Linghu Yunlong didn't need to intervene in this matter; his goal was to protect the emperor. Wu Ge was the first to jump out. Du Zhong had escaped once, so he couldn't let him escape again this time.
When he was a few dozen steps away from Du Huachang, Du Zhong made a move. Unexpectedly, he did not come to save his son, but to send a dart straight to Du Huachang's throat.
Du Zhong knew the pain of lingchi, a form of torture worse than death. Even with his kung fu, he couldn't save his son, so he wanted to end his son's life as quickly as possible to spare him some pain.
Unexpectedly, Wu Ge had already anticipated this move. He took out a copper coin from his arms, knocked the dart down, and then pounced on it.
Du Zhong's kung fu was actually quite good, almost drawing a draw with Wu Ge. The two exchanged several rounds, with the outcome uncertain. Linghu Yunlong watched anxiously. As a bystander, he could clearly see Du Zhong's flaws. He wanted to jump out to help, but Zhao Huan held him back, saying, "Wu Ge can handle it himself."
Linghu Yunlong understood that the emperor was asking Wu Ge to redeem himself for his crime. He had let Du Zhong escape, so bringing him back now would be a way to save some face.
Originally, Du Zhong's martial arts skills were inferior to Wu Ge's, and his eagerness to save his son made him even more flustered. Wu Ge saw the right moment and kicked Du Zhong, sending him flying.
At this moment, Du Zhong drew his longsword from his waist, and Wu Ge also drew his saber. The sword fight was a completely different scene, both of them fighting swiftly. Soon, they were getting further and further away from the execution ground, but actually getting closer and closer to Zhao Huan.
Wu Ge slashed with his sword, but Du Zhong dodged and continued to strike with his sword. Wu Ge saw how powerful the attack was and rolled over to avoid it.
At this moment, Du Zhong took out another dart from his arms and flew straight towards Zhao Huan.
Zhao Huan was so frightened that his face turned pale. He couldn't pretend, nor did he want to, so he hurriedly hid behind the guard next to him.
Linghu Yunlong was furious: "You don't know how to live or die!" He did not draw the sword in his hand, but just used the scabbard to hit the dart back.
Du Zhong was startled. His dart was deflected back, even more powerful than his own. He was about to dodge. Seeing an opportunity, Wu Ge pressed the back of his knife against Du Zhong's blade and launched another kick. Du Zhong was struck in the chest, breaking two ribs. His sword slipped from his grasp, and a stream of blood spurted out in mid-air.
By the time he landed, a group of guards had already held Du Zhong up.
Du Zhong sighed, and Du Huachang was even more shocked: "Dad!"
"Hey!" Some chatterbox among the onlookers agreed, causing a burst of laughter.
The guards brought Du Zhong before Zhao Huan, who looked at him coldly, "Du Zhong, the commander of the Jingdong army! How dare you attempt to assassinate me!"
After all, father and son were concerned about each other, so Du Zhong knelt down and begged: "Your Majesty, please torture me to death. My son's death is not a pity, just give him a quick death."
"Dad!" Du Huachang shouted again.
"Hey!" A few more hooligans responded, but this time no one was laughing.
Zhao Huan sneered, "Give him a quick death? Did these two beasts ever consider letting Yang Qiqiao go when they were torturing her? I've already ordered her to be lingchied five hundred times, which is considered a special mercy!"
Du Zhong's face was filled with pleading. "Your Majesty, I am guilty of a crime that cannot be forgiven. I was completely devoid of conscience in the case of Yang Qiqiao, and I aided and abetted the tyrant. But I know Your Majesty rules the world with benevolence. I was born as a military commander in Jingdong. I once led 500 soldiers in Jingdong to keep 8,000 Tibetan cavalry out of the pass. Killing someone means killing someone. Please, Your Majesty, consider my humble contribution to the Song Dynasty and let me die."
Du Zhong's words were so heartfelt that Zhao Huan couldn't help but hesitate. Nangong Lian'er also advised, "Your Majesty, lingchi is indeed too cruel. This man deserves to be executed."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Huan asked Linghu Yunlong and Cao Dongsheng beside him.
Cao Dongsheng bowed his head and said, "I agree with Madam Nangong's opinion."
Zhao Huan was the emperor, his words were his. The execution had originally been by flaying, and changing it now would have been inappropriate. However, Zhao Huan also felt that lingchi was too cruel. Although the two men deserved death, he now regretted his words, spoken in anger.
The wicked are detestable, and being cut into pieces by a thousand cuts is certainly not enough to quench their anger. Yet, when lingchi is actually carried out before your eyes, you will find it cruel. Even if the person is unforgivable, having their flesh sliced off piece by piece is excruciating. It is said that at the end, the victim can see their own beating heart, bones, and internal organs.
Skilled executioners would avoid every artery, leaving the prisoner with little more than a skeleton and internal organs, yet the prisoner remained alive. The bloody scene was still terrifying.
"Your Majesty, Yunlong has a plan." Linghu Yunlong said.
Zhao Huan was delighted: "Oh, tell me about it."
"Your Majesty, I can press the Baihui acupoint on these men. Using my strength, I can sever their meridians. Even if they were tortured to death, they wouldn't feel any pain, and this would also spare them the pain of the flesh. These two thieves have their meridians severed, so they won't survive even without being tortured to death."
Du Zhong was overjoyed: "Thank you for your help, Your Majesty, please show me your grace, Your Majesty, please show me your grace!"
Zhao Huan looked at him and said, "Du Zhong, Du Huachang is worse than a beast, even if he dies a hundred times, I will never be satisfied. You protected my son and married him off. Have you ever thought about how the Yang family feels?"
Du Zhong burst into tears, "I am dissatisfied with what Your Majesty said. Ever since I killed Yang Jiace's family, I have been unable to sleep or eat, and my dreams have been haunting me every night. I am awakened by nightmares every day, and my life is worse than death. This end is actually a relief."
Zhao Huan saw the man's haggard face. He was only fifty years old, but he looked like a man in his seventies or eighties. He thought he must have felt guilty over the years. "Okay, I agree. Considering your contributions to the Song Dynasty, I wanted to keep your body intact, but that would be unfair to the spirits of the Yang family. I decree that Du Zhong, who shielded the criminal and allowed his son to commit the crime, behead the victim's entire family immediately!"
Two guards carried Du Zhong and walked towards the execution ground. Du Zhong shouted as he walked, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Du Huachang didn't understand. He was being tortured to death, so why were you thanking him? "Dad! What are you thanking me for? Save me, save me, Dad!"
Du Zhong was brought to the two men and said, "Son, it is your father who has harmed you. A son who does not follow his father's teachings is responsible for his failure. Your father spoiled you too much since you were little, which led to you making this big mistake. In your next life, don't be born into a wealthy family. It is your father who has harmed you!"
The guards forced Du Zhong to kneel in front of the Yang family's gate. The executioner raised his sword. The blade was still dripping with Luo Xiaohu's blood. Du Zhong shouted, "Yang family! Du Zhong apologizes to you!" The executioner raised his sword and brought it down.
"Dad!" Du Huachang shouted as he watched his father's head rolling down.
Linghu Yunlong walked over and slapped Du Huachang and Bai Qingsheng. They immediately collapsed, blood gushing out. Their tendons and veins were severed, and then the executioner began the execution.
Even so, Zhao Huan did not have the mental capacity to watch such a bloody scene. He turned around and returned to the sedan chair, and Nangong Lian'er followed him in.
"Let's go!" Zhao Huan said.
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