Chapter 437 Public Execution, Crazy Concubine
Chapter 437 Public Execution, Crazy Concubine (5k)
Zhao Duan is still alive!
And captured the rebel leader Zhuang Xiaocheng alive! The empress ordered him to be beheaded soon!
On that day, this explosive news, along with the last cold wave of early spring, swept through the streets and alleys of the capital with a devastating force, becoming the first major case of the new year.
For a moment, countless people were stunned, shocked by the strangeness of the incident and feeling extremely disappointed.
Especially those scholars who had been rushing to write poems to mourn in recent days in an attempt 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 Li Yanfu left the court, he immediately convened a meeting within the Li Party to comfort the injured officials. It was unknown how many benefits he promised and how much effort he spent before he suppressed the internal dissatisfaction.
Immediately afterwards, the conviction of Zhuang Xiaocheng was rapidly advanced amid the roar of the court's "machine".
The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate held a joint trial and completed the process at a terrifying speed, with the Baima Prison in charge of creating momentum.
A few days later.
Zhuang Xiaocheng and a group of rebels were beheaded in Caishikou.
……
Imprisonment.
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 in the entire dungeon.
He was wearing prison clothes, with disheveled gray hair, and was staring at a beam of light coming in through the vent in a trance.
Inside the prison, there were three royal servants dressed as eunuchs. They were "bodyguards" arranged to prevent any accidents from happening to the prisoners.
"Master, look what I 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 next to him was opening the cell door, he said:
"Given the hatred between you and me, I don't want to give you this last meal, but I heard that you have been on a hunger strike these days. In order to avoid you dying of hunger before being beheaded, I will 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 ups and downs in his life was unexpectedly in good spirits.
"These past few days, I have 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 policy might not have been implemented as it is today, and I wouldn't have to take the risk and sacrifice myself to fight you..."
He talked on and on, and Zhao Duan stood in front of him without interrupting.
Witness the old man's final words.
"...But there is no if. I am even thinking, the appearance of someone like you, could it be that His Highness the Third Prince has been chosen by fate?"
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 seemed to sparkle in a beam of sunlight:
"Repent? No, you can kill me, but my sacrifice will only serve as another proof of 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 with 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 his mouth.
Zhao Duan turned around and walked out of the cell. After waiting for a while, the jailer came out with bowls 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 mixed with a special 'mute drug' to ensure that you can't speak at the execution ground. Do you want to make an impassioned speech in public before you die? To gain fame? You must have watched too many TV dramas."
After saying this, he walked away in the angry gaze of Zhuang Xiaocheng.
At the end of the corridor, Eunuch Hai, wearing a bright red dragon robe, waited quietly and smiled:
"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 the past six hundred years.
Today, the area near 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 Baima Prison.
Today, he is not any other person but the messenger of the White Horse Prison.
"Crench."
"Crench."
Zhao Duan walked up the stairs alone to the pavilion on 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 whispers of the people, hundreds of prisoners were taken to the execution ground.
On the execution stand were the three chief officials, headed by the Minister of Justice.
The sun is high.
Cloudless.
Suddenly, another team appeared.
It was a group of people headed by Yunxi, mainly young men and women, including Qingniao and Lin Yuebai and his sister who surrendered later.
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 into the distance calmly.
It's like watching a stage play.
All sounds and images are kept at 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 made up by Zhao Duan.
The onlookers were in an uproar and were asked by the imperial guards to keep quiet.
Zhuang Xiaocheng opened his mouth and tried to refute with a whimper, but he could not utter a single syllable. Even the struggle was not obvious because of the cartilage powder mixed in the food.
After Yunxi, it is Bluebird.
After the Blue Bird, it was Lin Yuebai and his sister...
A group of carefully selected people began to take turns to expose Zhuang Xiaocheng's lies in public and spread rumors to discredit the top leaders of the Kuangfu Society headed by Zhuang Xiaocheng.
The revelations are more explosive than the last, revealing the twisted and dirty private lives of the big shots.
The other members on the execution platform were stunned and looked at the tutor in disbelief. They had also been deceived and thought it was true.
Zhuang Xiaocheng felt dizzy as he felt the malicious and disgusted gazes coming from all directions.
He looked up and saw only the dazzling sun. The world was spinning 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 knife behind him. In the last scene before his death, he raised his head as high as he could, squinting his eyes, looking at a lonely watchtower in the distance under the azure 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 accident, right?"
"Everything went smoothly. Zhuang Xiaocheng and other rebels are dead, and the accusations arranged before their death were also very effective. As expected, the dirty secrets about the top leaders of the Kuangfu Society will spread throughout the city today.
Then, as long as the shadow guards in various places push it a little, it can spread to the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures, and completely destroy the reputation of the Kuangfu Society. "When Zhao Duan said this, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu of the villain.
