The prince is more stable

Chapter 901 Ming Zhengdian Punishment
All officials involved in the case in Chenzhou, from the prefect Zeng Shuli down to ordinary yamen runners, including local merchants, landlords, and scholars who colluded with the officials, were all executed without exception.

"Execution by immediate execution" means that the execution will not be delayed until the following autumn, but will be carried out immediately and in a fair and just manner.

The imperial edict has been issued; what's done is done.

The emperor personally approved the execution of all twenty-three officials and over sixty merchants and landlords involved in the case in Chenzhou.

The court officials were greatly intimidated. Zhang Dun stood motionless in the court, and none of the other officials dared to speak. The matter was thus settled.

"Tomorrow at noon, a legal meeting will be held outside Bianjing City to formally execute the offending officials and those involved in the case. The common people may be allowed to watch. I also welcome the officials of Bianjing to come and watch. I hope that you will remember your original intention as officials. If you ever do anything to harm the people, the fate of the officials of Chenzhou today will be your fate tomorrow."

Zhao Xiaoqian spoke these words in a cold tone, and his gaze as he looked around at the assembled officials was even colder.

Reforming officialdom is an extremely long and difficult task, but it must be done.

Throughout history, dynastic changes have been caused by man-made disasters in addition to natural ones.

Man-made disasters, on the other hand, are mostly caused by officials who wield power.

When the people could no longer endure it, they rose up in rebellion, overthrew the dynasty, slaughtered the imperial family and nobles, changed the country to a new ruler, and the old emperor died for the country. Meanwhile, the officials who caused this disaster could continue to enjoy wealth and honor in the new dynasty simply by changing their official robes.

Why are they able to live so comfortably, unaffected by dynastic changes?

As long as the Song Dynasty existed, Zhao Xiaoqian was determined not to let these officials have it too easy.

The Song Dynasty has lasted for a century. During this century, civil officials have enjoyed too much wealth and privilege. From now on, it's time for them to feel some pressure.

"The officialdom in Chenzhou is rotten to the core. And this is just Chenzhou, yet it has already brought out so many scourges. What about the capital region? What about the entire Song Dynasty?"

"Do you gentlemen know how many officials ride roughshod over the people, how many families have been ruined and people have died with no way to appeal?"

"Shouldn't the Censorate be established? If it weren't for the Censorate, how could you court officials who enjoy wealth and power in Bianjing know that such a hell on earth exists outside Bianjing? How could you know that there is no worst evil in the world, only worse evil!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's voice, tinged with anger, echoed in the hall, intimidating all the civil and military officials present, who dared not utter a word.

"Han Zhongyan, Zhen Qing!"

"The minister is here."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at the two men and said, "The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard will cooperate to continue to rectify the prefectures and counties of the capital region, conduct overt and covert investigations, and understand the people's sentiments, grievances, and voices. If any officials in the prefectures and counties harm the people, the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard will report the facts to Bianjing to ensure that evil is eradicated completely!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

"The basic structure of the Bianjing Supervisory Office has been established. Han Zhongyan, the Supervisory Office should continue to be expanded in the future. Supervisory Offices should be established in all regions of the Song Dynasty to carefully evaluate and appoint officials."

"Under my rule, officials may suffer injustice, but the people of the Great Song Dynasty cannot!"

…………

The next day, noon.

Outside the newly established temporary execution ground outside Bianjing city.

Early in the morning, officials and common people flocked to the outskirts of the city. By dawn, the area around the execution ground was already packed with people, with tens of thousands of people gathered.

The people were excited; some were there simply to watch the spectacle, while others were thrilled by the court's swift and decisive crackdown on officials.

Although the execution was scheduled for noon, and the prison carts carrying the convicted officials hadn't even arrived yet, the people were very patient. They had secured the best spots early in the morning, just waiting for the officials, merchants, and landlords to be escorted there.

"More than eighty people were beheaded in one go, including more than twenty corrupt officials. Wow! This is unprecedented since the founding of the Song Dynasty! If you don't see this spectacle, you'll regret it for the rest of your life," a commoner in the crowd commented.

"I heard that this is just one place in Chenzhou, and so many people have been exposed. It seems that the newly established supervisory office of the government is quite capable. Unlike the previous officials who protected each other, they are truly advocating for justice for the people."

"When I first heard that the Emperor had set up the Censorate, I thought it was just a change in name only. I didn't expect the Censorate to make such a name for itself so quickly. It seems that being an official in our Great Song Dynasty will be much more difficult in the future."

"With the Censorate in place, if we ordinary people have any grievances, we have a place to appeal. That's a good thing!"

The people gathered together and discussed it endlessly, and finally they came to talk about Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Our newly enthroned emperor is different! He is unlike any other emperor in the Song Dynasty; he is a good emperor!"

"That's right. Just look at the oversight bureau he insisted on establishing. He was indeed a good emperor. He understood the hardships of ordinary people."

"Back when Your Majesty was still a prince, you were already a renowned hero who defeated the Liao dogs and made them dare not invade the south. Now that you are the emperor, you still care about us, the common people."

"Who knows, our two generations might be blessed to have such a good emperor on the throne. Our lives should be much better."

"Then we must pray that our Emperor enjoys great fortune and longevity, preferably living to be a hundred years old, haha!"

"Tomorrow I will go to the Great Xiangguo Temple to burn more incense for the Emperor and pray for him to live a few more years."

"Go together, go together!"

Despite it being an execution ground, cheerful laughter could be heard from the crowd of onlookers from time to time.

That was not just laughter, but also the voice of the people.

