Chapter 907: Killing One to Warn a Hundred – Unrepentant Thieves’ Hearts

Xisi Pailou is located at the intersection of Xuanwumen Street and Fuchengmen Street, precisely at the junction of Mingyu Fang, Jiqing Fang, Anfu Fang, and Xianyi Fang. It was originally built by Chen Gui when constructing Beijing. This four-pavilion structure features four columns, three gates, and seven floors, with white marble pillar stones over a meter high beneath each column, giving it a magnificent appearance. Yet, ever since the capital was moved, it became a key site for executions. On execution days in autumn, batches of condemned prisoners were brought here to be beheaded, while arbitrary executions at other times depended on luck. As a result, the nearby restaurants with favorable locations have always been popular among idle people.

There was no prior buzz about today’s execution; news only spread early in the morning from Shuntian Prefecture and Wanping County. Word spread quickly, and before the hour of Si, a crowd had gathered there. As the experienced officials from the Ministry of Punishments busied themselves by the flagpole, those accustomed to watching executions began to discuss them, while others approached the Shuntian Prefecture officials maintaining order to inquire about the case. Upon learning that the victims were servants from the Prince of Jin’s household, the crowd became agitated.

The road had not yet been blocked, so traffic could still pass through the central intersection, but people along the roadside couldn’t help but discuss the matter in small groups. Not far from Xisi Pailou, in Yangrou Hutong, several well-dressed men stood with their arms crossed. The leader, hearing someone nearby shouting that five people would be executed that day, turned to look at a man in his early forties behind him.

“We have to be here because it’s our duty. Why did you come to watch an execution too?”

“I used to work as a laborer at the docks. I’ve tried several times to witness such scenes but never succeeded. I wanted to come today, but I didn’t expect Lord Qi to show up.” The speaker was Lao Wu, who had made significant contributions by delivering news before the New Year. Now, nervously rubbing his hands, he whispered, “Lord Qi, although I’ve been granted the title of hereditary hundred-household head, I’ve never held any official position. If you send me to that martial arts place, I’m afraid I might fail and bring shame to you…”

“What face do I have to shame you with?” Hu Qi smiled mockingly and patted his shoulder affectionately. “The lord is now an official in the Ministry of War, in charge of military affairs. If you get a military position but have no task to carry out, when things are sorted out later, you might be one of those left out—by then, you won’t even be able to cry. All you need to do is keep an eye on things for our spy agency, handle some miscellaneous tasks when there’s nothing urgent, and report quickly when there’s something important. You can definitely handle that, right? Besides, since your military position is hereditary, you must think about your children. In the future, succeeding to it will be far harder than before. As someone skilled in martial arts, you can also help plan a good future for your family, right?”
Lao Wu had only been a laborer before and had little insight, so he could only nod along as he listened. It wasn’t until Hu Qi nodded at him with a smile, signaling that the prison cart had arrived, that he awkwardly thanked him and pulled along another companion who wanted to see what was happening. The two squeezed into the crowd. After seeing him go, Hu Qi stepped back a few steps and stood with Fang Rui, who also wore casual clothes but looked somewhat out of place.
“Young Master Fang, it must be inconvenient for you to mix with us roughians these past few days.”
Hu Qi said this casually, but Fang Rui found it unpleasant to hear. Yet, thinking about how his trip to the capital nearly caused a major problem, his anger vanished instantly. He then said expressionlessly, “Please thank Lord Zhang on my behalf. If not for him, I wouldn’t have passed so easily this time, and my younger brother would have been implicated too. I’ll take my family and leave right away. From now on, I’ll handle matters related to the southwest, the western regions, and Southeast Asia.”
This marked his official entry into the Ministry of War’s spy agency, and he now had a legitimate path forward.
Hu Qi was secretly pleased upon hearing this. After all, with the Shenwei ships sailing to the East, West, and Southeast Asia, the Ming Dynasty’s territory was growing ever larger. As per Zhang Yue’s instructions, detailed information about geography, local customs, and other aspects had to be gathered in all places reached by the Ming army for future use. Even more thorough attention was needed for locations where the army planned to build ports, bases, and warehouses. Thus, although the spy agency’s system was already one of the most comprehensive among the six ministries, with even complex accounts such as budgeting and cost calculations, recruiting staff remained the biggest challenge.

