At this moment, although there were several thousand people in the entire square, apart from the occasional neighing of the five horses, there was no other sound whatsoever.
The civil and military officials present, as well as the noble nobles, were all trembling with fear.
Although it was quite satisfying to come and witness the execution, who knew whether they would be next?
Was Turingduo’s death the beginning of Suo Lun’s great purge of the court?
One must know that Suo Lun had even broken the four limbs of his own maternal grandfather, Count Fu’e, and thrown him into the sky prison.
Count Fu’e was not merely his grandfather, but also the father of Judge Fu Lingxi. If Suo Lun dared to act against him, there was no need to even mention the others present.
A sound of armour clashing and orderly footsteps rang out. Several hundred elite warriors entered the square in formation. Suo Lun and Princess Zhiyan rode their horses, slowly approaching.
All the civil and military officials and noble nobles in the entire square knelt down in unison, saying, “We pay respects to the Crown Prince, we pay respects to Duke Suo Lun.”
Suo Lun nodded. He and Zhiyan dismounted and stood on the steps of the square.
On that very day, it was here that Zhili had announced the world’s siege against Suo Lun.
Yin Du, Vice Minister of the Black Dragon Terrace, came before Suo Lun and knelt on one knee, saying, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Grace the Duke, the time has come. Shall the execution proceed?”
The Black Dragon Terrace, although subordinate to the kingdom’s Ministry of Punishments, was equivalent to the Dali Temple of ancient China, overseeing all penal affairs under heaven.
Suo Lun glanced at the sky and said, “Wait a moment!”
Then, the several thousand people in the entire square waited quietly, not knowing what exactly Suo Lun was waiting for.
Meanwhile, Turingduo was curled up inside the prison cart. Although still alive, she was no different from dead.
Tuli Yang stood below the steps, at the place closest to Suo Lun.
After waiting for a full half an hour, a griffin’s cry suddenly came from the sky.
At the same time, four griffins ascended from the royal palace, surrounding the approaching griffin.
This griffin had come from Tianshui City. The person aboard was Turingchen.
The griffin landed, and Turingchen immediately leapt down. He came before the steps and kowtowed, saying, “Turingchen pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince, pays respects to Your Grace the Duke!”
Suo Lun said to Turingchen, “Go and see her one last time.”
“Yes.” Turingchen said.
Then, Turingchen came before the prison cart and said, “It’s me.”
Turingduo opened her eyes. After quite a long while, she finally seemed to recognise Turingchen. She struggled to open her mouth and asked, “Where is Father?”
“He committed suicide.” Turingchen said, “He took his own life in exchange for the family’s safety.”
This was the first time Turingduo had heard this news. Her face suddenly trembled violently, and her long-dried eyes once again shed tears.
A myriad of emotions welled up in her heart. While her entire body was ice-cold, a surge of warmth also arose.
The reason Turingduo had ended up where she was today was entirely because of her father, Turingtuo!
This man whom she loved the most, hated the most, revered the most, and worshipped the most.
If her father had not abandoned her and married her off to that short, ugly monster Tuli Yang, Turingduo would still be proud and beautiful, and would not have fallen into the abyss of darkness.
But in the end, this man was still remarkable. Unlike some men who were cowardly and despicable, he still stood tall and upright, supporting heaven and earth.
Turingduo had not worshipped the wrong man after all!
Father Turingtuo was still the pillar of the Turing family. Even at the final juncture, he could use his own death to protect the entire family.
“Brother, the Turing family is yours from now on.” Turingduo said.
Turingchen nodded and said, “Rest in peace on your journey.”
Then, he pulled out a wine flask from his bosom, poured a cup of wine for Turingduo, and passed it in.
Turingduo took it with her intact hand and drank it in one gulp. “Brother, pass a message to Suo Lun for me. Yan Mo and Zhili were both destroyed at their most triumphant, most peak moments. Who do you think will be next?”
Turingchen’s face changed. He pretended not to hear and directly turned to walk away.
Turingduo suddenly shouted loudly, “Brother, remember to pass my words to Suo Lun.”
Turingchen’s face changed drastically. He quickened his pace to leave, still pretending he had heard nothing. He came before Suo Lun at the fastest speed, knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Your Grace the Duke, the farewell is complete.”
Suo Lun said, “What did Turingduo ask you to pass on at the end?”
Instantly, Turingchen was so frightened that his soul scattered. He immediately prostrated himself, kneeling on the ground motionless.
“Speak.” Suo Lun said.
Turingchen said, “Turingduo spoke wild words. This humble subject dares not relay them, nor dares to remember them after hearing them.”
Suo Lun said, “Speak.”
Turingchen said, “She said, Yan Mo and Zhili were both destroyed at their most triumphant, most peak moments. Who do you think will be next?”
