Chapter 192: It's Blown Out of Proportion

"Since that's the case, this official has nothing more to say."

What puzzled everyone was that Xu Dechong, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, who had been full of righteous indignation just moments ago, now did a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, smiling as he said: "This official can see that the soldiers under Commander Zhou's Divine Martial Army are all stout and brawny, but in the end they are shorthanded. Today this official has also brought several squads of yamen runners, and I'll hand them over to Commander Zhou to help with the guarding, lest any of the condemned criminals slip away."

Zhou Jingwu couldn't quite figure it out either. Judging by the situation, he had thought this would be difficult to handle, but he truly hadn't expected Xu Dechong and those wealthy landowners to cave so firmly, decisively, swiftly, and unanimously.

Looking at the beaming Xu Dechong, Zhou Jingwu kept feeling that this fellow was reading between the lines, and for a moment didn't know what to say. But Li Youcheng, the Chiliarch of Punishment leading the agents behind him, was sharp as a whip and seemed to understand something, only he kept desperately signaling with his eyes.

At this moment, the head constable of the Troops and Horses Office turned back to signal the runners to lower their weapons, then stepped forward with clasped fists and said:

"Commander Zhou, this lowly one was rash. My brothers have also told me that to express their apology, everyone is voluntarily helping the Divine Martial Army guard the condemned criminals. I hope the Commander can give us a chance to atone for our mistakes."

"No matter. Since everyone has seen the true faces of these Restoration Society rebels, this Commander is relieved." Zhou Jingwu couldn't figure out what schemes these people were harboring, so he could only play along. Though he spoke these words, in his heart he remained highly vigilant.

Before long, the group arrived at the marketplace that had already been surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through, and everyone furrowed their brows once again.

Looking at these lower-class commoners before him, dressed in ragged mismatched clothes and haunting the marketplace day in and day out, Xu Dechong's face was full of disgust and contempt. Those landowners and merchants were much the same, not wanting to step forward at all, as if afraid of soiling their immaculate garments.

"Mr. Zhang, take care on your way!"

"With Mr. Zhang gone from this world, we've truly lost a great benefactor!"

"......"

Zhou Jingwu had still underestimated the appeal and influence these Restoration Society government students held in Nanjing. Even though Xu Dechong and those wealthy landowners said nothing, and there were runners from both Yingtian Prefecture and the Troops and Horses Office escorting them, there were still many people in the marketplace shoving and pushing their way through.

Looking at the sea of bobbing heads before him, Zhou Jingwu placed his hand on his sword hilt and asked thoughtfully: "Chiliarch Li, are all these people here to see off Zhang Cai and these rebels?"

"Aren't they just!" Li Youcheng also complained bitterly, saying it was an unintentional mistake on his part — he had considered every angle, but never imagined there would be this many commoners in the city who had been deceived for years. He then smiled wryly and said:

"Commander Zhou, these commoners have been bewitched and deceived by the condemned criminals for years. Judging by this scene, executing these criminals this time won't be so easy."

Hearing this, the look in Zhou Jingwu's eyes gradually turned sinister. After a long moment, he slowly drew his sword halfway from its sheath and said coldly: "This is His Majesty's imperial decree. Even if the entire city showed up, this Commander would still behead these rebels on His Majesty's behalf. Say no more. March them up to the execution platform, lest we invite trouble by delaying!"

"Very well, men, march them up!" Since Zhou Jingwu had put it so bluntly, Li Youcheng had nothing more to say and waved his hand.

Seeing that the Divine Martial Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were escorting Zhang Cai and his lot up to the execution platform in batches, apparently still intending to carry out the sentence, Chu Youcai was somewhat surprised and sneered:

"By the looks of it, Zhou Jingwu intends to defy heaven itself and insists on killing that Zhang Cai." As he spoke, Chu Youcai suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask: "What exactly does Old Qian mean? Can we get a definitive answer? You know, our silver can't be spent for nothing."

"Brother Chu hasn't figured it out yet?"

These people were the source of their money, and especially this guild head Chu Youcai — he couldn't be slighted. Though Xu Dechong, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, didn't want to speak, he still smiled and replied:

"Old Qian feels that now is too early to discuss establishing a new sovereign. If the Restoration Society is gone, it can be re-established by others. If someone like Zhang Cai dies, another can be found. Even if one can't be found, have the Kong family find someone with a bit of reputation to spread the word, and won't that make another Zhang Cai? The common folk are still easy to fool."

"This time the capital reopened the Eastern Depot's office in Nanjing and sent the Divine Martial Army to oversee the executions. If Old Qian and the others are exposed, everything will be ruined."

"So that's how it is, no wonder......" Xu Dechong nodded and understood at once. Having once mixed in official circles, he was naturally different from ordinary merchants. Before he could say anything more, he heard Xu Dechong ask: "By the way, do the guild and the other wealthy gentry all share the same view?"

Hearing this, Chu Youcai laughed at himself, glanced to the side, and said in a low voice: "They're all profit-seekers. Forking over the silver was already bleeding them dry. Wanting them to follow us wholeheartedly — that's a hard sell."

Xu Dechong heard this and didn't take it to heart, having naturally expected this answer. He nodded and said:

"Brother Chu, look quickly — the show is about to begin."

"Is there no law anymore? Even a good man like Mr. Zhang is going to be killed?"

"That's right, Mr. Zhang is the savior of my entire family!"

"......"

The executioner looked at the packed crowd below the platform and found himself at a loss for a moment. Judging by the situation, if he forcibly beheaded Zhang Cai and his lot, he feared he would never be able to set foot in Nanjing city again.

But on the other hand, wasn't this exactly the kind of thankless work an executioner did? If the authorities ordered you to kill and you didn't dare, losing this hereditary iron rice bowl and craft passed down through generations — that would be asking for trouble for yourself.

The executioner's heart was in turmoil. Whether he killed or not, he would offend someone either way. But this multiple-choice question was simple: on one side was the authorities, and behind the authorities stood the current Emperor; on the other side were the commoners and scholars. Since ancient times, the arm could never twist the thigh.

In other words, even if the arm might one day twist the thigh, that had nothing to do with him. Whether he killed or not determined the livelihood of his family of five right now — who could say what the future held?

But come to think of it, was this Emperor really as fatuous as they claimed? I heard that last year the ones executed were all corrupt officials, and the deeds done were the good works previous emperors couldn't accomplish and didn't dare attempt — is that right?

Li Youcheng and the agents under his command were the same, each wearing a look of facing a formidable enemy, quietly gripping the twin sabers at their waists, all feeling a sense of impending danger, afraid that one careless slip might bring some mishap.

"Fatuous sovereign!" Zhang Cai stood on the platform, still shouting arrogantly: "Do you see this? This is the will of heaven, this is the will of the people! Kill one Zhang Cai, and thousands upon thousands of Zhang Cais will rise up against you, you fatuous sovereign!"

At this moment, the Restoration Society scholars who usually prided themselves on speaking out for justice displayed very different reactions.

Aside from Zhang Cai's desperate last stand, most of them had gone weak in the knees. Some wet their pants on the spot from fright, some wept bitterly saying they had elders above and children below and begged for mercy, and some even fainted outright from sheer terror of death.

The myriad faces of humanity — on an execution platform, one truly saw them all clearly.