At this moment, Qin Zhihong's legitimate second daughter, Qin Xilan, suddenly turned her head and said to the two soldiers guarding her, "Brothers, could you do me a favor? Let me relieve myself first, I really need to go."
"No!"
The two soldiers guarding Qin Xilan firmly refused her.
"But I really can't hold it any longer, I... I don't want to die so undignifiedly," Qin Xilan said pitifully.
"You're about to be beheaded, what are you talking about dying with dignity?"
One of the soldiers immediately mocked her.
Seeing that this approach wouldn't work, Qin Xilan sighed in disappointment.
At this moment, Qin Xixue, who was kneeling beside Qin Xilan, suddenly snorted coldly and sneered, "You can't fool them with these little tricks. Just obediently wait for death."
"Colluding with King Ning and plotting rebellion was done by you and Father. Why should you make our entire family die with you?" Qin Xilan immediately retorted.
"Heh, why? Just because you are a daughter of the Qin family, you can't escape."
Qin Xixue glanced at Qin Xilan coldly, as if looking at an idiot.
"Hmph! You ugly monster are making sense? If you hadn't asked King Ning to raise that beauty gu, hoping to restore your appearance, your face wouldn't have turned into this state, let alone be disfigured on your wedding day with King Ning..."
"Qin Xilan, shut up," Qin Xiling roared angrily upon hearing this. On her hideous face, her eyes fixed on Qin Xilan like poisonous snakes.
"Alright, stop arguing! It's all my fault, Qin Zhihong, for harming you all. It's all because I misjudged them."
At this moment, Qin Zhihong, with a face full of regret, interrupted his two legitimate daughters' argument.
Qin Xilan burst into tears upon hearing his words.
However, the Cold King and his consort, who had just arrived on the city wall, happened to see the Qin Zhihong family's farce through their telescopes.
Leng Ruoli sneered.
As the ancients said, one wouldn't turn back until they hit a dead end. It must be referring to him.
Just then, an official recording the time suddenly struck his gong and shouted, "Noon is approaching, everyone prepare!"
As he spoke, Yan Song, who was sitting in the middle of the execution ground, immediately ordered the soldiers to tie the limbs and heads of Lin Zhenfan and King Ning to five horse-drawn carts they had prepared, securing them with ropes.
At this moment, Lin Zhenfan and King Ning had already considered themselves dead. When they heard Yan Song drop the wooden sign, the soldiers fiercely whipped the horses' behinds, and then pulled with all their might in five directions. As the carts galloped forward, Lin Zhenfan and King Ning immediately closed their eyes. They soon felt intense pain, and before they could even groan, their bodies were torn into six pieces. Blood splattered onto the ground. The method was extremely cruel, but it was also what the two of them deserved.
The onlookers screamed in terror, and Jun Yan'an, squeezed in the crowd, fainted on the spot. Madam Wen, squeezed in another crowd, watched the dismembered corpse of Lin Zhenfan with cold eyes.
Originally, Lin Zhenfan was her husband, and she should have been sad at his death, but she couldn't feel any sadness.
This man had caused her family's ruin and the loss of her two children. She hated him to the bone.
Qin Zhihong and his family were also terrified by the fate of Lin Zhenfan and King Ning. Thinking about it, the Emperor's punishment for them was much lighter than for these two.
Immediately, it was Qin Zhihong and the others' turn.
Yan Song dropped another symbol that had been circled with a vermilion brush. Half of the condemned criminals on the execution ground urinated themselves out of fear, and even Madam Qin and Qin Xilan wet their trousers.
Executioners, each bare-chested and wearing a loose, large red pair of trousers, carrying sharp sabers, walked one by one to the side of the condemned criminals.
Then, Yan Song shouted, "Decapitate!!!"
The long plaques on Qin Zhihong's and the others' backs were immediately removed by the executioners and thrown to the ground. Then, with a swing of the executioners' blades, the heads of Qin Zhihong and his people rolled onto the ground one after another.
The onlookers on the scene screamed again, "Ah—"
"Today was truly terrifying. After performing the dismemberment by five horses on two rebels, so many heads were chopped off at once..."
Everything that happened here today left an indelible shadow on everyone present.
Qin Zhihong and his family were all subjected to confiscation of property and extermination of their clans, so their bodies would not be handled by relatives after their heads were cut off. Moreover, given the hot summer weather, these bodies would start to smell within a day under the scorching sun. This would not only make the air around the city gate unpleasant but also lead to an epidemic, which was not a good omen.
Therefore, Yan Song immediately ordered the soldiers to drag these bodies to a mass grave and bury them. However, it was uncertain whether these soldiers would bury their bodies properly. If the bodies were not buried properly, they would only serve as food for the wild beasts in the mountains.
At this moment, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan, standing on the city wall, looked at the chaotic scene below the city wall and had only one thought in their minds: The sky over the capital was finally blue!
Then, the Cold King and his consort turned and left.
They first visited Zhou Baining's shop. As soon as they entered the shop's first floor, they heard Zhou Baiyu's voice from the second floor reminding the clerks to work.
"Be careful! Be careful! You must be very careful! Don't drop and break anything."
After hearing his voice, the Cold King and his consort also walked up to the second floor.
The changes on the second floor of the shop made Leng Ruoli's eyes shine again.
Zhou Baiyu had decorated the two floors very luxuriously. The twenty dress racks that Leng Ruoli had suggested were completed, and their designs were very creative...
Zhou Baiyu was wearing a snow-white robe embroidered with delicate patterns in silver thread. He usually held a white jade fan, but he had tucked it into his waist, and he had also rolled up the wide sleeves on both sides.
"Uncle Yu~"
Leng Ruoli called out to Zhou Baiyu softly.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Baiyu immediately turned around. Seeing the Cold King and his consort, his face immediately broke into a smile.
"Li'er, Your Highness, you're here! It's dusty inside, please come and sit here."
"Uncle Yu, it's fine, we're not that delicate."
Hearing this, Zhou Baiyu smiled.
"Yesterday, I heard from the clerks that Lin Zhenfan and King Ning were plotting to usurp the throne, and I worried about you all day. Later, in the evening, I heard that you had already apprehended the rebels, and I breathed a sigh of relief. With the Emperor being able to deal with these people, the people of the capital will have several years of peaceful days ahead."
"Yes, my husband and I can also live comfortable lives now."
As they spoke, the three of them came to the table outside the balcony and sat down.
"Uncle Yu, I came today to tell you something. We are going on a long trip to handle some matters in a couple of days and may not be back for a long time. Could you help me manage the business of Jinxiu Pavilion and also give your opinion on our newly launched evening gowns?"
Leng Ruoli said with a hint of embarrassment.
"No problem, just tell me what you need Uncle Yu's help with."
After hearing Leng Ruoli's words, Zhou Baiyu smiled heartily and immediately took on the task.