Chapter 296: Commoners gather at the West Market execution ground, Chen Yan comes to collect the bodies

Three days later.

The chill of autumn had permeated the morning in Chang'an, and a thin layer of white frost covered the streets.

The early-rising commoners breathed out white mist and squeezed into the "Juyou Teahouse" in the east of the city.

When the wooden door was pushed open, it brought a gust of wind, causing the copper bells at the eaves to ring lightly; the inside was already full of people, the crisp sound of coarse porcelain bowls colliding mixed with the tea steam, rising in the dim dawn light.

"Have you heard?"

"The Wei Duke's case has been sentenced; all evidence is conclusive, and he has been sentenced to beheading!"

"The more than 1,200 people of Taiping Village have had their grievances redressed!"

"The court still has justice!"

The porter Cheng Great Cloak, dressed in short clothes, had just sat down when he was pulled by the sleeve by the old tea guest Tong Geng at the neighboring table.

He had just come from the West Market, still clutching half a basket of new dates that hadn't been sold; his voice was low, but his eyes were shining.

"What Wei Duke?"

A muffled grunt suddenly came from the neighboring table; it was a middle-aged man in a soap-colored robe named Lü Xian, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the coarse porcelain bowl; he slammed the bowl onto the table, splashing soup all over the table.

He paused, then continued: "Does a beast like him deserve the noble title of Duke?"

"It is clearly the evil thief Chen Tongyuan who should be sliced into a thousand pieces!"

The man's voice was as rough as if it had been ground by sandpaper, his eyes reddening.

Within his words was full dissatisfaction with Chen Tongyuan.

"Hey, don't interrupt!"

The middle-aged man Yuan Yi, wearing a felt hat at the diagonal table, suddenly lifted his hat brim, keenly capturing the point; his brows twisted into a knot, and he said in a deep voice: "Killing so many people and occupying civilian land—isn't this too light?"

"Such scum of the Great Zhou should be executed along with his entire clan!"

After saying this, he slammed his palm onto the table.

Extremely indignant!

So many people died, and so many great crimes were committed, and it was all brushed off with just a beheading?

Executing the entire clan would be light; he should have had his nine generations exterminated!

"You can't say it like that!" The teahouse manager was just holding a copper pot to add water; hearing this, his hand paused, and he added a piece of charcoal to the stove.

"Why?"

Yuan Yi's face full of wrinkles twisted into a knot, his turbid eyes wide, "You, manager, are you prepared to speak for that traitor Chen Tongyuan?"

He didn't expect that this teahouse manager's stance was so crooked that he would actually excuse that traitor Chen Tongyuan who harmed the people.

"F*** your mother!"

The teahouse manager was instantly displeased and cursed.

Immediately, he continued: "Lord Chen Yan is also surnamed Chen; if the entire clan were executed, wouldn't that mean Lord Chen Yan would be beheaded together with them?"

The teahouse manager's face was as red as the charcoal in the stove, the veins on his temples jumping.

His emotions were exceptionally agitated.

"I had forgotten about Lord Chen Yan!"

Yuan Yi, who had been at daggers drawn just a moment ago, instantly subsided; he scratched his head awkwardly and apologized with a smile.

Just now he had only thought about the light punishment for the traitor Chen Tongyuan, but had completely overlooked that Lord Chen Yan was his son...

"If it weren't for Lord Chen Yan, who else could stand up for us commoners?" Lü Xian agreed, nodding.

Qiu Zhishao slammed his thigh, causing the empty bowls on the table to clatter, "Don't confuse Lord Chen Yan with that traitor Chen Tongyuan!"

"Lord Chen Yan is the Old Pillar of State Chen's own grandson, a parent official who loves the people!"

Lü Xian deeply agreed and said: "When Taiping Village and the commoners of Chang'an had nowhere to turn for help and were suppressed by the Wei Duke's private soldiers, it was Lord Chen Yan who took over!"

"To avoid suspicion and also for a fair judgment, he even handed the task to the Azure Dragon Mirror Keeper, Lord Li Tan!"

That day outside the Mingjing Si, he, Lü Xian, was also at the scene...

Lord Chen Yan's words about "impartial judgment" were still ringing in his ears!

"Right!"

Cheng Great Cloak replied, as if remembering something, and suddenly lowered his voice, saying: "And, I heard that Chen Tongyuan died in the Heavenly Prison Death Prison!"

This was like a stone thrown into water, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples.

The curiosity of the tea guests around was suddenly hooked.

"How did this happen?" Yuan Yi leaned over.

"Tell us quickly!" The teahouse manager also couldn't hold back and urged.

Cheng Great Cloak picked up his tea bowl, took a shallow sip, and described it vividly: "They say that Chen Tongyuan and his concubine Meng Wan Yi, and his illegitimate son Chen Gu Bai were locked together, preparing to denounce each other to reduce their sentences, and an infighting occurred..."

"In the end, that concubine who was promoted to wife bit off Chen Tongyuan's neck!"

Saying this, in order to describe it more vividly, he even grabbed his own neck abruptly.

"Good, evil has its retribution, it's gratifying!"