Before Suo Lun could react, Zhiyan furrowed her brows. Was this pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree?
She was extremely angry. Why did everyone think this way?
The ministers present were waiting with schadenfreude for the royal family to act against Suo Lun. Zhili had said this before his downfall, and now Turingduo was saying it too.
All of you think I will discard Suo Lun once the birds are gone, kill the hounds once the hares are dead?
Absurd, laughable!
At the most critical moment, she had entrusted the fate of the kingdom to Suo Lun.
She was his wife. She and he were one. How could she possibly act against him?
And there was Father. After returning to the royal city, in order to put Suo Lun at ease, he had never summoned Zhiyan alone.
There were many things Father said to Suo Lun, not to her, Zhiyan.
Zhiyan had long since made up her mind. Once she ascended the throne as king, she would hand over all political affairs to Suo Lun.
She knew that Suo Lun was somewhat偏执 and acted on impulse in his ways. But it was precisely such a monarch who could make his subjects afraid, because you could never figure out his thoughts.
Father Zhibian was also such a monarch, unpredictable in his moods, with heavenly might unfathomable.
Moreover, Princess Zhiyan had already seen that after entering the royal city, Suo Lun had already restrained his emotions considerably. He had not carried out mass killings, but used thunderous methods to display a bodhisattva’s compassion, attempting to complete the court’s purge with the least amount of bloodshed.
Of course, Zhiyan and Suo Lun did not completely see eye to eye.
For instance, regarding the matter of Count Fu’e, Zhiyan felt that Fu’e had the backing of the Divine Dragon Temple, and was also Suo Lun’s grandfather.
For the sake of Suo Lun’s reputation, and to avoid creating such a stiff situation with the Divine Dragon Temple, Suo Lun should not have been so resolute towards Fu’e, should not have broken his hands and feet and crippled his martial arts.
But on such matters, Zhiyan would not go against her husband’s will.
In the future, even if she had any thoughts, she would absolutely not express opposition in public, but would speak to Suo Lun in private, in bed.
Zhiyan had long since made her decision. As long as Suo Lun did not plot to usurp the throne, she would not do the slightest thing to wrong him.
Would Suo Lun plot to usurp the throne? Anyone with half a brain would know it was impossible.
This was his son’s dynasty. Would he plot to usurp the throne? What a joke.
Zhiyan was very accurate in reading people. Suo Lun valued his family above all else. He was not some cold and heartless monarch at all.
Moreover, he was so proud and arrogant. His ideal lay in making the Furious Wave Kingdom even stronger, becoming the hegemon of the human kingdoms. And his highest ideal was to overthrow the great mountain that was the Divine Dragon Temple.
Anyone who speculated that Suo Lun would plot to usurp the throne was simply underestimating him.
Zhiyan’s beautiful eyes turned towards Turingduo, and her stunningly beautiful face turned cold. She did not speak it aloud, but said word by word in her heart, “All of you underestimate me, Zhiyan. You also underestimate Suo Lun!”
Indeed, Suo Lun shrugged his shoulders and said, “Turingduo, do not speculate about us with your narrow vision and petty heart!”
“Yes!” Turingchen kowtowed.
Suo Lun said, “Rise.”
Turingchen stood up and respectfully stood below Tuli Yang.
Suo Lun said to Yin Du, Vice Minister of the Black Dragon Terrace, “Begin.”
“Yes!” Yin Du said.
Then, he suddenly raised his hand and said, “Prepare!”
Instantly, several black-clad warriors opened the prison cart and escorted Turingduo out from within.
Five horse carriages were aligned in position!
Five ropes were respectively tied to Turingduo’s head and four limbs!
“Go!” Yin Du said.
Instantly, the five horse carriages walked forward a few steps.
Turingduo’s four limbs were spread wide, her body stretched straight in mid-air.
Turingchen’s face twitched, and his eyes grew sore, unable to hold back the urge to weep.
This person who was about to die was his sister!
Turingchen had always been hard-hearted, but his father Turingtuo’s suicide seemed to have completely changed his state of mind.
On one hand, his heart had become even harder. He could view this world more objectively, becoming more impervious to honour or disgrace.
On one hand, his heart had become even softer, because he had become the master of the Turing family. He had to assume the role his father once held, protecting this family.
Therefore, Turingduo’s impending miserable death made his heart ache greatly.
Of course, he would not narrowly attribute his sister’s death to Suo Lun. Turingduo had brought this upon herself.
Although it was Suo Lun who ordered Turingduo’s execution, he was not the true murderer of Turingduo.
There were many murderers who killed Turingduo. The first was her father, Turingtuo. The second was Zhili. The third was himself, Turingchen.
“Execute!” Vice Minister Ying Du of the Black Dragon Terrace gave the order.
