Chapter 163

The He Wan County Magistrate wore a dazed expression, still unable to believe the situation had turned out like this.

Over these years, he got whatever wind he wanted, whatever rain he wanted, lived in luxury, ate well, had power and money, dominated He Wan County, and his life was extremely comfortable.

The common people let him exploit them, his subordinates obeyed his every command, and above him the Longyuan Governor provided cover.

How could everything suddenly be gone?

How could he possibly accept this!

"Sir… You Sir…" the He Wan County Magistrate looked toward the governor with a sliver of hope, forcing a smile and stammering, "This… this is actually, are you just joking with this subordinate, right? Please tell me, this… this isn't real!"

You Sir said nothing, only slowly extended a pair of hands whose fingernails had been pulled out.

Those bloody, mangled fingertips trembled constantly in the sunlight, harshly stimulating the county magistrate's heart.

At this moment, the He Wan County Magistrate could not help but accept that his world had collapsed, his face ashen as he whispered, "It's over… really over… completely over…"

Subsequently, Duan Wu conducted his interrogation very smoothly.

The county magistrate, his spirit utterly shattered, confessed to all the listed crimes and even revealed some illegal acts that had not been uncovered, then sat numb and lifeless on the ground.

In short, not only were everyone in the He Wan County Office implicated, but his entire family had no clean hands either.

"Next, this general will announce the verdict." Duan Wu declared loudly.

The common people pricked up their ears, looking at him with eager anticipation.

Duan Wu recalled that before today's public trial, His Majesty had previously told him the disposal method.

In fact, His Majesty had already thoroughly considered how to deal with this gang of dog officials over the past three days.

The reason we still need to hold a grand, public trial and go through the process is first to give the common people an explanation and let them vent their anger, and second to use this opportunity to conveniently draw out and clean up the forces behind You Sir as well.

From a higher-level perspective, the latter is more important.

His Majesty said that from the imperial court to the localities, Daxuan has tens of thousands of officials big and small, among whom noble and aristocratic forces are entangled; over the years he has realized that as Daxuan grows stronger, ever more serious problems have emerged within these systems, and the Fairy also indicated that such problems have always been the root cause of every nation and dynasty's downfall.

Whether it is to ensure that Daxuan, after unifying all under heaven, can enjoy long-term peace and stability, or to promote the glorious development of the Huaxia nation, we must cleanse Daxuan's internal power structure.

His Majesty already holds great power, and more importantly, the Fairy provides endless resources, enabling him to accomplish many things that were previously impossible due to the constraints of the age.

Therefore, this He Wan County case, which emerged from tracing the initial Yu Guo refugee incident, has become a very important opportunity.

"He Wan County Magistrate, your crimes are enormous and heinous, and your relatives, servants, and over a hundred related personnel are likewise unforgivable!" Duan Wu's voice boomed with vigor, "Now I pronounce judgment—the He Wan County Magistrate is sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, to be carried out publicly starting tomorrow! Moreover, execution of the nine clans! The relevant persons shall also, beginning tomorrow, be beheaded and displayed publicly!"

"Good! Excellent!" the common people shouted excitedly, leaping and clapping with delight!

The cheers and applause thundered like rolling thunder, and countless common people wept with joy.

"Death by a thousand cuts… I… I don't want… don't want death by a thousand cuts!" the He Wan County Magistrate, as if waking from a dream, suddenly sprang up and lunged toward the judgment table, head down, straight for the corner.

Death by a thousand cuts requires enduring countless knives and slices before one can expire; its pain is more terrifying than being drawn and quartered or sliced in half at the waist.

He would rather end his own life now for a quick release than suffer such a horrifying execution.

But before he could strike the table corner, the nearby soldiers, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, timely blocked him.

He then tried to bite his tongue to kill himself, but the soldiers likewise seized his jaw, bound his mouth with a thick hemp rope, and no matter how hard he struggled, his teeth could not reach his tongue's root.

"You've exploited the people for so many years, who knows how many families you've ruined and destroyed, yet you still dream of dying an easy death? Dream on!" Duan Wu stepped up to the He Wan County Magistrate, raised his hand, and slapped him hard across the face, leaving his mouth bloody and his cheeks swollen.

The He Wan County Magistrate's eyes filled with fear as he sobbed, begging for a quick end.

Duan Wu sneered, "Take this dog official away, keep him under strict watch, and make sure he stays alive until tomorrow's punishment!"

"Yes, general!" the soldiers replied, binding the county magistrate tightly and carrying him away.

In the crowd, Xiao Qidi said to Xiu Mei, "Sister Xiu Mei, don't you owe someone an apology?"

