Сhаpter 284: Тhе Firе Моth Party 16
“Тhis missiоn is to annihilаte yоu аnd уоur раrty, Shen Du, in оne fell swoop! You аrе nothing but рreу in his trар!” Нe grеw mоrе аgitаted аs he spokе, unаble tо stop himself frоm coughing.
Оnly aftеr his соughing subsidеd did Shеn Du саlmly resроnd to his еаrliеr words: “Аnnihilatе us in оne fell swооp? Isn’t it Guаngchun Hall thаt has been аnnihilаtеd now?”
Нis icy, emоtiоnlеss voiсе mаdе Wаng Вuzui’s eаrliеr agitаtion sеem like thе ravings оf а mаdman.
Fоr а lоng mоment, Wang Buzui wаs speechless, fеeling only сonfusion сlouding his mind.
“Wаnt mу life? I’m аfraid you can only dream of it.”
Wang Buzui wanted to say more but was silenced by Shen Du’s next words.
“You, Wang Buzui, deserve death ten thousand times over. You will be executed this afternoon.”
With that, he led Zhu Yan out of the prison cell, while the man inside continued to curse, shouting that Guangchun Hall would never fall. Shen Du merely snorted softly and said nothing.
Watching the two figures recede into the distance, Wang Buzui felt dazed, his resentment momentarily stifled.
But his younger sister had not yet been revived—he could not die like this.
There must, there must be another way.
Yes, there was still one person, someone still here. How could Wang Buzui die so easily?
At this thought, he suddenly laughed.
As soon as they left the prison, Shen Du ordered the immediate execution without a moment’s delay. Every extra moment Wang Buzui lived was another moment of threat.
This scourge had slaughtered the innocent for far too long; it was time for him to die.
Afterward, he sent a messenger to the capital to inform the Empress of the matter.
The inner court had the authority to execute first and report later.
Zhu Yan had watched everything from beginning to end and couldn’t help but admire such decisive action: “Well done, eliminating a scourge for the people. The Great Pavilion Commander is truly just and wise.”
Praising him like this, Shen Du set down his brush, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and beckoned: “Come here.”
Zhu Yan approached. Seeing her gaze fixed on his hand, Shen Du shook it and raised it. “It’s fine.”
He had suffered countless injuries before; this minor scratch was nothing.
Zhu Yan shook her head and looked up at him again. “Shen Du!”
“Hmm?” Here we go again.
Zhu Yan’s cheeks flushed. “Husband!”
“You must get used to it. Don’t make me correct you all the time.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll try.” After all this time, why does he always focus on such trivial details?
“Not ‘try’—you must.” He sounded slightly displeased. She had called him that smoothly a few times before; why was she like this again?
Zhu Yan helplessly raised her hands in surrender, only to have the tip of her nose lightly tapped by the man before her.
How troublesome, she thought, though she didn’t say it aloud, instead giving him a playful smile.
At Zhu Yan’s insistence, Shen Du’s hand was treated with medicine and simply bandaged.
The two walked side by side along the corridor. Times had changed; the Yingzhou government office was now cold and solemn.
Just as they turned a corner, Zhu Yan bumped into someone. Even before looking up, she caught a whiff of a refreshing fragrance.
She quickly raised her head and saw it was Xiuxiu. Xiuxiu stumbled from the impact, but Shen Du showed no intention of helping.
“What’s wrong?” Zhu Yan had no choice but to steady the person who nearly fell, asking softly.
Once she regained her balance, Xiuxiu immediately withdrew her hand from Zhu Yan’s grasp and shook her head slightly.
Seeing her discomfort, Zhu Yan gently nudged the person beside her in the waist with her elbow, signaling him to leave quickly.Prompted by this gesture, Shen Du looked at her somewhat discontentedly, then saw Zhu Yan signaling him with her eyes, and had no choice but to leave the scene.
Only after he walked away did Xiuxiu’s expression soften considerably.
