A gust of cold wind blew past.
Lin Qingge shivered involuntarily, only then realizing that autumn had arrived without her knowing.
Her gaze shifted downward.
She indeed found Ling Han's name on it.
Glancing at the execution date specified, Lin Qingge raised an eyebrow in surprise:
"The ninth day of the ninth month?
Indeed, it's a good day to return to one's roots amidst falling leaves.
It's now the middle to late August, with less than twenty days of life left. Later, I'll have Xiao Cao prepare a special meal for Ling Han, whatever he likes to eat.
After all, one must be well-fed before embarking on their journey."
Compared to Lin Qingge's composure, Yan Tinghao, who had retrieved the official document from the courier station, was stomping his feet anxiously:
"My lord! What time is it? You're still in the mood for jokes?"
"When have I ever joked?"
"My lord, Ling Han is to be executed after the autumn harvest!"
"I can read, the document is very clear."
"My lord!"
Lin Qingge reached up and rubbed her ears, which were still buzzing. "Stop shouting. I'm perfectly fine."
"But, my lord!"
Exasperated, Lin Qingge couldn't help but darken her expression. "Constable Yan, I ask you, do you remember why Ling Han was sentenced to death?"
"Of course I remember. Ling Han killed more than a dozen people. The bloody crime scene still vividly remains in my memory!"
After Yan Tinghao finished speaking, as if suffering from blood phobia, his body began to sway significantly.
Seeing this, Lin Qingge quickly dodged to the side, lest she be crushed by his large frame.
Yan Tinghao, feeling dizzy and weak-legged: ...
Because Yan Tinghao, the big mouth, knew, the entire yamen heard the news that Ling Han would be executed on the ninth day of the ninth month in less than half a day.
Lin Qingge, having resolved never to let Yan the Big Mouth retrieve official documents or even approach her study again, looked at the sky outside. Realizing it was time for dinner, she walked towards the dining hall, rubbing her empty stomach.
Unexpectedly, everyone, including Ling Han himself, was already waiting, and even Xiao Hei was crouching in the corner.
"Oh ho, quite a gathering today?"
Lin Qingge sat down at the head of the table as if it were her usual seat, and then instructed Xiao Cao to serve the meal.
Looking at the overly lavish spread of food on the table, Lin Qingge, feeling a pang of regret, couldn't help but sigh, "Never mind, every meal is one less to eat, and at least it's not for outsiders."
At the table, Yan Tinghao, still unconvinced, pressed again:
"My lord, is Ling Han really going to be executed?"
"If you can take his place, perhaps he'll have a companion on his journey to the underworld."
???
Yan Tinghao scratched his head, perplexed as to why his lord would say such a thing.
Hua Jinrong, who was beside him, didn't immediately start eating. Instead, he fanned himself and said, "Constable Yan, what Lord Lin means is that anyone who harbors a death row inmate will also be punished by death according to the law."
"Then, my lord, are there no other ways?"
The question came not from Yan Tinghao, but from Lu Mingxuan in the corner.
Although he was severely frightened upon first entering prison, after actual interaction, he found that Ling Han was not as terrifying as he appeared.
On the contrary, Ling Han was very righteous.
Unlike Lord Lin, who ordered people around, Ling Han, as someone superior to the jailers in prison, rarely ordered others. He undertook almost all the dirty and difficult tasks himself, without a single complaint.
It would be a great pity if such a person were to be beheaded.
Ye Shenxiao, who was equally touched, forgot the kicks he had received earlier and also offered a terrible idea for Ling Han, "My lord, if it really comes to it, just let Ling Han go like a fart.
Rest assured, with my help, I guarantee he'll escape without anyone noticing!"
"That's quite a calculation.
If a death row inmate escapes before execution, Lord Lin, as the prefect, bears undeniable responsibility and would be charged with at least negligent supervision.
When Lord Lin is demoted, you can seize the opportunity.
It's indeed a rather good scheme."
Hearing Murong Bai say this, Ye Shenxiao, who hadn't even considered this, immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. "It's not me, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Ignoring Ye Shenxiao's triple denial, Leng Ningyue, after putting a piece of green vegetable into Lin Zimo's bowl, also asked, "Ling Han did kill people, but those he killed might not have been good people. Moreover, considering what he has done for the yamen these past days, one by one.
Even if it can't offset his crime, surely his death sentence can be commuted?"
Lin Qingge could ignore others, but when Leng Ningyue asked, she immediately put down her chopsticks and explained in detail:
"Madam, regardless of whether the person killed was good or bad, according to the laws of Great Xia, a life must be repaid with a life.
As for changing a death sentence to a lesser punishment, firstly, the time frame does not permit it.
After all, such a situation requires reporting through layers of hierarchy, and ultimately requires the Emperor's personal approval to take effect.
Secondly, service to the county or prefectural yamen is fundamentally insufficient to atone for the crime. Unless it's fighting on the battlefield and accumulating military merit, or performing miracles like saving the emperor or capturing foreign spies.
Of course, it's not that there are no methods."
Yan Tinghao immediately stood up excitedly, "My lord, do you have a way to save Ling Han?"
"Strictly speaking, it's not really a method. It depends on whether he has the fate for it."
Finding his lord's words increasingly profound, Yan Tinghao habitually scratched his head, puzzled, "My lord, what exactly is this method?"
"Wait."
Yan Tinghao: ???
Lin Yan, who had been silent, thought for a moment and said, "My lord, do you mean that the matter of Ling Han's beheading might have a turning point?"
"You could say that, after all, didn't that person return?"
Although Lin Qingge's words were cryptic, Hua Jinrong's fan suddenly 'patted' onto the ground.
His eyes, which usually held a hint of frivolous teasing, were now filled with shock.
Perhaps out of extreme surprise, he blurted out almost instinctively:
"You know--?!"
But Lin Qingge curled her lips playfully. "In Master Shi Hua's opinion, what should I know?
Or rather, as the prefect of this prefecture, or a deputy prefect of the eighth rank, what could I possibly know?"
Realizing his失态 (loss of composure), Hua Jinrong fell silent and bent down to pick up the fallen folding fan.
Meanwhile, Ling Han himself, the subject of everyone's heated discussion, had already cleared more than half of the delicious dishes on the table during the time Lin Qingge and the others were talking.
During this time, he didn't forget to throw a couple of meat bones to Xiao Hei, who had somehow appeared at his feet.
Watching the man and dog eat happily, Lin Qingge, who felt even hungrier, quickly joined the 'battle,' and also placed a chicken drumstick into Leng Ningyue's bowl.
As for Lin Zimo, she put all the few pieces of tofu and cabbage on the table into Lin Zimo's bowl, and thoughtfully transferred the half-eaten chicken drumstick from Lin Zimo's bowl to her own.
Lin Zimo: ...