A few days passed by, and on this day, the sun hung high in the sky, and the scorching sun shone on the earth, as if it wanted to drive away some darkness and sin.
Outside the Caishi Street, the officers and soldiers of the Wucheng Army and Horses Division were separated by dozens of feet and set up a platform half a person high.
The surroundings were bustling with people watching, and various voices of discussion could be heard.
Looking up, there were several tables placed directly in front of the table. The one in the middle was Zou Qian, the prison officer of the Ministry of Punishments.
There were two old men sitting next to them. One was wearing a unicorn uniform and was obviously an honorable minister. The other was wearing a light crimson official robe with a mighty tiger embroidered on it.
Next to them, there is a large sundial, which symbolizes the passage of time as the sun goes by.
Seeing that time was almost up, Zou Gan waved his hand, and under the escort of the officers and soldiers, several prisoners whose faces were covered with black cloth were sent to the execution platform.
The black cloth was torn off their heads. Zhang Fu, Xu Bin, Xiao Weizhen and others instinctively closed their eyes to avoid the dazzling light.
But the officers and soldiers escorting them forced their heads and turned them in the direction of the supervisor.
After verifying that he was upright, within a moment, the sun was already in the sky.
Glancing at Zhang Xi who was sitting nearby with his fists clenched tightly, Zou Qian sighed, stood up immediately, picked up a volume of edict, and read it in a loud voice.
Then, the sundial scale finally reached noon, and Zou Gan gave an order.
"It's noon, execution!"
Accompanied by the sound of the token falling to the ground, the sharp sword was raised high.
The sun reflected the light of the knife. He raised the knife and lowered it. Warm blood splashed three feet high, dyeing the entire execution platform red.
Zou Qian sighed and turned around, only to find that Zhang Xi's whole body was trembling slightly.
Swallowing, Zou Qian said carefully.
"Master Zhang, the execution is over. You can go and bury your brother's body. I am doing this according to the order. Master Zhang expresses my condolences. If necessary, I can send the troops from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division to help."
However, Zhang Xi obviously did not accept his affection. Although his body was already shaky, he still stood up with the chair.
Then, without saying a word, he walked forward with his servants, acting as if Zou Qian didn't exist the whole time.
On the other hand, Ning Yuan Hou Renli sighed, stood up, cupped his hands, and said.
"Don't be surprised, Mr. Zou. Mr. Zhang suddenly lost his biological brother and lost his composure. I would like to thank Mr. Zou for being generous and allowing me to watch the execution. He promptly... collected the coffins for Zhang Fu, Xu Bin and several old friends. The bodies will not be exposed on the streets."
Zou Gan smiled bitterly and just wanted to escape from this place of right and wrong.
Glancing at Zhang Xi who was surrounded by low pressure, Zou Qian cupped his hands and said to Ren Li.
"Now that the execution has ended, Master Zhang and the Marquis are taking care of the burial. I have to go back to the Ministry of Punishment to resume my life, so I won't stay here any longer. The Marquis can do it himself."
After saying that, Zou Gan wiped the sweat from his head and quickly led the people out of the execution ground.
As for Zhang Fu and Ren Li, they each commanded people to put the bodies of Zhang Fu and three others into the prepared coffins.
Then the two of them separated, Zhang Min took them back to the British government, while Ren Li took the bodies of Xu Bin and Xiao Weizhen back to their respective mansions...
Just when Caishi Street was about to witness the long-awaited murder scene, Jiao Jing and Zhu Yi prepared gifts and arrived in front of a mansion with a Zhufu plaque.
As soon as he arrived at the door, he ordered someone to hand over a greeting card. After a while, the middle door opened wide, and Zhu Jian, wearing a brocade robe, walked out quickly and said.
"The young prince and the prince-in-law are here. It is rude and disrespectful not to greet them in advance."
Jiao Jing glanced at Zhu Yi and felt a little surprised.
Although Zhu Yi had already told Duke Cheng that Zhu Jian had a friendship with Duke Cheng when he was at the palace, he did not expect that Zhu Jian would be so enthusiastic.
