Chapter 34: Where the People's Hearts Turn

"Tell me, why does His Majesty want to hold the execution ground at Caishikou?"

"How would I know? Since His Majesty has chosen to do so, he must have his reasons. We common folk shouldn't go around speculating idly."

"Well said. The Son of Heaven is a man of great talent and bold vision—he abolished the Three Surcharges and exempted everyone from a year's land tax. He certainly wouldn't act without cause."

"Look, quick—those are the villains who tried to assassinate His Majesty!"

"You rogues! His Majesty is so wise and virtuous, how could you bear to strike him down?"

"Could it be that His Majesty has blocked the path to wealth for you corrupt officials!"

Many people were discussing it, and even the officials initially failed to understand. In all previous reigns of the Great Ming, executions had always been held at the Xisi Archway, yet the Chongzhen Emperor, for reasons unknown, had moved it to West Caishikou—a precedent in itself.

Caishikou was a vulgar, filthy place that those "uncorrupted" court officials would never have dreamed of visiting in their lifetimes. When they were forced to come here, they finally understood the Emperor's intent.

It seemed the Chongzhen Emperor was giving them another show of force. Many could not fathom it: Grand Secretary Chen Yan had devoted himself utterly to the court, yet these commoners were willing to believe the words of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hurling abuse and calling for his head—enough to chill the hearts of us literati!

In the eyes of the civil officials, the common people had been thoroughly deceived by the Chongzhen Emperor and the depot guards. But then again, these vulgar sorts were nothing but a pack of troublemakers at heart, so such a reaction was only to be expected.

As for this matter, the Chongzhen Emperor himself admitted it was an unintentional mistake—all the fault of those queue-wearing dramas of later generations.

In those dramas, whenever an emperor decreed someone be beheaded, it was invariably at Caishikou. The Chongzhen Emperor had no particular scheme in mind—he had simply said it offhand.

At first he thought nothing of it, but later, after hearing a secret report from the Eastern Depot agents, he realized he had made a mistake.

That said, this unintentional error did produce an unexpected effect. When condemned prisoners were beheaded at the Xisi Archway, most of the spectators were the capital's nobles and wealthy men.

Because that area counted as the capital's "rich quarter"—crowded with brothels, restaurants, inns, and shops of every kind. Now that the venue had suddenly shifted to Caishikou, the spectators became vegetable-selling farm women and peasants carrying hoes on their shoulders, along with a great many passersby. In such an environment, it was far easier to plant depot agents.

Upon arriving at the chosen execution ground, the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture formed a line at the outermost ring, using their bodies to hold back the surging crowd of onlookers. Inside them stood soldiers of the Five Wards' Troops and Horses Office, weapons drawn and at the ready to prevent any disturbance.

Soon people of every description gathered at Caishikou—itinerant merchants who had come to the capital to trade, residents of the city, and a small number of Hui Muslims—making for a lively scene.

Spotting the oddly dressed Hui among the crowd, the hidden Eastern Depot agents finally found their quarry and quietly closed in around them.

The agents exchanged glances, and before long several of them, feigning casualness, followed the Hui into a small alleyway.

Hawkers took advantage of the gathered crowd to shout their wares along the streets, hoping to sell as much as possible to supplement their household incomes. Wei Zaode listened to the commoners' discussions around him, his face dark, and walked to the center of the execution ground. He coughed once and sat down.

The court officials who had come by imperial decree to witness the execution huddled together like penguins in a cold wind. The commoners' voices were loud, and many of them were pointing at the officials and whispering among themselves.

The officials heard the surrounding murmurs clearly. They could not understand it—how could a cruel and tyrannical ruler comparable to Jie and Zhou, as they saw the Chongzhen Emperor, enjoy the collective support of the people? It was truly strange.

The supervising execution official Wei Zaode sat at the very center, flanked by the accompanying Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Li Ruolian—Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—and the Bureau Secretary of the Ministry of Justice. Only after Vice Regional Commander Dong Qi of the Capital Camps took his place beside him in a bold, swaggering stance did Wei Zaode calmly call out:

"Bring forth the prisoners and verify their identities!"

In a moment, a minor officer of the Five Wards' Troops and Horses Office came forward and reported:

"Reporting to Your Honor, all three prisoners have been brought forth. Verification complete—all are the true persons."

Before long, the prison carts parked around the execution ground creaked open, and Chen Yan, Luo Yangxing, and Gong Dingzi were each escorted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard onto the execution platform.

After a few steps, the guards handed the three over to the runners of Shuntian Prefecture, who secured them to the execution platform. The three executioners standing on the platform were all bare-chested, exposing their muscular arms, clutching their great blades tightly to their chests, and glaring fiercely at Wei Zaode.

The executioner's trade was high-risk and high-income—executioners frequently died sudden deaths or were killed by people seeking revenge. Even so, for people of this era, landing such a post at a guard station was no easy feat.

These executioners would often pass down their professional craft to the next generation, perhaps even pulling strings to ensure their young lads could continue the work—at least guaranteeing a decent living in these troubled times.

Wei Zaode's heart was uneasy. Before long, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review reminded him:

"Your Honor, the hour has come."

Hearing this, Wei Zaode's expression grew complicated as he glanced at Chen Yan, whose face was twisted with extreme resentment. He knew full well that the resentment was directed at himself, and felt helpless at heart.

Suddenly remembering something, Wei Zaode's face turned grim once more, and he shouted loudly:

"The hour of noon has arrived—carry out the execution!"

"Wei Zaode! You betrayed your teacher and abandoned your friends—you will die a horrible death!" Seeing that there was no longer any hope of survival, Chen Yan's courage swelled, and he began to shout at the top of his lungs.

Luo Yangxing watched as the executioners revealed their family-inherited ghost-head blades, terror trembling through his heart. "Li Ruolian, do you truly believe Chongzhen is some wise ruler? Look at my fate, and then look at your own position!"

"Three generations of my Luo family have served as Regional Military Commissioners, shedding blood and risking our heads for the court—and yet now I end up like this! Chongzhen is without benevolence! Li Ruolian, this Great Ming will sooner or later be destroyed by Chongzhen's hands!!!"

In contrast to the final frenzy of the first two, Gong Dingzi was eerily silent. But if you looked closely, you would see that Gong Dingzi's entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and beneath his feet had appeared a puddle of foul-smelling yellow liquid.

This great figure, renowned among the Donglin literati, had been frightened into losing control of his bladder right there on the execution ground. The incident was later turned into a ditty by some children and spread far and wide, becoming a source of mockery.

The three executioners took the strong liquor handed over by the runners beside them, took a fierce gulp, and with a 'puh' sprayed it onto their blades, then drained the rest in one go.

As the liquor bowls shattered on the ground, the executioners pulled out the wooden placards stuck behind the three prisoners' backs and raised their ghost-head blades in unison. The moment Wei Zaode flung his token to the ground, they brought the great blades sweeping down.

"Thunk......"

"Thud, thud, thud......."

Three round heads tumbled beneath the execution platform as blood spurted from the severed necks. The bloody scene sent a chill down the necks of the court officials, but the watching commoners burst into applause and cheers.

"Excellent!"

"Killed well!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"These cursed traitors should have been killed long ago!"

After throwing the token, Wei Zaode instinctively shut his eyes. Only after steeling himself did he open them—and still, the sight before him sent his stomach churning.

He held his breath for a long moment, but in the end, with a 'hurk', he vomited.