastic commentary!

"Jiangnan! Jiangnan! Jiangnan!"

Tens of thousands of townspeople chanted Jiangnan's name, and some even started betting on his victory.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Shuyi's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Cheating! This is definitely cheating!"

Shangguan Shuyi was so angry that she trembled all over.

"He's a constable; he should personally arrest the criminals!"

"Now he's actually using his private influence to have the Confucian Dao Association members do his work; this is a serious violation..."

However, before Shangguan Shuyi could finish speaking, Ingrika bluntly added insult to injury.

"But Lord Shangguan, the competition rules don't stipulate that constables can't mobilize the public to provide clues and assistance."

"And..."

"The prisoners were indeed piled up in front of him, and he personally inspected them by holding a rope."

"That's practically like personally making the arrest."

Shangguan Shuyi: "..."

She was speechless, her chest heaving violently.

As the one who made the rules, she knew all too well that Ingrika was right.

She tried to use the rules to trap Jiangnan, but Jiangnan directly exploited loopholes in the rules and outsourced the project!

Looking at the Heaven-Peering Mirror, Shangguan Shuyi was so angry that she gritted her teeth.

"Fine, fine... Jiangnan, is it! You think you can win like this?"

"The selection of the groom is not just based on his performance in the first stage!"

Shangguan Shuyi stared at the screen.

"The second stage has begun..."

"I will show you what true hell is!"

After saying that, she turned and left.

Meanwhile, Ingrika continued her commentary on stage.

Meanwhile...

Soul Return Town...

Inside the prison.

"Um... this is what you mean by working for the government?"

Shadow's eyelids were twitching so badly they almost cramped up.

"Haha, we should always think the best of people."

Guo Shuai scratched his head awkwardly.

"Putting aside the specific job content and environment, just tell me, wasn't this meal paid for by the town government?"

Xin An, standing to the side, carried an empty bamboo basket, looking utterly bewildered.

"Um... Xiao Guo, are you sure this guy really ate just now?"

"The three roast ducks I just bought on a whim outside disappeared in the blink of an eye!"

"Belch!"

Inside the iron bars, Quan Quan, dressed in prison Circle, let out a burp.

"You've already eaten your prison food."

"That roast chicken we just had was too small; it wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap."

"Fortunately, the three roast ducks that followed filled the gap, so I was barely about 60% full."

"Roast chicken?!"

Shadow's face was filled with shock. "Circle, tell me the truth, that wasn't the government's last meal before execution, was it?"

"Are criminals treated this well these days?"

Upon hearing Circle, Quan Quan put her hands on her hips and said smugly.

"It's not a last meal before death!"

"It's because the prison in Soul Return Town is severely understaffed!"

"I'm here to play the role of a serious criminal to save face!"

"This is paid jail time, the benefits are quite generous, haha!"

But before its laughter could even escape the dungeon...

"Tap tap tap..."

A ghost messenger walked up to the cell and knocked on the iron bars.

"Stop laughing, number 9527, you're unemployed."

Circle's laughter stopped abruptly, and she stared blankly at the ghost messenger.

"There's a player named Jiangnan out there right now, he's absolutely insane."

"He brought back all the criminals who had been imprisoned in the town for nearly a century."

"The prison is not only severely understaffed, but it needs to be expanded overnight. You actor, get out of here!"

"Go to the new Job Assignment Office and draw lots again!"

"Ouch! Sir! What are you doing! My government job is here!"

Amidst Circle's screams, it was thrown directly out of the dungeon by the ghost guards.

Guo Shuai sighed and stepped forward to comfort him.

"Alright, alright, being a criminal isn't exactly respectable. Let's go get another one."

"But before that, Circle, let me ask you something important."

Shadow and Xin An quickly joined in, their eyes filled with hope.

"You've been inside for so long, have you seen a Jailer named Yue Tian?"

"Or is it news about him?"

Circle sat on the ground, scratching his head, trying hard to remember. "Yue Tian? That name..."

"Daddy, I think I overheard the ghost messengers discussing this during their shift change."

"It seems he didn't finish his work on time and was locked up in the Ox-Horse Factory on the Second Ring Town."

The three exchanged a glance and exclaimed in unison.

"Ox-Horse Factory?!"

The main hall of Central Forest Garden.

"Ox-Horse Factory?"

Phoenix Emperor rested her chin on her hand, her tone so calm that it was impossible to discern her joy or anger.

"Yes, Phoenix Emperor."

Shangguan Shuyi knelt before the hall and made the proposal with a solemn expression.

"I believe that the practice of outsourcing participants in the first stage has seriously compromised the fairness of the selection process."

"Therefore, I suggest changing the rules for the second stage from the original requirement of bringing people into the factory!"

"Switch to conducting a direct [Ox-Horse Value] production competition within the [Ox-Horse Factory]!"

Shangguan Shuyi gritted her teeth, clearly hating someone's behavior to the core.

"Only in this way can we prevent those shameless scoundrels from taking advantage of loopholes and let them know what real hard work is!"

