Jinting Han people

The next morning, it was bright and windless. Under the azure sky, the sun shone brightly and golden, illuminating the earth. It was a typical summer scene, with even the shaded areas brightly lit.

Around noon, an oxcart carried Sun Xiu to Xuanyang Gate. A clearing had been cleared in front of the gate, with a high platform erected on the north side. On the platform sat Sima Ying, Sima Yi, Lu Zhi, Liu Xian, and other supervising officials. Five wooden stakes were driven into the ground on the south side, forming a circle.

The court officials untied Sun Xiu from the carriage and brought him to the wooden stakes. They removed his cangue, made him lie down, first fixing his head to the north stake, then binding his left and right hands to the base of the east and west stakes respectively, and then separating his leg chains and handcuffing them to the stakes at both ends, forming the character "大" (big).

Before him, about ten people were being escorted. Beside him were his two sons, Sun Xuan and Sun Hui, while further away were Sun Qi and his son, among others. They originally had no relation to Sun Xiu, but had openly formed clan alliances in Luoyang to curry favor with him, claiming kinship with each other. Now that Sun Xiu had fallen from grace, they couldn't escape responsibility. Except for Sun Mao, who had persuaded Sun Xiu to surrender during the Battle of Yanshi, the rest were all to be tortured.

At this moment, tens of thousands of people had gathered in front of the open space, pointing and watching the execution ground. Although Lu Zhi had anticipated this situation and deliberately made the execution ground larger, the surrounding area was still packed with people, densely packed like autumn leaves, filling the open space in front of the execution ground. This forced the soldiers to carefully maintain order, loudly reprimanding those still crowding, telling them not to stand too close to avoid any stampede.

When they saw Sun Xiu bound to the wooden stake, they couldn't help but curse and shout, their cries even waking Sima Ying on the platform. As the leader of the Hebei rebels, he had been busy receiving high-ranking officials in the capital these days, getting only two or three hours of rest a day. He was feeling drowsy, but the barrage of curses startled him awake. He said to Lu Zhi:

"I didn't know until I saw it that Sun Xiu was so unpopular and had incurred the wrath of both heaven and man!"

Lu Zhi saw things very clearly. He advised, "Your Highness, Sun Xiu's evil is not in the capital region, but in Guanzhong. He has only been in power for a little over a year, and all he has been busy with is seizing the throne and usurping power. How many evil deeds could he possibly have done to harm the people?"

"Therefore, the people who come here to vent their grievances are probably only of two types: those who have received favors from His Highness the Prince of Huainan, and those who take the opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction with the court."

He pointed to the bustling crowd in the distance and solemnly said, “Your Highness, the court has done too many immoral things over the years, and too many people hold a grudge. Even if we have a good reputation for serving the emperor, if we cannot change the status quo and satisfy the people, these onlookers will still be furious and celebrate our punishment.”

After he finished speaking, everyone on the stage became solemn. Looking at the crowd around them who seemed to be supporting them, they felt a chill run down their spines.

At that moment, a drumbeat sounded, and hundreds of armored soldiers, armed with blades, surged into the arena, forming a circle around the wooden stake. The chief executioner, Zhao Xiang, entered on horseback with his entourage, dismounted, and stood facing north. Liu Xian addressed the two princes on the platform: "Your Highnesses, the time has come; the execution may proceed."

Sima Ying glanced at Lu Zhi, and seeing him nod slightly, said, "Alright, let's begin."

Thus the executions officially began. As planned, Sun Xiu's execution was to be left until last, with Sun Qi and his son being executed first.

Before meeting Sun Xiu, Sun Qi was a virtuous and capable official, on par with the Xie brothers, Xie Xi and Xie Jie, and enjoyed a good reputation in the local area. Everyone believed that given time, he would surely rise to the position of prime minister or one of the Three Dukes. Unexpectedly, he shamelessly colluded with Sun Xiu, ruining his entire official reputation in exchange for a meteoric rise in just two short years.

As the person involved, Sun Qi's expression was very calm. He said to his four sons, who looked terrified, "That's how politics is. You have to accept the consequences of your gamble. I overestimated myself and thought I could turn the tide and achieve great things. But I had already thought about what would happen if I failed. It would just mean being beheaded. In the end, I was able to save one of my sons. Heaven has been kind to me."

Having said that, he bowed to the ground. The executioner's blade swung down, and blood spurted everywhere. Seeing the head roll to the ground, the crowd clapped and cheered, though most of them didn't recognize Sun Qi; they probably just thought the executioner's swing was swift and clean, and that it was a beautiful cut.

