Chapter 437: Public Execution, Mad Concubine (5k)
Zhao Duan is still alive!
The rebel leader Zhuang Xiaocheng was captured alive! The Empress ordered his execution soon!
On that day, this explosive news, accompanied by the last cold wave of early spring, spread through the streets and alleys of the capital with a devastating force, becoming the first major case of the year.
For a moment, countless people were stunned, shocked by the bizarreness of the incident and feeling extremely disappointed.
Especially those scholars who had been rushing to write poems to mourn in recent days in order to catch the empress's eye were extremely disappointed. They cursed Zhao "damned it" countless times in their hearts, but they could do nothing about it.
After leaving the court, Li Yanfu immediately convened a meeting within the Li Party to comfort the injured officials. It is unknown how many benefits he promised and how much effort he spent before suppressing the internal dissatisfaction.
Immediately afterwards, Zhuang Xiaocheng's conviction was rapidly carried out amid the roar of the court's "machine".
The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate held a joint trial, completing the process at an alarming speed, with the Baima Prison responsible for creating momentum.
A few days later.
Zhuang Xiaocheng and a group of rebels were beheaded at Caishikou.
…
Imperial prison.
In a prison cell, several days later, Zhao Duan saw Zhuang Xiaocheng again.
At this moment, Zhuang Xiaocheng, without any shackles on his body, was sitting cross-legged calmly in the deepest cell of the entire dungeon.
He was wearing prison clothes, with disheveled gray hair, and was staring intently at a beam of light coming in through the vent.
Inside the prison, there were three eunuchs dressed as royal servants. They were "bodyguards" arranged to prevent the prisoners from getting into accidents.
"Master, look what I have brought you."
Zhao Duan stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, smiling. The jailer following behind him was holding a tray with a sumptuous feast of wine and meat.
He took the tray himself, and while the jailer beside him was opening the cell door, he said:
"Given the hatred between you and me, I didn't want to give you this final meal, but I heard you've been on a hunger strike these past few days. To prevent you from dying of starvation before being beheaded, I'll show mercy and give you one last meal."
He stepped into the cell and placed the food and wine in front of the latter.
Zhuang Xiaocheng's eyes moved and his gaze focused on his face. It seemed that because his life was about to end, this old man who had experienced many ups and downs in his life was unexpectedly in good spirits.
"These past few days, I've been wondering if everything would have been different if I had killed you in the Earth Temple that day."
Zhuang Xiaocheng sighed and fantasized:
"If it weren't for you, the Kuangfu Society in the capital might not have been eradicated, the New Deal might not have been implemented as it is today, and I wouldn't have had to take such a risk and sacrifice myself to fight you..."
He kept talking, and Zhao Duan stood in front of him without interrupting.
Witness the old man's final words.
"...But there are no ifs. I'm even wondering, the appearance of someone like you, could it be that it's the Third Prince's destiny?"
Haha... How can a dying man speak kindly... Zhao Duan raised the corner of his mouth:
"Master, if you repent now, it's probably too late."
Zhuang Xiaocheng laughed at himself, his gray hair seeming to gleam in a beam of sunlight:
"Repent? No, you can kill me, but my sacrifice will only serve as another piece of evidence for the false emperor's murder of loyal officials. After I die, the remaining members of the Kuangfu Society will only be angry and continue to fight you..."
"Stubborn!"
Zhao Duan was too lazy to listen anymore and said coldly:
"Feed the Master his last meal."
The two jailers behind him immediately stepped forward, one pried open Zhuang Xiaocheng's mouth, and the other stuffed food and wine into it.
Zhao Duan turned around and walked out of the cell. After waiting for a while, the jailer came out with dishes and chopsticks.
Only Zhuang Xiaocheng was left kneeling in the cell, coughing, covering his neck and making a "ho ho" sound. He widened his eyes and finally realized that something was wrong.
Then I heard Zhao Duan's cold voice coming from outside the fence:
"Don't worry, you won't die now. The wine is just spiked with a special 'mute drug' to ensure you can't speak on the execution ground. Want to make an impassioned speech in front of everyone before your death? To gain fame? You must have watched too many TV dramas."
After saying this, he walked away in front of Zhuang Xiaocheng's angry gaze.
At the end of the corridor, Eunuch Hai, wearing a bright red dragon robe, waited quietly and smiled:
"Let's go together?"
