If someone is beheaded today, it means that all evil deeds have been committed, and it is time for the crime to come. "
He thought angrily in his heart, if the disciples had him to answer their questions, who should he turn to to answer their questions?
"Ziya!"
He called the disciple's name, which startled him.
"Keep reading!"
"Yes, Master..."
On this day, the school was filled with murderous intent.
※※※
"The executioners are all black-hearted people," a drunken jailer told the truth, "The business of beheading is in autumn. How many people can be beheaded in a day?
My hands are not shaking, my breath is not panting, my face is not changing, how can I say that my heart is not dark? "
The private school master filled the jailer's cup with wine again and asked, "Is this executioner specializing in beheading people? I've checked. The court stipulates that the days for beheadings are after the autumnal equinox and before the beginning of spring. What do they do for a living on other days?"
The jailer said vaguely: "You are the master, why are you asking me about beheading?"
"It's funny," the school teacher said with a smile, "I am good at the study of criminal names, and I also want to know a few related anecdotes to teach you how to laugh."
"So Master is doing some learning?"
The jailer narrowed his eyes in awe, clasped his fists and said, "I am a rough man, please forgive me, master."
"Don't say that, I need to ask you for advice."
The private school teacher is indeed here to ask for advice.
He had no choice but to seek knowledge that was not available in books.
He inquired about restaurants frequented by yamen figures, looked for opportunities to strike up conversations, and then used wine to trick out some insider knowledge that only insiders would know.
The jailer told him: "Executioners are also ordinary people. They chop wood, carry water, and do menial jobs on weekdays. Some of them have their own business. People think they are unlucky and are not willing to hire them to work. So after a year, they rely on You earn most of your livelihood by decapitating people.”
"Can you get so much money by decapitating your head?"
"Hey," the jailer was six or seven points drunk, and his face was already steaming with drunkenness. "There is a reward of one thousand silver coins per head. Only the boldest people dare to make such money... If you don't pay a high price, National laws cannot be enforced."
Seeing that the jailer was mumbling drunkenly and his eyes were half white, the private school teacher was worried that he would not be able to ask any more questions, so he thought about asking some more questions.
The jailer glanced sideways at the door and murmured: "Ouch... bad luck..."
The tutor followed his gaze to the door of the tavern and saw a burly man walking in. On this early summer night, he only wore a thin coat on his upper body, exposing his thick arms.
The big man looked lifeless and didn't look at anyone else. He walked straight to the empty seat in the corner. After sitting down, he just stared at the table.
The guests in the tavern glanced at him with disgust and showed displeasure. When he passed by, they even ducked out of the way to avoid being touched by him.
He seemed very lonely, and his face seemed to have lost its joy, anger, sorrow, and joy long ago. Perhaps it was because he had not been in contact with people for too long, and no one wanted to contact him.
There seemed to be a layer of gloom surrounding him, which made people sad to see.
The tutor remembered who he was.
I just met this person a few days ago.
The tavern waiter brought a jug of wine and a plate of cut meat and left in a hurry, fearing to have more contact with him.
The private school teacher looked at it and felt a little pitiful. He was about to turn around and ask the jailer, only to see that the jailer had already fallen asleep on the table as drunk as mud, with saliva still flowing from the corners of his mouth.
He hesitated in his heart, wanting to strike up a conversation, but afraid of attracting attention. After all, he was still worried about his identity.
But he kept this thought in his mind. Even after paying for the drink and leaving the tavern, the thought still lingered.
As soon as he got home, he felt sorry for himself. Why didn't he seize the opportunity to talk to the executioner?
"Why are you sighing?"
His wife's cold words brought him back to reality.
When the wife first came to him, she was still a girl with a bright smile. As time went by, she found that her husband could not let her become an official's wife, so she became increasingly indifferent, and even sex may not have happened for a long time.
As soon as the private school teacher heard his wife's voice, he couldn't help but shrink back and even wanted to slip outside.
His wife murmured something incomprehensible, nothing more than words of contempt for him.
Suddenly, the private school teacher felt that the house was full of thorns, which made him feel uncomfortable all over.
※※※
Almost every day, he would report to the tavern, bring a book, and read while drinking, hoping that the executioner would appear.
Almost every day, the executioner would come in on time, sit in the same corner, and drink sadly.