“You can’t give civil servant status to just anyone,” were Zhang Yue’s exact words. Although Hu Qi didn’t quite understand what a civil servant was, orders from above had to be strictly followed. So, since Fang Rui had come on his own, Zhang Yue gave his silent approval, and he naturally handed over control of the overseas operations entirely. After all, this man’s brother was Zhang Yue’s future brother-in-law—someone reliable.

Fang Rui wasn’t hiding in the spy agency but came out at this moment because Hu Qi had received instructions from Zhang Yue that everything was already arranged, and all that was needed was to deliver the person to the steward at the Duke of Cheng’s residence. After chatting a few more words on the spot, shouts could be heard coming from Xuanwu Gate Street. Soon after, several soldiers led several prison carts slowly approaching. As usual, children would chase after them, playing and making noise during executions, and it was the same this time. Yet, the soldiers were not as lazy as before; they would scold them without hesitation, and the officials from Shuntian Prefecture would threaten them with whips. In no time, the onlookers realized what was happening.

This time, the victims were not those petty thieves who would become heroes again in twenty years—there was no room for children to make noise!

As one after another was forced to kneel head bowed, the executioners, holding their guillotine knives, joked around to pass the time, while the executioner in charge on the platform waited for the right moment. There was little chatter among the crowd below, and their eyes showed a sense of awe. Lao Wu, who was squeezed in the crowd, had never seen an execution before and was already feeling nervous. More importantly, the oppressive silence reminded him of the difficult night he spent in the city gate tunnel when he risked everything to come to the capital.

Back then, he had thought his life might be lost here too. But then it was just a possibility, while now these people were doomed.

It was said that the Three Judicial Departments handled death sentences, and so it was with those who came to carry out the execution this time: a minister from the Ministry of Punishments, a deputy head of the Supreme Court, and a commander of the Jinyiwei. As the time approached, someone reported to them. The minister from the Ministry of Punishments instinctively glanced at the expressionless Jinyiwei officer and, seeing that the Supreme Court official had no objections, casually drew a lot. Instantly, several executioners with guillotine knives stepped forward, habitually spraying liquor on their knives. At the moment the blades descended, the two civil officials above naturally opened their folding fans to block the bloodshed.

The officials disdained the sight of blood, believing it to be inauspicious, but the common people cared little. The oppressive atmosphere suddenly surged as several heads fell. Soon, there were sounds of sighs, murmurs of admiration, children’s cries, and shouts of people stepping on each other’s feet. In that instant, those who had been holding back their voices before the heads fell erupted in noise, turning Xisi Pailou into a noisy marketplace.

In a nearby alley, a mule cart stood quietly. Unlike the black-oiled carts used by ordinary people, this one was painted with its natural color and covered with a dark brown cover. It didn’t appear luxurious, but the strong mules pulling it and the driver were very robust. There were also several tall, burly attendants behind. The driver gently lowered the curtain from the golden hook and sat back on the pole, asking, “My lord, shall we return to the mansion?”

“We’ve already seen the example of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. Is it really necessary to stay here and be a hindrance?”

A faint voice from inside made the driver lower his head. Immediately, he whipped the mule, and the cart set off, with the attendants following swiftly. As the cart turned east along Taipingcang and then onto Huangqiang North Street, passing Beianmen and Buliang Bridge, its speed gradually slowed. When it reached Andingmen Street and passed through an alley, a soft thudding sound came from inside the cart. The driver, with his sharp ears, quickly stopped the cart.

“My lord?”

“Is Cheng Guogong’s Shijing Garden in this alley?”

“Yes… My lord, do you plan to go to Shijing Garden? But Cheng Guogong is surely not at home right now.”

“Let’s go.”

These two simple words left the driver puzzled, but he didn’t dare ask more. After responding, he continued driving. The group passed Shuangnian Street and Dengshi Hutong, then turned into Shiwangfu Hutong, stopping in front of a mansion. They drove the cart through the side gate inside. It wasn’t until they got off at the front gate that the King of Yue said another word.