Xiu Mei looked blank, "Toward whom? What did I do wrong?"

Xiao Qidi reminded, "Someone you misunderstood."

"Who… is the person I… misunderstood?" Xiu Mei, after a moment, still couldn't figure it out, her expression growing even more bewildered.

Xiao Qidi felt somewhat helpless.

Ning Jinli saw his reaction and immediately understood the situation, smiling at Xiu Mei she said, "Before you thought the county magistrate's imposition of all kinds of miscellaneous taxes and corvée on the people were orders from above, and you even cursed a certain someone until your face was smeared with dog's blood."

"Oh oh oh! So it was His Majesty you meant." Xiu Mei suddenly realized, her face flushing with guilt, "Indeed I wrongly blamed him. Good thing those words weren't heard by him, otherwise I'd surely lose my head."

Xiao Qidi felt even more helpless, "Is he really that unreasonable?"

Xiu Mei cautiously said, "That's a lofty sovereign; how could he possibly reason with us common folk? Besides, I've heard that since ancient times, monarchs are especially narrow-minded, suspicious, and vengeful."

Xiao Qidi's cheek twitched, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Seeing his expression, Ning Jinli almost laughed out loud, then immediately told Xiu Mei, "He's actually a very good person."

Seeing Ning Jinli's tone seemed familiar with the sovereign, and recalling that this young lady possessed extraordinary ability, Xiu Mei conjectured that perhaps she truly knew His Majesty, and shivered nervously, "Miss Ning, you… you wouldn't happen to know His Majesty, would you?"

Ning Jinli blinked her big eyes, "More or less, hehe."

Xiao Qidi silently curled the corner of his mouth.

"Ah… so you do know him?" Xiu Mei panicked instantly, "You must absolutely not let him hear what I said!"

Ning Jinli stifled a laugh and said, "Knowing him is no problem; if I may say, although the He Wan County Magistrate's antics were not his doing, as a sovereign he must bear full responsibility for the nation and its people; the faults and even misdeeds of officials below deserve his blame. If he cannot shoulder these responsibilities, he is unfit to be a sovereign."

Upon hearing Ning Jinli's such "great treason" remarks, Xiu Mei hurriedly said, "Miss, miss, stop speaking, it's terrifying…"

Ning Jinli turned her head to look at Xiao Qidi, grinning and asking, "Little brother, do you think what I said is right or not?"

Xiao Qidi silently complained in his heart, still using this opportunity to educate him, yet he nodded seriously, "Mm, very right."

Xiu Mei sighed softly, "Ah, if the Daxuan sovereign truly had such breadth of mind and thinking, that would be wonderful… but I've heard that sovereign is still quite young, so perhaps…"

"What's wrong with being young?" Xiao Qidi frowned slightly.

Ning Jinli took Xiu Mei's hand, "Being young is actually good; the mind won't become hidebound, making it easier to accept different voices and things, and also to promptly correct bad habits."

As she spoke, Ning Jinli glanced at Xiao Qidi, "You'd say that's right, wouldn't you?"

Xiao Qidi silently exhaled, "Yes, very right."

On the judgment platform.

Duan Wu gestured to the soldiers to bring up the three human traffickers who were still alive so far.

These three were originally stalwart and strong, but now they are as thin as withered bamboo, with not a scrap of decent flesh left on their bodies; if it weren't for the medicine keeping them alive these past days, they could not have held on until now.

Keeping them alive until now naturally serves a purpose.

Duan Wu announced their identities to the crowd, but before he could finish listing how many people they had captured and sold, townsfolk grabbed bricks and stones and rushed the trial platform, shouting to stone them to death.

Duan Wu hurried forward, blocking the people, and said, "Everyone! Don't get worked up! I brought them here precisely to give you an answer."

"General!" the crowd glared, "These beasts deserve death by all! We want to stone them ourselves!"

"My child and his/her mother fell into their hands years ago! Their whereabouts are still unknown! I dream of killing them!"

"And my grandson… was also abducted by them!"

"If you don't let us act, we cannot ease the hatred in our hearts, General Duan!"

It turned out that these red-eyed villagers charging forward were all family members of the human traffickers' victims.

Duan Wu's expression grew grave; he furtively glanced at Xiao Qidi in the crowd, giving him a questioning look.

Xiao Qidi pondered briefly, then gave him a slight nod.

Duan Wu then relaxed and said, "Men, tie these three traffickers beneath the platform and let the crowd stone them to death!"

The soldiers were also happy to comply, and swiftly carried it out.

The three traffickers stared with swollen, bruised eyes at the crowd brandishing stones and bricks, and finally their courage broke.

