In ancient times, executions were usually carried out in autumn or winter, not in spring or summer, so there was a saying that executions were carried out after the execution.
Executions were usually carried out in crowded and bustling streets. The reason was that executions were carried out in large public places. Firstly, it was to warn the common people, and secondly, it was to suppress the evilness of the dead. Therefore, executions were usually carried out at noon, when the sun was the highest.
On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, before Yu Xiaoxiu went to school, Yu Shu hung the house key around his neck and gave him a tael. She told him to have dinner outside when he came back in the afternoon, and that she and Jing Chen would be back late.
Yu Xiaoxiu was a sensible person. He knew that the two of them were going to watch the execution. Seeing that Yu Shu had no intention of bringing him along, he didn't make a fuss. Instead, he walked out of the door with a serious expression on his face.
While it was still early, Yu Shu cooked the three catties of eggs she bought yesterday. The tea eggs on the street cost 15 copper coins each, and they were bland and tasteless. She had a slightly salty taste, so she cooked them according to her preferences. They wouldn't go bad in the winter, and they could be eaten as breakfast in the morning. When she was hungry, she could peel one.
The pot was stewing on the fire. Yu Shu washed her hands and went to Jing Chen's room to change the dressing on his hand. The wound had been growing for almost a month, but the scab hadn't completely fallen off. After removing the gauze, she saw that there was one across the joints of his four fingers and one across his palm. It looked like there were two long worms crawling on it, which made Yu Shu frown.
Jing Chen tried to shake his hand and felt that there was no problem, so he discussed with Yu Shu, "It doesn't hurt or itch, so there's no need to apply medicine, right?"
Yu Shu said, "It's fine if you don't apply medicine on your hand. Then from tomorrow on, you can drink medicine soup instead."
Jing Chen obediently extended his right hand to her. Compared to drinking the medicine, it was better to apply it on his hand.
After the medicine was changed and the tea eggs were cooked, the two of them tidied up. Yu Shu wrapped a few hot tea eggs and slung a small bag over her shoulder. She locked the door and left with Jing Chen.
Since coming to the capital, Jing Chen had almost never gone out during the day. Today, they were going to Changchun Street, the place they went to when they changed back to Yellowfrost Stone not long ago in the heavy rain.
Therefore, Yu Shu didn't let him wear the distinctive bamboo hat. She was afraid that the Ji family wouldn't give up and would secretly look for them. Anyway, she was with them, so she was not afraid that he would have any contact with others. With the Yellowfrost Stone, Yu Shu felt was very safe.
"Here, have a taste of what I made. Is it as good as the ones sold in Second Sun's shop?" Yu Shu peeled a tea egg and handed it to Jing Chen first. Then she threw the egg skin on the roadside. It was not her fault for being uncivilized. In ancient times, there were no garbage bins on the roadside, and there were no aunties and aunties with armbands patrolling the streets. Littering and spitting didn't warrant a fine.
Jing Chen took it and tasted it. After eating it, he commented, "It's a little salty."
"Salty?" Yu Shu peeled another one and took a bite. She secretly frowned. It was indeed salty. He knew that she put two more spoonfuls of salt in it, but he still said shamelessly, "Tea eggs are delicious when they are salty."
"Oh." Jing Chen never argued with Yu Shu. Basically, whatever she said, it was. They didn't take a taxi. They walked past Autumn Osmanthus Square. Then Yu Shu led Jing Chen to a cloth shop in the alley where she often bought clothes. She picked out the cloth on the counter for a long time. Finally, she chose a color. She gestured on it and asked the shopkeeper to cut a small piece. Jing Chen stood beside her and quietly looked at the decoration in the shop without saying a word.
The shopkeeper recognized that she was a regular customer. Seeing that she asked for such a small piece of cloth, he kindly offered to give it to her. Yu Shu didn't refuse. She also asked for a fine needle.
They went out of the cloth shop. Yu Shu turned to ask Jing Chen, "Why don't you ask me what I want such a small piece of cloth for?"
Jing Chen asked, "What do you want it for?"
"I'm not telling you."
"…" Jing Chen was often teased by her. After getting used to it, he slowly realized that the more he argued with her, the more energetic she became. It was best not to argue with her.
Seeing that he didn't pursue the matter, Yu Shu lost interest. She touched her nose resentfully and took the initiative to gesture with her hand. "I plan to sew a small pocket and sew the Yellowfrost Stone into it. I'll make a talisman with me so that I won't lose it again."
"Okay." Jing Chen nodded. "That's good."
The two accompanied each other all the way from the south of the city to Qianyuan Street. It was not noon yet. Yu Shu had eaten three salted eggs on the way and was already thirsty. Therefore, she and Jing Chen found a restaurant and sat by the window on the second floor. They only ordered a bowl of sweet winter melon soup and a plate of vinegar peanuts.
The execution ground was built at the end of the street where people came and went. Yu Shu opened the window and looked outside. She said to Jing Chen, "See that? It's the platform over there. Let's just sit here and watch. There's no need to go down and squeeze with the others."
Not long after she finished speaking, a group of officers and soldiers escorted prison carts past on the street below. Inside the seven or eight prison carts were all prisoners on death row. All of them had disheveled hair and dirty faces. Their hands were shackled, and their heads were hanging down in a half-dead state.
"Evil people! Murderers! Smash them! Smash them!"
