Chapter 864: The Trial

Chen Yan's voice fell within the loft, while torches still burned downstairs.

Gao Jiong stood at the doorway, clutching the iron box, and did not retreat.

"Pillar of State, the execution platform has already been erected in the square."

"Four blood-stained wooden stakes, three hundred Beiwei Death Guards, two thousand city defense soldiers, and three more layers of anti-cavalry obstacles set on the perimeter."

Chen Yan turned around, his gaze falling toward the direction of the central square in the distance.

"What about Zhao Tiezhu?"

Gao Jiong said: "He is at the military infirmary; his wound has not yet closed. Hearing about the public trial, he pulled off the medical dressing himself to come, but was pressed back down by the military physician."

Chen Yan put the secret letter in his hand back into the iron box.

"Tell him, if he wants to come, let him come."

"If he cannot stand, have people carry him."

"Of the six who died at Heifeng Pass, there must be one living brother to finish watching for them."

Gao Jiong lowered his head.

"This subordinate understands."

Dawn came early in Yinzhou City.

Just after the rooster crowed, the door panels on both sides of Zhuque Avenue were opened one after another.

The commoners did not go to the shops, nor did they go to the salt and iron stalls.

Carrying cold rice, holding children, and supporting the elderly, they rushed toward the central square like a tide.

An old man selling steamed buns walked halfway with his carrying pole, then set it down at the base of a wall.

Someone nearby asked him.

"Old Zhou, are you not doing business anymore?"

The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Not selling today."

"I am going to watch Qian Wansan die."

The man who asked stuffed half a steamed bun into his mouth and said vaguely: "I am going too."

"That plot of land my family owned was swindled away by the Lin family's usury seven years ago."

"Today, when he kneels on the platform, I must let my son see clearly who bent our family's roof beam."

A woman at the mouth of the alley hurried over holding a child; the child was not yet awake, their head resting on her shoulder.

The mother-in-law beside the woman leaned on a wooden staff, her pace slow, yet she urged her on.

"Faster."

"If we are late, we won't be able to stand at the front."

The woman said in a low voice: "Mother, your legs hurt; we can hear from the back too."

The mother-in-law glared at her.

"Hearing is not enough."

"I want to see with my own eyes."

The central square was already packed with people.

Street corners on all four sides were full of heads, youths were lying on the eaves, shopkeepers pushed open second-floor windows, and even the women who usually did not leave their homes were looking out from behind curtains.

In the center of the square, the execution platform was three feet higher than the crowd.

Four blood-stained wooden stakes stood on the platform; the surfaces of the stakes had been wiped with clear water, yet dark, old stains remained in the wood grain.

The Beiwei Death Guards were lined up below the platform, their horizontal blades pressed against their waists, their armor plates gleaming with a dull color in the morning light.

Someone whispered: "So many soldiers."

An old man nearby replied: "When a traitor to the state is being punished, naturally there must be heavy troops guarding."

"What if his accomplices still want to save him?"

Another young man gritted his teeth.

"Save?"

"Whoever dares to save him, I will be the first to pounce and bite him."

As noon approached, the drums on the north side of the square sounded three times.

The noise of the crowd died down bit by bit.

Chen Yan's carriage entered from North Street.

There was no canopy.

The Dark Tiger Flag hung at the side of the carriage, the corner of the flag lifted by the wind, revealing the figure in the purple robe and gold belt on the carriage.

The commoners looked first, then some knelt down.

"The Pillar of State has come."

"Chen Qingtian has come."

"The Living Yama has come."

One voice after another, it soon filled the entire street.

Chen Yan got off the carriage and raised his hand to press downward.

"Today is a public trial, no need to kneel."

The commoners in the front row heard this, but their knees did not rise.

The old woman who had smashed her bowl last night knelt at the very front, her forehead touching the blue stone slab.

"Pillar of State, these old bones of mine are not kneeling to an official."

"I am kneeling to the person who is collecting debts for my son."

Chen Yan looked at her for a moment, then turned his head to give an order.

"Bring a stool for the old lady."

The old woman hurriedly waved her hand.

"No sitting."

"I want to stand and watch them die."

Chen Yan did not try to persuade her again and walked to the chief seat for supervising the execution.

Zhang Wenqian stood on the east side of the execution platform, holding a thick scroll of charges in his hands.

Gu Yuci stood in armor on the west side of the execution platform, his long spear held upright beside him.

Gao Jiong stood behind the platform with the people from the Mingjing Si.

Suddenly, the sound of wheel axles came from below the platform.

