Chapter 39 Section VI

The glory and wealth of Zaiyuan's life ended in such a desolate and muddled way.The same is true of Duanhua.But no matter what, their end was slightly better than Sushun. As soon as Sushun's prison cart came out of the back door of the clan's mansion, it attracted many passers-by, who spread the word to ten or hundreds of people. From Chongwenmen to Luomashi Street, there was a sudden commotion. In the "Wuyuzi" Guanqianhao case, many merchants outside Qianmen were implicated and went bankrupt. They only thought that there was no hope of redressing their grievances in this life, and they didn't want "retribution" to come so quickly!After receiving the news of Sushun's execution, there was someone who bought wine to congratulate him, of course he would not let it go lightly at this time, the crowd clamored, and prepared to humiliate him.Fortunately, Wenxiang had already made arrangements in advance, and the infantry commander Yamen and Shuntian Mansion sent people to monitor the suppression, and Sushun's prison car had to drive past.

It's just that adults can control adults, but children can't be controlled. The children who were instigated, with dirt and stones in their pockets, came out from the crowd of onlookers, shouted, threw stones, and rained down on Sushun. body.One after another, within a moment's time, Su's face was blurred, like a ghost. In this way, the closer you get to the Caishikou, the more crowded people are, and the order can be maintained until the infantry commander, the right-wing general, dispatches the newly formed Musketeer Battalion soldiers. A small execution ground was surrounded by crowds of people shouting and yelling, coupled with the scolding and whipping of the yamen servants, the place was so noisy that almost the inner city was shaken.

Usually, people in Caishikou are interested in watching murders, but the people who were killed today have different identities, are too famous, and have many enemies, so the shopkeeper who has a lot of business, even Mr. Jinshen, also came to catch up with this lively.They are unwilling and unable to squeeze into the crowd, and suffer from the burden of having their chests pressed against their backs, and they can't even breathe, so they have to make decisions in familiar shops around Caishikou.Among them is a pharmacy called "Xihe Niantang". It is said that the signboard was written by Yan Song. Naturally, it is impossible to check whether the words are true or false, but Xihe Niantang is a "hundred-year-old shop" even though it was not passed down from the Ming Dynasty to the present. He is well-deserved of the title, so there are a lot of regular customers, and they all come to the door to rest at this time.The shopkeeper of Xihe Niantang, of course, entertained wholeheartedly, offering tea and cigarettes, and was busy.

Although most of the guests were ignorant, they made a special trip to see Su Shunming's canon punishment and then quickly, based on the similarities in this point of smell, it was easy to talk speculatively.All of them complained a lot about Sushun's harm, or scolded him for being domineering and domineering, and they deserved what they deserved. Out of resentment, followed by emotion, someone sighed: "Three years ago, Sushun gave Bai Zhongtang his old life abruptly. At that time, how could he have thought that he would end up like this three years later?" "This is retribution!" Another person interjected: "I also came to see Bai Zhongtang on the day he was killed. Bai Zhongtang took a blue wool rear car and wore a big hat. Naturally, the red hat was taken off, and he went to Beijing first. Halfway through the alley, get off at the official hall, and many ministers and servants will accompany you to chat."

"That's not right!" Someone interrupted him and asked: "You have a life in an instant, so you still have the pleasure of chatting." "There is a reason for this. Everyone thinks that Bai Zhongtang has a high position and a good official reputation, and the fraud in the examination room is just a matter of being involved. The emperor will definitely have grace to keep someone under the knife and spare his life. It is Bai Zhongtang. I also thought the same way, so when I arrived at the north half of the alley, I told him to go back to the mansion to pack his luggage. Bai Zhongtang himself reckoned that he was charged with exile, and he would immediately release him when Zhubi approved it. He was very well-planned Well, who knew things would go wrong!"

"What's the matter? Who did the damage?" "Naturally Sushun." The man said again, "At that time, I saw two beautiful cars, and the one who got off in front was Mr. Zhao, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment. As soon as he entered the official hall, he burst into tears. When Bai Zhongtang saw it, his expression changed. Changed, and jumped on his feet and said: "It's broken, it's broken, Su Liu must not be able to spare me. I'm afraid he will be like me one day." The words really hit the mark." "Where is Sushun? Didn't you say that Sushun supervised the execution? How did he meet Bai Zhongtang?"

