The excitement brought by the killing may only be felt at the moment when the head falls to the ground. The head is rolling and the blood is dripping. While washing away the sins, it also gives the onlookers a horrifying sense of immediacy.
Seventy-three people, their bodies and heads separated, turned into one hundred and forty-six pieces. The horrific scene quickly extinguished the enthusiasm that almost overflowed in the eyes of many people eating melons, and replaced it with a kind of fear, a kind of fear.
The psychology called awe once again lingered in everyone's heart, and few people could watch the excitement of people's heads falling on the ground calmly.
In contrast, the dignitaries on the viewing platform were even more horrified. After hearing and witnessing it in person, they suddenly realized that their power status did not seem to be so secure. After all, the Han Dynasty was not meant for them to enjoy as much as they wanted.
of.
It was probably the first time for many ministers and bureaucrats who issued orders in high positions to see such a bloody scene. Their faces turned pale with shock. Many of them subconsciously touched their necks, and the chill lingering around their necks seemed to get a little heavier.
.
After the climax, everything turned into calm. After watching the excitement, the onlookers dispersed one after another under the guidance of the government officers and soldiers. A little excited discussion was once again filled among the frightened crowd. There were always people who wanted to do it.
Show your courage with your mouth and tongue...
On the execution platform, the north wind was even more desolate. The officers under the Luoyang Mansion acted as corpse collectors, silently collecting the corpses and waiting for the family members to claim them. Only the dripping blood was not protected from the cold wind and was still shocking.
At the "VIP Seat", the silence was finally broken. Seeing that Fu Yanqing and other princes looked a little ugly, Liu Xu took the initiative to approach and talk to comfort him. The others also had different expressions, and the voices of the conversation in the pavilion were obviously cautious.
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Zhao Kuangyin still stood there, his expression returned to normal. Zhao Kuangzan, King of Dongping, stood beside him. Seeing the scene of the city ending, he sighed softly: "It's finally over! I have been a soldier for half my life, even if I am not a murderer.
Sorry, but I dare say that I am used to seeing life and death, but today’s scene is so heart-breaking!”
"King Dongping is being humble. Why should you care about such a small scene? It's not like this!" Zhao Kuangyin looked at Zhao Kuangzan as if he had regained consciousness and said softly.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan chuckled and said: "I have forgotten that the scene of Duke Rong being a hero in hundreds of battles, marshaling an army to conquer the country, bloodshed for hundreds of miles, and corpses lying in the field is all commonplace, so naturally I don't take this scene seriously!"
"King Dongping is so complimentary!" Zhao Kuangyin responded calmly without any emotion on his face, obviously showing no interest.
However, his eyes subconsciously glanced at Zhao Kuangzan. In the eyes of an uninitiated person, they might regard the two as brothers. However, in fact, except for the similarity in names, there is no relationship at all. Even among the upper-class dignitaries of the Han Dynasty, the two are not related at all.
There is no contact with the Zhao family.
There are some topics this time only because of this turmoil. Zhao Kuangyin is because of Zhao Kuangmei, and Zhao Kuangzan is because of his second son Zhao Jien.
Since Xian Yan entered the court, Zhao Kuangzan has received great favor from the court. For more than ten years, he has been favored and honored. In addition to being a high-ranking official, he also bought a large number of properties in the two capitals. In more than ten years,
, a large number of extremely wealthy businessmen emerged in the Han Dynasty, but what many people don’t know is that Zhao Kuangzan, King of Dongping, was also a millionaire and truly controlled a family fortune of more than one million guan.
If the father is like this, so is the son. Zhao Kuangzan has two sons in total, the eldest son Zhao Jili and the second son Zhao Jien. Probably knowing that it is unlikely to inherit his father's business, Zhao Jien has developed the habit of not seeking advancement and being greedy for enjoyment since he was very young.
With his character, at a young age, he relied on the power of his family to accumulate wealth for his leisure.
It is not difficult for a rich man like Zhao Jien to make money, but it is not so easy to make big money. Of course, Zhao Jien is not as bold as Zhang Jin, but he is also unable to avoid participating in some gray operations.
What was exposed this time was his involvement in private salt trading.
For a long time in the past, private salt activities among the Han people were very quiet, not to mention extinct, but the fact is that few people engaged in it. After all, the price of salt was low, it was really unprofitable, and the risks were extremely high. Even if there were, it was only in
In remote areas or border areas, among the tribes surrounding the Han Dynasty, the salt market was still quite large, but it was basically in the hands of the government.
However, as the court carried out the salt reform and as the price of salt increased, surrounding this huge chain of interests, the court ate meat and the powerful merchants ate soup, and some vultures inevitably devoured the carrion.
In just half a year, the illegal salt activities of the Han Dynasty became rampant in an unstoppable manner. Even the imperial court subsequently stepped up its crackdown on illegal salt activities, but repeated bans continued.
According to Han law, anyone who privately sells salt for one stone will be beheaded. However, according to the previous salt price regulation, it was changed to five dou for beheading. However, even so strict, it still cannot stop people's desire for private salt profits.
With Zhao Jien's identity, there is no need to make profits through private salt. In fact, the involvement is not deep. Even so, when Zhao Kuangzan learned about it, he also gave him a severe lesson. Then, there were those who followed suit and surrendered.
Zhao Jien.
Just like Zhao Kuangmei, Zhao Jien's final trial and sentencing was also between killing and not killing. According to Han law, any sentence can be interpreted. It all depends on Cui Zhoudu's balance.
In the end, both people were able to survive. Although on the surface, the punishment was reduced because the two surrendered, but in the eyes of many people, Cui Zhou's punishment was ultimately based on the face of the two Zhao families.
Rong Qing, of course, had the acquiescence of Emperor Liu.
However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. Although his life was saved, the life sentence was not light at all. Zhao Kuangmei took away his position and was exiled for three thousand miles, his home was ransacked, and he would never use it; Zhao Jien was exiled for two thousand five hundred miles and was fined ten
Wan Guan, never use it.
Regarding this kind of punishment, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangzan also showed acquiescence, and did not take any more actions to fight for the two. Even Zhao Kuangzan took the initiative to plead guilty to Emperor Liu, saying that he was not strict in running the family, and criticized the court
The fair and just punishment is greatly appreciated.
Of course, with the influence of their family's influence, even if they were exiled, Zhao Kuangmei and Zhao Jien's life would not be as miserable as that of ordinary prisoners, but their careers in life were basically ruined. If they were stained by this stain, they would never live in it.
Cast a shadow.
Even so, these two are already lucky, at least they are not among the seventy-three nobles and criminal officials, and they are not executed by beheading in the south city of the capital in full view of the public.
Probably because of this mutual sympathy, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Kuangzan had a rare exchange of words.
After watching the drama of killing chickens to scare monkeys, everyone was less interested and wanted to disperse. However, before they could leave, a dark-faced, calm-looking middle-aged man came in, Murong Chengtai, who was the commander-in-chief of Su Wei at the time.
He is also a high-ranking nobleman, so it is not surprising that he is here, but when he opens his mouth, the hearts of the princes present are inexplicably sinking: "Your Majesty has spoken, and after the execution is over, all princes are invited to go to Xiyuan to see you!
"
Everyone was a little surprised, but their faces darkened. Seeing this, Murong Chengtai smiled slightly: "Gentlemen, let's get going. Don't keep your Majesty waiting for too long!"