The courtyard outside the handsome hall is very large, but it is crowded with people at the moment.
There were not only the civil and military officials of Jiedu Mansion, but also most of the officials in Fuzhou City, as well as more than a dozen gentry.
Whispers as thin as mosquitoes floated among the crowd.
"Execution of King Yan? This is too ridiculous. Even if it is really a crime, it should be reduced by the 'Eight Discussions'."
The eight-member system is the judicial prerogative of members of the ruling class and is officially included in the national code. It is an open inequality.
"This is the new military law set by King Yan himself. The whole army is unanimous and must abide by it, both high and low."
"It is said that King Yan still suffered the punishment on behalf of others, but it was doubled. Originally it was fifty sticks, but it became a hundred sticks, and it was still a spine stick..."
"Hiss, is the military law so harsh? There are not many people who can withstand fifty-ridged sticks without dying. If one hundred is not dead!? Is it possible that King Yan is crazy?"
"Perhaps he wants to set an example and implement harsh punishments. I'm afraid it will be difficult to become an official in the future."
"I don't believe it's going to be a real fight, it's probably just a show..."
In the middle of the courtyard, a naked Zhao Mengqi was lying on the inclined torture frame, but his hands and feet were not restrained.
Chang Geng and Geng Zhi stood on both sides holding water and fire sticks, still looking at a loss.
Zhao Mengqi waited for a long time and there was no movement, so he couldn't help shouting angrily, "Why are you still standing there? It's time to execute the sentence!"
It is already very unusual to sentence oneself, but to issue orders and urge execution by oneself is probably an anecdote for the ages.
Geng Zhi looked at Chang Geng stupidly and saw that his face looked like a bitter gourd, his facial features were almost wrinkled, and he had no intention of doing anything.
Alas, I don’t want to fight either…
Geng Zhi felt bitter in his heart, but he did not dare to disobey the order, so he slowly raised the water and fire stick, used the "stunt skill" he had practiced in the yamen before, and struck the first stick.
The stick howled in the wind and hit Zhao Mengqi's shoulder and back hard, making a loud noise that shook everyone's hearts.
When the stick was lifted, a bruised and bloody scar appeared on the originally smooth skin, which was so red that it pierced the eyes.
Yeah, really fighting?
Many people present were shocked.
There are also some people who are well aware of the subtleties involved and see that this is a fake beating that emphasizes the outside and the inside but also knows that there will still be pain in the fake beating.
No matter what the purpose of King Yan is, being able to lead by example to this point is enough to show his attitude.
Therefore, this ruthlessness makes everyone feel sad.
Then they heard Zhao Mengqi yelling, "Are you tickling me? This time doesn't count, hit me again, hit me seriously, don't fucking play tricks!"
Hearing this, Geng Zhi almost burst into tears. He could only grit his teeth, throw away all his skills, and hit a simple stick.
A duller hitting sound sounded than before, Zhao Mengqi's body trembled slightly, and he almost screamed.
His body is indeed different from that of ordinary people, but he still has normal five senses, even more acute. He will naturally feel pain if he is beaten.
After taking a deep breath and calming down, he shouted again, "This is a decent time, let's continue!"
While everyone was dumbfounded, Chang Geng raised the water-fire stick with red top and black bottom with difficulty, "Watch the fight."
The long stick fell heavily, adding another trace of blood, and even blood splashing.
"You haven't eaten yet? Try harder!" Zhao Mengqi shouted again.
Perhaps, he wanted to use this method instead of screaming.
And Geng Zhi also vented his anger and shouted, "Three."
The red stick shadow rose again and fell violently, "Crack!"
"Come again!"
Chang Geng's cheeks trembled, "Four."
"Snapped!"
"happy!"
Geng Zhi and Chang Geng took turns swinging their sticks, seeming to have a rhythm.
The skin and flesh on Zhao Mengqi's shoulders and back gradually opened, and blood splattered everywhere.
Looking at this real and psychedelic scene, the strong visual impact made many people start to feel in a trance, as if their souls were withdrawing.
It's not that they have never seen beating with a stick. On the contrary, since Taizu of the Song Dynasty established the system of breaking the stick, beating with a stick has become the main method of punishment in the yamen.
The so-called cane-breaking method is to convert the four punishments of being beaten with a cane into beating with a board for execution.
For example, if you are sentenced to three thousand miles of exile, you can change it to twenty spine staff plus one year of service.
If he is a prisoner for three years, he will be beaten with a twenty-ridged cane and then released immediately.
There was also a sentence of one hundred canes, but only twenty canes were actually carried out.
The reason why this stick-breaking method is adopted is to show kindness. After all, long-term pain is not as good as short-term pain.
Secondly, it was probably a dramatic punishment to teach people to respect the law.
Therefore, executions in ancient times were often public. Through the visual and audio impact of intuitive scenes, the public could closely associate criminal behavior with punishment, which could make some potential criminals give up committing crimes out of fear of punishment.
However, for the privileged class, they did not feel fear when watching such scenes in the past, because the punishment could not be used to punish scholar-officials.
However, the scene before them really shocked and frightened them.
Even the King of Yan, who is less than one person and more than tens of thousands of people, does not have the privilege of reducing or reducing punishment, so who else can escape punishment?
"forty three."
