Chapter 23: Two thousand people were executed in one day, and the Wei River turned red for three days

After soaking in the hot spring, two eunuchs handed over a clean cloth and waited outside the door.

After the two brothers wiped their bodies, dressed and walked out, the older eunuch asked Prince Chengjiao for instructions.

“What would you like to eat, sir?”

Ying Chengjiao’s face turned green and he waved his hands repeatedly. He didn’t want to eat anything today.

“I don’t want anything. Do you want to eat something?”

Although Ying Zheng did not eat and then vomit, he vomited and ate, enduring the torture.

But the turbid, foul, and fishy smell of the Tingwei Prison, as well as the tragic sight of assassins covered in blood and separated flesh and bones, also affected him.

No appetite, don’t want to eat anything.

“No need.” Afraid that his brother would think he was being polite, he added, “I ate a lot of fruit outside the court.”

Ying Chengjiao waved his hand.

“Next item, massage!”

Two eunuchs led the way and took the two brothers to the palace next to Huaqing Pool.

After entering, Ying Zheng looked around as usual.

[So small…]
This was the smallest palace he had ever seen in the Qin Palace.

It is less than five meters long and less than four meters wide.

There are two large beds in the middle and a high desk at the back.

There was incense burning on the high table, and wisps of green smoke were rising.

A faint fragrance filled the palace, but I didn’t know what it was.

Before he could see the whole picture, the young eunuch’s actions attracted his attention.

The eunuch moved the pillow away from the bed, and a round hole appeared before his eyes.

He moved closer and glanced down, and saw that there was a big hole dug at the head of the bed, covered in jade.

The young eunuch folded two pieces of cloth and placed them on the edge of the hole.

Ying Zheng was puzzled.

[What does this mean? Why would you make a hole in a good bed?]
He wanted to ask his brother.

But today, he saw too many strange things and things. He asked too many questions today, and he felt embarrassed to ask them.

The eunuch guided him onto the bed, and after he lay down, his face was buried in the hole.

Only then did he realize that this hole was for ventilation.

A questioning voice sounded above my head.

“Sir, do you want to adjust it again? Is your head comfortable?”

This big bed perfectly fulfilled the softness of his dreams. He savored it and felt it carefully. It was so comfortable that it couldn’t be more comfortable.

“No, this is fine.”

“only.”

The eunuch responded and placed his hands on the air above Ying Zheng’s back, not knowing where to start.

Old wounds piled up on new ones, whip marks and burn marks.

He looked for help at the eunuch who was older than him and was already giving Ying Chengjiao a massage.

Pointing at Ying Zheng’s back, he opened his mouth, silently, and used lip movements to convey information.

“How do I press this?”

The older eunuch glanced in the direction he was looking, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He lowered his head and whispered in Master Chengjiao’s ear:
“The eldest son has a fresh wound on his back and he just took a hot spring bath, so he can’t eat much.”

Ying Chengjiao’s muffled voice came from under the bed.

“If you can’t massage the back, then massage the feet.”

He didn’t deliberately lower his voice.

His brother can face his own scars without hiding them.

When Ying Zheng heard his brother’s words, he looked up and saw the older eunuch massaging Ying Chengjiao’s back. He immediately understood.

If his back was hit like this, the scabs from the blisters would definitely break.

“I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.” Ying Zheng apologized to the young eunuch.

The young eunuch shook his head repeatedly, his heart full of surprise.

Among the people he served, apart from Prince Chengjiao, Ying Zheng was the first one to apologize to him as a eunuch.

The young eunuch took back the pillow and covered the hole with it, and said in a somewhat flattered tone:
“Please lie down, sir.”

Ying Zheng did as he was told.

The eunuch pressed on Ying Zheng’s feet, and while pressing, he asked whether the force was appropriate, too light or too heavy.

“Just right.”

Ying Zheng spoke, smelled the unknown fragrance, and closed his eyes.