"That's right! The car in the back is Sushun, with a big white face, he is like Cao Cao. This kid, it's really thanks to him, that he even exchanged greetings with Bai Zhongtang for a while after entering the official hall. Tell me, this To what extent has human treachery reached?" "This person is amazing. To be honest, he is really a talent!" At this time and this place, if someone says this, it is risking the world's shame.Immediately, someone glared at each other. This person's surname is Fang, and he is a secretary in the cabinet. Although he is wearing plain clothes at this time, the owner of Xihe Niantang knows him. Come up in a hurry to interrupt.

"Master Fang!" he said with gusto, "Come in, please. I bought an unmarked painting in Liulichang. I said it was one of the 'Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou'. If you don't know that painting, please give me some insight." Take a look." "Okay, wait a moment." The master Fang did not give in to the angry eyes, and said in a loud voice: "'Everyone in the country wants to kill, I only want to pity talents'. Knowing people and judging the world, you can never judge heroes by success or failure. .” "I want to ask for advice!" Someone blushed and raised an argument with him, "Sushun's reputation is ruined, isn't it his own fault?"

"That's right, Sushun's ruin is his own fault, but just because of his ruin, you can't think that he has nothing to worry about." "Ah! What's good about this person? What's good about him?" "Isn't his boldness unacceptable? It's not advisable to think about the overall situation in everything?" "How did you see that?" "Of course there is evidence! Oh, sorry, I have to ask first, are there any friends under the banner here?" The host looked around and replied strangely: "No!" "If you don't have me, you have to tell the truth!" Master Fang seemed a little excited, "Sushun always said that the banner people are confused and only ask for money. They don't protect their own shortcomings, isn't that selfless?"

This is an undeniable fact, and no one can refute it, so we have to keep silent. "Sushun wants to reduce the food and salaries of the Eight Banners, but the support in front, as long as the household department can arrange it, it will definitely pay. Isn't this for the sake of the overall situation?" There was a reaction at this moment, "Not bad!" Someone said, "The gun in front has no gun, and the 'gun' of the uncle in the capital can swallow clouds and smoke. It doesn't cut their wages, it's a bit unreasonable gone." "That's it."