Instantly, the war horses neighed and galloped forward fiercely.
“Ahh…” Turingduo let out a miserable scream.
Blood sprayed in all directions!
Her once beautiful body was completely torn apart!
Turingduo died a miserable death!
…
All the nobles, nobles, and civil and military officials in the square trembled violently. Some even felt a warmth below and directly lost control of their bladder.
It was not that they were soft-hearted and could not bear to see such a scene. They had seen even more cruel spectacles.
But the sense of immersion was too strong. Today it was Turingduo’s turn. Tomorrow it could be their turn. How could they not be terrified out of their wits?
Suo Lun glanced at the officials present, then suddenly squatted down and sat directly on the steps. “As you all know, Prime Minister Yan Wuji committed suicide by poison last night. So the kingdom has no prime minister. What shall we do?”
The moment these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
This was a public square! And they had just carried out a tearing by chariots, with blood still fresh. Was it really appropriate to discuss political affairs here?
Suo Lun continued, “The Cabinet Prime Minister oversees all political affairs under heaven. He is the king’s right-hand man. Not a single day can be missed. Who shall be this prime minister? Do any of you have any thoughts?”
The entire square fell silent!
Suddenly, Finance Minister Beibutuo stepped forward and said, “Could Lord Yan Wuzhi succeed his elder brother and serve as prime minister?”
Suo Lun shook his head and said, “Yan Wuzhi is not ready yet. I have other arrangements for him.”
Yan Wuzhi was indeed Suo Lun’s designated prime minister, but that was ten years from now. First, let him serve two terms as governor of a lower province.
Beibutuo said, “Then what about Minister Heimu of the Ministry of Personnel?”
Minister Heimu of the Ministry of Personnel was the uncle of Commander of the Imperial Guard Hei Ningqi. He was a cabinet minister who was very close to the king.
However, when Zhili’s power was at its peak, he had always claimed illness and stayed at home. Whether it was the world’s siege against Suo Lun or Zhili’s forced ascension to the throne, he had remained aloof and not joined in the wrongdoing.
Suo Lun thought for a while. This person’s qualifications were indeed sufficient. But all along, he had been too concerned with preserving himself, lacking any sense of responsibility.
“Minister Heimu’s health is not good. Let’s not trouble him.” Suo Lun said, “The Ministry of Personnel also cannot do without him.”
Instantly, the civil and military officials below had no more candidates.
Clean political background, not having joined Zhili in his wrongdoing, there were only these two people.
Instantly, the current cabinet ministers bowed and said, “We ask Duke Suo Lun to decide alone with his supreme authority.”
Suo Lun’s gaze turned towards Duke Zhiting. He saw that Zhiting’s soul had flown to the heavens, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
Duke Zhiting could also be considered a rather remarkable person that Suo Lun had met.
Although greedy for wealth, it was basically just a posture he put on. At that time, even the king had been reduced to a figurehead. If Zhiting had not acted a bit more foolishly, would he not have been seeking death?
It was not until Suo Lun appeared that Zhiting occasionally revealed his sharp edges. When King Zhibian and Princess Zhiyan had not appeared, Zhiting had always been Suo Lun’s most steadfast backer.
This person was intelligent, had a sense of responsibility, and was kind-hearted.
His concubine had committed adultery with Suo Hanyi and given birth to a son, yet he pretended not to know, letting Suo Lun send someone to take the child away and entrust him to Yang Hongyi’s care.
Suo Lun smiled and said, “Uncle Zhiting, how about you, the capable one, taking on more labour and serving as this prime minister?”
Zhiting was stunned and shook his head, saying, “No, no, my reputation is too terrible. When I served as governor of the Nu River Province, I was impeached and removed from office alive. I embezzled over a hundred thousand gold coins.”
Suo Lun was speechless. You, Zhiting, really went all out in self-defilement, speaking like this in public.
The reason Zhiting refused Suo Lun was that he was still worried some people might think the royal family was eager to discard Suo Lun, impatiently pushing royal family members into key positions to seize power.
Zhiting was trying to avoid suspicion. If nothing unexpected happened, Duke Zhiting would have to display his greedy face again in the coming years, accepting bribes everywhere to continue his self-defilement.
Suo Lun turned to Zhiyan beside him and said, “What do you think of Uncle Zhiting?”
“Wonderful!” Princess Zhiyan smiled.
Duke Zhiting said, “Suo Lun, I… I really cannot do it. I am also old, and my health is not good.”
Suo Lun smiled and said, “Uncle Zhiting, you are still very young. Just serve one term as prime minister. In five years, I will let you leave. How about that?”
At this point, Zhiting could no longer refuse. He quickly stepped forward, bowed and saluted, saying, “Yes!”
