Master Yuan, start!

Emperor Kangxi could tolerate Oboi for more than ten years, and Empress Dowager Cixi could rule behind the scenes for more than ten years. Couldn’t the Qing Dynasty tolerate Yuan Shikai for more than ten years?

Jae-hoon, you are wrong, you are wrong too much!"

Although Yi D was unemployed at home, he knew that Yuan Shikai was powerful.

It was only after experiencing the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi that Yiyi became particularly tolerant. In his view, at this time, the most important thing for the Qing Dynasty was to continue its rule. As for things like powerful ministers and powerful queens, they were inevitable.

So what if Yuan Shikai was a powerful official? As long as the emperor was still alive, there would be a chance for a turnaround in the future.

"Now that more than half of the Eight Banners soldiers have been killed or wounded, the court has no choice but to rely even more on the National Defense Army." Yi D looked down at Zaixun's stubbled head and said regretfully, "Zaixun, you're truly harming yourself and others. Is this the outcome you wanted, to be executed by slow slicing?"

Zaixun collapsed on the haystack upon hearing this, and remained silent, his heart as dead as a ash.

He didn't understand why his original intention was good but it turned out to be a bad thing, but he didn't want to die, he really didn't want to die.

"Sixth brother... Sixth brother, please help me beg for mercy from Seventh brother, spare my life, spare my life." Prince Zhuang Zaixun cried and hugged Yi D's calf through the fence: "I don't want to be the Iron Hat King anymore, Sixth brother, please spare my life."

"Rebellion is a capital crime, and the entire clan will be exterminated without pardon." Yi D's tone was calm, without any ripples.

"Clan extermination?" Zaixun, who had just wanted to trade the title of prince for his life, no longer cared about himself and quickly asked, "Sixth brother, our child was just born at the beginning of the year and is still in swaddling clothes. What crime has he committed?"

Yi D did not answer after hearing this. He picked up a pen and paper from behind and placed it in front of Zaixun.

On the white paper, on the far right, the three big words "Confession" were written.

"Zaixun, if you want to keep your body intact, then write down your evil thoughts and disrespect for the emperor.

In this way, perhaps the punishment of lingchi can be changed to beheading, and I will also replace the child in Prince Zhuang's mansion with a child from an ordinary family, leaving your bloodline to survive in the world.

It’s your choice.”

After saying that, Yi D sighed for a moment, put down the pen and paper, and walked out of the cell without looking back.

After Yi D left, Zaixun's eyes were dull and he was stunned for more than an hour.

It was not until dinner was served that he woke up at the urging of the jailer. He silently picked up the brush and began to write on the paper.

Late at night, Zaixun finally finished writing with the help of dim candlelight.

He blew on the ink-stained rice paper, and just like that, the Zaixun Confession Record, which was later praised by generations as the first official confession in Chinese history, came into being.

Chapter 267 Pure Human Blood Steamed Bun

At three quarters past noon, which is around noon, people's energy is the lowest and they are on the verge of "drowsiness".

When executing prisoners at this moment, most of them are in a confused and sleepy state, and the pain will be reduced a lot when their heads hit the ground.

2 In addition, the Yang energy is at its peak at this time, so people will not turn into evil spirits and linger around after death.

Moreover, in the eyes of some people, if a death row prisoner does not become a ghost after being beheaded, it can be said that dying early and reincarnating early is a "privilege" to some extent, and it can be regarded as the last mercy for the death row prisoners.

After all, in ancient times, the most vicious curse for a person was "eternal damnation".

Beheading is actually for your own good.

I have to say, this can be regarded as a black humor of the feudal era.

Shao Kuijue did not think that beheading was a blessing, and others did not know this. After he was put on the prison cart, it set off from the clan prison. The prison cart passed through the streets and alleys, attracting many people to follow from a distance along the way.

It is human nature to watch the fun.

The prison van passed through alleys of all sizes. The people who were eating by the wall with their bowls in their hands didn't bother to eat when they saw the van. They picked up the coarse flour buns in their hands and followed the van to Caishikou.

It should be said that even people living in the west of Beijing, near Caishikou, did not see beheadings every day.

Excluding the Imperial Household Department's Zongrenfu Prison, which held bannermen and members of the imperial clan, and only counting the Ministry of Justice's two prisons in the north and south, there were only more than 800 death row prisoners sent in from all over the country every year.

Among them, the vast majority had to wait until "after autumn" to be executed, and very few were sentenced to be executed immediately.

So in the middle of summer, when Prince Zhuang Zaixun and his family were taken to the execution ground, the area near Caishikou was quickly crowded with onlookers.

Beheading is a rare thing to see, let alone the one being beheaded today is a prince?

This is just like watching people setting off fireworks during the Chinese New Year. I thought it would be good enough to have ordinary spray flowers and flying fireworks. After all, they are free, so I would be a shame not to watch them.

Who knew that I would be so lucky today and encounter someone setting off a combination of large fireworks and firecrackers. The fireworks lit up the entire night sky.

The ignorant Manchu people truly regarded the beheading as a show.

Shops near the execution ground, Caishikou, would often place a table at the door with three bowls of white wine on it, with the spouts facing outwards, as a farewell to the criminals passing by.

After a person dies, the wine becomes tainted with "popularity". If ordinary people want to have a sip of it, they have to pay a much higher price than before.

