Chapter 162: On the spot, Zhao is cut in half at the waist—still merely the appetizer of the public trial

Duan Wu felt heavy-hearted; though he had not personally seen the tragedy that befell Xiu Mei's family, merely hearing His Majesty and the Fairy's description made one's hair stand on end.

"Xiu Mei……" Duan Wu steadied himself, following the interrogation procedure, he asked, "Do you recognize these people?"

Xiu Mei raised her head, looked at those people, her eyes almost dripping with blood, "Even if they turned to ashes, this common woman would still recognize them!"

Duan Wu said, "Then now tell this general, tell everyone present, what they did……"

Xiu Mei then recounted in detail what had happened a few days prior; when she reached the crucial point, her whole body trembled, her nails dug into her palms, and both hands bled.

The townspeople listened, feeling both shocked and heartbroken, and extremely angry.

Afterwards, some townspeople voluntarily stepped forward to corroborate seeing Xiu Mei and An An being seized by Zhao and his men that day.

For a moment, the people's anger grew even more intense.

Stones kept flying from the crowd, smashing hard into Zhao and his men.

Duan Wu did not intervene, coldly watching them wail in agony, heads split and blood flowing.

Faced with mountain-like ironclad evidence and the enormous public anger pouring from all directions, even if Zhao thought that since there was no way out he might as well stay stubborn to the end, his several aides nearby had already collapsed, wailing and confessing their guilt.

Moreover, they confessed fully, everything was because Zhao, upon seeing wealth, formed the intent to rob and kill together with them; afterward he still wanted to find Xiu Mei to silence her.

"You…… you……" Zhao glared, his face turning livid with rage, "I had wanted to bring you all to prosperity, yet you sold me out like this? Ungrateful wretches! Ungrateful and unfaithful things!"

"Pah!" his subordinates spat, tearing apart their faces as they cursed, "You think you're bringing us prosperity? You just want us to do your dirty work!"

"If you could handle it alone, what good would be left for us? Damn it, stop pretending to be something good here!"

"And you say we're ungrateful? What about you? Five years ago you were so poor you begged on the streets, nearly freezing to death in the winter! Xiu Mei, pregnant, took you in and saved your life! In the end, for treasure, you ruined her family and handed her daughter over to human traffickers!"

"You're the most inhumane! The most deserving of death, you scum!"

If it weren't for these few people now spilling the past while fighting like dogs, the townspeople wouldn't have known that Xiu Mei had once helped Zhao.

Now the public fury surged even higher.

Zhao's face was ashen, he slumped to the ground, unable to utter a word.

Several constables had their hands bound behind their backs, movement hindered, yet they strained to move their knees, continually kowtowing to Xiu Mei, saying they knew they were wrong, that they deserved death, and hoping before death to obtain her forgiveness.

Xiu Mei ignored them, kowtowed to Duan Wu and said, "Please, General, kill them!"

"Kill them! Kill them!" the townspeople shouted, raising their hands.

Duan Wu loudly ordered, "Men! Behead these constables as a warning, cut Zhao in half at the waist! Carry it out immediately!"

A row of soldiers swiftly dragged Zhao and his men to the front of the trial platform.

Several constables were so frightened they lost bladder and bowel control; they never expected the death sentence to come so swiftly.

Swish!!

The soldiers swung their blades in unison.

Several heads flew up.

Blood spurted wildly, dripping along the edge of the trial platform onto the ground.

After those constables were beheaded, their heads rolled everywhere, eyes and mouths still opening and closing, the headless bodies twitched for a while before going still.

Seeing this, Zhao was terrified to the core, and Duan Wu made him suffer last in order to further torment him before death.

"No…… no!" Zhao cried like a dying, struggling mad dog, "I was wrong! Please, General, give me a quick death! I don't want to be cut in half at the waist!"

Even beheading takes a moment before one is completely dead.

Although the time is short, the pain endured can be imagined.

Being cut in half at the waist…… will only be worse, not better!

"Prepare for execution!" Duan Wu ordered decisively.

Two soldiers grabbed Zhao's flailing hands and feet, stretching him out, while another soldier stood in the middle, raising high a long, sharp machete.

The townspeople clenched their fists, teeth gritted, eyes unblinking, afraid to miss any scene.

Having returned to the crowd, Xiu Mei embraced her husband, holding An An in their arms, covering her daughter's eyes, then the couple stared fixedly at Zhao about to be cut in half at the waist.

