Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 178 Your Majesty! You and your ministers are even more outrageous than Jue Wei Duck Neck! [Seeking monthly votes]

"It's almost noon!"

Liu Sanwu, the executioner specially appointed by Zhu De, spoke to Jiang Huan, who was in charge of security at the execution ground, and the latter nodded.

Liu Sanwu immediately raised his command arrow: "Bring in the prisoner!"

The executioner was Chang Sen, the commander of the Five Cities Garrison. He raised his hand, waved the red command flag, and shouted hoarsely, "Bring in the prisoner—!"

With the rumble of carriages, Song Zhong led a team of imperial guards, escorting the prison carts into the execution ground.

Everyone watching knew that Zhang Biao was doomed from this point on.

Therefore, all the veterans who had received his kindness, their families, and Shen Lang and the other four all knelt down, weeping and shouting:

"May Zhang Qingtian live forever!"

"May Imperial Censor Zhang have a safe journey!"

"Brother Biao—! Take care—!"

The roar was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, thundering fiercely echoing above the execution ground in the West Market.

For the first time in his life, Liu Sanwu felt fear and panic.

The surging sounds from all directions were like a raging tide that wanted to press down from the sky, sweep him away, and devour him.

Finally, he couldn't help but slam his fist on the long table in front of him and roared, "Where is the propriety in this behavior? Who ordered this?"

Jiang Huan glanced at him indifferently and said in a detached voice, "Grand Scholar, you have experienced many vicissitudes and are well-versed in poetry and literature. Why are you so panicked?"

"I……"

Just as Liu Sanwu was rendered speechless by the rebuttal, a furious shout suddenly erupted from the viewing platform on the east side of the execution ground:

"Zhang Biao is a traitor! He slanders sacred teachings! He disrupts the government! He deserves to die!"

"Now that he is about to die, he is still stirring up trouble and inciting the people. His heart is even more despicable!"

"Fortunately, His Majesty is wise and was not bewitched by this evil spirit. At noon today, he was executed in a public and just manner! Are you all now mourning for this traitor to confirm yourselves as his accomplices?!"

boom!
As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar!

Many people looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the owner of the voice was a middle-aged man dressed in a blue scholar's robe.

His expression was solemn, carrying the unique arrogance of a scholar, which made people sigh.

"It's Mr. Fang! Mr. Fang is right!"

"Excellent! This kind of monster must be killed! We must prevent him from harming the country and its people again!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely! Without killing Zhang Biao, it is not enough to appease public anger, not enough to restore the reputation of our 'sacred learning,' and not enough to put the minds of scholars at ease!"

As Fang Xiaoru finished speaking, many scholars and students echoed his sentiments.

The execution ground immediately descended into two extremes: a noisy and chaotic scene.

This left many onlookers, including civil and military officials, dukes and nobles, Zhu Yunwen and his two siblings, Zhu Gaochi and his two brothers, as well as Li Jinglong, Guo Ying, and others, looking at each other in bewilderment.

……

In stark contrast to the almost boiling commotion at the execution ground in the West Market, deep within the East Palace, in the palace where Lady Lü resided, there was a deliberately maintained, suffocating tranquility.

Zhu Yunwen paced back and forth in the study, his still somewhat immature face flushed with an unnatural redness from excitement.

He held a copy of the Analects in his hand, but couldn't read a single word.

The faint sounds of bustling crowds outside the window tickled his heart like cat claws.

"He's dead... Zhang Biao, that madman, is finally going to die!"

He stopped abruptly, his voice shrill with excitement:
"Mother! Did you hear the commotion outside? It's noon! Today!"

"That traitor who spread rumors, slandered the Emperor, and framed ministers will finally be brought to justice!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and turned to rush outside: "I want to see! I want to see that madman's head roll! To see if he can still be so arrogant..."

"stop--!"

A cold and stern rebuke was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing Zhu Yunwen's excitement.

Lady Lü sat upright in the main seat, holding a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand, her face calm to the point of being rigid.

But if you look closely, you can see that the tips of her fingers, which were twisting the prayer beads, were slightly white from the force, and her well-maintained eyes were churning with emotions far more complex and profound than those of her son.

"what are you going to do?"

Lady Lü's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority:
"Go watch the spectacle? Go show off your 'righteous indignation'? Or go... let everyone see how overjoyed you are by Zhang Biao's death?"

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback by his mother's question and subconsciously retorted, "I...shouldn't I be happy? He slandered my grandfather and disrupted the court..."

"Yes! But you should also remember who you are!"

