In the Nuan Pavilion in the east of the Qianqing Palace, after Chongzhen was sitting at the imperial desk, He Rufeng stood beside him. The monarch and his ministers said to each other that the Nuan Pavilion was very deserted.
The young emperor Xu was a little preoccupied and wanted to get up many times, but he didn't get up even though his buttocks moved. He Ruchong stood there with his hands on his sleeve, knowing it well, but he didn't say anything. He didn't speak, and Chongzhen didn't say anything. I couldn't find anything to say, and the atmosphere was quite awkward.
Hit the snake seven inches, cut the grass to remove the root. If Wang Chengen is not killed today, this old slave will definitely come back to bite him. By then, let alone talk about himself, even Zhou Xiang, who has been dismissed as the chief minister, will not be able to bear it. Wang Chengen, It’s not that I want you to die, but I, Donglin, can’t tolerate you living...
The monarch and his ministers were so dull. Outside the palace, a young eunuch hurriedly walked in, knelt down with a cry and fear, and stammered: "Your Majesty Bing, the king...Wang Chengen has been caned...10.18 The prince called his servants to ask the emperor whether he should fight or not?"
"Eighteen sticks?" Chongzhen was startled for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said bitterly: "Keep on beating!" [
"According to the order!" The little eunuch hesitated and then retreated.
After the young eunuch retreated, Chongzhen stood up uneasily. After walking for a few steps, he suddenly turned around and asked He Ruchong: "How many sticks do you think Wang Cheng'en can bear?"
He Ruchong raised his eyelids and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the imperial rod is also one of the forms of torture. For ordinary criminals, if their body bones are strong, twenty or thirty rods can cause disability, and forty or fifty rods can kill. As for Wang Cheng'en, it can be done How many sticks you will receive, I cannot make any wild guesses."
"Oh..." After hearing He Ru Chong's answer, Chongzhen's face looked a little worried, but he tried his best to hide it, not wanting to reveal his true inner emotions in front of his ministers.
Chongzhen covered it up, but He Ruchong saw it clearly. He was afraid that things would change, so he thought for a while and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The eunuchs who will execute the executions are all Wang Chengen's disciples. They have their own priorities for the torture sticks in their hands. If the stick is used, If you are hiding something private, no matter how much you bite me, it will be as itchy as a mosquito bite! If you can’t beat someone to death, your Majesty, you don’t have to worry about it.”
"Um?!"
It would be better if He Ru Chong didn't say anything. When he said this, Chongzhen's face suddenly turned cold and gloomy.
………
In the Ceremony Prison, the eunuch holding the staff has been replaced by two others. The leading execution eunuch, Qi Er, will now stand by and count: "Twenty-one...twenty-two..."
"Puff"
Every time the stick fell, there was a muffled sound! Every time the stick fell, Wang Chengen twitched consciously. He was already in a coma and did not know the pain at all. The back and buttocks that were hit by the stick were full of blood, and his clothes were also beaten. It was in such dilapidated condition that all the disciples and grandsons nearby looked at it and were all frightened. Even Wang Dehua saw it and it was too miserable to look at.
Zhou Chao was so anxious that he was sweating and looked at the courtyard gate expectantly with tears in his eyes. How he hoped that the emperor would change his mind and let his grandfather go this time.
The emperor paid off, and the courtyard door actually opened with a "squeak". Zhou Chao was overjoyed when he saw a little eunuch rushing in anxiously. The little eunuch saw Wang Chengen who was beaten with blood on the ground, and his face He turned pale with fright, looked at Wang Dehua, opened his mouth to speak, but did not dare to say, and just stood there in fear.
Seeing him like this, Wang Dehua and the eunuchs didn't know how the emperor made his decision. They all sighed in unison. Wang Chengen was very popular in the palace. Although he was in a high and powerful position, he was usually approachable and did not put on airs. , he does not bully others, and he is good to all his colleagues. Now that he will suffer this crime and be beaten to death, how can the eunuchs feel comfortable. Even if they wish Wang Chengen was beaten to death, they can't do it in front of so many people. Very revealing.
Zhou Chao also understood. After wiping away his tears with his sleeve, he walked behind the execution eunuch and whispered: "Take it easy."
"Hey, father-in-law!"
Qi Er responded and winked at the two eunuchs who were executing the execution. The two eunuchs immediately put down their sticks and stepped aside. Qi Er and another eunuch took the sticks from them and continued the execution.
