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The old lady was in a hurry to watch the excitement, so she said no more and hurried to the execution ground.
Shu Yao's mouth opened slightly in shock, and she was stunned for a while. The bandits from Banyan Mountain were actually caught? She couldn't believe her ears and turned to look at Ji Shijing: "What did that lady just say?"
Ji Shijing said calmly, "The thief has been caught."
Shu Yao let out a long sigh. God is fair, and this group of evil people have finally been brought to justice.
She wanted to watch them serve their sentences with her own eyes. Thinking of this, she grabbed Ji Shijing's hand and walked towards the execution ground. The two of them gradually disappeared into the crowd.
Ji Shijing lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the two people's intertwined hands. She shuddered unconsciously, trying her best to ignore the burning temperature from her palms and the inexplicable emotions that arose in her heart.
It was noon, and the execution ground was crowded with people inside and outside. Some people standing at the back stretched their necks to look forward. Shu Yao stood on tiptoe, but still could not see what was happening in front of her.
She looked left and right and found that there were fewer people in the open space on the right, so she pulled Ji Shijing over there and politely squeezed through the crowd.
Since it was winter, everyone was wearing thick clothes, so it was a little difficult to squeeze in. Squeezed among the passers-by, all kinds of unpleasant smells came. Shu Yao held her breath and kept walking forward.
Standing at the front, she took a deep breath, let go of Ji Shijing's hand, and looked at the execution platform not far away. She saw that it was empty and there was no one there. There was only the snow that fell last night and a few black footprints on the platform.
Ji Shijing's palms returned to their usual coldness. He let his hands hang by his sides, closed his eyes to calm his inner emotions, and when he opened his eyes again, he returned to his usual indifference.
There hadn't been a public beheading in the capital for a long time. The onlookers were quite excited, and everyone was chattering. Some people even boasted that they knew the inside story, which attracted a crowd of people to come over in admiration.
"Uncle, can you tell us what this is all about?"
"I heard that the bandits in Banyan Mountain are very rampant. In previous years, the government has been unable to deal with them. How come they were suddenly caught this time?"
The old man surrounded by the crowd cleared his throat and said, "I heard it's related to the Ji Mansion."
Shu Yao was also listening with her ears perked up. When she heard that it was related to the Ji family, she was startled and moved closer.
Then the old man continued, "I heard that a few days ago, a group of bandits from Banyan Mountain suddenly broke into the Ji Mansion and killed, injured, and robbed. However, the Ji Mansion was protected by the government, and within two hours, all the bandits were arrested."
"Bandits are kings in the mountains, but they are just like little ants down there."
She didn't hear clearly what the old man said next. She wondered in her heart, why did the bandits come to Ji's house for no reason? Was it because of her?
The surrounding discussion was still lively. Shu Yao looked up at Ji Shijing and asked, "Ah Jing, what do you think is their purpose in coming to Ji's house?"
Ji Shijing thought of the fire that night, and the man who kept begging for his life even though his whole body was on fire. Thinking of this, his thoughts returned, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, saying in a calm tone: "Maybe it's... revenge."
Shu Yao murmured, "Revenge?" But before she could continue asking, the sound of iron chains rubbing and a pair of horses trotting came from the execution platform.
The spectators below became even more excited, stretching their necks and looking upwards with all their might.
Shu Yao tugged at Ji Shijing's sleeve, and together they retreated to a less conspicuous spot. She was afraid that a classic scene from a TV drama would happen: someone came to rob the execution ground and rescue all the bandits, only for the bandit leader to discover her again...
She shook her head and dismissed these thoughts from her mind. No, it couldn't be such a coincidence.
She hid behind a tall man, sticking her head out to quietly watch what was happening on the stage.
I saw a group of men in prison uniforms with iron chains on their feet standing on the stage. Leading them was the boss of Ban Yanshan. He had messy hair and a fierce look in his eyes.
Shu Yao swallowed fearfully. She would still be afraid when she saw him again. If she was caught by him again, she would probably die without a burial place.
After a while, a bell rang, and a senior official in red official uniform sat down at the desk. An old man leaned over and whispered in his ear. He also looked at the midday sky, nodded, pulled out a beheading order, threw it on the ground, and said: "It is three quarters past noon. The execution will be carried out immediately."
