The square was packed with people, and the execution platform was surrounded by layers of people.
All the prisoners, regardless of age or gender, were dressed in white prison uniforms, their hands bound behind their backs, kneeling neatly on the execution platform, awaiting their execution.
At the executioner's command, the executioner threw down the execution token, and the executioners shouted as they raised their swords and beheaded the prisoners. The prisoners' mouths were stuffed with rags, and they wailed and cried, tears streaming down their faces. Black-haired and white-haired heads rolled to the ground. In an instant, nearly a hundred people gushed blood from their necks, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The mastermind, Lei Taiwei, was the last to be brought out. His hair was disheveled, his face was haggard, and his unfocused eyes were lifeless. His whole body was tightly bound, and he wore heavy leg chains on his feet. He dragged his stiff steps up the high, round stone platform.
Unlike others, he was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist, one of the cruelest punishments in Qingyan.
Lei Taiwei remained calm until the guillotine was right in front of him. Only then did he panic and desperately try to crawl away, but the executioners grabbed him tightly and pressed him under the guillotine. His shrill screams echoed throughout most of the square.
Shen Lixue watched Lei Taiwei under the guillotine from afar. This man was once full of vigor and arrogance, so audacious that he poisoned the prince and framed the Duke of Wu. Countless lives had been spilled in his hands, and now he had fallen to this state.
The executioner gripped the hilt and slammed the guillotine down hard. Blood splattered everywhere, and the bright red, warm blood gushed out like a spring, blooming into incredibly beautiful yet terrifying blood flowers in mid-air.
However, for some reason, the guillotine only severed half of Grand Commandant Lei's body, failing to end his life immediately. The intense pain caused his body to writhe wildly under the guillotine, blood gushing out from the wound on his waist. His agonizing screams were incredibly pitiful and awe-inspiring.
The executioner panicked, wiped the cold sweat from his face, grabbed the guillotine, and pressed down hard again. Lei Taiwei's strong body was finally split in two, completely severed. Blood gushed out and quickly drained away. His eyes were wide open, and he died unwillingly.
Below the execution platform, cheers and shouts of approval erupted.
Shen Lixue frowned and followed Lei Taiwei's lifeless gaze to a private room. Thinking back carefully, she realized that after Lei Taiwei walked onto the execution ground, his gaze seemed to have been fixed on that private room: "Dongfang Heng, can you find out who is sitting in that private room?"
"Zi Mo!" Dongfang Heng called out softly.
"Yes!" A familiar reply came from the void, followed by a soft whooshing sound that quickly faded into the distance.
Under the scorching sun, the onlookers dispersed in twos and threes, and the square was soon deserted. Lei Taiwei's body, severed at the waist, convulsed, and blood flowed across most of the execution platform, slowly trickling down the stone steps.
The servants went up to the execution platform, quickly cleared away the corpses, and cleaned up the mess.
"Your Highness, where will their bodies be sent?" Lin Yan's sharp gaze pierced through the window, looking at the mutilated corpse of Grand Commandant Lei, a fierce hatred flashing deep in his eyes.
"They committed serious crimes and were beheaded. Their bodies cannot be recovered; they must be handed over to the authorities," Dongfang Heng said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
Lin Yan's eyes turned cold. He turned around and strode towards the door.
"Cousin Yan, where are you going?" Shen Lixue asked, puzzled.
"Let the government officials throw the body into a mass grave and leave it to rot in the wilderness!" Lin Yan replied softly, then strode out of the room, the intense hatred emanating from him almost overwhelming everything.
Shen Lixue sighed softly. The hatred for the death of her grandfather was irreconcilable, and Lin Yan's anger was also understandable. If Grand Commandant Lei had not plotted against Duke Wu, he would not have ended up with a dead end.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Zi Mo's report suddenly rang out: "Your Highness, the person sitting in that private room is the Duke of Wen!"
"Duke Wen!" Shen Lixue frowned slightly. Why was it him again? "Besides Duke Wen, is there anyone else in the private room?"
