Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 267 Those who become emperors must keep their word
child time.

Above the sky, a pale full moon finally broke free from the last wisp of cloud and hung high above the temple.

The moonlight, like mercury spilling onto the ground, was cold and merciless, coating everything on the open space with a deathly silvery-gray hue.

The wind stopped.

The air was thick with the stench of blood mixed with the faint odor of corpses, forming an invisible wall that made it hard to breathe.

From noon to dusk, and then to midnight.

The tale of evil spirits devouring each other has come to an end, and all are dead.

The open space was clearly divided into two areas.

On one side were nearly a hundred corpses that had not yet been collected, their eerie bluish-white color appearing under the cold moonlight. They were the first offerings to be torn apart and devoured during the daytime feast of demons devouring each other.

On the other side were nearly a hundred "survivors".

Whether monks or laypeople, they were covered in blood and their faces were numb. They stepped on the corpses of their companions and used the most despicable means to buy themselves a breath of fresh air after surviving the calamity.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, they felt not only relief at surviving the ordeal, but also a twisted sense of superiority.

They were the victors of this cruel game, and they thought they were safe.

Everyone thought that this nightmare, which lasted from day to night, was finally over.

Just then, a series of steady yet rapid footsteps broke the deathly silence.

Holding a dossier that had just been compiled in vermilion ink, Zuo Liangyu strode quickly through the corpses and pools of blood to the emperor.

His murderous aura, far from being diluted upon entering this battlefield of carnage, instead mingled with the bloody atmosphere of the place, making him appear even more formidable.

Zuo Liangyu bowed and presented the case file, which was soaked in the blood and sins of countless people.

"His Majesty."

Zuo Liangyu's voice was low, but every word was clear.

“From noon until 9 pm, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guard verified the charges separately, and eight or nine out of ten of them were supported by evidence.”

"This is the list of criminals. According to the Great Ming Code, there are 229 people whose crimes are proven and who should be sentenced to slow slicing, beheading, or hanging."

"In addition, seventy-three people were sentenced to exile for three thousand miles, military service, or hard labor camp for crimes such as embezzlement, dereliction of duty, assault, and harboring criminals."

He paused, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of astonishment and disgust.

"Through this thorough investigation, there are fewer than fifteen people in the entire temple, including the officials, gentry and pilgrims present today, who can be considered to have a clean record or have only committed minor offenses such as violating the precepts of Buddhist speech."

Fewer than fifteen people.

How ironic.

A place of purity that received offerings from thousands of people and was hailed as the foremost Buddhist temple in the Southern Dynasties, yet out of hundreds of beings, only less than fifteen could barely be considered pure.

Zhu Youjian reached out and took the heavy file.

The paper was covered with names written in red ink, each name followed by a long list of shocking crimes.

This list is a veritable encyclopedia of human evil.

Zhu Youjian did not check them one by one.

He casually tucked the blood-red dossier into his arm, as if it were not a verdict deciding the lives of hundreds, but a trivial book.

The emperor's gaze passed over Zuo Liangyu's shoulder and landed in the center of the open space on the more than one hundred people who believed they had escaped.

He walked slowly toward them.

The emperor's footsteps were light, his black boots making a soft "pat-pat" sound as they stepped on the congealed blood.

Each step felt like walking on the hearts of those who are still alive.

They watched the emperor nervously.

They saw that the young emperor actually had a gentle smile on his face.

That smile was like a spring breeze, dispelling the chill of midnight and bringing a surge of warmth to the hearts of those who had endured a whole day of bloodshed and fear.

"very good."

Zhu Youjian's voice was no longer cold and indifferent as before, but carried a hint of approval.

"You are all very smart and cooperative."

"I am a man of my word."

Keep your word!
These four words were like a divine decree, instantly striking the softest and most expectant part of everyone's heart!
The fear and despair that had been suppressed all day were released at this moment!
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

No one knows who was the first to shout it out, but then, a thunderous roar of praises resounded across this battlefield littered with corpses!

The numbness and emptiness on the faces of the monks, officials, and landlords, who had betrayed their companions, were instantly replaced by ecstasy and relief at surviving the ordeal!

They cried, they laughed, they acted like madmen!

They knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately to Zhu Youjian, the emperor who had given them a way to live.

His forehead struck the cold, hard bluestone slab with a dull thud, leaving him covered in blood and gore, yet he was completely unaware.

They survived!

They successfully bought their own lives with the blood and secrets of their comrades!

Is there any better deal in the world?
Looking at the absurd and ugly scene before him, Zhu Youjian's smile grew even gentler.

He waited quietly, waiting for the frenzied cheers to gradually subside.

Then, Zhu Youjian slowly, as if casually, turned around and asked the Imperial Guard Commander behind him, who stood like an iron statue.

"comprehensive."

"Yes." Zhou Quan's voice was as steady as ever.

"At the foot of the mountain, when the army was preparing to set off, what did I say to you?" The emperor's voice was very soft, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

All the cheers and worship came to an abrupt halt in that instant.

The survivors' faces were still flushed with elation when a strange chill suddenly rose in their hearts. They looked up at the emperor's back, puzzled, wondering why such a seemingly ordinary question had made them so uneasy.

Zhou Quan straightened his body, his face, illuminated by the moonlight, as resolute as granite.

He answered in a deep voice, clearly and distinctly, word by word:

His Majesty once decreed:

"Tonight, anyone who violates the Great Ming Code and commits a capital offense..." Zhou Quan paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over the faces that had just been shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Leave no one behind!"

These four words, like a soft "snap," resonated in everyone's hearts—the precious glass cup they had obtained through despicable acts and betrayal shattered in response!

