Chapter 534: Heads Rolling

Apart from those merchants who had been arrested, the men now standing on the city wall counted as major merchants in Yangzhou, men with at least some connections and influence, and none of them had entirely clean hands.

Zhu Youxiao had investigated them too, and those who deserved punishment had been punished — but that was not enough.

At this moment, these men needed to understand that the times had changed. If they continued as before, their fate would be no different from those below. They needed to realize that under the rule of this Emperor, they should adopt a new way of living.

The faces of the assembled merchants were all extremely grim.

Some began to tremble, their bodies going weak.

Some turned pale, nearly collapsing to their knees, shaking like a sieve — only able to stand with others supporting them. From the look of it, the moment anyone let go, they would collapse straight to the ground.

Zhu Youxiao looked at these men, then slowly turned his head.

He glanced at Qi Yuanfu, who stood guard nearby holding a long spear, and a sudden idea struck him.

Should he take that long spear and, before these merchants, recite a poem for them?

And as for which poem — naturally Cao Cao's line, "When the Duke of Zhou spat out his food, all under Heaven turned their hearts to him."

After reciting that line, he could run one of them through with the spear to intimidate the rest — surely the effect would be excellent.

But on second thought, forget it — it wouldn't fit his image.

While Zhu Youxiao was lost in idle fancy, things began below.

Executions by beheading in this era were not like those shown in later films and television dramas, where a long blade comes down with a single chop. In reality, cutting through a neck that way was extremely difficult — one stroke was no easy feat.

Actual beheadings came in two varieties: one relied on equipment, the other on skill.

Relying on equipment meant using a guillotine blade. Only a guillotine could sever a head in a single stroke. An ordinary sword could never cut through a neck in one blow — the blades of this era were neither hard enough nor sharp enough. Only with a guillotine could one stroke send the head tumbling from the body.

The other method relied on skill: using a very thin, very fast blade, feeling along the neck for the gap between the cervical vertebrae, then slicing through in one cut. Sometimes the cut went wrong and failed to sever completely, leaving the condemned prisoner in agony.

As a merciful Emperor, Zhu Youxiao naturally would not choose that method — he naturally opted for the guillotine.

Below, a row of guillotines had already been set up, their blades glinting coldly in the sunlight, forming a stark contrast.

Someone took out a register and began calling names — this was called verifying identity, making sure the person to be executed was indeed the right one, so no mistake would be made.

After identity verification, the prisoner was dragged to the guillotine's mouth. Those who cooperated had their heads placed directly inside; those who resisted, still struggling desperately, would be kicked from behind in the back of the knee and forced to their knees.

As for those scenes of eating a meal at the execution ground — those were utterly impossible. No such custom existed. Don't even think about it.

The last meal had already been eaten in the prison cell, in the morning — so naturally there was none now.

Once the prisoner was shoved into the guillotine, the executioner directly lifted the blade and waited for the command.

Everyone held their breath watching the scene; the site was utterly silent.

After all the propaganda of this period, these men had earned the hatred of the common people. Yet even at this moment of execution, no one shouted.

On the city wall, those merchants grew even more terrified — terrified that they would be next, or that they would simply be dragged out and beheaded on the spot.

This was truly a matter of life and death.

Then the cry came from below: "The hour of noon has arrived!"

"Execute!"

A sonorous, forceful "Execute!" was shouted out. The guillotine blade fell, blood splattered, heads tumbled — and instantly a stench of blood spread through the air, drifting in all directions with the wind.

Though Zhu Youxiao stood atop the city wall, he could still smell the blood.

He turned to look at the merchants beside him — some had already fainted, others had begun to vomit.

Clearly, this scene had terrified them. This beheading was truly horrifying.

Zhu Youxiao gave them one glance, then turned and walked down from the wall.

There was no need to remain. The purpose had already been achieved. He hadn't come to watch executions — he had come to frighten these men, to make them understand what killing meant.

Yangzhou city suddenly grew quiet. Though many were agitating and spreading propaganda, the atmosphere simply would not rise.

The reason was simple: the blood outside Yangzhou's walls had not yet dried, and those headless corpses left unclaimed were enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

Killing on such a massive scale was truly frightening.

After so long in peacetime — whether officials, commoners, or merchants — how long had it been since anyone had witnessed such a spectacle?

This was enough to scare a person to death!

No one had any heart left for making trouble. In an instant, everything settled down.

In the Lichun Pavilion, room Son of Heaven Number One.

Cao Bang walked in from outside, his expression somewhat grim.

He glanced at Huang Changzong, who sat drinking tea in the room, and felt a knot of discomfort in his heart.

Cao Bang didn't even know what to say. Why had Huang Changzong arranged the meeting here again?

That day, when the Emperor had been eavesdropping in the next room, Cao Bang had nearly died of fright upon learning of it. He had decided then that he would never come to this Lichun Pavilion again, no matter what — let alone to room Son of Heaven Number One.

Even if the Lichun Pavilion had the most beautiful women in the world, he would never set foot here for a single glance!

