Noon has not yet arrived, and the scorching sun is shining brightly. The crowd at the execution ground at the south gate of Yangzhou City is increasing.
Killings and beheadings are not common, especially in the relatively stable city of Yangzhou.
Therefore, when some people heard that someone was asking about beheading at noon, they told each other and made an appointment to go to the execution ground to watch the fun.
It's just that the sun is too strong today, and it's so hot that people can't open their eyes.
After arriving at the execution place, I heard people talking around the execution place, saying that today's suspect was wrongly accused and that the real murderer was someone else. It was also said that the real murderer had a secret relationship with the prefect and secretly solved the case secretly.
This is big news, and good people like this kind of news, so it spreads from person to person, and everyone who arrives at the execution ground knows about it.
However, not many people really believe it, because everyone has not seen it with their own eyes, so they just treat the rumors as fun things.
It's just that the black and white figures on both sides of the execution ground were eerie and scary, with red eyes and wide-open glares. The people around him also felt their power, and their voices became much lower.
Among this group of people, Qin Huairou and others are naturally indispensable.
A group of people hid in the crowd and waited nervously.
Xiaoyue was the most worried and kept asking the young master what his plans were.
Although Qin Huairou told everyone that the husband had his own plans and asked everyone not to mess up, he glanced at the two stone statues from time to time and did not know what the purpose was.
Qin Huairou looked calm on the surface, but she was unavoidable and frightened when things came to pass. In fact, she was more nervous than anyone else.
Yazhi stood farthest away, looking at the empty execution platform, her little hands tightly clasped together, thinking about her recent anger and regretting it.
Liu Ruyan was behind her sister, holding Qin Huairou's hand tightly, her expression stiff, as if she had lost her soul.
Xian'er was very calm, but he was equipped with a long sword, thinking that he would go to the tribulation field as a last resort.
While everyone was thinking about their own thoughts, the prefect arrived with a group of people from the Yamen.
The crowd suddenly made a commotion and quickly made way for a clearing.
The policemen began to arrange the execution ground, set up wooden fences, and pushed the people back with serious expressions. At the same time, a group of people from the Yamen pushed prison carts to the execution ground.
Since there was no parade, the prison car didn't look too desolate. Xia Shang looked in good spirits, dressed cleanly in white clothes, and although his hair was a little unkempt, he was still respectable.
The prison car passed the two stone statues and stopped in front of the execution platform. After a lot of effort, the prisoner in the prison car was escorted to the stage.
The shirtless executioner waited for a long time and became a little impatient. He frowned and wiped his sweat while holding the shining sword, and gave Xia Shang a cold look.
Under the stage, Qin Huairou and his party saw Xia Shang, and their expressions became tense.
Qin Huairou was anxious, but she still held back her composure, glanced at everyone, and said seriously: "Don't get excited, it will be fine."
In fact, Qin Huairou had no idea. In the prison a few days ago, Xia Shang only told her to go to Zhang Kui in Zhazi Street and ask him to spread the news before execution.
Now that the news has spread, I recall what my husband said that day - "Before the execution, pay attention to the black and white impermanent stone statues at the execution ground, and shout out if you notice any changes."
Qin Huairou glanced at the stone statue from time to time, but could not see any changes. Seeing the urgency, except that there were more people watching, there was no actual progress. When the knife fell, everything would be over.
How can people not be nervous like this?
"Madam, why are you looking at the stone statue? How on earth are you going to save the young master?" Xiaoyue asked anxiously.
Qin Huairou gritted his teeth: "Why are you panicking? With your young master's intelligence, you won't die so easily!"
Xiaoyue thought about it and nodded with certainty: "Yes! The young master is so bad, how can he be beheaded?"
"Ah owe!"
Xia Shang sneezed, wondering who was talking about him? He glanced at the crowd and found no family members. Then he looked at the scorching sun above his head. The scorching sunshine made him sweat like rain, and he couldn't help but squint his eyes. Again
Glancing at the two stone statues, he smiled faintly when he noticed the black and white and impermanent red eyes.
"Can you still laugh when you are about to die?" the executioner snorted coldly, "kneel down quickly, the time is coming soon."
"Kneel? Why am I kneeling? I didn't kill anyone! I was wrongly accused!"
No one expected that Xia Shang would start shouting at this last moment.
Xia Shang's voice was so loud that the magistrate who had just sat under the pavilion to oversee the execution frowned when he heard it. He wondered what this man was up to.
You were obviously very cooperative before, so why did you cry out for injustice at this last moment?
Contacted by the rumors that suddenly appeared today, the prefect's heart sank, thinking that there was indeed something wrong here.
But there is no need to worry, after all, the petition has been signed, and if it is false, no matter how much he screams, he will not be able to clear his name.
The prefect is very clear, but Wu Baotou is not so calm.
Perhaps because of his guilty conscience, he felt anxious when he heard Xia Shang yelling, and viciously wanted to go up and teach him a lesson: "What a bastard, I'm going to shut him up now."
"Don't cause trouble. Doesn't he want to kneel? Just let him not kneel. As long as the time comes and the head falls to the ground, everything will be over."
In the crowd, Luo Laizi sneered in the corner: "I thought he was really not afraid of death. Now it's too late to cry out for injustice."
Just as he was thinking about it, Luo Laizi suddenly saw a few people in the crowd. One of them was his enemy Zhang Kui and his brother. The people around him looked familiar and seemed to be Chen Dali's friends!
"hiss!"
Luo Laizi took a breath, thinking that this was abnormal, but he couldn't see the problem.
As time passed by, the scorching sun sent out bursts of scorching heat, making everyone's faces turn red. Sweat was pouring out like beans, making people afraid to look up.
This must be the hottest day of the year. The prefect was hiding under the pavilion and was a little agitated by the heat: "Has the time come yet? Now that this matter is over, we need to rest as soon as possible."
Wu Battou went out to look at the sky and reported back: "Noon has arrived."
It’s finally noon!
The Lord Magistrate straightened his expression and winked at the master behind him.
The master understood, took out the pleadings, walked to the execution platform, and read loudly the various crimes committed by Xia and Shang.
The atmosphere of the scene suddenly became heavy.
No one heard what the master was saying, but everyone knew that his head was about to be beheaded.
"Madam, what should I do?"
"Sister, the execution is about to take place. Think of something quickly."
Everyone panicked and looked at Qin Huairou.
Qin Huairou's hands hidden behind her back were shaking as she stared at the two stone statues without saying a word.
Xian'er couldn't bear it anymore and asked Qin Huairou: "Your husband-in-law is about to be beheaded and you don't say a word? That's it. I'll go up and kill the dog official!"
After saying that, Xian'er drew out her sword and was about to rush out of the crowd.
At the same time, Qin Huairou's eyes changed and she shouted: "Wait!"
Xian'er turned around and glared angrily: "What are you waiting for? If you wait any longer, it will be too late!"
"Look! Look at the stone statue!" (To be continued)