Lady Lü interrupted him, her gaze sharp as a knife: "You are the Crown Prince's legitimate son, the Emperor's grandson on whom he places high hopes! How can you show your emotions in public?!"

She took a deep breath, suppressing the equally irrepressible urge to witness Zhang Biao's execution, and spoke in a softer, yet heavier tone:
"Yunwen, don't you understand? Today's execution ground may seem like the execution of a prisoner, but in reality... it's a hellish battlefield set up by your imperial grandfather!"

"He's watching, watching everyone's reactions!"

"Why were your brother Yunhuo, and your sisters Mingyue and Mingyu allowed to witness the execution?"

Lady Lü lowered her voice even further, tinged with a hint of coldness: "That was your imperial grandfather's... perhaps out of pity, perhaps as a test!"

"They lost their parents, and Zhang Biao helped the Crown Prince find out the truth. It's only natural that they would feel grief or reluctance."

"But what about us?"

Her gaze was fixed on her son:

“My son and I, though seemingly noble in this Eastern Palace, are actually walking on thin ice! Your grandfather’s thoughts are as deep as the sea!”

"Today he can purge the court and imprison a prince for your father's sake, but who knows if tomorrow he won't do it because of a mere suspicion..."

She didn't say the rest, but Zhu Yunwen was already so frightened that his face turned pale and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Looking at his frightened expression, Lady Lü felt a pang of pity, but more than that, she was determined.

She had to make her son understand the treacherous nature of the palace.

"At this moment, countless eyes are secretly watching my child and me!"

She said, enunciating each word clearly:
"If we show even the slightest eagerness or joy, what will it be seen by those with ulterior motives? Will it be misinterpreted as a guilty conscience?"

"Or... are you gloating over the purging of certain forces?"

"One wrong step and you're doomed!"

Lady Lü's voice carried an icy chill:
“Your father… his death was shrouded in mystery. We should be avoiding this mess as much as possible, how could we possibly get involved?!”

Zhu Yunwen was completely stunned by his mother's words, and his excitement turned into fear and chill.

He stammered, "Then...then we..."

“We are right here.”

Madam Lü sat up straight again, regaining her dignified and serene demeanor, but the prayer beads in her hands were being turned even faster:
"Read, meditate, and pray for your father. Everything outside is irrelevant to us."

She closed her eyes, as if trying to calm the turmoil in her heart, but countless thoughts flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

Zhang Biao... this sudden variable disrupted all her plans.

The storm he stirred up, while purging the forces of the Kings of Qin and Jin and objectively removing some obstacles for her Yunwen, also pushed the Eastern Palace and the death of the Crown Prince back into the spotlight.

Does she hate Zhang Biao? Of course she does.

I hate his loose tongue, I hate that he muddies the waters, I hate that he might... actually know something.

But more than anything, it was a deep sense of apprehension and anticipation.

Die... Zhang Biao, just die already!

If you die, many secrets may be buried forever.

Only when you die can the court slowly return to peace.

Only after you die can my Yunwen peacefully... ascend to the throne of the Crown Prince!

She suppressed all her surging ambition, fear, and murderous intent under the mask of gentleness, kindness, frugality, and humility.

At this moment, she was not the crown prince's widow who might know some secrets, but simply a grieving mother and daughter-in-law who remained obedient and dutiful.

"Yunwen!"

She opened her eyes, her gaze now calm.
"Put your mind at ease and study hard. You are your father's son, and in the future... you will bear great responsibilities. Do not let small things cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture."

Zhu Yunwen looked into his mother's unfathomable eyes, seemingly understanding but ultimately fear prevailed, and he responded softly:
"Yes, Mother, I understand."

He sat back down at his desk, picked up the Analects, and felt as if the handwriting on it had transformed into Zhang Biao's mocking face.

Outside the palace, the faint sound of a midday bell could be heard.

Lu's hand, which was twirling the prayer beads, paused almost imperceptibly.

Is it almost over...?

She silently recited it in her heart, but deep in her eyes, a barely perceptible trace of deep worry about the future flashed through her eyes.

Although Zhang Biao is dead, will the turmoil he stirred up really subside with the fall of his head? She didn't know.

All she knew was that from now on, she had to be more careful and more patient.

For herself, for her son, and even more so for that thorny path leading to the pinnacle of power.

.........

Seeing the ongoing commotion at the execution ground and the sound of the midday bell, Liu Sanwu and Jiang Huan exchanged a glance, knowing they could not delay any longer, and thus made a decisive decision.

"Take the criminal to the execution platform—!"