He was the emperor’s direct younger brother and the empress dowager’s second son. Many pieces of information came to him without him having to inquire. He had thought his stay in the capital was a certainty, but it turned out it wouldn’t happen after all. It was said that after discussions between the emperor and the cabinet, a location had already been chosen. Though extremely unwilling, after witnessing such a massacre, he became highly alert. It had only been five days since everything happened—when had the Ming Dynasty ever handled cases this quickly?

“I have no choice but to accept it for now… But even if you leave, don’t think you’ll get away easily. Their names are similar—one is a hedgehog covered in thorns that can’t be touched, while the other is a fool full of flaws, easy to attack. Yet both share the same surname, Zhang!”
Muttering these words, the King of Yue returned to his room along the main road with a gloomy expression. When he reached his study, a servant rushed up to him. Before he could get angry, the servant whispered, “Your Highness, the martial arts classes started officially today. It seems there’s some dissatisfaction among the students. Should we…”
“What should we do? I only asked you to gather information, not to do anything else! Keep watching. Don’t do anything without my orders, and don’t get involved! There’s no need to cause trouble now. There are plenty of issues in the capital—no need for extra complications!”
This was the conclusion the King of Yue reached after much thought, though it was unfortunately too late. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He was still young, and it was impossible for him to discuss certain matters with advisors—just looking at the reasons for the King of Liang’s defeat showed how serious the consequences of trusting the wrong advisor could be. Only these household servants, whose lives were in his hands, could be trusted. Today’s vassal kings were far inferior to those of the past; they had far too little power and manpower.
If he were in the position of Zhu Zhanlevel-headed, the heir apparent of the Han dynasty, he surely wouldn’t die of illness so easily. He could do much more than he could now. After all, the Han vassal states once had many natural advantages, which were all ruined by that wasteful Zhu Gaoxu!
The Xisi Archway was just a few alleys away from the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence. Although the Zhang family’s servants didn’t go to watch the killing, since eight of them had been borrowed to watch over Du’s estate, the rest inevitably started discussing it. That day, using the killing as an excuse, some of them whispered a few words in front of Mother Cui. Thinking it made sense, Mother Cui wanted to bring it up with Du Wan, but upon entering the room, she saw it was packed with people—Qiu Hen and Hu Bo were there, and even Jing Guan and Tian Ci, who should have been at school, were sitting neatly.

But Mother Cui had never been one for hesitation. After offering her respects, she went over to Du Wan, bent slightly, and said, “Young mistress, I heard that at Xisi Pailou today, those servants from the Jin Prince’s mansion were executed on the spot. There are some rumors in the household that seem reasonable, so I thought I’d bring them to your attention. After we were separated into our own residences, our family had the fewest people. Although a few have joined us over the past couple of years, not many have been accepted. Now that we’ve lent eight servants to the Du family, there are even fewer strong servants left in our household. Though we don’t need dozens or hundreds, we still need to hire more people to guard the estate. I heard that a few days ago, the Fengcheng Marquis’s mansion in the southern city was raided by thieves overnight, and no one was caught. We must take precautions and hire more people.”

Du Wan had also heard Zhang Yue mention that the capital was now overcrowded, and the night patrols were insufficient. Setting up barriers at street intersections at night could help prevent thieves, so she pondered Mother Cui’s sudden suggestion. Huobo and Qiuhen usually didn’t interject in such matters, and Jingguan certainly wouldn’t disturb his mother’s thoughts. Instead, he gently pulled at San San, who seemed bored, before Tianci finally cleared his throat lightly.

“Sister-in-law, if we really need people, instead of hiring outsiders, why not go home and talk to our parents?”

Hearing this, Du Wan was initially stunned, then smiled at Tianci. “You mean well, but it’s not something that can be done quickly. Your family members also need to be used for other tasks. Besides, the Duke of Yingguo might need his men in battle soon, and even you will need people when the time comes. If you keep lending them all to your brother Yue, what will you do then? Also, if others find out, it would be too conspicuous, and those censors would surely criticize us again.”

Tianci wasn’t good with words and was momentarily at a loss for words. At that moment, Jingguan suddenly clapped his hands and shouted, “Mother, how about this? Our family members can only read, and Big Brother Zhang and Big Brother Niu need to go out with Father. Uncle Peng is too busy on his own. But in the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion, there are many servants who can’t work due to injuries and are receiving compensation. Why not borrow a few of them and train all our young men properly?”