Transmigrated into Substitute Bride ‘Fu Lang’

 

Transmigrated into Substitute Bride Fu Lang

Chapter 24 : 行刑

Execution

Chen Xing subconsciously looked towards the direction where the sound came from, and was stunned when he saw what was happening there. He saw on the street where there were not many pedestrians, at this moment there were vast and mighty troops walking in from the corner of the street, slowly marching past under the watchful eyes of the people.

 

In the middle of the procession were several prison carts, on which stood the prisoners of the Lai family who were about to be sent to the execution ground, all of them with numb (lifeless) faces and no emotion on their dirty faces.

 

On either side of the carts were the Yamen officials responsible for escorting the prisoners, as well as the people who followed the carts with their vegetable baskets and at the same time, pulling out the rotten leaves and rotten eggs from inside the basket, throwing it at the prisoner carts.

 

Chen Xing stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of him, looking at the dozen or so prisoners whose faces could not be seen clearly and struggling to identify Lai Jiu from them, who previously had been insufferably arrogant but was now even dirtier than a beggar.

 

Looking at the fierce and cruel young master who was originally so high and mighty as he did not put anyone in his eyes, but had turned into such a state now, Chen Xing’s mood was extraordinarily complicated.

 

As the procession drew nearer, Chen Xing could even smell the stink smell of the prisoners, therefore he could not help but cover his nose.

 

Looking at those people, as if they could not smell their bad smell and were still venting their anger at this moment, Chen Xing could not help but think of how many bad things they had done to make these common people hate them so much.

 

But before Chen Xing could come up with the reason why, the long procession passed before his eyes, taking those who had done all kinds of evil things, along with their victims, moved towards their final place of judgment.

 

Chen Xing looked at the crowd in the distance, before he could make any reaction, he heard an indifferent voice come from beside him, “Do you want to go over and take a look?”

 

Chen Xing came back from his trance and turned his head to see Gu Lang looking at himself, those dark eyes full of his own reflection, as if he could hold Chen Xing only in his eyes.

 

But Gu Lang misinterpreted Chen Xing’s staring at himself and not speaking as not having heard his question.

 

Gu Lang sighed softly, looked at the absent person in front of him and said in a gentle voice, “Do you want to follow along and see how they carried out the execution in the end?”

 

Chen Xing licked his lips, which were a little dry for unknown reason, and asked in a trance-like manner, “What will happen to them?”

 

Gu Lang’s eyes were cold and indifferent, his voice was cold, “They will be executed (received the death penalty).”

 

Chen Xing felt that it was somewhat cruel, he wasn’t sure if he, someone who had grown up in a modern society, would throw up at the sight of such a bloody scene. Just when Chen Xing wanted to tell Gu Lang that he would not be going, a large group of scholar students came out of the bookstore they had just come out of. They hurriedly chased after the troops escorting the prisoners.

 

“Hurry up, I heard that this time the county magistrate himself is taking charge of it, so we might be able to see it from beginning to the end, if we go there now.”

 

“We should follow the example of the County Magistrate and if we become officials in the future, we must be good officials like the County Magistrate in getting rid of the evil people.”

 

“Yes, if I come across such evil people in the future, I will also prosecute and punish them according to the law, just like the County Magistrate.”

 

“For such vicious (guilty of terrible crimes) people, a simple beheading has already let them off too lightly. ”

 

Chen Xing was a little taken back as he watched them energetically went to watch the execution, he felt that these young men were not at all like the kind of lacking the strength even to truss a chicken (unaccustomed to physical work; fig.for weak) and frail scholar he imagined it to be.

 

Chen Xing stared at their backs for a while longer, until a voice came from his ears, only then he withdrew his gaze,

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

Chen Xing looked at Gu Lang with some embarrassment and hesitated for a moment before saying what he thought, “I think that those scholars are a bit too bold, in my impression, scholarly students are usually gentle and frail-looking.”

 

Gu Lang lowered his eyes and looked at the blushed Ger in front of him, and when Chen Xing didn’t not see him, the corner of his mouth curved up in a mocking curve, but his voice was still as gentle as ever, “If you don’t even have the guts to do this, what can you do in the future even if you become an official? Being an official has never been something that can be done with only a little learning.”

 

Chen Xing felt that Gu Lang’s words were a bit strange and when he looked up, he saw Gu Lang’s cold expression.

 

Perhaps it was Chen Xing’s gaze that made Gu Lang realize that his words were a bit inappropriate, therefore he quickly put away the cold expression on his face. He then returned to his usual gentle and elegant appearance as he lowered his head, looked at Chen Xing and smiled, “So, do you want to go and take a look now?”

 

When Gu Lang asked this, he was already prepared to go their way back home, after all, from what he had just observed, Chen Xing seemed didn’t like such a bloody affair very much.

 

Who would have expected that, after pondering for two seconds, Chen Xing said with a somewhat odd expression on his face, “Let’s go over and take a look, I want to see how they carry out the execution. If, if I just can’t take it anymore, we’ll go back.”

 

Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing, who had a torn face, the corner of his lips curled up as he said softly, “Okay.”

 

Although Chen Xing said with his mouth that he wanted to see it, when he really went over, he was still a bit timid to see those bloody scenes. When he and Gu Lang arrived at the place and looked at the lively crowd, he was completely stunned.

 

Chen Xing originally thought that there would be at most a few victims and people coming to see the liveliness, so the total number of people would not exceed a hundred, but who knew that when he came to the scene, he found that there were more than three hundred people here.

