Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 466 Blood Splattered on Dog Ridge
There were two regular execution grounds in Chang'an, located in the East and West Markets respectively. As for the unconventional ones, there were many more, such as the Xuanwu Gate, which were used from time to time.

The reason why execution grounds were set in bustling city centers was to "punish criminals in the marketplace and abandon them to the public," which could express disgust and rejection of criminals, while also serving as a deterrent and educational tool.

After Zhang Dai and his group extracted all the criminals from the Dali Temple and verified their identities, they waited for a certain period of time for the families of these death row inmates to arrive before setting off together for the execution ground in the East Market.

Today, thirteen people will be executed. In addition to Wang Shouqing, the son of Wang Maozhong, there are several other sons of generals from the Northern Army, as well as several maids from the Eastern Palace.

Zhang Dai flipped through the case file and found that the crimes these people were charged with were indeed heinous crimes, that they were servants who intended to murder their master.

This is not entirely unreasonable. Wang Shouqing, relying on his father's power in the North Gate, attracted many North Gate disciples to Shaoyang Academy, and these North Gate disciples were not exactly virtuous and kind young men.

Right now, these people are just eating, drinking and having fun around the Crown Prince. If they get drunk one day and want to help the Crown Prince ascend the throne ahead of time, they can use this merit to seize power from their fathers. This is not impossible, nor is it without precedent.

For a sage, even the slightest hint of such a situation would be met with severe punishment to nip it in the bud. It is absolutely impossible to wait until they take action before pursuing and punishing them, and even then, whether they can be punished is another matter entirely. It is not uncommon for a novice to defeat a master.

These death row inmates were all emaciated, and their families were also somewhat dispirited, their expressions either sorrowful or resentful when they met.

Zhang Dai noticed that not many people from Wang Maozhong's family showed up; only his eldest son, Wang Shouzhen, arrived at Dali Temple with two servants and an oxcart carrying a coffin.

Wang Shouzhen had previously been assigned to serve as a servant in the Zhang family's palace, but this humiliating punishment ended once the Emperor returned to Chang'an. It had been a long time since Zhang Dai had seen Wang Shouzhen, and upon seeing her again, he felt that Wang Shouzhen had truly undergone a complete transformation.

The man was dressed in simple cloth, with a humble and cautious demeanor, completely unlike his former arrogant and extravagant self. If it weren't for his servant accompanying him to present a formal invitation, Zhang Dai wouldn't have recognized him at first glance.

"This servant has met with Liu Lang."

Wang Shouzhen also noticed Zhang Dai's scrutinizing gaze, so he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said.

Seeing his appearance, Zhang Dai felt a pang of sympathy. After nodding slightly, he asked, "Are you the only one from your family to come here?"

“My father was ordered to leave the capital yesterday to inspect the pastures in Jingzhou, and my younger brother accompanied him. I, however, am not capable enough to stay in the capital to manage family affairs.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen quickly added that he now harbored a deep-seated fear of Zhang Dai.

After he was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, his father and brothers treated him very coldly, even humiliating him as a disgrace. He had no deep feelings for his brothers, and now he felt no resentment because his younger brother Wang Shouqing had once again fallen into Zhang Dai's hands. In fact, he even felt a little pleased.

"Go back and wait."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai waved his hand to dismiss Wang Shouzhen, but his mind began to race.

The fact that Wang Maozhong was transferred away from the capital at this time was by no means a good sign. Although he was also the Commissioner of Pastures and it was his duty to inspect the pastures, inspections were usually carried out in autumn and winter. It was the height of summer, so this inspection was somewhat inexplicable.

Zhang Dai couldn't help but recall the old story of his grandfather scheming against Zhang Jiazhen. Zhang Jiazhen's younger brother committed a crime, which made Zhang Jiazhen feel worried and fearful. Zhang Yue advised him to return home, wear plain clothes, and await punishment, and not to rashly visit the emperor, lest he incur the emperor's greater wrath. Zhang Jiazhen followed Zhang Yue's advice, and as a result, he missed the opportunity to meet the emperor and plead his case in person. Not long after, Zhang Yue took his place as the Grand Secretary.

The saying goes, "A day without court is a day without a knife." This was especially true for Wang Maozhong, a high-ranking official who was already favored by the emperor. His opponents were the eunuchs who served him day and night. Once he left the North Gate and was out of the emperor's sight for too long, he would be easily slandered, which was a very dangerous situation.

Wang Maozhong's willingness to leave Chang'an might stem from a desire to avoid the prospect of his son facing execution while he was powerless to save him, or it might be a temptation to gain more military control in order to replace Xiao Song as Minister of War. Whatever his reasons, it was hardly a wise move.

Once all the prisoners' family members had arrived, the group left the palace and headed east along the Zhuque Gate side street.

They didn't move very fast either, because dragging prisoners along meant they couldn't go very far. Only officials of the third rank or higher were entitled to travel to the execution ground by carriage; these people naturally didn't have that privilege.

Their limbs were weak and limp, and they occasionally urinated between their legs. They were completely different from the proud people who used to force Zhang Dai to play polo with them at Shaoyang Courtyard. Their former superior family background could not save them from being at the mercy of others. They could only let the Jinwu Guard soldiers carry them away.

Along the way, people from all walks of life were drawn to the scene, following behind the execution procession, watching and discussing amongst themselves. Executions at this time of year were rare, and the common people were naturally curious about the heinous acts these men had committed.