He was personally responsible for escorting Zhuang Xiaocheng to prevent any accidents from happening.
Zhao Duan shook his head and smiled, "I found a better place to enjoy the scenery."
…
…
Caishikou is an open space with a huge flow of people in Beijing.
It has also been the place where serious criminals have been executed for six hundred years.
Today, the area around Caishikou is crowded with people who have come to join in the fun.
Ma Yan personally led the Jinyi Guards to maintain order.
In the southeast of Caishikou, under a watchtower, Zhao Duan arrived quietly with only a few servants.
Today, he did not wear the official robes of Shaobao or Jisi, but changed into the luxurious clothes he had worn on the first day of his time travel.
The followers behind him were also called from the White Horse Prison.
Today, he is not any other identity, but the messenger of the White Horse Prison.
“Crunch.”
“Crunch.”
Zhao Duan walked up the stairs alone to the pavilion at the top of the watchtower.
From this angle, you can overlook the entire Caishikou.
At this moment, it was noon. A huge group of prisoners came from the direction of the imperial yamen, escorted by the imperial guards. Leading them was Zhuang Xiaocheng.
Amid the people whispering, hundreds of prisoners were taken to the execution ground.
On the execution platform were the three chief officials, headed by the Minister of Punishment.
The sun is high in the sky.
The sky is cloudless.
Suddenly, another team appeared.
It was a group of people headed by Yunxi, mainly young men and women, including Qingniao and Lin Yuebai's brother and sister who later surrendered.
When this group of people appeared, Zhuang Xiaocheng became visibly agitated, as if he had guessed something, and tried to struggle, but was locked up tightly.
Zhao Duan looked down calmly into the distance.
It's like watching a stage play.
All sounds and images maintain a perfect distance.
The Minister of Justice read out something, and then Yunxi stood up. The girl seemed indignant. She pointed at Zhuang Xiaocheng on the stage and loudly scolded him for his poor personal ethics.
Some of it is true, and some of it is fabricated by Zhao Duan.
The onlookers were in an uproar and were asked by the imperial guards to keep quiet.
Zhuang Xiaocheng opened his mouth wide and tried to refute with a whimper, but he couldn't utter a single syllable. Even because the food was mixed with cartilage powder, his struggle was not obvious.
After Yunxi, there is the blue bird.
After the Bluebird, it was Lin Yuebai and his sister...
A group of carefully selected people began to take turns exposing Zhuang Xiaocheng's lies in public and spreading rumors to discredit the top leaders of the Kuangfu Society headed by Zhuang Xiaocheng.
The revelations are more explosive than the last, revealing the distortion and filth of the private lives of the bigwigs.
The other members on the execution platform were stunned and looked at the tutor in disbelief. They had also been deceived and believed that it was true.
Zhuang Xiaocheng felt dizzy as he felt the malicious and disgusted gazes coming from all directions.
He raised his head and saw only the dazzling sun. The world was spinning around him and the intense fear made him dazed and he forgot what happened in the second half.
He only felt that the world became silent, with only a buzzing sound in his ears. Finally, the crisp and heavy sound of a beheading token falling to the ground dragged him back to reality.
He felt the executioner's raised long knife behind him. In the last scene before death, he tried his best to raise his head, squinting his eyes, looking at a lonely watchtower in the distance under the blue sky in front of him.
He vaguely saw a familiar figure, who seemed to be looking at him.
"cut!"
The world went dark.
…
Looking upstairs.
Zhao Duan turned around, walked down slowly, got into the carriage below, and said to his followers, "Enter the palace."
"Yes." The servant driving the car did not dare to delay and immediately rushed to the palace.
Entered the imperial city unimpeded.
Zhao Duan saw the empress in white standing in front of the imperial study, staring into the distance in a trance.
"Your Majesty, I am here to report."
"No surprises, right?"
"Everything went smoothly. Zhuang Xiaocheng and the other rebels are dead, and the accusations he arranged before his death were very effective. As expected, the dirty secrets about the top leaders of the Kuangfu Society will spread throughout the city today.
Then, with a little push from the shadow guards in various places, the news could spread to the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures, completely destroying the reputation of the Kuangfu Society. "When Zhao Duan said this, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu as a villain.
Xu Zhenguan also felt uncomfortable listening to the report. She glanced at the young guard helplessly:
"Your words make it seem as if I am truly a cruel and tyrannical ruler."
