Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 211 Public Trial and Sentencing by Slicing!

The emperor wanted to use the blood of the most noble Duke Yansheng to appease the wronged souls of the most lowly people!

He wants to use an unprecedented and massive public trial here, in Qufu, in the hometown of Confucius, to completely break the backbone of the term "scholar-official"!
This is no longer a simple killing.

This is a ritual!
A declaration!
A momentous event... unprecedented and perhaps never to be repeated!
When Kong Yinzhi and his pampered clansmen were dragged onto the huge trial platform in a disheveled state, the gazes of tens of thousands of people below were like tens of thousands of sharp arrows, all aimed at them.

At that moment, thousands of Beijing garrison soldiers, who had been lying in wait among tens of thousands of civilians, raised their heads simultaneously at the command of their officers and roared with all their might:

"The Emperor has arrived——!"

"Today, the Emperor himself has come to uphold justice for the people!!"

"Anyone with a grievance may come forward to speak!"

"Revenge for every grudge, settle every score for every grievance!!"

"The culprit is right in front of us!!!"

The roar, like a landslide and a tsunami, was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire wilderness!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the tens of thousands of silent people below the stage erupted in a thunderous roar!

Looking at the Kong family patriarchs trembling under the emperor's military might on the high platform, and then at the sun, moon, and dragon flag representing supreme imperial power getting closer and closer on the official road, the fear, hatred, and grievances that had been suppressed for generations burst forth at this moment!

"Long live!!!"

Tens of thousands of people knelt down in unison, facing the emperor, and shouted a heartfelt and deafening roar!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"
……

The thunderous roar of "Long live the emperor!" was like a tidal wave crashing against the makeshift platform, shaking the entire wilderness outside Qufu.

When the thousands of Beijing garrison soldiers mixed in with the crowd shouted "Revenge for grudges, revenge for grievances" in an almost hysterical voice, something that had been imprisoned on this land for hundreds of years shattered.

It shattered so completely and so suddenly that, in the very first moment, the tens of thousands of people below the stage still retained a trace of the deep-seated confusion and fear passed down from generation to generation.

They stared at the Kong family patriarchs on the stage, who were once unapproachable but were now being held down like dead dogs, and were momentarily speechless.

Is it really... possible?

It is possible to demand blood debts from those who have controlled their fate for countless lifetimes.
Is this a dream?

However, the emperor's banners with the sun, moon, and dragon were getting closer and closer. The cold, black military formations stood like mountains, and on the high platform, the embroidered spring knives at the waists of the Imperial Guards gleamed with a reassuring cold light in the sunlight.

So, the first person moved.

He was an old man dressed in rags, with hair as white as withered grass.

He mustered his courage from who-knows-where, and shakily squeezed through the crowd, then practically climbed onto the not-so-high trial platform, using both hands and feet.

All eyes were on him.

He neither cried nor shouted. He simply walked up to a member of the Kong family who was being held down. The family member seemed to recognize him, and a hint of panic and disdain flashed in his eyes.

"You...what do you want to do?!"

The old man ignored him, but simply stretched out his withered, claw-like hand and gently stroked the tribesman's luxurious silk robe.

Then, he turned around and, facing the tens of thousands of eyes staring at him from below the stage, shouted at the top of his lungs:

“He stole our three acres of irrigated land… When my wife went to argue with him, his housekeeper broke her leg…”

After saying that, he seemed to have used up all his strength, collapsed softly to the ground, and burst into tears.

The crying was like a signal.

It's a signal that something has been suppressed for far too long has finally found an outlet.

The entire area in front of Qufu City instantly transformed into a boiling ocean of sorrow and anger.

Countless people, like a flood bursting its banks, cried out, cursed, and surged toward the high platform like madmen.

They pushed and shoved, each wanting to be the first to rush forward and pour out their grievances, the blood and tears that had been accumulating for a lifetime, or even several lifetimes!
"Kill him! You damned bastard!"

"My son... my seven-year-old son! He was trampled to death by his horse! He didn't even glance at him!"

"Give me back my land! Give me back my daughter!"

The scene was on the verge of spiraling out of control in an instant.

At that moment, the Beijing garrison soldiers surrounding the high platform immediately sprang into action.

Shoulder to shoulder, they formed an unbreakable human wall with their flesh and blood, struggling to hold back the surging crowd.

A tall, imposing commander stood on a wooden crate, mustered his strength, and roared in a voice loud enough to drown out a thousand troops on the battlefield: "Fellow villagers! Don't push! Don't panic!"

