Chapter 543: Where Is He?
Isn’t this a death wish!?
It was one thing for Shen Yanchuan to go in. He was highly skilled in martial arts and could handle himself. But who was Ye Chutang?
A mere woman, daring to rush into danger!?
Ye Chutang nodded. "I’ll come out once I find the Princely Heir."
A deep sense of unease grew within her as she stared at the blazing fire.
She had to go in.
Fan Chengzhuo frowned and tried to dissuade her. "Second Miss Ye, why must you do this?"
He didn’t actually want to get involved, but if something happened to Ye Chutang here, he would surely be blamed.
He found Ye Chutang more and more disagreeable, feeling she was only here to cause trouble. His tone grew impatient.
"I know you’re a skilled physician, Second Miss Ye, but this is not the Imperial Hospital. It would be best for you to be cautious. Don’t risk your own life, hmm?"
But Ye Chutang produced a water-soaked handkerchief from somewhere.
She tilted her head slightly, her voice calm. "Rest assured, Mr. Fan. I will do what I must, and I won’t involve any of you, no matter what. But please, step aside. Time is of the essence."
Her words were far too blunt, making the men feel both ashamed and indignant.
Wasn’t she implying that none of them dared to go in!?
Fan Chengzhuo was furious. He scoffed internally and cupped his hands in a perfunctory gesture.
"Since Second Miss Ye has made up her mind, it’s not our place to say any more."
Ye Chutang wasted no more words on them. Covering her nose and mouth with the handkerchief, she headed for the prison’s south gate.
Watching her slender figure recede into the distance, someone finally couldn’t hold back and asked in a low, uneasy voice:
"Sir, are we really just letting her go in like that? She’s currently responsible for His Majesty’s..."
"She’s hell-bent on going. What can I do?" Fan Chengzhuo flicked his sleeve, watching with a cold, detached gaze. "Just wait and see!"
First Shen Yanchuan, now Ye Chutang. They’re both far too audacious!
If they don’t care about their own lives, what’s the use of anyone else trying to persuade them?
The men exchanged uneasy glances, still on edge.
One of them couldn’t help but mutter, "The prison’s layout is complex. Even someone from the Ministry of Justice would likely get turned around on their first time inside, let alone her."
But Fan Chengzhuo was dismissive, saying coldly:
"She’ll back down once she realizes how difficult it is."
’Such bravado. Utterly ignorant!’
’Does she think this Ministry of Justice Prison is a place she can enter and exit as she pleases!?’
’I bet she’ll get scared and come running out not long after she steps through that gate!’
Fan Chengzhuo simply didn’t believe Ye Chutang had the guts to actually barge in. This was all just for show.
’A waste of effort!’
Fan Chengzhuo paid it no more mind and raised his voice to give orders.
"Keep fighting the fire!"
...
Ye Chutang soon reached the south gate.
Without any hesitation, she walked through the narrow entrance.
Her vision quickly grew dim.
Outside, the raging fire had made it as bright as day. But inside, she could only make out the corridor with the help of faint candlelight.
The path ahead was dark and foreboding.
Ye Chutang quickly scanned her surroundings. The fire from outside hadn’t reached this area yet, but she couldn’t stay for long. Once the thick smoke spread, the air would become unbreathable.
She had to be quick.
Ye Chutang continued forward and finally heard a clamor of chaotic voices when she reached the first fork in the path.
She looked toward the source of the sound. The prison guards were opening the cell doors one by one, leading the prisoners out.
Perhaps aware of the fire outside, the prisoners were all terrified, scrambling to get out first, afraid that a moment’s delay would mean dying in here.
"Run! It’s on fire outside!"
"Help! Sirs, save me! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die in here!"
A massive wave of panic spread as everyone pushed and shoved, descending into chaos.
Although the prison guards were trying their best to maintain control, they were heavily outnumbered by the prisoners and couldn’t manage the situation at all.
"Shut up! No shoving! Form a line and get out one by one!"
A prison guard shouted sternly, but it was useless.
In the face of death, who would listen to such orders?
"These damn lackeys don’t care if we live or die! If we want to live, we have to get out now! Even if they convict us later, it’s better than dying in here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted resentfully, and the others immediately roared in agreement.
"Yeah! Let’s break out!"
"Let’s fight them!"
The crowd grew even more agitated, and the once-orderly line quickly became a dense mob.
The prisoners who had already been released ran for their lives, while a few others took advantage of the chaos to open nearby cells, letting even more people out.
The scene spiraled completely out of control.
The prison guards panicked at the sight. One of them, who seemed to be the head guard, drew his sword in desperation and stabbed the prisoner at the very front of the surge.
SHLICK—!
The prisoner was stabbed in the stomach, and blood sprayed! He instantly stopped moving and collapsed to the ground in agony.
In the blink of an eye, his head lolled to the side, and he stopped breathing.
"AHH!"
Screams erupted as the prisoners cried out in alarm and stumbled backward.
Blood dripped from the head guard’s sword. He stared at the crowd and snarled, "Anyone else who disobeys will meet the same fate!"
A brief, deathly silence fell.
But in the next moment, someone suddenly shouted, "He’s trying to kill us! He wants us to die in here! We’re dead either way, so what’s there to be afraid of!"
Hearing this, the head guard’s heart leaped into his throat. "W-what are you trying to do!?"
The man ignored him, simply screaming himself hoarse:
"Out! We want out!"
Those words were all it took to break the dam.
The prisoners, already terrified, were now filled with boundless rage on top of their fear. As one, they surged toward the outside!
The numbers were disparate; how could a few prison guards possibly be their match?
In the blink of an eye, the guards were shoved aside, and the prisoners poured out like a torrent.
The prison guards were in a full-blown panic. If these men charged out just like that, who knew what would happen!
"Stop! Stop them!"
But in a scene like this, who would pay any heed to such a faint voice?
The commotion here caught the attention of prisoners in the more distant cells.
Like a tidal wave, the clamor and unrest swept through the prison!
"We want out too!"
"To hell with it! Charge!"
The entire, vast prison had descended into complete chaos.
The sounds of running, of stampeding feet, of prison uniforms being torn, and of shackles dragging across the ground...
...all mingled together, flooding her ears.
Ye Chutang’s brow furrowed.
She hadn’t seen any sign of Shen Yanchuan on her way here.
And now, there was still no trace of him in the chaotic, out-of-control mob.
’Searching aimlessly like this is useless.’
Moreover, the fire outside was growing fiercer, and Ye Chutang could already feel the air in here becoming hot and stuffy.
’I have to be fast!’
Ye Chutang strode forward, grabbed a prison guard who was starting to back away in fear, and demanded in a cold voice:
"Where is Shen Yanchuan now!?"