"Cut!" Duan Wu roared.

Zhao was terrified to the extreme, his eyes wide, only able to watch the sharp long blade swiftly fall.

Pfft!

A cold light flashed, blood sprayed.

Zhao was cut in half at the waist!

"Good! Great!" the townspeople shouted and clapped.

No one thought the scene too brutal; there was only satisfaction at seeing justice done.

Zhao, in extreme pain, could not faint; instead he continued to wail miserably, feeling pain beyond human endurance, while hearing the townspeople's cheers in his ears.

At this moment, he finally understood what regret and a fate worse than death meant.

After the span of a cup of tea, he slowly breathed his last in extreme pain……

Duan Wu then ordered the soldiers to clear the scene, dragging the bodies away, and to continue the trial afterward.

Xiu Mei's husband struggled forward, kowtowing before the trial platform, and said, "General Duan, commoner…… I have a humble request."

Duan Wu said, "Speak."

Xiu Mei's husband wiped his red, tear-filled eyes, "May I have that beast's head, commoner…… I wish to take it to my mother's grave to pay respects."

"Good, after the interrogation ends, this general will surely give you his head." Duan Wu readily agreed.

Xiu Mei's husband, tears streaming down his face, "Thank you, General!"

After the just-executed corpses were dragged away by the soldiers, Duan Wu publicly announced the verdict on the other county office officials and constables.

With the clerk at the helm, the county office officials are to be beheaded tomorrow at noon; the remaining constables are all to be exiled to the army.

The townspeople again burst into cheers and applause.

Duan Wu said, "Fellow villagers, these are merely the appetizer of this public trial's preparations; next comes the mastermind!"

Seize the He Wan County Magistrate and the Longyuan Governor and bring them both here under my command!

Upon hearing this, the crowd nearly went mad with excitement.

I never imagined that not only would the county magistrate be tried, but even that high-and-mighty governor would be captured!

This is a tremendous joy!

After Duan Wu gave the order, one unit of soldiers immediately headed for the rear county office, while another unit rushed straight to the place where the Longyuan Governor was being held separately.

Inside the county office prison.

The county magistrate's whole household, including servants and guards, numbered over 120 people, all present here.

In the days and nights following their arrest, sighs, sobs, and complaints rose and fell, making it quite lively.

The magistrate, irritated by the clamor, could no longer tolerate it and shouted: "Quiet down! It's just that the surname Duan sent some troops to threaten us with force—what's the big deal? Does he really think he can kill me, a magistrate of my stature? He's gone insane!"

"Wuu… my lord…" several concubines cried so hard they could barely stand, grabbing his arms and chattering.

"He has troops, yet he dares to come to our house in the dead of night to seize people… he… he might really dare to kill us…"

"My lord, we are truly terrified!"

Seeing these concubines crying and wailing, the magistrate grew even more vexed, stroking his beard and glaring: "He dares nothing! If he really dared, would he have locked us all up in prison? If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it three nights ago!"

"Quiet down and give my lord some peace of mind," the magistrate's wife calmly said. "My lord is right; we have nothing to fear. In my view, Duan Wu must have another motive—he's unwilling to return our family's wealth, so he staged this to intimidate us."

The magistrate snorted coldly, "Exactly, that's what I think too."

"Then… my lord, why not just let him take everything and we'll want nothing?" a concubine said, wiping her tears. "I really don't want to stay in this godforsaken place any longer."

Several other concubines chimed in, saying they had lived over a decade and never suffered like this before.

The prison is hardly a place fit for humans.

They truly can't bear it any longer.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" the magistrate snapped. "The wealth in that storehouse is the fruit of my years of hard labor! How could I just hand it over to that bastard Duan Wu for free? Moreover, if we simply give it away, what will you all live on—northwest wind?"

The concubines, having been scolded, dared not speak again.

The magistrate's wife pondered and said, "My lord, since the surname Duan has superficially promised the governor to return our family's property, I think even if he is greedy, he wouldn't dare to take it all; if we negotiate well and ask for only a portion to be returned, he will agree."

Seeing the magistrate's face turn ashen without an immediate response, his wife patiently urged, "My lord, just consider it spending money to avert disaster! Let him gain some advantage for now; once he's appeased, you can be released. There will be plenty of time later to settle scores with him! As for this loss of property, you merely need to add a few tax items and recoup it from the people of He Wan County."

