The Double-Chapter 604 - 175: Private Prison_3

This was a private prison, and with iron bars everywhere, it looked like the dungeons of the Ministry of Punishment at a glance. Only, even the Ministry’s dungeons might not be as cruel as this place. Blood stains were everywhere on the ground, and there was the stench of decay. Some figures behind the iron bars didn’t move at all, obviously dead for a long time. Yet nobody had cleared them away; they were left to slowly decompose into a mushy mess, to the point where even their closest kin wouldn’t be able to recognize them.

The walls were festooned with bloody hooks, and red-hot branding irons were carelessly strewn on the floor. In the water prison, rats squeaked as they contentedly gnawed on something indistinct and bloody. Whips steeped in saltwater, wooden horses studded with spikes, and silver needles coated in drugs—whatever torture device one could imagine, it was all there. Even Wen Ji and Zhao Ke, the guards who had seen much in their time, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disgust confronting this scene. They were guards, accustomed to such sights. But Princess Yongning was a princess, who seemed to have no deep-seated hatred with anyone in her day-to-day life, and yet they were torturing her with such methods.

"Look for Jiang Youyao," Jih Heng directed. "If she’s conscious, pull her out and dump her at the Jiang Family’s doorstep. If she’s no longer coherent, give her one of Situ’s Mute Medicines—don’t let her die."

Zhao Ke and Wen Ji accepted the order. Finding Jiang Youyao among so many dead and half-dead wasn’t easy. Everyone here was filthy and horribly foul-smelling; it was hard to distinguish anyone at first glance. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji went off to search, while Jih Heng walked slowly through the prison.

They had somewhat altered their faces and weren’t worried about being recognized at a glance. But among these people behind the iron bars, aside from those who were dead or had fainted, the remaining living ones were either mad from the torment, dancing and singing in their cells, or, still lucid, had no life left in them—they would just stare blankly even when Jih Heng walked past, silent as if they no longer understood how to beg for mercy, like imbeciles who had lost the will to live.

After such a long time in this dire environment, coupled with Princess Yongning’s torments, they had likely long given up hope. The greatest hope they might have was that someone would come along and give them a swift end to their friendless suffering.

Jih Heng strolled dispassionately through the prison. Walking amidst this hellish scene, his composure remained unaffected, as if he were still sauntering through a festive banquet, untouched by the surroundings.

Until he arrived in front of a particular cell.

The person inside seemed to have heard him coming and started to crawl out little by little. It was described as "crawling" because there were two distinct trails of blood leading from the depths of the cell to the bars—something was wrong with his knees, and the blood had already coagulated. The individual knelt on the ground, looking as though he’d been fished out of a bloodbath, his features indistinguishable.

Yet this person was the sole figure in the Princess’s Mansion’s private prison who showed signs of life, appearing to be a living being despite his ghastly appearance. His eyes, however, were remarkably lucid and stubborn. With his hands clutching the bars, wounds covered even his palms as he reached out, seemingly wanting to tug at Jih Heng’s boots through the bars. But fearing his bloodied hands would soil them, he halted his movement right in front of Jih Heng’s boots.

Jih Heng looked down, locking eyes with the prisoner.

The man’s face was smeared with scars and blood, obscuring any recognizable features, yet his eyes remained untainted by the filth. He even managed to summon a smile for Jih Heng, although it looked ghastly in the dank confines of the private prison.

Meanwhile, Wen Ji had found Jiang Youyao. Zhao Ke approached just as Jih Heng stopped in front of an unfamiliar prisoner. Zhao Ke inquired, "My lord, this person...?"

Straining, the man opened his mouth, attempting to speak. Whether it was because he had been given Mute Medicine or his throat was temporarily unable to emit sound, no voice came out. Yet, it was clear by his mouth movements, the words were roughly four characters long.

He said, "Please, save me."

"Take him with us," Jih Heng ordered. "See if Situ can treat him."

"Huh?" Zhao Ke was puzzled. Jih Heng had never been known as a person of kind heart, much less the sort to embark on righteous crusades at the sight of injustice. Everyone in this private prison was an enemy of Princess Yongning and had no connection to Jih Heng. Their visit today was merely to fulfill the Second Miss’s request to find Jiang Youyao. As for the others, it wasn’t so much a lack of compassion from those of the Duke Residence, but because even if these people were to be saved, most would be left as broken beings. For them, death would be the best release.