"And Lady Ruan Chuqing, wife of the Duke of Wen, and Concubine Bai!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Wives and concubines sitting at the same table, it seems that Duke Wen has developed a rift with Ruan Chuqing and has begun to favor Concubine Bai. This is quite a good opportunity."
"You're going to see Duke Wen!" Dongfang Heng raised an eyebrow at Shen Lixue, who had stood up.
Shen Lixue nodded and slowly walked outside: "Let's go and test the waters. I have a feeling something's not right!"
Dongfang Heng took a sip of tea: "If you walk over there so openly, I'm afraid you won't find out anything!"
Shen Lixue smiled mysteriously: "I've already made arrangements, and Duke Wen will never suspect anything!"
A moment later, a woman's shrill scream came from the corridor: "Someone, someone come quick! Someone has fainted! Call a doctor!"
The clinic was right on the street, and soon an old man carrying a medicine box came in and quickly treated the woman's illness. The room where the woman had fainted happened to be next to the Duke of Wen's private room. Many onlookers stood at the door, whispering and making noise so that the Duke of Wen could not eat. A maid opened the door and said coldly, "My master is eating here. Please be quiet."
"The doctor is examining that young lady. Everyone, please disperse and don't disturb the patient and guests!" Shen Lixue stood aside, persuading the onlookers. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Aunt Bai in the private room to hear.
Aunt Bai hurried over, beaming, "Princess Lixue!"
"Aunt Bai!" Shen Lixue feigned ignorance and asked, "Are you and You Ran having a meal?"
"No, I came to dine with Madam and Master!" Aunt Bai said as she walked out of the room.
Shen Lixue peeked through the wide-open door and saw Wen Guozheng sitting by the window drinking tea, his eyelids slightly lowered, concealing the expression in his eyes.
Her gaze darkened: "Aunt Bai, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
This was the first time Bai Ruyi had seen Shen Lixue with such a solemn expression. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Princess, please speak freely!"
Shen Lixue lowered her voice and said, "I know a little about medicine, but judging from Duke Wen's expression, something seems wrong!"
"What's wrong?" Aunt Bai's face also turned serious.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but I always felt that his complexion was different from that of a normal person. Maybe I was just too far away and saw things wrong. However, I suggest that Aunt Bai find a doctor to examine Duke Wen's pulse. Physician Chen diagnosed that you are capable of having children. If Duke Wen is also fine, then you will have offspring!" Shen Lixue suggested with a smile.
Aunt Bai nodded. She longed for a child but had been unable to conceive. She had suspected that Duke Wen had a problem, but she hadn't dared to say it. Shen Lixue was skilled in medicine and said that Duke Wen's complexion was off, which made her even more suspicious.
The door next door opened, and the doctor came out carrying his medicine kit. The woman who had been revived was still a little pale, but her eyes were bright, and she was in good spirits. She was fine now and said with a face full of gratitude, "Thank you, doctor!"
"You're too kind, young lady!" The doctor gave some instructions and turned to leave, but Aunt Bai stopped him: "Doctor, my husband has been unwell lately. Could you please examine him?"
The doctor smiled gently, his face full of kindness: "Madam, you are too kind. May I ask where your husband is?"
"It's inside, doctor, please wait a moment!" Aunt Bai told the doctor to wait outside the door. She quickly went to Duke Wen and softly suggested, "My lord, you've been experiencing back pain lately. I've brought a doctor with me. Would you like to have him examined?"
“The Duke of Wen’s mansion has its own physician who knows the master’s health very well, so there’s no need for other doctors to examine him!” Ruan Chuqing glanced coldly at Aunt Bai and casually picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and put it in her mouth.
"It was my own idea!" Aunt Bai's face turned pale instantly. She forced a bitter smile and refused her well-intentioned offer without a second thought.
Duke Wen gave Ruan Chuqing a cold look, put down his teacup, and said, "I haven't been feeling well these past few days and have been busy, so I haven't had time to have the royal physician examine me. Let the doctor come in!"