Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Shouchun, inside the drill ground in the east of the city.

With clear skies and a blazing sun, it was the perfect time for execution.

The newly appointed Commander Zhen Xiang, dressed in a black and red military robe and wearing a pheasant-feather crown, strode to the reviewing stand in the training ground. Grand Commandant Dong Zhao and Minister of Works Sima Yi were sitting side by side on it, their gazes fixed on the group of men, women, and children kneeling in the training ground.

"Reporting to the Grand Commandant and Minister of Works, the first batch of Wu rebels consists of 108 men and women, and the second batch consists of 37 Wu rebels. All of them are close relatives of the Wu royal family, totaling 145 people. I have brought them all with me. Please have Lord Dong and Minister of Works verify them."

"Zhongda, I'll trouble you to go and take a look." Dong Zhao's voice was weary: "My legs are too weak to walk anymore. I have to take a sedan chair to walk more than ten steps."

"It's alright, Lord Dong, please rest. I'll go verify it." Sima Yi nodded, then slowly stood up and, accompanied by Zhen Xiang, the Commander of the Central Guard, and Xu Miao, the Minister of Justice, walked down from the reviewing stand.

The extermination of entire clans was not unusual, especially for those like Dong Zhao and Sima Yi who entered officialdom during the Jian'an era. Having witnessed the chaos of war and the indifference of people to the common people, it seemed even more commonplace. After the establishment of the Wei Dynasty, the previous emperor had executed several clans, but this was the first time during the Taihe era.

Moreover, only the descendants of Sun Jian and his brothers, the so-called close relatives of the Wu Kingdom, were executed. As for the more distant members of the Sun clan, although they had been arrested by Jiang Ji and Guanqiu Jian, none of them were sentenced to death and were imprisoned in Shouchun. Xu Miao of the Ministry of Justice has already submitted a document to His Majesty requesting that all members of the Sun clan be exiled to Wuwei County in Liangzhou, but has not yet received a reply.

More than 140 people, regardless of age or gender, knelt down in a line. Behind each person stood a soldier in light armor to guard them. Although their mouths were gagged, suppressed and fearful cries rose and fell from the crowd, tears streaming down their faces, a truly pitiful sight.

Sima Yi didn't care about these things.

When Sun Quan was alive, you enjoyed wealth and luxury. Now that Sun Quan has fallen, this is the retribution you deserve. Such is the way things are in this world.

The emperor issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Justice to prosecute the remaining members of the Sun family within three days of receiving the decree, with the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works overseeing the executions. This was clearly stated in the edict. Given the presence of overseers, the procedures were almost self-evident.

Sun Quan himself was swiftly and decisively executed; what other way out could the remaining members of the Sun family possibly have?
Zhen Xiang led them to Shouchun and was familiar with each of their faces. He introduced them one by one in front of Sima Yi. Sima Yi held a document and drew a checkmark on each person's name with a red pen after confirming their identity.

"The older of these two children is Sun Ba, son of Sun Quan, and the younger of them is Sun Fen, son of Sun Quan."

Sima Yi nodded slightly, then crossed out the names of the two children.

"This is Sun Quan's daughter and Teng Yin's wife, known as Princess Teng."

Sima Yi then checked the next name.

"This is Lady Pan, a concubine of Sun Quan."

Lady Pan was extremely beautiful, with skin as white as snow. Sima Yi's gaze lingered on her for only a moment before he looked away again.

"This is Lady Yuan, the daughter of Yuan Shu and a concubine of Sun Quan."

……

"This is Sun Shao, the son of Sun Ce."

……

“This is Sun Jun, a cousin of Sun Quan, and this is Sun Chen, a cousin of Sun Quan.”

……

The verification of 145 people took only a quarter of an hour. The vermilion brushstrokes, one after another, were like the Grim Reaper's call, yet Sima Yi felt not a ripple of emotion.

After Sima Yi read through the documents one by one, he handed them to Xu Miao, then walked back to the reviewing stand and sat down next to Dong Zhao.

The next step was the execution of each person, who was led to the execution platform and beheaded.

