"My Lord, it is likely he will,"
Luo Longwen was also a little apprehensive. When it came time to face the music, scholars were inherently timid.
"Let him kill them! If he dares to kill, how can those court officials let him off? When everyone fears for their own safety, they won't need us to act, and he'll have enough trouble to deal with!"
Yan Shifan slumped into his seat, feeling a suffocating tightness in his chest.
For a moment, there was silence. Thinking of their safety, everyone soon took their leave.
The next day, before noon, the palace gates were crowded with people. Although the Six Ministries had been shut down for many days, and the capital was under martial law, the court officials were well-informed. They had heard the news early in the morning, and in their mutual fear, they had disregarded everything and banded together. Moreover, even with martial law in the capital, what could the Imperial Guards do to these officials? Thus, thousands of people had gathered outside the Meridian Gate early on, many of them scholars.
"Does he dare? We are disciples of the Son of Heaven! The Crown Prince, acting as regent, has ruined the country, been tyrannical and lawless. First, he brutally beat officials, and today he intends to execute all remonstrating officials! If this is unbearable, what is?"
From the higher steps, a few men spoke impassionedly, eliciting thunderous applause. Lü Cai, Xu Lun, and a few other veteran officials were also pushed forward by their disciples and could only shake their heads and sigh. As expected, there was no need to rally; not only had most of the court officials arrived, but so had a large portion of the scholars who were stranded in the capital. The men speaking out were not from the Yan faction, but rather some of the generally upright leaders.
The man speaking at this moment was named Fu Jiong. He was already over sixty years old, but his voice was like a bell, and he had high prestige from his years at the Grand Court of Revision. In the morning, he heard that the Crown Prince intended to decapitate three remonstrating officials. Although he knew these three were all Yan faction loyalists, in their shared fear of impending doom, he rushed to the forefront.
Seeing the excitement of the crowd, a surge of hot blood rose within him, and he declared loudly, "Since ancient times, those who execute remonstrating officials have been considered foolish and tyrannical rulers! This is an unassailable truth! I believe that if the Crown Prince does not heed our advice today, we shall all resign and return home!"
"Good!"
"Good!"
"Resign!"
"Let them go!"
"Let him cause trouble!"
Amidst the clamor, many people pledged to do the same.
Fu Jiong had already drafted his final memorial. Glancing at the sun dial, he saw the appointed time had arrived and declared loudly, "To plead for the world is to act today! Let's go!"
He strode forward, heading directly for the Meridian Gate. A large group of court officials immediately followed him, then many scholars, all indignant, and they approached the Meridian Gate in a mighty procession.
At this moment, Prince Yu, under the escort of the palace guards, slowly passed through the palace gates in his carriage. Chen Yiqin had already resigned, and Fan Yingqi and Yin Shi were not present. Only a few of his former household retainers accompanied him. Wang Tingxiu, leading over a thousand palace guards, lined up on both sides. Shortly after, the carriage stopped outside the Meridian Gate. Prince Yu waved his hand, and the palace guards brought the three men, Ge Shouli, Bai Qichang, and Feng En, and made them kneel beneath the Meridian Gate.
"Your humble servants have a memorial to present!"
"Your humble servants disagree!"
"We implore the Crown Prince to reconsider!"
"Hold the execution!"
Angry shouts erupted one after another as thousands of court officials and scholars surged forward.
Prince Yu snorted through his nose and murmured, "Excellent, excellent..."
Wang Tingxiu felt a little worried and said urgently, "Your Highness, shall I drive them away?"
"No need. I want to see what they dare to do."
Prince Yu's temperament had changed in recent times, and his ruthlessness grew daily. He had long anticipated that the court officials would protest, and seeing the momentum, he felt a surge of competitive spirit.
"Wang Tingxiu, you will personally read out their crimes. Anyone who causes trouble will be arrested for insulting the regent!"
"This?"
Wang Tingxiu, seeing the formidable momentum, was indeed a little fearful. But looking at Prince Yu's angry face, he had no choice but to brace himself and proceed.
He led a detachment of palace guards and strode to the front of the crowd. Spreading his arms, he announced loudly, "All officials, halt! This is a restricted area at the Meridian Gate, no disturbances!"
"Hiss!"
Fu Jiong said, "Get out of the way! We wish to see the Crown Prince!"
Wang Tingxiu grunted and shouted, "Today is the execution. To see the Crown Prince, you must go to the Jianji Hall. Do you not understand court etiquette?"
Fu Jiong, who already hated him for being an executioner, angrily retorted, "Wang Tingxiu, you have already committed a capital offense by brutally beating officials the other day! If you do not repent today, it will be too late!"
"Right, right!"
"Wang Tingxiu, the executioner!"
"Sentenced to death by lingering death!"
"For beating officials, your nine generations of relatives will be executed!"