 

Looking at this scene, which was as lively as if it was a bazaar, the psychological construction Chen Xing had just built for himself collapsed. He then suddenly felt less scared.

 

Gu Lang, who had been following behind Chen Xing, was exceptionally calm, and after sweeping past the crowd gathered here with various purposes, he then fixed his gaze on the high platform of the execution ground in front.

 

Before Chen Xing could regain his senses from the atmosphere of the execution which was likened to a vegetable market, the voices around suddenly dropped and then he heard the loud voice of the official coming from the front, “Everyone,be quiet, the county magistrate has something to say!”

 

After the officer finished his sentence, the whispering voices in that place fell completely silent.

 

That yamen official seemed satisfied with this kind of effect and nodded, giving up the position he was standing in and giving way to the county magistrate behind him. The County Magistrate was wearing an official’s uniform and stood in an awesome bearing.

 

Not knowing if it was because of the execution or something else, but Chen Xing felt that the county magistrate’s face, which originally still had a bit of a scholarly air, had a bit more of a stern expression on it.

 

Chen Xing was still wondering why the county magistrate had made such a big impact. The county magistrate standing above had already waved his sleeves and shouted towards the crowd below, “We are gathered here today to witness personally the bad end of the Lai family and this county magistrate hopes that you all will take this as a warning and be strict with yourselves in the future, so that you will not do anything to endanger others, violates the laws or commit crimes.”

 

“Yes!” As soon as he finished speaking, the people below responded in unison as if they had received some kind of call.

 

Satisfied with the scene before him, the county magistrate raised the token in his hand and said in a loud voice, “Now, bring the prisoners up!”

 

As soon as the county magistrate’s command came out, the Lai family who had long since been released from the prison cart, were immediately dragged by the officials towards the guillotine.

 

Chen Xing looked at those Lai’s family members who struggled desperately, but in the end, they could not resist the officials and were dragged to the guillotine like dead dogs. The Lai Family’s emotions were also particularly complicated.

 

“The Lai family has committed the most heinous crimes, and according to the law of the present dynasty, the whole family should be executed and confiscate their property but in consideration of the innocence of their wives, they were let off the hook. The rest of the sinners will be executed at noon today! I hope that all of you will take this as a warning not to commit the same wrongdoings in the future.”

 

As soon as the county magistrate’s words fell, those men who had been dragged up were pressed onto the guillotine in unison by the officials. The executioners next to them were ready to begin their work by his command.

 

Under the various mixed feelings of the crowd, the sun rose little by little into the sky, that yamen attendant in charge of keeping an eye on the hour looked at the overlapping sun clocks and shouted, “The hour is up!”

 

Seeing the county magistrate, just like in the TV drama series, threw out the token of authority in his hand the moment he heard the announcement from the official and at the same time, he shouted, “Execute!”

 

Then Chen Xing felt a blackness in front of his eyes before he could react, he was confused for a moment and soon realized that someone had already covered his eyes. He reflexively tried to pull the hand covering his eyes, but only heard a cold voice come from behind him, “Do you want to see their heads fall to the ground?”

 

Chen Xing instantly froze, he heard that it was Gu Lang’s voice. The hand on Gu Lang’s wrist didn’t move anymore as he just let Gu Lang cover his eyes and stood there.

 

After Gu Lang glanced at Chen Xing who was obediently listening to his words, he moved his gaze to the stage, only to see the executioner’s hand rise and fall,as the heads fell from the stage and blood flowing down their necks.

 

Gu Lang’s that handsome face did not fluctuate in the slightest, so calm that as if he had seen such a scene countless times before.

 

Chen Xing’s eyes were covered and could not see what was going on around him, but his other senses around him became more and more sensitive, soon afterward a faint medicinal fragrance wafted to his nose, the fragrance was not too strong with a bit of a clear and cold smell, just like the feeling Gu Lang’s whole person gave off.

 

When he thought that the medicinal fragrance was coming from Gu Lang’s body and that he was still being held in Gu Lang’s arms, Chen Xing’s face involuntarily turned red. He was even glad that Gu Lang was standing behind him and covering his eyes, otherwise his current state would have been definitely more and more shameful if Gu Lang had seen him.

 

Just as Chen Xing was immersed in an indescribable sense of shame, the punishment of the Lai family over there had already ended.

 

Gu Lang looked indifferently at the women of the Lai family who had not been integrated with, bringing their children next to those beheaded corpses and crying as if heaven was bumping with the earth. The hand covering Chen Xing’s eyes never moved even for a bit until the person in front of him gently removed his hand and asked warily, “Is it over?”

 

Gu Lang lowered his head and looked at Chen Xing who was encircled in his arms and was now alert likened to a small animal being captured, so he faintly curled the corners of his mouth. His voice returned to its previous gentleness, “It’s over.”

 

After that Gu Lang led Chen Xing away from the execution ground, making sure that he couldn’t see any reeking of blood before letting go of his hand that covered his eyes.

 

Chen Xing, who had regained the light in his sight, blinked for a moment, looked at Gu Lang in front of him and muttered softly, “Why did you cover my eyes?”

 

Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing’s muttering and complaining look, the gloomy emotions that had risen earlier while watching the execution began to dissipate a little.

 

Gu Lang curled up his lips, his expression gentle,”Because I’m worried that someone will be scared at night if they look at it.”