Suo Lun said, “Alright, we shall end here for today! From tomorrow onwards, everyone shall attend to their respective duties and must not slacken!”
Then, Suo Lun departed!
Everyone was stunned. Just… just like that it was over?
Only killing one Turingduo, and not killing the rest?
Of course there would still be killings, but they would be carried out silently like moistening things with fine rain, and also with thunder and lightning.
The so-called moistening things with fine rain meant that everyone worked normally, and then one day you would suddenly be taken away and killed.
One person killed a day, or one person killed every few days.
And the so-called thunder and lightning meant that every time a person was killed, everyone would be called out to witness the execution.
With conclusive evidence, the reason why someone was killed would be explained clearly.
Boiling the frog in warm water, trying to complete the court’s transition as smoothly as possible, yet giving people sufficient deterrence.
…
In the evening, returning to the princess’s residence, Suo Lun accompanied Fang Qingzhuo and Zhiying for dinner. The baby sat in Suo Lun’s arms, looking at the food on the table with curiosity.
Suo Lun played a trick, putting a slightly spicy green vegetable into the baby’s little mouth.
“You cannot do this. The baby cannot eat adult food, only complementary food.” Zhiying scolded.
“Just let him taste it.” Suo Lun said.
The baby ate a mouthful with great interest, then his entire little face froze. It was his first time tasting spiciness. Instantly, his little face scrunched up, his little mouth flattened, and he was about to cry.
Zhiying quickly stepped forward to snatch the baby away, while Fang Qingzhuo brought over warm water to help the baby rinse his mouth.
Who would have known that after hesitating for a while, the baby decided not to cry. He began to chew vigorously with his few tiny milk teeth, saliva flowing from the spiciness.
He felt that although this spiciness was quite frightening, it was also quite interesting, as if he had discovered a whole new world of taste.
“Good baby, spit it out, spit it out…” Zhiying bent down, stretching her jade-like hand into the baby’s little mouth to fish out the green vegetable with chilli.
By the time the baby opened his little mouth, he had already swallowed it, giggling at his mother.
“Unreliable bad father.” Zhiying couldn’t help but slap Suo Lun’s hand, then carried the baby into her own arms.
Suo Lun’s mischievous hand reached below Zhiying’s waist, pinching her plump round buttocks.
Zhiying’s delicate body trembled, and her face instantly turned red.
“Uncle Suo Lun is touching Aunt Zhiying’s bottom. I saw it, I saw it…” Unexpectedly, Fang Qingzhuo’s younger daughter had sharp eyes and saw Suo Lun’s little trick. She immediately jumped up to expose it, cheering with delight.
Instantly, Fang Qingzhuo also turned red in the face, saying in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense. Eat your food.”
As for Princess Zhiyan, she merely pursed her lips and smiled, saying nothing.
Zhiying’s face turned so red that blood almost seemed about to drip out. She carried the baby and quickly returned to her own seat, glaring at her little niece and saying, “If you talk nonsense again, I will punish you to copy books ten times.”
Instantly, Fang Qingzhuo’s younger daughter fell silent as if cold cicadas in winter.
“Be good, eat your porridge.” Zhiying carried her son, feeding him rice porridge with a spoon.
The baby, having had his taste world opened by his bad father, was no longer interested in rice porridge. He pointed at the green vegetables on the table, babbling, “Want… want…”
“The baby cannot eat that.” Zhiying coaxed.
“Papa, Papa…” The baby immediately stretched his arms towards Suo Lun.
If he couldn’t get it from Mum, he could definitely get it from Dad.
“You’re not allowed to eat it. You’re not allowed to go over.” Zhiying said.
Then, the baby threw a tantrum and cried loudly, insisting on eating the spicy green vegetables.
Zhiying glared fiercely at Suo Lun. This bad guy, always leading the child astray.
Having no choice, Zhiying slightly turned her body away, lifted her clothes, and stuffed her ample jade-like breast into the baby’s mouth.
Recently, she had been trying to wean the baby. Now this ban was about to be broken.
Indeed, with milk to eat, the baby cast the green vegetables to the nine heavens beyond, and also cast his father to the nine heavens beyond, feasting contentedly in his mother’s arms.
“Mummy, I also want to eat green vegetables.” Fang Qingzhuo’s eldest daughter said.
She hated eating green vegetables the most, but seeing the baby looking so greedy, could green vegetables really be that delicious?
…
Just as the family was enjoying a warm meal.
Zhuang Zhixuan walked in and said softly in Suo Lun’s ear, “Master, Fu Lingxi has come.”
Suo Lun was stunned. What had his cheap mother come for?
To plead for Count Fu’e?
Indeed, the moment Suo Lun stepped into the reception hall, Fu Lingxi bowed down and pleaded, “I beg Duke Suo Lun to show mercy.”