Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 254 Heaven and Earth Grieve Together (Many thanks to Yong Su for being the Alliance Leader)

Under the bright moonlight, the scarlet color outside Pingyang City became even more dazzling.

A biting wind, carrying the scent of blood, swept through the entire city.

Qian Yaozu huddled on the ground, trembling as he heard that Song Yan planned to execute him the next day. He knew that falling into Song Yan's hands would not end well, but he never expected that Song Yan would not even have this much patience.

They even wanted to gather all the people of Pingyang City to watch.

How could he, a dignified governor of a prefecture, a top student of Xilin Academy, and a disciple of the emperor, endure such humiliation and allow those lowly people to watch him at will?
In an instant, Qian Yaozu's face contorted with rage as he struggled to sit on the ground: "Song Yan, kill me if you want, but how dare you humiliate me like this?"

“My fellow disciples at Xilin Academy will never let you, you little beast, get away with this.”

The curses were vicious, but no one at the scene paid any attention.

They were nothing more than a stray dog ​​about to die, and their barking was nothing compared to the fact that they were more interested in the "grooming torture" that Song Yan had mentioned.

"My lord, what exactly is this 'combing and washing punishment'?" Zhang Zhen cupped his hands in greeting: "I have been an official for many years, and although I am a military man, I have some knowledge of punishments, but I have never heard of the 'combing and washing punishment' before."

Song Yan smiled. This "combing and washing punishment" was the masterpiece of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It would be strange if you had ever heard of it. Before he could speak, a general next to him couldn't help but speak first: "If you ask me, chopping off the head of this old beast is too cheap. It would be better to use the punishment of being torn apart by five horses."

hiss.

Upon hearing this, Qian Yaozu's body trembled violently. Just thinking about that scene made him feel an indescribable pain all over his body, and fear swept over him.

Only in those eyes was there a deep resentment and malice.

These damn peasants.

If I had known it would fall into the hands of these people, I should have gotten rid of these peasants first, no matter what.

“No, no, no…” Zhang Zhen shook his head: “Although the death by dismemberment is gruesome, it is too short. It is better to use the waist-cutting punishment, which does not damage the heart or the anus, and can be extended to about a quarter of an hour. During this time, although the body suffers great pain, the consciousness is clear, and the victim can only watch helplessly. It is really suitable for this old beast.”

Qian Yaozu stared wide-eyed, never expecting that Zhang Zhen, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, could be so vicious. He naturally knew about the punishment of being cut in half at the waist, but just hearing about it made him feel a chill run down his spine, and in a daze, it felt as if his waist had been completely severed from him.

"If you ask me, the best punishment would be to cut him into a thousand pieces and then prolong his life with ginseng. As long as the technique is good and vital organs are avoided, it would be no problem to cut him alive for three days. By then, the old dog would be covered in blood and only bones would remain. That would be the punishment the old dog deserves."

All around were chattering voices, clearly indicating that everyone was very interested in this matter. Song Yan also discovered that these people were incredibly talented, and even some punishments that had never been seen before appeared, such as skinning, burning, and water dripping, and so on, too numerous to count.

Despite the freezing weather, and the fact that Qian Yaozu was sitting on the ground making it even colder, he broke out in a cold sweat just from hearing those words.

Psychological torment.

For a time, Qian Yaozu was exhausted.

"Stop, all of you..." In the end, it was Zhang Zhen who stepped forward to stop his officers who were getting carried away: "How to deal with Qian Yaozu is up to you, Lord. Whatever you say goes. However, the word 'combing punishment' is hard to understand from the literal meaning. Please enlighten me, Lord."

All eyes turned to Song Yan.

Sure enough, gathering together to do bad things is the easiest way to bring the two sides closer. Song Yan could vaguely sense that he and the soldiers of Pingyang City had become much closer.

He smiled and said, "The so-called 'combing and washing punishment' first step is to strip the prisoner naked and tie him to an iron bed. The second step is to boil water and prepare iron claws..."

Good guy.

For a moment, gasps of shock filled the air; this punishment was terrifying.

Even the most brutal tortures in the underworld are probably no more severe than this. Lord Song, you truly live up to your reputation as a butcher; the methods you devise are truly extraordinary. This punishment is probably no less severe than being torn to pieces.