"His Majesty is watching! The Emperor himself is here to stand up for everyone! No one can escape!"

"Listen to my command! One by one! Line up here! Identify your enemies! Tell us your grievances! Everyone has a share! The Emperor said that justice must be served today!!"

His voice, like a resounding bell, forcefully tore open a crack of reason amidst the chaos.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards on the high platform also received new instructions.

They roughly separated the bound core members of the Kong family and imprisoned them in different areas. In front of each area, a soldier held up a wooden sign that had been prepared beforehand.

The identities of these people were written on the wooden sign in the most striking black ink.

"Wang Wu, the head steward of the Duke Yansheng's mansion, is in charge of punishments within the mansion."

"Kong Liuye, the rent collector of Dongzhuang, is nicknamed 'Kong the Skinflint'."

"Liu San, the owner of the pawnshop in the south of the city, is the brother-in-law of the Duke Yansheng."

……

Each clear and distinct label precisely and concretely embodies the general and abstract crime of the Confucius family, attaching it to each specific perpetrator.

This incredibly thoughtful arrangement allowed the grief-stricken crowd below the stage to instantly find the source of their family's blood feud.

"It's Master Kong! That skinflint Kong! I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!!"

A lame man, carrying a broken half of a tombstone with inscriptions, appeared out of nowhere. His eyes were bloodshot. He was the first to break through the soldiers' symbolic obstruction and stumbled to the sign that read "Master Kong Liu".

He looked at the Kong family member who was being held firmly to the ground, his pampered face filled with terror, raised the heavy tombstone in his hand, and slammed it hard onto the wooden board in front of the man with all his might!
"boom--!"

With a loud bang, wood chips and stone chips flew everywhere.

"My father...my father was beaten to death by you!!" The lame man pointed at the blurred inscription on the tombstone, sobbing uncontrollably. "Just because of the natural disaster that year, we couldn't pay your damn 'filial piety rent'! You brought your men and beat him to death right in front of me!!"

"Even if I die here today, I will make you pay with your life!!"

He acted like a madman, lunging forward to bite, but was held back by two soldiers behind him.

This is just the beginning.

The tearful accusations, like a floodgate being opened, began their frenzied outpouring.

A haggard and emaciated woman, holding a skeletal child who looked as if she might die at any moment, rushed to another area.

There, a woman from the Kong family, who was usually living a life of luxury, was now pale with fear and shrank back.

"Do you still recognize me?!" the woman cried out shrilly, her voice as if torn from her throat. "Just because of last year's temple fair, my husband glanced at you on the street... just one glance! You... you thought his tattered clothes were an eyesore, so you had your servants beat him to death in the street!!"

"Look at my child! He's starving to death! You vicious woman! Give me back my husband! Give me back my husband's life!!"

People came one after another to the stage to voice their accusations, like a river flowing with blood and tears.

Some of them held up blood-stained clothes, some carried memorial tablets of their loved ones, and some were even covered in scars.

There are too many people, and too many grievances.

Later on, people even pushed and argued with each other to get a chance to go on stage and make a accusation.

The high platform seemed to be the only narrow gate leading to salvation.

A commander of the Imperial Guards quickly walked to the back of the platform and whispered to the young emperor, who stood as still as a statue, "Your Majesty, the situation... is getting out of control. The people are too agitated, their accusations are endless, and everyone wants to pour out all their grievances. At this rate, the trial won't be finished even if it gets dark..."

Zhu Youjian's gaze never left the sea of ​​grief and indignation below the stage.

He listened quietly to the most genuine cries and curses from the lowest levels of society, without any sign of impatience on his face.

He simply said, "Send the order down and tell them that I have plenty of time. But there are also many people who want revenge today."

“Tell them, in the simplest words, to express the deepest hatred. And then…” A glint of sharp light flashed in the emperor’s eyes, “to do what they most want to do.”

The order was conveyed quickly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere on the high platform changed.

Accusations are no longer lengthy lamentations.

An elderly farmer with a missing arm, helped onto the stage by his son, walked up to a member of the Kong clan, pointed at him with his only remaining finger, and roared succinctly, "Twenty years ago, you broke my father's leg. Ten years ago, your son broke my arm. Today, how will this debt be settled?!"

Without waiting for the man's reply, he spat a mouthful of phlegm hard onto the man's face.

A young woman rushed up to a fat steward. She didn't say anything, but suddenly lifted her clothes to reveal the hideous, crisscrossing whip marks on her shoulder.

Then, she pounced on him, opened her mouth, and bit down hard on the steward's fat ear with her teeth!

Blood spurted out instantly.