Two soldiers pushed a narrow wooden cart over.

Zhao Tiezhu sat on the cart, medical dressing wrapped around his chest, and the wound on his shoulder was seeping blood again.

He held the edge of the cart with one hand, while the other hand clutched the dark red chest badge.

Chen Yan looked at him.

"Can you hold on?"

Zhao Tiezhu gritted his teeth and stood up, his legs went soft, and he was supported by the soldiers again.

"Pillar of State, this subordinate can hold on."

"If I did not come today, I would be failing those six brothers at Heifeng Pass."

Chen Yan nodded.

"Stand beside this Duke."

Zhao Tiezhu was helped onto the execution platform and stood half a step behind Chen Yan.

His gaze swept over the four blood-stained wooden stakes, and his chest heaved a few times.

Before long, the prison carts arrived.

Qian Wansan was the first to be dragged down.

The brocade robe on his body had already been changed into prison clothes, his hair was disheveled, and there were still bruises on his face from being trampled last night.

Lin Xin was in the second prison cart, his lips dry and cracked, his legs too weak to walk, and he was carried onto the platform by two soldiers.

Wu Hongyuan was muttering something, his voice too fragmented for anyone to hear clearly.

Yang Huairen came up last; he still wanted to lower his head to maintain his dignity, but the soles of his feet were broken, and every step he took left a spot of blood on the wooden boards.

After the commoners below the platform saw the four of them clearly, angry curses surged up.

"Qian Wansan!"

"You have today too!"

"Lin Xin, return my family's land!"

"Wu Hongyuan, my elder brother died in the north, you sold iron to the Rouran, you still have the face to live!"

Qian Wansan was pressed in front of the wooden stake, the flesh on his face trembling non-stop.

He wanted to speak, but only squeezed out a broken, airy sound.

Lin Xin cried out: "Pillar of State, spare my life."

"I am not the chief culprit."

"I was all listening to Qian Wansan."

Wu Hongyuan also followed, shouting.

"Pillar of State, the Wu family is willing to hand over all our family property."

"I beg the Pillar of State to leave a path of survival for the younger generation of my family."

Yang Huairen lowered his head, his voice astringent.

"Pillar of State, the Yang family is willing to cooperate with the audit."

"I handed over the roster, I have merit."

Gao Jiong sneered.

"You handed over the roster only when the blade was pressed to your neck."

"This is also called merit?"

Yang Huairen opened his mouth, not daring to argue further.

Chen Yan sat in the chief seat, his fingers resting on the hilt of his horizontal blade.

"Zhang Wenqian."

Zhang Wenqian unfolded the charges and took a step forward.

"The Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce's Qian clan, Lin clan, Wu clan, Yang clan, etc., have entrenched themselves in Yinzhou for many years, forming cliques and networks, manipulating salt and iron, monopolizing trade routes, colluding with officials, and bullying the commoners."

The crowd began to stir.

Zhang Wenqian continued to read.

"Crime one: hoarding refined salt, cutting off supply and striking the market, taking advantage of the commoners' hunger and distress to drive up salt prices, from thirty wen per jin to one thousand two hundred wen per jin, causing turmoil in the livelihoods of many counties."

Someone below the platform shouted.

"My child hasn't been able to eat for three days."

"Kill them."

Zhang Wenqian's voice did not stop.

"Crime two: privately setting up a black market, manipulating pig iron, secretly cutting off the supply to workshops and farm tools, leaving the commoners with no iron to repair plows, and leaving military households with no iron to repair armor."

"Crime three: privately building secret tunnels, smuggling salt, iron, and military equipment to the Rouran Eastern Royal Court and the Turkic Yurt Camp; in six years, five hundred thousand jin of pig iron, two hundred thousand jin of refined salt, three thousand sets of crossbow parts, and five hundred sets of armor plates."

The noise of the crowd in the square suddenly rose.

"Traitors to the state!"

"Beasts!"

"My son died under the Rouran blades, so it turns out you were the ones who sent the blades!"

A middle-aged man knelt in the crowd, covering his face with both hands, his shoulders shaking one after another.

The youth beside him asked: "Father, what's wrong?"

The man raised his face, his eye sockets red.

"Your uncle's remains were never found."

"The Court said the Rouran people's blades were new, and their armor was new too."

"Today I finally know, the merchants in our own city sent the blades over."

The youth turned his head to look at the execution platform, his teeth biting his lower lip.

Zhang Wenqian turned to the next page of charges.