Hearing this, the magistrate let out a long sigh, "Alas, the wife makes sense; we have no choice."

Immediately he turned his gaze to his sons and trusted aides in the neighboring cell, pondering as he spoke:

From now on, you must stop idling away your time on eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Once you're out, I'll assign you to various posts throughout the county, leaving no stone unturned in squeezing every bit of profit—even the tiniest, poorest village, where even a mosquito's leg has meat, must be taxed just like the county seat!

"The magistrate sure is a busy man," a sarcastic voice suddenly rang out as a soldier approached the cell door where the magistrate was held, "Your wounds aren't healed, you're deep in prison, yet you're still scheming to extort the people's blood and sweat."

The He Wan County Magistrate flew into a rage, pointing at the speaking soldier's nose and cursing: "It's all because that little punk Duan screwed us over! Cut the sarcastic remarks in front of me! I know what scheme he's hatching—shouldn't I be summoned out to meet him now?!"

The soldier gave a half-smile, "Indeed, I'm here to take you over."

"Have the surname Duan himself come fetch me!" the He Wan County Magistrate declared, straightening his back with righteous confidence.

The soldiers had no patience for his nonsense; they opened the cell door, grabbed him by the nape, and dragged him out.

The He Wan County Magistrate, furious and flustered, shouted: "You're nothing but that brat's lackeys! How dare you treat me this way! Once I settle things with that brat, I'll come back and deal with you!"

The soldiers ignored his mad-dog ranting, straightaway escorting him out of the prison and all the way to the front of the county gate.

The He Wan County Magistrate began to calculate in secret: since his whole household was under Duan Wu's control by virtue of his troops, even if he felt angry later he'd have to restrain himself, choose his words carefully, minimize his losses, then after this matter is settled, file a complaint against the governor to see how long that little punk Duan can remain arrogant.

Only when he was escorted to the open-air trial platform outside the county gate did the He Wan County Magistrate realize something… felt off.

Quick look! The magistrate is being brought here!

Sure enough, it's him! Dog magistrate, you won't die a good death!

Chop him up! Chop him up!

The people's angry roars rose wave after wave.

The He Wan County Magistrate stared, his legs giving out.

Two soldiers simply dragged him onto the platform.

Kneel!

A soldier kicked his shin; he stumbled and fell to his knees with a thud, looked up in bewilderment, and saw Duan Wu seated behind the judgment table.

"You…" the He Wan County Magistrate's face darkened, "Duan Wu! What… what are you up to?"

Duan Wu lifted his chin, "Are you blind? Can't you see I'm here to try you? Why ask?"

The He Wan County Magistrate's old face trembled, his eyes full of disbelief: "Trying me again? Haven't you played this trick enough? This time you even went to the trouble of setting up a big table! Fine, surname Duan, you're addicted to being a judge, aren't you? If you've got the guts, let me see the governor! I don't believe he'd indulge you!"

A group of soldiers around them suddenly burst into muffled laughter.

Duan Wu rubbed his forehead, "You really are blind—open your dog eyes wide and see who's beside you."

Hearing that, the He Wan County Magistrate turned his head and glanced aside.

Just a moment ago he hadn't noticed that someone was already kneeling here, but the person wore prison garb, hair disheveled, head bowed, so he hadn't paid it any mind.

Now taking a closer look, he sucked in a cold breath: "You… You… You, sir?!"

The other slowly lifted his head; amidst his disheveled hair, a pair of eyes bloodshot and devoid of life appeared.

"You, sir!" the He Wan County Magistrate exclaimed in shock, "How did you end up like this?! How… how could you be wearing prison garb? How could you be here?!"

The governor again lowered his head, listlessly continuing to kneel, with no response.

"Duan Wu!" the He Wan County Magistrate rose in anger, "How dare you treat Sir You this way—it's utterly lawless and heinous! No wonder you arrested my whole family; it turns out… it turns out even the governor fell to your foul hand! Do you really think that just because you command troops you can act so outrageously? Do you still have any law or heavenly principle left?"

Duan Wu casually wiped the blood that occasionally seeped from his forehead wound, fixed the He Wan County Magistrate with a piercing gaze, and spoke in a low voice:

He has already confessed to all his crimes and can no longer serve as your backing; no matter how righteously you shout, it's useless. Better you quickly admit your guilt, so I, as commander, can swiftly announce how you'll be executed—the people are all eager to hear the outcome. Aren't you curious what fate awaits you yourself?