No one knew who took the lead, but the people on both sides of the street suddenly became agitated. They threw rotten vegetable leaves and smelly wicker baskets at the prison carts, smashing the prisoners' heads and faces. They were in a sorry state and had nowhere to hide. The officers did not stop them. They only scolded them when someone got too close.
After looking for a long time, Yu Shu finally recognized which carriage Huan Biao and Bi Qing were in. She quickly pointed them out to Jing Chen and whispered, "Look over there. The bearded one in front is Qiu Biao. The one in the back is Bi Qing with a head full of rotten eggs."
This was the first time Jing Chen saw these two people after three months of escaping from the ship. Originally, the hatred between them had faded, but when he thought of the killer who killed Yu Shu in front of his house that night, he couldn't help but frown. He felt that they deserved to die.
The prisoners were escorted to the execution platform one by one. More and more people gathered at the end of the street. There were also many people in the restaurant who wanted to watch the hot draw. They all surrounded the windows.
When noon arrived, the drum was beaten three times, and a few burly executioners carried their swords forward. They removed the death-duel cards on the backs of the criminals, and raised the countless blades in their hands high, waiting for the next order.
Yu Shu's eyes were wide open. She was afraid that she couldn't help but close her eyes. Thinking of the bloody scene she was about to see, her palms were sweaty. In fact, she was not very brave. She was especially afraid of death. Not only was she afraid of her own death, but she was also afraid of seeing others die.
She had lived for decades and lived two lives. She had always been unwilling to die without revenge. However, this was the first time she took revenge on someone to death.
Once everything was over, besides venting her anger, there was always a little fear in her heart. This was human nature. If there was no fear, then she was really cold-blooded and heartless.
Jing Chen looked at her like this. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something. However, the judge on the execution platform had already thrown down the fire stick.
"It's time to die. Execute!"
As the knife rose and fell, Yu Shu's vision suddenly darkened. She held her breath and wanted to push away the palm in front of her. However, her hand fell back halfway. There was a moment of silence on the street, followed by a buzzing sound in her ears. Her throat was dry. She took a breath and asked: "Is it chopped off?"
Jing Chen blocked her with one hand and looked at the bloody execution platform: "Yes."
After a moment of silence, Yu Shu pulled down Jing Chen's hand. She didn't look at the street anymore. She turned around and sat back to her seat. She patted the table and called the waiter: "Bring a pot of wine and a plate of lung slices. The spicier the better."
When the dishes and wine were served, Yu Shu first took a bite of the red ox tongue and then took a sip of wine. It was spicy enough. When the hot air rushed to her head, she immediately felt comfortable. She looked up and saw Jing Chen looking at her without blinking. There was a clear worry on his face. She raised the pot of wine and smiled at him: "Come, drink a cup with me. I won't blame you for covering my eyes just now."
Jing Chen took the empty cup and handed it to her. Yu Shu filled his cup and poured a cup for herself. She clinked glasses with him and thought for a moment before saying: "Let's have a happy ending!"
"Yes, happy ending." Jing Chen also copied her and clinked glasses with her.
Yu Shu drank the cup in one gulp. Jing Chen drank slowly, but he also finished the cup in one gulp. Yu Shu looked at his empty cup with satisfaction. Then, she drank the wine and ate the plate of spicy lung slices. She didn't pour another cup for him.
She had a good capacity for alcohol, but Jing Chen didn't drink. One cup was enough. After all, he still had business in the evening.
After watching the execution, Yu Shu and Jing Chen went to another teahouse. They found a seat in the corner and listened to the storyteller at the center of the teahouse tell a Jianghu joke. They asked for a pot of green tea to relieve the alcohol.
"… Let's talk about the young lady that Prince Xiang met on the boat earlier. She is actually a wealthy merchant in Guangdong. He is said to own a hundred boats and is known as the 'Over a Thousand Sails'. She is Wen Suisui, the precious daughter of Wen Hua Qun. When they met on the boat that day, Wen Suisui was attracted by Prince Xiang's beauty and admiration grew in her heart. However, when they met again in such a scene, she fell in love with him. Prince Xiang is also a romantic and passionate person. He is infatuated with Wen Suisui. Even though he already has a beautiful wife at home, he cannot help but be moved."
The storyteller was not bad. As Yu Shu listened, she understood something. Prince Xiang? Wasn't this the father of Heir Liu Jiong? It turned out that this joke wasn't about a novel, but the romantic affairs of a Prince. No wonder everyone in the teahouse was listening with great interest.
However, as a Prince, a relative of the Emperor, his private affairs were made up and spread by others, but no one cared. It was really unbearable.
Yu Shu didn't like to listen to this joke about a Prince picking up a girl. She was also afraid that Jing Chen would learn bad things from it. After drinking the tea, she pulled him away.
"Where are we going now?" Jing Chen followed Yu Shu aimlessly. He wasn't afraid that she would sell him out.
"South of the city, Peiren Hall." Yu Shu told him the location. Feeling that it was too far, she hired two sedan chairs at the south of Kunyuan Street. At first, Jing Chen didn't want to sit and said that she would sit alone in the sedan chair and he would follow. In the end, he was still pestered by Yu Shu and pushed into the sedan chair.
Sitting in the enclosed sedan chair, there was no one to talk to. Yu Shu was still drunk, so she leaned against the window and dozed off. She only opened her eyes with a yawn when the sedan door was opened and the cold wind blew into her neck.
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