The most authentic voices from the grassroots. As noon approached, outside the gates of Bianjing, over eighty single-person prison carts were pushed out by guards and slowly made their way towards the execution ground.

The crowd erupted in uproar. As the prison cart passed through the crowd, the people hurled the stones they had prepared at it. Amidst the curses, Zeng Shuli, in the lead prison cart, was struck so hard that his head was bleeding profusely and he nearly fainted.

From a local tyrant of a prefecture to his impending execution, the depth of Zeng Shuli's regret is something only he himself truly understands.

Inside the execution ground, the Censor-in-Chief, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Justice, and the Supervising Officials were the executioners for that day.

Many people were to be executed today, and all of them were of extraordinary status. The heads of the three judicial departments and the supervisory office of the Bianjing court were personally present to oversee the executions.

More than eighty people knelt in unison in the execution ground, and Xing Shu, the Minister of Justice, looked up at the sky.

At a quarter past noon, the guards in the execution ground beat the drums. The booming drums sounded like a death knell, and the eighty-odd death row inmates were immediately terrified. Many of them burst into tears, and some even couldn't control their urination, their crotches already soaked.

Xing Shu exchanged a glance with the heads of the various legal departments, then stood up and threw a command arrow hard to the ground.

"The time has come, execute!"

…………

Yanfu Palace.

Niao Niao, holding her son Zhao Hao, was sitting in Yelü Nanxian's bedroom, chatting casually with her.

After Di Ying and the other women returned to the capital, all of them were given the titles of Empress or Consort, but Yelü Nanxian was not given any title.

Now Yelü Nanxian lives in the palace in such an awkward and unjust manner, which is somewhat improper.

Yelü Nanxian was a person of simple tastes. She had an absolutely beautiful face that made her seem like a first love, but her personality was very aloof and proud, and it seemed that no one had ever entered her heart.

This is also why Zhao Xiaoqian, despite his repeated attempts to test her, ultimately dared not to abuse her.

This woman appears weak and frail, but in reality, she has an extremely strong personality. She is the type who takes life and death lightly and is ready to die if you disagree.

Later, Zhao Xiaoqian participated in the power struggle and sent his mother, wife and children to Japan ahead of time. Before leaving, Di Ying insisted on taking Yelü Nanxian with her without saying a word.

This action was certainly meaningful.

If she is willing to go with him, it would be considered that she has tacitly agreed to be Zhao Xiaoqian's woman.

As a result, Yelü Nanxian didn't know what she was thinking at the time, or perhaps Di Ying's attitude was too firm, so Yelü Nanxian followed the women on their journey in a daze.

Now that they have survived all the tribulations and their fortunes have turned around, the women have returned to the capital, and Yelü Nanxian has also moved into the palace.

This further confirms that she is Zhao Xiaoqian's woman.

After all, in theory, every woman in the palace, except for the empress dowager and imperial concubines, has the obligation to be favored by the emperor at any time.

Yelü Nanxian quietly moved into the palace with the other women, which already showed that she did not object to being Zhao Xiaoqian's woman.

At this moment, Niao Niao sat gracefully in Yelü Nanxian's bedchamber, holding Zhao Hao in her arms, occasionally reaching out her finger to tease his round, chubby little chin.

Zhao Hao chuckled at her amusement, while Yelü Nanxian's usually aloof and unsmiling face revealed a rare smile.

Niao Niao sat opposite her, dressed in a gorgeous palace gown, looking at her lively son with a satisfied smile.

After giving birth to Zhao Hao, Niaoniao's status rose accordingly. When Zhao Xiaoqian was conferred the title of Consort, Niaoniao was conferred the title of Noble Consort, second only to the Empress.

There was no way around it; a mother's status depends on her son, and her belly was the most reliable one.

Chewing on a snack, Niaoniao chatted with Yelü Nanxian about gossip in Bianjing.

"More than eighty people were all beheaded in one day. My husband is really ruthless. I heard that the executioners at the execution ground were exhausted and it took several batches of executioners to kill all eighty people. The ground near the execution ground was stained red, and the smell of blood lingered for a long time. It was terrifying!"

Niao Niao revealed a chilling expression, but Yelü Nanxian smiled slightly, her emotions completely unmoved.

"Emperors should be decisive in killing and punishing. These people deserve to die. With their deaths, the emperor's prestige will be established, and in the future, whether it is governing the country or rectifying official corruption, it will be much more effective."

Niao Niao slapped her thigh excitedly and said, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what my husband said last night when he was sleeping in my bedchamber. He said exactly the same thing as you. Nan Xian, you really understand my husband, hehe..."

Yelü Nanxian turned her face away uncomfortably and said indifferently, "What I saw has nothing to do with whether I understand him or not. It's just the art of emperors, which I have witnessed since I was a child."

She chuckled, then, as if remembering something, suddenly said, "We've been back in the capital for some time now, and you've been staying in the palace. Has my husband been favoring you these days?"

Yelü Nanxian was taken aback, then her pretty face immediately flushed slightly, but she said in an icy tone, "Why would he favor me when I have no official title or status? I am not his wife."

Niao Niao chuckled and said, "Nan Xian, you're just being stubborn. My husband is such a hero of the world, I don't believe you're indifferent to him. If such a peerless hero can't catch your eye, is there any man in the world stronger than him?"

Yelü Nanxian gradually became embarrassed and annoyed, glaring at her and saying, "Why don't we just have a casual chat? Do women always have to bring up men when they talk?"

"Of course, talking about men is more interesting, especially my man, hehe...maybe he'll be your man soon too."

(End of this chapter)