In early February of the first year of Xingqing in the Song Dynasty, Lin'an City and Yujin Garden.
On the high platform, the minister of political affairs, Zhen Dexiu, sat high with a solemn face. Ge Hong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, and Xu Xuan, the Minister of Dali Temple, sat on both sides, looking at the prisoners on the execution platform in front of them, as well as the crowd of spectators who were yelling and cursing.
Although winter is turning to spring, the spring is cold, the sky is full of haze, it looks like it is going to rain, and the wind is blowing.
Shi Miyuan and others, who were dressed in single clothes, were unkempt, their faces were pale from the cold, their lips were trembling, their bodies and heads were dirty, and there were traces of eggs, tofu, and vegetables everywhere.
Even though the government sealed the news that Shi Miyuan was going to be executed, it was still leaked out. Lin'an City was deserted. Almost the entire city was out, and firecrackers were going off, just like a festival. Wherever the prison car of Shi Miyuan and others went, tofu, eggs, vegetable leaves and other various items were thrown at them, and the streets of Lin'an were in a mess.
On the high platform, looking at Shi Miyuan and other felons, Zhen Dexiu was filled with emotion and shook his head slightly.
After being imprisoned in Dali Temple Prison for more than two months, Shi Miyuan did not look like a human being or a ghost. His whole body had lost weight, which shows the torture he suffered.
Thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west of the river, there is God's will in the dark.
"Zhen Gong, this is really a natural cycle, retribution is not good!"
Xu Xuan looked at the excited scene, shook his head and sighed with emotion.
"Who says otherwise! When Shi Miyuan became prime minister, the government declined day by day, and the crimes he committed were too numerous to describe. Now, the sky is clear!"
Ge Hong took over the conversation. He looked at Xu Xuan with a smile on his face.
“Mr.
Ge Hong's words made Xu Xuan slightly startled. He looked at Zhen Dexiu and bowed to Ge Hong.
"The official family loves you and the emperor's favor is great, but no matter what position you hold, you should do your best to share the worries of the official family and benefit the people."
Chen Duanchang, the former minister of Dali Temple, was transferred to the post of Yushi Zhongcheng. He, the young minister of Dali Temple and the favorite of the new emperor, was finally rehabilitated.
Speaking of which, these veterans all reaped the benefits of Shi Miyuan's downfall.
"What Mr. Xu said is absolutely true! What he said is absolutely true!"
Ge Hong smiled, nodded repeatedly, and then said to Zhen Dexiu:
"Zhen Gong, Shi Miyuan is in charge of the law. You, the emperor's master, have to do a lot of work. Although Xue Ji is the prime minister, now that the prime minister and the privy council are separated, the Song Dynasty court is back on track. As a ruling minister, you have a high and powerful position. Extraordinary!”
"Thank you, Mr. Ge, for your kind words. As Mr. Xu said, no matter what position you hold, you should share your worries and dedicate yourself to the king."
There was a hint of melancholy in Zhen Dexiu's eyes.
The minister of household affairs, the ministers in charge, and the emperor's master all look very beautiful, but who knows what they are like.
"Your Majesty, please spare my life! I was wronged!"
Yu Tianci, Shi Miyuan's aide and fellow countryman, had messy hair and filthy face. He was crying and had lots of runny nose and tears. He was extremely pitiful.
"Shi Miyuan, you bastard! You've made me suffer so much!"
Cheng Mi, the former minister of the Ministry of Rites, was tall and tall in a wide robe and long sleeves, but now his face was earthy and he cursed Shi Miyuan for being misleading.
Although the family has not been implicated, how will the future livelihood of the family be solved after the house is ransacked?
"Your Majesty, have mercy on me! Have mercy on me!"
Zheng Qingzhi and Zheng Shichang, father and son, had their hair disheveled and were in a state of despair. They were mumbling to themselves, as if they were zombies.
"Zhao Hong, even if I turn into a fierce ghost, I will still make you miserable!"
Shi Miyuan's second son, Shi Zhaizhi, cursed loudly. The Yamen servant on the side stepped forward and punched Shi Zhaizhi until his nose was bruised and his face was covered with blood. He had no choice but to beg for mercy.