This time, Qi Er and the others still swung their sticks high and struck down, but the speed was obviously slowed down a lot, and the intensity was much lighter. The two replaced eunuchs counted alternately: "Twenty-four...two
fifteen…"
………[
In the Dongnuan Pavilion, Chongzhen pretended to be calm and paced back and forth, admiring the calligraphy and paintings on the wall. He Ruchong was still standing beside him. He only answered when Chongzhen spoke. Chongzhen didn't speak, so he continued to be silent, silently thinking about the old eunuch Wang Chengen.
Whether he was dead or not, if he was beaten to death, someone should have come to report him.
Just as I was thinking about it, another eunuch came outside to report, and it was the same little eunuch who came before.
"Your Majesty, Wang Cheng'en has been beaten forty years, and he has already...his skin and flesh are torn to pieces, and he is about to die." When the little eunuch reported, it was as if he was the one who was beaten to pieces, and he was trembling with fear.
After hearing this, Chongzhen still looked at the calligraphy and painting, his body motionless, but he spit out one word between his teeth: "Hit!"
Still fighting?
The little eunuch looked at He Rushong pitifully, his eyes pleading with him.
He Ruchong turned a blind eye and waved his hand and ordered him: "Why don't you hurry up and deliver the order - fight!"
…
Wang Chengen lay motionless on the felt, with a large area of blood seeping out, and his lower body was almost beaten into a puddle of meat. His life and death were unknown.
The second eunuch Qi was still beating his stick with one stick, and the other two eunuchs holding sticks were still counting: "Sixty-two...sixty-three..."
All the kneeling eunuchs watching the execution were stunned. They couldn't believe that Wang Chengen would really be beaten like this!
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Zhou Chao was so anxious that he almost went crazy. He looked at Wang Chengen in blood for a while, and at the closed courtyard door for a while. Even Wang Dehua couldn't sit still anymore, and leaned towards the courtyard door with the help of a eunuch.
Finally, the courtyard door opened again, and the little eunuch who went to ask for orders entered tremblingly, but did not dare to speak. Zhou Chao rushed forward and asked urgently: "Is there any order from the emperor?"
The little eunuch trembled and said, "Yes."
Is there a decree? Qi Er, who was executing the execution, heard the sound. The torture stick stopped in mid-air and turned to look at the little eunuch, waiting for the decree. All the eunuchs fixed their eyes on the little eunuch, nervously waiting for the decree to come from his mouth.
.
The little eunuch didn't know whether he was frightened or something, but he just stood there dumbly and didn't know what to say. Zhou Chao was so anxious that he urged him: "You should hurry up! Speak quickly!"
The little eunuch said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty... His Majesty said... beat him."
"ah?"
Zhou Chao was desperate and squatted down with his head in his hands, sobbing. Wang Dehua also subconsciously took a step back, dumbfounded.
Qi Er's torture stick fell heavily again, and only a dull sound of hitting the flesh was heard: "Puff, puff, puff!" [
The other two eunuchs continued counting: "Sixty-five...sixty-six..."
The pool of blood under Wang Chengen's body seeped bigger and bigger, until it flowed in front of Zhou Chao, who was squatting there crying, and at his feet. Finally, Zhou Chao couldn't bear it anymore, jumped up suddenly, and shouted: "Qi Er!"
When Qi Er heard the sound, he stopped his stick and looked at Zhou Chao while panting heavily.
Zhou Chao gritted his teeth and said, "Don't let my father-in-law suffer... You, please work hard!"
Qi Er was shocked, thinking that the Zhou Dynasty wanted him to take the life of the prince. He was at a loss and stared at the Zhou Dynasty with his mouth wide open.
Seeing that he didn't understand what he meant, Zhou Chao was a little anxious and lowered his voice: "Idiot! I'll let you work hard... Do you understand? I'm responsible for this big thing!"
Qi Er understood, but he didn't dare to agree without authorization. He looked at Wang Dehua. Wang Dehua turned away, as if he didn't hear anything.
Qi Er understood now. He looked at the eunuch holding the stick across from him. The two of them raised their torture sticks together - raised them high, and shouted "Hi"! The two torture sticks were struck down at the same time -
Hit it down with an overwhelming momentum!
Everyone thought that the two torture sticks would break Wang Chengen's waist, but the two sticks hit the ground next to Wang Chengen hard - just a few centimeters away from Wang Chengen's body.
