Chapter 297: Beheading

In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, the tenth day of the first month.

The festive atmosphere had not yet faded, and the streets of Yingtian Prefecture still held fragments of firecrackers.

Inside Qianqing Palace the mood was heavy; Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind the imperial desk, clutching a report, his face so grim it seemed it could drip water.

Zhu Biao stood nearby, his brows tightly knit.

Zhu Yong had just entered the palace to pay his respects, yet he was also kept.

"Fine, what a Minister of Justice, taking bribes of ten thousand taels, swapping death row inmates, extorting families, forcing an entire household of twenty to commit suicide… Our Justice Ministry has become Kaiji's money‑tree?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the report onto the desk, his voice cold as the winter wind of the twelfth month.

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "Imperial Father, calm your anger; I have already ordered a thorough investigation, the evidence is solid, Kaiji is locked in the Heaven Prison."

"A thorough investigation? What else is there to investigate? Such a man deserves a thousand cuts! Issue an edict: Kaiji is guilty of embezzlement, perverting the law, harming the people, his crimes are monstrous; at noon tomorrow he shall be executed by lingchi, and his entire family exiled three thousand li!"

Zhu Yuanzhang rose, hands clasped behind his back, pacing the hall, his face full of wrath.

Zhu Biao fell silent for a moment, then softly said, "Imperial Father, Kaiji deserves death, but he is nonetheless a second‑rank high official; lingchi… might be too severe?"

Zhu Yuanzhang halted his steps and turned to look at him.

Zhu Biao continued, "According to the Ming Code, anyone who embezzles more than sixty taels is to be beheaded; Kaiji stole ten thousand taels, a beheading would suffice.

Lingchi would satisfy vengeance, but I fear the people would criticize Imperial Father for being overly harsh."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"Biao, you are right; we were rash in anger. Then we will follow your suggestion: behead on the spot, exile the family to Qiongzhou, never to be reinstated."

Zhu Biao bowed and said, "Imperial Father, you are wise."

Zhu Yong watched the scene from beside, his mind as clear as a polished mirror.

"Big brother, this is just putting on a sour face."

"Kaiji must die, but the manner of his death matters."

"Lingchi is too bloody; spreading the news would sound terrible."

"Beheading is beheading—clean and swift, and it can even earn the reputation of a 'lenient sentencing.'"

"As for exiling the family to Qiongzhou, that place is rife with miasma; nine out of ten who go never return."

"Effectively, they still die."

"But when Big brother says it, it becomes 'mercy.'"

"Black‑hearted tangyuan truly lives up to its reputation."

"Yong Er, what are you thinking?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly looked at him.

Zhu Yong snapped back, smiling, and asked, "Father, I'm wondering how Kaiji dared to embezzle so much. Isn't he afraid of death?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "Afraid of death? If they feared death they wouldn't be greedy. These officials always think we can't catch them, that they can pull the wool over the sky."

He paused, then looked at Zhu Biao, "Biao, keep an eye on Kaiji's case, see if there are any accomplices; spare none."

"Yes, Imperial Father."

……

Leaving the Heaven Prison, it was already noon.

Zhu Biao and Zhu Yong walked side by side along the palace corridor, the sunlight warm on their bodies.

"Big brother, have Kaiji's family gone to look for someone?" Zhu Yong suddenly asked.

Zhu Biao's steps faltered briefly, and he turned his head toward him.

"How did you know?"

"Just guessed. With such a huge incident, the family would surely seek help everywhere, hoping to save his life," Zhu Yong said naively.

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right, Kaiji's family did indeed look for someone, they sought Minister of Revenue Guo Huan."

Zhu Yong felt something stir inside.

Guo Huan.

He was far too familiar with that name.

In the history of his previous life, the Guo Huan case was one of the biggest corruption scandals of the Hongwu era, involving over twenty‑million shi of grain, implicating tens of thousands, and was ultimately eradicated by Zhu Yuanzhang, with heads rolling.

In this life, the Kaiji case became the prelude to the Guo Huan case.

"Guo Huan took the money?" he asked.