"Crime four: bribing horse bandits to intercept and kill six political commissars of the One Heart Society at Heifeng Pass, injuring nine, destroying account books, and silencing witnesses."

When Zhao Tiezhu heard this, the medical dressing on his chest seeped red again.

He took a step forward, and when the soldiers reached out to support him, he shook them off.

"Read."

Zhang Wenqian glanced at him and continued: "The deceased Zhou Heng, Liu Sanhe, Chen Qi, Sun Wang, Ma Cheng, Du Xiaoman."

"All six followed the Pillar of State's order to audit the Chamber of Commerce's accounts, never harassing the people, never soliciting bribes, and never fearing death."

Someone below the platform cried out.

"Political Commissar Zhou came to our village."

"He got back the two dou of millet that the grain shop had withheld from my mother."

Another old man raised his sleeve to wipe his face.

"Liu Sanhe came too."

"He even said that once the salt prices stabilized, he would repair the water canal for our village."

Zhao Tiezhu took the dark red chest badge from his bosom.

The edges of the badge were scorched black, and there were dried bloodstains in the middle.

He held the badge in his palm and knelt in front of Chen Yan.

"Pillar of State."

"This is Zhou Heng's."

"When he died, he was still protecting the account book with his chest."

Chen Yan took the badge, stood up, and walked to the edge of the execution platform.

Tens of thousands of people below the platform fell silent at the same time.

Even the youth on the eaves stopped moving.

Chen Yan held the badge up to the sunlight.

"Look clearly."

"This is not gold or silver, nor is it an official seal."

"It is just a piece of iron."

"But on this piece of iron, six lives are stained."

Zhao Tiezhu's teeth gritted audibly.

Chen Yan said: "They were the people this Duke sent out."

"This Duke sent them to audit the accounts, to audit how much of your blood the Chamber of Commerce had drunk."

"They died at Heifeng Pass, not because they blocked anyone's path to wealth."

"They died because someone was afraid of you knowing the truth."

Someone in the crowd shouted.

"Pillar of State, kill them!"

Chen Yan turned his head to look at Qian Wansan.

Qian Wansan's face turned pale, his lips moving non-stop.

"This Duke will say this here today."

"The Northwest's new law, whoever dares to block it, dies."

"Whoever uses the commoners' lives to block it, will be sliced."

"Whoever uses the border soldiers' lives to block it, will be executed."

"Whoever uses the Great Zhou's national fortune to feed the Rouran and Turkic, their three clans will share the same crime."

Qian Wansan finally shouted out.

"Chen Yan, you cannot execute my three clans."

"I still have young children at home, they know nothing."

Chen Yan looked at him.

"When you were hoarding salt, did you ever think about other people's young children not being able to eat salt?"

Qian Wansan cried: "I am willing to hand over silver."

"I have money."

"I can give the military one million taels."

"I can also supply your military needs for ten years."

Chen Yan's gaze swept around the crowd below the platform.

"Did you hear that?"

"Even today, he still thinks money can buy life."

The commoners below the platform roared like a tide.

"No!"

"Let him die!"

"Make him pay with his life!"

Chen Yan returned the badge to Zhao Tiezhu.

"Keep it well."

Zhao Tiezhu took it with both hands and pressed it to his chest.

Zhang Wenqian continued to read the charges.

"Crime five: bribing the Yinzhou Inspectorate Chief Clerk Zhou Deyu, using the Inspectorate's official seal to issue customs clearance documents, receiving thirty-six assassins from the Western Regions into the territory, launching a night raid on the Xia Prefecture Governor's Office, and plotting to assassinate the Upper Pillar of State."

As this sentence fell, another gasp of surprise rose in the square.

"They even dared to assassinate the Pillar of State?"

"If this isn't rebellion, what is?"

Gu Yuci stood his long spear on the ground.

"Zhou Deyu has already been captured this morning."

"All relevant officials of the Inspectorate are being held for interrogation."

Someone among the commoners shouted: "Kill them together!"

"Collusion between officials and merchants, don't let a single one go!"

Chen Yan did not turn his head.

"They will be killed."

"But today, kill these four on the platform first."

Yang Huairen suddenly raised his head.

"Pillar of State, I handed over the roster, proving I am willing to abandon darkness for light."

"I beg the Pillar of State to look at the roster and spare the young branches of the Yang clan."

Gao Jiong said behind him: "Yang Huairen, in that roster of yours, the first batch of people who received silver were arranged by you."

"You wrote others in because you wanted to keep it for future blackmail."

"Now you use it to beg for life, do you think the Pillar of State is a three-year-old child?"

