Chapter 29: When the Streets Were Empty
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After dawn the next day, Du Fuwei ordered Lu Li’er and the others to be brought out of the prison, loaded into prisoner carts, and sent to the vicinity of the Meridian Gate. From the third hour until noon, a full two hours passed, and the people of Zhangqiu, hearing that their former county magistrate was to stand trial and might be beheaded, were more eager than for any other event. They arrived early, carrying small stools to watch the spectacle.
Near the Meridian Gate, the crowd was packed with ordinary citizens, men and women, young and old, merchants and laborers, cart drivers and water sellers, blacksmiths and performers, relatives visiting each other—all encircling the gate so tightly that not even a bird could escape.
In the past, most of those tried and executed here were common folk, punished for breaking the laws of the Great Sui with public beheadings to serve as warnings, the killing of chickens to frighten monkeys. Now, the world had turned upside down—those on trial were former county officials, and the people cheered and applauded. Hmph, so you finally have your day, you end up like this—serves you right!
Du Fuwei presided over the trial, while Li Dong, not being an official, did not sit in the front but disguised himself as an ordinary citizen hidden among the crowd.
The people, filled with righteous indignation, shouted, “Kill him! Kill them!”
As for why they should be killed, no one could give a proper reason. They simply felt that such people were no good, once rampant in the county and guilty of every crime. To be killed a hundred or a thousand times would not be enough.
Li Dong moved about in the crowd, watching who was most agitated, then quietly squeezed over and chatted with them. At first, some were suspicious, but soon they believed his words. After a circuit through the crowd, Li Dong was sweating and slipped to the back, waiting to see what would happen.
Soon, the crowd’s slogans shifted to the county constable: “Coward!” “Afraid of death!” “Guilty of failing the army!” The shouts grew louder and louder. Of the three prisoners in the cage, the constable was the most bewildered. These were the very words he used to curse others; how had they ended up in the mouths of the common folk?
Du Fuwei heard the people’s cries, his face twisting into a strange expression. Seeing the time approach, he ordered the constable dragged from the cage and roughly shoved him to an open patch of ground.
The crowd recoiled several yards, fearing the splash of blood.
Only then did the constable truly understand: today, he would be the first to lose his head. All the words from Li Dong and Du Fuwei in the cell had been lies. The desire to live and the fear of death tore at his heart like a wild beast.
He collapsed, his bones seeming to have been suddenly removed. He could neither stand nor move, a puddle of flesh. Even his throat refused to cooperate; he couldn’t cry for help, his voice hoarse and broken. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at the people, remorseful for all his past wrongs.
Had he known he could not escape death, he would have fought to protect Zhangqiu and died on the battlefield, earning a hero’s name. That would be better than this, begging for life like a dog.
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A flash of steel, blood sprayed, and the constable’s head rolled far away.
Someone wrapped his corpse in a tattered mat, tossed it on a wheelbarrow, and pushed it out of the city to bury it on some random patch of ground.
Meanwhile, the county deputy and Lu Li’er, despite their resolve, could not help but tremble in terror. This was the bloody reality—one moment, alive; the next, headless and dead. All dreams of promotion, wealth, and concubines vanished into thin air—survival was all that mattered.
The crowd caught its breath, growing even more excited, shouting in unison, “Kill him! Kill him!” and pressing ever closer to the cage.
Once the constable had been removed, it was as if water had been poured into a boiling pot—the crowd erupted. They surged toward the cage, tearing, ripping, biting, kicking. Those with stools smashed them; those empty-handed grabbed bricks. Clubs and bricks flew together, saliva and blood flowed as one.
Even the guards watching over Lu Li’er suffered. Their clothes were torn, their beards pulled until patchy, their faces blotched red, purple, green, black, and blue, almost forming a human rainbow. The cage collapsed, Lu Li’er was pinned to the ground, and no one knew if he was kicked or not—the legs simply kicked madly into the mass.
Whether Lu Li’er was kicked hardly mattered. What mattered was to participate, to kick, to vent, to feel balanced and relieved.
Du Fuwei, seeing the chaos, could not proceed with the deputy’s execution and hurried away with his men. As soon as he left, the soldiers of Zhi Shilang marched in, dragging the people away one by one. Within half a meal’s time, the execution ground was cleared.
Now, looking for Lu Li’er’s figure, he was nowhere to be found. The soldiers were shocked—had a living person been torn apart and devoured by the crowd?
They searched everywhere but found nothing. Questioning those who had joined the fray, everyone said they saw nothing. They only remembered a crowd kicking someone, so they joined in to vent, but no one noticed when Lu Li’er disappeared.
The soldiers, terrified, rushed to report to Zhi Shilang. He was also stunned, immediately ordering a city-wide search: better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip away. Thus, any ordinary citizen who looked even slightly like Lu Li’er suffered a bloody fate, dying without ever knowing why.
Du Fuwei, dejected, went to confess his failure to Zhi Shilang, vowing bitterly to dig three feet deep to find Lu Li’er. Zhi Shilang did not punish him but instead comforted him, advising him to let it go.
In truth, Du Fuwei secretly laughed, mocking the ignorance of Zhangqiu’s people and the stupidity of Zhi Shilang. For in the chaos, Li Dong had seized the chance and rescued Lu Li’er to safety. At that moment, he was arranging for him to leave the city.
In Du Fuwei’s secret courtyard, Du Yu, sweating profusely, reported the events at the execution ground to Lu Rou. Hearing that her father was hated by the people to the point of gnashing their teeth, Lu Rou was so frightened that her whole body trembled, her pretty face pale as paper.
Du Yu comforted her, “Miss Lu, please rest assured. The magistrate was not executed like the constable. He might have been rescued. Before seeing him... before knowing for sure, do not jump to conclusions.”
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That was all she could do. Lu Rou knew that as a woman, she was powerless in matters of violence and death. She wished to save her father but was helpless.
A familiar figure flashed in her mind. Besides him, no one could save her father. But where was he now? Why hadn’t he come to see her? At this moment, Lu Rou’s hatred faded, overwhelmed by the hope of her father’s rescue.
Suddenly, someone knocked gently—not at the main entrance, but at the door of the main house. Who could approach so quietly, unnoticed? Both Du Yu and Lu Rou were startled.
Opening the door, they found Li Dong, appearing as if he had emerged from a dye house, his clothes a riot of colors.
Lu Rou bit her lip, pondered a moment, then said to Du Yu, “Brother Du, please check outside to see if anyone is following us. I... I have something to say to Li Dong.”
Du Yu blushed and hurried out.
Li Dong guessed that Lu Rou had sent Du Yu away for something important, though what she intended to say, he did not know.
After Du Yu left, he gently closed the door. Footsteps faded into the distance.
Lu Rou closed her eyes, and crystal tears slipped down her cheeks. She loosened her clothing, removing her outer garments, still keeping her eyes shut as she spoke: “If you can rescue my father from his suffering, today... today, I will be yours...”
Despite all his experiences, Li Dong was suddenly as awkward as a schoolboy, able only to stammer, “Ah... Oh... Uh…”
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