The person to be executed in autumn was not lacking in spies sneaking in from the Northern Territory, Yaozhou, or the Southwest border. What these people said might not be true, but the Northern Territory thousands of miles away was far more chaotic than rumors suggested.
Since the ascension of Emperor Longping, the border army in the Northern Territory began to operate independently of the Imperial Court, refusing to follow the Yong Dynasty's orders, eventually leading to a situation of various military governors dividing the territories.
When Emperor Jingxing first ascended to the throne, he had the intention to rectify the chaos in the Northern Territory, but before he could act, troublesome issues such as the Yaozhou rebel army and Southwest military coup arose on the imperial desk.
They say that with many lice, you don't get bitten, with many debts, you don't worry. Faced with such a situation, Emperor Jingxing was surprisingly calm, sending representatives to appease Yaozhou, slowly pacifying the Southwest, temporarily shelving the Northern Territory... the matter of selecting beauties was instead pressing.
Emperor Jingxing had been on the throne for half a year, and before he could savor the benefits of being an emperor, he had to seize the opportunity while 'young' to enjoy all the privileges once.
Thousands of miles away in the Northern Territory, Zhu Huai'an, who once looked more like a beggar than an actual beggar, had now transformed into the backbone of a regional power.
Even though Prince Changting had already passed away, his reputation in the Northern Territory not only hadn't waned but had become even more irreplaceable due to the renewed chaos in the region.
Those soldiers who once followed Zhu Sheng to battle life and death mostly compare the past with the present, wondering how the Northern Territory would be if the great general was still alive.
Now, the unexpectedly arrived Prince Zhu had become the replacement in the minds of these soldiers.
These former forces left by Prince Changting were undoubtedly the most precious legacy left for Zhu Huai'an. As long as he could seize control, he could establish his foundation.
At this time, in the Northern Territory, within the capital of the Seven Towns, Fangyi City, inside the Governor's Mansion.
"Your Highness..."
Gongsun Jin was just about to speak when Zhu Huai'an raised his hand to interrupt.
"From now on, no matter where we are, even in private, do not address me as Your Highness."
After several months of tempering, Zhu Huai'an's face was no longer fair, and even his physique had slimmed down.
"In the future, there will be only Zhu Yong in the world, not Prince Zhu."
To conceal his identity, Zhu Huai'an changed his name, known only by a few confidants, while others believed he was the nephew of Governor Zhu Hong.
Zhu Hong had once been a personal soldier of Prince Changting Zhu Sheng.
Gongsun Jin found it increasingly difficult to understand Zhu Huai'an's nature. According to his original expectations, after assuming control of the prince's former forces, Zhu would be impatient to train the troops and avenge his father.
But upon arriving in the Northern Territory, Prince Zhu was neither arrogant nor rash, hid his identity, and began as a junior officer in a military camp...
"The young master is far more composed than I imagined."
Playing with the brocade pouch in his hand, Zhu Huai'an said with sparkling eyes, "It is not that I am composed, but that I am compelled to act."
"In the eyes of the dog emperor, I am a thorn in the flesh, a grain of sand, and if I grandly train the troops, he will surely direct his attack towards the Northern Territory."
"Currently, with the rebellion in Yaozhou, the military coup in the Southwest, and instability in the southern part of the Shu Region, as long as we remain patient, the balance of power will shift. In more than ten years, possibly in three to five years, the foundation of the Yong Dynasty will undoubtedly be damaged, then it will be the best time to claim kingship from the south."
"As a general, be tranquil and reserved, govern justly. The young master plans before acting, indeed showing a touch of great general demeanor."
Zhu Huai'an shook his head and said, "I am currently just a junior officer, unworthy of heavy responsibilities, let alone with the general demeanor, but if given enough time, I indeed have faith to walk the path my father once walked."
But not the path of a subject...
When Gongsun Jin left, Zhu Huai'an reopened the brocade pouch, and inside was a slip of paper with only a few words.
"Build high walls, stockpile grain widely, delay claiming kingship."
...
In the funeral shop, over a hundred bodies were displayed, which was only the count for the first day of autumn execution.
Xuan Yu, accustomed to it long ago, felt little fear apart from slight disgust, only needing to tread more carefully than usual, not releasing a modicum of the fiendish aura, lest these corpses bounce up like crickets.
By nightfall, there was already no place to step inside the entire funeral shop, with headless bodies laid out throughout the courtyard and shop.
Taking out the Mother and Child Needle, Xu Qing's needle flickered under the cover of night, as candlelight illuminated inside the funeral shop, silhouettes of headless bodies vaguely visible on dim, yellowed window paper being sewn back together.
"Adulterous pair! I, a dignified man, cannot suffer such humiliation!" On the shop window, three silhouettes argued endlessly, then suddenly one person exploded, knife raised, and black blood splattered like ink upon the window paper.
Inside the shop, the bodies of a man and woman were casually tossed aside by Xu Qing.
"I am a parent official, you are all my governed people, ought to honor and nourish me! This pig-slaughtering money, well tax, rat and sparrow consumption, shoe donation, barefoot donation... all must be handed to me!"
On the window paper, the candlelight dimly reflected the image of a fat-headed, big-eared official dressed in garb, greedily amassing money.
If you entered the city wearing shoes to do business, you must pay shoe money, and if barefoot, you must pay barefoot money. Today if you relieved yourself, you must pay relieving money...
Within the small funeral shop, as one finishes their act, another takes the stage, a silent shadow play continuously unfolds.
"At home, the rice jar has been empty for three days, the child cries with hunger. What should be done?"
"Do not worry at home, I will borrow grain first thing in the morning."
"That landlord Wang's bullies came to collect again the other day, if we cannot gather ten taels of silver, they will take our ancestral house as debt..."
"Zhang Family man, today is your debt repayment day. If you have no money, it is fine, I will sell your wife to pay it off, and send the child to beg, perhaps they may even receive business from us gentlemen."
"The damned scoundrel pushes too far!"
On the window paper, the thin man wielded an axe in a random frenzy, and after a moment of silence in the room, officials came to arrest him, sentencing the Zhang Family man for execution in autumn for murder.
"Ruan Xing, you stole relief grain, a crime deserving execution, do you plead guilty?"
"Sir, although I stole relief grain, I distributed it all to the refugees, not consuming a single grain myself, what crime is there?"
"Well said! Bandit Ruan Xing stole official grain, has now confessed, and with clear evidence, is sentenced to execution accordingly!"
Within the funeral shop, over a hundred bodies encapsulate the world's filth, humanity's good and evil.
Among these people were thieves and bandits who drank, gambled, frequented prostitutes, and committed all manner of evil deeds, as well as benevolent people who accumulated virtue and righteousness, helping others generously.
Xu Qing remained detached and observed coldly, never immersing or influenced.
The matters of the world are countless, even if he wishes to intervene, they are beyond control, the minds of people more inscrutable than ghosts. Of those unknown, perhaps only the dead can allow him clarity.
After elevating a hundred corpses, Xu Qing meticulously counted his rewards.
"The method of skin separation, barefoot knife technique, naked fire technique, ignorance technique, official intimidation technique, bone-softening powder, Five Slices Arithmetic..."