Zhu Biao's mouth curled into a cold smile, "He did; a hundred thousand taels, contributed by Kaiji's family. After Guo Huan took it, he said he'd find a way, but so far there has been no sign of action."

"Then does he… actually want to save Kaiji?"

"He wants to save him, but with what? Imperial Father is personally overseeing Kaiji's case, Jinyiwei are investigating daily; who would dare intervene? Guo Huan isn't foolish—taking money is one thing, handling affairs is another."

Zhu Biao shook his head.

Zhu Yong understood.

Guo Huan is playing both sides.

He takes money but does nothing; Kaiji's family have no recourse against him.

Anyway Kaiji is doomed; his death will have no proof.

"Big brother, you aren't handling this?" Zhu Yong asked.

Zhu Biao looked at him, meaningfully saying, "What's there to manage? Guo Huan took the money; he's courting death himself. Let him climb higher, and the fall will be harsher."

Zhu Yong nodded and asked no further.

Big brother knew the situation.

……

Justice Ministry Prison.

Kai Ji curled up in the corner of the cell, still wearing that filthy official robe, his hair disheveled, his face full of despair.

Three days ago he was the Minister of Justice, a second‑rank senior official, in charge of all criminal matters.

Now he is a common prisoner, awaiting execution by beheading.

The cell door opened, and a person walked in.

Kai Ji looked up, saw the newcomer, and his eyes widened suddenly.

"Guo… Lord Guo?"

Guo Huan, dressed in plain clothes, stood at the cell entrance, looking at him expressionlessly.

"Lord Kai, I hope you have been well."

Kai Ji lunged forward, grabbed the wooden bars of the cell door, and said with a trembling voice: "Lord Guo, save me! You must save me; I have already sent the money, a hundred thousand taels, you have taken it…"

Guo Huan stepped back a step, avoiding his hand.

"Lord Kai, when did I ever receive your money?"

Kai Ji was stunned, then understood.

"You… you…"

"Lord Kai, your case was decreed by the Emperor himself; no one can save you. I am here today, out of collegial courtesy, to see you off for the last time." Guo Huan said coldly.

He took a jar of Wine from his sleeve and set it on the ground.

"Drink it, and the road ahead will be smooth."

Having said that, he turned and walked away.

Kai Ji stared at the jar of Wine, then at Guo Huan's retreating back, and suddenly let out a heart‑rending howl.

"Guo Huan! You shall not die a good death!"

The voice echoed in the cell, lingering for a long time.

…

The twelfth day of the first month, at three‑quarters past noon.

Execution ground.

Kai Ji was led onto the execution platform, knelt there, trembling all over.

The Chief Executioner, an Assistant Minister of Justice, read the Imperial Edict expressionlessly.

"…Minister of Justice Kai Ji, guilty of embezzlement and perverting the law, accepting bribes, swapping death prisoners, extorting prisoners' families, causing an entire household of twenty to commit suicide, crimes of the gravest evil; according to the law, sentenced to beheading!"

"Behead!"

The executioner raised the great sword, its blade flashing coldly.

The blade fell.

The head hit the ground.

Fresh blood spurted.

The onlookers cheered.

"Well done!"

"Corrupt officials like this deserve a thousand cuts!"

"The Emperor is wise!"

"…"

Among the crowd, a few men in plain clothes silently recorded everything.

They were members of the Brocade Guard, acting on Zhu Biao's order, watching the execution ground to see if anyone would claim the corpse or cause trouble.

There were none.

Kai Ji's family had already been escorted out of the capital, exiled to Qiongzhou.

His body was wrapped in a straw mat and thrown onto the mass burial mound.

The once all‑powerful Minister of Justice vanished from the annals of history in this way.

…

The fifteenth day of the first month, Lantern Festival.

In Yingtian Prefecture city, lanterns and decorations were strung everywhere, the atmosphere bustling.

In Wu Wang Fu, Zhu Yong was leading the children in the courtyard, releasing Lanterns.

Zhu Huanhuan, now a teenage girl, wore a goose‑yellow jacket‑skirt, held a rabbit Lantern in her hand, and smiled brightly.

