A Pawn's Passage-Chapter 1101: Public Execution

Shangguan Ya carried a bowl of pitch-black medicine of unknown composition and brought it to the Yu King’s lips.

The Yu King was already unconscious. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were tightly shut. Shangguan Ya pinched his cheeks with her free hand to force his mouth open and poured the entire bowl of medicine down his throat.

Soon, the King opened his eyes, and moments later, he was even able to sit up.

No matter how one looked at it, this was clearly the last flicker of vitality before death.

The King remained unusually calm. He asked, “Is it time?”

Shangguan Ya replied, “I am merely carrying out my orders.”

With that, she turned and left without another word.

Moments later, a squad of Spirit Guards entered, each wearing a visor that concealed their face.

Their leader, a second-rank Spirit Guard, spoke. “Prisoner Chen Shuzhen, it’s time for your execution.”

The Yu King closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and stood up.

The second-rank Spirit Guard lifted his chin slightly. “Change his clothes. Grant him at least a final shred of dignity.”

Two lower-rank Spirit Guards answered and stepped forward to change the King’s garments.

Shangguan Ya’s medicine had dragged the Yu King, Chen Shuzhen, back from the brink of death. But his cultivation was entirely gone, so he had no strength to resist.

Of course, they did not put on the King’s robes but the coarse garments of a prisoner.

With a wave of his hand, the Spirit Guards escorted Chen Shuzhen away.

Chen Shuzhen had been confined in the deepest level of the Daoist Mansion’s prison. So at this moment, they walked upward.

The interior of the prison was extremely complex, with corridors crisscrossing like a maze. Thus, without a guide, one could easily get lost inside.

Chen Shuzhen remained calm and leisurely remarked, “I have long heard of the infamous prison of the Daoist Mansion. Who would have thought I’d get to experience it in this lifetime?”

The second-rank Spirit Guard said nothing.

After ascending roughly two levels, a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. The Spirit Guards halted, and the second-rank Spirit Guard stepped forward politely. “Secretary Chen.”

A secretary was not an exalted position, but they represented the great figure behind them. Thus, they were not to be underestimated.

That person was none other than Chen Jianchou.

Chen Jianchou did not show arrogance simply because he represented Qi Xuansu. He remained humble and polite. “The Sage wishes to see him.”

The second-rank Spirit Guard nodded slightly. “Lead the way.”

Under Chen Jianchou’s guidance, the group entered an interrogation chamber.

Besides Qi Xuansu and Little Yin, many members of the Yu royal family and ministers were present. They looked extremely uncomfortable. None dared to meet Chen Shuzhen’s gaze.

“Your Majesty, we meet again.” Qi Xuansu spoke first.

Chen Shuzhen replied, “I was just wondering which Sage it might be—surely not Mansion Master Wang. I didn’t expect it to be you, Second Deputy Qi. It seems you have rendered great merit and become a Sage since we last met. Congratulations.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Unfortunately, the case has yet to be concluded. Chen Shuhua has fled, and the Daoist Order is pursuing her with full force.”

Chen Shuzhen asked, “What is the purpose of our meeting now? Surely you didn’t come to flaunt your authority before a condemned man, right?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “I can offer you one final opportunity...”

“No need.” Chen Shuzhen interrupted before he could finish. “I require no such opportunity, but thanks for the gesture.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “Everyone has their own path. But I’m curious about one thing. How do you feel after scheming for so many years, only to fail at the final step?”

Chen Shuzhen let out a cold laugh. “Indeed, all that’s left is one step. I only regret not being able to drive the Daoist Order out of Poluo.”

Qi Xuansu spoke calmly. “Then I must ask, in what way has the Daoist Order wronged Poluo?”

Chen Shuzhen declared sternly, “Poluo belongs to the natives, not to the Central Plains.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “Setting aside the fact that most so-called ‘natives’ could trace their roots to the Central Plains, the Daoist Order has never annexed the kingdoms into the Great Xuan Empire. We have preserved their relative autonomy, and we allow the natives to govern Poluo. Neither Wang Jiaohe nor Chen Shuhua was born in the Central Plains. The Daoist Order restricted Chen Shuhua’s rise not because she’s a native, but because she’s of royal blood. This treatment isn’t unique to the Yu royal family. All other royal families, including the Great Xuan royal family, are treated the same.”

Chen Shuzhen sneered, “You people of the Central Plains dumped all the laborious jobs your people refuse to do onto us, turning us into de facto fourth-class citizens. That much is undeniable.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “The logic is simple. Even if we want to hand you the industries only Central Plains craftsmen can manage, you simply can’t take them. We can teach you shipbuilding, but a single ironclad warship requires far more than hull-making. We have hundreds of supporting workshops, dozens of major steelworks, and the most advanced steam-engine manufacturing plants in the world. On top of that, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, the Divine Armory, and the Daoist Tianji Hall have to work together to build this masterpiece.

“To obtain an ironclad warship, you must start from steelworks, which need coal. From mining coal and forging iron to building ironclad warships that rival the West, the Daoist Order spent nearly a century perfecting the art. Countless generations of effort went into this study. You’re still at the coal-mining stage, yet you already demand equal standing with the Central Plains? That’s like an apprentice demanding the same pay as a master craftsman. Do you think that’s reasonable?

