The imperial court dealt with the case of Qiu Shenji's rebellion quickly as usual. This kind of quick verdict and judgment without careful, detailed investigation and review, and the simple and quick way of dealing with major cases of rebellion were formed by the four cruel officials' persistent efforts. Now they were caught in their own trap, and they themselves became the victims.
Qiu Shenji was convicted of rebellion and sentenced to death!
As an accomplice, Zhou Xing was sentenced to exile to Lingnan!
Today was the day of Qiu Shenji's execution, supervised by Wu Sansi.
Now that Cen Zhangqian and Wei Fangzhi had died in prison, the power of the Prime Minister's faction was greatly weakened. Wu Chengsi was completely defeated, and his important henchmen were almost wiped out. In this fierce battle, Wu Sansi, who had been watching from the sidelines, became the one who benefited the most.
Everyone in the court was smart. Even if there were differences in political wisdom and strategy, with the help of advisors, the difference would not be too big. Sometimes, a mistake in judgment, once the development of the situation was out of one's control, it might not be impossible for others to take advantage of it.
At this time, it seemed that Princess Taiping's strategy had failed. Wu Sansi, the wolf, had become the one who benefited the most. Princess Taiping did not gain anything from it, nor did she strengthen her political power. At least … it was like this on the surface.
On the second day after the court announced Qiu Shenji and Zhou Xing's rebellion, Li Zhaode presented a memorial to the Emperor, talking about the harm of the Prince's royal family interfering in the court's politics. The Emperor deeply agreed and immediately removed Wu Chengsi from the position of Prime Minister and promoted Li Zhaode to be the head of the Prime Ministers.
Although Wu Chengsi himself escaped unscathed, he lost his position as Prime Minister, and a few of his important henchmen were also cut off.
Immediately, Wu Zetian announced to the world, "Zhou Xing, as the Autumn Minister, was in charge of the country's prison. He repeatedly framed the court officials, saying that they were rebelling. The country has its own laws, and even I cannot violate them, so I can only act according to the law!
We have also once suspected that Zhou Xing Ju was lying, and once ordered a close official to personally go to the prison to interrogate the officials who committed the crime. However, they were afraid of punishment, and all of them personally wrote confessions, admitting to their crimes. Therefore, we have never suspected the actions of Zhou Xing and the other evil officials.
Zhen has been ruling the world, my eyes and ears depend on civil and military officials. The ministers are either afraid of his power, or afraid of being implicated, or trying to curry favor with him, all of them have succeeded, so that they have framed Zhen as the Lord of Adultery, making Zhen grieved and hateful. Today, the traitors have been executed, and I hope that the officials will expose their crimes and redress the injustice to me! "
As soon as this imperial edict was issued, memorials to expose Zhou Xing's and Qiu Shenji's crimes appeared one after another. The officials, eunuchs and gentry who had been framed by them rushed to spread the news. But Prime Minister Wei Fangzhi, Cen Zhangqian, Ouyang Tong and a group of high-ranking officials were all dead.
In Wu Zetian's eyes, these people were not very reliable and were not on the same side as the Wu family. However, when she first ascended to the throne, she could not promote too many people who were only loyal to her but did not have the talent to become prime ministers. She had to use them to stabilize the political situation.
Now that the political situation was gradually stabilized, these people were finally purged. Zhou Xing, Qiu Shenji, and the others were supposed to help her remove the obstacles to her governance. Now, for the sake of human rights, these minions had formed a clique and committed acts that were detrimental to her rule, which was why they were eliminated. But even in death, their last bit of value had been squeezed out.
Wu Zetian easily got rid of herself and pushed all the crimes onto these cruel officials. Zhou Xing and Qiu Shenji, the two watchdogs, became the scapegoats. It was hard to say whether Wu Sansi or Wu Zetian benefited the most from this political struggle.
…
In front of the Taiyi Gate, the abandoned market was crowded with people.
The roads leading to this place had long been packed with people from all directions. Many of the officials and gentry who had been persecuted by Zhou Xing and Qiu Shenji came out with their families and set up incense tables around the execution ground. Some of them burned incense and prayed, weeping bitterly as they offered sacrifices to their loved ones. Some of them were so grateful to the Son of Heaven that their family's injustice had finally been cleared. They kept kowtowing in the direction of the palace.
The Executioner Wu Sansi sat high up on the execution platform.
In the distance, the prison carriage escorted by the Yulin Guards was slowly approaching.
Wu Sansi tilted his head and whispered to a trusted aide, "Has Zhou Xing already left?"
The man replied, "Yes! Zhou Xing's prison carriage has just left Luoyang. As Your Highness instructed, I have already sent people to follow him. "
Under the charge of rebellion, what was really concealed was the various illegal acts that Qiu Shenji, Zhou Xing, and the others had done in order to fight for power and the position of Crown Prince, as well as the harm these acts had done to the Great Zhou. Qiu Shenji was the vanguard of these evil deeds, and Zhou Xing might have been the mastermind. But in Wu Zetian's heart, the evil he had done was obviously not as much as Qiu Shenji. Therefore, towards this lackey who had done so much for her, Wu Zetian felt a trace of compassion. She did not sentence him to death, but exiled him.
"Hmm!"