Then Zhao Xiang executed Sun Qi's four sons. They were all adults, and seeing their father die before them, they all turned pale. But remembering their father's advice, they gritted their teeth and encouraged each other, saying, "Don't disgrace your father!" They lowered their heads, closed their eyes, and waited for the executioner to kill them. Soon, Zhao Xiang had his men cut them all down, one by one.

Next to be executed were Sun Qi's grandchildren. There were about ten of them, men and women, all young children, standing there bewildered, terrified by the bloody scene. The executioners, however, were used to it; they had already dealt with the rebels last year, and this time they were even more skilled. They simply blindfolded the children with black cloth, grabbed them by the hair, and swiftly severed their heads with a knife, throwing them into a bamboo basket nearby.

A scream of agony rang out, and Liu Xian, standing on the platform, felt a pang of anxiety. Even though he had killed many people, he found this scene hard to accept and turned away, unable to bear watching any longer. In fact, the previously noisy crowd of onlookers had also become somewhat quiet at this moment.

But Zhao Xiang, who was overseeing the execution, couldn't contain his joy. He collected all the heads, then stepped on Sun Xiu's face and rubbed it twice before shouting, "You scoundrel Sun, it's almost your son's turn. Are you happy?"

Zhao Xiang's father, Zhao Jun, was killed by Sun Xiu. It was because he wanted to avenge his father's death that he insisted on becoming an executioner.

He loosened his grip, and Sun Xiu coughed twice, spitting out the dirt in his mouth. He laughed and scolded, "Haha, father and son are reunited, what's there to be unhappy about? Unlike you, you pig herder, separated from your master by death, who knows when you'll see him again!"

Zhao Xiang flew into a rage. He kicked Sun Xiu several more times, then sneered, "Fine, just wait and see how I send your whole family down there."

Having said that, he drew his sword, picked up a stone from the ground, and rubbed it hard against the blade. A spark flashed, and the blade was, of course, ruined. Zhao Xiang tossed the sword to the executioner, saying, "Use this sword to send these two bastards on their way!"

The executioner initially wanted to refuse, as they had their own rules and hoped to send the person on their way quickly to lessen their sins. However, seeing Zhao Xiang's glaring eyes and murderous aura, he had no choice but to obediently accept the broken blade. He then sighed, pressed Sun Xuan against the wooden stake binding Sun Xiu, and used the broken blade to slash at his neck.

With one stroke, Sun Xuan let out a bloodcurdling scream. The blade had pierced his flesh, but it couldn't cut through his cervical vertebrae; the excruciating pain nearly made him faint. Zhao Xiang laughed loudly upon hearing this, urging the executioner repeatedly, "Keep cutting! Keep cutting!"

The executioner swung his blade several more times, and Sun Xuan screamed in agony, each blow followed by a gasp. It took eight more blows to finally sever his head from his neck. Then it was Sun Hui's turn. The blade was duller this time, and it took thirteen blows to kill him. Crimson blood gushed from the headless corpse's neck, splattering Sun Xiu's face. Even with his hands and feet bound to the stake, Sun Xiu couldn't help but tremble. He could no longer maintain his smile, and his eyes flashed with a murderous glint.

The surrounding crowd was speechless. They had never seen such a gruesome execution. Even though the dead deserved their fate and were ugly, they couldn't help but open their mouths slightly, as if sighing or groaning, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Finally, the moment to execute Sun Xiu arrived. Zhao Xiang ordered the execution animals to be brought in, and to everyone's astonishment, instead of the promised execution by dismemberment, Zhao Xiang had brought five oxen! He laughed at Sun Xiu, "You scoundrel! I've heard that your Celestial Masters sect is skilled at controlling oxen. I wonder if you'll escape this calamity today!"

Having said that, he ordered his men to hang the lasso around Sun Xiu's neck, wrists, and ankles, and then tie one end of the lasso to a bull's horn. Once everything was ready, Zhao Xiang stepped on Sun Xiu's face and chuckled, "You're about to die, you heinous villain, do you have any last words?"

Sun Xiu coughed twice more, and then he began to laugh, a hearty, unrestrained laugh that sent chills down one's spine, as mournful as the cawing of crows on a grave mound in the dead of night.

He laughed wildly for a long time before finally saying, "Ha, I, Sun Xiu, am indeed guilty of heinous crimes, but will killing me restore peace to this world?"

He wasn't waiting for anyone's answer. He immediately declared, "It's all too late. The Great Jin Dynasty is finished! You can curse me, hate me, tear me apart, and grind my bones to dust, but you fools, do you really think that the collapse of the dynasty and the loss of the imperial power are all my fault?"

"Of course not, it's all fate! It's all predetermined by destiny!"

