Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 88 Heads rolling in
No one paid any attention to Hong Rui. The officers and soldiers standing outside the execution ground just stood there in the biting cold wind, like sculptures, indifferently.

In their view, the execution of these officials who used to be so arrogant in front of them and never looked them in the eye was undoubtedly a very exciting thing.

The executioners were silent and just held the knife handles, at most bending their necks occasionally. Some executioners thought to themselves, "I have killed bandits and murderers in my life, but I have never killed a scholar. I don't know if the necks of these nobles are also made of gold, and whether they will break if I cut them with my knife. Otherwise, these scholars would not be so high and mighty, just like the Wenquxing in the sky."

Gu Dayong just stood on the execution platform and looked at everything in front of him indifferently. As an eunuch, he was fed up with the contempt of these upright civil servants.

Now, he could despise these people without any scruples. Yes, he now despised these upright civil servants from the bottom of his heart and in spirit: "What disciples of Confucius and Mencius, what disciples of saints, they are nothing but students of traitors!"

Hong Rui watched everything in panic. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he could only continue to shout loudly: "I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty!"

Like Hong Rui, Liu Yu also shouted that he wanted to see Zhu Houzhao.

However, Gu Dayong was in no mood to allow these upright civil servants to mess around. He glared at them sternly, and the officers and soldiers under him became even more stern, dragging Hong Rui and Liu Yu towards the center of the ten cavalrymen like dead dogs.

At the same time, other upright civil servants were also forced to kneel on the execution ground, and each of them knelt in front of each executioner. White boards were inserted into their backs and their hands were tied behind their backs.

These upright civil servants could guess what their fate would be. Some even started to cry: "Woo woo! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

Some upright civil servants also shouted: "Your Majesty, spare me! Ma Gefu, spare me! Eunuch Liu, spare me! I was really wrong! I shouldn't have pleaded for Li Dongyang, I shouldn't have!"

What’s worse, some people even start to urinate unconsciously!
Hong Rui had now been pinned to the ground by five soldiers. As it had just rained, the ground was icy, cold and wet. When Hong Rui was pinned to the ground, he suddenly felt as if thousands of arrows were piercing his back, and he couldn't help but shiver from the cold.

But Hong Rui couldn't struggle to get up as five soldiers held him down tightly.

At the same time, five iron chains were put around his limbs and neck one after another, and tied very tightly. The cold iron chains tightly bound Hong Rui.

Hong Rui could now guess what kind of punishment he was going to face. He couldn't help but cry out, "Oh my God! I am a Hanlin poet after all, and a future prime minister! Why are you treating me like this! Woohoo! How can you use such torture on me!"

The Supervisory Censor Liu Yu struggled directly, like a woman who was about to be humiliated, and cried, "No! You can't do this! I am a censor, you can't do this to me! Minister, eunuch, I was wrong! I was wrong! Your Majesty! Please forgive me!"

The entire execution ground was filled with wailing, but in fact, the officers and soldiers carrying out the execution had not done anything yet.

Gu Dayong was also speechless about this, thinking that these so-called hopes for the future of the Ming Dynasty, the so-called people with the best moral character and talents, the pillars of the empire who would either be cabinet ministers or chancellors in the future, were no better than ordinary people when facing death!
At this point, the execution had not actually begun.

And before that.

When Zhu Houzhao sentenced this group of upright civil servants to death, he also issued an edict, ordering all civil and military officials and eunuchs in Beijing to go to the execution ground at noon every day to watch the execution from that day on. They must also write down their feelings after watching the execution and submit them to the Ministry of Public Security in the form of a memorial. The cabinet will then review them and those who have deep feelings will be rewarded. Those who do not have such feelings will be dismissed or even executed on the grounds of sympathizing with the traitors!

Zhu Houzhao did this naturally to let all officials see with their own eyes the consequences of betraying and killing the king!
As noon approached, all the civil and military officials, as well as officials from both the inner and outer courts, arrived at the execution ground one after another, ready to watch the execution.

The decision to execute the ten clans of the rebel party including Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and Wang Yue was their request, so they couldn't say anything at this time.

For the muddy civil servants, it would be a good idea to dampen the spirit of the clean current, but the price would be a little higher. After all, it was their teacher who was plotting treason and killing the king.

