There was heavy rain, bursts of thunder, and dazzling lightning flashed across the sky, reflecting the cold light of the general's sword on the execution platform.
Ah Su stood in the middle of the execution platform, his sword pointed to the ground, and let the heavy rain fall on him, motionless.
He looked indifferently at the thin young man in the audience, his voice cold.
"Go back, Renli, he doesn't deserve anyone to collect his body!"
Ren Hong's face became paler, and the cold rain hit his body, causing severe pain in the two ribs he had just connected. Asu was a battlefield general, and he rushed towards his face with murderous intent, making Ren Hong's body slightly numb. Somewhat trembling.
However, he still raised his head stubbornly, looked at the murderous general, and cupped his hands.
"Please forgive me, General. Although my grandfather has committed a serious crime, we cannot part ways with him by blood. A true man establishes the world and maintains filial piety and righteousness."
"I know that my grandfather's sins cannot be atoned for by death, but as a descendant of the Ren family, I cannot sit back and watch my grandfather's body exposed in the wilderness. I hope the general will forgive me."
"Excuse me?"
Ah Su looked up to the sky and smiled, tears mixed with rain falling down his face. He suddenly raised the long knife in his hand and pointed the blade at Ren Hong under the execution platform.
"How can I forgive your Ren clan for the fifty-two lives of Chijin Mongolian Guards?"
"I say it again, Ren Li is not worthy of anyone to gather the bones. If you insist on doing so, I have a long knife in my hand. You can come up and try it!"
The murderous aura mixed with the rain came out from the blade, making Ren Hong feel suffocated. His eyes dimmed slightly, and a trace of pain flashed across his face, but in the end, he slowly became firmer.
"General, I'm offended!"
After the words fell, the young man stepped firmly onto the steps of the execution platform.
However, in full view of everyone, he did not walk directly to Ren Li's body, but walked step by step towards Asu, who was standing with a knife.
Until he came to Asu, the long knife lay between the two of them, making a crisp sound when hit by the heavy raindrops.
Asu's hand was very steady. Even in the heavy rain, the hand holding the knife never trembled at all. The young man was completely opposite. His body kept shaking, revealing the fear in his heart.
Every step he took was breathing heavily, as if it took a lot of effort.
However, even though he was afraid, he still stood in front of Asu, with the tip of the knife on his chest and his eyes bright.
"My grandfather's sins are so serious that I have no face to persuade the general to put aside his grudges. It is only natural that the general comes for revenge. It is also natural that I come here to fulfill my filial piety for my grandfather."
"Fifty-two lives, give fifty-two lives to repay!"
"Ren Hong dies today, and other descendants of the Ren family will come again, until the general is willing to put away his sword and give way!"
These words were spoken calmly, but they revealed great courage and strength.
Ah Su frowned, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and the blade in his hand still did not retreat at all, he said coldly.
"Little baby, don't think that since this is the capital, under the emperor's feet, I don't dare to kill anyone in the street!"
"Do you know why your grandfather is able to live peacefully to this day? Why did Your Majesty allow me to kill your grandfather?"
"This is what the Ming court owes to the Seven Guards of Guanxi!"
"Not to mention you, even if you add the entire Ren family, Your Majesty will still let me leave the capital safely!"
Hearing this, Ren Hong shook his head gently.
"I don't understand the affairs of the government, but don't worry, general. The Ren family has no intention of threatening the general and the court. If the general doesn't believe it..."
Ren Hong raised his head and glanced at Zhou Xuan, Zhu Yi, Zhang Shi and other officials in scarlet robes who had complicated eyes not far away. He also glanced at the officers and soldiers standing in the rain, and at the civilians hiding under the eaves of the streets and talking endlessly. People, take a deep breath and shout loudly.
"My grandfather, Ren Li, committed a heinous crime. He was good at slaughtering fifty-two tribute envoys. One person committed the crime, and the whole family redeemed it. Today, I am here to pay for the sins of my grandfather. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Please bear witness!"
The sound filled the air in all directions, even under heavy rain, and reached everyone's ears clearly.
After saying that, Ren Hong took a step back and bowed his hands to all parties in an upright manner. Then, he turned to face Ah Su and took out a dagger from his sleeve.
With a clang, the dagger was unsheathed and a cold light flashed.
A flash of sternness flashed in Ren Hong's eyes, he closed his eyes tightly, raised the dagger high and downwards, and stabbed his lower abdomen fiercely!
clang!
The sound of gold and iron clashing sounded.
The dagger spun in the air with a cold light, landed on the execution platform, hit the rain, splashed countless water, and made a dull sound.
