Chapter 49 : The Adulterer

The streets of the Imperial Capital were as usual, the pedestrians were bustling with activity and could almost cover the sky with a raised hand. It was just that the atmosphere was much different from the past days, the people stood crowded on both sides of the wide street, the Imperial Capital Prefect and Tantai Zhan, who had taken over General Chen's management of the Imperial Capital's public security guards, led the soldiers and horses in a difficult effort to maintain order, not letting a single person take a step out of the range.

The majority of the people were very agitated, from time to time pressing other people's shoulders and jumping up to take a look at the front, or shouting unanimous slogans, pushing and shoving to try and break away from the control of the officials and soldiers and rush to the centre of the street.

Today, was the day of Feng Taishi's execution.

Although notices had been posted everywhere in the imperial capital announcing the countless crimes committed by Imperial Master Feng and his clique, there were still many people who were unwilling to believe that this was the truth, firmly believing that Imperial Master Feng must have been framed by a coalition of people.

Feng Taishi had been an official for fifty years, and his dedication to the country and the people was obvious to all. Those who are old enough still remember the time when Feng Yuanding, who won the Scholarship at the age of seventeen, rode through the market on his high horse, and everyone praised the Feng family for having a rising star with outstanding talent.

Feng Yuanding was initially appointed by the late emperor to serve in one of the border counties. Feng Yuanding lived up to everyone's expectations, and in just over a year's time, he turned the barren and backward county into the most prosperous place on the border, and his reputation was instantly boosted.

The late emperor praised him and transferred him back to the imperial capital to re-commission him, and at the age of nineteen, Feng Yuanding became the youngest of the officials who stood above the great hall and talked about affairs of state at that time.

People said that Lord Feng would be able to assist the Emperor in making the Blue Country the most powerful country in the Spirit Abyss Continent.

Since then, Feng Dingyuan did his best to live up to the expectations of the people - impeaching corrupt officials, reforming the tax system, reorganising the army, and selecting talented officials.

On his deathbed, the late emperor appointed Feng Dingyuan as a tutor to assist the next king, which showed that the late emperor appreciated him in no ordinary way.

The people still remembered the atrocities committed by the cruel and stupid emperor in the years after his accession to the throne. At that time, the people of Lan Guo were in dire straits and there were so many grievances that Feng Taishi risked his life to give advice, and he was almost dragged out of the palace gate and beaten to death with a stick.

Feng Taishi lamented that he was "unable to save the people from the fire" and resigned from his post to return to his hometown.

Just when the people were disappointed that no official could stand up for the people anymore, Master Feng followed His Highness King Cheng, the current Emperor, back to the imperial capital to overthrow the tyranny of the abrogated Emperor. It turned out that Master Feng had been secretly assisting His Highness King Cheng in recruiting and advising, and had made great achievements in supporting the new emperor.

After the new emperor assumed the throne, although he was getting older, Taishi Feng continued to fight and strive for the strength of the Blue Nation just like before.

Nowadays, who could have imagined that such a virtuous official would be a traitor who "murdered many important court officials, accepted bribes, embezzled the state treasury, formed a gang, made dragon robes, and intended to change the dynasty"?

The people organised themselves and flocked to the Da Lisi and Wufeng House to protest, expecting to clear Master Feng's name.

However, no matter how hard they tried and how they tried to redress their grievances, at the end of the day, the Emperor's decree made them feel despair, and they even felt that the Emperor was "tearing down the bridge after the river" - if not for the assistance of the Feng Taishi in the first place, what are the chances of overthrowing the abrogated Emperor? Now, the emperor thinks that the master Feng Taishi has overshadowed the master, coupled with the rumours of all the ministers, so he has killed.

The people only dare to discuss this in private - the court is dark, treacherous and sycophantic, so it is possible that the walls have ears and be heard by someone to denounce, they will also be followed by the wrongful death. At most, there were bold people who shouted a few words like "Returning Lord Feng's innocence".

"The procession is coming!" Someone shouted, immediately the whole street ** up, the people pushed each other to try to break through the soldiers surrounded, a time noisy and chaotic.

Not long after, the execution procession appeared in people's line of sight, the one in charge of supervising the execution was Wu Li, he rode his steed and walked before the procession, no expression could be seen on his face, and he led the procession towards the execution ground in a wooden manner. Then there is a group of guards escorted by a prison car, the expression of the stagnant expression of the old eunuchs wearing clean grey prison clothes standing in the cage, neat clothes cleverly cover the body's tired wounds. Dozens of people up and down the Feng family were chained by their hands and feet, and were driven by the guards to follow behind the prison car. At the end of the procession were seven or eight large men wearing black robes and shouldering large swords, all of them with tiger backs and scary eyes.

As soon as they saw Taishi Feng, many of the people knelt down and kowtowed to him repeatedly, crying loudly.

"Taishi Feng, Taishi Feng is a good official who does justice for the people!"

"Lord Feng is innocent!"

...

Taishi Feng did not bother to look at the people on the street, his gaze was straight towards the execution ground at the other end of the street, and he did not say a word.

Feng's family heard the people's cries, one by one cried even more, it is the family's most prosperous time, who would have thought that overnight they all become prisoners, and now even more life to the Yellow Springs?

At this time, Pei Si Yan is sitting on the side of the execution ground in a makeshift shed to drink tea, witch Luo and witch against the two adults in the opposite shed, although they are not supervising the execution of the officer, but the emperor licensed them to come to watch the execution.

Having only seen splattered blood staining the camera in TV dramas and never seen a real beheading, Pei Siyan wanted to vomit at the thought of a blood-soaked scene.