Upon hearing Phoenix Emperor, a smile appeared on the Phoenix's face, but her eyes gradually turned cold.

"Oh? Then, Minister Shangguan, please speak..."

"Just how shameless was that contestant's behavior?"

Shangguan Shuyi was completely oblivious to the darkening expression on the throne, and continued to berate herself.

"My lord! That Jiangnan fellow is utterly shameless!"

"As a constable, instead of patrolling the streets, he actually used outside influence to have the Confucian Dao Association arrest people for him in a 'wholesale' manner!"

"This behavior is a blatant violation of the rules and a blatant disregard for you..."

That's enough.

Phoenix Emperor interrupted Shangguan Shuyi's endless chatter.

Phoenix Emperor slowly stood up, looking down at her with a chilling tone.

"The care I entrust to you..."

"Is this how you take care of me?"

Shangguan Shuyi was completely stunned. She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.

"My lord... I was indeed targeting..."

"No, we're managing him strictly."

"Could it be that my subordinates haven't done enough?"

"Please rest assured, sir, in the next round I will make him bear the initial debt of one thousand taels..."

"Debt my foot!"

Phoenix Emperor was so angry that she laughed out loud, and her oppressive aura pressed Guan Shuyi directly to the floor.

"What I mean is, I want you to give him special treatment!"

"It's for you to give him, the husband I've chosen, special treatment!"

"So you not only targeted him, but also made him owe five hundred taels at the start?"

Phoenix Emperor pointed at Shangguan Shuyi's forehead and cursed angrily.

"Shangguan, have you been living too comfortably these past few years? Have you lost your mind?!"

"A... arranged husband? Who is that sir...?"

Shangguan Shuyi was so frightened that her whole body went limp, and she was covered in cold sweat.

What could make Phoenix Emperor care so much...

There's only that one man!

No wonder those old guys down there suddenly turned against us!

So they recognized me!

Therefore, Shangguan Shuyi kept kowtowing and apologizing.

"Your subordinate deserves to die! Your subordinate deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"Your subordinate has completely misunderstood Your Majesty's will!"

"Please punish me, Your Honor!"

"As long as it appeases your anger, I'm willing to pay any price!"

Seeing her like that, Phoenix Emperor sighed and sat back down.

"That's enough."

"Ignorance is bliss. Since I didn't reveal your identity before, I'll spare your life this time."

Shangguan Shuyi felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you for your great kindness!"

Phoenix Emperor stroked her chin, then suddenly chuckled softly, "However, your suggestion of Ox-Horse Factory is indeed quite good."

I never imagined that after all this time, he would still be so outstanding. He managed to subdue those arrogant Confucian scholars with ease as soon as he returned.

"But..."

"We can't let him use this kind of Human Wave Tactic again in the next game, otherwise it'll really get boring to watch."

Phoenix Emperor glanced sideways at Shangguan Shuyi: "Let's do as you said, go to the Ox-Horse Factory and compete on output."

"But... you know what to do, right?"

"If you mess this up again, you can forget about the Second Ring Town."

"Get over here and become my maidservant, understand?"

"Yes! I understand! I will prepare a generous gift and personally apologize to the groom!"

"I guarantee that you will feel right at home during the second leg of the race, sir!"

Shangguan Shuyi accepted the order and scrambled out of the main hall.

As the gate closed, the main hall returned to deathly silence.

Phoenix Emperor watched the [Heaven-Peering Mirror] projected in front of it, replaying the image.

In the scene, Jiangnan is sitting comfortably in a rocking chair.

The woman named Liu Ruyan, with a face full of shame, said that she had volunteered to be the mount.

"Heh, nothing's changed after all."

Phoenix Emperor's fingertips traced the mirror's surface, her eyes filled with longing.

Even if reincarnated, it will still be the same...

"They treat these so-called beautiful women like dirt and pebbles, showing no mercy or tenderness whatsoever."

She wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, she was extremely happy.

In Phoenix Emperor's view, the colder and less interested Jiangnan was in women, the better.

This means he is still the same Dragon God.

"This time, I will not let you escape again."

Phoenix Emperor murmured to herself, a sweet smile spreading across her face.

But in that very instant, something unexpected happened!

A fine wrinkle appeared on her flawless face!

At the same time, the entire magnificent hall seemed to be affected by some kind of magnetic field interference.

The view was like a snowflake screen, gloomy and decaying, even vaguely revealing the underlying colors of broken walls and ruins.

However, this phenomenon lasted only one second.

Then, accompanied by the Phoenix Emperor's sharp gaze, it quickly disappeared.

Phoenix Emperor's smile vanished, and she reached out a finger to press the spot where wrinkles had appeared.

"Now that you're back..."

"Then we must do it before it ends..."

"Complete the next part of the plan."

She gazed out the window at the town that appeared prosperous but was actually built on Abyss.

"Because only in this way can you see an eternal and flawless version of me."

"Only in this way can we preserve this Weird Island..."

"The only living town."