Chapter 276: Three Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven Cuts

Speaking of death by a thousand cuts, there is a great deal of learning to it.

Beginning in the Five Dynasties, the Tang, Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties all had this form of punishment. Lingchi, as the cruelest death sentence, persisted through history for so long that it naturally gave rise to a class of professional executioners who practiced it.

The man Li Youde had found was called Fifth Master Pei, one of the few remaining experts in the art of lingchi. It was said that when Yuan Chonghuan was executed by lingchi in the third year of Chongzhen, it was this very Fifth Master Pei who wielded the knife.

Upon seeing Fifth Master Pei, Li Youde fixed Ning Wanwo with a gaze of utter hatred and laughed grimly: "Thanks to His Majesty's sagely wisdom, he has decreed you be sliced alive, you bastard. Now we're in for a good show."

"Fifth Master, take your time — let everyone see it clearly. And after this bastard dies, his bones must be smashed to pieces as well, or even the dogs won't eat them." Li Youde shouted.

Fifth Master Pei had been summoned on short notice. It was said the original plan was beheading at noon, but who could have imagined the Chongzhen Emperor himself would ride out of the palace on horseback to change it to lingchi — not only putting on a grand display, but also showing the world his true character.

Naturally, Fifth Master Pei, who had been idling at home with nothing to do, was overjoyed to hear the news.

Though lingchi was the cruelest punishment, few had ever received it across the dynasties, and given his seniority, unless it was a criminal personally designated by the Emperor like Yuan Chonghuan, he generally did not need to take up the knife himself.

Hearing Li Youde's instructions, Fifth Master Pei let out a few sinister laughs, twirling a small knife in his hand and waving it before Ning Wanwo's eyes: "You traitorous dog who surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians — this time Fifth Master himself will attend to you!"

"Slice this traitorous dog alive!"

"His Majesty is sagely! Fifth Master, this time you old master must cut well!"

Fifth Master Pei snorted a few times and, amid the crowd's cheers, stepped up onto the platform. At this point, Li Youde and several Eastern Depot agents also descended, signaling that Fifth Master Pei should handle things himself — they would not interfere.

First, Fifth Master Pei twirled the small knife in his hand with a flourish. With one hand he lifted Ning Wanwo's head, and with the other he deftly pinched up an eyelid — "Shua!" — and sliced it off with a single cut.

"Ahhh!!!" The piercing pain made Ning Wanwo howl without cease.

For such situations, Fifth Master Pei naturally had his own methods. Producing from somewhere a small contraption resembling a clamp, he fitted it directly over Ning Wanwo's two lips without a word.

Ning Wanwo's face turned purple with agony, yet he could only emit continuous muffled groans, unable to let out a single cry.

"Traitorous dog, open your eyes wide and watch! This knife I once used to slice Yuan the Big Head, who enjoyed the treatment of a Supreme Commander — you can consider yourself fortunate to have gotten your wish." So saying, Fifth Master Pei sliced off Ning Wanwo's other eyelid with one hand.

After cutting, Fifth Master Pei handed the copper tray holding Ning Wanwo's eyelids to a nearby Eastern Depot agent and shouted: "Come and see, everyone! The double eyelids of the traitorous dog Ning Wanwo — take them away for just one tael of silver!"

The common folk cheered in approval, but one tael of silver was no small sum, and though many poor people wished to buy, they all held back. At this moment, Xia Wanchun stepped forth from the crowd, raised a tael ingot of silver, and said:

"These double eyelids of the traitor who surrendered to the foe — I, the Young Man of Jiangzuo, shall buy them!"

"The Young Man of Jiangzuo? Xia Wanchun!?"

Xia Wanchun's actions differed from those of ordinary scholars and students. Even Qu Changwen had fled from the sight, and the other scholars' faces were ashen — only he dared step forward to buy these two pieces of eyelid.

Wei Zaode glanced at Xia Wanchun, nodded silently in his heart, and rose to say:

"Good! A hero emerges from youth, truly worthy of a famed scholar's lineage. Attendant! Hand these twin traitor's eyelids to the Young Man of Jiangzuo!"

Looking at Ning Wanwo's eyelids, Xia Wanchun's expression shifted somewhat, but recalling this traitor's various acts of selling out the country by surrendering to the Jianzhou slaves, he immediately widened his eyes.

