Execution

"By the way, did you find the amulet in Zhuang Wenqing's house?" Although Zhuang Wenqing's fate had already been determined, it was still best to be fully prepared, in case the amulet was really so effective and could turn danger into safety.

Huarong twisted her handkerchief dejectedly and said, "Miss, I have searched the room inside and out, even pried open the bed, but there is nothing."

Ruan Yunsheng tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, looking thoughtful: "It seems... that thing is still on him."

At noon the next day, outside the government prison.

Ruan Yunsheng, holding a carved food box, grabbed the yamen runner's sleeve with red eyes and said, "Sir, please be kind and let me in."

The guard at the prison gate had no choice but to dodge: "Miss Ruan, you should go back. There's an order from above that no one can come into contact with this prisoner, and..."

His eyes dodged, he glanced at the people around him, and whispered: "Besides, they have already done that to you, why do this?"

Her voice choked with sobs. "Although they treated me badly, they ultimately... let me escape the clutches of the General's Mansion. Here, at least I have enough food and clothing, and I don't have to worry about being beaten..."

The yamen runner was moved by her crying: "You are too kind-hearted, young lady! Those are worse than animals."

"Consider this my repayment." Ruan Yunsheng lowered her head to wipe away her tears. The aroma of braised pork wafted from the food box. "The final meal... we have to give them a good meal."

"Alright." The bailiff was finally persuaded by her words and opened the door with the key, carefully instructing: "You can only stay for a short while. Don't look around after you go in."

Ruan Yunsheng agreed repeatedly and took out a plate of meat and vegetables from his lunch box as a thank you gift.

In the dark cell, the shadow of the iron bars of the prison door stopped on Ruan Yunsheng's face. The tenderness in her eyes faded like the tide, replaced by a biting coldness.

"Where is the amulet?"

Zhuang Wenqing was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "What are you crazy about, you idiot?"

Before he could finish his words, a slender hand suddenly passed through the fence and accurately grabbed his throat!

"Well--"

Ruan Yunsheng's five fingers tightened like iron clamps, and her nails almost dug into his flesh. Zhuang Wenqing widened his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him who suddenly jumped up in disbelief. There was even a smile on the corner of her lips, but the murderous intent surging in her almond-shaped eyes made his blood freeze.

"Help……"

He desperately pulled at the hand on his neck, his larynx making a creaking sound as he couldn't bear the weight, he felt suffocated, and his vision began to go black.

"Shhh."

Ruan Yunsheng approached the fence and spoke in a soft voice, as if coaxing a child: "No one will come even if you scream at the top of your lungs."

As early as when she came in, she bribed the yamen runners in the same way. Now, no matter how big the commotion was, no one would come in. After all, no one would believe it...

A weak woman will kill.

Zhuang Wenqing finally felt scared, fear swept over his heart, and he quickly begged for mercy.

Ruan Yunsheng finally let go, letting Zhuang Wenqing collapse to the ground like a pile of mud. "Can you talk properly now?"

Zhuang Wenqing curled up on the dirty straw, gasping for breath, his throat burning with pain. He looked up at the woman in the shadows and finally realized -

The lamb that was left at the mercy of others has long since turned into a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Hand it over." Ruan Yunsheng's fingertips knocked on the iron bars, making a crisp sound.

Zhuang Wenqing collapsed on the ground, his throat still burning with pain, but he suddenly smiled when he heard this: "It's gone... It's gone a long time ago..."

He nervously ripped open his collar, exposing his back: "That bitch Shen Ru had already asked a Taoist priest to carve a talisman on my back."

Ruan Yunsheng narrowed her eyes. Zhuang Wenqing's back was covered with dark red spells. The lines were strangely twisted and glowed faintly in the dim cell. She reached out and wiped it, but her fingertips were stained with cinnabar, which she couldn't wipe off.

"The finest heart blood mixed with gold powder." Ruan Yunsheng sneered: "Chen Ru treats you well."

"Not bad?" Zhuang Wenqing suddenly became excited, his voice hoarse: "If it weren't for her, how could I have fallen to this point now."

Seeing that Zhuang Wenqing pushed all the blame onto Chen Ru, Ruan Yunsheng curled his lips but did not argue. Since there was a free scapegoat, why not take it?

Ruan Yunsheng ignored his nonsense and pulled out a silver hairpin from her hair, turning it in a circle in her palm: "Bear with it."

"W-What are you going to do...Ah!"

A silver light flashed, and the tip of the hairpin scratched the skin on his back. Blood gushed out instantly, and the spell mixed with gold powder was forcibly cut apart. Zhuang Wenqing twitched all over in pain, and his screams echoed throughout the cell.

"What's going on?" The yamen runners in the distance rushed over after hearing the noise, but they only saw Ruan Yunsheng huddled in a corner, clutching a blood-stained hairpin in his hand, his clothes disheveled, and trembling all over.

"I, I just came to deliver food, but I didn't expect him to..." She choked and couldn't continue, tears falling.

The experienced bailiffs understood immediately, and without further explanation, their eyes immediately turned red as they rushed into the cell with sticks in hand: "You beast! The girl was kind enough to give you her last meal, and you still dared..."

"No! It's her!" Zhuang Wenqing's defense was drowned out by the sound of fists and kicks.

Ruan Yunsheng stood in the shadows, wiped the blood on the tip of the hairpin with his fingertips, and smiled softly. Accompanied by the indistinct curses and beatings of Zhuang Wenqing, he left the cell in a good mood.

Two days later, the midday sun was scorching, and steam was rising from the bluestone slabs of Caishikou.

Zhuang Xianming was tied to the execution pillar. His hair, which was once neatly combed, was now disheveled like grass. His expensive brocade robe was stripped off, leaving only a dirty white undershirt stained with mold and blood from the prison.

