Hot flashes

But with things having escalated to this point, Xiao Jue's reaction in court was frustratingly slow.

He went to court every day as usual, reviewed memorials, and summoned ministers as usual. Urgent reports from Jiangnan piled up on his desk, forming a thick stack.

The powerful families were even more anxious than the imperial court. The heads of the Cui family sat in their study all day, from morning till night, going through several rounds of tea, but none of them were in the mood to drink it.

The people they sent out to gather information returned one after another, each report worse than the last—grain shops in Suzhou were smashed, pawnshops in Huzhou were robbed, the steward in Changzhou was beaten to death, and tenants in Songjiang Prefecture began to resist rent payments.

Liu Man sat in the corner, his face ashen, like an old rag. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, Jiangnan will be turned upside down." Wei Zhong stroked his beard, remaining silent. Steward Zheng sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the night outside, lost in thought.

"What did Lord Cui say?" Wei Zhong suddenly asked.

Liu Man shook his head. "Lord Cui told us to stay calm and not to act rashly."

"Stabilize?" Manager Zheng's voice drifted in from the window, tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "Jiangnan is practically in chaos, how can he stabilize it?"

Liu Man glanced at him but didn't reply. Those disaster victims weren't just looting food anymore; they were venting their frustrations.

"We have to do something," Liu Man said, his voice even lower than before.

Wei Zhong stopped stroking his beard. "What are you doing? Sending troops to suppress them? Do you even have troops?"

Liu Man choked. The private armies of the powerful families were all in Jiangbei, on the Cui family's territory. Jiangnan was the granary of the powerful families, not their military camp. The garrison in Jiangnan was under the control of the imperial court, and without orders from the Ministry of War, not a single soldier could be moved.

"So we're just going to wait here like this?" Liu Man's voice rose.

Wei Zhong did not answer. Steward Zheng also remained silent.

Just when the powerful families were caught in a dilemma, Xiao Jue made his move.

The imperial decree came without warning, like a thunderbolt striking from a clear sky, hitting the bonfire that had been burning for half a month in Jiangnan, catching everyone off guard.

The imperial decree was delivered to Jiangning Prefecture by express courier.

The imperial guards delivering the imperial decree rode a soaking wet blue horse, galloping all the way from the capital to Jiangning. They changed horses three times, and two died in the process. When they arrived at the gate of the Jiangning government office, the blue horse was foaming at the mouth and nose, its hooves trembling, and it could barely stand.

The imperial guards dismounted, pulled out the imperial edict sealed with yellow silk from their robes, strode into the government office, and dragged out Wu Huai-ren, who was still hiding in the backyard.

Wu Huai-ren knelt in the main hall of the government office, his face as white as a corpse. He hadn't slept well for several days; his eyes were sunken, his lips were chapped, and he had lost a lot of weight.

With things escalating to this point in Jiangnan, he knew he couldn't escape it any longer.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Imperial Commissioner Wu Huai-ren, having been ordered to provide disaster relief, instead of serving the country, took the opportunity to enrich himself by selling the imperial relief grain to grain merchants, causing widespread public resentment and uprisings. His crime deserves execution. He is hereby executed on the spot, and his property is confiscated as a warning to others. This decree is hereby issued."

Wu Huai-ren felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he collapsed to the ground, his forehead hitting the cold blue bricks, leaving a bruise.

He wanted to cry out that he was innocent, and he opened his mouth, but it felt like there was a wad of cotton stuck in his throat, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

His staff and entourage had long been under the control of the Imperial Guard.

The execution took place at the gate of Jiangning Prefecture. By the time Wu Huai-ren was escorted to the execution ground, the news had spread like wildfire throughout Jiangning City.

People flocked in from all directions, crowding both sides of the city gate, forming a dense, dark mass that completely blocked the street.

Some people stood on high places, some climbed trees, and some carried their children on their shoulders, afraid of missing anything.

Wu Huai-ren knelt on the execution ground, dressed in prison clothes, his hair disheveled, his face ashen. His mouth was gagged, so he could only make muffled sounds, like a dog whose tail had been stepped on.

The executioner stood behind him, his broadsword gleaming coldly in the early winter sun.

It was noon.

"cut."

The sound of the command arrow hitting the ground was very soft, like a needle falling into cotton wool.

A flash of light appeared.

Wu Huai-ren's head rolled to the ground, and blood gushed out from his neck cavity, splattering all over the ground and staining the yellow soil of the execution ground dark red.

A deafening roar erupted from the crowd, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and kneeling on the ground, kowtowing towards the direction of the capital.

The cries merged into one, surging up like a tide and engulfing everything on the execution ground.