Before he could finish a sentence, he could only hear the commotion of people outside, the rumble of cars, and the faint voice of "coming, coming". Everyone rushed out without listening to Master Fang's discussion.The little apprentices of Xihe Niantang immediately moved out a lot of stools, squeezed down behind the crowd of people at the door, and made them stable, so that the guests could stand on them and watch. There was a car coming, two rear cars with black cloth curtains, guarded by the palace guards, drove from north to south, crossed the intersection, and drove into the northern half of the alley. "This is not a prison cart. The prison cart has no roof. Probably the prison officer has arrived." Master Fang said. His words were right, it was Prince Rui Renshou who supervised the beheading and Zai Ling, the servant of the Ministry of Punishment, who had arrived.Entering the northern half of the alley, the temporary official hall is served by the chief of the Ministry of Punishment.Zai Ling frowned and said, "I didn't expect that there would be so many people! Later, you should work hard on the errands. If there is a mistake in this errand, then you won't be able to eat, and you will walk away." "I'm not afraid of anything else, but this layer. As usual, the prisoner has to look to the north to thank him. It seems that Sushun may not be willing to kneel down, so what should I do? I have to ask the prince and Lord Zai for instructions!" This question stopped Zai Ling.This person's talent is ordinary, but it will come from time to time. Just when King Gong was winning people's hearts in the Eight Banners and preparing to fight against Sushun, he was a "yellow belt" and was born in the Imperial Academy. Give him a hand.Transferring him to be the servant of the Ministry of Punishment is the same as using Prince Su Huafeng as You Zongzheng.After Zai Ling took over, the most important task was to supervise the beheading. To be able to take Sushun's head off smoothly was a great achievement. Listening to the reports of the subordinates at this moment, it will not go well, if something goes wrong, the order will be disrupted, so many people will run wild, and dozens of people will be trampled to death, which will cause a big disaster.Thinking of this, not only the gains and losses are entangled, but also the misfortunes and fortunes are unpredictable, so he immediately appears anxious. I had no choice but to ask Renshou for advice, "My lord!" He leaned closer and said, "What should I do? Listen to your boss!" Prince Rui Renshou is an old fox, hearing his tone, he was very displeased, thinking in his heart: If you humbly ask for advice, I will take care of you for a while, if you think you can shirk your responsibility, you are wrong!So he replied calmly: "I have never been in charge of the Ministry of Punishment, and I am a complete layman in this matter." In these two sentences, not only are they completely dismissed, but they also have the meaning of ridiculing him as a layman who is not worthy of being a servant of the Ministry of punishment.Zai Ling also knew that this prince was not easy to serve, so he had to hold back his anger and laugh with him: "I'm not going to lie to you, my lord, but I'm a layman. You are very experienced and knowledgeable, please give me your advice!" "It's not difficult." Renshou replied casually, "I don't believe that so many people can't serve a Sushun." "I'm not afraid that Sushun won't give in, what I'm afraid of is that the people will make a fuss." "Joke!" Renshou looked disapproving, "It's not about killing loyal ministers, why are the common people making fun of it?" "Ah!" One sentence reminded Zai Ling, and he understood the key to deal with it.So he turned his face, put on the airs of a court official, and ordered loudly: "Sushun is a criminal ordered by the imperial court. If he dares to act rebellious, it's his own fault, you should clean it up for me! If he refuses to kneel, his dog legs will be broken, and if he wants to talk nonsense, you slap his mouth! " This is something that the officials in charge of punishment and prisons do best, so the hall agreed loudly: "Zha!" He invited Ann again, turned around and left, and went to make arrangements. The two people in the hall, waiting quietly, were bored, each asked his own servant to fill the water pipe, "Pulu, puff", one after another, spraying smoke all over the room. Suddenly, there was a lot of noise outside, and officials from the Ministry of Punishment came to report: "Sushun is coming to the execution ground soon!" Sushun came from Luomashi Street, and was almost at Caishikou. The head of the prison hall led the way on horseback, and the fan servants and guards lined up to guard along the road.Sushun on the prison cart in the middle was already in a state of distress, but there were still people throwing stones and fruit peels along the way, and he didn't avoid it, just closed his eyes and accepted it, but his mouth couldn't stop murmuring, whether it was twitching or cursing someone in a low voice . At this time, the crowd was surging, and it became more and more difficult to maintain order. The soldiers of the Musketeer Battalion held up their rifle butts and knocked and chiseled the people's heads randomly. At this very crowded time, another car came on Xuanwumen Street.The military officer in charge of the infantry commanded the yamen, leading eight cavalrymen, cleared the way ahead, passed through Caishikou with great difficulty, and dismounted at the official hall in the northern half of the alley. history.According to the procedure of "autumn judgment", the criminals who are to be "beheaded" by the Ministry of Punishment will all be bound to the execution ground on the day of execution after autumn, and wait for the emperor's imperial palace to be executed temporarily, and then the censor of Gyeonggi Province will be sent to the execution ground. This is the scene, who stays, who decides?Declare one by one before life and death can be judged.Although Sushun's "judgment" was a special purpose, but for the sake of solemnity, using this example, the mission of this "Master Du" is to issue a decree. At that time, an incense case had already been set up in the mat shed outside the official hall. Prince Rui Renshou and the Minister of Criminal Affairs Zai Ling took over the order, and then they were promoted to the temporary public case. Ginseng, wait for the hair to fall. Renshou asked, "Has