She came early in the morning and placed her parents' spirit table on the offering table, she wanted to let the two old men see the head of the person who killed them, then hid in the corner of the shed and kept drinking tea to ease her nervousness.

Li Qingyan stood silently by her side, not saying a word, his expression so indifferent that people almost forgot his existence.

Originally Mo Xuan was going to come, Pei Si Yan wanted to be accompanied by Mo Xuan maybe it would be better, but unfortunately he suddenly had more important things to do today.

A growing clamour resounded outside the shed, indicating that the procession was almost here.

Pei Si Yan unnaturally twisted her shoulders a few times and stood up, "There's still some work to do before noon, I'll go ... to get some air first." And having drunk too much tea, she wanted to go to the washroom.

She looked at the execution ground which was full of onlookers, and picked up the bucket hat she specially brought today and hid it behind her, and then avoided people's line of sight, and put the bucket hat on before she looked for a less crowded place to squeeze out of the crowd, with Li Qingdian following closely behind.

Out of the depressing penal colony, Pei Si Yan took a long breath of relief, although today is the day of revenge, but the bloody scene still makes her mind uneasy.

Mo Xuan said some comforting words yesterday, but unfortunately they were useless.

Pei Si Yan lowered the brim of her hat and walked towards the nearest restaurant, her footsteps deliberately dragged very slowly, so the people's comments she heard quite clearly.

"Look, that man with a shorter beard and a bit fatter is Wushui."

"Looking like a corrupt official indeed, so hateful!"

Pei Si Yan spat out her tongue, Wu Deng was indeed a bit greedy, but it was just some small favours and benefits, not to the point where one would feel shameful and hateful.

"So, next to that is Lord Wuluo? The three of them, Wu Dai, Wu Luo and Wu Pan, have joined together to frame Lord Feng?"

"Yes, it's the three of them who are working in tandem, I think they're trying to plague the dynasty!"

You're the one who's working in collusion, your entire family is working in collusion! Pei Si Yan couldn't help but curse in her heart, these days when she went out, she could hear the people who "believed in the innocence of the Feng Taishi" talking, all of them pointing at her and Wuluo, Wuban, and among them the one who was being cursed the most was her because she was the first one to come forward to impeach the Feng Taishi.

"Why didn't I see that traitor Wu Pan? Is it not here yet? I heard it's a twenty year old girl, but how is this heart so vicious and insidious?"

"Hey, what can't one do for one's own benefit?"

"These treacherous ministers who are raccoons of one hill, Imperial Master Feng is really too wronged!"

Pei Si Yan sighed, quickening her pace to a place where there were no bystanders to stop, she turned back to glare at the few people who had just been talking, indignantly saying, "It seems to have been right by Imperial Master Feng, he is also too good at enlisting people's hearts, look at what everyone has tricked him into! What for the country for the people, what bowing and scraping until death, all are fooling people's situation, what has been done in the dark will not be ordinary can see clearly? When the so-called indignant resignation to return home is just to save his life! Also, the emperor is relying on countless people's dedication and sacrifice to ascend the throne as the emperor, now said as if all is surnamed Feng's one person's credit, ridiculous!"

"Miss please calm down." Li Qingyan said faintly.

Pei Si Yan reluctantly smiled and asked Li Qing Dye: "You say, when His Highness King Hui ascends to the throne, can he clear the name of the traitor for us?"

"Inevitably, it will be possible, the truth will always come out."

"Unfortunately," Pei Si Yan shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Things are unpredictable. Forget it, what's the use of dwelling on this now? Even if I talk my head off, those people who trust Feng Yuanding may not believe me. Fortunately, I have avenged my parents. You wait here for a moment, I'll be back in a while."

When Pei Si Yan and Li Qing Dye quietly returned to the execution ground, the Feng family members had already been brought to the execution ground importantly, kneeling neatly.

Wu Li was sitting at the position of the executioner, looking up at the sun that was rising a little bit.

All the people around the execution ground were black, and their eyes were all focused on the prisoners who were about to die in the afterlife.

"My lord, noon is approaching." Eunuch Qian whispered to Wu Li.

Wu Li commanded, "Beat the drum."

"Yes!"

The execution ground resounded with the earth-shattering drums, and the executioners sprayed wine towards the brightly shining large knives before raising the knives with both hands in a wacky dance around the prisoners.

Pei Siyan held her breath, her mind was blank, her eyes drifted between the execution ground and her own toes, she wanted to watch the heads of her enemies fall to the ground but was also afraid that the bloody scene would make her unable to sleep peacefully at night, conflicted as to what to do.

"Noon is here, my lord." Eunuch Qian reminded again.

Wuli quietly took a deep breath, picked up a token, looked at it, thinking that once the Feng Taishi died, no one would pursue the tragic deaths of the five officials from now on, and he could finally rest on his laurels, the corners of his mouth slightly hooked, then decisively threw the token onto the sand in front of the case.

"Execution!"

"Elder Master Feng-" heartbreaking cries erupted from the crowd.

The executioners stopped dancing and raised their large swords towards the prisoner's, the sunlight refracting a harsh and cold light on the swords.

Imperial Master Feng swept a glance at the four major auxiliary ministers present and smiled coldly. He had finally lost, the emperor could not forgive any minister with a rebellious heart, so he would never be able to turn back.

The executioner bellowed, while the large knife fell violently-

Pei Si Yan let out a low cry as the knife fell

down at the same time instinctively closed her eyes and hugged the person beside her.

The sound of the neck being cut off and the head rolling to the ground came clearly, Pei Si Yan's body shuddered violently, grabbing tightly onto Li Qing Dye's clothes, never daring to take a look at the blood splattered execution ground.

Li Qingye silently looked at the woman in his arms, raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally landed on her back, as if coaxing an infant to gently pat.