Ren Hong opened his eyes, his hands couldn't stop shaking. When he looked up, he saw Ah Su in front of him, already sheathing his sword.
"You win. From today on, the hatred between the Ren family and the Seven Guards of Kansai will be wiped out!"
An indifferent voice floated over, falling on Ren Hong's ears through the sound of rain.
Seeing Asu's leaving figure, Ren Hong's legs went weak and he slumped down on the execution platform, breathing heavily.
Asu who stepped off the execution platform did not return to the shed. Instead, he bowed towards Zhou Xuan, the Minister of Punishment in the middle, then turned around and disappeared into the rain.
At the same time, Zhu Yi and Zhang Shi, who had seen the whole process, looked a little complicated.
After a moment, Zhang Xi turned his head and asked Zhu Yi.
"Are you sure you want to save this boy?"
With Zhang Xi's eyesight, he could naturally see that it was impossible for Asu to really take action against Ren Hong. No matter how many inside stories there were in the case of the Kansai Seven Guards, and no matter how important the status of the Kansai Seven Guards was, But after all, the Ren family is the one the emperor has decreed to deal with, and Asu is not stupid, so what he said on the execution platform was actually just to scare Ren Hong.
He would never do it!
Revenge is of course important, but it is not as important as the fate of the Seven Guards of Kansai.
In this case, the Seven Guards of Guanxi were indeed wronged. However, since Asu entered the court, the emperor treated him with utmost courtesy, granting everything he asked, and treating him generously.
This is the court's compensation and favor. The more times like this, the more cautious Asu needs to be. He has to accept it, but he can't accept it all.
For Ren Li, he can neither have any hatred nor grudges, nor can he have you and me. This sense of propriety in mutual testing is not so easy to grasp.
Therefore, Asu would not kill Ren Hong, but he needed to show the attitude and momentum of killing Ren Hong. It was not difficult for ministers with rich experience in the court and familiarity with the case to deduce these twists and turns.
However, speculation is just speculation. As Asu said, the Seven Guards of Kansai suffered great injustice in this case. Even if he did take action, the emperor might not do anything to him.
What's more, the feud between the Seven Guards of Kansai and Ren Li is not imaginary, but actually exists. If Asu takes the risk, then Ren Hong, a scholar, will have no power to fight back.
This is gambling on your life!
Not everyone has this kind of courage!
Not to mention, the method Ren Hong chose was the most dangerous method. If Asu failed to stop him or hesitated for a moment, he would definitely die on the spot.
Being able to come up with this method to resolve hatred is a sign of great wisdom, and being able to risk your life is a sign of great courage!
Such a talented and beautiful person came from the current Ren family, which really made Zhang Min unable to calm down.
"This child is indeed not simple..."
Looking at Ren Hong standing up in the distance, Zhu Yi also narrowed his eyes.
The script he gave me was not this!
What the Ren family wants is to keep Ren Hong's child, which is actually not difficult. After all, the emperor has already allowed the Ren family to leave a descendant. If the Ren family asks for it on their own, it will naturally offend Heaven's grace.
However, if it is the emperor's favorite minister who comes to intercede, the emperor will definitely give him this face.
Zhu Yi, the Duke of Chengguo, was naturally not a "favored" minister of the emperor in the court. However, in the court, as long as a reasonable excuse was created, it was not difficult to get things done.
Therefore, the method given by Zhu Yi actually revolves around the word "filial piety"!
The scene where Ren Hong was injured by the Jin Yiwei yesterday was clearly seen by many people who were watching. Therefore, as long as the public opinion is slightly guided, he, who is in the Ren family, will not be able to protect himself, especially when he is seriously injured. Next, a child who still upholds filial piety and personally collects the bones of his grandfather is a proper filial grandson.
The key point of this method is the word "miserable", so Zhu Yicai said that Ren Hong would have to endure some hardships.
Ren Li has committed so many serious crimes, and he cannot be ignored. It is basically impossible to make a fuss about this aspect of the law, so he can only be moved by emotion.
At this time, the image Ren Hong showed was as miserable as possible!
As long as it is miserable enough, it can arouse the sympathy of the people, and coupled with the principle of pure filial piety, allowing him to stay in the capital, the emperor will naturally follow the trend.
To be fair, it's not easy.
Because Ren Hong's injury was not fake. His ribs were broken. The injury was neither major nor minor, but it was definitely not something that would allow him to go to the ground the next day.
What's more, what Ren Hong has to do is definitely not to ride in a carriage from above and order his servants to collect the corpses. He must do it himself.
Moreover, if you want to form enough influence on public opinion, it must last long enough and have enough witnesses.