Wang Tingxiu was also vexed. He thought to himself that he was merely carrying out orders, and these people refused to let him off. If so, then there would be no good for anyone in the future. In any case, he was a general of the palace guards, and if he was not protecting the palace city, what was he protecting? Even if he made a mistake, it was at the imperial command.
He glared at Fu Jiong and commanded, "Palace guards, listen to my orders! Block these people and do not let a single one pass!"
Immediately, hundreds of men from the rear stepped forward, holding their spears horizontally across their chests, blocking the path up the steps in unison. The palace guards were usually strong men selected from the capital garrisons. At this moment, their formation was strict, and their solemnity exuded a killing aura. The crowd immediately became timid, and the faint-hearted began to whisper, fearing they would be beaten again.
Wang Tingxiu immediately unfurled a piece of silk and read, "The condemned officials Ge Shouli, Bai Qichang, Feng En, and others, being remonstrating officials, failed to maintain their integrity. They secretly conspired with officials, spread rumors, and arbitrarily attacked cases already decided by the imperial envoy, causing disturbances in the capital and unrest among the people. Despite repeated admonitions from the Grand Minister of the Privy Council, the condemned officials refused to repent, but instead barked like mad dogs, inciting disgruntled officials. On the twenty-fourth day, they trespassed into the forbidden palace, insulted the regent Crown Prince, and spread seditious rumors with malicious intent, leading to martial law in the capital and fear among the populace.
Such rebellious and presumptuous acts are indeed unprecedented since the founding of the Great Ming. After deliberation by the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Household, and the Grand Court of Revision, the actions of the condemned officials Ge Shouli, Bai Qichang, and Feng En constitute treason, deserving of the ten gravest crimes. They are hereby ordered to be decapitated and displayed as a warning to uphold imperial authority."
After he finished reading, he swept his gaze coldly around the crowd and suddenly declared, "Execute the sentence!"
"Hiss!"
"Gasp!"
Thousands of people were stunned.
Fu Jiong, being a scholar, had been intimidated earlier. Upon hearing the indictment, he became greatly alarmed – the charges of sedition, trespassing into the forbidden palace, and insulting the regent were all capital offenses. Moreover, the indictment also blamed the three men for the martial law in the capital, leaving a loose end. If the officials involved in the conspiracy were to be thoroughly investigated, not a single one would escape. Thinking of this, he shouted, "Injustice!"
"The charges are absurd!"
"Fellow colleagues, Ge Shouli and the others have not committed treason! How can petitioning officials be punished? Everyone, we must absolutely not accept this!"
"Boom!"
This statement exploded through the crowd.
Most of those present were jinshi scholars, and they had already felt something was amiss when they first heard it. If they were deemed to have committed treason, it would truly be the ten gravest crimes. Not only would they lose their lives, but their descendants would also find it difficult to rise in society. Furthermore, the Crown Prince had left a loose end; if the investigation was thorough, the executed leaders and those who followed suit could also be demoted or exiled! Not only that, but the most terrifying thing was that, in this way, the actions of the officials would be classified as treason, which would be like a sword hanging over their heads, capable of silencing them at any moment. "Absurd!"
"Petitioning is not a crime!"
"Tyrannical and lawless!"
"Foolish and tyrannical!"
"We absolutely do not agree!"
"We implore the Crown Prince to retract his decree!"
"We implore the Crown Prince not to act tyrannically!"
"..."
In an instant, the crowd's anger was directed at the Crown Prince, who was directly denounced as a foolish and tyrannical ruler.
Prince Yu, hearing everything clearly and seeing everything plainly from his carriage, slowly alighted and strode towards everyone, loudly declaring, "Do you also wish to commit treason? All of you, withdraw!"
"Boom!"
"Hiss!"
One to two thousand palace guards followed behind him, their swords glinting. Prince Yu's face was stern, and his imposing aura was awe-inspiring. The officials couldn't help but retreat one after another.
Wang Tingxiu commanded, "The time of execution has arrived, proceed with the execution!"
"Hiss!"
"Bang!"
The crowd's vision blurred. They saw blood splatter, and three heads fell to the ground with a thud. Fu Jiong was both shocked and enraged. He instinctively wanted to shout a stop, but it was too late. By now, if he were to speak, he felt his tongue had gone stiff, and in his astonishment, he was unable to utter a single word.
Many people in the rear were already quietly retreating, and within moments, more than half had dispersed. Most of those who remained were court officials, all staring in stunned silence at the three heads, deeply feeling that the threat of death was truly only a flick of a finger away. Most of the people who had been clamoring earlier had not anticipated such an outcome. Witnessing it firsthand, the chill on their foreheads made them realize they had been too naive...
Wang Tingxiu then ordered the palace guards to bring bamboo poles and insert the three heads into them, standing them in a triangular formation in the open space outside the Meridian Gate. Feng En's head still had a white beard fluttering beneath it, giving a most tragic appearance.