Children of Loulan

Chapter 290 Execution

Seeing this, the eunuch frowned and asked again, "Do you know that if what you reported is false and slanders the prime minister, not only will you be killed, but even your family and children who are still alive will be implicated and executed! Are you really willing to take such a huge risk?"

The woman showed no fear. Her beautiful and resolute eyes flashed with determination. She said loudly without hesitation: "I am willing to bear all the consequences! Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, I will never retreat!"

The eunuch's expression changed slightly when he saw this. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes. He then shouted loudly, "Well, if that's the case, then come on, punish this woman first!"

Following his order, a steady and powerful sound of footsteps was heard. Then, several burly men dressed in imperial guard uniforms came out one after another. Two of them carried a long wide bench together, while the other two held sticks and walked towards the woman aggressively.

When they came to the woman, they unceremoniously put the bench in their hands on the ground. However, unexpectedly, the woman did not show any fear or hesitation. She took a deep breath, slowly closed her eyes, and then quickly leaned over the bench, as if she had already prepared for the torture.

At this moment, the whole scene fell into a dead silence, and all the people's eyes were focused on the woman and the imperial guards who were about to execute her. The eunuch stood aside, with his arms folded across his chest, watching everything happening before his eyes.

Seeing that the woman was ready, the eunuch shouted, "Execute!" In an instant, two imperial guards walked to both sides of the woman at the same time, raised the sticks in their hands high, and then smashed the woman's buttocks with all their strength.

There was a crisp "snap" sound, and the first stick landed firmly on the woman's body. For a moment, the woman's body trembled involuntarily, and she clenched her teeth tightly to prevent herself from groaning in pain. But despite this, from her tightly furrowed brows and the beads of sweat on her forehead, it can be seen that she was in great pain at the moment.

However, the executioners showed no mercy. They waved their sticks expressionlessly, hitting the woman's body one after another. Every time the stick fell, it would leave a blood mark, and the woman's already tattered coarse linen clothes were soaked with blood in an instant. But even so, she still held the two stool legs tightly, refusing to make the slightest sound of pain.

At this moment, all the people present were deeply shocked by the scene before their eyes. They looked at each other, whispered to each other, and the voices rose and fell, surging in the crowd like a tide.

Someone said suspiciously, "You said that the guilty minister, the minister, had already been beheaded and displayed to the public, and it has been a month. Why did his daughter-in-law suddenly come here to complain and sue the prime minister? Could it be that the real mastermind behind the fake stone incident in West City that caused a lot of noise before was not the minister, but this powerful prime minister? The minister was just taking the blame for him?"

After hearing this, a person nearby couldn't help but shake his head and refuted: "That being said, the king has already issued an imperial decree on this matter and has made a clear conclusion on it. Could it be that the wise and powerful king would make a mistake in judgment?"

However, another person disagreed with this statement. He frowned and responded firmly: "Even though the king has made a decision, the court still hasn't found the real stones that were swapped. In my opinion, there may be some unknown secret hidden in this!"

Another person interrupted and asked in confusion: "But, as far as I know, the Minister himself admitted that he planned and implemented this matter? That's why the king ordered him to be beheaded in public!"

Then, another voice was heard: "Is it possible that the Prime Minister used his power to force the Minister to take the blame for him against his will?" When everyone heard this, they all nodded, indicating that this was very likely.

At this moment, a voice came out from the crowd again, retorting with doubt: "Haven't you ever thought about it? The Prime Minister and the Shangshu are originally related by marriage. Maybe, in fact, the Shangshu was willing to take the blame for the Prime Minister. In this way, although the Shangshu himself fell, as long as the Prime Minister still sits firmly in the high position, then even after the Shangshu's death, his family members who stayed behind can also get the protection of the Prime Minister. But from the current situation, it must be that the Prime Minister did not lend a helping hand or protect the Shangshu's family members at all, so that his daughter-in-law had to come here to cry out for injustice!"

After hearing this, the other person couldn't help but look puzzled, and then asked: "Since they are related by marriage, then who is this daughter-in-law...?"

At this time, another person took over the conversation and said, "This person, of course, has no direct connection with the Prime Minister's Mansion. In fact, it was the daughter of the Shangshu family who married into the Prime Minister's Mansion!"

However, new questions soon emerged. One person frowned and said in confusion: "Since the daughter of the Shangshu married into the Prime Minister's Mansion, then according to common sense, she should do everything she can to help her family. But why doesn't she take any action now?"

In response to this, someone nearby sighed helplessly, shook his head and replied: "Oh, who can really know the reason? Maybe she is afraid of getting into trouble, so she chooses to protect herself; or even if she wants to help, she has no say in the Prime Minister's Mansion!" After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and for a while, discussions arose and various speculations came one after another.

The common people gathered around were talking to each other, whispering, and the noisy discussions were like the tide. At the palace gate, the poor woman had already endured a full twenty boards of punishment. At this moment, her body had already become a bloody mess, as if she had been fished out of a pool of blood.

However, despite such torture, she still clenched her teeth, even though she had bitten her lips, and her fingernails were broken and bleeding because she held the stool legs too tightly. But even so, she still held on to her last breath and did not utter even the slightest moan or beg for mercy from beginning to end.

Even the eunuch standing by and watching coldly could not help but be moved by this scene, and secretly felt a little sympathy in his heart, because he knew very well that if he continued to beat the woman mercilessly like this, the woman would surely die.

Thinking of this, the eunuch gave a subtle look to the two guards who were carrying out the execution. The two guards had been in the palace for a long time, so they immediately understood his intention. Therefore, although the last ten blows seemed the same as the previous ones, they actually restrained their strength and were much gentler.