"Snapped."
"continue."
Zhao Mengqi still shouted tenaciously, but his voice began to tremble, as if his tolerance for pain had reached its limit.
Chang Geng couldn't help but withdrew his strength, "Forty-four."
The sticks and flesh intersect, but the sound seems to remain unchanged.
But Zhao Mengqi immediately yelled angrily, "Women are more powerful than you, so this one doesn't count, I'll hit you hard!"
Because releasing the water only caused His Highness to receive one more stick, Chang Geng couldn't help feeling a little regretful. He eagerly poured all his strength into the stick and swung it down with all his strength.
"Crack...click..."
The stick of water and fire actually broke at the waist. Chang Geng lost his mind when he saw the broken stubble.
Others in the courtyard were in an uproar. No matter how dark their mind was, they no longer had the slightest doubt about the authenticity of this cane punishment.
As torture instruments, water and fire sticks have a unified standard, which is three feet and five inches long, the width of the big head is no more than two inches, and the thickness and diameter of the small head are no more than nine minutes. '
The large end is more than six centimeters wide, the thickness and the diameter of the handle end are about three centimeters, and it is made of hard and strong wood.
You can imagine how much force it would take to interrupt it. Under such a blow, ordinary people would be unable to bear it even if they were wearing armor for protection.
Seeing that King Yan didn't shout or see any other reaction at this time, everyone panicked.
Damn it, he really beat King Yan to death, right?
Unexpectedly, Zhao Mengqi was just stunned because the stick was broken, and quickly came to his senses, "Change the stick! Change the person! Hit again!"
Still fighting?
King Yan must be crazy!
Just change the stick, why not change the person?
This is obviously to beat yourself to death!
If he is so cruel to himself, what else can't he do?
Everyone's heads were buzzing, and they felt a chill rising from the soles of their feet.
At this time, Chang Geng and Geng Zhi retreated, replaced by two guards, and the red stick shadow flew again.
Knowing that if King Yan found that his strength was not enough, he would ask for a heavy blow, so the two new soldiers did not dare to sneak around and hit him with sticks.
Every time the stick was struck, the pain would drown Zhao Mengqi like a huge wave.
After more than a dozen blows, Zhao Mengqi could no longer bear the severe pain, and his mind began to become confused.
In order not to scream, he closed his mouth tightly, and all the muscles in his body were tense.
Sweat oozed out from his forehead with bulging veins. After gathering into the size of soybeans, it continued to drip on the stone slab.
Subconsciously, his hands gripped the torture rack harder and harder, and the inch-thick wooden board gradually deformed.
After seeing that he stopped shouting, the execution guard's report became quieter and quieter, and there seemed to be only the harsh snapping sound in the entire courtyard.
One stick after another, they were obviously hitting King Yan, but they seemed to hit everyone deep in their hearts.
Every time the stick fell, everyone twitched involuntarily.
At this time, there was only one person who was unaware of all this, and that was Qian Duo, who was still standing in the main hall.
Ever since Zhao Mengqi said that sentence against her, she began to look like this, like a piece of wood.
She seemed to have no idea what else Zhao Mengqi said or what happened next.
Perhaps, this is the feeling that there is no greater sorrow than death.
Just a sudden heart palpitation made her seem to have regained her sense of the outside world, and a strange popping sound sounded in her ears.
Her eyes were still blank, and she was moving in the direction of the sound like a zombie.
Slowly walking to the door, she seemed to see a hateful face smiling at her.
His heart trembled, his scattered pupils slowly narrowed, and the focus fell on a ferocious deformed face.
What is this bastard doing! ?
Suddenly, it was like a thunderbolt that exploded in Qian Duo's mind, causing her to regain consciousness instantly.
Immediately, she rushed out like a crazy leopard, viciously knocked away the guard who was raising the water and fire stick, and then flew on Zhao Mengqi.
"Stop it! Don't hit him!..."
Qian Duo screamed angrily and pressed tightly against Zhao Mengqi's back, trying to cover him from the injury with his thin body.
Zhao Mengqi was feeling dizzy from the pain, but was aroused by the sudden change and immediately woke up.
"Hiss... Qian Duo, what are you causing trouble? Come down here quickly!"
"I don't!" Qian Duo hugged Zhao Mengqi even harder.
Zhao Mengqi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "We're only twenty sticks away from the beating. Can you please stay out of the way?"
"No! If you want to hit me, hit me!"
Qian Duo vaguely understood at this time that Zhao Mengqi was actually accepting the punishment for her.
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Zhao Mengqi stood up holding the torture rack, then opened Qian Duo's hand, pulled her off his body, and handed her to the guards, "Keep an eye on her for me!"
Then he returned to the torture rack and lay down, "Don't wait any longer, hit him quickly!"
Then, the shadow of the stick rose again, and the blood flowers bloomed again.
Qian Duo struggled desperately, but his hands were grabbed by the guards and he couldn't break free at all.
Seeing the stick hit Zhao Mengqi's bloody shoulder and back again and again, Qian Duo completely collapsed and burst into tears.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting. It's me who's at fault. If you want to hit me, hit me...I really know I'm wrong...Zhao Mengqi, you bastard, make them stop, please, let him Stop fighting...I won’t be willful anymore, why don’t I just be obedient?”
