Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

After Salah had discussed his plan with several high officials of Mysore and made adjustments to the details, he hurried back to his inn to report the operation to Lafayette.

However, after he left, Sheikh Khan watched the retreating figure of his carriage and turned to the people beside him, saying, "If things go smoothly this time, we can knock Jahanzeb Khan into hell."

The lean officer hesitated before replying, "But it seems not secure enough to just hijack those who are about to be released..."

A cold smile flashed in Sheikh Khan's eyes, "These Europeans are indeed smart, but they are not decisive enough in their actions. We must act in our own way to ensure that Jahanzeb Khan has no chance of turning the tables!"

"What do you mean?"

"We do it like this..."

The others nodded again and again upon hearing this.

...

The next day.

On the outskirts to the southeast of Mysore City.

On a clearing outside the city's largest prison, four to five thousand people had gathered, all craning their necks eagerly towards the prison gates behind the guards.

Today was the day the government announced the release of the rumor-mongers they had captured, totaling more than 370 people.

This allowed the people of Mysore, who had been oppressed by panic for some time, to breathe a sigh of relief. Apart from the families of those being released, many more came to witness the process of release.

After being reprimanded in person by Sultan Tipu, Jahanzeb Khan had already ordered a stop to the arrest of the rumor-mongers—with the recent harsh crackdown on rumors, he believed that even if no more arrests were made, no one would dare to casually discuss the matters of the British anymore.

However, the efficiency of the administrative system had decreased somewhat this time, as his orders were strictly enforced only in Mysore and Seringapatam, with the army still arresting rumor-mongers in more remote areas.

Jahanzeb Khan hoped that the "demonstrative" effect of this release would send a message across the country that the "rumor incident" was over and thus quiet down the unrest.

Before long, the sun had risen to the center of the sky. Under the earnest gaze of thousands, the prison gates were still not open, while the guards at the door had increased in number.

"I knew it, they are deceiving us all!" one of Sheikh Khan's men planted in the crowd shouted as planned, "The arrests have not stopped, we are still in danger!"

"I heard that the mass arrests were demanded by the 'Devil,' and without the 'Devil's' agreement, they won't release anyone!" another person shouted in response.

In recent times, since "England" had become a forbidden term, people had begun to refer to the British secretly as "Devil."

The crowd immediately became agitated, with shouts rising and falling, "Open the gates, they are innocent..."

"My husband has been captured for half a month, if he doesn't come back soon, we will not be able to sustain our home... "

"Please, release them... Hasn't the official already promised?"

At that moment, a young man suddenly slipped out from a side door of the prison, swiftly coming to the front of the crowd and screaming at the top of his lungs, "No one will be released! They're all dead!"

Of course, this man was also arranged by Sheikh Khan. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

Another "plant" immediately followed up, "Who did you say is dead?"

The young man's face was full of terror as he pointed towards the prison behind him, "The ones who were about to be released. They've all been killed! I saw it with my own eyes!"

His words were like cold water poured into boiling oil, and the thousands of people exploded in an uproar, especially the relatives of those scheduled for release, with many women collapsing to the ground, crying in a chorus.

A middle-aged man of high caste stepped forward and pointed at the young man, "If you're lying, I'll have you thrown into prison as well!"

"I am not lying. Those corpses are laid out in the prison yard..."

The middle-aged man frowned and waved vigorously to the crowd behind him, "Come! Let's go in and see for ourselves!"

Thousands of people immediately responded loudly and, led by dozens of high-caste individuals, surged toward the prison like a flood.

The prison guards only made a symbolic threat before wisely stepping aside from the crowd.

Those with agile bodies quickly scaled the walls and then nimbly climbed over several large trees to reach the buildings inside the prison.

Then they pointed to the courtyard inside the building and started screaming in shock, "They're really dead!"

"There are hundreds of bodies, the 'Devil' killed them!"

"These cursed fellows, they've killed hundreds!"

The people outside the prison completely exploded. Because the first batch released were somewhat prominent, their relatives were not to be trifled with. It didn't take long for someone to open the prison gates, and thousands of people rushed in.

What appeared in front of them was a scene unbearable to watch—a little over 300 corpses were strewn on the ground, like slaughtered livestock. The hot weather had already caused a stench to permeate the air. Swarms of flies circled over the bodies like black clouds, buzzing jubilantly. To the side, over a dozen guards were hurriedly wrapping the bodies in straw, but due to the excessive number of dead, they hadn't even managed to cover a corner.

Women with their children poured into the courtyard, identifying their relatives among the heaps of bodies. Piercing screams of grief were unceasing, and from time to time, someone would faint from the shock. Then followed the thunderous curses.

Those of high caste brought out a few prison officers. Under the interrogation of thousands, an official stammered, "They were all fine yesterday. This morning they suddenly started vomiting, bleeding from the eyes and nose. Before I could call a doctor, they were all dead..."

The middle-aged high-caste man demanded, "Were they all supposed to be released today?"

The prison official nodded.

"Besides them, has anyone else died?"

"No, no more..."

From within the crowd, someone shouted, "It was the 'Devil' who ordered the Sultan's secretary to kill them!"

"Right! It must be him!" Immediately, others echoed the accusation.

"He wanted to use the death of these people to threaten us."

"The 'Devil' killed hundreds just to keep us from talking about their evil deeds!"

"The Sultan's secretary is an accomplice of the 'Devil'!"

"We must seek justice for the deceased!"

"Let's go, we'll file a complaint with the Sultan..."

"We'll accuse them of their atrocities before the Maharaja!"

Under the leadership of a group of high-caste individuals, the angry mob marched toward Ambavilas Palace with the few prison officials in tow.

The news spread rapidly, and more and more people joined the procession to lodge complaints with the Sultan as they went. Of course, this was the result of Sheikh Khan's men fanning the flames and going door-to-door spreading the word about the "Massacre of the Released."

Sultan Tipu, seeing the throngs of people gathering around the palace, almost thought there was a riot brewing, until an official from Sheikh Khan's faction reported the situation, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.