“Of course, we can start with the limbs and avoid the vital organs. In this way, Governor Qian should be able to live a little longer.” Song Yan looked at Qian Yaozu with a smile: “Governor, we are both officials. Don’t think that I am not considerate enough. Letting you live for another half a year is my last act of mercy.”

Screw your kindness.

Even though Qian Yaozu was a learned man, he couldn't help but want to swear at this moment.

Is this kindness?
Just hearing Song Yan's cold, eerie voice made Qian Yaozu's hair stand on end, and his scalp felt like it was about to split open.

"Song Yan, if you have the guts, kill me now. What kind of skill is this kind of intimidation?"

"Lingchi is nothing more than being sliced ​​into a thousand pieces, but the torture of combing and washing you invented causes people to lose their flesh before they die, suffering pain like that of hell. You are more cruel than an executioner!"

"How inhuman! They have no compassion whatsoever, not even that of a straw dog!"

Song Yan's expression gradually turned cold, and his eyes swept over Qian Yaozu: "A heart of stone? Someone like you, who caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, is worthy of benevolence and righteousness?"

In other words, Song Yan lacked the inventive ability to come up with a more cruel punishment than the "combing and washing" torture. Otherwise, given Qian Yaozu's actions, even a thousand cuts or a thousand or ten thousand times of being combed and washed with iron claws would not be enough to wash away his sins. In a cultivation novel, this kind of person would be the kind of sinful creature destined to be imprisoned in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, suffering eternal torment from demonic fire.

"Zhang Zhen, arrange for three hundred soldiers and one hundred black-armored warriors to find a quiet place to guard Qian Yaozu and make sure he doesn't die."

Zhang Zhen nodded vigorously and gave an order to a junior officer. On the other side, a hundred black-armored soldiers also lined up and dragged Qian Yaozu into the city.

"In addition, arrange five hundred soldiers from the garrison, along with two hundred black-armored warriors, to guard the four gates in the east, west, south, and north."

"No one may enter or leave today."

As Song Yan issued his orders, the once silent and desolate Pingyang City was plunged into an unprecedented clamor.

A large number of soldiers from the local government, in coordination with the black-armored warriors, began to move within Pingyang City.

The governor's residence, the official residence of all officials.

Xilin Academy.

All the residences of the Zhang and Huang families.

One by one, they were quickly surrounded.

The four main city gates—east, west, south, and north—were sealed off.

Even those ordinary people who had lost all will to live and were practically lying on the ground waiting to die noticed something unusual. When they saw Qian Yaozu, who was usually high and mighty, being dragged by the neck and slid across the ground, a faint light of excitement shone in their empty eyes.

Even worse, some staggered after him and spat at Qian Yaozu.

Before long, his whole body was covered in filth.

The governor's residence had already been taken into custody.

Qian Yaozu's wife, more than a dozen concubines, sons and daughters were all bound with ropes. They watched as the soldiers, like hungry wolves, rushed down the mountain and stormed into the granary of the governor's mansion, looting large amounts of gold and silver treasures and carrying out sacks of grain. Their eyes were filled with both fear and heartache.

This all belongs to the Qian family—their money and their grain.

Why should these peasants move away?
A boy of twelve or thirteen, who seemed to be Qian Yaozu's fourth son, was perhaps not fully developed and could not even see what was going on. He loudly demanded that the soldiers put down the grain and threatened to chop them all into mincemeat and feed them to the dogs once his father returned.

The noise bothered the guards, who rushed over and gave him a good beating, breaking both his legs before he became much more obedient.

Qian Yaozu's daughters were also quite beautiful. They could clearly feel the greed and lust in the eyes of some soldiers as they looked at them, as if they wanted to strip them naked. They trembled and lost their usual arrogance and domineering attitude. They curled up desperately, afraid that they would be noticed and something bad would happen.

However, a group of soldiers clad in black armor stood around, but in the end, they did nothing.

About an hour later, porridge sheds were set up at more than twenty locations in Pingyang City.

As the fire blazed up, the rice grains began to tumble and roll in the iron pot.