Since their capture, they have endured many tortures.

That was all because Official You was still in good health.

Now even Official You can barely protect himself, so they have completely lost the will to resist stubbornly.

Soon, stones rained down like a storm, continually striking the three.

Piercing screams echoed through the sky.

Xiu Mei handed her daughter to her husband to hold, then joined the crowd executing the traffickers, after all her daughter had narrowly escaped their clutches.

Xiu Mei's husband, still not fully recovered and needing to hold their daughter, could not join, so he told Xiu Mei, "Throw a few extra stones for me!"

"Certainly!" Xiu Mei gathered a pile of stones from the ground and rushed forward.

Xiao Qidi quietly pulled Ning Jinli aside, lowered his head, and whispered, "Do you think what I'm doing is overly cruel?"

"Huh? Why do you ask that?" Ning Jinli replied.

Xiao Qidi said, "Because I once heard you say that in your time, such extreme punishments no longer exist, and even the death penalty is carried out swiftly and cleanly."

Ning Jinli shook her head, "The situations are different; you can't generalize. Moreover, in my personal view, for such heinous, utterly wicked criminals, any punishment is not excessive. And if society's overall civility hasn't reached the necessary level, employing torture is one direct and effective way to deter potential offenders."

Hearing this, Xiao Qidi let out a slight sigh of relief.

Ning Jinli added, "When society advances to a certain point, torture can be abolished, but you must never abolish the death penalty. In our world, some self‑styled developed nations have done exactly that, waving the banner of human rights while actually making criminals ever more fearless and trapping victims' families in lifelong pain and hatred."

Xiao Qidi laughed, "Such a foolish move—I would certainly never carry it out."

At that moment, a Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army scout in ordinary civilian clothes approached Xiao Qidi's side and whispered a brief report.

A glint of brightness appeared in Xiao Qidi's eyes.

Ning Jinli whispered, "Are they here?"

Xiao Qidi nodded.

Ning Jinli looked at the Longyuan Governor kneeling on the trial platform, the corner of her mouth twitching upward, "Now he won't be able to avoid naming others."

It was already high noon, the blazing sun overhead, making the bloodstains on the ground before the trial platform appear even more vivid and shocking.

The three traffickers were almost pounded into pulp by the angry mob; the soldiers had to exert considerable effort to clear away the corpses.

"I'm talking to you, Official You," Duan Wu said, staring at the Longyuan Governor who showed little reaction, "Aren't you afraid your fate will be worse than theirs?"

Official You slowly lifted his head.

Behind his disheveled hair, a pair of bloodshot eyes flickered with a cold smile: "I'm not that stupid; if I really gave them up, I'd be useless and surely die a horrible death. But… as long as I stay silent for a day, Xiao Qidi must keep me alive for that day. General Duan, my time of death hasn't come yet—at least not today."

Originally, on the night three days ago, after his arrest he was ready to give up struggling.

Instead, Xiao Qidi interrogated him through the night, seeking to learn who in the court was his patron and which noble relatives stood behind him; this gave him a glimmer of hope.

His contact with his patron above was extremely covert, leaving no trace whatsoever.

As for those noble relatives, because their kinship is distant, their surnames and native places differ, so the palace holds no records linking them to him.

Therefore, if Xiao Qidi wants to uncover his network of connections, there is no alternative but to pry open his mouth.

Relying on this, he grew fearless; despite having tasted many tortures these past days, he still has not uttered a single name.

"Aren't you afraid His Majesty will abandon the deeper investigation?" Duan Wu threatened, "If that happens, you'll be just as useless. Better to make amends now, while His Majesty still has patience—confess everything, and perhaps he'll even allow you to keep a whole corpse."

Official You gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes and said:

"Xiao Qidi spares no effort to hide his identity, lowers himself to suffer, and goes to such trouble personally coming to He Wan County to investigate—I simply don't believe he'd give up getting to the bottom of this; nobody would be willing to."

"I also heard that although he has ascended the throne and taken personal control of power, many ministers in the court still distrust him, thinking he's too young to keep anyone in line; he surely needs to use this major case of mine to purge a batch of ministerial nobles and establish his authority."

"With these two reasons, I can confidently conclude that I will surely live several more years at least, and even Xiao Qidi will have to treat me well with food and drink; moreover, who knows what might happen in these years—perhaps…"

Official You paused, his mouth curling into a grin, his eyes gleaming: "Perhaps those nobles behind me could regain power, letting Xiao Qidi remain a figurehead emperor without real authority, as he was before his coronation; then would be my day of redemption. Since I have such hope, how could I give up now?"