“Before the Daoist Order came to Poluo, the Yu Kingdom still suffered mass famine, like the final years of the Wei Dynasty in the Central Plains. The Yu Kingdom was also torn apart by civil war between your Northern Yu Court and the Southern Yu Court backed by Westerners. It was the Daoist Order that reunified your country that had been split in two, allowing the Chen family to keep your throne. Since then, large-scale starvation has never happened again. Yet now, you turn against your benefactors. What logic is that?”

Chen Shuzhen was left momentarily speechless.

Qi Xuansu continued, “I think all your talk about wanting Poluo to belong to the natives is nothing but empty talk, a convenient banner to amass power. When have you ever cared about the common folk? What you care about is your own power—the threat that the Daoist Order can depose you at will and that those with royal blood will never become Omniscient Sages are what you truly care about. You don’t care about the people’s starvation, casualties of war, or whether the common folk live well. But the moment your interests are threatened, you suddenly care, thinking that rebellion is necessary. Isn’t that right?

“You know your real motive can’t be shown in the open, so you claim that you’re doing this for all of Poluo, pretending it’s righteous and justified. When Chen Shuhua rebelled, how many followed her? If you are so noble, selfless, and devoted to Poluo, let the public judge your crimes. The royal family and ministers of the Yu Kingdom are all present today. Who among them is willing to die with you?”

The royal family and ministers all stared downward. No one dared move a muscle.

Chen Shuzhen’s face turned ashen. “Winners are kings, while losers are traitors. I have nothing more to say.”

Qi Xuansu straightened his posture. “On behalf of the Daoist Order, I hereby officially depose Chen Shuzhen from the throne.”

He then turned to the princess. “Jianqiu.”

Chen Jianqiu rose slowly and answered softly, “Yes.”

All the gathered royal family and ministers rose as well.

Qi Xuansu declared, “From this day onward, Chen Jianqiu shall serve as the new ruler of the Yu Kingdom, the Queen formally enfeoffed by the Great Xuan Court, a title equal to that of a Great Xuan Imperial Prince. The official decree will arrive shortly with the envoy of the Great Sage Ziji.”

As Qi Xuansu spoke, the assembled royal family all knelt toward Chen Jianqiu.

For a moment, Qi Xuansu remained seated.

The former Yu King turned pale, his fists clenched tightly.

After a long pause, the King asked hoarsely, “How will I be dealt with? A cup of poison? Or will my head be chopped off?”

Qi Xuansu replied coldly, “You will be executed publicly, in accordance with the law. Take him.”

Two Spirit Guards stepped forward, each hooking an arm beneath Chen Shuzhen’s armpits to lift him off the ground and dragged him out.

Thanglong Prefecture was modeled after the Imperial Capital of the Wei Dynasty, so its layout was like an inverted “T.” The vertical section was the inner city, while the horizontal lower section was the outer city.

The inner city had two exits—east and west—marked by an archway. In the past, two different executions—beheading and dismemberment—were carried out separately. Those to be beheaded were executed beneath the western arch, while those to be dismembered were beneath the eastern arch.

But the Daoist Order had abolished dismemberment. In its place, the tall gallows now stood at the center of the West Market, with a lone noose swaying lightly in the wind.

When Chen Shuzhen was escorted to the West Market, a crowd was already waiting. There were no commoners among the crowd, only nobles and ministers.

Qi Xuansu arrived as well, seated on a raised platform as an observer. The superintendent from the Fengxian Hall branch of Poluo oversaw the execution.

The superintendent drew a document from his sleeve and publicly recited Chen Shuzhen’s crimes, which were mainly high treason and collusion with secret societies. Then, he declared the sentence.

Chen Shuzhen, utterly desolate, walked slowly up onto the execution platform, with the Spirit Guards close behind.

The Spirit Guards were stone-faced and silent.

Chen Shuzhen slipped his head into the noose, while a Spirit Guard tightened the loop and triggered the mechanism. Two heavy trapdoors beneath the former King’s feet sprang open and swung apart. His legs dropped into the air, and his entire body jerked upward, suspended by the rope around his neck.

This gallow was engineered by the Daoist Order, so the rope itself was imbued with hidden mechanisms. Even if the King still had his Heavenly-Being strength, it could still kill him. The late Empress Dowager of the Wei Dynasty had died beneath such a noose.

Chen Shuzhen felt his body grow lighter, his vision blurring.

Moments later, his life force ebbed rapidly. Like any ordinary man, his breath ceased, and his soul dispersed, returning to the heavens. His spirit returned to the ground, leaving only the wandering Three Corpses.

Qi Xuansu murmured to Chen Jianchou beside him, “Comfort Jianqiu later. Stay with her.”

Chen Jianchou hesitated, then answered softly, “Understood.”

Chen Jianqiu’s face was drained of color as she watched her father hanging lifeless, his limbs limp and no breath remaining. She covered her mouth, and her shoulders trembled, yet she dared not let a sound escape.

Qi Xuansu spoke to her gently, “Go on. Claim his remains and fulfill your final duty as his daughter.”