Sushun ever been brought to the execution ground?" "It has been brought." "how is he?" "Returning to the prince, Sushun is quite restless." "Oh?" Renshou turned to Zai Ling for advice: "The decree has come, there is no need to wait any longer. I think we should do it early?" "My lord sees it." "Okay!" Renshou ordered to the doctor of Zhili Division: "Send the word, and operate immediately!" "Yes!" Zhili Si Langzhong rushed to the entrance of the mat shed, and said loudly to the waiting deacons and servants, "I will be executed by the order of the imperial court to commit Sushun, and I was ordered by the prison officer, Prince Rui, to perform the operation immediately." !'" "Cha!" All the officials in the hall agreed in unison.Fly to the execution ground to deliver orders.At the same time, Zailing also left the official seat, walked out of the auditorium, and was accompanied by Zhili Si Langzhong, and walked to the execution ground—the center of Caishikou Cross Road Street. Sushun had already been taken out of the prison cart, and he was standing facing north. Shouted sharply: "Kneel down!" At this time, at Caishikou, apart from maintaining a very narrow passage on the north and south sides, the east-west intersection was already blocked, but amidst the crowds of people, there was no sound, so the shout of Fan Yan seemed particularly loud and majestic.Everyone stood on tiptoe, opened their eyes wide, and looked at Sushun to see what he said? Sushun, who had kept his eyes closed all the time, opened them at this time. At first, he seemed to be afraid, but then a poisonous snake-like fierce flame appeared in his eyes, his teeth rattled, and his lips twisted!Seeing this stern look, the timid man couldn't help but shudder. "Kneel down!" The servant standing in front of him shouted once, "Thank you!" The lingering sound of the word "en" was still there, and Sushun, whose hands were tied behind his back, suddenly stretched his head forward, and spit a big mouthful of phlegm on the face of the servant. "Gong Liu, Lan'er!" Sushun jumped up and cursed: "Your uncles and sisters-in-law have done a good job in collusion! You will be punished by God! Lan'er, you bitch..." How to tolerate him yelling again?When he was spit on, he didn't bother to wipe his face, stretched out his thick and big palm, opened five fingers, aimed at Sushun's mouth, and sealed it with one palm, so there is no need to hold back any more , the guard at the back raised the iron ruler, and gave Sushun a hard slap in the bend of his knee.I'm afraid that Su Shun had never experienced such a pain since he was born in the womb. Suddenly, the pain was so great that beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared on his forehead. The fan servant couldn't tolerate him like this, grabbed his braid, pulled it up vigorously, and finally knelt down, but his head was still twisting. In fact, the executioner, who is wearing red and hanging colors, holding a thin-bladed and thick-backed ghost-head knife, has been thinking about it for a long time in the left rear of Sushun. There are a total of eight executioners in the Prison Hall of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and the one who was sent to be the "red messenger" this time is naturally a sharp-minded man. This man is a short and fat man, his surname is Wei, and his nickname is "Wei Yike", which means he is fast with a sword Soon, with a cough, he finished his errand. "Wei Yike" was quick-handed and cruel, but in fact it wasn't just him.The Great Prison of the Ministry of Punishment, also known as the "Zhao Prison", the darkness in the prison, even Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, would be difficult to reform.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the dictatorship of the eunuch party became darker and darker.When Qing soldiers entered the customs, it was still the same. Executioners and jailers blackmailed the families of prisoners.Every autumn, there is no need to make a fortune. If you get the money, you can do whatever you want, and you can torture the prisoner to death. On the day of the Autumn Judgment, starting from being tied up in prison, there are tricks. Those who accept bribes are not a problem, otherwise they will bend their arms and legs. Shi Weizhi was there, but luckily escaped alive, but also became disabled.If it was the crime of Ling Chi, and the prisoner's family was rich, then there would be no limit to the extortion.The executioner himself threatened that with such a "skill", the prisoner would not die until he reached the head of the owl.If you have spent enough money, stab the heart first, and get a great relief, and you will be unconscious, painless, and itchy. As for the execution of the crime of one knife, it seems that there is no trick, but it is not.If they failed to ask for bribes in advance, they had a very rogue plan to hide the head that fell to the ground. The prisoner's family wanted the head so that they could teach the cobbler to sew it up and put it in a coffin, so they had to spend money to redeem it.If money is spent and the decapitation is not required, then it really depends on the skills of the executioner. If the skills are not enough, the family members of the prisoner will naturally not pay any more money. It is not right to say "cut" or "cut", and it should be said "cut".Hold the knife in the backhand, with the back of the knife leaning against the elbow, with the blade pointing outward, and push the blade to cut in from the back of the prisoner's neck.Prisoners who are roughly sentenced to death, when tied to the execution ground, ninety-nine out of a hundred are so frightened that they can't even kneel up straight. Therefore, the executioner has a mentality that has been passed down for thousands of years, standing behind the prisoner, slightly Leaning to the left, first slapped his shoulder with his left hand. At this time, the prisoner was like a soldier. He was startled when he slapped, and his body grew naturally. Moving to the left, the blade dragged past, followed by a fierce kick, causing the corpse to fall forward.If the kick is fast, if the kick is slow, the blood in the corpse cavity will go straight up and splash on the executioner, which is considered a bad luck. The executioner knows all these "cuts", and his skills are high. On that drag, the drag is just right, the throat is cut off, and a layer of skin is still connected. Finally, the head remains the same. Consolation