Liu Sanwu stood up and shouted loudly, as if afraid that Chang Sen would not hear his orders.

"Bang!"

As the prison cart was about to be brought to the execution platform, it slowly came to a stop, and a member of the Imperial Guard immediately opened the cart door.

Zhang Biao got out of the car with a big smile on his face, walked briskly up to the execution platform, and sat down calmly in front of the guillotine.

"Declaration!"

Liu Sanwu shouted himself hoarse, but he couldn't hear his own voice at all.

Jiang Huan nodded to a eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict, and the eunuch quickly picked up a bright yellow scroll and read aloud:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees—!"

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Zhang Biao, standing before the guillotine, shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice booming and instantly drowning out all the noise in the execution ground.

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, and all eyes turned to him.

Even Jiang Huan, who was sitting high on the execution platform, frowned almost imperceptibly.

Zhang Biao laboriously turned his neck, his gaze sweeping across the execution platform before finally settling on Jiang Huan, his face displaying an extremely innocent, even somewhat aggrieved, expression.

"Commander Jiang! Something's not right!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his tone just like an old farmer haggling over prices at a market:

"I'm about to set off, why is His Majesty making me travel naked like this?"

Walking around naked?
These words stunned the entire audience!

Even Shen Lang and the veterans, who were secretly wiping away tears, forgot their grief and stared at him in disbelief.

Zhang Biao didn't care what others thought, and started counting on his fingers, speaking so loudly that everyone could hear him:
“Look, in my lifetime, I was at least an Imperial Censor, and even reached the high position of Chief Censor. Although I never received a single penny of salary from the court, I still did my best for the Ming Dynasty, didn’t I?”

"When someone dies, there should be some burial goods. When they meet the King of Hell, they can say something, which makes our Ming Dynasty look respectable and our Ming Emperor look generous, right?"

Jiang Huan's face instantly darkened, and his fingers involuntarily pressed against the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist. In his life, he had killed countless people, from noble ministers to commoners; who among them, before dying, didn't cry out for mercy or deliver a rousing speech?
Someone who is still thinking about 'burial goods' even on the verge of death is absolutely the first person in history to do so!
"Zhang Biao! You're about to die, and you still dare to spout nonsense?!"

Liu Sanwu was so angry that his beard trembled, and he shouted angrily.

"Hey, hey, Scholar Liu, don't be in such a hurry!"

Zhang Biao waved his hand at him, giving him a look that said, "You're being silly." He said, "How am I talking nonsense? I'm just thinking about the reputation of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at Jiang Huan again, his eyes filled with genuine sincerity:
"Commander Jiang, if I remember correctly, His Majesty previously issued an edict to send me a set of seven-colored glass tea set?"

"Now, I'm almost dead, and the tea set is nowhere to be found. What, is the Emperor going back on his word, even taking back things belonging to the dead?"

Boom!

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked!

Jiang Huan's face turned pale with fright. He thought to himself, "You really dare to say that!"

“Shut up—!”

Jiang Huan finally couldn't help but speak up.

But Zhang Biao ignored him, looked around at everyone present, and said with a pitiful expression:
"Look at that set of glass wine cups, the Emperor bestowed them upon me. I find them quite convenient to use, so I have to take them with me! Otherwise, those old devils down there will laugh at our Ming Dynasty for being so poor!"

"And that blanket in the cell, it's a bit thin, but I've grown attached to it, so I have to keep it! It's so cold down there!"

"Oh, by the way, the other day Lord Jiang Huan 'treated' me to Wang Mazi's pig's head meat, it tasted pretty good, I'll have two more pounds! To eat on the way!"

"in addition……"

He counted on his fingers, one item at a time, from wine cups, quilts, and pig's trotters to writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and even wanted to bring along the stone in the imperial prison where he often leaned against in a daze.

The reasons given were even more bizarre, such as "the writing style below is not popular and needs enlightenment" or "I'm used to sitting on a comfortable stone"...

On the execution ground, tens of thousands of onlookers, from royalty and nobles to ordinary people, were all dumbfounded.

A somber atmosphere? Not at all.

The somber atmosphere? It's completely gone.

Someone couldn't help but burst out laughing first, and then, as if it were contagious, suppressed laughter and whispers rose and fell.

"This...has Zhang Biao gone mad?"

"He wanted pig's head meat even on his deathbed? Why didn't he take Wang Mazi down with him and make it for him right away?"

"He needs a blanket? Does he think he's going on a picnic?"

"My God, in all my years, I've never seen anyone led to the execution ground like this before!"