Yang Huairen said urgently: "Chief Clerk Gao, I also know the secret lines of those few people in Chang'an."

"I can tell."

Chen Yan said: "You will tell."

"Tell before the execution, and after the execution, there will be someone to tell for your family's account books."

Yang Huairen's whole face collapsed.

Lin Xin suddenly turned his head to curse Qian Wansan.

"It's all you."

"If it weren't for you wanting to cut off salt, if it weren't for you wanting to assassinate the Pillar of State, how would we have reached this step."

Qian Wansan also cursed back.

"Did you have a soft hand when your Lin family was hoarding grain?"

"Your son was selling salt on the black market, collecting one thousand two hundred wen per jin, didn't you know?"

Wu Hongyuan roared: "Stop arguing."

"We are all going to die, what are we still arguing about."

Zhao Tiezhu spoke coldly.

"You also know you are going to die."

"That night at Heifeng Pass, my six brothers also knew they were going to die."

"Zhou Heng was surrounded by horse bandits, yet he still stuffed the account book into a crack in the stone."

"Liu Sanhe's stomach was broken, yet he still told us not to look back."

"You cry today because you are afraid of pain."

"They didn't cry that day."

Qian Wansan's lips trembled, not daring to answer.

Chen Yan sat back in the chief seat and reached out to take the bamboo slip container.

Four blood-red command arrows leaned diagonally in the container.

He pulled them out one by one and placed them in front of the desk.

With each one placed, the crowd below the platform became quieter.

As the last one settled, Chen Yan raised his eyes.

"The chief culprit of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce, Qian Wansan."

"Lin Xin."

"Wu Hongyuan."

"Yang Huairen."

"The four of you colluded with the enemy to betray the state, smuggled military equipment, hoarded salt to harm the people, intercepted and killed political commissars, and plotted to assassinate the Upper Pillar of State."

"The evidence of the crimes is conclusive."

"Sentenced to death by Lingchi."

"Extermination of three clans."

"Confiscate family property; servants who were coerced will be tried separately, and those who aided in the evil will share the same crime."

He pushed the four command arrows off the desk.

The command arrows rolled onto the blue bricks, the vermilion lacquer eye-catching under the sun.

"Execute."

Four executioners stepped onto the platform.

They were bare-chested, tied with black cloth around their waists, holding ox-ear pointed knives in their hands.

The blade edges gleamed with fine white lines in the light.

The hem of Qian Wansan's trousers was wet, his whole body shrinking backward, but he was chained to the wooden stake.

"Chen Yan."

"This Chairman does not accept this."

"I have sent silver to Chang'an."

"If you kill me, Chang'an will not let you go."

Chen Yan did not even look at him.

"This Duke is waiting."

"Waiting for them to come and claim your head."

Lin Xin cried until his voice was hoarse.

"Pillar of State, spare my life."

"I am willing to come forward and testify against Qian Wansan."

Gao Jiong said: "Your confession has already been signed."

"You have no new bargaining chips."

Wu Hongyuan closed his eyes, muttering about his ancestors.

Yang Huairen was still begging.

"Pillar of State, I still have a secret warehouse in my hands."

"Inside are the secret account books of Chang'an."

Chen Yan raised his hand.

The executioner paused for a moment.

A glimmer of life appeared in Yang Huairen's eyes.

Chen Yan said: "Gao Jiong, record it."

"Go get it after the execution."

Yang Huairen's mouth hung open, the rest of his words cut off between his teeth.

Someone below the platform laughed out loud.

That laughter was soon drowned out by angry curses.

Zhao Tiezhu walked to the incense table in front of the execution platform.

On the incense table were six empty bowls, six dark red chest badges, and a pot of strong liquor.

He poured the first bowl full, his hand shaking so much that the wine spilled onto the table.

"Old Zhou."

"The Pillar of State has avenged you."

"Watch."

The executioner walked in front of Qian Wansan, the tip of the knife pressed against his chest.

Qian Wansan's body struggled frantically, the iron chains clattering.

"No."

"No."

"I have money."

"I still have a gold vault."

"Chen Yan, I will give you whatever you want."

Chen Yan stood up, his gaze crossing the execution platform to look at the people filling the square.

"What he owes you, this Duke will collect for you."

"What he owes the dead, today he will pay with his life."

The knife fell.

Qian Wansan's screams swept across the square, and the tens of thousands of people below the platform did not retreat.

Zhao Tiezhu spilled the first bowl of wine on the ground, the blood-red badge pressed against his palm.

"Brothers."

"The first knife has arrived."