The excitement brought by the killing may only be felt at the moment when the head falls to the ground. The head is rolling and the blood is dripping. While washing away the sins, it also gives the onlookers a horrifying sense of immediacy.
Seventy-three people, their bodies and heads separated, turned into one hundred and forty-six pieces. The horrific scene quickly extinguished the enthusiasm that almost overflowed in the eyes of many people eating melons, and replaced it with a kind of fear, a kind of fear. The psychology called awe once again lingered in everyone's heart, and few people could calmly watch the excitement of people falling to the ground.
In contrast, the dignitaries on the viewing platform were even more horrified. After hearing and witnessing it in person, they suddenly realized that their power status did not seem to be that secure. After all, the Han Dynasty was not for them to enjoy as much as they wanted. of.
It was probably the first time for many ministers and bureaucrats who gave orders in high positions to see such a bloody scene. Their faces turned pale with shock. Many of them subconsciously touched their necks, and the chill lingering around their necks seemed to get a little heavier. .
After the climax, everything turned quiet. After watching the excitement, the onlookers dispersed one after another under the guidance of the government officers and soldiers. A little excited discussion was once again filled among the frightened crowd. There were always people who wanted to Show your courage with your mouth and tongue...
On the execution platform, the north wind was even more desolate. The officers under the Luoyang Mansion acted as corpse collectors, silently collecting the corpses and waiting for the family members to claim them. Only the dripping blood was not protected from the cold wind and was still shocking.
At the "VIP Seat", the silence was finally broken. Seeing that Fu Yanqing and other princes looked a little ugly, Liu Xu took the initiative to approach and comfort him. The other people also had different expressions, and the voices of conversation in the pavilion were obviously cautious.
Zhao Kuangyin still stood there, his expression returned to normal. Zhao Kuangzan, King of Dongping, stood beside him. Seeing the scene of the city ending, he sighed softly: "It's finally over! I have been a soldier for half my life, even if I am not a murderer. It’s numb, but I dare say that I’m used to seeing life and death, but today’s scene is heart-stopping!”
"King Dongping is being humble. Why bother about such a small scene? It's not like this!" Zhao Kuangyin turned his head and looked at Zhao Kuangzan and said softly as if he had come to his senses.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan chuckled and said: "I have forgotten that I am accustomed to scenes of Duke Rong fighting heroes in hundreds of battles, marshaling troops to conquer the country, bloodshed for hundreds of miles, and corpses lying in the fields. Naturally, I don't take this scene seriously!"
"King Dongping is so complimentary!" Zhao Kuangyin responded calmly without any emotion on his face, obviously showing no interest.
However, his eyes subconsciously glanced at Zhao Kuangzan. In the eyes of an uninitiated person, the two may be regarded as brothers, but in fact, apart from the similarity in names, there is no relationship at all. In fact, even among the upper-class dignitaries of the Han Dynasty, the two Zhao families have little contact.
There are some topics this time only because of this turmoil. Zhao Kuangyin was born because of Zhao Kuangmei, and Zhao Kuangzan was born because of his second son Zhao Jien.
Since Xian Yan entered the court, Zhao Kuangzan has received great favor from the court. For more than ten years, he has been favored and honored. In addition to being a high-ranking official, he also bought a large number of properties in the two capitals. In more than ten years, many wealthy businessmen emerged in the Han Dynasty. However, many people don't know that Zhao Kuangzan, the King of Dongping, is also a hundred-year-old businessman. A millionaire truly controls a fortune of more than one million dollars.
If the father is like this, the son is also like this. Zhao Kuangzan has two sons in total, the eldest son Zhao Jili and the second son Zhao Jien. Probably knowing that the possibility of inheriting his father's business was unlikely, Zhao Jien developed a character that did not seek advancement and was greedy for enjoyment from a very young age. At a young age, he relied on the power of his family to accumulate wealth to provide for his family. Carefree.
It is not difficult for a rich man like Zhao Jien to make money, but it is not so easy to make big money. Of course, Zhao Jien was not as bold as Zhang Jin, but he could not avoid participating in some gray operations. What was exposed this time was his involvement in private salt trading.
For a long time in the past, private salt activities among the Han people were very quiet, not to say extinct, but the fact is that few people engaged in it. After all, the price of salt was low, it was really unprofitable, and the risks were extremely high. Even if there is, it is only in those remote areas or border areas. Among the tribes surrounding the Han Dynasty, the market for salt is still not small, but it is basically in the hands of the government.
However, as the court carried out the salt reform and as the price of salt increased, surrounding this huge chain of interests, the court ate meat and the powerful merchants drank soup, and some vultures inevitably devoured the carrion.
In just six months, the illegal salt activities of the Han Dynasty became rampant in an unstoppable manner. Even the imperial court stepped up its crackdown on illegal salt activities, but the ban continued.
According to Han law, those who smuggled salt for one stone were immediately beheaded. However, according to the previous regulation of salt prices, it was changed to five dou for salt. However, even if it is so strict, it still cannot stop people's desire for private interests.
With Zhao Jien's identity, there was no need to make profits through private salt. In fact, the involvement was not deep. Even so, when Zhao Kuangzan learned about it, he gave him a severe lesson. Then, the one who followed suit and surrendered to the police was Zhao Jien.
Just like Zhao Kuangmei, Zhao Jien's final trial and sentencing was also between killing and not killing. According to Han law, any sentence can be interpreted. It all depends on Cui Zhoudu's balance.
In the end, both people were able to survive. Although on the surface, the punishment was reduced because the two surrendered, in the eyes of many people, Cui Zhou's punishment was ultimately tolerated for the sake of the two Zhao families. Love, of course, also got the acquiescence of Emperor Liu.
However, death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be avoided. Although his life was saved, his death sentence was not light at all. Zhao Kuangmei lost his position and was exiled for three thousand li, his house was ransacked, and he was never able to use it; Zhao Jien was exiled for 2,500 li, and was fined 100,000 yuan, and he was never used for it.
Regarding such a penalty, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangzan also showed acquiescence and did not take any more actions to fight for anything. Even Zhao Kuangzan took the initiative to plead guilty to Emperor Liu, saying that he was not strict in running the family, and greatly praised the court's fair and just punishment.
Of course, with the influence of the family, even if they are exiled, Zhao Kuangmei and Zhao Jien will not live as miserable as ordinary prisoners, but their careers in life are basically ruined. If they are stained by this stain, they will never be as miserable. Cast a shadow.
Even so, these two are already lucky, at least they are not among the seventy-three nobles and criminal officials, and they were not executed by beheading in the southern city of the capital in full view of the public.
Probably because of this mutual sympathy, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangzan had a rare exchange of words.
After watching the big show of killing chickens to scare monkeys, everyone was less interested and wanted to disperse. However, before he could say goodbye, a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and a calm demeanor came in, Murong Chengtai, then the commander-in-chief of Su Wei.
He is also a high-ranking nobleman, so it is not surprising that he is here. However, when he opened his mouth, the hearts of the princes present suddenly sank inexplicably: "Your Majesty, after the execution is over, please go to Xiyuan to see you! "
Everyone was a little surprised, but their faces darkened. Seeing this, Murong Chengtai smiled slightly: "Gentlemen, let's get going. Don't keep your Majesty waiting for too long!"
