AUBTN -Chapter 389 Breaking into the Prison in the Dead of Night

Lu Yan stepped closer as he spoke, lowering his voice. There was a hint of temptation in his tone. “The people Lord Wen Xianzhong sent are probably already asleep by now. Who would keep watch over a condemned man in this bitter cold, on a rainy night like this? Do me a favor and give me the time it takes to burn a single stick of incense. I absolutely won’t cause you any trouble.”

As he spoke, Lu Yan slipped another ingot of gold over.

This time, the jailer completely lost his reservations. He carefully tucked both ingots of gold into his robes, then glanced sideways and gave a grunt.

“Fine, Your Highness. Hurry inside and be quick! If those gossiping fellows in there happen to see you, I’ll have a hard time explaining myself too!”

“Thank you!”

Lu Yan gave Zhao Zhou a meaningful glance, and the two of them carried the food box as they hurried inside.

The moment they entered the main gate, a bone-chilling dampness and the stench of decay assaulted their senses.

This was the death-row prison at the very bottom of the Ministry of Justice.

Rusty iron locks and dried bloodstains hung from the walls.

Lu Yan and Zhao Zhou followed the dark passageway all the way to the cell at the very end.

It was a heavily fortified cell made of black iron.

“Shen Jue…”

When Lu Yan saw the scene inside by the faint wall lamp, he was startled.

Zhao Zhou beside him trembled violently, nearly crying out in shock.

His eyes instantly reddened.

In the middle of the cell, Shen Jue sat cross-legged on the straw-covered floor, his entire body covered in injuries.

Lu Yan clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles crackled.

The last time they had come, Shen Jue had not yet been tortured. But this time, they had actually inflicted punishment on him!

His handsome, almost bewitchingly beautiful face was completely devoid of color. His thick black hair was disheveled, clinging to his temples, soaked through with sweat and blood.

Perhaps hearing their footsteps, Shen Jue slowly opened his eyes.

Yet the instant he recognized Lu Yan and Zhao Zhou, an extremely complicated ripple still passed through the depths of his eyes.

“You… why are you here?”

“Shen Jue, what the hell happened?”

Lu Yan gritted his teeth as he stared at the wounds covering Shen Jue’s body, his voice so cold it seemed capable of freezing the air.

“Your Highness!”

Zhao Zhou immediately dropped to his knees with a thud. Seeing Shen Jue’s injuries, he burst into uncontrollable tears.

“This subordinate is useless! This subordinate let Your Highness suffer!”

Shen Jue actually curled his cracked lips into the faintest, lightest, most contemptuous smile.

“These injuries… what do they amount to? It’s nothing more than Wen Xianzhong taking revenge for what happened in the Golden Hall that day!”

He drew a labored breath. His gaze passed over Zhao Zhou and landed on Lu Yan as he asked somewhat urgently, “How are things outside? Has the Tianji Pavilion made any moves? And… Wanwan, is she all right?”

Lu Yan crouched down and began fiddling with the black-iron chains using a piece of wire he had brought with him. In a low voice, he said,

“She’s doing perfectly fine. She’s waiting for you at Yuyuan. Shen Jue, if you die here, she says she’ll immediately go find eighteen handsome young men.”

Lu Yan was making it up on the spot!

Shen Jue’s body stiffened slightly, his eyes filled with amusement.

“Is that so? Then that’s good too. At least she won’t be heartbroken for too long!”

“All right, enough nonsense.”

Lu Yan swiftly picked the lock and, together with Zhao Zhou, hurried into the cell.

“Listen carefully, Shen Jue.” Lu Yan spoke extremely quickly.

“Tonight, we’re planning to break you out of prison. Zhao Zhou will stay behind and help you cover your tracks!”

“No.”

Shen Jue cut Lu Yan off coldly without even hesitating for a second.

He struggled to push Lu Yan away.

“Wouldn’t that be fleeing to avoid punishment?”

Shen Jue was breathing heavily, but his gaze remained as cold as ice.

“In my entire life, Shen Jue has done whatever he wished. If I wanted to kill, I killed. If I wanted to rebel, I rebelled. When have I ever been afraid? Besides, how could I use Zhao Zhou’s life in exchange for my own miserable survival?”

“Your Highness!” Zhao Zhou shouted anxiously. “My life was given to me by you! Zhao Zhou isn’t afraid of dying! As long as I can keep Your Highness safe—”

“Shut up!”