But who would have thought — just a few days later, his vow was broken. Huang Changzong had again arranged the meeting in this Son of Heaven Number One room.

Though Cao Bang absolutely, absolutely did not want to come, he dared not refuse.

When Huang Changzong summoned him, could he really ask to change the location?

With the meeting set at the Lichun Pavilion, Cao Bang couldn't even be sure whether it was the Emperor who wanted to see him, or whether the matters they discussed were meant for the Emperor to know. He didn't dare think about it.

In any case, the appointment was made, so he came for the meeting — there was no avoiding it now.

He had rushed over here, and though he dared not voice his feelings, his expression could not help but carry a hint of resentment.

Huang Changzong turned a blind eye to Cao Bang's resentment, pretending to be blind. This place was not one where one could speak carelessly or make any rash moves.

Huang Changzong sat there drinking tea, and poured a cup for Cao Bang as well.

And not far away, behind the room, someone was recording the fact that Huang Changzong had poured tea for Cao Bang.

Sitting down across from Huang Changzong, Cao Bang put on a brilliant smile and said, "Brother Huang, what business do you have with this humble elder brother today?"

Hearing this, Huang Changzong smiled and said, "Brother Cao, I called you over today because there's something I need to tell you. But before that, I must first ask — how did matters at your household go? Have you finished putting everything in order?"

Cao Bang said with a face full of gratitude, "I have Eunuch Chen to thank for that, and the court as well. If I had had to handle it myself, I fear I would have worn myself out to death there."

"Thanks to Your Majesty's consideration and the help He sent, we were able to finish everything in such a short time. Truly, His grace is vast as the ocean!"

Huang Changzong glanced at Cao Bang, knowing this was flattery. The reason he had brought up this topic in the first place was precisely to let Cao Bang offer a few words of praise.

Too much is as bad as too little — this was enough. So Huang Changzong said, "Since you've finished, it's just the right time to tell you about something new."

"What happened on the city wall yesterday — did you see it?" Huang Changzong looked at Cao Bang and asked.

Shooting Huang Changzong a rather resentful look, Cao Bang wished he could drag him over and give him a thorough scolding.

What kind of question was that to ask? How could he not have seen it?

I was right at the front yesterday — it nearly scared me to death. I threw up everything I'd eaten the day before, and from this morning until now I haven't eaten a thing!

The only reason I came is because you called me — otherwise I wouldn't have shown up at all!

And now you ask me this question?

No, I can't take it — I'm feeling nauseous again!

Cao Bang instinctively covered his mouth, then quickly let go, suppressing his nausea as he said, "I went. Why?"

"And did you gain any insights?" Huang Changzong looked at Cao Bang and asked with a smile.

At this moment, Huang Changzong's attitude was sincere, his tone gentle, and his eyes carried expectation.

It felt as though he was waiting for Cao Bang to say something, and could barely contain himself.

Cao Bang was somewhat bewildered.

Insights — what insights could there possibly be?

Heads rolling, blood flowing like a river — I nearly threw up and died. What insights could I possibly have?

Could it be he wants me to feel a sense of awe? The effect of scaring myself was quite good.

Cao Bang steadied himself and said, "I was deeply moved! Those who commit many unjust acts will surely meet their own end! One must not do evil things, must not break the law and violate discipline — otherwise there will be no good ending!"

Huang Changzong glanced at Cao Bang, feeling utterly helpless.

This was too disappointing — he hadn't even figured out such a simple matter. Did he still need to keep guiding him?

Sometimes too much is as bad as too little — what one realizes on one's own is what truly matters.

But there was no other choice at this point, so Huang Changzong said, "Do you really have no insights? Nothing you feel you ought to do?"

"Something I ought to do?" Cao Bang thought for a moment and said, "I will certainly devote myself wholeheartedly and never let down Your Majesty's grace in recognizing my talents!"

Huang Changzong was exasperated — he nearly stood up in fury and grabbed Cao Bang by the collar to interrogate him.

But he couldn't — there were too many eyes and ears here, and word might leak out.

He still didn't know what Your Majesty intended to do, so he couldn't go making a mess of things.

Huang Changzong could only say it directly: "The merchants of Yangzhou have come to where they are today not only because of their own greed, but also to a large extent because they have no rules and no one to restrain them. Under such circumstances, their ambitions grow and all sorts of ideas emerge. They are no longer satisfied with simply making money — how could people like that not end up in trouble? Don't you think so?"

After speaking, Huang Changzong looked at Cao Bang with expectant eyes, hoping he might grasp something.

But Cao Bang remained utterly confused. He turned to look at Huang Changzong, not quite understanding, and feeling rather wronged.

Huang Changzong shook his head helplessly and said directly, "Don't you think that merchants, lacking oversight, are what created the current situation? To avoid repeating the same mistake, as the leader of Yangzhou's merchant community, shouldn't you do something about it? What do you think? It wouldn't be appropriate to do nothing, would it?"