Chapter 465: Chen Qingtian, who wants to step on these stepping stones to further accumulate his reputation

Ten days later.

Outside Chang'an City.

The sun had already burned the road surface until it was hot, but the official road near the Wei River was full of bustling figures.

Farmers in blue cloth short shirts, women carrying bamboo baskets, and even children with tied hair were all following the water vapor in the wind and pouring toward the Wei River, their shoe soles grinding over the sun-dried yellow earth, raising dry dust like smoke.

In the crowd, Wang Erzhu had just wiped the sweat from his forehead when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

He Laoshuan carried an old cloth bag diagonally across his back, his left hand tapping the ground with a jujube wood cane, his right leg slightly lame, pausing every step he took, the frayed edges of his trouser legs stained with some dust, yet he still moved slowly with the flow of people.

Wang Erzhu hurriedly squeezed over, wanting to help but afraid of touching the other's leg, only shouting from the side: "Brother He, your legs and feet are inconvenient, and you actually came too?"

He Laoshuan gasped for air, raised his eyes to look at the shimmering Wei River getting closer and closer, and grinned, showing a face full of wrinkles: "Of course!"

As he spoke, he propped the jujube wood cane heavily on the ground, his upper body slightly raised, as if wanting to straighten his waist even more, his voice wrapped in uncontrollable excitement: "Today is Lord Chen Yan personally supervising the execution of the murderer who harmed Master Shi!"

"I have to see it with my own eyes, and by the way, catch a glimpse of Lord Chen Yan's demeanor!"

Not to mention that his legs were inconvenient, even if it were raining knives from the sky today, he would have to come...

It was rare to have a chance to see Lord Chen Yan up close!

A man in a gray cloth short jacket on the side, holding half a string of just-bought candied haws, heard this and immediately tucked the candied haws under his elbow, his voice loud enough to drown out the surrounding crowd: "Me too!"

His companion in a blue cloth shirt nodded along, not even bothering to wipe the sweat on his face, his eyebrows and eyes full of uncontrollable joy, his tone full of heartfelt happiness: "If it weren't for the yamen posting the notice, I wouldn't have known that Lord Chen Yan had been transferred to Wannian Magistrate..."

"Becoming our parent official!"

Immediately, a loud exclamation came from behind the crowd, spoken by an old farmer carrying a hoe, his dark face full of excitement, even the wrinkles shining with light.

He poked the hoe into the ground, put his hands on his waist, shook his head with a flourish, his voice full of excitement: "With Lord Chen Yan here, our Wannian County will be able to sleep without closing doors and not pick up things on the road in the future!"

He Laoshuan suddenly moved forward half a step, his jujube wood cane tapping a crisp sound on the ground, interrupting everyone's discussion.

His forehead was still covered in sweat, but he couldn't bother to wipe it, saying urgently: "Let's not talk about these for now..."

"Walk faster, if we are late, we won't be able to occupy a good position, and can only watch from the back!"

No sooner had the words fallen than he gripped his cane tightly, his right leg exerting a little force to step forward, and although he was still a bit lame, his steps were much faster than before, the cloth bag swaying lightly at his side.

The people around also woke up.

The man in the gray cloth short jacket shouted "Go, go, go!" first, holding the candied haws in one hand and dragging his blue-shirted companion to squeeze forward with the other.

The old farmer carrying the hoe carried his hoe, the old woman selling needles and thread carried her basket, and even a few young men stopped discussing and quickened their pace with the crowd.

The originally loose team instantly became compact, footsteps and greetings mixed together, pouring toward the Wei River more urgently.

No sooner had the crowd squeezed to the bank of the Wei River than the scent of the wooden platform drifted in the wind.

A simple execution platform had already been set up on the bank, with old wooden boards laid on the rough wooden frame.

Three figures were tied with their hands behind their backs to the wooden stakes in the center of the platform, their hemp prison clothes stained with dust, their heads hanging, and it was not very easy to see their faces from a distance.

A headsman in soap clothes stood on the side of the platform, the ghost-head blade in his hand slung across his shoulder, the blade flashing cold light in the sun.

He was lowering his head to wipe the hilt of the blade with a rough cloth, his movements slow and leisurely.

"Look!"

The old farmer carrying the hoe first pointed at the platform and shouted, his voice trembling with a bit of tension: "The murderer has already been pressed there!"

The people beside him hurriedly stood on tiptoe, putting their hands on their foreheads to look at the platform, the man in the blue cloth shirt squinted for a long time, smacked his lips and said: "They look quite young, not very old..."

A sharp-eyed woman in the front row suddenly pointed at the platform, her hands unable to stop trembling, her voice full of terror: "It's the eldest son of the Shi family, Shi Xiuyun!"

This remark was like a thunderbolt exploding in the crowd, and the surrounding people instantly quieted down.

The man on the side hurriedly leaned forward, squinting his eyes to stare at the prisoner's shadow on the left for a long time, gasped, and exclaimed in full confusion: "How could it be him?!"

