It was nearing noon, and the personal guards sent back to report had already begun their return journey.
Inside the Ci Ren Ci, Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Han had made all preparations—
Today at the third watch of noon, a group of people would be publicly punished!
The execution ground had been set up, the Governor's yamen had posted notices, and the yamen runners were beating gongs and drums, informing the citizens of the public trial of the accused at noon today.
Even before noon, the open space in front of the Ci Ren Ci was already crowded with citizens. Many were still holding banners proclaiming "Slaughter Pigs to Save the Ming," but their numbers were gradually dwindling.
The reason was simple.
Throughout history, in times of war, common folk received news just as quickly. Relatives and friends spread the word, and soon news reached every village and hamlet, and the city quickly caught wind of it—
The Japanese pirates had landed at dawn…
Many still found it hard to believe, but seeing both the Governor's and Prefect's yamens mobilized today, as if something major was about to happen, made them unable to help but speculate.
This was precisely as Liu Yingjie had said: once the common people learned that the chaos in Hangzhou was related to the Japanese pirates, the rumors would cease. The people would realize someone was orchestrating events, and no one would want to be the scapegoat.
Zhang Juzheng reviewed the case files once more, took out the seal of the Minister of War, and gently pressed it down. Just then, a gatekeeper reported—
"Reporting to Lord Zhang, the prisoners have been brought!"
"Good!"
Zhang Juzheng adjusted his official robes, then emerged with Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, Shen Shixing, and others, and called out:
"Fire the cannons!"
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
After the three shots, the clamor of the crowd immediately vanished without a trace.
Zhang Juzheng ascended the main platform, cleared his throat, and announced loudly:
"This ministry has received dispatches from Grand Scholar Zhu Mo and General Yu Dayou. The Japanese pirates landed at dawn today in the area of Turtle Mountain, Jinshanwei, and are currently besieging Huating. The total number of Japanese pirates exceeds ten thousand, with countless other bandits and mountain raiders…
Citizens! Do not be alarmed… General Yu Dayou and Scholar Zhu Mo's firearms corps are currently engaging the Japanese pirates in fierce combat around Huating… This ministry, in conjunction with the Governor's yamen and the Prefect's yamen, has summoned the citizens today to publicly try a group of criminals, in order to bolster the resolve of the military and civilian populace of Jiangnan against the Japanese pirates! Bring them forth!"
*Hoo!*
*Hiss!*
The citizens were stunned—
There were more than thirty prisoners, several of whom were influential figures, important officials such as guild leaders. There was also a group of shifty individuals, the ringleaders of the recent troublemakers.
"Is this time for settling scores?"
"We all caused trouble too, are they going to arrest us?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"This Zhu Mo is not someone to be offended…"
"Why is it always collusion with the Japanese? Do all these people collude with the Japanese?"
The citizens muttered to themselves, but dared not utter another sound.
At this moment,
Zhang Juzheng nodded, and a supervising secretary from the Governor's yamen began to read:
"It is ascertained that Cao Benwan, the Chief of the City's Grain Merchants' Guild, and Huang Qing, the Deputy Chief of the Medicine Merchants' Guild, have colluded with the Japanese pirates since the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing, supplying them with grain and medicine. Witness and evidence are present. According to the laws of the Great Ming, those who collude with enemy forces are to be executed immediately, with a report to the Ministry of War for record. Now, the Grand Secretary and Minister of War, Lord Zhang, has signed the criminal indictment, ordering the immediate execution of these two criminals to rectify popular sentiment and serve as a warning to others!"
*Clack!*
Zhang Juzheng sat upright at the long desk, picked up two bamboo slips, and threw them down.
*Buzz~*
*Buzz~*
The horn sounded, and the onlookers' eyes widened, their hearts filled with trepidation.
The two executioners removed the boards from behind the prisoners.
With a swift movement, the blades fell—
*Clack!*
The heads of the two prisoners rolled down.
The yamen runners shouted, "The families of the prisoners may come to claim the bodies…"
*Hiss!*
*Hiss!*
The thousands of onlookers could no longer afford to smile.