“When can I go back?” Looking closely, one could see tears glistening in her eyes.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had escaped her eyes, but Xiuxiu moved first, leaving Zhu Yan awkwardly withdrawing her hand. “Why are you in such a hurry to go back? Did that fellow Pan Chi bully you?”
Xiuxiu immediately shook her head, lowering her gaze to avoid Zhu Yan’s eyes.
Seeing that she didn’t want to speak further, Zhu Yan gave a helpless, light laugh. She had intended to reach out and hold the other’s hand, but recalling how Xiuxiu had hastily withdrawn her hand earlier, she retracted her own.
“It might not be safe to go back now. We can discuss this matter again in a few days.” After all, given Xiuxiu’s connections with Wang Buzui and Guangchun Hall, Zhu Yan couldn’t simply let her return, so she offered an excuse.
However, Xiuxiu’s attention didn’t seem to be on this from the start. Before Zhu Yan could finish speaking, she asked, “Must Wang Buzui die?”
This caught Zhu Yan off guard. Wang Buzui was undoubtedly doomed, but the question was why Xiuxiu cared so much about him. She had nearly been harmed by him before—why was she now showing pity?
She studied the person before her. Xiuxiu closely resembled the woman in the portrait, though her figure was fuller, with both skin and bone structure quite fine. After a few days at the yamen, she had grown noticeably thinner; her original clothes hung loosely on her. Her hair was styled in a simple bun, adorned with light makeup. She kept her head slightly lowered, her hands twisting a handkerchief.
In Zhu Yan’s memory, Xiuxiu was not such a shy and reserved person.
“Was your name given by Wang Buzui?” Zhu Yan stared at Xiuxiu and blurted out.
Xiuxiu’s shoulders trembled slightly. She glanced up at Zhu Yan, then lowered her head again, nodding gently and uttering a soft “Mm.” Then she looked up once more, insisting, “Must Wang Buzui die?”
Zhu Yan lost interest in further questioning and replied:
“Not die? Should we let him go instead? He has killed many innocent people.”
At this, Xiuxiu lowered her head again and fell silent, saying nothing. Zhu Yan exchanged a few casual pleasantries before leaving.
And Xiuxiu remained where she was, unmoving.
By noon, many townspeople had already gathered at the execution ground. Upon learning that the “Half-Faced Ghost,” Wang Buzui, was to be beheaded, the people of Yingzhou praised the court’s actions.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, voices rising and falling, some even deliberately speaking loudly, their words nothing but curses directed at the condemned man.
“He deserves to die!”
“A hundred deaths wouldn’t be enough.”
In contrast, Wang Buzui, from the moment he was escorted out, stood quietly on the execution ground, composed and unruffled. Even as the executioner sharpened his blade nearby, he showed no trace of panic.
The sun was intense, its light glaring in everyone’s eyes. Noon was approaching.
Soon, Shen Du led the officials into view. He took his seat on the platform, while Zhu Yan stood far from him, observing from the side.
Even so, Shen Du was somewhat displeased. He didn’t want Zhu Yan present at such a place; such bloody scenes were better left unseen.
But Zhu Yan insisted, even using her experience as a coroner to pressure him. Her final line, “Husband, please indulge me,” left him with little choice—what could he do?
Fortunately, Zhu Yan was relatively obedient, deliberately keeping her distance from the execution ground. Only then did Shen Du relent.Actually, it was yesterday's events that made Zhu Yan feel something was off, forcing her to be on guard. She insisted on dragging Shen Du along to watch Wang Buzui's execution, and sure enough, the first person she spotted was Xiuxiu.
After bidding farewell to Xiuxiu yesterday, she had gone to find Jing Lin to lift Xiuxiu's house arrest. Jing Lin naturally agreed without asking any questions, but then immediately notified Shen Du.
As soon as Xiuxiu saw Zhu Yan arrive, she quickly came over from elsewhere and deliberately positioned herself right beside her.
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