Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 90: No Cause...

After witnessing more than a dozen heads falling to the ground, the shocking scene made Chen Xuan's face turn pale, not because of fear, but because of the instinctive physiological reaction of life.

All living beings love life and hate death.

Apart from the natural physiological reaction, Chen Xuan did not feel any discomfort in his heart. He himself felt strange that chopping off those heads did not seem to be more difficult than chopping radishes, except that the scene was a little bloodier and more vivid.

Mr. Yushan was unmoved and was still in the mood to drink tea. If you looked closely, there seemed to be a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. For someone like him who had his own ideas, the court was high and the aristocratic families were a cancer. Many of their ideas violated human ethics. They were too powerful to be eliminated. Even the royal family could not do anything about it easily, and it was difficult for ordinary people to shake them.

To put it simply, these gentry and wealthy families in Lanfeng County are also a cancer. They are birds of a feather, the only difference is the size of the crime. They have committed heinous crimes for many years, and now they are killed by Guitou's knife. How can he not feel happy?

Geng Hong and the others were indifferent, and were even in the mood to discuss in a low voice how to make the cut easier. It seemed that they were already used to it, and their hands were definitely stained with blood.

Gao Jingming clenched his teeth, his face turned pale, his small body was trembling, and his throat was moving, obviously he was nauseous. It was unclear whether he smelled blood or the stench of the criminals' incontinence.

As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. Mr. Yushan had achieved his goal, letting his disciple see the fragility of life and the ruthlessness of the law. He looked at him and said gently, "Sit down tomorrow. If you don't want to watch, don't watch."

Gao Jingming immediately sat down and gasped for breath, like a fish coming ashore. He didn't care that the tea was still hot, and drank it in big gulps. As he drank, he put down the teacup and covered his mouth, saying, "Master, I'm going to the toilet."

Then he ran away.

There was a toilet in the private room, so there was no need to go out. After a while, I heard the sound of him retching and his faint, uncontrollable, trembling sobs.

This guy was obviously frightened, and very frightened. For someone of his age, the shock he saw was too great.

Mr. Yushan glanced in Gao Jingming's direction with some worry, but he did not regret his decision. This experience was more beneficial than harmful to Gao Jingming's growth. He was not worried that his apprentice would be traumatized. There were plenty of ways to guide him. If he could get out of it on his own, he would be able to grow greatly.

Retracting his gaze, he looked at Chen Xuan, whose face was pale but still insistent, and said, "Ah Xuan, are you okay?"

"Sir, I'm fine," Chen Xuan took a deep breath.

Nodding, he said calmly: "Well, don't watch it if you don't want to."

Chen Xuanqiang smiled but did not look away. It was not because he had a mental problem, but because he had not seen the person he wanted to see surrender.

At this time, at the execution ground, after a dozen people were beheaded, the executioner cleaned the machete with wine. The escorts had already withdrawn, and soon several people who were either old or physically disabled walked out from the side of the execution platform. They went up to the stage and dragged the corpses down with some effort, placing them on the open space under the execution platform. By the way, they also picked up the heads and placed them on the necks of their respective corpses.

The criminals have been executed and are dead, so it is still humane to keep their bodies intact as much as possible, although those who have committed heinous crimes do not deserve such humanity.

Ordinary people are reluctant to go on stage and carry the bodies of criminals, as it is unlucky and they are afraid of being contaminated by bad luck. However, those who are old and about to be buried, or even disabled, are not so particular. They can even earn some hard-earned money. There are many people rushing to do it, and it is estimated that without some connections, you can't get such an opportunity.

Ten or twenty corpses were dragged down and placed on the ground under the execution platform, and the area where they were dragged was stained red with blood.

Then County Magistrate Cao said expressionlessly, "Go on, bring the prisoner!"

After a while, another dozen or so prisoners were brought in. They were paraded through the streets and were pelted with garbage by the surrounding people.

