Chapter 37: Pichang Temple
Page (1/3)
“Duke of Song, please hand them over to me.”
Zhu Yuntong did not say how he intended to deal with them. He merely wanted to take them away. As for what would happen afterward, Feng Sheng would find out in due time.
If he killed them inside the military camp, Zhu Yuntong was worried he might not be able to walk back out.
The thought of killing several hundred people left him somewhat dazed. He had never seen so many corpses before, but in this ancient world, as the imperial grandson known as the Butcher Zhu, it was something he would inevitably have to face.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Feng Sheng asked no further questions.
With his intelligence, he had probably already guessed what the outcome would be. The Butcher Zhu was never going to spare them.
But these were men who had shown no respect for the imperial grandson. If they died, so be it. Lan Yu had survived only because Zhu Yuntong had knelt and begged for mercy the previous day, offering everything he had in exchange for Old Zhu sparing him.
“Duke of Song, lead the way!” Zhu Yuntong said again.
They left the city and soon arrived at the military camp outside the walls.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuntong found that Chang Sheng and the others had come as well. All those military commanders from Huai West were waiting in the camp. This was the first time Zhu Yuntong had dealt with them directly, and most of the men standing before him were his relatives.
“My maternal grandfather left me far too much,” Zhu Yuntong thought.
Indeed, most of the people connected to Chang Yuchun were related to him.
If he could win them over and make good use of them, they would undoubtedly become his greatest source of support. But they were unruly and proud; there was no guarantee they would submit to him.
Whether he could win them over would depend on his own ability.
“Greetings, Third Imperial Grandson!”
The men spoke in unison.
“Uncles, there is no need for such ceremony!”
Zhu Yuntong hurried forward. A few necessary courtesies could not be neglected.
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
They spoke together once more.
Zhu Yuntong asked, “Uncle, why have you come as well?”
Chang Sheng replied, “We have never had the chance to speak with you. When we heard you were coming here, we agreed to come together and take a look.”
In truth, they did not regard Lan Yu’s foster sons as important at all. They had not come to rescue them.
To them, Zhu Yuntong was the one who mattered most.
“We are all willing to support Your Highness, the Third Imperial Grandson.”
Marquis Jingchuan, Cao Zhen, came up from behind and called out loudly, “The Second Imperial Grandson has the civil officials behind him, while the Third Imperial Grandson has us. Your Highness, rest assured!”
“Your Highness, rest assured!”
Once again, they spoke in unison.
“Very good, very good!”
Zhu Yuntong smiled faintly before continuing, “You are all my elders. There is no need for this. I have come here today on Grandfather’s orders, and it would be inconvenient to linger. Let us complete the task first.”
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
“That is only proper,” Chang Sheng said.
“Men, bring them all out!” Feng Sheng shouted.
Several hundred men were brought out in chains, their faces ashen.
They seemed to know what fate awaited them.
Feng Sheng and the others understood perfectly that showing disrespect to the imperial grandson and leading troops into the city to intercept him were, by themselves, capital offenses. There was no point in pleading for mercy. If they did, they might only drag themselves into the matter as well.
“Take them away!”
Zhu Yuntong gave the order. After exchanging a few more polite words with the others, he left the military camp.
There were more than enough Embroidered Uniform Guards with him that day, so taking several hundred prisoners back was no trouble.
All of the men were bound, and they had gone nearly two days without food. Even though they knew they were doomed, they were powerless to resist and were dragged away in a daze.
“For the moment, this matter is settled.”
Feng Sheng gave them a warning. “From now on, keep your men under control. Do not cause trouble for the Third Imperial Grandson again.”
“Of course!” Fu Youde nodded. “We all support His Highness. We must never cause him trouble.”
After that, they dispersed.
Chang Sheng watched his young nephew. Though Zhu Yuntong was still young, he already possessed an imposing presence, and Chang Sheng felt gratified.
If Zhu Yuntong truly desired that position, Chang Sheng would stake his life on placing him upon it. That was his promise as an uncle.
—
“Your Highness!”
Jiang Huan said, “There are too many of them. If we take them back to the Commandery Office, there will not be enough room to hold them.”
Zhu Yuntong glanced at the more than five hundred men following behind him and asked, “Lord Jiang, what do you suggest?”
Jiang Huan was the foremost expert in such matters.
Naturally, Zhu Yuntong intended to hear the professional’s opinion.
“Find a place outside the city and deal with them there.”
Jiang Huan had received his orders long ago and knew that not one of these men would survive. They merely needed to find a suitable place to dispose of them. He continued, “His Majesty has ordered us to establish your authority. Once it is done, we will help spread the news.”
Zhu Yuntong thought for a moment before saying, “Find somewhere with a few spectators nearby. Then kill them.”
“What about Skinning Temple?”
That was where Old Zhu had once had people flayed and stuffed with straw.
“Then that is where we will go.”
Zhu Yuntong knew of Skinning Temple and felt that it was quite suitable. He also wanted to see the human skins hanging there.
It was certainly cruel, but as the grandson of the Butcher Zhu, he could not be someone who had never witnessed such a scene.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
“Go to Skinning Temple.”
Jiang Huan gave the order. “Bring out the three men in the Commandery Office prison as well.”
They soon arrived at Skinning Temple.
It was only a small temple, with an earth deity enshrined inside.
As soon as Zhu Yuntong entered, he saw the human skins hanging from the beams and piled upon the ground, one piece after another. The sight was horrifying, enough to make his scalp crawl. As a modern man from another age, he had never witnessed anything like it.
Fortunately, his mental resilience was fairly strong, and he was able to accept it more easily than most. After taking a moment to recover, he no longer felt particularly disturbed.
It was said that newly appointed officials were required to come here and view the human skins before taking up their posts, so that they would develop a proper sense of fear.
But human greed was endless.
No matter how terrifying Skinning Temple might be, whenever the desire to embezzle took hold, people still found themselves unable to resist.
Skinning Temple was not some deserted wilderness. With so many people gathered there, they soon attracted the attention of numerous passersby.
Jiang Huan ordered Lan Yu’s foster sons and private soldiers to kneel, then had their crimes read aloud.
Few of Lan Yu’s foster sons were good men. They had long tyrannized Yingtian Prefecture and oppressed the common people. When the passing crowds heard the Embroidered Uniform Guards announce their crimes, they all applauded.
“They really do deserve to die!”
Zhu Yuntong came out of the temple and, seeing the reactions of the passersby, thought helplessly:
If it had been anyone other than Lan Yu, someone who dared to keep so many foster sons and let them commit so many crimes would have been dealt with long ago.
“Your Highness, the prisoners have arrived,” an Embroidered Uniform Guard reported.
Zhu Yuntong looked up and saw three prisoner carts bringing Li Liangping and the other two men out from the city.
The moment they saw Skinning Temple, their faces turned deathly pale. They could already imagine what fate awaited them.
“Bring them here,” Zhu Yuntong said.
The three men were soon made to kneel before him.
“Where is the sword?” Zhu Yuntong asked.
Jiang Huan was startled. Did His Highness intend to carry this out personally?
He had no choice but to hand his own sword to Zhu Yuntong.
Zhu Yuntong clenched his teeth and steeled himself. Raising the sword, he brought it down upon Tang Da’s neck.
A flash of blood followed. Blood sprayed from Tang Da’s severed neck as he fell to the ground, eyes wide open.
Li Liangping and Zhang Zhou met the same fate moments later, both struck down by a single slash from Zhu Yuntong.
Page (3/3)