Fist, stone, fingernail, teeth...

The people used the most primitive, direct, and cathartic way to vent the hatred that had accumulated over generations against these enemies who had once dominated their fate.

Before being asked to step down by the soldiers, everyone who went on stage would leave something behind.

The patriarchs and ladies of the Kong family, who were usually high and mighty, were now like pieces of fat meat thrown into an anthill, being torn apart and trampled by countless angry ants.

Their screams and pleas for mercy, along with the roars of the crowd below, intertwined to create a human drama that was both incredibly cruel and incredibly just!

Time slipped away little by little amidst this accusation of blood and tears. The sun rose from dawn to its zenith.

This shocking trial has lasted for an entire morning.

The cries and curses never stopped.

The emperor stood on the makeshift, simple throne on the high platform from beginning to end.

He didn't sit down, but stood there quietly, like a tireless black guardian coldly observing everything.

His very existence is the most powerful deterrent and the most steadfast promise.

The emperor made everyone believe that today, here, the Son of Heaven... would stay with them until the last wronged soul was comforted.

……

Time, in this accusation of blood and tears, flowed by, breath by breath.

The sun gradually climbed to its zenith, and although the winter sun was not intense, it still made people feel somewhat dazed.

The wind in the wilderness stirred up dust and dried the tears on many faces, but it could not dispel the deep-seated hatred of bloodshed that permeated the air.

As noon approached, the frenzied wave finally showed signs of fatigue.

The cries and shouts were no longer so frequent, and the curses began to become hoarse. Many people, especially those who had come from hundreds of miles away, had not eaten or drunk anything for a day and a night, and their lips were cracked and their steps were unsteady.

However, just as the crowd's emotions were about to subside from their boiling point, just as the raging fire of public resentment was about to weaken slightly due to exhaustion—

An incredibly rich aroma of porridge, as if it had come to life, drifted precisely into the nostrils of everyone present on the wind.

This aroma, for hungry people, is no less than the nectar of the gods.

Everyone involuntarily stopped crying and looked in the direction of the fragrance.

Outside the venue, hundreds of huge cooking pots had been set up.

The roaring flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the snow-white rice grains stretched and boiled in the bubbling water, turning into a thick and rich food.

At the same time, large carts loaded with burnt, dry food were pushed to the edge of the crowd.

Wen Tiren was utterly shocked by the Emperor's arrangement!

When the people's hatred is at its most intense, let them vent it to the fullest; when they are most exhausted and vulnerable, give them the warmest and most genuine care.

With this give and take, with this tension and relaxation, His Majesty firmly grasped the softest spot in people's hearts!

Such is the extent of imperial cunning!
Keep learning, there's no end to learning, it's too profound!
Soon, thousands of soldiers, each carrying a clay pot filled with hot porridge in one hand and a hard, dry wheat cake in the other, began to move through the crowd, distributing food and water to every civilian.

They were no longer cold-blooded killing machines, but had become gentle, even somewhat clumsy, young people.

"Fellow villager, have some hot porridge to warm yourself up."

"Auntie, don't cry. Eat something first. The Emperor said that you need to eat your fill before you have the strength to seek justice."

"Child, take this. It's a cake bestowed by the Emperor."

An old man who had just been crying his heart out on stage received a bowl of steaming porridge from a young soldier with trembling hands.

He looked at the rice grains in the bowl that had almost solidified, then at the towering black figure on the high platform not far away. In his cloudy old eyes, the tears that had just dried up surged forth once more.

But this time, the tears were no longer filled with hatred and sorrow.

With a "plop," he knelt down again, raised the bowl of hot porridge high above his head, and, with all his might, cried out towards the platform:
"Sir...you...you are truly a living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!!"

This kneeling and this shout seemed to ignite the entire wilderness once again.

Tens of thousands of people held their hot porridge and dry food in their hands, looking at the majestic yet compassionate figure on the high platform. The hatred and madness in their eyes slowly began to be replaced by a more fervent emotion.

That was boundless reverence, infinite trust, and the most fervent love.

If the previous "Long live the Emperor" was tinged with awe for imperial power and a yearning for revenge, then the "Long live the Emperor" at this moment is a heartfelt and most sincere cry!
……

The sunset was like blood.

The last crimson rays of light spilled across the sky, casting a tragic and desolate hue over the entire wilderness.

The clamor, shouting, and cursing that had lasted all day miraculously fell silent after a long and desolate horn sounded from the high platform.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up.

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of people, the young emperor, who had been standing for an entire day, finally moved.

He slowly, step by step, walked up to the very top of the platform.

