Chapter 40: Beheading in the Street Tomorrow at Noon

Shen Changqing's ruthlessness.

It intimidated everyone. Hong Cheng and his men easily brought the members of the Zhao family under control.

Bound in iron chains and shackles, they were all being marched toward the yamen.

Shen Changqing merely stood to the side, refusing to intervene further.

Among those being led away were elderly men on the verge of death and infants crying for milk.

Yet, from beginning to end, his expression remained unmoved.

Because colluding with evil spirits was an unforgivable offense.

"If you must blame someone, blame the fact that you are members of the Zhao family!" Shen Changqing shook his head slightly, then turned to Hong Cheng. "Once everyone from the Zhao family is imprisoned, they are to be beheaded tomorrow at noon. Additionally, dispatch men to seize the Zhao family's assets; all belongings are to be transferred to the yamen's treasury."

"Understood!"

——

The sight of over a hundred members of the Zhao family being marched to the yamen naturally drew a large crowd of onlookers.

"Good arrest!"

"The Zhao family dared to collude with evil spirits; they should have had their property seized and their clan exterminated long ago!"

"To think I previously believed Zhao Fang was a good official. Looking at it now—pah!"

"Thousands of people in Guyue Village died with grievances; the Zhao family deserves to be buried with them."

"Haha, the Imperial Court has finally opened its eyes—"

Regarding the Zhao family's fate, every onlooker was applauding.

Ever since the news of the Zhao family's collusion with evil spirits had spread, their reputation had already been dragged through the mud.

Now that their property was being seized, in the eyes of the people, it was simply justice being served.

Colluding with evil spirits was, in the eyes of everyone, an inexcusable crime.

"Sigh, the Zhao family is finished!"

Cui Cheng, dressed in martial attire and carrying a longsword, couldn't help but sigh as he watched the many Zhao family members being marched toward the yamen.

In truth, he had arrived in Lin'an City just as he received news from Zhao Li.

However, Cui Cheng had never intended to stand up for the Zhao family.

Although he shared a significant friendship with Zhao Li, friendship was one thing, but the current situation was not something that could be resolved through mere personal ties.

If he were to intervene and his actions were exposed, it could potentially implicate the Guiyuan Sword Sect behind him.

Sacrificing his sect for the sake of a friend was clearly out of the question.

Regarding this, Zhao Li remained completely in the dark. He merely thought that Cui Cheng had failed to arrive in time after his message was sent, unaware that the other man had already arrived in Lin'an City the moment the Zhao residence was cordoned off.

"Senior Brother, isn't the Zhao family a bit too pitiful?"

Beside Cui Cheng, Zhao Yue's brows furrowed slightly. Perhaps because they shared the surname Zhao, she felt a sense of compassion for them.

She felt particularly dissatisfied when she saw infants being carried among those being arrested.

Hearing this, Cui Cheng turned his head to look at his junior sister's delicate face, his expression solemn. "Junior Sister, you may say such things to me in private, but you must never say them in front of outsiders. Otherwise, you will bring disaster upon our Guiyuan Sword Sect!"

"Senior Brother—" Seeing Cui Cheng's stern expression, Zhao Yue's face immediately clouded with dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Cui Cheng sighed and explained patiently once more: "You must understand that throughout history, those who collude with evil spirits have slaughtered countless human compatriots; some have even caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Since that time, the Great Qin has established laws stating that anyone found colluding with evil spirits shall have their entire clan exterminated. The purpose is to deter others and prevent them from taking such actions. While the members of the Zhao family may be innocent, the people of Guyue Village are even more innocent. If we show leniency to the Zhao family and others follow suit by colluding with evil spirits to harm the populace, then who will stand up for the innocence of those slaughtered? If your words are investigated, at best, you will be accused of disregarding the laws of Great Qin; at worst, they might pin the crime of colluding with evil spirits on you. By then, even the Guiyuan Sword Sect will be absolutely unable to protect you."

These words caused Zhao Yue's face to turn pale.

"I... I only said a few words casually. How... how does that make it collusion with evil spirits!"

"Some things are not defined by whether you did them or not. In the eyes of those looking for trouble, a single sentence can be used to pin many crimes on you—especially since our Guiyuan Sword Sect has many enemies. If they truly catch you in a slip-up, they will certainly make a spectacle of it. Therefore, some things are fine to think in your heart, but they must never be spoken lightly. Even if you do speak, you must judge the occasion and the gravity of the situation."

Cui Cheng warned her earnestly. After speaking, he felt somewhat exhausted.

His junior sister, who had rarely ventured out before, had caused him quite a bit of trouble along the way.

If it weren't for his own strength and the reputation the Guiyuan Sword Sect held in Guangyuan Prefecture, they might have run into trouble long ago.

While the two were talking, the members of the Zhao family had been completely marched into the yamen.

The many commoners who had followed the Zhao family to the yamen's gates stopped in their tracks.

They were waiting.

Waiting for a result.

Before long, the Registrar, Shi Qingsheng, walked out from the yamen. Looking at the crowd, he announced loudly, "Tomorrow at noon, the members of the Zhao family shall be beheaded in the streets of the eastern city!"

Having finished, he walked back into the yamen, leaving only two bailiffs guarding the entrance.

"Beheaded in the streets!"

Those four words caused an uproar among the commoners.

If they had only been speculating on the way to the yamen, Shi Qingsheng's words had now effectively passed the death sentence upon the Zhao family.

"Beheading!"

Cui Cheng took one deep look and then pulled Zhao Yue away.

There was no need to watch any further.

The public execution in the streets had already sealed the Zhao family's fate.

Since he had not intervened at the start, he certainly would not intervene now; the Zhao family was destined to perish.

The news of the Zhao family's imprisonment and tomorrow's execution spread like wildfire, passing from one person to ten, and ten to a hundred, until it had covered the entire city in no time.

Everyone knew.

Tomorrow at noon, the Zhao family would be beheaded in the eastern part of the city.

This topic became the primary subject of gossip for the vast majority of the populace.

"Exterminating the clan and beheading in the streets... the laws of Great Qin are as ruthless as ever!" In an inn, a man remarked with a sigh, before picking up his wine cup and draining it.

The person at the same table shook his head and laughed.

"Colluding with evil spirits warrants such a fate. If not for the constraints of Great Qin's laws, who knows how many people would have joined the Eternal Life Alliance. It's better to kill them; the more they are killed, the fewer people will dare to join the evil spirits."

"Forget it, such matters have nothing to do with us. Let's drink. We'll go to the scene tomorrow to watch the execution."

"Right, let's drink!"

The two men toasted one another, drinking heartily.

——

At the same time, Hong Cheng and several others had turned the Zhao residence upside down, searching every nook and cranny. Finally, they transported all the seized items back to the yamen in one go.

In the inner hall.

Shi Qingsheng was holding a ledger, reporting on certain matters.

Shen Changqing sat in the seat of honor, slowly sipping tea while listening intently to every word.

"Reporting to the Excellency: during the search of the Zhao residence, we recovered three thousand taels of gold and seven thousand taels of silver, along with several pieces of antique calligraphy and paintings. The preliminary estimate of their value is approximately twenty thousand taels—"

(End of Chapter)