On the execution platform, Zhu Gaosui pinched his thigh hard to stop himself from laughing out loud, his face turning bright red.

Zhu Gaoxu's lips twitched, his face a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Even the usually composed Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his temples.

Zhu Mingyu, who was still shedding tears, now opened her mouth, looking completely bewildered.

Zhu Mingyue forgot her fear and stared blankly at the figure on the execution platform, counting on his fingers and 'crying poor'.

Shen Lang, Sun Gui, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their sorrow completely replaced by a sense of absurdity.

Jiang Huan, who was specifically asked for 'pig's head meat' and 'glass cup', stood on the execution platform with his face as black as charcoal, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"enough--!"

The Imperial Son-in-Law, Mei Yin, on the execution platform, could no longer contain himself and let out a thunderous roar that instantly silenced the entire execution ground.

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Zhang Biao, and trembled with anger:
"You scoundrel! You shameless scoundrel! Even on the verge of death, you dare to slander the Emperor and confuse the public! You deserve to die a thousand deaths and should be executed!"

Zhang Biao pretended to be terrified by Mei Yin, but immediately stiffened his neck and muttered under his breath:
"If you don't want to give it, then don't... Why get so angry... You're so stingy..."

"No wonder people say, 'Birds of a feather flock together'... Old Zhu is stingy, no wonder his son-in-law is stingy too..."

"What a pity, what a pity! The glorious Ming Dynasty, with its crooked upper beam, has crooked lower beams. The emperor is untrustworthy, and the ministers are shameless. What a perfect match... um, even more perfect than Jue Wei duck neck..."

"puff--!"

This caused even some of the soldiers maintaining order to burst out laughing.

Mei Yin was so angry that her vision blurred and she almost fainted.

He finally understood that trying to reason with or assert authority over this madman was like casting pearls before swine!
No, even a cow isn't as infuriating as him!

"You scoundrel, cease your arrogance!"

Just as everyone was laughing and crying at Zhang Biao's antics, a clear and angry shout came from the east side of the execution platform.

Fang Xiaoru suddenly stood up, his face flushed with anger, his finger trembling as he pointed at Zhang Biao before the executioner's block, his voice carrying the dignified and righteous air characteristic of scholar-officials:

"You madman! Facing certain death, you show no remorse, yet you still dare to laugh and curse like this, desecrating the execution ground and disrespecting the imperial majesty!"

"They simply...simply don't know what 'propriety' is! They've wasted their time studying the classics!"

His words immediately drew everyone's attention.

Those thoughts that had been led astray by Zhang Biao were pulled back into the solemn atmosphere of 'etiquette' and 'tradition'.

Many officials nodded secretly, feeling that Fang Xiaoru had finally stood up and said something 'seriously'.

However, Zhang Biao, standing before the guillotine, did not back down upon hearing this accusation; instead, his eyes lit up as if he had spotted an interesting toy.

He tilted his head, looked Fang Xiaoru up and down, who was trembling with anger, and then revealed an extremely irritating, suddenly enlightened expression:

"Oh! Who do we have here? It's Grand Scholar Fang!"

He drew out his words, his tone almost overflowing with teasing:
"I heard that you led a group of people to kneel outside the palace gates, wanting to 'execute the traitors and set things right'? What? The traitors haven't been executed yet, and you've already come to the execution ground to 'set things right' yourself?"

"you……!"

Fang Xiaoru was so angry at his retort that he was speechless.

Zhang Biao didn't give him a chance to refute, and continued slowly:

"Scholar Fang keeps talking about 'rites' and 'the classics.' Although I am not well-read, I know that Confucius valued 'teaching according to aptitude' the most and hated those who memorize by rote and are inflexible."

He suddenly changed the subject, looking at Fang Xiaoru with a smile, but his eyes held a sharp glint:

"Perfect timing, before I lose my head, I have a question I'd like to ask Grand Secretary Fang. As the *Lunyu* says—"

He paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite, and even Liu Sanwu subconsciously leaned forward slightly.

"'At thirty, one stands firm', what comes after that? What does it mean?"

The question caused everyone present, including Fang Xiaoru himself, to pause in surprise.

The Analects, Book 2, Chapter 1: At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one is free from doubt; at fifty, one knows the mandate of Heaven…

This is something even young children can recite perfectly. Zhang Biao asked what it meant? Was he deliberately trying to humiliate Fang Xiaoru?
Although Fang Xiaoru found it inexplicable, confident in his own knowledge, he still snorted and said arrogantly:
"Hmph! Ignorant madman! 'At thirty, one stands firm,' the next line is naturally 'At forty, one is no longer perplexed'!"