Zhu Yi, on the other hand, still remained humble and said with cupped hands.
"Shibo is too polite. It's my nephew who came to visit and caused trouble to Shibo."
Zhu Jian waved his hand, but sighed and said.
"Why does the young master need to go out? If it hadn't been for the help of the Duke, I would still be a seventh-grade censor."
"After the Tumu Campaign, the court's evaluation of the Duke was very biased. I also came to intercede for the Duke. Unfortunately, it was the time of the War of Oara. I followed General Guo to guard Datong and had no time to pay too much attention to this matter. Now …”
When this matter was mentioned, Zhu Yi's face became a little unnatural and she raised her head to look at the sky.
Then, Zhu Jian came to his senses and said: "I have not seen the son of an old friend for a long time. I lost my temper for a moment. My young master, please follow me into the house for a chat."
The three of them entered the flower hall. After serving tea and chatting for a while, Zhu Yi turned to the topic and said.
"Shibo, to be honest, my nephew is here this time. Firstly, he comes to pay a visit to Shibo. Secondly, he has some words that he wants to pass on to the nobles in the palace."
Zhu Jian was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned his gaze to Jiao Jing beside him and asked: "Who is the noble person that the young master mentioned?"
"The Holy Queen Mother!"
When he asked Zhu Yi, his eyes were fixed on Jiao Jing, his intention was obvious.
Jiao Jing didn't even think about covering up, so he simply took over the conversation and said in a deep voice.
"To be honest with Master Zhu, in the Wuying Palace that day, the Holy Mother was worried about the Supreme Emperor. She felt that Master Zhu was alone on the mission, and his loyalty and courage were a lesson to the world. Therefore, without thinking too much, he recommended Master Zhu to the emperor to continue to be responsible for the negotiations, but he never thought , Your Excellency was therefore transferred to Honglu Temple."
"The Holy Mother is in the harem and is not very familiar with the official positions of the foreign dynasties. After she understood this, she felt very sorry. Therefore, she specifically entrusted me and the young prince to convey to her that although the matter is a foregone conclusion, it will not be until your Excellency welcomes the Emperor back. , Our Lady will surely give you generous gifts.”
These words were polite, but Zhu Jian didn't dare to exaggerate, so he stood up quickly and said.
"The Holy Mother has broken my heart. It is my wish to preside over this negotiation and welcome back the Emperor. Besides, as a minister, how dare I have any grudges against the Holy Mother? I also asked my consort to tell the Holy Mother on my behalf that this negotiation will be carried out , I will definitely try my best.”
At this time, Zhu Yi also smiled at the side.
"Prince-in-law, I have already told you that Shibo is a loyal minister with a righteous heart. The Emperor and the Holy Mother can count on him as their confidant."
Jiao Jing also nodded.
The atmosphere seemed peaceful, but Zhu Jian instinctively smelled something wrong. He pondered for a moment and waved his hand.
"You two are over-honored. As ministers, I dare not not serve the court with all my heart!"
Hearing this, Jiao Jing's heart sank a little. At Zhu Jian's level, it really couldn't be coaxed with just a few compliments.
Fortunately, before coming here, Jiao Jing had asked Zhu Yi about Zhu Jian's character, and also went to the General Affairs Department to read his past memorials, and knew his basic attitude towards the Supreme Emperor, so he was not discouraged.
After sorting out his words, Jiao Jing continued.
"What Mr. Zhu said is true. However, Mr. Zhu has been at the border for a long time. He has just returned to the capital recently and will be presiding over important events such as the Oara Peace Conference. This must be the time when he needs to know about many important events in the capital."
"I am not talented. As a relative, I often go to the palace to chat with the Holy Mother. Therefore, I know the inside story of several important events in the court. I wonder, sir, are you interested in listening to me talk a few words?"
Zhu Jian narrowed his eyes and seemed a little hesitant.
However, after taking a look at Zhu Yi who was lowering her head to drink tea, he finally nodded slightly and said, "Thank you very much, Prince Consort..."