No... I prefer the description of "villain princess", at least it sounds better... Besides, isn't this also "giving someone a taste of their own medicine?"... Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Your Majesty is the ruler of the Restoration. The rebels' slanderous words may fool the people for a while, but they cannot fool them forever. This time, beheading Zhuang Xiaocheng will surely severely damage the vitality of the Kuangfu Society, making it impossible for them to pose a threat again."
Xu Zhenguan shook his head slightly and said:
"Didn't you suspect Jian Wen was still alive? Recently, I sent someone to carefully review the files from that year, and they did find some clues."
"Huh?" Zhao Duan was stunned and looked at her in surprise: "What clue?"
Xu Zhenguan said:
"Jian Wen went out once before the coup, and subsequent investigations revealed that he was very likely carrying a large number of treasures, including healing pills, as well as some military supplies and weapons.
Besides, now that I think about it, the escape of that group of rebels was indeed smoother, as if it had been premeditated, especially since Jian Wen's wife and children were sent away early...
At first, I thought he wanted to leave a bloodline outside, so that if he failed, he would at least have an heir. But now I think the plans he has prepared are too extensive.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said:
"Your Majesty, are you saying that Jianwen's plan for a retreat wasn't for his wife and children, but for himself?
But when he broke into the palace during the coup, there was no way he could escape after being defeated, unless he split himself in two like the Bewitching Immortal..."
Xu Zhen nodded and said solemnly:
"This also explains why, if he were alive, he wouldn't stand up and openly confront me. This is because his spirit is far inferior to that of Guhuo Zhenren, who had to hide for three years before fully recovering.
He's only getting worse, and he might even have come back to life in the last few months. I even suspect he might have borrowed the power of a cultist..."
Zhao Duan frowned and said:
"This little clue isn't enough to confirm the truth. Your Majesty, have you found any other clues that could support the claim?"
Xu Zhenguan hesitated, nodded, and said:
"Come with me to see someone."
No, this line sounds familiar. It was the same the last time you took me to Jizhao Temple... Zhao Duan suppressed his urge to complain:
"Where are you going?"
Xu Zhenguan opened his red lips and said, "Cold Palace."
…
What was the harem of the Yu Kingdom like? Three years ago, it was relatively normal.
The old emperor was old at heart, and there were many beauties in his harem. However, after the "Xuanmen Coup", the empress ascended the throne, and the harem suddenly became awkward.
The old emperor's concubines could not be driven out, so they had to keep them. In the past, a group of concubines would stage all kinds of "palace fights" to compete for favor, but now they have completely given up the idea, and the harem is extremely harmonious.
Mo Chou, a female official among the "Six Shangs", had a considerable part of her job to manage the group of concubines left behind by the old emperor.
Zhao Duan followed the empress, walked around her bedroom, and stepped into the deeper part of the palace for the first time.
The two walked in front, followed by a large group of female officials and eunuchs.
"Come to think of it, you are one of the rare men who have entered the harem in the past three years." Xu Zhenguan joked, walking gracefully with her long skirt dragging across the clean ground.
Isn't that like Tang Sanzang entering the Kingdom of Women? Everyone wants to take a bite out of me?
Zhao Duan quietly moved closer to Zhenbao, not looking away:
"Your Majesty is the only one in my heart, and all the concubines in the harem pale in comparison."
The concubines in the harem pale in comparison... Xu Zhenguan glanced at him in surprise:
"Is this your new poem? There should be another line at the beginning, right? Tell me about it."
Zhao Duan glanced at her cautiously and asked tentatively, "A smile like a hundred charms?"
A single smile brings out all the allure of beauty, leaving all the concubines in the harem pale in comparison… Xu Zhenguan pondered over this line of poetry, finding it vivid and vivid. While marveling at the poetic talent of this young imperial guard, he smiled, a smile that seemed neither to smile nor to be smiled:
"Do you think I am more charming, or which woman in the palace is more charming? Speaking of which, you have made a great contribution in capturing Zhuang Xiaocheng, but I haven't rewarded you yet. How about you choose a concubine from the harem?"
No... This is not a joke. Zhenbao, are you sure the old emperor won't jump out of his coffin and fight me to the death? ... Zhao Duan clearly drew a line:
"Your Majesty's every frown and smile is more charming than a red flower in my heart..."
Xu Zhenguan spat, too lazy to argue with him, rolled his eyes in mock anger, and sighed softly:
"I'm not kidding you anymore. Do you know who I'm going to take you to see?"
