Chapter 992
Execute?
Seeing Imperial Concubine Li personally go to her wardrobe and pull out a white cloth. She also pulled out a number of needles before ducking into the inner hall and began doing what she was best at, stabbing voodoo dolls. Though Zuo’er was utterly helpless, she still let out a sigh of relief.
Although it was taboo for Imperial Concubine Li to stab voodoo dolls, it was better than doing something else to oppose the ninth prince. As long as the servants of Zhang Ning Palace did not speak about it, news of this would not spread. Right now, she would rather have Imperial Concubine Li focus her efforts on stabbing a doll and stay put in Zhang Ning Palace. She must not interact any further with Talented Lady Liu.
Zuo’er glanced at Imperial Concubine Li and made a decision. Leaving the hall on her own, she informed the other servants in the yard: “In the future, when Talented Lady Liu comes again, just hold her outside. Regardless of what excuse you use, even if you need to just forcefully chase her out, you must not let her in. Do you understand?”
The servants did not know why there was such an order, but after thinking a bit, she was just a talented lady. So what if she was her sister? Either way, they were never close in the past. Thinking about it, it had to be that Her Highness Imperial Concubine Li did not want to see her! Thus they nodded and complied, expressing that they would no longer let Talented Lady Liu or anyone related to Jing Si Palace into Zhang Ning Palace.
It was impossible for the people outside the palace to know about what had just happened inside the palace. Recently, the Board of Punishments had been arranging for Xuan Tianmo’s execution. Xuan Tianming was busy with raiding the Sheng Palace and personally led a group in registering the things that had been seized. They were preparing to have it all added to the national treasury three days later.
When he saw old eighth’s foundation, he could not help but sigh and think that his wife’s previous raid was not fierce enough! Old eighth really had many hiding places for his things. The residence had another hidden passage and underground vaults. They all contained many treasures. Seeing the things carried out one chest at a time, he felt quite distressed. If all of these things had been placed in Feng Yuheng’s space, how great would that have been!
Of course, he did not dare tell Feng Yuheng about these things after returning home. He even told her: “You really cleaned out the Sheng Palace the previous time. The court is unable to find a single nice thing.” One might as why this was done? What a joke, based on his kleptomaniac of a wife, if she found out that old eighth still had so many nice things, would she not go and steal it all overnight! However, those things had already been registered and would be added to the national treasury. He could not allow them to disappear from under his nose.
However, Feng Yuheng was not very interested in the things he said. She was only concerned with whether or not old eighth would really be executed in three days’ time. In regards to this, Xuan Tianming said: “The imperial decree has already been handed down. Three days later, at half past noon, the Board of Punishments will carry out the execution. If there is any change to this, as I see it, that old man might as well stop being emperor.”
Three days later, Xuan Tianming personally fetched the eighth prince from the condemned cell. Having spent three days in the freezer-like condemned cell, one would be reduced to quite a sorry state. Xuan Tianmo’s legs were completely stiff from constantly sitting on ice. Unable to walk, he could only be carried out by some strong eunuchs.
While he could not move his legs, he was quite alert. When he saw Xuan Tianming, he even chirped with some vigor: “I have lost, but you might not win either.”
How could Xuan Tianming have any desire to argue with him. This person was about to die. Saying anything would be a waste of time.
He personally brought him out of the palace and escorted him to the transportation cell for the condemned before handing him off to Xu Jingyuan. He, however, did not follow them to the execution site. In the end, they were still brothers. Even if there had been enmity in the past, he did not wish to personally witness his head being cut off. Thus he waved his hand and climbed into the imperial carriage with Bai Ze and returned to the Yu Palace.
Xuan Tianming did not want to watch old eighth have his head chopped off, but Feng Yuheng did not have that brotherly connection! After he returned to the palace, he heard Lady Zhou say: “The princess went to the execution with Palace Princess Wu Yang and the young misses from the Fung family and the Ren family. They said that they were going to watch the execution.”
Across from the execution site, there was a two-story tea house. There was a private room with a window that happened to be facing the execution site. Sitting at the window, one could clearly see the situation outside. At this time, Feng Yuheng, Xuan Tiange, Ren Xifeng and Fung Tianyu were seated at the table. While sipping tea, they waited for the time of the execution.
The waiter that came to provide them with tea said: “This private room has been jokingly called the execution observation room by the people. Not to hide anything from you, but ever since the imperial decree was announced, this private room has been quite requested!” The waiter spoke with a look of joy on his face. It was as though he was speaking about something very joyous, and this private room would be hosting a wedding. In truth, it was a room to watch people get executed. It was specifically for watching people get killed.
When the waiter left, Feng Yuheng said: “Say, do you think the waiter is happy because this private room has been heavily requested? Or do you think that the person being executed is too disliked?”
Xuan Tiange shrugged: “It’s most likely both. Based on old eighth’s popularity, at least half of the people in the capital hate that they aren’t able to strangle him to death!”
Fung Tianyu asked her: “Speaking of, that’s your cousin. Now, he’s going to be executed. Are you not uncomfortable in the slightest?”
Xuan Tiange thought for a bit then said: “To speak of discomfort, there is a bit. After all, he is my cousin. But what of it? Who told us to be born into the imperial family, and who told him to have such wicked ideas. This is just how the imperial family is. However big of a benefit it provides is how great of a crime it can commit. He caused the deaths of so many people, and there’s also that battle situation in the South. Just based on those two alone, he must repay with his life for those dead people.”