Sun Xiu's speech quickened, but at this point, she abruptly changed the subject, emphasizing each word carefully:
"More than a hundred years ago, the Great Sage Teacher received enlightenment from the True Lord of Taiyi, who predicted that a great calamity would descend upon the world in the year of Jiazi, destroying heaven and earth and rendering humanity inhuman. With a compassionate heart, he offered sacrifices to our people who live long lives, but this only extended the lifespan of this world by two Jiazi."

"Haha, you ignorant people, do you think everything I've done is for mere fame and fortune? I'm doing it to emulate the Great Teacher of Virtue and save this world!"

"In three years, the great calamity of Jiazi will descend upon the world once more. At that time, the heavens and earth will shake, rivers will flow with blood, and people will be split in two. Then you will know what true horror is. Heaven's will has brought disaster upon the Jin dynasty, and that idiotic emperor is proof of Heaven's will! The reason I supported the Prince of Zhao and helped him become emperor is to remove this scourge and allow the Jin dynasty to be restored to its rightful place!"

"But you have destroyed all of this, and the great calamity of the Jiazi year is coming! Everyone will become a ghost! Only those who believe in the Celestial Master, like me, will live! Even if I die now, I will go to the Celestial Hall after death!"

"And you people, haha, I saw through you long ago with my divine eye! You who sit on high platforms are all ghosts! You're just wearing human skin! When the great calamity of the Jiazi year arrives, you will all reveal your true forms! At that time, you will have killed far more people than I have, and committed far more sins than I have! You will be scorned in life! And you will be restless ghosts in death!"

At this point, Sun Xiu appeared almost insane. Those sitting on the platform and those watching from the execution ground mostly watched him intently, etching this scene into their memories.

Liu Xian thought to himself: Wasn't this the same statement Sun Xiu made at the Xia Yang Literary Gathering back then? He claimed that a cataclysmic disaster would occur in three years, wiping out all living beings. The statement was alarmist enough, but Liu Xian had always considered Sun Xiu a fraud, so he hadn't taken it seriously. He never expected that Sun Xiu would suddenly announce this to the world on his deathbed.

He glanced around at the people around him, such as Lu Zhi and Sima Yi, who seemed to have paid no heed to Sun Xiu's words. But looking at the crowd gathered around the execution ground, they stirred slightly upon hearing the news, then began to whisper amongst themselves. Given the frequent chaos of recent years, Sun Xiu's apocalyptic pronouncements resonated strongly with the general public.

Seeing Sun Xiu's arrogance, Zhao Xiang couldn't help but kick him in the face again, cursing, "Even when you're about to die, you can't be at peace?"

Having said that, he waved his hand and said to his men, "Let's begin. Give the ox a few lashes and let us see how thick its skin is and how tough its mouth is!"

As the executioner began to whip the oxen, the five oxen started moving one after another. Sun Xiu knew this was his final moment, but he hadn't finished speaking; he wanted to continue:
"Ahem... Hahaha, but I, Sun Xiu, am a believer in Taoism. I can mercifully tell you that there is still a solution to this Jiazi catastrophe."

"Only a true Taiping Zhenjun, after receiving the blessing of the Grand Master of the Celestial Masters, can save this world and prevent the coming calamity!"

"Hahaha, I can tell you people surnamed Sima that among all the kings, the King of Zhao is the most likely to become the True Ruler of Peace! The prophecy says: 'The old state suffers calamity, the Five Barbarians disrupt the imperial power, and the restoration begins with the foundation of Zhao.' That's exactly what it means. But you murdered him and brought back that idiot and mentally challenged man, which is tantamount to bringing back your own calamity! The Sima clan and the Jin dynasty are beyond saving!"

"And now, there is one more person qualified to become the True Lord of Peace! He is right here!"

"he is the one……"

Who was that? Regardless of whether anyone present believed his words or not, they couldn't help but listen intently. They were all very curious about who this Taiping Zhenjun, whom Sun Xiu spoke of, was.
By this time, the noose had tightened around Sun Xiu's neck, making it increasingly difficult for him to speak. His limbs were stretched taut by the rope, and he was in excruciating agony. Yet, he still mustered all his strength and shouted to the sky:
"The Heir Apparent of the Duke of Anle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Xiu seemed to have exhausted all the strength to maintain his body. With a scream of agony, his body was torn into six pieces. His head, limbs, and torso were scattered on the ground, stained with blood.

Strangely, despite such severe torture, his head maintained a mocking smile.

But no one paid him any attention anymore. After hearing Sun Xiu's last words before his death, everyone present turned their gaze to Liu Xian on the high platform. Some looked at him with surprise, some with curiosity, some with schadenfreude, some with disbelief, and some with thoughtful expressions.

At this moment, the sun hangs high overhead, like a giant eye; the world is silent, with no wind or clouds around.

(End of Chapter 1) (End of Chapter)