Nanchu King fell silent.
With regard to Su Rong’s handling of the Nanchu Queen, he was surprised, but now that she mentioned it, he thought it was something his daughter could do.
He felt both pride and sadness in his heart, he hadn’t seen her grow up with his own eyes, missed her growth over the many years, but without a doubt, she had grown up well. She was his Chu Rong’s daughter, and would one day become the most beloved monarch of Nanchu.
He sighed in his heart, "Since I entrusted her with the decision, what she says goes."
Another day, he must thank Xie Yuan for educating his daughter so well.
Su Rong smiled, "Father, let’s have a meal!"
Nanchu King nodded.
After father and daughter had lunch, Nanchu King asked, "And what about Liu’an Prince?"
"He’s already been executed. Everyone related to Liu’an Prince who was involved in the rebellion, including newborn infants, were beheaded. Liu’an Prince was tortured to death, and his womenfolk were exiled," Su Rong said.
Nanchu King was astonished, "I thought you would be more lenient towards Liu’an Prince."
"I will never forget, if I had arrived at Wanren Mountain’s Death Valley even a tad later, you and Zhou Gu would have lost your lives." Su Rong said, "Liu’an Prince’s family line deserved to be exterminated."
King Nanchu recalled how he was driven into Death Valley, thinking that all of them had no chance of survival. He nodded his head, "As a ruler, one should be benevolent, but also not overly merciful. You’re capable of mercy yet decisive, this is the way of a ruler."
"Father, give me an imperial decree, and I’ll issue the order directly! There’s no need to meet people who don’t need to be met." Su Rong looked at Nanchu King.
Nanchu King nodded, ordered someone to get the imperial decree, and after the blank document was brought forth, Su Rong wrote it herself. After finishing, she stamped her princess seal on it, then Nanchu King brought out his jade seal and stamped the royal order.
"Fen Ling." Su Rong called out.
"Sister." Fen Ling arrived at her call.
Since entering Nanchu Royal Palace, Fen Ling had also started observing the rules and no longer dined with Su Rong, but with the hidden guards instead.
"Take this imperial decree and go to the celestial prison to settle Liu’an Prince’s matter. There’s no time like the present, lets do it today! Round everyone up and behead them." Su Rong handed the decree to him.
"Alright." Fen Ling took the decree.
King Nanchu instructed, "Li He, you go with Fen Ling."
Li He complied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
In the celestial prison, ever since Liu’an Prince and his family, along with anyone else connected, had been sent back to the Royal Capital by the Nanchu King they had been confined for two to three months.
Since they were members of the royal family, their treatment at the Zongren House remained unchanged with regards to three meals a day without being harshly treated.
Liu’an Prince knew that the King had not issued an order for their punishment, was waiting for Su Rong to return to the Royal Capital to take control of it. He thought that since Su Rong didn’t kill Zhang Yun, Zhang Mao, and others, as she bore the name ’Chu’, even if she returned to the capital, she wouldn’t kill him for the sake of stabilizing the court. At most, she would banish his family.
Therefore, he wasn’t very afraid.
But his son, eldest son and legitimate heir Chu Chu, didn’t share his optimism. He felt that, Su Rong definitely would not spare their family. He and his father, were likely going to die. However, his child, son Chu Zhi, was still young, he should be able to live.
So, when he heard prison guards discussing the return of the princess to the Royal Capital, he held his son and whispered his final wishes to him.
Liu’an Prince was annoyed, "Chu’er, why are you saying such things to your son? The King is benevolent, the Princess is kind-hearted, we bear the name ’Chu’, we won’t die."
Chu Chu shook his head, "Father, I hope it is as you say."
Liu’an Prince was certain, "We won’t die."
He truly felt that Su Rong would not kill him, or at the very least, would not kill his son.
Hence, when Fen Ling and Li He arrived at the celestial prison with the imperial decree, announcing the execution of Liu’an Prince and the beheading of all the men of Liu’an Prince’s family and others connected, and the exile of all the women, Liu’an Prince’s face changed into one of startled horror, incredulously staring at Fen Ling’s hand that held the decree, stuttering, "No, this can’t be, why, why so severe..."
He shouted, "I want to see the King!"
"You won’t be seeing him." Fen Ling blocked his path.
"Princess, I want to see the Princess." Liu’an Prince added.
Fen Ling shook his head, "You definitely won’t see her."
Liu’an Prince fell to his knees to beg for mercy, "Please, I beg you, let me see the King, see the princess, I have something to say."
Chu Chu’s face was also deathly pale, he too didn’t expect that the decree would even cover his young child.
Fen Ling remained expressionless, "It’s too late."
After saying this, he waved to the back, "Send for the men, take them all away, take them to the vegetable market, all male adults, beheaded immediately."
Following his orders, the guards came in, opened the prison doors, and in pairs, took away the people who were shouting and crying for mercy, forcibly dragging them out of the celestial prison.
"I want to see the King! I want to see the King!" Liu’an Prince kept shouting until his throat was hoarse.
Fen Ling heard this but ignored it, after bringing all the men out, he left the wailing, terrified women in the celestial prison, waiting to arrange for them to be exiled, then took his men to the vegetable market.
Because Su Rong’s command was sudden, and the Autumn execution was not arranged, allowing no one any time to plea, no one knew that that day, Liu’an Prince and his family were about to be executed.
Still, the noise of many people being taken from the celestial prison all the way to the Vegetable Market did cause quite a stir, alarming the pedestrians on the street, and the thoroughly informed officials.
Fen Ling acted as decisively as Su Rong, when the people reached the vegetable market, there was no specific auspicious time selected, with a wave of his hand, the executor swung his knife, and heads dropped one after another.
Liu’an Prince was left till the end by Fen Ling, because he was to be tortured to death, to witness the consequences of his own sins, seeing him cry blood without any trace of pity.
If it wasn’t for the day at Wanren mountain’s Death Valley, where he and his sister along with the dark guards climbed down the cliff to rescue in time, her brother-in-law and the king would have died at the hands of this man. Out of his ambition to seize the throne, he colluded with the Nangong family to deal with the king and princess from the same bloodline, he deserved to die, all the people implicated, including his grandson, were his sins.
Within less than an hour, all individuals implicated in the case of Liu’an Prince had been dealt with, and blood flowed into a river.
Fen Ling, watching the execution with his own eyes, said to Li He, "Eunuch Li, let’s go, shall we return to the palace and report back?"
Li He’s face also turned a bit pale, how long had it been since he last saw so much blood and gore? He couldn’t bear it for a moment, he thought that not only him, but all the surviving members of the royal family will remember this day, remember the downfall of Liu’an Prince, and from this day forth, as long as the princess is alive, they would dare not even dream of treason.
Only because they bore the name ’Chu’, the punishment was more severe.
Today, the Princess will make everyone understand, if anyone thinks she had spared the Queen, and therefore concludes she was kind-hearted and soft, they would be gravely mistaken.
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