"I really thought it was still the day when your Shi family was in power! If you dare to fart randomly again, I'll beat you until you have no teeth!"
The yamen servant had a black face and a cold expression. He walked away for a few steps, still staring at him with eager eyes.
After Shi Zhaizhi regained his breath, he hit his head on the ground, his nose filled with tears and he sobbed silently in pain.
Shi Miyuan looked at the government officials around him who were treating him coldly, then at his son who was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, and smiled bitterly without saying anything.
When he was in power, even the court officials had to treat him with respect, wagging their tail like a dog begging for mercy. Now that he was in trouble, even this little subordinate dared to be so rude to him and beat his son in front of him without any mercy.
"Erlang, the matter is over, don't cry anymore."
Shi Miyuan sighed softly.
What's the point of crying and making trouble when he's already about to be executed?
"Dad, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Shi Zhaizhi choked with tears and his eyes were full of reluctance.
"It's all dad who hurt you!"
Shi Miyuan felt regretful, but his expression remained as usual.
Zhao Hong, a thief, was too careless and fell short in the end.
"Shi Miyuan, you thief, you are here too!"
"Shi Miyuan, kill this thief!"
"Kill Shi Miyuan! Kill this heinous traitor!"
Around the execution ground, the onlookers cursed angrily and became excited. The sergeants and government officials who maintained public order tried their best to block the execution.
"Zhen Gong, it's almost time."
Ge Hong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, took a look at the sky and said softly.
Zhen Dexiu nodded, stood up, picked up the imperial edict on the table, and walked to the edge of the stage.
"The edict says: Shi Miyuan, Cheng Mi, Zheng Qingzhi and other people, forged the imperial edict to depose the prince. Their crimes are unpardonable and they should be punished according to the law. Shi Miyuan caused harm to the country and the people, excluded dissidents, and despised the imperial power. The crimes he committed are too numerous to write down, and the punishments can be clearly stated according to the law. , impose the death penalty to set the record straight!”
Zhen Dexiu read out the imperial edict loudly, and the people at the scene were filled with angry curses.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
"Well done! You deserve to be killed!"
"Shi Miyuan, you old thief! You are here too!"
Amidst the roar of the people, Zhen Dexiu roared loudly.
"Executioner, prepare for execution!"
"The prisoners Shi Miyuan, Shi Zhaizhi, Cheng Bi, Zheng Qingzhi, Zheng Shichang, Yu Tianci and others will be punished in the official code!"
Zhen Dexiu shouted loudly, and the swordsmen came forward one after another, and the wooden tags on the prisoners' backs were removed one by one.
Zheng Qingzhi looked at the crowd. His wife, children and grandchildren in disguise were all watching the execution, but they did not dare to say anything. Zheng Qingzhi burst into tears and burst into tears.
Zheng Qingzhi's son Zheng Shichang kowtowed repeatedly and cried bitterly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your forgiveness!"
His treasonous act implicated nine clans, but his wife could still be saved. The emperor was already kind enough.
"Shi Miyuan, you thief, you have made me suffer so much! I don't want to die!"
Cheng Bi collapsed to the ground, cried loudly, and cursed Shi Miyuan at the top of his lungs.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty for your grace!"
Yu Tianci repeatedly grabbed the ground with his head and shouted loudly.
His wife and children, as well as his younger brother and mother, are all in his hometown in Siming. His mother and younger brother also taught Zhao Guicheng how to read and learn etiquette. If we investigate carefully, our family will not be safe.
At this time, his shouting might let the emperor know that he would no longer pursue his family members.
Shi Miyuan forced himself to calm down and raised his head. Among the people watching around him, there seemed to be figures of family members who had changed their appearance and were crying bitterly.
Yu Tianci and Zheng Qingzhi never looked at him from beginning to end.
These people are all going to die. Are they still afraid of Zhao Hong's power?
"In the old days, the swallows in front of the Wang Xietang Hall flew into the homes of ordinary people. Erlang, I want to go up to the east gate of Cai with Ruofu and lead the yellow dog to chase the cunning rabbit. How can we succeed?"
