Chapter 1058: A Madman

Sun Daoning was furious to the point of death.

In such hot weather, Lingchi? He must be crazy!

The person was already dead, yet he still wouldn't let him go. To be this mad is indeed rare in the world.

He ran to the Secretariat to find Xie Gechen.

He hoped the Left Grand Secretary would step forward to persuade the Emperor to withdraw the order.

"The weather is hot, and the person has already passed away. Lingchi will likely cause an epidemic. In this weather, one must be on guard! The Emperor was in a fit of rage before; now that he has rested, perhaps he will change his mind. I hope Grand Secretary Xie can offer some persuasion."

The Emperor had been indulging in excess before and hadn't rested well, making him irritable. It was understandable that he gave chaotic orders.

Now that he had rested for a night, he should have regained his reason.

A normal emperor, even if he were a muddled ruler, shouldn't make such a horrifying decision as Lingchi on a corpse.

It was too terrifying!

Too perverted!

And having done it once already, to do it again—did the court want any dignity? Did the Emperor want any dignity? Was he truly that hateful? The Prince of Chu was, after all, a member of the imperial clan and also surnamed Song.

Could he truly not tolerate any Prince surnamed Song?

Xie Gechen was also in a difficult position; he didn't want to interfere in this matter.

But Sun Daoning, as his pawn, had been running around for him; even if there was no merit, there was hard work. He couldn't chill the man's heart.

"I will try to persuade the Emperor, but it might not work. You know the Emperor is sometimes extremely stubborn, especially regarding imperial clan matters. Don't hold too much hope; be prepared for the Lingchi. Also, remember to keep it secret; don't spread it. It doesn't sound good if it gets out."

Lingchi on a corpse was neither easy to do nor pleasant to hear about. Moreover, it was horrifying, breaking the bottom line of the world, and could be called an atrocious act.

It is said that when a person dies, the debt is cleared, and everything ends with death.

Emperor Jian Shi, however, was different; he wouldn't just whip the corpse, he insisted on Lingchi!

He was mad!

Xie Gechen was very irritable; to be saddled with such a willful and unruly emperor was truly the worst luck in eight lifetimes.

He had wanted to ask Wei Wubing to step forward and persuade him.

Upon inquiring, he learned Eunuch Wei had gone into seclusion, and no one knew when he would come out. This matter also involved some unspeakable things and unspeakable people.

Xie Gechen went to see the Emperor.

The monarch and subject had a long, heart-to-heart talk.

Everything else could be discussed; even slandering the late Emperor and confirming that the late Emperor suffered divine retribution, Emperor Jian Shi rarely loosened his stance, saying it didn't need to be done so excessively.

"Recently, everything has been going wrong; perhaps it is a warning from Heaven, perhaps the late Emperor's anger. I have thought about it carefully; he is, after all, my father, sigh... I must embellish his reputation a little."

Xie Gechen was happy, excited!

After such a long standoff, Emperor Jian Shi had finally figured it out. The decision to change the pills was indeed correct.

However, regarding how to handle the Prince of Chu's corpse and funeral arrangements, Emperor Jian Shi was iron-willed and insisted on Lingchi.

"The traitor deserves to die! He should have been cut into a thousand pieces on the execution ground and torn apart by five horses. Now that he is dead, it is letting him off cheaply. I am only Lingchi-ing his corpse; what is wrong with that? And it won't be a public Lingchi... I also know the weather is hot and fear an epidemic. Therefore, I require it not to be public; the execution will take place in the Heavenly Prison. In that place, even if an epidemic breaks out, it is normal for a few people to die. In short, my mind is made up; do not speak of this again, Minister!"

The conversation reached this point, and there was basically no room left.

Xie Gechen knew when to stop.

After leaving the palace, he notified Sun Daoning to act according to instructions. The execution would not be public, and the location would be the Heavenly Prison. The funeral arrangements would be compared to the Prince of Cheng. Both were traitors, both would receive the same treatment.

Upon hearing this, Sun Daoning was so angry he had heart palpitations, pinching his own philtrum for fear of fainting from rage.

The dog Emperor, acting mad all day long, never having a normal moment.

After he adjusted himself, he sighed, lamenting that he must have committed some sin in a past life to be the Minister of Justice in this one.

"Notify the Heavenly Prison, have them prepare a venue as soon as possible, find executioners, and prepare for Lingchi! Do this quickly; the weather waits for no one!"

According to news from the Imperial Observatory, the next few days would all be sunny.

This meant the smell of the corpse, the possibility of an epidemic outbreak...

He dared not imagine it!

Fortunately, the Emperor did not require him to supervise the execution personally. He only needed to show his face on the first day.

The news was passed down layer by layer.

After Chen Guanlou received the news, he kicked over a chair.

"The Emperor must be crazy!" he cursed in the office.

Physician Mu comforted him, "My lord, calm your anger. Look at it from another angle: once this matter is finished, the Prince of Chu's case can be considered completely closed, with no further worries."

"Old Mu, don't comfort me. Look for yourself, what kind of weather is this? Can it withstand three days of Lingchi? I fear the executioners will be smoked to death before the task is finished. We, the people watching the execution, will suffer along with them. What kind of hatred, what kind of grudge—the Emperor cannot even tolerate a corpse. The dog Emperor, I really want to rush into the palace and slaughter him; replacing him with a dog on the dragon throne would be better than him."

"Must not, must not."

Physician Mu was scared to death.

Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen was truly brave, daring to say anything. He even dared to openly speak of killing the Emperor and rebelling.

Did he not want his life?

"My lord, beware of walls having ears."

"Rest assured, no one can eavesdrop."

"Even if no one can eavesdrop, my lord should control yourself; you cannot just spit out whatever comes to mind. This, this, this—it is better to say less of such treasonous words."

"My heart is not at ease; can I not vent a few complaints? Doesn't the dog Emperor deserve to die?"

Chen Guanlou was furious; the tea didn't taste good, and the food didn't taste good.

Thinking that the Heavenly Prison was about to face an unprecedented challenge, he felt like vomiting.

Complaining was one thing, but arrangements had to be made.

First, he had the morgue prepare a large amount of ice, build a platform, and prepare the venue.

Then he had someone call the executioner Wang Youfu.

Chen Guanlou rubbed his temples; sigh, Wang Youfu was going to suffer.

"There is a task; you will have to work hard."

"Please, my lord, give your orders!" Wang Youfu stood respectfully, not daring to sit. He respected Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen from the bottom of his heart.

"This task, you have done before. But the weather is hot... I won't waste words: Lingchi on a corpse, no problem, right?"

Wang Youfu opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

"My, my, my lord, in this weather, Lingchi on a corpse? This, this, this..." He was incoherent, looking back at the door; the bright sun was hanging in the sky, and he had already broken into a sweat just coming from the torture room.

In this weather, Lingchi on a corpse?

It would be better to let him die!

"I know this task is very difficult. But the order from above is a death command; what can we, as officials, do? We can only bite the bullet. This time I will add money for you; I will never let you suffer. You just focus on doing the job well; if you need any help, just ask."

Chen Guanlou patted his chest with a loud thud.

Alas, it was useless.

Wang Youfu looked miserable. "My lord, it is not that this small one is shirking. It is truly that the weather does not allow it. In this weather, if a corpse is left for a day or two, the smell is already unbearable. Lingchi on a corpse—this small one fears it cannot be done. I ask for my lord's forgiveness!"

"Find a few more people, can you? I will give you five hundred taels of silver; you can spend it as you please. Money can make ghosts push millstones. I will also have Physician Mu prepare some medicine for you, just in case." ===== CHAPTER 1059 =====