Xu Zhenguan also felt uncomfortable listening to the report. She glanced at the little imperial guard helplessly:
"Your words make me seem like a truly 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 may fool the people for a while with their slanderous words, but they cannot fool them forever. This time, beheading Zhuang Xiaocheng will surely cause great damage to the vitality of the Kuangfu Society, and it will no longer be a threat."
Xu Zhenguan shook his head slightly and said:
"Didn't you suspect that Jian Wen was still alive? During this period, I sent people to carefully review the files and materials from that year, and indeed found some clues."
"Huh?" Zhao Duan was stunned and looked at her in surprise: "What clues?"
Xu Zhenguan said:
"Jian Wen went out once before the coup, and through subsequent investigations, it was very likely that he carried 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 was 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 could at least leave an heir. But now I think the way out he prepared is too abundant. "
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said:
"Your Majesty, what you mean is that Jianwen prepared a way out not for his wife and children, but for himself?
But when the coup d'état took place that day, he broke into the palace and there was no way he could escape after being defeated, unless he split himself in two like the Bewitched Immortal..."
Xu Zhen nodded and said solemnly:
“This can also explain why, if he were alive, he would not stand up and openly confront me, because his spirit is far inferior to that of Guhuo Zhenren, who had to hide for three years before fully recovering.
He will only get worse, and he may have only come back to life in the last few months. I even suspect that he may have borrowed the power of the Dark Cult Warlock..."
Zhao Duan frowned and said:
"This is not enough to confirm the truth. Your Majesty, have you found any other clues to support the truth?"
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?"
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 be kept. In the past, a group of concubines would stage all kinds of "palace fights" to win favor, but now they have completely given up on this and the harem is extremely harmonious.
Mochou, one of the "Six Shang" female officials, 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 the empress's 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 the equivalent of Tang Monk entering the Kingdom of Women? Everyone wants to take a bite 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 were pale in comparison... Xu Zhenguan looked at him in surprise:
"Is this your new poem? There should be another line at the beginning, right? Can you tell me about it?"
Zhao Duan glanced at her cautiously and asked tentatively, "You look back and smile, and you are so charming?"
Looking back and smiling, she is full of charm, and all the beauties in the harem pale in comparison... Xu Zhenguan chewed on this poem and found it vivid and vivid. While marveling at the poetic talent of this young imperial guard, he smiled, as if smiling but not smiling:
"Do you think I am more beautiful, or which woman in the palace is more beautiful? Speaking of which, you have made great contributions in arresting Zhuang Xiaocheng, but I have not rewarded you yet. Otherwise, how about you pick 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 death? ... Zhao Duan clearly drew a line:
"Your Majesty's every frown and smile is more beautiful than red flowers 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 talking about the cold palace. As far as I know... in recent years, the only person who has been 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 in this area.
The old emperor who passed away had a queen in his early years, who was the prince's biological mother. After he recovered from his illness, the old emperor did not appoint another queen for some unknown reason.
To some extent, it was also a factor that led to 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.
"The family of Concubine Xiao was once a powerful foreign relative in the capital, and was one of the forces that helped Jian Wen seize power during the Xuanmen coup... Later, when the coup failed, Concubine Xiao's family was executed for treason... Concubine Xiao was also banished to the cold palace..."
Zhao Duan observed Zhenbao's expression and spoke tentatively.
Because the purge of the Xiao family was organized by Xu Zhenguan, who had just ascended the throne.
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and said:
"Yes, it'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 Jian Wen hides it, his mother knows him best. Even if he doesn't reveal any secrets, Concubine Xiao is very observant. She will definitely notice any changes in Jian Wen. Your Majesty is thinking of interrogating her?"
Xu Zhenguan shook his head silently and said:
"Interrogation...if we can find out the answer, that will be good."
What do you mean?
Zhao Duan could not hide his doubts. At this time, the group had already arrived at a corner of the palace, outside a particularly remote courtyard.
It is early spring and the chill has not yet dissipated. Looking from outside, you can see bare branches sticking out from the courtyard wall.
Compared to the courtyards of other concubines, this courtyard was particularly dilapidated, and the door was narrow and worn out. It was locked with a big padlock.
There is a hole dug in the door so 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 trotted up from behind, 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, the cold palace would even lock people in their rooms and not allow them 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. 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 soon, he realized that he had guessed wrong.
There was another reason for the deliberately concealed sympathy in Zhenbao's words.
"Food...food is here..."
The two of them had not walked a few steps into the cold palace when they saw the door of a dilapidated house in front of them open. A dishevelled, 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 not young at all. However, through her face that has 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 ruined the temperament that was 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...didn't come..."
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 few chapters slow down the pace, the plot is a bit bland, and they pave the way for the rest of the story.
(End of this chapter)