Chapter 684 Execution (5)
The former mighty general Shen’s house was raided, all the servants were exiled, and all the masters were executed.
Mingqi hadn't seen a major case like this in a long time, and this one didn't seem to be that serious. The authorities seemed to be deliberately keeping it secret, and the charge so far was simply "failure to perform duties properly, leading to great disaster."
But no one knows what that "catastrophe" is.
Being a minister is like this: if the emperor wants his subjects to die, they must die. Emperor Wenhui would sometimes not even bother to consider the reason when he wanted to execute a court official. This was especially true for the Shen family, whose only officials were Shen Wan and Shen Gui. Both of them were gradually declining in their official careers, with no one to speak up for them. Of course, there seemed to be an invisible hand at work; in short, everything happened at a speed that was beyond anyone's expectation.
On the day of the execution, Shen Miao was going to watch it.
Luo Tan looked at Shen Miao in surprise and asked, "What are you going to see, little cousin? A bloody scene like that, your head will just roll off like a bang, and you'll have nightmares tonight. It's better not to go."
Chen Xin and Luo Xueyan wouldn't go. They had military duties to attend to, and even if they didn't, they wouldn't go. Luo Xueyan didn't have much affection for the Shen family. Chen Xin probably did, but those complicated feelings had been completely worn away by the Shen family's actions over the years. It was better to not see each other than to meet. He wouldn't actively cause trouble for himself.
Shen Miao said, "I want to go and see. I haven't seen a beheading yet."
Luo Tan: “…” She said angrily: “What’s so good about beheading!” But in her heart she was secretly worried about Shen Miao. Girls are always soft-hearted. Although the Shen family is not a good family, Shen Miao has lived with them for so long, it is inevitable that she will feel a little sad. Going up now will only make herself sad.
"I'll go with my sister," Chen Qiu said. He knew Shen Miao was stubborn. If he didn't let her go, she would probably sneak out on her own to avoid trouble. He wasn't afraid, and besides, he had guards around to protect her.
"I'll go too." Luo Ling said with a smile: "I've never seen a beheading either."
"What nonsense are you talking about, cousin?" Luo Tan glanced at Luo Ling. "Back in the northwest, it's not like I haven't seen people executed by military order before. I was so tired of watching beheadings. How can you say it's the first time?"
Luo Ling's smile froze a little, not expecting his cousin to ruin his plans like this. Upon hearing this, Shen Qiu gave Luo Ling a meaningful look, which made him feel uneasy. Then he said, "Let's go together."
Seeing that everyone had left, Luo Tan gritted his teeth and stamped his feet before saying, “Then follow me too. I don’t want to stay alone in the mansion… My little cousin, you must cover my eyes later.”
When the group arrived at the execution ground, the onlookers outside surrounded the execution platform in three layers, making it impossible to get through. Because Shen Qiu and his group were accompanied by guards, the people took the initiative to make way. Some people around recognized Shen Qiu and whispered, pointing and criticizing Shen Qiu and Shen Miao.
I knew there was discord between the first and second and third branches of the Shen family, but I never expected that the second and third branches would be executed, and the first branch's siblings would come to watch the execution. Some people said that the first branch was a blessing in disguise, having been forced to remove their name by the second and third branches, but had escaped this disaster. Others said that the Shen Xin siblings were too cold-blooded to watch their family being executed without a rip.
On the execution platform, Shen Wan and his companions knelt in shackles, clad in filthy prison uniforms, their hair disheveled and faces utterly unkempt, a far cry from their former, imposing appearance. Shen Yue and Old Madam Shen's mouths were gagged with rags, and one could still see Shen Yue desperately shaking her head, her eyes etched with terror. Shen Yue and Old Madam Shen had always been deeply terrified of death. Even now, they still couldn't accept this fact, still hoping for some kind of redemption.
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