"This is Confucius's own account of his progress in virtue and learning, saying that at thirty he could stand on his own two feet according to propriety, and at forty he could clearly distinguish right from wrong without being confused..."

"Wrong! Big mistake!"

Before Fang Xiaoru could finish explaining, Zhang Biao suddenly shouted, interrupting him.

Immediately afterwards, he put on an extremely exaggerated, heartbroken expression, as if he was extremely disappointed by Fang Xiaoru's 'ignorance'.

"what?"

Fang Xiaoru was stunned.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

How could this... this possibly be wrong?!
Zhang Biao shook his head and spoke slowly and deliberately, in an extremely serious tone, as if expounding some universal truth:

"Scholar Fang, you've wasted all your time reading this book!"

"The 'Random Thoughts' clearly states—"

"At thirty, one should be established! Only thirty people are worthy of making me stand up and fight them!"

"At forty, one is no longer perplexed! Even if forty people come at me together, I won't feel confused at all!"

"At fifty, one should know one's destiny! Fifty men? Hmph! Beat them until they know that God has ordained that they must die here today!"

"At sixty, one's ears are attuned to the truth! Sixty people? I'll beat them until they're all whispering sweet nothings in my ear, and they'll all be attuned to the truth!"

"At seventy, I can do whatever I want! Seventy people? I can fight them as I please!"

With each sentence he explained, Fang Xiaoru's eyes widened and his face lost some color.

In the end, he was completely pale.

His lips trembled as he pointed at Zhang Biao, stammering "you you you..." for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

What... what the hell is this "Analects"?!

This is clearly the twisted logic and heresy of thugs fighting!
"Pfft-hahaha!"

On the execution platform, someone finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was Zhu Gaosui, who laughed so hard he pounded the ground.

Zhu Gaoxu's shoulders shrugged as he tried to suppress his laughter, his face turning bright red.

Even Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but cover his face with his sleeve, his chubby shoulders trembling.

The civil and military officials looked at each other, wanting to laugh but not daring to, their expressions twisted and varied.

This twisted interpretation... though utterly absurd, somehow sounds kind of exciting.

Jiang Huan stood on the execution platform, his originally gloomy face now displaying a strange expression.

Looking at Zhang Biao, who had utterly refuted the great Confucian scholar Fang Xiaoru to the point of questioning his very existence, and then listening to this unheard-of "interpretation of the Analects," he initially found it utterly absurd. Then, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning—

[Suppress Confucianism...]

This kid once boasted that he wanted to 'abolish Confucianism'...

Could it be that he... doesn't intend to completely abolish Confucianism, but instead... wants to establish this absurd and heretical 'new learning'?!

This thought startled Jiang Huan, but looking at Zhang Biao's posture, which, though absurd, subtly revealed a certain subversive power, he felt that it might not be impossible!

After all, this madman acts erratically and cannot be judged by common sense!
No! This matter must be reported to the Emperor!

Thinking of this, Jiang Huan immediately glanced at one of his subordinates without making a sound. The subordinate instantly understood and immediately disappeared into the crowd, running wildly towards the palace.

At this moment, Fang Xiaoru was completely bewildered.

All the sage principles he had learned and upheld throughout his life seemed so pale and powerless in the face of Zhang Biao's outrageous and inflammatory remarks.

He couldn't even find the right words to refute this utter nonsense.

This profound cognitive shock was, for him, akin to a slow, agonizing mental torture!

Looking at Fang Xiaoru's worldview collapsing, Zhang Biao clicked his tongue in satisfaction, then added insult to injury with a tone full of earnestness:
"Scholar Fang, this just goes to show that rote learning and blind studying won't work!"

"You need to be flexible and understand the profound meaning of the sages' words! You still need to practice your knowledge more!"

After saying this, he ignored the petrified Fang Xiaoru and turned to look at Liu Sanwu and Jiang Huan again.

His face returned to its usual nonchalant expression, as if he had merely swatted a buzzing fly.
"Alright, everyone shut up. Shall we continue?"

"Where were we? Oh right, my burial goods..."

On the execution ground, all traces of sorrow had vanished.

All that remains is a sense of utterly subverted absurdity and an indescribable, complex feeling about that soul that was still frantically outputting even as death approached.

Zhu Gaochi, who had been silently watching Zhang Biao, had an increasingly profound gaze.

Zhang Biao... are you a demon or a monster? Are you mad or sane?

What are we going to do about the mess you left behind...?

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(End of this chapter)