Chapter 482 Killing the Bandits
Emperor Defeng waved his pen and gave a direct order to behead all the pirates on the spot to serve as a warning to others.
Not only will they be beheaded, but their heads will also be hung high on the dock to deter people.
After receiving the commendation and imperial decree from Emperor Defeng, Xiao Yanci immediately posted a notice, announcing that the public execution would be held three days later, and invited all the people to watch.
As soon as this notice came out, the people all ran around to tell each other.
Three days later, the execution platform was surrounded by the people.
There were ninety-three prisoners captured this time, all of whom were taken to the execution platform.
The pirates, who had been killing people without mercy, couldn't help but feel fear when they knew that their death was imminent. They were trembling with fear. Some of them had the smell of urine oozing out from under their bodies, and some of them cried loudly and begged for mercy.
However, they only received more insults and no one sympathized with them.
Xiao Yanci personally supervised the execution, his face solemn and his eyes as cold as ice.
The executioner shouted: "It's three quarters past noon—"
Xiao Yanci took out the execution certificate and threw it to the ground fiercely, "Behead!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the executioner raised his sword and chopped it down.
The heads of ninety-three pirates fell to the ground at the same time. In an instant, blood splattered on the spot, dyeing the ground of the execution ground red.
It was a bloody scene, but the people felt it was very satisfying and everyone cheered.
Good death!
Ninety-three human heads were hung on the dock. Anyone who dared to have evil thoughts would be scared out of their wits just by looking up at these heads.
The matter was temporarily resolved, and on the other side, the repair of the dam was proceeding step by step.
With the money in place and sufficient manpower, everything will naturally go smoothly.
The amount of goods seized from the island was huge, and the pirates were ruthless. Except for a very few who escaped by chance, most of the crew members lost their lives.
Xiao Yanci traced the source of the goods and found the owners of the goods. He registered them one by one and returned them in full.
The merchants whose merchant ships were hijacked had already prepared themselves to lose all their money, but they did not expect that there would be a light at the end. The merchants were even more grateful to Xiao Yanci. After all these events, he, the prince, became even more popular among the people in southern Fujian.
Little did they know that a big part of the reason why Xiao Yanci was so fair and just was that the bulk of the robbed goods belonged to Lu Zhiran - he and Xiao Baozhu also had a share.
The last time the three of them worked together, they made a lot of money. Since they were familiar with each other, the second deal was naturally arranged.
Xiao Yanci took charge of returning the goods to the robbed merchants, so Taicang Trading Company could naturally get its things back with justification. To some extent, he was abusing his power for personal gain.
After all the subsequent matters were taken care of, Xiao Yanci prepared to return to Beijing.
He has been away from the capital for quite some time, it's time to go back.
He handed over the construction of the dam to Gu Qishan to continue supervising.
Gu Qishan had requested this task himself, so he naturally had to complete it from beginning to end, and this matter could also be considered as one of his achievements.
Xiao Yanci felt relieved to leave this matter to him.
Xiao Yanci was busy with the handover arrangements before returning to Beijing, and Lu Zhiran was not idle either.
She went to see Zhang De'an.
Zhang De'an escaped death at sea this time. Lu Zhiran went to see him first, comforted him, and gave him a reward.
Zhang De'an repeatedly declined, "It's my job to do errands for the Crown Princess. This time, I almost lost so much stuff. I truly deserve death. I simply cannot accept this favor."
Lu Zhiran's attitude is unquestionable.
"Pirates are rampant, and shipping on the sea is inherently risky. This incident isn't your fault. You've risked your life for me, and even survived a near-death experience this time. If I don't show my attitude, who will be willing to risk their lives for me in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang De'an's face immediately showed gratitude and emotion.
Lu Zhiran then continued, "I have an important task for you to do, and these things can be considered as my reward in advance. I wonder if you are willing to help me with this task?"
Zhang De'an said without hesitation, "I'm at the Crown Princess's beck and call!"
Lu Zhiran then explained his plan in detail.
Zhang De'an listened carefully and nodded repeatedly.
"I will definitely get this done."
On April 20th, Xiao Yanci and Lu Zhiran boarded the boat back to Beijing. They took the inland river, and the scenery along the way was pleasant. The apricot blossoms had just faded, and the new willows were sprouting tender green.
When they came across a busy pier, they would go down together to eat and go shopping, seeming to be enjoying themselves, but they did not know that Emperor Defeng had been craning his neck waiting for them.
We have received the memorial from southern Fujian a long time ago, but no one has shown up yet. Could something unexpected have happened in the middle?
On the tenth day of May, Xiao Yanci and his party's boat finally docked.
The couple and Jiang Nansheng entered the palace together to meet Emperor Defeng.
When Emperor Defeng saw the people, his eyes first moved around them and finally landed on Xiao Yanci.
"Prince, you have done a great job on this mission!"
He changed the subject and looked serious again.
"But you were too reckless when you went out to sea this time. It's fine if you're fine now, but if something happens to you..."
When he got excited, Emperor Defeng couldn't help coughing.
Xiao Yanci immediately stepped forward and patted him on the back to calm him down, then bowed his head and admitted his mistake, "It was your son who was reckless. I know I was wrong. From now on, I will think twice before I act, and I will never dare to play with my life again."
Jiang Nansheng also stepped forward and took Emperor Defeng's pulse.
"Your Majesty has been experiencing some liver fire recently. He needs to take some heart-clearing and heat-reducing medicine, and rest more. He should not overwork himself."
Emperor Defeng's health condition was already like that. During the time she was away, his condition did not improve, but it did not deteriorate either. He was in good condition.
Although she didn't say this, Emperor Defeng knew what was going on.
Xiao Yanci looked at Emperor Defeng and felt more and more guilty.
"It is I who made Father worry."
Emperor Defeng and Xiao Yanci still had official business to discuss, so Lu Zhiran and Jiang Nansheng withdrew first.
Before leaving, Emperor Defeng also commended the two of them and gave them the rewards they deserved.
People had already been sent to wait outside Xiyan Palace. When Xiao Baozhu got the news, she immediately entered the palace and waited in Xiyan Palace. Jiang Nansheng also went with her.
A few people gathered together to chat, so they didn't mention it.
Xiao Yanci made great contributions in the Southern Fujian incident, which not only won the hearts of the people, but also made his position as crown prince more stable.
Emperor Defeng was still ill and had been increasingly weak in recent days, so he let go and handed over all matters to Xiao Yanci.
Xiao Yanci also behaved more maturely and steadily, handling every matter, big or small, properly and appropriately, without anyone being able to find any fault.
The crown prince's position was stable, and he had countless people trying to curry favor with him. Someone brought up the issue of taking a concubine again, but Emperor Defeng and Xiao Yanci did not express their views, leaving the ministers confused for a moment.
Since open tactics didn't work, some people started using covert tactics.
From time to time, Xiao Yanci would meet women who sold themselves to bury their fathers, or women who were bullied by bullies and had nowhere else to turn, and they would ask him for justice.
Xiao Yanci immediately sent those women to Jinxiufang. Since they had nowhere else to go, he would show them a way out.
Once you arrive at Jinxiufang, as long as you are willing to endure hardships and rely on your own hands, you will always be able to make a living.
Everyone: ...
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