Shu Yu was already quite familiar with the prison head; she had dealt with him extensively during her interrogation of the rebels.

Recalling Shu Yu’s methods, the prison head was somewhat nervous upon seeing her.

He originally thought her visit this time was still concerning the rebels, but unexpectedly, she came for Zhou Tiedong.

The prison head had some impression of Zhou Tiedong, so as he led Shu Yu and her companions into the prison, he introduced, "This Zhou Tiedong seems to have been brought in by Constable Li. Before being sent here, he was beaten with ten strokes, and it was quite serious at the time. When he first arrived, he kept shouting that he was wronged, claiming he never stole anything, and he made quite a fuss."

"Later, his parents and fiancée came to see him, and when they saw his injuries, they brought a doctor to examine him. The injuries were treated, but as the county magistrate can see, this prison environment is not conducive to healing. Moreover, shortly after the doctor’s visit, an incident occurred in the county town, and the gates were shut."

"The Zhou family doesn’t live in the city, and since then, they haven’t been able to enter, so Zhou Tiedong can only rely on himself to endure."

Shu Yu knew this; not only at that time, but after the rebellion was quelled, the gates of Chenggu County were reopened, allowing the citizens to freely enter and exit. Yet only this prison still prohibited outsiders from entering.

Because many rebels were detained here, it had been designated a restricted area for serious offenders.

This meant the Zhou family had only visited Zhou Tiedong at the beginning, and since then, they hadn’t been able to come back.

The prison head said, "Zhou Tiedong was initially held in a cell for three people, but after the rebels were captured, the number of prisoners drastically increased, so now he’s been moved to a ten-person cell. Please be careful on the steps, county magistrate."

While speaking, the group had entered the dim passage.

Third Lu had initially been somewhat enthusiastic, but now started to feel apprehensive.

Especially with the unpleasant smell, the noisy environment, and the occasional pitiful wailing, his heart was pounding, until he finally pinched Ying Xi’s sleeve with his left hand.

Ying Xi, "..."

The group quickly arrived at the third row of cells, and Shu Yu observed each cell along the way, noting now how each one was overcrowded.

According to the prison head, these were all previous criminals, and with the cells overcrowded, chaos was inevitable.

The prisoners didn’t recognize Shu Yu; the rebels Shu Yu interrogated were detained separately on the other side, at some distance.

Therefore, seeing such a delicate-looking young lady appear in this prison which hadn’t seen visitors for a long time, the prisoners inside got excited.

But with the prison head leading the way, they didn’t dare to be too unruly, though their blatant gazes followed Shu Yu and her group.

The prison head frowned and struck a nearby cell door with his stick, "What are you looking at? Stay honest, or you won’t get any dinner tonight."

The crowd retreated a few steps; the timid quickly withdrew their gazes, and even the bold ones restrained themselves somewhat.

When they reached the fifth cell, the prison head finally stopped, "It’s this one."

As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced inside the cell and his face instantly changed.

The fifth cell contained ten people, but at that moment, they were fighting; it looked like five or six of them were assaulting two others.

The prison head’s brow twitched, and he stepped forward to forcefully pound on the cell door, "Stop! What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?"