chat is better than "broken". Wei Yike has this kind of method of cutting heads and skins, and with this knife, he has earned a considerable amount of food and clothing.In his life, he was ordered to kill countless people. Every year on the day of the autumn judging, a dozen or twenty people surrendered to the law. In a short while, their heads were rolling, and they didn't take it seriously. But since the case in the examination room two years ago, Wei Yike began to feel, His line of work is no longer fun. In the case of the Wuwu examination room, a total of seven people were beheaded, and a total of four executioners were sent to the prison hall. Wei Yike took the lead, but he was the easiest, because although he was scheduled to "serve" Bai Zhongtang, his colleagues joked that he was also "a Accompanied by beheading", because it was expected that Ding Baizhen would be graciously pardoned, and Wei Yike didn't need to use the knife. Who knows that the knife is really going to be used. "Driving post", the look turned pale, Wei Yike was especially nervous.An old Zhongtang, who was also a scholar, had never committed any treason case, but he died at the entrance of this vegetable market like a gangster who committed all kinds of crimes, a villain who committed adultery and murdered his husband. . In any case, Bai Zhongtang, who is not guilty of death, has no complaints even though he has been wronged.Wei Yike saw him tremblingly looking at the tower to thank him, seeing him close his eyes, unable to hold back his tears, and even the family members of Bai Zhongtang kneeling beside him, crying hoarsely, this scene was heart-rending. , Wei Yike was shocked.After killing Bai Zhongtang, he felt so helpless that he hadn't smiled for three months. Now it was his turn to kill Sushun, which made Wei Yike shake again!People in their line of work believe in the theory of karma the most. Sushun killed Bai Ling, and ended up in the same end. Isn't this an unsatisfactory "reward for the world" in the dark?He got the news from yesterday that Sushun was going to be executed by Ling Chi. He knew that this "red messenger" must fall on him, so he ran to find the old Taoist of Baiyun Temple, chatted all night, and came back to tell his wife and children that when the cooking was finished Sushun, he decided to resign. Therefore, this was his last errand before sealing the knife.I have killed two "Masters" in my life, and this time I went to the "big wine vat" and drank three cups of burning knives, which is a very revealing thing to talk about!So he concentrated on it, determined to kill the knife beautifully.When he killed Bai Zhongtang, he wanted to connect his head, but because his hands were trembling and he lost his sense of propriety when pushing the blade, he still cut off the head. Wei Yike felt it was a humiliation. But it was not easy to deal with Su Shun's restless appearance.But Zai Shilang's "execution" command had already been given, and Fan Yan, who was holding Sushun's braid, let go of his handle. This moment could not be postponed any longer. After matching the position, he softly shouted: "Look ahead, who's here?" When Sushun raised his head and stretched his neck, Wei Yike bumped his right elbow outwards, knowing from his feeling that it was just right, so he slightly increased his strength, dragged the blade, lifted his foot and kicked - the wish of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Finally reached. Prince Rui Renshou and Minister of Criminal Affairs Zai Ling entered the palace to the Military Aircraft Department, and it happened that Prince Su and Minister of the Criminal Department Miansen were also there. . Killing two "iron hat kings" in one day, and one co-organizer of a university scholar, this is an unprecedented punishment since the founding of the country. The atmosphere of this happy event was diluted. But on the other hand, the punishment of the so-called "three murderers" has endless aftermath.From the palace to the people, this matter is being discussed everywhere, and the tone tends to change. There are more regrets than reprimands, and some people think that the handling is too much.One of the deepest insights is: Zaiyuan, Duanhua, and especially Sushun, since they are trusted by Emperor Daxing, naturally have their strengths and contributions. Could it be that the first emperor Bintian, before a hundred days, these three people will Become useless, heinous?Isn't it incredible!If it is said that these three people are villains in the first place and should not be reused at all, wouldn't that be the same as accusing the late emperor of being ignorant? These arguments had been heard a day or two ago, and when Sushun's head fell, more and more people would say fair words.Of course, it was just a private discussion, but it was enough to make Prince Gong uneasy. Huang Huang’s edict repeatedly emphasized the family law of the ancestors. If the Qing Dynasty’s discussion is circulated, it is against the original emperor’s original intention to act on the basis of “the present”, and it will have a great impact on morale and people’s hearts. , so, who should be responsible?Self-knowledge. This is the source of Prince Gong's uneasiness. For this reason, he convened a secret meeting with his confidants in Jianyuan that night to study the countermeasures that should be taken against this situation. "Of course it is based on peace of mind." Wen Xiang has always been outspoken on such occasions, "Among us banner people, there is such a saying: Veteran ministers of the three dynasties cut off their heads as soon as they said they would, leaving no room for the late emperor... .” Prince Gong became impatient, and interrupted him loudly, as if arguing with him: "That's because Sushun and the others didn't leave room for others, how can we say that we didn't leave room for the late emperor?" "That's right!" Wen Xiang replied calmly, "But Sushun has already obeyed the law, and no one will mention his mistakes any more." "People always compare themselves to others." Bao Jun also said, "We must quickly appease the clan, and don't let Su Shun and their remnant party have the opportunity to sow discord." "How to sow dissension?" Prince Gong asked with great attention: "Who are they?" "You don't need to ask." Gui Liang, who was mature and prudent, said, half persuading, half commanding, "Anyway, the words relayed by Bo Chuan just now made everyone feel insecure and turbulent."