It was clearly the loss of a life, but it was turned into a business, and the onlookers were very interested in it and never got tired of it.

We have to admit that fortunately some feudal dregs have not been passed down.

...

Although it was noon and Beijing was extremely hot under the direct sunlight in summer, the people still gathered together enthusiastically to join in the fun.

"Sir, it's three quarters past noon!"

In front of the execution platform, the Chief of the Imperial Clan Court, the Minister of the Supreme Court, the Minister of Punishments, and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate sat comfortably under a parasol, enjoying the coolness under the scorching sun, and watched expressionlessly as the people from Prince Zhuang's mansion were escorted one by one to the makeshift platform.

As soon as the supervising officer reminded them, the four big men couldn't help but straighten their chests and sit up straight.

"It's three quarters past noon, prepare for the execution!"

The leader of the Lingzong Renfu took out the lottery stick from the stick tube in front of him and threw it forward with all his strength. The wooden stick flew from the shade to the scorching sun with a "whoosh".

7 As soon as the word of execution was spoken, the vegetable market, which had been a little chaotic just now, suddenly became extremely quiet. The only sounds could be heard of the onlookers chewing steamed buns and the sound of their Adam's apples moving when they swallowed saliva.

"Bring someone to capture Zaixun!"

Nine "Yes, bring people to capture Zaixun!"

The distraught Zaixun was dragged up and tied to a big wooden stake, but he was not killed.

Zaixun's two daughters and one son were brought forward.

"Kowtow!" the supervising officer shouted at the three people.

However, Zaixun's children were already scared silly at this time. They could only shout "Father, save me, Father, save me" and could not listen to what others said.

Seeing this, the supervising officer didn't waste any words and kicked Zaixun's children hard in the knees. They felt a piercing pain in their legs and knelt on the ground unconsciously.

Immediately afterwards, someone forced his head down and knocked it to the ground, making a crisp sound.

When he raised his head again, his forehead was already bright red.

"Zai Xun, remember the wounds on your children's heads. Don't forget them on your journey to the underworld!"

Zaixun, who was tied to a wooden stake, couldn't stop crying when he saw this. However, when he saw an old woman holding a baby in the crowd, he could only suppress his grief, closed his eyes and said no more.

"Execution!"

The supervising officer took a big step back to make enough space.

The executioner, who had been waiting for a long time, spat on his hands, rubbed them, and then tightly grasped the ghost-head sword in his hands.

He gestured left and right, but was hesitant to cut, as if he was trying to find the angle that would save the most effort.

To the people who often watched beheadings, the executioner today seemed unusually slow.

Finally, he drew his knife.

With a "click" sound, the executioner raised his knife and cut off Zaixun's eldest son's head and body, and his blood gushed out.

At this moment, Zaixun's two daughters who were waiting by the side saw this scene, their crotches became wet, and they fainted immediately out of fright.

However, even if you faint, you will still be beheaded.

The executioner, dressed in coarse linen and red clothes, drank, cleared his mouth, spit out the wine, and rested, then he stabbed Zaixun's daughter who was lying on the ground.

The knife was struck with such force that it actually chopped deeply into the wooden board of the execution platform. He tried to pull out the knife, but instead of pulling it out, he accidentally let the head of Zaixun's eldest daughter roll to the ground and was covered with a layer of yellow soil.

The head rolled outward little by little, frightening the surrounding people so much that they quickly retreated. 0FiveSixFour!

However, this did not bother the executioner. In order to deal with emergencies, he had already prepared a second knife.

He swung it downwards again, but this time the force was lighter. Although Zaixun's second daughter's head was separated from her neck, a layer of skin was still hanging on.

However, it was obvious that he was not going to survive.

All we can say is that being beheaded was their misfortune, but they were also lucky. Losing their lives in a coma was like having a dream from which they would never wake up.

It felt like almost a quarter of an hour had passed, but when he opened his eyes, Zaixun happened to see the skin hanging from his second daughter's neck.

"Faster, faster!"

Zaixun could no longer bear this torture and shouted, "Hurry up! Killing people is not enough. Why are you delaying till now?"

"The Regent has ordered that you suffer more torture!" The executioner stared at the corpse on the execution platform and answered without blinking.

Seeing this, Zaixun closed his eyes again in hatred and stopped looking.

But this time, two tall and strong men ran to the wooden stake, each holding one hand, and directly stretched out their hands to pry open Zaixun's eyelids, forcing him to watch the entire execution process.

"Bringing people to capture Zaixun's brother, Zai Gong!"

"Bringing people to imprison Zaixun Fujin"

One after another, Zaixun's close relatives were hacked to death in front of him.

Finally, it was Jae-hoon himself’s turn.

Witnessing his wife, children, and brothers all die in front of him, Zaixun had already collapsed. He just knelt on the ground blankly, as if he had lost his soul.

"My Lord, I am sorry!"

"Pfft~~!"

The executioner sprayed a mouthful of wine on the big knife in his hand, and the blade flashed with a captivating light in the midday sun.

"Crack!"

Zaixun's head fell to the ground.

...

午时三刻壹11点零45行刑，本来一刻钟就能砍完的头，竟然愣生生1的拖延到快未3时13点才结束。

If we hadn't tried to finish chopping it down before noon, it would have taken even longer.