Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 783 Escape (First Update)
Several lieutenants came out, all looking puzzled. "Sir, what's wrong?"

With a flick of his fingertip, Ye Yunfeng tore the paper into pieces.

His face was solemn. "I'm afraid Lord Feng won't send troops to provide support."

"What!?"

Everyone was taken aback.
"Why do you say this, sir?"

Ye Yunfeng looked up and gazed in the direction of the Southern Hu. "Prince Su is dead."

Tuoba Yu is dead, but Tuoba Shan will never let this go.

Last night's sneak attack is the best proof—they came to avenge Tuoba Yu!
Ye Yunfeng, as the culprit, was naturally their target!
"The Nanhu dared to launch a sudden attack, they must have made thorough preparations. To take Duzhou, the first priority is to cut off external support. Right now, I'm afraid Xiacheng is also in trouble."

Upon hearing Ye Yunfeng's analysis, everyone looked at each other, becoming tense.

They did not doubt the accuracy of Ye Yunfeng's information; the battle of Longcheng had already proven too much.

"We are outnumbered, and without reinforcements, I'm afraid..."

"Even if Lord Feng cannot arrive, what about the others? Besides, with the Southern Hu invading, the King of Yannan will surely lead his army here after receiving the news—"

Ye Yunfeng suddenly interrupted their discussion, saying, "We can't place all our hopes on others."

Everyone fell silent.

Ye Yunfeng's gaze slowly swept across their faces. The young men's faces showed no immaturity, only a resolute determination and composure!
"Since I am responsible for defending this place, I will fight to the last moment and live or die with Duzhou!"

……

Ye Yunfeng's guess was quickly confirmed.

The letter they sent to Xiacheng disappeared without a trace. A day later, they learned that Nanhu soldiers, numbering about five thousand, had also invaded Xiacheng.

Upon hearing this number, Ye Yunfeng's heart sank.

This means that the Nanhu had no intention of capturing Xiacheng at all; they had only sent these 5,000 soldiers to obstruct and intercept Xiacheng's aid to Duzhou!

As long as the reinforcements are held back, Duzhou will be isolated and helpless.

Furthermore, the situation became even more dangerous because they had placed all their elite troops in Duzhou.

Countless people are dying every day, and the city's food supplies are being consumed rapidly.

Despite being outnumbered, the enemy was able to take turns resting, but the soldiers defending the city dared not close their eyes, fearing that a single oversight would lead to total defeat.

More importantly, there has been no movement from the King of Yannan's side for a long time.

This is a long and arduous tug-of-war.

……

The capital city, the imperial prison.

Xiao Chenglin was put in solitary confinement, and apart from the jailers, he could not see anyone else every day.

In the dim and cramped environment, a foul odor filled the nostrils, and occasionally, screams and insults could be heard from the distant cells, which were extremely jarring.

Xiao Chenglin leaned against the corner of the wall, gently stroking his legs, somewhat lost in thought.

These kinds of days... are indeed not easy to live.

he does not like.

The jailer brought over the leftovers, grumbling, "Eat up!"

Xiao Chenglin stared motionlessly at the spilled, spoiled food scattered all over the floor.

The jailer sneered, "Don't want to eat? Do you think you're some high and mighty Prince Jing? Bah!"

He spat on the food.
"Eat it or don't! If you die now, it'll save you a lot of trouble!"

After saying this, the jailer turned and left.

Xiao Chenglin still didn't move.

When he was first locked up, he did eat some food, but recently the weather has gotten warmer and almost every meal has an unpleasant smell, so he eats less.

He didn't want to eat.

He sat there until the surroundings gradually quieted down.

Night has fallen. The candles on the wall are about to burn out, casting only a faint light.

Xiao Chenglin stood up.

He moved very lightly, without making a sound, and unlike his former limp, he nimbly moved to a certain spot and pried open a stone brick under his feet.

The cell was very simple, with only some straw laid out.

At this time, the straw became the best cover.

Xiao Chenglin lifted the stone bricks, revealing a dark, secret passage underneath!
Then, his figure nimbly disappeared into the cave entrance.

The stone bricks quickly returned to their original positions, as if nothing had happened.

A quarter of an hour later.

The jailer, who came to change the lamp oil, glanced casually at the empty cell and was immediately terrified.

"No! Something's wrong!"

……

Early in the morning, Ye Chutang was summoned to the palace.

Xiao Chengqi and Shen Yanchuan were talking about something, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

The father-in-law who escorted Ye Chutang in was extremely cautious, as if he were afraid of bringing bad luck upon himself.

Ye Chutang seemed to be deep in thought. Had something happened?
Sure enough, Shen Yanchuan quickly told her the reason.

"Prince Jing is missing?" Ye Chutang asked back. "What do you mean? Isn't he locked up in prison? How could he have disappeared?"

Xiao Chengqi leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Shen Yanchuan then briefly explained the cause and effect of the matter.

“There is a secret passage hidden beneath that dungeon, which no one knew about before. He took advantage of the lax guard at night to pry open the stone bricks and escape. Moreover, when we tried to investigate, the mechanism of the secret passage had been deliberately destroyed by him, and we could no longer enter.”

In other words, they could no longer follow the path Xiao Chenglin had taken to escape.

One night is far too long; it's enough time for him to escape far away.

“The relevant personnel have all been detained, but no useful clues have been obtained.” Shen Yanchuan paused. “He has been operating in Beijing for many years and has cultivated many confidants. I have already sent people to investigate. The jailer who arranged for him to stay in that cell was his subordinate, and he committed suicide at home in the early hours of the morning.”

This road is also blocked.

Ye Chutang paused for a moment before saying, "There are quite a few people who would die for him..."

“His escape may not be all bad,” Shen Yanchuan said. “This man is extremely ambitious. Although he was captured, he may still have many tricks up his sleeve. Now we have forced him to reveal a trump card—very few people know about that secret passage. If we investigate from here, we may be able to find something.”

Xiao Chengqi said slowly, "That secret passage is unknown even to me."

Ye Chutang fell silent and met Shen Yanchuan's gaze.

—Even Xiao Chengqi didn't know, but Xiao Chenglin knew it all, which made people wonder.

"Your Majesty, shall we seal off the city?" Shen Yanchuan asked.

Xiao Chengqi pondered for a long time, then shook his head.

"During the period of national mourning, it would be too ostentatious. We should just send people to search secretly."

If the news gets out, who knows how much controversy and speculation it will cause.

Shen Yanchuan didn't try to persuade him further. "Yes."

Xiao Chengqi then looked at Ye Chutang, "I invited you here to ask about something else. I heard that you treated Prince Jing back then, and later even sent medicinal wine to his residence several times. His leg... what is the condition?"

It's no wonder he asked that question; with Xiao Chenglin's crippled leg, it would be extremely difficult for him to escape through the secret passage alone.

But he disappeared overnight, which really aroused suspicion.

Ye Chutang pondered for a moment.

“Prince Jing’s leg… was indeed injured a few years ago, but I don’t know when it healed.”

Xiao Chengqi was suddenly startled.

"What did you say!? His leg—isn't crippled!?"