Chapter 2 Midday at Hongshu Slope
Midday the following day, on the vast open ground in front of Hongshu Slope.
Prince Yu sat at the head of the wooden table, A Qiu and A Bian stood behind him, while Lu Ye, Ji Chenghe, and others sat on the sides.
In the center of the square, Qian Laowu was tied to a wooden stake, his expression one of despair.
Surrounding them were villagers from nearby hamlets. Despite it being the first day of the Lunar New Year, the poverty was so dire that each household had only half a life left. Consequently, they had even skipped the customary greetings and visits to relatives, making the execution a welcome distraction from hunger, thirst, and boredom.
Without any summons from the village head, every villager was eager to attend.
Due to the excessively bloody and violent nature of the execution, Bai Sheng and Madam Yang, being pregnant, were deemed unfit to witness and did not join the spectacle. Meanwhile, children under twelve from Hongshu Slope were confined to their homes.
However, the residents of Hongshu Slope had secured prime positions much earlier, each with a small wooden stool, sitting closest to the main seat.
This was their privilege, one that villagers from other hamlets could not envy.
Only after the execution grounds were completely surrounded did Prince Yu give A Qiu a nod. A Qiu bowed in salutation and then stood on a tall stool, holding a specially made megaphone by Bai Sheng, and loudly proclaimed Qian Laowu's crimes.
Upon hearing the charges, a wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.
Especially from the Zhang family of Huangsha Village, hiding amidst the onlookers, their gasps were the loudest.
However, seeing Prince Yu seated at the main position in the arena, no one dared to openly voice their disapproval.
It was rumored that among the Emperor's sons, Prince Yu was the most ruthless and capricious. Now, it seemed to be true. Qian Laowu had only destroyed a few dozen saplings, yet he was sentenced to the gruesome death of Lingchi. It was too cruel; one must never offend him.
The execution was carried out by a guard brought by Prince Yu. The guard was tall, with a stern face, and he approached Qian Laowu, wielding a large saber.
Qian Laowu looked at the gleaming blade and screamed, "Ah," before promptly fainting from terror.
However, Prince Yu desired him to remain conscious and witness his own dismemberment. Thus, the guard pinched Qian Laowu's philtrum, reviving him.
Qian Laowu had no desire to wake up, but fainting required a specific trigger. Once that trigger passed, he found himself unable to faint again.
He watched, eyes wide, as the guard raised the saber and, without hesitation, chopped off his legs.
With a sickening crunch, blood splattered across the ground. Qian Laowu let out a pig-like scream and passed out.
The onlookers also cried out in shock, many covering their eyes, their legs turning weak and unable to stand.
The guard pinched Qian Laowu's philtrum again, but it was no use. He looked up at Prince Yu. Prince Yu raised his hand, signaling him to continue the execution.
The guard, with a decisive move, then proceeded to chop off Qian Laowu's arms as well.
In the blink of an eye, Qian Laowu was reduced to a mutilated corpse, his blood flowing like a pillar, a truly horrifying sight.
On the blood-soaked execution ground, many villagers were already retching. Despite their terror, they still wanted to witness the Lingchi, so not a single person moved to leave.
Their lives had never experienced such an exhilarating moment. While the scene was bloody and terrifying, they were truly broadening their horizons.
The guard, splattered with blood, raised his saber and, like a master butcher slicing meat, carved Qian Laowu down to nothing but a pile of white bones, with countless bloody pieces of flesh scattered on the ground.
Someone in the crowd screamed in terror, and the sound of vomiting became widespread.
Even the people of Hongshu Slope felt their hearts pounding. Although they felt no sympathy for Qian Laowu, witnessing a living person being reduced to mere bones was profoundly shocking. They estimated that they wouldn't be able to eat meat for a long time.
But this was for the best, it would save on expenses.
After the execution, the tall guard, his face impassive, took a tattered cloth to wipe his saber clean. He then bowed to Prince Yu and walked off the execution ground, carrying his weapon.