Zhuang Wenqing beside him looked even more miserable. The wound on his back was still bleeding, staining the hemp rope dark red. There was a dark water stain on his groin. He was so scared that he wet his pants, causing everyone to laugh.

Zhao Dahu and several of his accomplices were tied to a wooden stake nearby. His face was twisted with fear, and veins bulged on his thick arms as he struggled in vain.

"Bah! Beast!" An old woman spat at the execution platform.

"Serves you right!" Someone picked up rotten vegetable leaves and threw them at Zhuang Xianming: "What a hypocrite!"

"That vicious woman deserves to die!" A young woman, her eyes red, threw a rotten egg at Shen Ru's face: "My sister was killed by her!"

The area around the execution ground was filled with clamor and rotting vegetable leaves and rotten eggs rained down on the execution platform. The yamen runners did not intervene, allowing the people to vent their anger.

Outside the gate of Ye Mansion, Hua Rong and a group of girls were chirping like sparrows.

"Miss! If you're any slower, you won't be able to see the beheading!"

Hua Rong was so anxious that she stamped her feet and waved a small flag in her hand that she had gotten from somewhere.

Ruan Yunsheng, with two dark circles under her eyes, slowly moved out of the door, like a zombie with its soul sucked out. She had been working on the opening plan for the haunted house until the rooster crowed last night, and was woken up by these girls as soon as she closed her eyes.

And why could this group of young girls say the word "beheading" so casually? As a modern person who has received a good ideological and moral education, Ruan Yunsheng completely couldn't understand it. Aren't they afraid?

"You guys go ahead." She leaned softly against the door frame, "Let me sleep for a while..."

"no!"

Ah Luo grabbed her sleeve and said, "How can we miss such a gratifying event?"

Before Ruan Yunsheng could react, several girls had already hurriedly lifted her up and rushed to the vegetable market. Ruan Yunsheng felt like a rag, being dragged along by them. Huarong's excited screams echoed in her ears: "It's about to start! It's about to start!"

Outside the execution ground, a huge crowd of people was packed in. Huarong, with her sharp eyes, spotted a gap in the front row and immediately rolled up her sleeves: "Miss, I'm sorry!"

“Wait…”

Before Ruan Yunsheng could react, she felt someone push her from behind. She was shoved into the crowd like a loach. She was forced to wriggle amidst countless elbows, the stench of sweat, and the baskets of vegetables. She screamed madly inwardly:

"Why should I, a modern time traveler, squeeze in to watch a beheading like I'm scrambling for tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush?"

“Make way! Make way!”

Huarong led the way, like a tank, forcing a bloody path. Ruan Yunsheng was pushed forward with a sense of despair, and could even feel his face pressing against the sweaty back of the uncle in front of him.

“We’re here!”

When she finally broke through the encirclement, Ruan Yunsheng's clothes were disheveled and her hair was askew. She stood in the best viewing position with a look of despair. When she looked up...

Just happened to meet Zhuang Xianming's frightened eyes.

The executioner raised the shining sword, and the sunlight flashed a dazzling light on the blade.

Ruan Yunsheng: “…”

Is it too late to close my eyes now?

There was a flash of silver light, and a head fell to the ground. For a moment, the people and children cheered and shouted in joy.

Ruan Yunsheng looked at the clear blue sky and sighed softly. The world is so fickle.

The noise just now gradually dissipated, and the crowd surged in all directions like a receding tide. The girls still had excited blushes on their faces, and they chattered about which restaurant to go to for the celebration.

"Zuixianlou's Eight Treasure Duck is the most famous!"

"Why don't we go to Piaoxiang Pavilion? I heard they have a new chef from the Western Regions..."

Hua Rong held Ruan Yunsheng's arm and suddenly noticed her silence: "Miss?"

Ruan Yunsheng came back to his senses and forced a smile: "You guys go play first, I'm a little tired."

"But..." A'Luo wanted to say something, but Wan Niang gently pulled her back.

Watching their cheerful figures disappear around the corner of the street, Ruan Yunsheng stood alone on the empty execution ground. The afternoon sun shone brightly on the bluestone slabs, and several children sang a nursery rhyme adapted from the incident.

She suddenly remembered the ancient execution ground ruins she had visited in modern times. The tour guide said that many kings, princes, generals and ministers had been executed here, but the tourists were only busy taking photos and checking in.

It turns out that what remains unchanged for thousands of years is not the punishment, but the hearts of the spectators.

She returned to the Ye Mansion, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, casting mottled light and shadows on the table.

"Hello."

The translucent Song Tinghe floated in front of her and waved his hand in front of her eyes: "Why are you staring at that broken window?"

Ruan Yunsheng didn't look up, but asked softly: "Song Tinghe, what do you think death is?"

Song Tinghe was stunned, his soul rippled slightly, and he didn't know how to respond.

"Today at the execution ground," Ruan Yunsheng's voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh. "When those heads fell to the ground, the surrounding civilians cheered. Although they deserved death, I always felt..." Her fingertips tapped the table lightly, the rhythm slow, "they treated the lives of others as casually as what to eat tonight."

Song Tinghe's soul flickered slightly, floated to the window and looked out the window side by side with her.

"Although I don't remember anything about my life," his voice suddenly became very soft, "I always feel that death shouldn't be the end."

He pointed to the moon rising quietly in the sky: "It's like when the oil in the lamp runs out, the flame turns into wind and heat, melting between heaven and earth."

Ruan Yunsheng stared blankly at his profile reflected in the light, and suddenly found that this living soul who was always teased by her had a kind of transcendent gentleness at this moment.

So she stopped worrying about it. Indifference is a common problem in this society. Only in this way can people survive. This is their destiny and their ending.