In an instant, all colors faded from their world, and all sounds turned into distant buzzing.

The mask of ecstasy cracked and peeled away, revealing unbelievable horror beneath, and a deathly gray that spread from the deepest recesses of the soul.

At this moment, the blood seemed to flow backward back to the heart, and in the next instant, it cooled down from the top of the head to the soles of the feet!
Not one... left?
What do you mean?
What do you mean by "leaving no one alive"?!

Didn't we already... already report and expose them, thus earning our right to live?!
Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction after hearing Zhou Quan's answer.

He turned around and faced the criminals again, whose faces were ashen and whose eyes were filled with shock, confusion and extreme fear.

The emperor laughed.

The smile remained gentle, yet at this moment it seemed incredibly cruel and mocking.

"correct."

"A ruler's word is law, and an emperor must be even more trustworthy."

“I just said that I keep my word. That’s right, I did keep my promise to you. Because you reported me, I gave you a chance to live, allowing you to survive those rounds of massacres.”

The emperor's voice, like a cold, venomous snake, slowly crept into everyone's ears.

"but……"

"I keep my word to others, but I must keep my word to myself even more!"

"I swore an oath at the foot of the mountain that none of those on the mountain who were guilty of capital crimes would be spared. And that oath was taken—none of them would be spared!"

The masks of elation, just put together to show the faces of all the monks, officials, and landlords, cracked instantly and peeled away inch by inch.

Their pupils dilated to the extreme in an instant, as if their souls had been forcibly pulled from their bodies, leaving only walking corpses, who had even forgotten how to scream.

"No...no! Your Majesty! You can't do this!"

"Your Majesty, you kept your word! You are the Son of Heaven!"

"This humble citizen...this humble citizen is only alive because of the evidence of my crimes!"

"Zhu Youjian, you son of a bitch..."

A quick-thinking landlord suddenly realized something. He scrambled forward, pointed at the bound prisoners, and shouted hoarsely, "Your Majesty! The criminals are over there! They are the criminals! We...we are the informants! We have done something good!"

"Have you made a contribution?"

The smile on Zhu Youjian's face finally disappeared, replaced by a cold disgust.

"A corrupt official who rots the country, a treacherous flatterer of Buddha, harboring filth and oppressing the people. His crimes are numerous and too many to count. Now, facing death, he shows no remorse, but instead considers betraying his comrades a merit and living on as an honor!"

"There are two things I hate most in my life."

"One is a traitor."

"Secondly," his gaze, like a sharp blade of judgment, pierced deep into the souls of everyone, "it is you who are shameless, selling everything just to survive... spineless cowards!"

The emperor stopped looking at them and simply waved coldly at Zhou Quan.

Zhou Quan slowly raised the imperial sword in his hand under the moonlight. The bloodstains left on the blade when he killed Fan had long since dried into a dark red color.

"Do not--!!!"

A desperate howl echoed through the night sky above the entire temple!
Zuo Liangyu stepped forward, holding the blood-red bill, and began to read it aloud in a voice as cold as ice.

"Wang De, a clerk in the Provincial Administration Commission, donated 300 mu of land to the temple, evading 4,000 taels of tax. According to the law, he should be executed!"

"cut!"

As a cold word was uttered, Wang Jingli, who had just been wailing, fell silent. A severed head rolled to the ground, tracing an arc in the moonlight.

"Qian Youcai, a wealthy merchant from Jiangning, bribed officials at the temple to monopolize the textile industry. According to the law, he should be executed!"

The blade flashed again, and blood splattered everywhere.

Those who thought they had survived were completely devastated when they heard their names and crimes read aloud!
At that moment, they realized with horror that they were just another batch of livestock to be slaughtered!
They were even worse off than those people—

After tasting the sweetness of hope, they were then violently pushed into an even deeper abyss of despair!
They sold everything, only to die a few hours later!

"Liar! You devil! You deserve to die a horrible death!"

"I won't let you go even if I'm a ghost!"

"Amitabha Buddha... Buddha, save me!!"

Cries, curses, pleas for mercy, prayers... all sorts of sounds mingled together, yet they could not move the imperial guards carrying out the executions in the slightest.

Under the midnight moonlight, the glint of blades stretched out like a field of ripe wheat being harvested.

Heads rolled to the ground.

Fresh blood gushed out like a spring.

Blood once again stained the entire open space red.

The pale full moon seemed to be stained by the soaring blood energy, gradually taking on an eerie crimson hue.

After the desolate, battlefield-like space returned to its deathly silence, Zhu Youjian slowly raised his head and looked at the blood moon in the sky.

"I will show all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens that in my realm, no one can escape the death penalty under the Great Ming Code; and no one can live with their head held high after defying my imperial might!"

The massacre is over.

The mountain wind blows, stirring up not dust, but a thick, unyielding stench of blood.

Zhu Youjian slowly climbed the steps.

Behind him stood soldiers standing solemnly like a forest, and beneath his feet were the blood-soaked stone steps leading to the main hall.

Finally, the emperor stopped in front of the palace gate.

The hall was dimly lit, with only the enormous golden statue of Buddha reflecting a cold light under the firelight.

It still maintains its posture of looking down on all living beings, as if it is high above and untouched by the dust of the world.

But what Zhu Youjian smelled was a stench of decay and stench that even the sandalwood could not mask, emanating from the depths of the palace and accumulated over hundreds of years!
Looking at that compassionate expression, he gave a cold, mocking smile.

"To harbor filth and depravity is to be unworthy of being a god or Buddha!"

(End of this chapter)