Prince Yu and Lu Ye remained as calm as ever, not even a brow twitch. Ji Chenghe, looking at the two of them, sincerely felt like a weakling. During the execution, he had vomited several times, his palms were still sweating, and his legs felt shaky.
Prince Yu looked at A Qiu and commanded loudly, "Recite the Agricultural Planting Law!"
At this moment, the crowd was unusually quiet. Of the hundreds of people present, apart from the sound of breathing, not a single person dared to utter a sound.
A Qiu once again stood on the tall stool, facing all the villagers, and began to read aloud.
"Elders and fellow villagers, my Bian Province is largely a barren desert, and now it is also suffering from drought, making the lives of the common people extremely difficult, with countless starving and dying of thirst.
Now, fortunately, thanks to Madam Bai Sheng of Hongshu Slope, who has researched agricultural planting and successfully grown trees and crops in the desert, this King will use Hongshu Slope as a pilot for agricultural planting. After accumulating experience, it will be promoted throughout Bian Province to revitalize our Bian Province, ensuring the people have water to drink, food to eat, and clothes to wear, and no longer be displaced.
Unexpectedly, Qian Laowu of Hongliu Village deliberately destroyed dozens of saplings last night, which is truly infuriating. Every tree and every mu of crops that Hongshu Slope successfully grows is achieved with great hardship. All villagers who have participated in planting should understand this.
Qian Laowu, however, destroyed dozens of saplings without any reason, trampling on the hard work of farmers and disregarding this King's authority. Such a wicked and lowly villain cannot have his hatred extinguished by any punishment other than Lingchi.
Today's execution is also meant to serve as a warning. It is hoped that all villagers will take him as an example and not follow in his footsteps!
Hereby, this King enacts the Agricultural Planting Law as follows:
I. Wild edible plants and their fruits and stems in the desert may be gathered and eaten by villagers at will.
II. Anyone who cultivates flowers, trees, or crops is forbidden from unauthorized destruction or picking and felling by outsiders. Otherwise, the penalty shall be extreme.
Destroying one tree will result in the loss of one hand; ten trees will result in decapitation; twenty trees will result in Lingchi; fifty trees will result in the extermination of three generations of the offender's family!
Destroying one fen of crops will result in the severing of both hands; destroying one mu of crops will result in the severing of both feet; destroying two mu of crops will result in decapitation.
III. The government encourages the digging of wells and the planting of trees and crops by the public. Any group that successfully raises funds to dig a well will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver. Any individual who plants one thousand live trees will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver.
...
This law will take effect today. This King will immediately dispatch someone to the Prefectural Office of Bian Province to inform the Prefect to implement the Agricultural Planting Law throughout the entire province. Ten days from now, each village may have its village head responsible for collecting the law's announcements from the town office and posting them in the village.
Anyone who violates this order will be executed immediately!"
After hearing Prince Yu's announcement, the villagers finally understood why Qian Laowu had been subjected to such extreme punishment. It seemed he had run afoul of Prince Yu.
However, with Hongshu Slope now allied with Prince Yu, it was likely that no one would dare to provoke them. If they had known this earlier, they would not have listened to the Zhang family's instigation and insisted on being enemies with Lu Ye's family. Alas, they had trusted the wrong people!
After a long while, the people at the execution ground slowly dispersed. Qian Laowu's bloody skeleton remained tied to the stake. Lu Ye had people carry it away to be discarded, so as not to frighten the children.
Prince Yu immediately ordered A Bian to take his token and rush to the Prefectural Office, instructing Prefect He to issue the Agricultural Planting Law throughout the entire province without delay.
By the time Lu Ye and the others returned to Hongshu Slope, the children were finally allowed out. Led by Lu Yun, they eagerly ran towards the execution ground. The result was that besides a shocking pool of blood, there was nothing else at the site of the execution.
However, the observant Tianya still found a piece of flesh the size of a fingernail on the ground.
A group of boys exclaimed and scrambled to look, each excitedly imagining the scene of the execution.