Before long, Xia Wanchun raised the copper tray, shouted a few words loudly, and then handed the double eyelids over to the common folk, sparking a fierce scramble among the gathered crowd.

Naturally, this scramble posed no danger. Several Company Commanders exchanged glances and held back the constables who wanted to intervene, merely keeping a close watch on the crowd without taking any action.

"Haha, look — Fifth Master's skill is famed throughout the entire capital, near and far. You wretch, falling into my hands, you'll get to enjoy yourself properly!"

Since slicing Yuan Chonghuan alive more than a decade ago, Fifth Master Pei had not had such a satisfying moment in a long while. He strode forward and began cutting Ning Wanwo's body, slice by slice.

Fifth Master's skill was truly excellent. The agents on the platform bustled about frantically, holding copper trays to catch the pieces, and once they had collected enough, they distributed them free to the watching crowd, which invariably sparked another bout of grabbing.

Ning Wanwo's punishment of a thousand cuts lasted from midday until sunset. Not to mention the miserable state of Ning Wanwo, whose breathing was now intermittent, even the platform itself was stained with congealed blood.

Strangely, though there was no lack of blood on the platform, not a single scrap of flesh could be seen.

Xia Wanchun's conduct during the proceedings successfully caught the attention of Wei Zaode, the Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat overseeing the punishment. Wei Zaode saw it all clearly — even among the ruthless agents below, some had vomited, yet Xia Wanchun watched the entire process with extraordinary composure.

For this alone, Wei Zaode resolved in his heart that upon returning, he would send an official dispatch to the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, inquiring about this Young Man of Jiangzuo's past, to see whether he had suffered some trauma.

Fifth Master Pei's exquisite skill was fully proven and displayed in this execution. After slicing three thousand three hundred and fifty-six cuts, Ning Wanwo no longer even had the strength to groan, but strangely, he still had a breath left in him — not quite dead.

At this moment, Fifth Master Pei wiped the fine sweat from his brow, twirled the small knife in his hand once more with a flourish, and sneered:

"This old Pei's life has been worth living — over a decade ago I sliced a Supreme Commander, and now I've sliced to death some Grand Secretary from beyond the pass. Surely this will be passed down to posterity!"

So saying, Fifth Master Pei chuckled with delight, and amid the crowd's cheers he completed the three thousand three hundred and fifty-seventh cut — and Ning Wanwo immediately breathed his last.

Late at night, the Chongzhen Emperor was receiving Wei Zaode, who had returned to report on his duties.

"Your Majesty, throughout the entire execution no one was so reckless as to come cause trouble. Even Liu Zhengzong's disciples and old associates stood below without a word — no doubt overawed by Your Majesty's heavenly might, they dared not show themselves."

"The court's lingchi of the great traitor Ning Wanwo is an act in accord with Heaven's way and the people's will. The common folk were extraordinarily roused, buying up every slice of flesh cut from Ning Wanwo's body — some even ate it on the spot, showing the depth of their hatred for this traitor."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded quietly and said: "This is not yet finished. Send a man who fears not death to Shengjing, deliver Ning Wanwo's head to Dorgon's residence, and tell him to see for himself what fate awaits those who oppose the Great Ming!"

"Also, have Wang Cheng'en personally go to Fifth Master Pei's home, bringing three hundred taels of silver. For now, station him at the Eastern Depot for torture duty — there will be more use for him in the future."

Wei Zaode's eyes lit up, and he quickly called out:

"Your Majesty is sagely! Your minister has no objections — I shall see to it at once!"

While the palace was seeking someone to deliver Ning Wanwo's head to Shengjing, the capital after nightfall remained far from peaceful.

Master Ma was pacing back and forth outside the Eastern District Troops and Horses Office with the ruffians from yesterday, uncertain whether he should tell the constable Wang Ping what he had heard.

"Master Ma, do we go in or not?"

"Will Constable Wang believe us, or will he just seize us brothers on the spot and press us into the army?"

"Right, Constable Wang has long been our old adversary. Isn't this what those scholars call asking for trouble?"

"What the hell do you know? This is called reaping what you sow — you can't outrun your own doom!"

The other ruffians were all somewhat fearful. Master Ma, who had been hesitating, suddenly realized something at these words. He shook himself, drained the wine he was holding, and shouted:

"Let's go — all of us in! The Son of Heaven is sagely and of true character, and I haven't committed any crime this time. What can they do to me?"