Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Look, there's a pig!"

"What? Where is it?"

"It's in the river! It's in the river! Hurry and retrieve it, or those bastards will snatch it away!"

On the banks of the Lugou River on the outskirts of Shengjing (present-day Shenyang), a large group of people took off their clothes, swung their rag doll tails, and jumped into the river with a "plop," swimming vigorously toward a dead pig floating in the middle of the river.

This scene was witnessed by Ban Dingyuan and his entourage as they entered Beijing.

"Stop!"

Ban Dingyuan hurriedly called for the carriage to stop, lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage. He walked to the riverbank and watched as a dozen or so farmers pulled the dead pig ashore, their faces beaming with eager smiles.

"What are they doing?"

A constable standing on the shore didn't even turn his head and said directly, "These are all down-and-out families from the outskirts of the capital. They're idle and do nothing but think about how to get something for nothing."

"Look, today a wealthy family in town had a pig that died of illness, so they simply ordered it to be thrown into the river. Unexpectedly, this benefited these fools."

"A diseased, dead pig?"

Ban Dingyuan was taken aback, a look of surprise flashing across his face.

Why are they retrieving dead pigs?

Upon hearing this, the official seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world: "What else can we do? Of course, we'll take them back and cook them!"

"eat?"

Ban Dingyuan pointed at the group of villagers who were preparing to divide the meat on the shore, his face full of disbelief.

"Can you eat a sick pig? It could kill people!"

Upon hearing this, the officer immediately became impatient and turned to say, "Hey, what's wrong with you...?"

But upon seeing Ban Dingyuan's attire, he immediately swallowed the rest of his curse.

"Why can't we eat it? Put it in a big pot, boil some water, and stew it for two hours. Is that not enough to eat? It's meat! These idlers don't even get to eat it once a year!"

Upon hearing this, Ban Dingyuan immediately turned around and walked towards the idlers.

But before he could take two steps, he was stopped by a military official: "Your Excellency, please do not meddle in other people's business. Please come with me to the capital. After you are settled, I will go to the palace to report back."

The man who received the Dingyuan delegation was named Tulai, a fierce general in the martial arts camp who had served as a fifth-rank military officer.

"That's all."

Ban Dingyuan also gave up on trying to persuade those idlers, turned around and got into the carriage with Tu Lai, and slowly drove into Shengjing City.

After the carriage entered the capital, I looked out onto the street through the curtain.

As expected of the imperial capital, it was indeed much more prosperous than what we had seen along the way.

Although it still has the drawbacks of being dirty and chaotic compared to Zhongdu, the environment here is much better.

The crowds were dense, and vendors were hawking their wares everywhere, creating a lively and bustling scene.

The carriage continued its slow journey until it reached Caishikou, where Tulai, riding on horseback, raised his hand to signal the convoy to stop.

Sensing something amiss, Ban Dingyuan stepped out of the carriage and saw a large crowd gathered under the signboard at the entrance to the market. He then asked Tu Lai, "What happened?"

Tulai replied, "The court is about to execute the traitors, and we must wait until the executions are completed before we can proceed."

This piqued Ban Dingyuan's interest, and even Pei Ju, who was taking care of Ban Zhao in the carriage, looked over with Ban Dingyuan after settling the little one in.

Looking down from the carriage towards the execution ground at Caishikou, one could see a row of prisoners kneeling under the tall gate, awaiting execution, with executioners in red robes standing behind them, holding large knives.

It is worth noting that the rat tails behind the heads of each prisoner awaiting execution were suspended high by a rope at a 180° angle.

The ends of the ropes were connected by highly elastic bamboo poles, which were now bent into an arc shape.

"If you're going to behead someone, why use this method?"

Ban Dingyuan asked Tu Lai, puzzled.

Tulai: "The foreign envoy may not know this, but it is not a simple beheading; it is called the Dragonfly Cut."

Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju looked puzzled.

Tulai didn't explain further, but simply said, "The time for the execution is almost here. The envoy can see for himself."

When he said this, Tulai's face was full of pride, showing no shame whatsoever for the execution of his compatriots by outsiders.

Suddenly, the executioner shouted, "It's noon! Execution begins!"

The next moment, the executioners simultaneously raised their broadswords and brought them down on the back of the neck in front of them.

Pfft, pfft—

Instantly, hot blood splattered everywhere, causing a sensation in the surrounding area.

The moment the head was chopped off, the bamboo stake fixed behind the prisoner immediately pulled the head high into the air.

In just a breath or two, human heads were already hanging on the bamboo.

"it is good!"

Instead of being frightened, the onlookers cheered and applauded when they saw this.

Seeing the almost morbid ecstasy on those sallow faces, Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju felt a sense of oppression and turned back to their carriage.

After the execution, the motorcade continued to drive slowly towards the outer embassy compound.

Tulai was in high spirits and even performed several difficult poses on horseback after watching the execution.

Inside the carriage, Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju remained silent, quietly recording what they had seen and heard that day in their notebooks.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that even young Ban Zhao sensed something was amiss, and wisely sat quietly on the cushion without disturbing them.

The carriage traveled at a stop-and-go pace for about half an hour before finally entering the inner city.

Compared to the outer city of Shengjing, the inner city was much more spacious and bright, with no noisy shouts and the streets were neat and tidy without a single piece of litter.

The houses on both sides are arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, and it is easy to tell at a glance that the people who live here are all powerful and wealthy.

Almost everyone seen on the street had a carriage or horse-drawn entourage, and even the servants leading the way were all ruddy-faced and neatly dressed.

"Xu~"

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of a palace or villa.

Tulai dismounted and said to Ban Dingyuan and his entourage, "Foreign Envoy, this is where you will be staying. Lord He has already given specific instructions."

"The best rooms have been prepared for you. Please rest here for the night. I must go to the palace to report to the Emperor, so please excuse me."

After saying this, Tulai didn't wait for Ban Dingyuan and the others to speak. He immediately mounted his horse and quickly left with two fully armed attendants.

"Let's go."

Ban Dingyuan, holding Ban Zhao's hand, entered the palace courtyard with Pei Ju and twelve attendants.

The postmaster of the inn had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Ban Dingyuan and his party, he immediately greeted them warmly: "May I ask if you are foreign envoys from the State of Chu?"

Pei Ju: "Exactly."

The postmaster said, "You've finally arrived. I am Liu Ying, and I have been instructed by Lord He to take good care of you. You must have suffered quite a bit during your long journey."

"I have prepared your rooms. Please allow me to lead you there so you can rest early."

Pei Ju cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Liu."

"No problem, no problem, please follow me."

With that, Liu led them to their accommodations.