Changsheng and Datou left the wine shop and went straight to the south gate.
Before noon, there was already a sea of people outside the south gate. There was a temporary wooden platform on the east side of the city gate, nine feet long and three feet wide, five feet above the ground. There were several tables and chairs placed in the middle and north area of the wooden platform. Presumably it was prepared for interrogators. There was a wooden block as thick as an arm placed in the south-center area of the wooden platform. The wooden block was stained with blood and covered with knife marks.
At this time, the area near the wooden platform was already full of people, and the two of them could only watch from a distance from the southeast. The taller man and the shorter man stood on the horse.
Datou once followed Chang Sheng to serve as the Yushitai, so he naturally knew that the wooden pier on the wooden platform was the chopping block for beheading. Seeing that the Khotan side had prepared the chopping boards, he couldn't help but get angry, "Fuck, what kind of public trial is this? We are already preparing for the execution, but what a waste of time is a public trial."
Changsheng looked gloomy and did not answer.
"Your Majesty, our people should be arriving soon. I'll go over and bring them over." Datou looked at Changsheng.
"Don't worry, let's take a look and then talk." Changsheng said in a deep voice.
"What are you looking at?" Datou gasped angrily, "They obviously didn't leave a way for Duke Ji to survive."
Changsheng did not answer the call.
Changsheng didn't say anything, and Datou could only restrain himself even though he was full of anger. The reason why he was so angry was not just because of the relationship between the Ni family and Changsheng, but also for another reason, that is, the Ni family was also very good to him, not only his Weapons were obtained from the Ni family, and even his house in Chang'an was a gift from the Ni family. His early life was even more miserable than Changsheng's. Very few people were kind to him, so he always remembered the kindness that the Ni family had shown to him. In the heart, never forget.
As time went by, more and more people were watching, and the crowds were crowded. When the three officials responsible for the interrogation came on stage, there were already thousands of people and businessmen gathered near the wooden platform.
While waiting, the onlookers were whispering to each other and talking in low voices. Changsheng's ears and eyes were clear. He could hear clearly what these people said. Regarding Ni Zhuo's arrest and trial, the onlookers had three different views. One was that it didn't matter and that it was pure. Looking at the fun, this type of people accounts for about 50%.
There is also a group of people who support Khotan’s killing of Ni. Those who hold this attitude account for about 30% of the onlookers. If you look closely, you will find that most of these people are dressed as merchants. It is obvious that they are all business rivals of the Ni family. , it is not difficult to understand that they have this idea. As the saying goes, judging someone's wealth is like killing their parents. Most people will become angry and angry when their interests are harmed.
There are also some ordinary people. Logically speaking, the Ni family has little contact with them when doing business. They should not hate the Ni family so much. However, after careful consideration, Chang Sheng still discovered the clue. The reason why these ordinary people hate the Ni family is not related to the Ni family. The reason why the Ni family has a grudge is because the Ni family is too rich and they are outsiders. They just hate the rich and exclude foreigners.
There are few people who are truly discerning, but there are still some. There is also a very small group of people who believe that Ni Zuo ended up like this because he was innocent.
At the same time as the three interrogating officials took the stage, a large group of soldiers also entered from the south gate with spears in hand. Dozens of soldiers took the stage to guard the surroundings, while the remaining several hundred people maintained order from behind the stage.
After the officials took their seats, the whispering crowd gradually became quiet. After waiting for a while, a prison car drove out from the south gate, the prison cage opened, and Ni Tuo walked out of the locked prison car in shackles.
When he saw Ni Zhuo, Datou immediately turned to look at Changsheng. Seeing that Changsheng had no intention of taking action, he could only restrain himself and continue to endure.
As early as the moment the prison car drove out of the south gate, Changsheng saw Ni Ni. Although Ni Ni was in shackles and chained, he was neatly dressed and had no external injuries on his body. This shows that although the Khotan Kingdom took Ni Ni, he did not No punishment was imposed.
The reason why the Khotan Kingdom did not torture Ni Tuo was not because they were very merciful, but because they knew that people's words can be frightening, and they were worried that Ni Tuo would be bruised and bruised during the public trial, and the world would suspect that they had beaten him.
Although Ni Zhuo was wearing shackles, his face was as usual and his expression was calm, and he stepped onto the wooden platform under the gaze of everyone.
"Your Majesty, do you want to try to notify Duke Ji and let him know that we are coming?" Datou leaned over and asked.
Changsheng shook his head, "The situation is unclear, so don't act rashly."
Hearing Changsheng's words, Datou changed his posture to sitting. In fact, even if he stood on the horse, Ni Zhuo couldn't see him because he was too short, and most of the barbarians who were watching were tall.
"My lord, do you think this is a trap?" Datou said in a low voice.
"What trap?" Changsheng asked casually.
Datou said, "Ji Guogong, Song Cai and others all have spiritual energy cultivation. The reason why they are tied up is probably because there are powerful masters in Khotan, and they also deliberately set aside time. Could it be that they are ambushing them?" Master, are you waiting for your arrival?"
After speaking, Changsheng waved his hand and shook his head, "You are overthinking. Khotan has no motive to kill me. It was also wise for Duke Ji not to lead the people to resist. Have you ever thought that if they break out of the encirclement, Khotan will be destroyed?" It can be said that they fled out of fear of crime. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty is still in urgent need of rice and grain. If they escape from Khotan, they will no longer be able to raise food and provide disaster relief for the Tang Dynasty."
"It makes sense," Datou said, "but they should be coming, and they are probably already prepared to deal with us."
"It is indeed possible." Changsheng nodded.
At this time, Ni Zhuo had already taken his stand on the stage, and the three interrogation officials were all in place. It was already noon, but the public trial had not yet started.
"My lord, what are they waiting for?" Datou wondered.
Before Changsheng could speak, someone in the city shouted, "The king has arrived."
Hearing this man's shouting, the crowd of onlookers became excited. They did not expect that the king would be present in person. However, the Khotan Kingdom was very small and could only govern six or seven cities. It was similar to a state in the Tang Dynasty, so the so-called king was also the same. A Shangzhou governor in the Tang Dynasty.
Seeing the king's arrival, the people of the country were ready to kneel down and worship. As 50% of the onlookers were merchants from the Western Regions, they naturally would not kneel down to see him.
However, after waiting for a while, the king's chariot was not seen leaving the city. Looking up, it turned out that he had gone to the city tower. The Khotan king was also wearing a dragon robe. He must be around fifty years old, not tall and very fat.
There were many palace maids and guards who climbed up the tower with him. In addition, there was a Buddhist monk and a masked woman in white. Khotan has always believed in Buddhism. This Buddhist monk had a reserved look in his eyes and a high level of cultivation. It is very likely that he She is the protector of the country in Khotan, and the woman in white is seven feet tall and has red hair. She is undoubtedly a woman from outside the country.
After the short fat man sat down, the officials and soldiers knelt down to see him, and the people watching also knelt down a little. The small country in the Western Region was not as good as the big country in China, and the etiquette and rules were not as strict and regular as those in the Tang Dynasty.
"Everyone, get up." The short fat man raised his hand.
When everyone stood up, the short fat man coughed twice and cleared his throat, "Well, okay, let's get started..."