A man carrying a peddler's load pushed away the people in front, squinted at the platform for a moment, and slapped his thigh abruptly: "It really is Young Master Shi Xiuyun!"

As he spoke, he gasped again, his voice full of disbelief: "He is actually the murderer who harmed Master Shi?!"

Wang Erzhu scratched the back of his head, his brow knotted into a knot, surprised: "What exactly is going on?!"

The original discussion turned into whispers one after another, and even the gaze fixed on the platform added a few points of complexity.

This is not father and son?

How did the biological son become the murderer?

The whispers in the crowd were thick, and a young man in rough cloth short clothes in the front row keenly noticed something, and asked suspiciously: "Who is the woman on the side?"

This remark caused many people to look at the female prisoner.

I saw that although her hair was disheveled and her prison clothes were stained, she could still see that her figure was slender, and when she hung her head, the faint light of silver jewelry was vaguely exposed at her earlobe.

A commoner wearing a cloth hat squinted for a long time, and blocked the sun with his hand to confirm again and again, before muttering his speculation: "Seems to be Master Shi's wife..."

"Right!"

No sooner had the words fallen than a decisive voice suddenly came from behind the crowd: "It is Madam Wei!"

The speaker was a burly man, squeezing forward two steps, pointing at the female prisoner and saying: "I once worked in the Shi Estate, I won't recognize her wrong!"

The old woman holding the cloth handkerchief leaned forward, her eyes full of terror and uncertainty: "She wouldn't also be the murderer who harmed Master Shi, would she?!"

A middle-aged man in a gray cloth long gown took over the conversation, holding his hands in his chest, his tone carrying a hint of certainty: "Since they are all pressed here waiting for execution, then it must be!"

A loud exclamation suddenly sounded on the east side of the group, a man holding a child pointed at the bank of the Wei River, his voice loud enough to drown out the surrounding discussion: "Eh, there is a woman in a pig cage over there!"

Everyone's gaze "swished" and moved over.

I saw a pig cage tilted on the bank of the Wei River, the edge of a blue cloth dress vaguely visible through the bamboo strips, but there was no movement at all.

Just as someone was about to open their mouth to pursue the question, a sharp-eyed woman in the front row suddenly gasped, her voice trembling: "No, the one next to Young Master Shi is not a living person!"

This remark made the crowd instantly quiet.

Everyone looked at the platform again, only to see the prisoner's shadow on the right of Shi Xiuyun always hanging his head, not moving even when the wind blew, and the prison clothes at the neck seemed to be stained with dark traces.

An old man rubbed his eyes, muttering full of confusion: "Why is there still a corpse to be executed?"

A peddler in short clothes in the crowd suddenly leaned forward, staring at the corpse on the platform with a furrowed brow, his nose wrinkling involuntarily.

A faint, rotting smell drifted in the wind, and he hesitated and opened his mouth: "And, that corpse looks a bit familiar..."

No sooner had the words fallen than a man who had delivered vegetables to the Shi Estate suddenly changed his face, his body swayed, and he pointed at the collar of the corpse and exclaimed: "It's Master Shi!"

"That is the corpse of the murdered Master Shi!"

The platform instantly erupted into a commotion.

Some people were so shocked they took half a step back, some hurriedly covered their mouths and noses, and the previous doubts all turned into shock.

Everyone looked at each other, their faces full of astonishment.

Even the discussion became fragmented and urgent.

No one had expected that there would be the deceased himself to be "executed," and this bizarre scene made the air at the bank of the Wei River seem to freeze.

The commotion under the platform was in a mess, when a loud shout suddenly came from the execution platform: "Everyone, be quiet!"

"Lord Chen Yan is going to read the crimes!"

The speaker was Gao Jiong, dressed in official uniform, holding a black lacquer wooden loudspeaker in his hand, the sound transmitted far and clearly through the wooden tube.

It seemed like a keyword had been triggered, and the originally noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

The commoners who had been whispering to each other closed their mouths, and even the children who were standing on tiptoe were pressed on their shoulders by adults.

Although everyone's face still carried confusion, not understanding why Master Shi's corpse was carried onto the platform.

But the four words "Lord Chen Yan" were like a reassurance, making everyone hold their breath, their gazes cast uniformly toward the empty space on the side of the platform, waiting for the lord to show his face.

No sooner had the footsteps on the side of the platform fallen than a dark figure stepped onto the execution platform.

Chen Yan was dressed in a dark brocade suit embroidered with dark patterns, with a jade belt at his waist, holding a wooden loudspeaker in his hand, walked to the center of the platform and stood still, his gaze sweeping slowly over the quiet commoners under the platform, pointing at Shi Qingwen, and then opening his mouth unhurriedly: "Everyone present should be very curious, why Master Shi's corpse is wearing prison clothes and appearing here, right?"

No sooner had the words fallen than the commoners under the platform nodded in unison.

Even He Laoshuan in the front row forgot the inconvenience of his legs and nodded lightly with the crowd, the confusion in his eyes even greater than before.

Just hoping to solve the mystery of this strange event quickly.