Shen Jue barked the words harshly, fixing Lu Yan with a cold stare.

“Lu Yan, you should understand. The moment they discover the switch at dawn, Wen Xianzhong will never let this go. He’ll immediately seal off the underground drainage channels. Zhao Zhou won’t have the slightest chance of escaping! You’re sending him to his death!”

“I know!” Lu Yan was furious as well. He grabbed Shen Jue by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared in a suppressed voice.

“Do you think I want to trade Zhao Zhou for you? But this is the only way! If you don’t leave, you’ll be dragged to the execution ground tomorrow and beheaded in public! What will Su Hewan do after you die? What about all those brothers in the Eastern Depot who followed you?”

Inside the prison cell, the two men who had once stirred up the political winds and clouds of the Great Wei court now faced one another like two wounded beasts, glaring at each other in fury.

“Don’t worry. Zhao Zhou will put on your clothes and take your place. Once the court discovers the switch at dawn, they’ll search the entire city for him. When the prison descends into chaos, Zhao Zhou will escape through the underground drainage channel at the back. We’ll meet at Shili Slope, ten li outside the city.”

Shen Jue turned his head away, his expression cold and proud.

“No. I have my own arrangements. Lu Yan, take Zhao Zhou and leave. I’m not going.”

Looking at Shen Jue’s stubborn, unyielding expression and that pride bordering on obsession, the veins in Lu Yan’s temples throbbed violently.

He had known from the beginning that with Shen Jue’s proud nature, he would never accept such a humiliating arrangement—trading one life for another.

Lu Yan let out a self-mocking sigh and shook his head.

“Shen Jue, you really are a stone from a latrine—stubborn, hard, and foul-smelling.”

Shen Jue gave a cold snort and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed Lu Yan giving Zhao Zhou an extremely subtle signal.

Zhao Zhou froze for a moment before immediately understanding what Lu Yan meant.

He quietly moved behind Shen Jue.

His face was filled with unbearable pain and struggle, yet beneath it was an expression of absolute determination.

“Your Highness… forgive me for offending you!”

Zhao Zhou’s voice trembled with suppressed sobs as it sounded softly behind Shen Jue.

Shen Jue’s sharp instincts immediately sensed that something was wrong. He had just begun to turn sideways to dodge.

“Zhao Zhou, you—”

But his body had already been weakened to the extreme by brutal torture and a high fever. In the end, his reaction was half a beat too slow.

A dull, heavy thud rang out.

With tears welling in his eyes, Zhao Zhou delivered a precise hand strike with perfectly controlled force, bringing it down hard on the back of Shen Jue’s completely unguarded neck.

Shen Jue’s once cold and proud phoenix eyes widened slightly in an instant.

A flicker of bewilderment passed through them.

Then, little by little, his gaze grew unfocused.

“Forgive me… Your Highness.” Zhao Zhou choked back a sob as he reached out and caught Shen Jue’s limp body as he collapsed.

Shen Jue let out a muffled groan and completely lost consciousness, his body going limp in Zhao Zhou’s arms.

The entire cell fell silent once more. Only the soft patter of rain outside could be heard, growing increasingly urgent.

Lu Yan took a deep look at Shen Jue lying unconscious in Zhao Zhou’s arms, gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice,

“Do it. Quickly!”

Neither man hesitated. They swiftly exchanged clothes.

Lu Yan opened the food box they had brought in and took out a jug of wine.

He then poured most of it over Shen Jue’s lapels, shoulders, and disheveled hair.

The strong smell of alcohol immediately filled the cell.

“Like this, anyone who smells him will think he’s nothing more than a drunk who’s completely wasted.” Lu Yan wiped the alcohol from his face, his voice slightly strained.

He draped one of Shen Jue’s arms over his broad shoulder and supported him.

Just before leaving, Lu Yan stopped and looked back at Zhao Zhou, who was sitting on the damp straw mat.

Lu Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

In the end, all the words he wanted to say condensed into a single sentence. His voice was low and solemn.

“We’ll wait for you. Take care. You must come out alive.”

Zhao Zhou grinned and gave a silent smile. Then, under the dim firelight, he nodded firmly.

“Your Highness, rest assured. This subordinate’s life is tough as nails. Take the Governor and leave quickly!”

Lu Yan did not hesitate any longer. Supporting Shen Jue, he staggered and swayed his way out of the prison.