These prisoners were even more terrified after seeing the bodies of those who had been beheaded before. Some of them fainted from fright, some were driven crazy and talked nonsense, and some even cried bitterly because some of those who had been beheaded before were their relatives and friends.

But no matter how they reacted, they could not escape the fate of being executed.

As before, after the criminals came to the stage, County Magistrate Cao announced their crimes one by one in public, causing tens of thousands of civilians to grit their teeth and groan. No one sympathized with them and they all wished they could eat their flesh alive.

Still no familiar faces appeared. As Magistrate Cao announced the crimes, Chen Xuan suppressed his discomfort and asked, "Sir, what will happen to the bodies of those who have been executed?"

You can't just leave your body there forever.

Mr. Yushan said, "They are all extremely evil people. If there are still relatives and friends who have not been implicated, the government will allow them to come and collect the bodies later. However, even if someone comes to collect the bodies, it will usually be done quietly after dark. After all, if someone were to collect the bodies of such people and they were recognized, the consequences would be unpredictable. They might even be beaten to death. The bodies that are not collected will be taken to the mass grave by the movers tomorrow morning. They will be hastily buried on straw mats without even having the chance to be buried. They will probably be eaten by wild dogs and wild beasts. They deserve it. No one will sympathize with them."

This result is pretty much what Chen Xuan imagined. Such beheaded criminals deserve no pity for their death, as they will not have a good end after death.

In other words, even if he wanted to collect the old boatman's body, he would have to do it quietly at night...

Gao Jingming came back after vomiting for a while. He was listless and didn't dare to look outside again. Leng Bing and the others looked at Gao Jingming with some concern. Mr. Yushan shook his head slightly to indicate that he knew his limits. His disciple was not scared to the point of insanity, but just hadn't recovered yet.

The execution was continuing at the execution ground. After the crimes were announced, no one could escape a knife in the neck.

Those who came to power were doomed to die, and as for their family members and subordinates who were implicated, they would not be brought here. Those who were imprisoned, sent into exile, exiled, or even reduced to slavery, or had their hair replaced by their heads if they were not taller than a wheel, would not be dealt with here, otherwise it would be endless. Things that had already been dealt with long ago could only be dealt with by posting a notice outside the yamen at most.

Magistrate Cao would read out long paragraphs of people's crimes every once in a while. His voice became hoarse at the end, but he still persisted and did not ask anyone to recite for him.

Others might not understand, but Mr. Yushan knew. He was doing this to establish his authority over certain people, and also to leave the common people with the impression of being upright and honest, a disguised way of gaining reputation. How could an official not seize such an opportunity? This might be their only chance in office.

The prisoners were beheaded in batches, and the blood on the execution platform almost gathered into a stream, flowing down along the edge. This is where the so-called "dirty flow" came from, and it is the most vicious curse.

Each time, four or five executioners had to chop off several people. In order to behead them with one stroke, they were exhausted after doing it again and again. Even the blades of their swords were a little blunt. They would take advantage of the free time to sharpen them with wine. The sound of sharpening the swords was particularly creepy.

As time went by, more and more corpses were piled up under the execution platform, and Chen Xuan's scalp began to tingle. It was a sunny day with the sun high in the sky, but there were so many people there, and he felt a chill creeping into his bones.

He is just an ordinary person, and it is difficult for him to remain calm in such a scene for a long time. However, he was able to persist, which made Leng Bing, Geng Hong and others look at him with admiration.

It was not until the thirteenth and fourteenth batches of prisoners that Chen Xuan finally saw someone he knew, but the old boatman was still not among them.

He saw the man who had whipped him in the basement, the man who had shown him the way on the day he saw the light of day again, the fat woman in red who had washed him like she was shaving him, and even the man who had said on the street that he was also doing things for money...