The aroma of food began to waft through the streets, and even those who were already exhausted and emaciated from hunger struggled to their feet. As if driven by instinct, they slowly moved closer to the soup stall, their eyes shining with an indescribable light as they gazed at the boiling porridge in the pots.

It's excitement.

It was surprise.

More than anything, it's longing.

His stomach, which hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, was churning violently, and his throat was churning as he swallowed hard. After about half an hour, a soldier inserted chopsticks into the hot porridge.

The chopsticks stood upright without falling over. Then, the soldiers poured all the thick, hot porridge into a huge wooden bucket next to them, and the second pot of porridge had already begun to cook.

Soldiers clad in black armor stood around the soup kitchen, holding steel swords and maintaining order. One of them swept his gaze over the crowd of people before him and shouted in a deep voice, "Qian Yaozu, the Prefect of Pingyang, has been arrested by Lord Song Yan, the Magistrate of Xinhou County and the Viscount of Ningping County. By order of Lord Song, the granaries are now being opened to provide disaster relief. Everyone, line up in an orderly fashion. No noise or scrambling. The elderly and children may come forward, as may the seriously ill. Those with the strength to spare may stay at the back. Food is plentiful. Anyone who disobeys... will be killed!"

The worst thing to do during disaster relief is to cause riots.

If people fight over food, disaster relief could easily turn into a man-made disaster.

Without a doubt, the hundreds of menacing black-armored warriors, their dulled steel blades, the bits of meat hanging from their armor, and the dried bloodstains served as the best deterrent. Even though these people were starving, the originally chaotic crowd quickly coalesced into a long line.

The first bowl of porridge was given to the disaster victims.

He was an old man in his fifties, his fingers were withered like chicken claws, his whole body was covered in dirt, his pale beard was messy like a bird's nest, his withered hands took the hot porridge, and without even caring that the porridge was scalding hot, he raised his head and poured it into his mouth.

The hot porridge burned my throat.

The old man then began to cough violently.

But the old man showed no sign of pain; instead, two streams of tears rolled down his face. The tears dissolved the dirt on his face, leaving streaks and lines that made him look disheveled and pitiful.

A few breaths later, the low sobs turned into loud wailing.

As bowls of hot porridge were distributed, the sound of weeping grew louder.

There are children who cry for their parents who fed them with their own blood.

There were elderly people weeping for their children who had to cut off their own flesh to save their parents' lives.

There was a husband who would sacrifice himself to exchange for food, weeping only for his wife's survival.

There was a wife who wept for her husband, who was beaten to death while desperately trying to save a mouthful of food.

The crying is contagious.

Slowly, it spread to a street, then to the whole city, the cries mingling together, shaking the heavens and the earth.

The bright moonlight bathed the earth, illuminating the faces of those who were in pain and sorrow. Amidst the countless stars, a bolt of silver-purple lightning suddenly flashed across the sky.

Rumble…

A thunderclap startled the clear sky, its roar echoing and shaking.

At this moment, it was as if heaven and earth were grieving together!

Inside Pingyang City, in the controlled governor's mansion, the besieged official residence, the Huang family, the Zhang family, and the Xilin Academy, many people watched the lightning flashing in the sky and listened to the cries that enveloped the entire city. They could almost see thousands of wronged souls floating above the city, their faces pale and their bodies trembling like leaves.

……

at the same time.

outside the city.

Song Yan arranged for the black-armored soldiers to deal with the corpses outside.

Then he led Luo Tianyang toward the carriage on the hillside.

Thinking about how he had secretly run away from Ningping County, Luo Tianyang felt a little guilty. Despite his burly appearance, he was an unstoppable force on the battlefield.

It can suppress bloodline.

I'm still a little scared when I'm around my mother.

But then he thought about it again. His disguise was so perfect, it was practically flawless. Even after so much time, his brother-in-law hadn't discovered his identity. Now, he had even chosen him as his personal guard. He couldn't help but feel proud.

He felt that his mother was actually quite stupid; even if he stood right in front of her, she wouldn't notice him.

So I'm looking forward to the day when the truth is revealed; it will surely be a big surprise for my sister, brother-in-law, and mother.

Thinking this, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Hearing the noise behind him, Song Yan's forehead was covered in black lines.

