Wei Chong ignored everyone's looks and walked up to Ma Si, the last condemned criminal. He took out a document from his arms and read aloud: "Ma Si is a prisoner in the department, and he collects bribes and is good at making knots." The cronies even recruited desperadoes from many places, levied excessive taxes on the people, and invaded the streets, which was unbearable. Now, taking advantage of the redundancy trend, they were found guilty and more than 30 of their cronies were beheaded in the city to serve as a warning to others. !”
However, Wei Chong's passionate speech did not attract applause, and the atmosphere was silent. Wei Huai's face turned pale, and the hand that was holding on to the cane couldn't help shaking, and he almost fell down; Yuan Long's expression also changed drastically, and he hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
"Ahem," Wei Chong was very unhappy with such a scene. After coughing twice, he turned his head and waved his hand, "Start...the execution!"
The sun was shining brightly, and the people who were being tortured looked up at the knife edge with tears in their eyes. The silver was shining and gradually fell towards their necks. Ma Si looked straight ahead, his face unchanged, waiting for death; Captain Mao who was also tortured He smoothed his black hair, closed his eyes, looked up to the sky and said, "I will never regret it if I can save the lives of all my brothers..."
The knife was raised and dropped, the blade was sharp, and without even making a sound, the heads of more than thirty people rolled to the front of the stage. Such a scene made the originally excited people feel only fear at this time.
"Pack it up." Wei Chong waved his finger, and the officers and soldiers came to the stage one after another, packed the bodies in bags, and pushed them outside the city for burial.
As Wei Chong and others led the officers and soldiers to leave, the people also dispersed in droves. Some of them could hardly move when they thought of the scene just now. Only Wei Huai stared blankly at the blood dripping down the stage and said nothing for a moment.
There are only two of them left here. Xia Yuanlong couldn't help but sigh deeply and shook Wei Huai's body: "To the people, to the people."
Only then did Wei Huai come back to his senses and looked at him solemnly.
"We should go." Seeing Wei Huai looking so depressed, Xia Yuanlong hurriedly advised him.
Wei Huai shook his head and walked to the wooden platform alone with a cane.
"Oh, brother Jimin, blood!"
After Xia Yuanlong's sudden reminder, Wei Huai lowered his head and saw a pair of shoes stained with scarlet blood, including some on his trouser legs.
Xia Yuanlong knew that he had difficulty moving and wanted to squat down to wipe off his blood, but was stopped by Wei Huai.
"you……"
Wei Huai waved his hand and leaned down, but Yuan Long had no choice but to support him. He scraped the blood off his shoes with his hands.
Looking at his blood-stained hands, Wei Huai frowned deeply, and felt a stabbing pain in his heart that wouldn't stop for a long time. This is the unjust blood of countless lives, and every drop that falls accuses the injustice of the government and the insensitivity of the gentlemen. However, this is just the beginning, and countless people will die from this in the future. Worried about the country and the people, he could only watch the blood flow into the river. His academy would be teaching and reciting scriptures all day long, which would become meaningless.
Wei Huai had been in a very depressed mood, and could not exchange a word with Xia Yuanlong on the road. After arriving at the inner courtyard of the academy, he slowly turned around and asked Xia Yuanlong: "Renying, look... can my lengthy advice be of any use?" Take it back?"
Xia Yuanlong saw that he was hesitating, so he replied vaguely: "Don't even think about taking it back. They are fighting fiercely, and you can't stop them if you try to stop them."
Just as he was about to walk in, he was held tightly by Wei Huai: "Renying, are you not sad at all that such a tragedy happened to me in Nanjing City?"
"I'm heartbroken, even sad and angry," Xia Yuanlong said, tapping his heart. "Just because I'm heartbroken, I can't be discouraged. How can I save the people?"
"Save the people?" Wei Huai's temper was building up more and more, "Let you and I carry out this bastard policy and wait until Nanjing is turned to pieces by party strife!"
Xia Yuanlong gritted his teeth and let out a few wry smiles, then sat down and took a few sips of the cold tea to stabilize his mood.
Wei Huai still said reluctantly: "You said that redundancies and layoffs have been made for several years, and most of them were implemented by the two parties. Although there are also some idle officials sent to their hometowns in various ministries, it is just a small wind and a small rain, and it cannot make waves. On the contrary, The people are unbearable to suffer such harm to a loyal person! As the first ones, don’t we feel guilty and blame ourselves?”
"Then what can you do!" Xia Yuanlong was a little anxious.
"First extinguish the fire of party struggle, rather than burning it up." Wei Huai replied firmly.
"Without the redundancy, they have other reasons..."
"But it will never be worse than the current situation!" Wei Huai was very angry and shouted to Xia Yuanlong, "Our advice was originally meant to benefit the people, but it was misinterpreted like this and caused such trouble. What else can we do? debate!"
Xia Yuanlong stood up and reprimanded: "Brother Wei, short-sightedness is really unacceptable! These thirty people died unjustly today, and in the future, tens of millions of people will be saved and benefited for eternity. The more chaotic the two parties fight, the more progress our reform will make." A big step!"
"I won't do such a thing by using those people who died unjustly as a bet for the academy." The determination and fortitude revealed in Wei Huai's eyes was intimidating.
Xia Yuanlong ignored it, walked to the stairs, turned around and said to Wei Huai: "Even if hundreds or thousands of people die, as long as it can benefit the word 'reform', Xia will not hesitate to do it!" After saying this, he became indignant. Left flat.
Wei Huai looked at everything in front of him, as if he couldn't believe it. He is a scholar with the ambition to save the country. He has always been a bright man and a gentleman. But who would have thought that he would be involved in the terrifying whirlpool of party strife? The Wanlu Party and the Wanlu Party dominated Nanjing, while the Liu Party controlled life and death. The imperial power was inviolable, and reforms seemed to have no support from anyone in power. Yes, they have the support of the people, but this can't touch anything. They can still be complacent, maintain the status quo, and fall asleep. The road to reform had too many twists and turns. Wei Huai once felt that his efforts were in vain and would only add to the existing suffering and make it even higher.
He looked at the towering white walls of the academy from a distance, which seemed to be impossible to climb. Wei Huai stopped and continued to be lost in thought.
Xia Yuanlong didn't think so at all. He was just disappointed in Wei Huai again. Because he was so shrewd and capable that he had to look at everything, no matter how big or small, but Wei Huai didn't have to do it at all. Although some people have used this to sow discord, Yuan Long will never have any opinions about it. He was strict with himself and lenient towards others, and had no doubt about Wei Huai's sincerity in saving the country and the people, so he believed in Wei Huai time and time again and confided in him time and time again, but he received very few responses.
Although the quarrel was fierce this time, Xia Yuanlong still insisted on his own opinion: he fought for the people, not just because of his Wei Huai. Undeterred, he immediately came up with a way to persuade Wei Huai: go find Ye Yongjia.
The Yamen, which had just settled a major injustice case, looked lifeless, and Yuan Long walked in gloomily.