With a loud "click", the two torture sticks broke into four pieces at the same time! Qi Er wiped the tears from his face, stepped forward, opened his arms, picked up the four broken sticks covered with flesh and blood, and put them on the
In Zhou Chao's arms, Zhou Chao walked toward the closed courtyard door with the four broken staffs in his arms. The two young eunuchs quickly opened the courtyard door, and Zhou Chao strode away with his head held high.
…
Chongzhen stood at the entrance of the palace, with He Ruchong still accompanying him. It was very interesting for the monarch and his ministers to stand like this. But if the monarch did not move, the minister did not dare to move; if the minister did not move, the monarch was too lazy to move.
Zhou Chao strode up to Chongzhen with four broken sticks in his arms, knelt down and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, the prince has received eighty-three sticks, and the stick is weak! The punishment stick is broken, please check the stick, Your Majesty."
!”
Chongzhen looked at the pile of broken staffs dripping with flesh and blood. He couldn't bear it and said nothing.
But He Ruchong asked from the side: "Where are you?"
Zhou Chao burst into tears and said: "People, people are also beaten to pieces..."
Beaten to pieces? Chongzhen frowned and took a look at He Ru Chong. He Ru Chong said calmly: "Your Majesty, there are a lot of torture sticks in the warehouse. Do you want to replace them with two more?"
Hearing this, Zhou Chao trembled all over and glared at He Ru Chong, but he did not dare to curse in front of the emperor.
Chongzhen hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to fight or not. After a while, he finally said: "That's it!"
At this time, Zhou Chao, who was holding back his grief and anger, kowtowed to the ground and said intermittently: "Thank you, my slave... thank you!"
Without saying a word, Chongzhen turned around and entered. He Ruchong looked at Zhou Chao, snorted, and strode down the steps.
………
Wang Cheng'en was lying on a wooden couch and was carried out of the court. His life and death were unknown. All the eunuchs followed him sobbing as if they were mourning their heirs. Suddenly they heard a "Wait a minute", but it was the bachelor He Ruchong who hurried over.
The wooden couch stopped, and He Ru Chong walked to the couch, lifted up the sheet and took a look, only to see blood stains under Wang Chengen's body. He stretched out his hand to test Wang Chengen's breath, and sighed in distress: "Eunuch Wang, why are you doing this?
!" Then, he twitched his hands in disgust and signaled the eunuchs to carry Wang Chengen away.
After watching the wooden couch leave, He Ruchong figured that Wang Chengen would probably not survive like this, so he had to go and talk to Prime Minister Zhou. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Wu Zongda watching not far away, and hurriedly walked towards him. The two looked at each other and smiled, and then
Walking side by side towards the cabinet signing room.
On the way, Wu Zongda said with some admiration: "Wang Cheng'en is no match for the Zhou Dynasty. One 'Second Emperor' brought him down. Once Wang Cheng'en collapses, the people in the inner court will have to be replaced. Let's see if Wen Tiren can still be proud."
when."
"This is also the Emperor's Holy Ming!" He Ruchong smiled proudly.
Wu Zongda looked around and after confirming the person, he whispered to He Ruchong: "Now that Prime Minister Zhou is away, you and I have to share more in the big and small matters in the cabinet. I'm afraid I will need Mr. He to support me more in the future."
He Ruchong quickly gave in and said humbly: "Oh! Mr. Wu has promoted me, and I can only follow the lead of Prime Minister Zhou. However, now that Prime Minister Zhou is away, Wen Tiren is suppressing us, and there are many things that are difficult for us to handle. Oh, yes, then Wang Cheng'en
It seems like it’s not dead yet, so we can’t be too optimistic yet and have to be careful.”
Wu Zongda was relieved about this. He smiled and said: "Even if Wang Chengen escapes this disaster, the emperor will never trust him again."
He Ruchong smiled knowingly, and the two of them walked and chatted, gradually drifting away.
…
In the palace, Wang Chengen was unconscious on the couch, dying. Zhou Chao sobbed while he and the housekeeper changed Wang Chengen's dressing. They gently turned Wang Chengen over and pulled out pieces of bloody cloth one after another from under his body...
Wang Chengen suddenly let out a groan, as if he was still awake.
After screaming for a long time, Wang Chengen's eyelids opened slightly, and he groaned in pain: "I...am still alive?"
"Alive! Alive!" Zhou Chao and the housekeeper were so excited that they almost cried.
Seeing them like this, Wang Chengen's lips curled up slightly, and he said with both emotion and distress: "Why are you crying? Our family's good days are still to come..."