For the military officers, the execution of this group of clean-stream civil servants would undoubtedly weaken the power of the civil service group. Most of the remaining dirty-stream civil servants got along well with the military officers. Naturally, the military officers were happy to see the clean-stream civil servants being executed. At least they would not rebel because of Zhu Houzhao's large-scale execution of these clean-stream civil servants.

For the eunuchs, they are the emperor's family servants and are natural enemies of the outer court civil servants. Naturally, they would rather see these clean civil servants executed.

At this moment, these upright civil servants realized how isolated and helpless they were.

Hong Rui, a lecturer at the Imperial Academy, was being tied up by five iron chains as thick as his arms and lying on the ground like a young literary man, feeling the cold wind. Only then did he realize that he, a clean-minded civil official, was nothing more than a vassal of the imperial power. Once abandoned by the imperial power, the so-called former prime minister, the so-called noble civil official, and the so-called Jinshi from the two lists would be worthless.

Hong Rui helplessly cried and laughed at the same time, with a very rich facial expression.

The officials who were watching the execution on the execution ground saw his expression clearly. Seeing Hong Rui in such pain, they also felt the terrible consequences of regicide. But he was just an accomplice! Not even an accomplice.

Liu Yu was still wailing, and when he saw so many officials appearing near the execution ground above his head, he shouted even louder: "Masters, save me! Save me! I don't want to die!" No official paid attention to him, because they were sent to the execution ground by these officials in order to protect themselves and to draw a clear line between themselves and the rebels.

Zhu Houzhao also appeared at the execution ground at this time, but he was in disguise and did not follow these civil officials. Instead, he hid secretly in the pavilion opposite the execution ground, observing every move of the officials who were watching the execution.

"By order of the emperor!"

At this time, Gu Dayong read out the decree to execute the upright civil servants, and Hong Rui, Liu Yu and other upright civil servants finally understood why they were executed. It turned out that they were involved in a case of regicide!

"It's unfair! I didn't commit regicide! I didn't know the cabinet ministers were regicide ministers!"

"It's unfair! My Lords, why did you force His Majesty to punish all ten clans? You are taking advantage of the situation to get rid of us!"

"Ma Wensheng, you treacherous minister, this must have been your idea!"

"Liu Jin, you eunuch, you must have instigated His Majesty to punish all ten clans, and you want us to be executed as well!"

A group of upright civil servants started cursing loudly, and their cursing was indiscriminate, but it still could not change the fact that they were about to be executed.

Everyone present was silent.

Gu Dayong looked at the sundial and ordered again: "It's noon, execute!"

Suddenly, ten cavalrymen spurred their horses and whipped their whips, with five men in a team and each team of five cavalrymen heading in five directions. They were accompanied by the sound of iron chains being dragged rapidly on the ground, and they were dragged so fast that sparks flew immediately.

Hong Rui and Liu Yu also knew that they were going to be torn into pieces by five horses, so they shouted and struggled hard: "Spare my life! I don't want to die! Spare my life!"

A sting!
In just a moment, Hong Rui and Liu Yu, who were initially intact, were quickly torn into six parts. Their heads and limbs were still being dragged by the horses, and only the abdomen was left of their bodies.

The officials who were watching the execution all looked tense and broke out in cold sweats on their backs. Some even vomited or fainted on the ground.

Those upright civil servants who were about to be beheaded were also frightened. However, while they were still stunned, a group of upright civil servants had already had their white boards pulled out.

Click!
Suddenly, the heads of twenty clean civil servants fell to the ground!
Blood splattered everywhere!

Then another group of clean civil servants were dragged over!
Click!
There were twenty people in a group, so this time, twenty heads of clean civil servants fell to the ground again!

The executioners chopped them one by one like chopping melons and vegetables.

The entire execution ground was filled with heads rolling and blood flowing!

There was even a smell of feces and urine, which became stronger and stronger. It was obvious that both those watching the execution and those being executed were terrified. Fortunately, it was raining at the time and everyone's clothes were wet, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing!

At this time, the people present, including the executioners, discovered that the bones of the Jinshi gentlemen were soft and could be chopped off.

These upright civil servants were all frightened into numbness. Some cried, some fainted, and some kowtowed for mercy, but not one of them resisted!
They were once so arrogant, but now they are lambs to be slaughtered!

At this time, the execution ground became a slaughterhouse and Asura hell!
Click!

Another group of clean civil servants have lost their heads!

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(End of this chapter)