Zhao Duan pondered and said:
"Your Majesty is referring to the cold palace. As far as I know... in recent years, the only person to be banished to the cold palace is Concubine Xiao."
Concubine Xiao...is the biological mother of the second prince Xu Jianwen!
Zhao Duan wanted to stay in the State of Yu, so he naturally studied information on this subject.
The deceased emperor had a queen in his early years, who was the prince's biological mother. After he recovered from his illness, the emperor did not appoint another queen for some unknown reason.
To some extent, it was also a trigger for the subsequent coup.
Without the queen to suppress the harem, many concubines inevitably longed for this position.
Xu Jianwen's biological mother, Concubine Xiao, was once a strong candidate to become the queen.
As for Zhenbao's biological mother, she died of complications during childbirth and was later raised by the empress dowager, so she had a close relationship with the prince.
"Noble Concubine Xiao's family was once a powerful faction of imperial relatives in the capital, and was one of the forces that helped Jian Wen seize power during the Xuanmen coup... Later, when the coup failed, Noble Concubine Xiao's family was executed for treason... Noble Concubine Xiao was also banished to the cold palace..."
Zhao Duan observed Zhenbao's expression and said tentatively.
Because the purge of the Xiao family was orchestrated by Xu Zhenguan, who had just ascended the throne.
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and said:
"Yes, that's her. According to the information from that year, a few days before Jian Wen launched the mutiny, he visited Concubine Xiao several times..."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up:
"So, Your Majesty suspects that Concubine Xiao knows something? Yes, even if Jianwen hides it, his mother knows him best. Even if he hasn't revealed any secrets, Concubine Xiao is very observant and will definitely notice any changes in Jianwen. Your Majesty is thinking of interrogating her?"
Xu Zhenguan shook his head silently and said:
"Interrogation...if we can find out the answer, that would be great."
What's the meaning?
Zhao Duan could not hide his doubts. At this time, the group had arrived at a corner of the palace, outside a particularly remote courtyard.
It was early spring and the chill had not yet dissipated. Looking from outside, one could see bare branches sticking out from the courtyard wall.
Compared to the other concubines' courtyards, this one was particularly dilapidated, with a narrow, worn-out gate locked with a large padlock.
There is a hole dug in the door so that food can be delivered inside.
It's like a different kind of prison.
"Open the door."
Xu Zhenguan gave the order calmly.
Immediately, a eunuch came up jogging behind him, took out a key, poked the lock, and turned it, and it opened with a "click".
After the door opened, Xu Zhenguan ordered the palace maids to wait outside, and she and Zhao Duan walked into the courtyard together.
Zhao Duan frowned as he took a look. The yard was extremely desolate and dilapidated, with weeds growing on the ground, broken tiles, and feces and urine stains all over the ground.
"This is already considered good. In the past, people would even be locked up in their rooms in the cold palace and not allowed to come out. At least Concubine Xiao can move around freely."
Xu Zhenguan saw Zhao Duan frowning and explained.
It can be seen that the empress had complicated feelings towards Concubine Xiao, including hatred and sympathy.
The former is naturally that Jian Wen killed his brother and father, and it is impossible to say that there was no influence of Concubine Xiao behind the scenes.
As for the latter... Zhao Duan guessed that it was probably more of empathy for the identities of "mother" and "woman".
But he soon realized that he had guessed wrong.
There was another reason for the deliberately concealed hint of sympathy in Zhenbao's words.
"Food...food is here..."
After the two of them entered the cold palace and took a few steps, they saw the door of the dilapidated house in front of them open, and a disheveled, crazy woman stumbled out. She was wearing a palace maid's clothes, but it looked a little dirty.
It’s hard to tell her age, but she’s definitely not young. However, through her face that’s been weathered by time, one can still tell that she was a great beauty when she was young.
Even though she is old now, if she dresses up carefully, she can still be a well-maintained and charming woman.
But that crazy look completely destroyed the temperament cultivated by her noble family. Concubine Xiao leaned against the door frame, looking at the empty hands of the two people, with disappointment on her face:
"The meal...is not here..."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zhenbao: "What is Concubine Xiao doing..."
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly: "After the Xuanmen coup, he went crazy."
…
These chapters slow down the pace and the plot is a bit bland, laying the groundwork for the rest of the chapter.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