Some frightened bandits begged for mercy, and the big boss laughed at himself: "I will not accept falling into your hands today."
If he had not acted impulsively and gone down the mountain to seek revenge on the Ji family, he would not have ended up like this. Two men with big knives came over and pressed his head on the chopping block, but he had plenty of strength and managed to break free from the two burly men with knives. The two men staggered and the knives in their hands almost fell to the ground.
He stood up again and looked at the crowd in front of him: "The new wife of the Ji family set fire to my village, and countless brothers died tragically. Shouldn't I avenge this?"
Shu Yao: Give me back my innocence... She really didn't start the fire.
But the people below didn't buy his story at all. Some even took out eggs and vegetables from their baskets and threw them at him: "Bah! You bandits kill, injure, rob, and commit all sorts of evil. When others burn down your village, it's to get rid of harm to the people, so it's considered a good deed."
"That's right, the new bride of the Ji family is great."
More and more people joined the camp of throwing eggs. After a while, the boss was covered with sticky egg white. He seemed to be very angry, and white steam kept coming out of his nostrils.
Shu Yao looked at Ji Shijing next to her. If she didn't set the fire, could it be possible that he did?
Seeing that time was running out, the official hurriedly ordered his men to subdue the boss.
This time, four or five big men came and they worked together to pin the boss down on the chopping block. The boss wanted to break free, but this time he was pinned down tightly. Half of his face was rubbing against the chopping block, and his flesh and blood were all over the place. He was still shouting.
The executioner raised the machete in his hand.
Some adults in the crowd covered their children's eyes, and some timid women turned away.
Shu Yao was about to pull Ji Shijing and turn around, but when she looked up, she met the eyes of the big boss. The big boss was extremely excited when he saw her, and his eyes were almost bloodshot. He spat out hatefully: "Bitch."
Shu Yao was so frightened that her legs went limp and she sat down on the ground, even forgetting to close her eyes.
The executioners raised their swords and slashed. Only a few gusts of wind were heard, and heads fell to the ground one after another. Some people lost consciousness before they could even wail, and the scene was a river of blood.
Some spectators saw this scene and dispersed while chanting "Amitabha".
Shu Yao's eyes reflected the figure of the boss and the falling machete, but the only thing missing was Yanhong at the scene.
My vision was completely dark, and I could only hear a cold voice in my ears: "Don't look, go back."
She turned around stiffly. Ji Shijing put down his hand that was covering her eyes and looked at her lost appearance. He wanted to speak several times, but he just licked his dry lips and said nothing.
Shu Yao was sweating profusely, and a chill came over her heart. She could still vaguely feel a cold gaze staring at her. Fear spread throughout her body, and her face turned pale in an instant.
She was afraid that she would never forget the face of the boss.
Almost everyone at the execution ground had left. Shu Yao closed her eyes and tried to dispel the fear in her heart.
"The wicked have received the punishment they deserve. You have nothing to fear."
Yes, why should she be afraid? She looked at Ji Shijing and smiled slightly: "In all this time, this is still the most words you have said."
"Let's go home."
Ji Shijing followed her. The capital was so big, and Shu Yao asked for directions along the way. Finally, she arrived at the gate of Ji's mansion in the afternoon.
After an afternoon, the fear in her heart was somewhat alleviated.
Shu Yao stood in front of the door and couldn't help but sigh twice. The Ji Mansion was really magnificent. The main door was made of fine nanmu wood and was inlaid with rubies of fine quality. Even the door buckle was made of pure gold.
She was a little shocked. She didn't look carefully when she went out for the funeral. Now she saw it, it was really amazing. It turned out that the Ji family was worthy of being the third richest family in Beijing.
It's just that these things are placed in the open so there is no need to worry about them being stolen. But think about it, no one will come to Ji's house to steal things, after all, Ji's house is protected by the government.
She clicked the button, and the servant's voice came from inside: "Here it comes."
Shu Yao took two steps back. The servant opened the door and looked in. Then he opened his eyes wide and spoke tremblingly, "Second...Second Young Master, Miss Shu...Miss Shu."