Anyway, some familiar faces were among them. They no longer had the majesty of the past, and they were still trembling with fear on the execution platform. It was obvious that their bones were not that strong. Although they all knew that this day would come sooner or later, they realized that they were not so calm when it really came. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret.

Perhaps because these people all had certain martial arts skills, when they were taken to the execution ground, they not only wore heavy shackles, but even their scapulas were locked. There were bloodstains on their wrists and ankles. It was estimated that the tendons in their hands and feet were cut in advance because they were dragged there.

Without any surprise, they were all beheaded with a single blow, ending their sinful lives. It was considered a bargain for them.

The execution ground robbery that Chen Xuan had imagined did not happen at all.

I wonder if there are any who have slipped through the net. Even if there are, who would dare to rob the execution ground? This is not the time to talk about loyalty. If you escape by chance, you still have a chance to survive. If you rob the execution ground, it will be tantamount to rebellion. No one with a normal mind would do such a stupid thing.

Time passed and the execution did not stop until the last batch of ten or so prisoners came on stage. Chen Xuan finally saw the long-lost figure. The old boatman who had kidnapped him and sold him was among them.

In fact, Chen Xuan didn't spend much time with him that day, and he was even a little vague about what the other person looked like, but when he was brought in, he recognized him at a glance.

The old boatman was already old and haggard, and he looked even more haggard after being in prison for a period of time. When he was taken to the execution platform, he looked like a piece of rotten wood. He was clearly alive, but without a trace of life.

It's strange to say, among the more than 200 prisoners, he was one of the most calm when facing death. Perhaps it was because he was old and dying, and he had already let it go.

When Magistrate Cao announced the crimes, Chen Xuan finally knew his name, Liu Changhe, which made him sound like someone more than just an ordinary person.

The name is nice, and it is appropriate that he has been sailing on the river for decades. He has ferried countless people across the river, but he did not have a good ending.

As expected, the more honest people are, the more likely they are to lie. That day, he said his surname was Wang, but Chen Xuan didn't doubt it at all.

The crimes he committed were simple but serious. Over the years, he took advantage of his boating ability to defraud, kidnap and sell many women and children. His crimes were extremely serious and he deserved the death penalty!

After the crimes were announced, the executions began.

When the ghost-head knife was about to fall, perhaps it was some kind of intuition from Liu the boatman before his death, but he subconsciously looked up in the direction of Chen Xuan.

The two sides were about a hundred meters apart. When they looked at each other, Chen Xuan looked calm, as if he was not involved in the matter and it had nothing to do with him.

As for Liu the boatman, his cloudy eyes seemed to have regained their clarity when he saw Chen Xuan. Stunnedness, surprise, and regret flashed across his eyes, and finally he calmed down and seemed relieved.

At the end of his life, he seemed to understand why he ended up like this.

In an instant, his eyes changed greatly.

He wanted to look up and towards Chen Xuan, but his head was pressed firmly on the wooden stake. As the ghost-head knife fell, his sinful but not glorious life came to an end.

When his head fell to the ground, Chen Xuan felt extremely calm and without any fluctuations. It was very strange, as if it had nothing to do with him, and as if it was just a casual step on the road of life.

The first person I saw when I came to this world was Liu Changhe, the boatman. It was he who saved me, and it was also he who sold me. I ended up in the Gao family.

Then, because of an ordinary homework, Mr. Yushan asked him why he was restless, which led to the involvement of a human trafficking gang. Liu Chuanfu was arrested and ended up like this.

Cause and effect, reincarnation, good and evil are only a thought away, fate is truly a wonderful thing.

Liu Chuanfu's death was insignificant among the many death row prisoners. Even if he had abducted and sold hundreds of people, it was nothing compared to the bloody and cruel crimes committed by others.

Looking at Liu Chuanfu's head rolling down from the execution platform, his eyes closed in relief. At this moment, a sentence subconsciously emerged in Chen Xuan's mind:

There is no reason, why is the head hanging in the market trough...

(End of this chapter)