Chapter 549: Chapter 549: Just Leave Them Here

A moment later.

Lian Zhou stared down at the two swords in his hands, silent.

Never mind dealing with these people; even killing all of them would be no great feat for him.

But...

This was, however, the first time he’d ever had to take credit for someone else’s work.

He glanced at the men on the floor, his expression complicated.

Who would have thought that so many masters would end up falling at the hands of Second Miss Ye?

"Take these bodies outside," Shen Yanchuan ordered. "Place them in the front courtyard of the Ministry of Justice for all to see."

Lian Zhou immediately replied, "Yes, sir!"

He raised a hand, and the Black Cavalry Guard who had followed him in immediately sprang into action.

Ye Chutang reminded them, "Don’t let your hands touch the bodies, in case you get contaminated by something unclean."

They still didn’t know the cause of death for these Southern Hu Blade Men; caution was paramount.

Everyone responded in unison.

There were many guards. Along with the corpses, the men who had tried to assassinate Shen Yanchuan were also escorted away.

Ye Chutang watched for a moment before asking, "Lord Lian, did Mr. Fan really agree to let so many of you in at once?"

Lian Zhou snorted. "And what if he didn’t?"

’Could a mere Fan Chengzhuo really give orders to the Black Cavalry Guard?’

’That makes sense,’ Ye Chutang thought.

It was understandable that she had been stopped—after all, she looked like an easy target. As for Lian Zhou and his men... they had stormed in emanating such killing intent that Fan Chengzhuo wouldn’t have even had time to hide, let alone worry about anything else.

’Good thing there was no delay.’

"Let’s get out of here first."

The air in this place was foul, and with the fire raging outside, it would be difficult to escape if the thick smoke spread down here.

Lian Zhou led the way, with Shen Yanchuan and Ye Chutang walking side by side. The Black Cavalry Guard were responsible for escorting the prisoners up and cleaning up the aftermath.

As they passed a corner, Ye Chutang suddenly stopped.

Shen Yanchuan turned back. "What’s wrong?"

Ye Chutang asked, "I was wondering if the Princely Heir could do me a favor?"

Shen Yanchuan nodded. "Go on."

Ye Chutang pointed ahead. "I want to take him out of here, too. Is that possible?"

Shen Yanchuan followed her gaze and saw a middle-aged man lying on his side inside a cell. He was covered in filth, both of his legs had been amputated, and he seemed to be sound asleep.

"Him?"

’Ye Chutang has never been to the Ministry of Justice Prison before. How could she know someone here?’

"Yes."

Ye Chutang nodded, paused for a moment, and then added,

"And it would be best if no one else found out."

...

The fire was finally brought under control, its flames gradually subsiding.

However, Shen Yanchuan and the others who had entered the prison had yet to emerge.

The crowd waiting outside grew increasingly anxious.

"The Princely Heir has been inside for so long. Why isn’t he out yet?"

"I know! The prisoners were rioting just now. It took a great deal of effort to suppress them, but there’s still no sign of the Princely Heir. This is—"

"Don’t worry just yet. Didn’t the Black Cavalry Guard go in? They should be out soon..."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their conversations filled with speculation.

Fan Chengzhuo’s face was dark, his mood utterly foul.

’I must have the worst luck today!’

A fire broke out in the Ministry of Justice, and the prisoners actually rioted and broke out!

Many of the officials had gone to fight the fire, leaving them severely short-staffed here. If the Military Command Department hadn’t sent reinforcements, the situation would have likely become uncontrollable!

Even so, many people were still injured or even killed in the chaotic struggle.

—And all of this would eventually be blamed on him, Fan Chengzhuo!

This fire alone was enough to burn away his official’s hat as Minister of the Ministry of Justice!

Not to mention Shen Yanchuan and Ye Chutang!

He said in a low voice, "Send more men in to search! You must find the Princely Heir—"

Before he could finish, a tall, upright figure appeared ahead.

Fan Chengzhuo’s heart leaped!

Someone with sharp eyes behind him had already recognized them and cried out in delight, "It’s the Princely Heir! The Princely Heir is out! And—and Second Miss Ye!"

Hearing this, the crowd grew excited, everyone craning their necks to look in that direction.

The fire had not yet been completely extinguished, and its path was a scene of scorched earth and ruin.

But the figures of the two were still so distinct that the moment they appeared, they captured everyone’s attention.

Fan Chengzhuo’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, slowly clenched into fists.

An official behind him offered an eager reminder:

"My lord? Shouldn’t we go welcome the Princely Heir? This is wonderful news, truly wonderful news!"

They were genuinely happy.

It wasn’t for any other reason than the fact that Shen Yanchuan and Ye Chutang were simply too important—if anything happened to either of them, they would all be implicated!

Now that they saw the two of them emerge completely unscathed, they were naturally overjoyed.

’They hadn’t followed them inside earlier, so wasn’t it time to show some proper deference now?’

Fan Chengzhuo snapped back to his senses, an eager and delighted smile instantly appearing on his face as he strode forward.

"Princely Heir! Second Miss Ye! It is wonderful that you’ve both made it out safely—"

Fan Chengzhuo’s voice died away when he saw the Black Cavalry Guard following behind the pair.

More accurately, it was when he saw the people the Black Cavalry Guard were escorting!

His pupils suddenly constricted. He looked at Shen Yanchuan in disbelief, his gaze flickering rapidly over them.

"Wh-what is all this!?"

Shen Yanchuan met his gaze.

Fan Chengzhuo grew even more nervous. "Why are there prisoners, and prison guards? They—"

Suddenly, a thick stench wafted over. Caught off guard, Fan Chengzhuo instinctively frowned and took several steps back, staring, still shaken, at the few Black Cavalry Guards walking at the very end.

They were dragging several people with ropes—no! Those were corpses! They had actually dragged the bodies right out!

The air was already thick with the smell of burning, yet everyone could still detect that other odor, and their faces paled.

Some couldn’t bear it and were already bent over, vomiting.

Fan Chengzhuo forced his racing thoughts down and composed himself. "Princely Heir, may I ask what these are...?"

"The Southern Hu Blade Men died suddenly in the Ministry of Justice Prison. If their bodies had also been lost to the sea of fire, I’m afraid it would have been difficult for Mr. Fan to answer for it."

Shen Yanchuan gave a faint smile.

"I happened to stumble upon them, so I decided to bring them all up to help relieve Mr. Fan of his troubles."

Fan Chengzhuo was rendered speechless. If one looked closely, they could see his body was trembling slightly.

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze swept over him from head to toe.

"Mr. Fan is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. I imagine a scene like this is hardly uncommon for you. Why such an expression?"

Fan Chengzhuo forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace.

"N-nothing... I was already so pleasantly surprised to see the Princely Heir emerge unscathed. I just didn’t expect that you would... would also find these people..."

The corners of Shen Yanchuan’s lips curled slightly.

"You’re too kind, Mr. Fan. This is precisely why I came. If I couldn’t accomplish this, wouldn’t the trip have been for nothing?"

Fan Chengzhuo’s jaw tightened.

The surrounding firelight flickered, casting inscrutable shadows across his face.

After a moment, he said, "Thank you, Princely Heir. You must be exhausted after all this. Please, leave the rest to me—"

Before he finished speaking, a clear and pleasant female voice suddenly cut in from the side:

"Yes, just put them down right here."

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