Zhu Youjian faced the sea of ​​people below the stage, revealing a young face that was full of determination.

The entire world seemed to have frozen in time.

The wind stopped.

The breathing stopped too.

Only tens of thousands of hearts were beating violently in the chest.

Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept over the simple, excited, and expectant faces below.

His voice was calm, but it was like a pebble thrown into still water.

"The Confucius family, who claim to be descendants of sages, have enjoyed all the riches and honors of the world for two thousand years and consumed the blood and sweat of the people."

The words had barely left his lips when, while tens of thousands of people below the stage were still craning their necks, trying to hear what the emperor was saying—

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from beneath the emperor's feet, on the second level of the high platform!

"Confucius! Descendants of a sage! They have consumed the lifeblood of the people!!"

That was a "megaphone army" composed of hundreds of elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison, lined up in neat rows!
They stood solemnly on the steps below the throne, clad in identical black armor, like a silent city wall. They had undergone the most rigorous training, and at this moment, their role was that of the emperor's mouthpiece, the most loyal and resounding extension of the monarch's will!
This sound wave, seemingly solidified, poured down from the high platform like a landslide and a tsunami, instantly sweeping across the entire wilderness.

The audience below the stage were so overwhelmed by the massive wall of sound that their eardrums rang and their hearts pounded.

On the high platform, Zhu Youjian's voice remained calm, as if the earth-shattering roar was merely a natural echo of his speech.

"I, too, once respected him as a model of civility and an example for scholars."

Immediately, the army formation beneath his feet roared again, this time with even more unified voices, filled with the fury of being deceived!
"His Majesty once regarded him as a role model!!"

"However, today, at this time, in this place!" Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly rose a notch, filled with chilling killing intent!
The phalanx of soldiers beneath him immediately responded with the most ferocious battle cry: "Today! At this time! Here!"

The emperor's calm pronouncement, juxtaposed with the soldiers' furious roars, created a peculiar, exhilarating rhythm.

The rhythm descended from the high platform, like a war drum, striking heavily into the hearts of tens of thousands of people.

From initial shock to excitement, and now, they are completely infected by this powerful will from top to bottom. They clench their fists involuntarily, and the anger in their chests is stirred to the extreme by this war drum-like roar!

Zhu Youjian suddenly took a step forward, stretched out his hand, and pointed directly at the sea of ​​people below the stage. Every word he spoke was like a heavy hammer blow!
"The mansions they live in are the result of your blood and sweat!"

"It's your blood and sweat!!" This time, the roar from the platform was mixed with the spontaneous, hoarse echoes of thousands of people below!
"The silks and satins they wear are your own flesh and blood!"

"They are your own flesh and blood!!!" The people's roar almost rivaled the military formation on the platform!

"They have tarnished the reputation of the saint! They have trampled on my laws! They have devoured my people!!"

Zhu Youjian paused when the final sentence of judgment was uttered.

The hundreds of soldiers beneath him also froze into silent statues as he paused.

The entire wilderness was left to the tens of thousands of people below the stage, whose hearts had been completely ignited.

Zhu Youjian looked at the sea of ​​people who were completely boiling over, slowly raised his hand, and then asked that earth-shattering question of the Son of Heaven!
"In your opinion, what should be done with such parasites?!"

This time, before the military formation on the high platform could even send a message, the deep-seated hatred that had been building up and boiling all day surged forth from tens of thousands of chests into a massive, overwhelming response!

The sound was so enormous and so pure, it shook the heavens and the earth, and soared straight into the sky!

"kill!--"

"kill!--"

"kill!--"

A single word, "Kill," roared from tens of thousands of chests simultaneously, the resulting sonic wave nearly shattering the setting sun on the horizon!

Zhu Youjian slowly raised his hand.

This gesture seems to possess divine power.

The thunderous shouts of battle miraculously ceased abruptly.

He was the one who stirred up this monstrous wave, and he was also the one who could calm it down.

In the absolute silence of that moment, the emperor, with an incomparably loud and majestic voice, proclaimed the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.

"Public opinion is the will of Heaven!"

"Today, I am not acting for the sake of the Zhu family's empire, nor for my own personal gain!"

"Just for justice in this bright and clear world!"

"Just for the sake of these millions of suffering people, we demand justice!!"

"In the name of the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty and all its people, I hereby declare:"

"The seventy-two ringleaders of the Kong family shall be executed immediately!"

"Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi, as the ringleader of the crimes, is guilty of heinous crimes and shall be executed by slow slicing as a warning to others!"

(End of this chapter)