That blockhead, you'll get what's coming to you.

Before long, they arrived in front of Luo Yuheng. Just as Song Yan was about to bow, Luo Yuheng quickly stepped forward, grabbed Song Yan's wrist, and pulled Song Yan up with some effort: "You child, we're all family, why bother with so much formality?"

"Why have you been away for two months? Have you grown estranged from your mother?"

Song Yan chuckled. In front of Luo Yuheng, he would always unconsciously let down his guard and show a more authentic side of himself.

Luo Yuheng's eyes were also a little red. She stood on tiptoe and patted Song Yan's head with her jade hand: "My Yan'er, you've grown taller and thinner."

Just like always.

A warm feeling welled up in Song Yan's heart, and she subconsciously rubbed her head against Luo Yuheng's palm.

In this world, he has two mothers.

One was his birth mother, Mei Xue, who gave birth to him and took care of him for six years; the other was his mother-in-law, Luo Yuheng, who rescued him from the hellish Song family, protected him, valued him, and loved him. Upon hearing that her son-in-law had been kidnapped, she traveled hundreds of miles from Ningping to Pingyang.

Even though he has grown up a bit now, even though he has killed countless people on the battlefield, even though he bears the name of a butcher, he is still a child in front of Luo Yuheng.

"Mother, you look much more haggard." Looking at Luo Yuheng's face, which was once delicate but now bore many signs of hardship, Song Yan felt a pang of sadness: "Your unfilial son has made Mother worry."

Luo Yuheng glared at Song Yan, then took one of Song Yan's arms in his hands and pulled him toward the carriage. They sat down on the carriage and then began to ask Song Yan incessantly about what had happened during this time.

As Song Yan recounted his experiences along the way, Luo Yuheng's expression shifted between worry and anger, but the pity in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

Especially when he heard that Song Yan had rashly entered the Jurchen territory, burned down the Wugulun tribe, and seized thousands of warhorses, Luo Yuheng showed no joy at these gains. Instead, his face was full of reproach, and he raised his hand and tapped Song Yan on the head: "You brat, how could you be so reckless? You can't do that again..."

Song Yan rubbed his head and grinned foolishly.

Luo Tianxuan stood quietly to the side, silently watching this scene. She had a strange feeling that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Seeing Luo Yuheng's shock at Song Yan, she felt that Song Yan was her mother's real son, while she, the daughter, seemed to have been adopted.

Song Yan didn't hide anything, and told him everything about Hua Lianyue.

With another woman by his side, Luo Yuheng seemed completely unconcerned, instead focusing on comforting Song Yan. To Luo Yuheng, those were all minor matters; the most important thing was that Song Yan was alright.

Yu Shuang also stepped out of the carriage, and Song Yan greeted her.

Seeing that the weather was getting colder, Song Yan led the group in a carriage towards Pingyang City.

Along the way, Luo Yuheng saw the people everywhere, their clothes in tatters, even more so than when he was in Ningping County. Although he had heard some of this from Song Yan before and was mentally prepared, Luo Yuheng's expression still became increasingly grim.

It's a miracle that a beast like Qian Yaozu is still alive; it's as if God has no eyes.

“Oh, right, Mother.” Song Yan remembered something: “Qian Yaozu was captured by Zhang Zhen, the general of Pingyang City. I took it upon myself to frame Qian Yaozu for attempting to attack the princess’s carriage.”

In this era, when reputation is becoming increasingly important, even if nothing happened, a woman attacked by bandits would be the subject of rumors and gossip, ultimately tarnishing the princess's reputation.

"It's alright, you can arrange it however you like."

"As long as we can get rid of Qian Yaozu and those cancerous tumors in Xilin Academy, Mother will allow it."

Song Yan nodded. The most suitable place to live in Pingyang City now was the governor's mansion. He settled Luo Tianxuan and Luo Yuheng there. With two experts, Luo Tianxuan and Yu Shuang, and hundreds of black-armored soldiers, they were safe and sound. Only then did Song Yan leave.

Today, he has too many things to deal with, and he probably won't have much time to sleep.

And Pingyang City is destined to be awash in blood!
(End of this chapter)