Then with a bang, the door was closed again.
Shu Yao touched her nose in confusion. What was going on?
She continued to knock on the door, but no one answered. She kept knocking for a long time, but there was still no movement from inside the house.
She sneered, then understood.
I'm afraid the people in the mansion don't want her and Ji Shijing to come back alive.
However, she had a solution. She said to Ji Shijing, "Let's go stand in the middle of the road."
Ji Shijing didn't understand why, but he did as he was told.
Shu Yao cleared her throat twice, then knelt on the ground with a thud. Tears streamed down her face like water, and she spoke in a mournful voice, "Madam, what did your granddaughter-in-law do wrong? Why are you excluding her?"
The commotion here soon attracted a group of onlookers, who pointed at Shu Yao and whispered to each other.
Ji Shijing looked at the woman kneeling on the ground, tilting his head, somewhat puzzled as to why she burst into tears so suddenly.
Shu Yao kowtowed three more times, her forehead reddening. She took a deep breath in pain, then clutched her chest and continued shouting, "Madam, the master and the eldest son just passed away, and you've already kicked the second son and me out. Why is that?"
"We just want to eat a meal, why do you have to kill us, old lady?"
As Shu Yao complained earnestly, the onlookers understood the identities of the two. However, they were still a little confused: "Didn't Madam Ji say that the newlywed bride and the second son of the Ji family had died at the hands of bandits? Why did they show up again out of the blue?"
Hearing these discussions in the crowd, Shu Yao understood. It turned out that they were going to announce to the public that she and Ji Shijing were dead. What a good plan. In this way, the family property of the Ji family could be handed over to Ji Dayong openly. The old lady was really partial.
She cried even louder: "That day, the funeral was ambushed by bandits. The Second Young Master and I barely escaped death, but in the end, we were rejected by the Ji Mansion. How can this be possible?"
After hearing what she said, many people couldn't help but feel sorry for them. The person was not dead yet, but they were spreading the news that he was dead. This old lady didn't seem to be a good person. I heard that Mr. Ji's eldest brother came to the Ji Mansion a few days ago, probably for the Ji family's property. This second young master Ji was really pitiful. He had to give up such a good family business.
As others were talking about it, Shu Yao cried even harder.
The tightly closed door finally opened slowly. The old lady, draped in a mink and leaning on a cane, stepped out of the doorway. She still had that arrogant look on her face. She stood on the steps and said, "My grandson's wife and grandson have already died under the knife of the thieves. Who are you two? Why are you pretending to be my grandson's wife and grandson?"
Shu Yao raised her slightly red eyes. This old lady's mind was really quick. She was a peasant girl and had never been to the capital, and Ji Shijing had never left the house. Naturally, no one knew them.
She stood up and swayed: "Old Madam, how can you say that? Are you going to hand over the family property to your uncle and therefore disown me and the Second Young Master?"
The old lady's face turned pale instantly when her secret was exposed.
She continued, "What if you, old lady, don't recognize us? Then we have no choice but to go to the government office."
The old lady shouted, "You two are talking nonsense! Come, tie them up and bring them to the mansion so I can deal with them slowly."
Shu Yao suddenly felt uneasy. If they were kidnapped and taken to Ji's house, she and Ji Shijing would probably die quietly.
Just as she was thinking of a solution, a bell sound suddenly came from the long street, and a magnificent carriage was seen coming from a distance. The horses pulling the carriage were two black horses. The carriage was made of golden nanmu wood, with carved beams and painted rafters, which was exquisitely crafted. The hollowed-out flowers and plants were all made of gold leaves. The carriage was wrapped in expensive and exquisite silk on all sides, and layer upon layer of curtains were drawn, so the scene inside the carriage was impossible for people outside to see.
The carriage slowly drove through the long street, and the snow made a squeaking sound under the wheels.
Someone in the crowd recognized the carriage and exclaimed, "It's Young Master Shen from the Changxiang Palace."
Wherever the carriage passed, passers-by stepped back.
Shu Yao also moved away.
The carriage suddenly stopped in front of the Ji Mansion, and then a lazy voice came from inside, with a bit of nonchalantness: "It's really lively in front of the Ji Mansion today."
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