In less than a moment, he began to snore, which became louder and louder. He was too tired.

On the other bed, the older eunuch finished massaging Ying Chengjiao’s back and whispered in his ear:
“Sir, can you turn over?”

no respond.

Call twice more.

Still no response.

The older eunuch apologized, crouched down, and saw a small puddle of water, looking up along the bottom of the bed legs.

Young Master Chengjiao closed his eyes, opened his mouth and drooled.

My brother is tired too.

The two brothers fell asleep at about the hour of Hai. (Note 1)
At this time, the lights in the Tingwei Prison were on and there was no silence.

The night was too dark and the torches could not illuminate much space.

Human silhouettes gathered in the darkness.

Crying, yelling, wailing, cursing…

“Lü Buwei! You are my mother! I will not let you go even if I become a ghost!”

“I am an unfilial child, I am an unfilial child!”

“Where is this place? Why are you arresting me?!”

“Everyone is responsible for their own actions! What does this have to do with my sister?”

“My son is only five years old. He knows nothing! Please let him go!”

“…”

The next day, at noon, at Caotan execution ground.

The Wei River is sparkling, and the Caotan execution ground is right next to it.

This is the largest and most famous execution ground in Xianyang.

It was the place where Shang Yang killed seven hundred Qin nobles who were prisoners in a private fight, and it was also the place where Shang Yang was torn apart by five oxen.

In the center of the execution ground, there were seven hundred huge wooden stakes nailed to the ground during the reign of King Xiaogong of Qin. Most of them had dark black bloodstains, which was quite intimidating.

The prisoners were tied up one after another, both men and women, old and young.

The executioner was already in position, standing grimly behind the wooden stake, the blade on his shoulder gleaming with dazzling cold light.

Most of the prisoners who were tied to wooden stakes, and those whose hands were tied so that there were no wooden stakes left to tie, began to tremble.

They remembered the story of moving trees and establishing trust that they had heard since childhood, and the only glimmer of hope for survival in their hearts was shattered in an instant.

The Qin people were not afraid of the swords and blood on the battlefield, but they were afraid of the murderous execution ground.

For a time, some people cursed Lü Buwei for being motherless, some shouted at the injustice of heaven, some regretted that they should not have assassinated the eldest son, and some prayed for death by slow slicing if only to spare the life of the old mother and child…

When death comes, life will change.

The Caotan execution ground was filled with a cold and murderous atmosphere, which contained everything.

There were so many people from Xianyang watching the scene that if they all stood in the Wei River, the flow of the river would be cut off.

In their past lives, there had never been an execution scene on such a large scale in the Qin State.

They had never heard that there were not enough execution stakes at the Caotan execution ground.

As time approached noon, Lu Buwei appeared.

The businessman stood on a high platform, holding a cone-shaped object in his hand.

Place the small end near your mouth and the large end facing outwards.

He loudly read out the list of assassins who assassinated Ying Zheng, and then announced that all the property of these assassins would be confiscated and the assassins would be sentenced to family punishment. Three of his clans would be executed together with one of them and beheaded.

The sound was so loud that it drowned out the noise in the execution ground and everyone heard it.

Less than a quarter of an hour after Lu Buwei finished speaking, it was noon.

One order, seven hundred lives.

Seven hundred swordsmen swung their axes at the same time, seven hundred columns of blood shot up into the sky, and seven hundred heads rolled onto the grass at the same time.

Untie the ropes and lower the body with blood still gushing from its neck. Tie up the new prisoner who has weak limbs, incontinence, wets his pants, cries bitterly, curses non-stop, and struggles desperately.

Two orders, 1,400 lives.

carry on.

Untie the ropes and tie people up.

This time, not all 700 wooden stakes were tied together, and there were not enough people.

Three orders, nearly two thousand lives lost.

The Wei River turned red and lasted for three days.

…………

【Note 1: Haishi, o’clock in the evening. 】

(End of this chapter)