Qiu Zhishao heard this, slammed the table, causing the tea bowl to jump half an inch high, "To end up with such a death is also retribution..."

He said this, grabbed the empty bowl on the table and brought it to his mouth, only then remembering there was no tea in the bowl, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Promoted a concubine to wife?"

Yuan Yi keenly captured the point, his brows furrowed, and he sneered: "It seems this Chen Tongyuan was used to acting recklessly!"

"No wonder he could frame Lord Chen Yan into the Heavenly Prison Death Prison back then!"

Yuan Yi had been doing silver jewelry business in Chang'an for less than two years and knew nothing about the fact that this Chen Tongyuan, whose crimes were too numerous to record, had a criminal record...

The teahouse manager wiped his face and immediately took over the conversation: "It is said that he did that to pave the way for the two sons born to the concubine who was promoted to wife!"

"It was fortunate that Chen Yan was blessed by heaven and had the Grand Chancellor to observe the details, otherwise he would have fallen victim to Chen Tongyuan's poison!"

His hand gripped the copper pot handle until red marks appeared, his fingertips rubbing against the cold copper surface, as if touching some scalding memory.

The manager added more hot tea to everyone's bowls; in the misty steam, his voice was a bit lighter: "If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have a parent official who is victorious in every battle and willing to stand up for the people!"

Others didn't know Lord Chen Yan's past, but he, who was born and raised in Chang'an, how could he not know that past heartache?

Chen Tongyuan promoting his concubine to wife had caused quite a stir back then...

The morning light slanted onto the teahouse manager's white hair at his temples, plating it with a layer of warm yellow.

He looked at the tea guests listening quietly in the shop, the heartache in his eyes gradually melting, brewing into a solid sense of luck, like the charcoal burning vigorously in the stove—not fierce, but warm enough to warm the autumn of the entire Chang'an City.

"Gratifying my ass!"

Lü Xian stiffened his neck, spraying saliva far away, and cursed, offering a different opinion: "Chen Tongyuan dying like that is too easy for him; he even dodged the beheading!"

Within his words was full indignation.

For the crimes Chen Tongyuan committed, tasting all the tortures in the world wouldn't be too much, yet he was bitten to death, not even getting a beheading...

"That's right!"

The wooden door was pushed open with a "creak," and Wang Huai, wearing a felt hat, squeezed in; he was clutching a hand warmer, and as soon as he entered, he shouted: "The court has issued a notice; that concubine who was promoted to wife, as well as that illegitimate son named Chen Gu Bai, Chen Tongyuan's corpse, and the private soldiers who were sent to charge at the commoners..."

"Are all to be beheaded today; there will be no leniency!"

Once these words were out, the gazes of everyone in the teahouse focused on him.

Excitement was hard to hide in their eyes.

"Looking at the sun, it's not far from noon," Yuan Yi suggested, "Let's go take a look!"

"Let's go!"

Everyone in the teahouse stood up in unison to respond, even the manager joined them.

The bluestone road of the West Market was frozen brittle by the autumn frost, and the area around the execution ground was already packed tight.

The commoners breathed out white mist and squeezed forward, clutching rotten vegetable leaves and stones in their hands, their gazes fixed on the temporarily erected guillotine—tied there was the corpse of Wei Duke Chen Tongyuan.

On the other side of the execution pillar, three rows of people had already been tied.

Chen Gu Bai was supported by two jailers, drool flowing from his mouth, still clutching a dirty piece of pastry in his hand; seeing the crowd's commotion, he actually giggled.

In the middle of the execution pillar, Meng Wan Yi had disheveled hair, her luxurious brocade dress torn to shreds, and she was roaring repeatedly.

Tied to the outermost execution pillar were more than twenty private soldiers, each looking arrogant.

These people had once been Chen Tongyuan's claws and teeth; when they had charged at Zhuque Avenue earlier, they had injured several commoners; although they were tied up now, the fierce light in their eyes had not yet faded.

"Chen Tongyuan really died..."

The gazes of the watching commoners were all attracted by that corpse: "Look at his neck, there are very clear bite marks!"

"Serves him right!"

"A thing that harms the country and the people!"

Someone picked up rotten cabbage leaves from a vegetable stall, someone took out eggs that had been rotten for several days, and threw them straight at the corpse.

On the high platform of the execution ground, a man dressed in dark martial attire was seen walking over slowly, his black hair tied up with a headband of the same color.

"Lord Chen Yan is here!"

"It's Lord Chen Yan who is here!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and the bustling street suddenly quieted down.

Hearing the news, Sun Gedan, who had come early and stood at the very front, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Lord Chen Yan, are you here to supervise the execution?"

Why ask this? Because this Supervisor Lord was not wearing his official uniform.

"Not at all!" Chen Yan shook his head.

"Then Lord Chen Yan, what are you here for...?" The commoners asked in unison, puzzled.

"To collect their bodies!"

Chen Yan looked at the commoners, raised his finger to point at those about to be executed, his Adam's apple rolling gently: "The Wei Duke is ultimately this official's biological father; he can be unbenevolent and unrighteous, but this official cannot be unfilial and unloyal..." ===== CHAPTER 297 =====