Zhu Qiong Jiong, alone, carried two large Lanterns, running back and forth, his face unflushed and his breath steady.

"Dad! Dad! Look at my Lantern, it's bigger than Sister Huan Huan's!" Zhu Qiong Jiong ran over, brandishing the Lantern.

Zhu Yong laughed, patted his head and said, "Hmm, Jiong Jiong's Lantern is the biggest."

Zhu Huanhuan, beside them, smiled with a pursed mouth and whispered, "Just knew you'd say it's bigger."

Zhu Qiong Jiong glared at her, then ran off again.

Guanyin Nu walked over, stood beside Zhu Yong, watching the children frolic.

"Prince, has Kai Ji's case been settled?"

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "It's settled, beheaded."

Guanyin Nu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "One hundred thousand taels of silver, one life, twenty innocent lives."

Zhu Yong said nothing.

Guanyin Nu added, "Prince, tell me, why do such people always exist in this world? Even when they have reached the pinnacle of power, they still covet a little money?"

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, then said slowly, "Human hearts are never satisfied; once you have ten thousand, you want a hundred thousand; once you have a hundred thousand, you want a million; in the end you greed yourself into the coffin."

Guanyin Nu looked at him and suddenly laughed.

Prince, you're not the same as before.

Zhu Yong was startled and said, "How are you different?"

"Before you couldn't say these words; before you were just a simpleton, now…" Guanyin Nu said softly.

She paused, then said nothing more.

Zhu Yong's heart leapt, but he gave a goofy smile.

"Now I'm still a simpleton, I've just seen more and know a bit more."

Guanyin Nu nodded and did not press further.

She never asks much.

That's her cleverness.

……

After the Lantern Festival, the court returned to normal.

Kai Ji's case was like a Stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples that gradually subsided.

But Zhu Biao knew this was only the beginning.

Guo Huan took the money from Kai Ji's family, and the Brocade Guard had already recorded it in the files.

Kai Ji died, his family was exiled, but Guo Huan was still alive, still sitting in the position of Minister of Revenue.

His power in hand was far greater than Kai Ji's.

The Ministry of Revenue oversees all money and grain; each year it handles silver in the millions, and grain in countless amounts.

If Guo Huan wanted to be greedy, there were plenty of opportunities.

Zhu Biao was not impatient.

He needed to wait.

Wait for Guo Huan to show a bigger flaw, wait for his tail to rise higher, then capture him in one net.

……

In Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing the Memorandum.

Zhu Biao entered, performed the salute and said, "Imperial Father."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and said, "Biao, you're here, sit."

Zhu Biao sat down without speaking.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him, set the Memorandum down and asked, "Anything?"

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "Imperial Father, I wish to discuss Guo Huan with you."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Guo Huan… what did he do…?"

"Yes, Kai Ji's family once took 100,000 taels of silver to find Guo Huan, begging him to save Kai Ji's life; Guo Huan took the silver but did nothing."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression darkened.

"He took the money?"

"Yes, the Brocade Guard witnessed it personally, and there is a record."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Fine, our Minister of Revenue is also greedy."

Zhu Biao said, "Imperial Father, whether Guo Huan is greedy there is no other evidence yet, but I think we can keep an eye on it."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhu Biao whispered, "Let him jump again; the higher he jumps, the harsher he'll fall."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, a look of approval flashing in his eyes.

"Alright, as you say, have the Brocade Guard watch him and see what else he does."

"Understood."

……

Leaving Qianqing Palace, Zhu Biao walked along the palace corridor, his steps light.

He recalled Kai Ji's appearance before death, Guo Huan's face when he took money without acting, and the innocent civilians killed by corrupt officials.

A fire burned in his heart, heating his whole body.

He never considered himself a benevolent Crown Prince.

He only knows when to be merciful and when to be ruthless.

To the people, be merciful.

To corrupt officials, be ruthless.

To Kai Ji, to Guo Huan, and to anyone in the future who dares to reach out, be ruthless.

Let them know that the heavens of Great Ming belong to Zhu Yuanzhang and also to Zhu Biao.

Those who dare to reach out must die.