Shi Miyuan's head was placed on the execution tree, and he said with a sad smile, looking forward to death.
"Dad, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Shi Zhaizhi cried loudly and struggled desperately, but was firmly held down by the executioners.
"Don't want to die? Ask me if I'll answer the knife first!"
"The time has come! Execution!"
Zhen Dexiu shouted angrily.
The era of Shi Miyuan covering the sky with one hand is finally coming to an end.
"I'm not willing to give in! I'm not willing to give in!"
Shi Miyuan closed his eyes and shouted loudly, his eyes full of dissatisfaction.
Until now, he still couldn't figure out how he could be defeated by a loser like Zhao Hong?
Beside the execution platform, among the imperial guards maintaining order, Zhang Zhengsi shook his head slightly when he saw Zheng Qingzhi and others crying.
Good deeds and evil deeds will be rewarded, and those who do evil will surely die. Who will God spare?
Zhang Zhengsi was startled when he glanced at the blunt knife in the executioner's hand behind Shi Miyuan.
This is to avenge private revenge in public!
Shi Miyuan, this old thief, is filled with great anger and evil among the people!
"Execution!"
Zhen Dexiu shouted angrily.
The executioners raised their knives one after another, and slashed with each blow. The cries of Zheng Qingzhi and others stopped suddenly, and the heads rolled, and the ground was covered with blood.
The executioner slashed with his knife, causing severe pain in Shi Miyuan's neck, dripping with blood, and was unbearable. He could see his son's big head rolling to the ground, staring at him, feeling extremely heartbroken and making his hair stand on end.
The executioner slashed hard for the second time. Shi Miyuan's head was still there, his neck stained red with blood, but his head was still not chopped off.
"How is this going?"
The people were in high spirits. Zhen Dexiu on the high platform frowned and wanted to ask questions, but Ge Hong shook his head to stop him.
"True public opinion, this is the will of the people. The people's will cannot be violated."
Shi Miyuan was full of evil, and he killed many people with lofty ideals. Today's "blunt knife" punishment must be that the executioner was bribed to make Shi Miyuan suffer torture. If he really stopped him, he would probably be booed by the people and humiliate himself.
Zhen Dexiu lowered his head and stopped watching.
Xu Xuan next to him also sighed softly.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to sentence Shi Miyuan to death or to be cut in half. The viewers would be happy and they would not be embarrassed.
It was as if they were taking revenge by inflicting torture like this.
"Ah! Kill me!"
The executioner struck the third blow, and Shi Miyuan finally cried out in pain. Such torture really made him miserable.
"Old thief, you also know the pain!"
"Old thief, you deserve to die!"
Shi Miyuan screamed in pain and burst into tears, but the soldiers and people around him cursed and showed no mercy.
The executioner showed no mercy, just slashed with a knife, using just the right heat, slashing and cutting, sweating profusely. Shi Miyuan's scolding turned into a cry for mercy. The executioner spent a lot of effort and chopped more than thirty times before using a blunt knife to chop off Shi Miyuan's head.
Seeing the huge heads rolling to the ground, especially Shi Miyuan's head, with blood all over the ground, the people of Lin'an who were watching gave out loud cheers.
In the crowd, Shi Miyuan's wives, concubines, and children held back tears, and no one dared to show off their flaws. Seeing Shi Miyuan being tortured, Shi Miyuan's wife, Pan, was old and frail and passed out.
Zheng Qingzhi, Cheng Mi and other family members also watched the torture with pain, and no one dared to speak out. If he is recognized, he will be beaten and kicked in the excitement of the crowd, who knows whether he will be able to go back intact.
Around Yujin Garden and in Lin'an City, the crackling of firecrackers continued, and people cheered everywhere, just like a festival.
The cold wind was miserable, and suddenly thunder and lightning tore through the sky. Not long after, heavy rain came down, covering the entire Yujin Garden and the entire Lin'an City.
"Go back and report to the emperor!"
The heavy rain poured down and soon soaked his whole body. Zhen Dexiu stood in the rain and let out a long breath.
Shi Miyuan, a one-man thief, was finally executed. This cancer on the Song Dynasty court was finally removed.