When the group arrived near the East Market, a group of officials had also gathered outside Xingqing Palace. These were all officials of the Eastern Palace, summoned here from various parts of the city by the palace officials. They would also accompany the execution team to the execution ground to witness the execution. Undoubtedly, this was the Emperor's way of making an example of them, warning these officials of the Eastern Palace to be careful and not to make any mistakes! The Emperor had done this more than once, only previously he had used the relatives of his brothers; now, it was his son's subordinates.

When they arrived at the East Market, it wasn't yet open. However, the market regulations only governed commercial activities and personnel, and naturally didn't restrict government operations. Officials from the Market Supervision Bureau, who had been notified beforehand, were already waiting there and opened the market gates to let the group in.

The execution ground in the East Market was located in the northwest of the crossroads. At the intersection, there was a mound that rose up, higher than the surrounding area. This place had a rather descriptive name: Dog Ridge.

Upon arriving at the execution ground, the Imperial Guards began clearing the area. Zhang Dai, as the Supervising Censor, was also busy, checking whether the execution rack was sturdy and reliable, whether the noose was strong enough, and whether the executioner's knife was sharp.

This was by no means a pleasant experience. When Zhang Dai approached the rack, he smelled a nauseating stench. There were even strands of hair left behind by prisoners who had been executed in the past, which were tangled in the rope. Zhang Dai had to check every inch of the rope to see if any strands were broken.

As for the butcher's knife, which was covered with layers of blood and rust, it reeked of a foul stench. The moment Zhang Dai's fingers touched the blade, the hairs on his body stood on end.

He forced himself to suppress his nausea and inspected all the instruments of torture before striding away. He pulled a sachet of invigorating powder from his sleeve, held it to his nose, and took a few deep sniffs to calm the churning in his chest and abdomen. He had cursed Pei Kuan, who had arranged this field mission, countless times in his mind.

"Reporting to General Cui, Vice Minister Pei, and Attendant Yuan, the instruments of torture have been inspected and are in good working order, and can be used at any time."

Zhang Dai approached the platform to report, and after several people nodded in confirmation, he also walked to the platform from the side and sat down, watching the people of the East Market gather from all directions. Among them, several carriages filled with large wooden barrels caught Zhang Dai's attention. The barrels were all filled with water, and water was constantly splashing.

"Those are fish and turtles that the slaves of Shanglin Garden recently caught from Xiyuan Garden. They are to be released into the sea pond after the executions!"

Seeing Zhang Dai looking around curiously, the eunuch Yuan Siyi, who was sitting on the platform, pointed to the carriages and a shimmering pond in the northeast of the East Market and said with a smile: "Both the East and West Markets are execution grounds next to release ponds. The West Market's sea pond was built by General Cui's kindness during the reign of Empress Wu in Chang'an. People in the capital still think of it. The East Market's sea pond is an example of this."

Zhang Dai suddenly realized what was going on when he heard this, and then he sighed inwardly at how foul-mouthed Yuan Siyi was. Sure enough, when he turned to look at Cui Yao sitting on the other side, Cui Yao had a gloomy expression and glared at them fiercely, clearly unhappy that others were talking about his mother-in-law, Princess Taiping.

Soon the opening drums of the East Market sounded, and more and more people poured into the East Market, all rushing towards Dog Ridge. They even neglected their business in order to watch the execution.

Sitting on the high platform, Zhang Dai heard the surrounding people's discussions and their jubilant expressions. He couldn't help but doubt how effective this so-called public execution could be. He guessed that most of the people were just there out of curiosity.

"The execution is imminent; all idlers, step aside!"

As the sun rose high in the sky, Pei Kuan, holding the decree, walked to the sunlit platform and loudly proclaimed: "Hereinafter, there are wicked and rebellious criminals..."

On the stage, Pei Kuan read the verdict aloud, while the onlookers cheered loudly. Only the officials of the Eastern Palace standing on both sides had cold sweat on their foreheads.

"Execution!"

With a command, the prisoners were dragged to the rack. Some were sentenced to hanging, others to beheading. Once they were in their positions, one prisoner suddenly roared, "Injustice..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately stood up from the stage and was about to come down when he asked, "Has anyone cried out for justice?"

"This is not a cry for justice; Imperial Censor Zhang has misheard. Continue the execution!"

Yuan Siyi raised her hand and grabbed Zhang Dai, then suddenly waved her hand toward the execution platform. Immediately, several people were put into nooses and pulled up abruptly. Several people had heavy objects around their ankles. Several clearly audible sounds of neck bones breaking rang out. The bodies of several prisoners suspended in mid-air twitched slightly, and soon they died.

At the same time, the executioner's blade suddenly swung down on the other side, and several heads fell off with a thud. Blood gushed from the severed cavities, and there was even a bloody scene of blood spurting out several feet. In an instant, blood splattered all over the execution platform.

"Please have Attendant Zhang come forward and examine whether all those who have been tortured are already dead!"

Cui Yao also stood up from the stage, pointed at Zhang Dai and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's expression froze. He wasn't a pervert; deep down, he didn't want to go near that blood-soaked execution platform. His head had already rolled several meters away; how could he possibly verify whether the person was dead or not? That damned eunuch is spouting nonsense about his mother-in-law; you're trying to trick me!

(End of this chapter)