Chapter 60: Man of the hour

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

It is appropriate to bury, coffin and erect a tombstone.

Today is the day when human traffickers are executed.

Because the human traffickers acted against the will of heaven and violated human ethics, the county magistrate imposed the heaviest punishment according to the Daliang Kingdom's "Law of Theft".

Human traffickers were sentenced to death by crucifixion.

The people heard through grapevines from somewhere that this group of human traffickers had kidnapped a very serious person.

He was so bold as to kidnap the county magistrate's youngest son.

The leaders were sentenced to death along with their entire clans.

To warn the world.

Of course, many of these people are desperate criminals and their entire clans cannot be killed.

After they died.

If there is no one to bury the body, it cannot be coffined and no tombstone can be erected.

Wrapped in a straw mat, and thrown into a mass grave.

Became food for wild beasts and wolves.

No remains were found.

There were a lot of people in the county jail.

The last meal of a death row inmate is not sumptuous.

They don't deserve it.

Everyone looked at the scarred man and his wife with resentment...

It's all their fault!

As luck would have it, they kidnapped the county magistrate's son.

They are not afraid of death. The worst that can happen is a scar the size of a bowl on their head.

But...that's crucifixion!

Just thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat, and fear spreads to every part of my body.

The second in command was chained and couldn't die even if he wanted to.

Kill nine clans.

He was the one who was executed.

It just so happens that he has an old mother and a son.

I don’t even know where he is now, and I can’t even see him.

If he could break free from the chains, he would first crush the Scarred Man and his wife to death.

At this moment, he was glaring at them viciously, as if he wanted to eat them alive.

Ruyan shrank back behind the scarred man and said timidly, "Second Master, it's true that we caused this disaster, but are you innocent? You might as well think carefully about which important person you offended to cause the annihilation of your family."

"What do you mean? Explain it to me."

"Don't you think about the serious crimes that can be punished by the extermination of nine generations of a family? It's either treason or rebellion, or..."

"What is it?" He must know clearly whether he dies or not.

"Hurry up and tell me!"

Ruyan once stayed in the brothels in the capital.

I heard a lot of things from those princes and sons of the royal family, that is, someone's family was confiscated and exiled because they embezzled military pay.

The entire family of So-and-so was executed for treason.

It is unheard of that people would be punished with the entire family for trafficking children like them.

Unless it's someone who has kidnapped someone extraordinary...

"Have you offended a powerful figure or a royal relative..."

The second in command frowned.

Big shot? Royal family?

He and his elder brother had bought and sold many children, and everything had gone peacefully before.

The only thing we know about the two teenagers who were kidnapped at the beginning of the year is that they are scholars, and we know nothing else about them.

Could it be...

"Serves you right! A bunch of incompetent rats, they don't deserve to die!" A deep voice came from the cell next door.

Ruyan grabbed the railing and spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"You old fool, I almost forgot that it's all your fault that we're in this situation. If I hadn't listened to you and kidnapped that brother and sister, we wouldn't have been caught by them..."

Master Tao sat cross-legged on the ground, looking calm and composed. He curled his lips and said, "What a joke! You took my money, but the job didn't get done, and you still have the nerve to blame me. I asked you to kidnap the two children from the Jiang family. Who told you to kidnap one left and one right, and finally kidnap the county magistrate... I can only blame you for your greed."

He was blind to find this group of people.

He only grows in height but not in brains, and he doesn't even know who he has offended.

Punish all nine generations of the clan!

It goes without saying that this is the order from above.

Not only did he get himself involved, but he also got himself implicated.

Damn it!

Ruyan was so angry that her face turned red, and she also blamed her for being the head of the family.

Whenever I see a child alone, I want to kidnap him...

The second in command has no desire to live anymore. Let him die, at least the whole family is still together.

If he left, leaving his mother and son behind, he would be worried.

Now I just want to die with a clear conscience.

Be a clear-headed ghost.

His tone softened. "Master Tao, it was wrong of us to involve you in this, but you were able to give us so much money... I guess you have someone behind the scenes. It shouldn't be a big deal. You can just spend a few days in jail and then get out..."

"I just want to know who those two kids you had kidnapped are from?"

He had observed that the older one was skilled.

After being inexplicably attacked by a wolf, he luckily escaped with only a broken arm.

He originally wanted to escape, but the boy put the dagger to his neck without anyone noticing.

I was tied up for no apparent reason.

In this remote and poor place, children from ordinary families can't even get enough food to eat, let alone learn martial arts.

The brother and sister were as fat as balls.

The younger one looked like a snowman.

It looks great.

He even thought about bringing her back to be his son's daughter-in-law...

He would never believe that they were country kids even if you beat him to death.

Master Tao frowned slightly, "I'm not afraid to tell you..."

"Since you are from the north, have you ever heard of a general named Lu who was confiscated and exiled for embezzling military pay?"

Several people looked confused.

The Second In Command said, "I've never heard of them... Could they be General Lu's family?"

"Never mind if you haven't heard of it..." What a waste of words.

Master Tao closed his eyes and refused to say another word.

They are all gangsters. There is no point in talking so much to them. It is like talking to a cow.

Ruyan's body trembled slightly.

Embezzling military pay! Exile! The Lu family!

All the members of the Lu family were convicted and exiled, with only one daughter who married out of the family escaping.

"Could it be... could it be that those two children are the children of Miss Lu and Minister Jiang?"

Ruyan blurted out what she thought.

When she saw Master Tao looking up at her, she knew she had guessed right.

Mrs. Jiang didn't know him, but Minister Jiang was a prominent figure in the capital.

He passed the imperial examination at a young age, had extraordinary talent, and was born with a handsome and romantic appearance, but he never lingered in places of entertainment.

He was also a filial son. He once said that he did not seek wealth and honor, but only wanted to serve his widowed mother.

For many years, he had only one wife and one concubine.

One literary and one military.

They are all ladies from famous families.

He gained a good reputation in front of the emperor and became a new upstart in the court.

He is a talented man that poor students compete to pursue, and he is the dream lover that girls dream about at midnight.

.......

But sending my wife and children to such a place seems unworthy of the name.

What talented and filial sons are all hypocritical hypocrites...

Ruyan chuckled.

Everyone looked at her like a fool.

Master Tao looked at these fools with contempt, closed his eyes, and calmly waited...

He has sent the letter out.

I believe that Madam Jiang in the capital will rescue me.

He just needs to wait patiently...

But he never thought that his letter had already reached Lu Qingyao's hands.

That letter.

It is now burning brightly on the charcoal fire.

Don't even think about sending it out again.

Master Tao, don't even think about leaving...