The beheading was not very interesting. As Dong Zhao watched, he gradually began to yawn. Due to the imperial order, he could not leave without permission. He also took the opportunity to chat with Sima Yi about the past: "When Emperor Wu conquered Ye City, how old was Zhongda at that time?"

"The capture of Ye City?" Sima Yi was taken aback. After recalling for a few moments, he said somewhat uncertainly, "The capture of Ye City happened in the ninth year of Jian'an, right? It's been more than thirty years, hasn't it?"

Sima Yi then shook his head with a wry smile: "Time waits for no one, Lord Dong, I am now old!"

Dong Zhao smiled and stroked his beard: "Does Zhongda remember who was in charge of the execution of the loyal Yuan family of Ye City? It was me. At that time, none of the officials in Emperor Wu's camp wanted to take on this task, fearing that killing Yuan's old friends would ruin their reputation and invite criticism from the scholars. I was the governor of Wei Commandery at the time, and it was my duty to take on the task. After Emperor Wu took on the task, he never doubted me again."

"Today, Zhongda is overseeing the execution of the Sun family for Your Majesty, just as I did back then, helping Your Majesty to bear this disgrace."

Sometimes being too smart is not a good thing.

After Dong Zhao was enfeoffed as a king, he no longer concerned himself with the affairs of the Privy Council, spending his days in seclusion in his residence, regarding everything as unimportant. His recounting of these past events to Sima Yi today was also partly intended as a form of comfort and consolation.

But to Sima Yi, this sounded like a mockery. The Yuan family had countless allies, and back then, Emperor Wu hadn't even fully controlled Hebei. Now the Sun family was a defeated fugitive; how could this be a big deal?
They are completely incomparable!

Sima Yi forced a smile and remained polite: "What Lord Dong says is true. It is my duty to be in charge of the Secretariat."

"By the way, Master Dong, there is something I need to discuss with you and hear your opinion."

“Zhongda, tell me,” Dong Zhao said, basking in the sun with his eyes closed.

Sima Yi said, "Your Majesty intends to stop the imperial court in Wuhan, but Shouchun is too far from Wuhan, and stopping here would be of no benefit. The Ministry of Personnel and the Privy Council should either return to Luoyang and Xuchang, or simply go to Wuhan to be by Your Majesty's side."

What does Master Dong think?

Dong Zhao laughed heartily, not taking it to heart: "Going to Wuhan is fine. Zhongda is a bit far from His Majesty, so it's a good opportunity for him to make a name for himself."

"Uh..." Sima Yi didn't expect Dong Zhao to be so direct. After a moment's thought, he realized that Dong Zhao had no taboos now, so he asked, "Could you sign this with me, Lord Dong?"

“Of course,” Dong Zhao smiled.

As the two chatted and laughed, all 145 people had been killed. Zhen Xiang and Xu Miao walked to the reviewing stand, and Xu Miao cupped his hands and said:
"Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, the executions have been completed."

"Should we just bury these remnants anywhere, or what?"

Dong Zhao continued basking in the sun, showing no intention of speaking. Sima Yi glanced at him a few times and then had no choice but to say:

“Punishment is essential to the state, but it should also demonstrate benevolence. Bury them all in the west of the city, and bestow upon each of them a coffin, clothing, and pottery as a gesture of state favor. There is no need for tombstones, though, as countless people have died because of the Sun family, so there is no need to erect any.”

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." Xu Miao replied.

Dong Zhao and Sima Yi returned to their respective places, and Zhen Xiang and Xu Miao followed behind.

Zhen Xiang looked around for a few seconds and said, "Minister Xu, I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Xu Miao turned his head.

Zhen Xiang asked, "Sun Quan... how was Sun Quan buried after his death? Does the imperial court have any explanation?"

"Yes." Xu Miao nodded: "His Majesty said in the document to the Ministry of Personnel that Sun Quan should be buried in the western suburbs of Ye City with the rites due to a commoner, next to the mausoleum of Emperor Wu."

Zhen Xiang suddenly realized, "I see." (End of Chapter)