The supervising secretary continued to read:
"It is ascertained that Yan Fugui, Lu Guozhu, Chen Feng, and Shen Fei of the Qinu, having received one hundred taels of silver each from treacherous individuals, incited commoners to riot and directed bandits to smash and loot twenty-three innocent shops, stealing property valued at three thousand taels of silver, causing five severe injuries, and burning down six houses. According to the laws of the Great Ming, those who incite unrest among the military and civilians during wartime are to be executed immediately. Governor Zhang of this province has signed, ordering the immediate implementation of justice."
Zhang Han grabbed four command slips and threw them down with a *clack*.
The executioners, with practiced efficiency, swiftly decapitated the four men amidst the buzzing of the horns before the crowd could fully register what was happening, and their heads rolled to the platform below.
*Hoo!*
*Hoo!*
At this point, the citizens suddenly erupted—
"Heaven's curse upon these villains!"
"Have the guts to go fight the Japanese pirates! Why are you here to deal with us common folk?"
"They deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!"
"Scoundrels! Well killed!"
"The Japanese pirates landing is their doing!"
"That's right! If they hadn't caused trouble, the Japanese pirates wouldn't have landed!"
"…"
Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Han conferred. Zhang Juzheng said, "Ziwen, Liu Zihe is indeed brilliant. The people finally understand, and perhaps they will no longer dare to cause trouble…"
Zhang Han nodded, "Liu Yingjie has commanded the local militias for many years and understands the disposition of the common people very well. Now that the true culprits are exposed, resentment has dissipated, and there is no longer any worry about internal threats from the Japanese pirates…"
Zhang Juzheng hummed in agreement, "Yes, if we were to expose Yan Maoqing and Luo Longwen now, the hearts of the people would be completely straightened out…"
He immediately picked up the verdict himself, strode to the front of the platform, and announced loudly:
"It is ascertained that Shen Yiming, Chief of the City's Silk Merchants' Guild, Gu Yun, Chief of the Tea Merchants' Guild, and Jin Guirong, Chief of the Salt Merchants' Guild, received two hundred thousand taels of silver from the dismissed official Yan Maoqing and the villain Luo Longwen to instigate merchants to strike and Qinu to riot. According to the laws of the Great Ming, those who disturb the military and civilians during wartime are to be executed immediately, as if colluding with the Japanese!
This ministry, considering that these three were misled by villains and did not originally collude with the Japanese, and with the great enemy at our borders, all four provinces of Jiangnan should unite against the enemy. We shall, for now, grant them clemency. They are to be beaten with thirty rods each, dismissed from their guild leadership positions, and new ones are to be elected by their respective guilds."
As his words fell,
Over a dozen yamen runners hurried forward, in groups of two, each using two long staves to support one person, dragging them to the platform below. They were made to lie on benches, and then the long staves were raised high.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack-crack*
A barrage of blows rained down, and the three men let out yelps of pain.
Even if the onlookers had not witnessed it firsthand, they had heard of these men.
Take Gu Yun, for instance. Who in Hangzhou did not know him? He was originally a dissolute rogue. Merely because he was handsome, he was adopted as a godson by He Maocai's concubine, and from then on, he became a prominent figure in the city.
He frequented the yamens as if he were part of the inner court. From He Maocai downwards, who in the officialdom of this province did not fear him? However, this man possessed no talent for business. Despite his connections, he merely served as a brokers' guild leader. But he was extremely cruel and vindictive. Countless tea merchants and farmers in the tea industry were ruined by his extortions. Anyone who still wished to make a living in the tea business in Jiangnan had to curry favor with him and offer tributes, otherwise, it was impossible to establish themselves.
At this moment,
Many tea merchants, seeing Gu Yun being beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, cried out in jubilation—
"Beat him to death!"
"Well beaten! Beat this fawning creature to death!"
"Serves this great adversary of the Jiangnan tea merchants right!"
"Heaven has eyes!"
"Beat this tea tiger to death!"
"…"
Zhang Juzheng, seeing that the merchants were also so resentful due to exploitation, was greatly surprised and sighed, "Ziwen, who would have thought He Maocai was so wicked? To use such a person to fleece the tea merchants? It is truly rare for merchants to harbor such resentment…"
Zhang Han, who had come from Xuanda, had seen far worse corruption by the Yan faction. He merely shook his head and sighed, "Brother Taiyue, of all the things we have seen in these past few decades, which ones are not unprecedented? This Great Ming truly needs reform…"