Chen Yan raised the loudspeaker slightly, the sound transmitted steadily to the bottom of the platform through the wooden tube: "I think everyone has heard the rumors in Chang'an recently, right?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the commoners under the platform who were holding their breath, then raised his hand to point at Shi Xiuyun in the center of the platform, his tone instantly solemn, word by word: "That was spread by Shi Xiuyun, and it is not fabricated, but a fact!"

No sooner had the words fallen than a sound of gasping for air erupted under the platform.

A man in a rough cloth shirt in the front row gripped the hoe in his hand tightly, his face full of shock, unable to help but exclaim in surprise: "This... this is actually true?!"

The woman beside him also nodded along, her eyes full of disbelief: "Those things were really done by Master Shi?!"

Behind the crowd, the old farmer carrying the hoe sighed heavily, shaking his head and sighing: "You can know a person's face but not their heart!"

This is why Chen had to wait ten days to execute these three people!

He needed time to spread more detailed rumors, make additions on the basis of Shi Xiuyun's original, and put the hat on...

Let the commoners know Master Shi's true face first, and it would be easier to accept next!

Chen Yan handed the wooden loudspeaker forward, his voice adding a hint of seriousness, every word loud and powerful: "Therefore, the murderer who harmed Shi Qingwen must be punished, and Master Shi, who harmed others, must also be punished!"

His gaze swept over the bottom of the platform, word by word: "This official will never favor anyone!"

He said it righteously.

Immediately, a heartfelt exclamation first sounded under the platform.

A man wiped away excited tears, his voice carrying a bit of trembling: "Lord Chen Yan will not wrong any good person, and will not let go of any bad person, he is truly our good parent official!"

This remark was like a stone thrown into a person's heart, and the surrounding commoners nodded repeatedly, echoing one after another.

He Laoshuan gripped his cane and nodded forcefully, his eyes full of conviction.

The man in the blue cloth shirt couldn't help but applaud, saying repeatedly: "Lord Chen Yan is a good official who truly acts for the people!"

The echoes of agreement were one after another, and the previous confusion and shock all turned into respect for Chen Yan.

A loud shout suddenly came from the execution platform, and Gao Jiong, dressed in official uniform, walked to Chen Yan's side, lowered his voice and reminded: "My lord, the hour of the dragon and the third quarter has arrived!"

Chen Yan nodded slightly, saying in a deep voice: "Good."

Immediately, he turned to face the headsman, the loudspeaker in his hand was not raised, but the voice was still loud, ordering with a thousand-pound weight: "Execute!"

The headsman on the side of the platform stepped forward immediately, gripped the hilt of the ghost-head blade with both hands, the cold light flashed, and he swung it cleanly toward Shi Xiuyun and Wei Lanxi.

Another headsman walked toward Shi Qingwen's corpse, and when the blade fell, although no fresh blood splashed, it could be considered to have completed the ceremony of "questioning the crime."

The commoners under the platform held their breath, and only after the blade light flashed did someone breathe a sigh of relief, and the look in their eyes toward the Duke of Wei added a few points of awe.

At the same time, the bailiffs at the bank of the Wei River also moved.

Two bailiffs dressed in soap clothes stepped forward, tied the pig cage firmly with heavy stones, the rope straining the bamboo strips until they creaked.

Su Linyue in the pig cage was gagged with a cloth strip, and could only twist her body desperately, watching the river water enlarge before her eyes in despair.

With a low shout from the bailiff, the pig cage was pushed into the river with a "thud," splashing a large spray of water.

Su Linyue struggled violently in the cage, the river water quickly submerged her chest and chin, and she could only make a muffled "wuwuwu" sound from her throat, the sound getting weaker and weaker.

Finally, she sank into the Wei River with the pig cage, leaving only ripples spreading in circles, which were quickly smoothed out by the rushing water.

After Chen Yan finished appreciating the Chinese-style Poke Ball with great interest, he raised the wooden loudspeaker again, his dark brocade suit looking even more upright in the sun, his voice transmitted through the wooden tube to every part of the bank: "Since this official is the Wannian Magistrate, any commoner under my rule who has a grievance can come to the yamen to beat the drum and complain..."

"This official will definitely preside over justice for those who have grievances!"

Undoubtedly, Chen is suspected of showing off.

But he just wants to step on these stepping stones to further accumulate his reputation!

No sooner had the words fallen than a thunderous shout erupted under the platform.

The first to open his mouth was the man in the front row, who raised his fist high and shouted with all his strength: "Chen Qingtian!"

This shout was like lighting a fuse, and the commoners were instantly excited, raising their arms one after another and shouting in unison: "Chen Qingtian!"

"Chen Qingtian!"

"Chen Qingtian!"

The shouting was one after another, endless.

In the crowd, one commoner after another was so excited that their faces turned red, full of hot tears, only hearing someone sigh: "Lord Chen Yan is here, there will never be any grievances again!"

"It is the good fortune of our commoners!"

"Great fortune for the commoners!" ===== CHAPTER 466 =====