Wu Sansi stroked his beard and smiled coldly. He said in a low voice, "If a snake is not killed, there will be endless troubles in the future! Sages never fear death. Today, Zhou Xing is sentenced to exile instead of abandoning the city. It seems that you are still reluctant to let him die. If you don't let him die, he will always be a scourge. When he leaves Luoyang, find a suitable place and send him to see Qiu Shenji! "
"Yes! I will arrange it properly! "
Wu Sansi waved his hand and said, "Go!"
When the man left, Wu Sansi stretched his head and looked in the direction of the execution carriage, looking a little impatient.
Qiu Shenji had been in the army for many years and had many subordinates. Today, Qiu Shenji was executed. Just in case, the imperial army had all entered a state of alert. The nine cities were all under the control of the Emperor's most trusted Northern Imperial Army. Even the people who escorted the prisoners to the execution ground and the security around the execution ground were not the officials of Luoyang Prefecture, Ministry of Justice, or Supreme Judiciary, but the Yulin Guards.
Yang Fan rode on a horse, leading the Yulin Guards to escort Qiu Shenji's prison carriage, and slowly drove to the execution ground.
Qiu Shenji, dressed in the clothes of a condemned prisoner, stood on the prison carriage with a big shackle on his neck. The prison carriage rumbled, and Qiu Shenji's face was gray. The people on both sides threw rotten eggs at his head and face, but he didn't seem to feel it at all.
A wooden ball was stuffed in his mouth, which made his mouth wide open. His cheeks looked a little weird. He couldn't even swallow with his mouth closed, so saliva flowed down from the corners of his mouth from time to time, like a stroke patient.
The rotten egg hit his forehead, and the liquid flowed down into his mouth, and then flowed out together with his saliva. His embarrassing situation was really indescribable.
The practice of silencing prisoners began in the fourth year of Tuigong, that is, four years ago. That year, when Hao Xiangxian, the Emissary of the Crown Prince, was executed, Hao Xiangxian cursed loudly and made a vehement speech on the execution ground, listing the sins of Wu Zetian, and even mentioning her adultery with Xue Huaiyi, which made Wu Zetian embarrassed. From then on, the execution of prisoners had to stuff a wooden ball in their mouth, so that they couldn't say a word. Qiu Shenji knew more secrets about Wu Zetian, including the fact that Wu Zetian ordered him to execute the Crown Prince, Li Xian, which was known to everyone, but could never be proved. Of course, this person couldn't be called to say anything.
Yang Fan didn't stop the people from venting their anger. He just pulled the reins of his horse and stayed away from Qiu Shenji, so that he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. No one noticed the surging emotions behind the calm face of this young general of the Yulin Guard.
The tragic scene of the Peach Blossom Village appeared in his mind. His parents, his sister, his fellow villagers … The great changes in his childhood had changed his life. He had traveled thousands of miles from Southeast Asia to come here, and this was his last enemy.
Today, Qiu Shenji was going to be executed. He was going to be executed because of the evidence he provided. He was going to die in his hands. His last enemy was finally going to die. The heavy burden that had been pressing on his heart since childhood could finally be lifted.
Looking at the incense burner tables on both sides of the road, set up by the families who had been persecuted by Qiu Shenji, Yang Fan couldn't help but want to shed tears. Now he wanted to loudly announce to his relatives who had been wronged, "Father, mother, sister, your great hatred has finally been avenged!"
Yang Fan raised his face and let the tears in his eyes quietly disappear.
Today's sky was very clear, with only a few white clouds floating on the horizon. The sky was high and the clouds were light, making people inexplicably open-minded. "The hatred of father, mother, and sister has been avenged. All the enemies are dead. Niuniu, where are you?"
The clouds on the horizon were like the smiling face of a little girl. The clouds were like a thin little face. The uneven thickness was like the dirty appearance of her face, and the jagged edges were like her messy hair. She seemed to be smiling at him, and her mouth was missing two front teeth.
Yang Fan smiled at the cloud. "Niuniu, Elder Brother will definitely find you!"
… …
Little Man was sitting in front of the dressing table, lazily combing her hair. Her pretty face in the mirror carried some charm, but it revealed a kind of lazy and bored charm.
Yang Fan hadn't been home for seven or eight days. Since Qiu Shenji's case, Luoyang City and the palace had been in a state of strict vigilance. As an important general of the palace guards, how could Yang Fan leave at this time?
Little Man didn't know what happened to her. Usually, when Yang Fan was at home, she was most afraid to come back from the shop and face him. The most embarrassing moment was every night. Although Yang Fan slept on the floor, they slept in the same room. She was so shy that she didn't even dare to take off her coat. She was afraid that he would hear her when she turned over, which made her sleep uncomfortable every night.
However, these days, Yang Fan wasn't at home. Every day when she came home, she couldn't see Yang Fan. Every night when she saw the empty floor beside the bed, her heart was also empty. It always seemed that something was missing or lost. After a few days, she had no appetite to eat, and it seemed that sleeping … was even more difficult.
"Madam, Ah Lang is back!"
Just when Third Sister's voice sounded outside the bedroom, Little Man jumped up excitedly.
"Ouch!"
Because she moved too quickly, she didn't put down the comb in time and pulled her hair. She cried out in pain, but she didn't care about it at all. She just threw the horn comb on the dressing table and jumped to the door. She opened the door and said happily, "He's back, where is he?"
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