To do this, Ren Hong had to transport Ren Li's body from Caishi Street back to the Ren family mansion alone.
This journey is not particularly long, but for a young man who has not recovered from a serious injury, it is an extremely test of physical strength and willpower.
Therefore, when Zhu Yi was at Ren's house yesterday, on the one hand, he was looking for Qiao, but on the other hand, he was really not sure.
However, what Zhu Yi didn't expect was that this child of the Ren family was much stronger than he imagined.
Not only did he complete the test paper he gave him, he also added additional questions by himself...
Looking up at the heavy rain in the sky, Zhu Yi's mood was a little complicated.
Although this heavy rain made what Ren Hong had to do more difficult, it also seemed more miserable. This kind of cloudy scene naturally made people feel compassion.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ren Hong's performance just now is sensible, decent, filial and courageous.
Is this what God helps those who help themselves?
At this moment, on the execution platform in the distance, after resting for a moment, Ren Hong had propped himself up, walked forward, knelt on the ground, and bowed to Ren Li's head.
Then, he carefully reached out his hand and gently closed the wide eyes on Ren Li's head, then picked him up, walked off the execution platform, and placed him on the cart.
Then, he turned back to the execution platform, and after bowing again, he carried Ren Li's headless body with difficulty. The blood that kept seeping out from the severed head mixed with the rain, staining his plain white mourning clothes with blood. , looks extremely miserable.
There were already many people in the distance. Looking at this scene, they couldn't help wiping away tears.
Of course, this scene fell into Zhu Yi's eyes, and she felt that this child's willpower was extraordinary.
You must know that Asu's murderous intention just now was not fake. Although he finally stopped, the psychological pressure it brought to Ren Hong was real.
In this case, once a person collapses on the ground, it takes a lot of willpower to get up again.
However, Ren Hong only rested for a moment before standing up again.
This can only show one thing, that is, his mental toughness is extremely strong. He did not collapse on the ground because of sudden relaxation after Asu left. It was just because the injuries on his body caused him to lose strength, so he rested for a while.
His heartstrings never relaxed from beginning to end. This kind of mental toughness that has not collapsed under high pressure is the most rare thing.
"Has the Duke noticed it too?"
Zhang Min raised his eyebrows and said in a somewhat inexplicable tone.
"This Ren Hong is very ambitious."
"If I remember correctly, the Duke of the State came to the Ren Mansion yesterday and brought the Holy Mother's decree. It said clearly that the descendants of the Ren family are allowed to collect the bones for Ren's ceremony and bury him alive, right?"
Zhu Yi nodded slightly but said nothing.
In fact, this was also the method he originally designed for Ren Hong.
Although Empress Dowager Sun's edict is not as good as the imperial edict, Asu is not a royal guard, let alone one. Even the Jin Yiwei who was in front of the Ren Mansion yesterday, although they refused to admit it, they still retreated in the end.
Therefore, if Ren Hong just wanted to deal with Asu, he only needed to bring out Yizhi. However, he did not even mention a word of Yizhi from beginning to end.
This is what Zhu Yi said, the extra questions Ren Hong gave himself.
As Asu said, the mission had fifty-two lives, and the blood debt needs to be repaid with blood!
Although Ren Li is dead, the knot in the hearts of the Seven Guards of Kansai has not been fully resolved. With the help of the Holy Mother's decree, Asu can be made to give in, but it will only worsen the relationship between the Ren family and the Seven Guards of Kansai.
But now, Ren Hong did not show his will, but only relied on his courage and sincerity to let Asu let him live.
Although it was suspected of being a trick, he got the most precious promise for the Ren family.
From then on, the hatred between the Ren family and the Seven Guards of Guanxi was wiped out...
Those words that Asu left behind before leaving are worth a thousand dollars to today's Ren family!
With these words, everything will take a new turn...
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Yi didn't say anything when facing Zhang Min's solemn eyes. He just watched silently as Ren Hong dragged Ren Li's body to the cart with difficulty, then placed it with the head, and used the Wrapped in straw mat.
Then, he wrapped the thick hemp rope tightly around his shoulders, wore mourning clothes stained with blood, dragged his thin body, pulled the cart with difficulty, and walked slowly forward in the rain, step by step, towards Ren Mansion direction.
After taking a long breath, Zhu Yi looked at Zhang Xi with twinkling eyes.
"Second Master, once a gentleman makes a promise, it is hard to keep him."
Then, Zhang Min understood Zhu Yi's choice, frowned and thought for a moment, he sighed and said.
"In that case, I will accompany the Duke and follow him to have a look. I also want to know how far this child can go!"
(End of chapter)