Finally one day, the private school teacher mustered up the courage to go to the executioner.
"I drink wine alone, and the food and wine are tasteless," the private school teacher said, "I wonder if I can share a sip with you?"
The executioner was stunned, not expecting that anyone would want to drink with him.
"Aren't you afraid of being offended by others?"
His voice was very bitter because his throat was dry due to alcohol and he had few opportunities to speak.
The private school teacher glanced around uneasily, and sure enough, the drinkers were looking at him curiously.
In order to seek knowledge, and for his strong and unsatisfied curiosity, he made up his mind to ignore his image.
"It's common people who find it strange," the tutor tried to relax his stiff muscles and forced a smile, "Both of us have no one to drink with, so why is it strange that we look for someone to drink with us to enhance the taste of the wine?"
After saying this, he sat down.
After sitting down, he felt at ease, and the reason for hesitation had disappeared.
The private school teacher first offered the executioner a few glasses of wine and began to get him to talk.
The executioner seemed to be a little cowed, and the words he spoke could not make up a clear meaning. He really hadn't talked to anyone for a long time.
The tutor did not dare to be too hasty. The ship was already at the helm and it was time to move slowly.
Over the course of a few days, the two gradually became familiar with each other, and the school teacher also learned that his name was Du Wu.
Only in this way did the tutor dare to wait for an opportunity to ask him questions.
He had many questions to ask, and he had to choose one as the first question.
"How do you do this?"
The tutor asked unexpectedly, and Du Wu was about to raise the wine glass to his lips when he stopped suddenly.
The tutor was afraid that he would be unhappy, not answer, or even get up and leave.
Du Wu's expression quickly calmed down, and he continued to tell a story.
More than 20 years ago, when the Song Dynasty was still in the north, civil unrest in various places caused chaos in the country. Du Wu, who was only 20 years old at this time, was the son of a butcher.
At that time, a group of theater thieves were persuaded to surrender by the officers and soldiers. After they did not want to surrender, they were immediately sent to the execution ground.
These surrendered bandits were often rebellious and capricious. The court believed that keeping these people would only make people sleepless and uneasy, so it was better to kill them all.
More than ten heads rolled on the execution ground, shaking their heads constantly due to the strong wind. The executioner had never beheaded so many people in one day. His arms were so weak that he could no longer hold the knife steadily.
Seeing that there are still more than thirty thieves who have not been captured, I really don't know how to continue killing them.
Du Wu put away the stall for his father, and carrying a load of meat and a few knives, he passed by the execution ground and looked at it carefully for a while.
Seeing that the executioner couldn't cut off the head with one stroke, and had to rest for a while before cutting the head again, it took three cuts to cut off the head. The thief wailed and screamed in pain, which was unbearable. The people watching the execution frowned unbearably and turned away.
Du Wu couldn't stand it anymore and impulsively shouted out: "Is this how decapitation is done?"
Everyone's eyes turned towards him.
The executioner, who was tired of beheading, wiped off his sweat and looked at the head that had been "cut off" with great difficulty. The expression of extreme pain on the head's face made the whole face wrinkled.
The executioner took a breath and then turned to Du Wu: "Take a big breath, kid. Do you know how difficult it is to cut off a human head?"
"Nonsense," Du Wu said disdainfully, "That's because you can't do it yourself."
The executioner was ridiculed by a boy, his face flushed: "If you have the ability, come!"
"Okay!" With that said, Du Wu rolled up his sleeves.
"Wait a minute." The beheading officer shouted from the side, "Executioner, this is an important execution ground. Beheading is the law of the country. How can it be such a child's play?"
The executioner didn't want to play tricks, but his hands were numb and he was a little vain: "Sir, please let him have a try. It doesn't matter if there are multiple people to help..."
The executioner glanced at Du Wu and confirmed that he really wanted to do it: "Boy, there are no jokes in the execution ground. If you are really capable, a reward is indispensable."
"No need to say more." Du Wu strode into the execution ground and pulled out a knife from his waist.
The prisoner at the executioner's feet suddenly began to cry.
"Why are you crying?" the executioner asked.
"Just now you killed that man, and I thought he died miserably. Now if it's someone else, I'm afraid I'll die even more miserably."
The more he talked, the sadder he became, the more frightened he became, and his whole body was shaking with tears.