“That’s right!” Ren Xifeng sighed: “During the situation in the South, my father was not able to sleep well for a single night. I once saw him training in his courtyard, and he spent the entire night training. Later on, when I asked him why, he said that he had a deep connection with the battlefield in the South. He had left behind quite a few subordinates in the South, but all of his subordinates that had been left there had fallen into the eighth prince’s hands. To a soldier, dying on the battlefield is a worthy death, but to die in a battle for power, it is the greatest humiliation. He had no place to vent for those departed and just hoped that the South could be safely calmed down to allow the deceased to see a peaceful Gu Shu.” Ren Xifeng spoke very emotionally. After she finished speaking, she looked at Feng Yuheng and said very earnestly to her: “My father always wanted to personally thank you. It’s not just His Highness the ninth prince. It’s also to you. But he is unable to bring himself to do it. Today, I will say it for him! A-Heng, thank you for helping bring peace to the South and letting the people in the South live good lives. Our General Ping Nan’s manor is thankful for you and His Highness the ninth prince. With the eighth prince’s matter concluded, my father is rejoicing quite a great deal. We can also let out a sigh of relief.”
“That’s right! We can all let out a sigh of relief.” Fung Tianyu said, “Though my father is a government official, the situation in court has been muddled by the eighth prince quite badly. He receives more than ten reports each day from members of the eighth prince’s faction with all kinds of small matters. I don’t understand those official matters, but I just know that my father and the left prime minister spend their entire days dealing with the eighth prince’s faction looking for problems. Their days really have been quite unfortunate.”
“Can we really let out a sigh of relief?” Feng Yuheng furrowed her brow and asked. At the same time, she also said: “Why is it that my eyelid keeps twitching. I keep feeling as though something bad is about to happen?”
Xuan Tiange consoled her: “You’re just being too nervous!” As she said this, she pointed down at the execution stage.
At this time, the executioner had already taken his place in the middle of the stage, and Xuan Tianmo had already been brought to the site by the criminal transportation. It was already impossible for Xuan Tianmo to bend his legs, and his entire body was horizontal, but the execution could not be carried out like this, thus Xu Jingyuan arranged for two guards to step forward and prop him up from the side to keep him in a partially-kneeling position. This would make things easier for the executioner.
Xuan Tiange said: “He’s already like this, and the blade is already on his neck. A-Heng, what are you still worried about?”
Feng Yuheng could not say for certain what she was worried about. Either way, ever since she woke up this morning, her left eyelid had been twitching. Was it not said that disaster would come when the left eyelid twitched, thus she had been a little worried this entire morning. She kept feeling as though something was going to happen. But just like Xuan Tiange said, the blade was already on his neck. There was only half an hour remaining until it was time. What else could possibly happen? It had to be that she was being overly sensitive.
She shook her head and expressed that she would be adjusting her mood a bit. Ren Xifeng saw that her condition was not great and went to provide her with some more tea. After doing this, she changed the topic to try and help shift Feng Yuheng’s focus to something else, saying: “Let me tell you guys about some family matters! My older brother, Ren Xitao, you all know him, right? Really, whenever I bring up this matter, I start feeling annoyed. A while back, my older brother happened to save Prime Minister Lu. A-Heng, you still remember that, right! At that time, my brother brought that left prime minister to Hundred Herb Hall. It was the time he coughed up blood.”
Feng Yuheng nodded: “I remember. The left prime minister had a polyp in his stomach. I used a gastroscope to verify it. It was not malignant, so he could be considered fortunate.”
“What you said is too professional, and I can’t understand. What I was talking about is after coming out of Hundred Herb Hall, my brother was being kind and sent Lu Song back to the left prime minister’s manor. As a result, he saw the Lu family’s eldest daughter, Lu Ping. From that moment forward, he has never forgotten Lu Ping and would bring her up from time to time and would inquire about her with me. This made me so mad that I don’t know what to do. Say, based on that Lu family, how can I let my older brother marry their daughter!”
Upon hearing this, Xuan Tiange became furious and slammed the table, saying: “Of course, he can’t marry her! COuld it be that he’s forgotten about what happened with the Yao family? The Lu family’s daughter married into the Yao family and lost so much face for the Yao family! A-Heng, your eldest cousin is such a good person, but he was ruined by Lu Yao. Huh?” She suddenly recalled something, “That can’t be right! That Lu Ping jumped into the water to save the Yao family’s eldest madam. Didn’t she have her face ruined? We all saw it! It was already injured to that degree, yet she still attracted that much attention from your brother?”
“I’m also confused about it!” Ren Xifeng was completely unable to understand this situation, as she told the group: “I asked my brother, but he said that Lu Ping’s face was not injured. It was fine and unharmed. Don’t you think that this is strange?”
It was indeed strange. Lu Ping’s face had been repaired. This was something that Feng Yuheng did not know about. When she went to treat Lu Ping after the new year, she found that Lu Ping’s face had recovered a bit. But to say that it had completely recovered, that was completely impossible. Could it be that this world really had some way of removing scars?
While this group was talking about the Lu family’s matters, they heard the beating of drums come from below. The time had come!
Xu Jingyuan sat in as the observing official and sat at the top. He was already holding the order for the execution in his hand. He was just about to throw it, with the word “execute” on the tip of his tongue.
Yet it was at this exact moment that Feng Yuheng heard a very familiar voice come from the distance, loudly shouting: “Hold your blade! Hold your blade!”