At Noon Tomorrow, Beheaded in the Street

Shen Changqing's ruthlessness.

Had stunned everyone into silence. Hong Cheng and the others easily brought the Zhao Family under control.

Iron chains and shackles were put on them.

Every last one was escorted to the yamen.

Shen Changqing merely stood to one side and did not interfere further.

Among those being taken away were decrepit old men and wailing infants still needing to be fed.

Yet from beginning to end.

His expression did not change in the slightest.

For colluding with demons and evil spirits was absolutely unforgivable.

"If you must blame someone, blame the fact that you are members of the Zhao Family." Shen Changqing shook his head slightly, then looked at Hong Cheng beside him. "Once every member of the Zhao Family has been imprisoned, execute them at noon tomorrow.

"Also, send men to confiscate the Zhao Family estate. Move everything into the yamen treasury."

"Yes, sir!"

The Zhao Family had over a hundred members, and seeing them all escorted to the yamen naturally drew many onlookers.

"Good! Arrest them!"

"The Zhao Family dared collude with demons and evil spirits. Their property should have been confiscated and their entire clan exterminated long ago!"

"Damn it, I used to think Zhao Fang was a good official. Looking at it now, ptooey!"

"The thousand-plus people of Ancient Moon Village died with their eyes unclosed. The Zhao Family should be buried with them."

"Haha, Heaven has opened its eyes—the imperial court has opened its eyes—"

Not a single one of the watching citizens failed to applaud the Zhao Family's fate.

Ever since news of the Zhao Family colluding with demons and evil spirits had spread, the family's reputation had already been dragged through the mud.

Now that their estate was being confiscated.

In the eyes of the people, they had merely gotten what they deserved.

Colluding with demons and evil spirits.

In everyone's eyes, it was something that could not be tolerated.

"Sigh, the Zhao Family is finished!"

Cui Cheng, dressed in fitted martial attire with a longsword on his back, watched the many Zhao Family members being escorted toward the yamen and could not help sighing.

In truth, when he received Zhao Li's message, he had already arrived in Lin'an City.

But all along.

Cui Cheng had never intended to stand up for the Zhao Family.

Although he and Zhao Li shared a considerable friendship, friendship was friendship. The matter at hand was no longer something that simple friendship could resolve.

If he intervened and the matter was exposed, it might implicate the Origin-Returning Sword Sect behind him.

For the sake of one friend.

Sacrificing his sect was plainly impossible.

As for this.

Zhao Li had remained completely in the dark. He had only believed that Cui Cheng had failed to arrive in time after receiving his message, never knowing that the moment the Zhao Family was sealed off, Cui Cheng had already reached Lin'an City.

"Senior Brother, isn't the Zhao Family rather pitiful?"

Beside Cui Cheng, Zhao Yue's willow brows furrowed slightly. Perhaps because they both bore the surname Zhao, she felt a trace of pity for the Zhao Family.

Especially when she saw that some of those arrested were carrying infants in their arms, she felt even more displeased.

At those words.

Cui Cheng turned his head and looked at his junior sister's delicate face, his expression solemn. "Junior Sister, you may say such things in my ear, but you must never say them before outsiders.

"Otherwise, you will bring disaster upon the Origin-Returning Sword Sect!"

"Senior Brother—" Seeing Cui Cheng's grave expression, Zhao Yue's face immediately showed dissatisfaction.

Seeing this.

Cui Cheng sighed and patiently explained further, "You must understand that throughout history, those who colluded with demons and evil spirits have harmed countless fellow humans. Worse still, some have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

"From that time onward, Great Qin established laws decreeing that anyone who colluded with demons and evil spirits would have nine generations of their family implicated.

"The purpose was to deter others and ensure they dared not collude with demons and evil spirits.

"The Zhao Family members may be innocent, but the people of Ancient Moon Village were even more innocent. If the Zhao Family were spared, then everyone would follow their example, colluding with demons and evil spirits to slaughter commoners. Who, then, would speak for those commoners who died so miserably?

"If anyone were to pursue your words, at best they would say you disregarded Great Qin's laws. At worst, they might pin the charge of colluding with demons and evil spirits on you.

"At that time, even the Origin-Returning Sword Sect absolutely could not protect you."

Those words.

Made Zhao Yue's face turn pale.

"I-I only said a couple of things casually. How, how did that become colluding with demons and evil spirits?"

"There are some things where not doing them does not necessarily mean you did not do them. In the eyes of those with ulterior motives, a single sentence can be used to pin countless charges on you. Especially since the Origin-Returning Sword Sect has no shortage of enemies.

"If they truly caught hold of something to use against us, they would surely make a great issue of it.

"So there are some things you may think in your heart, but absolutely must not speak carelessly. Even if you do speak them, you must consider the occasion and the gravity of the matter."

Cui Cheng warned her earnestly. After he finished, he felt somewhat weary as well.

His junior sister had rarely left the sect before, yet she had caused him no small amount of trouble along the way.

Had his strength not been decent, and had the Origin-Returning Sword Sect not possessed some reputation in Vast Source Prefecture.

Perhaps.

Something would have happened to them long ago.

While the two spoke, the Zhao Family members had all been escorted into the yamen.

After following the Zhao Family members to the yamen entrance, the many citizens stopped in their tracks.

They waited.

Waited for an outcome.

Before long.

Clerk Shi Qingsheng walked out of the yamen, looked at all the citizens, and announced in a clear voice, "At noon tomorrow, the Zhao Family members will be beheaded in the street east of the city!"

After saying that.

He returned to the yamen, leaving only two constables guarding the entrance.

Beheaded in the street!

Those four words stirred an uproar among the many citizens.

If they had merely been speculating while the Zhao Family was being escorted to the yamen, then Shi Qingsheng's words now completely pronounced the Zhao Family's death sentence.

"Beheaded!"

Cui Cheng gave them a deep look, then pulled Zhao Yue away.

There was no need to keep watching.

Beheading them in the street had already sealed the Zhao Family's fate.

He had not acted in the beginning, and now he was even less likely to act. The Zhao Family was destined to perish here and now.

The Zhao Family's imprisonment, along with news of their execution the next day, spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. Before much time had passed, it had already spread throughout the entire city.

Everyone knew.

At noon tomorrow, the Zhao Family would be beheaded in the city's east.

This topic.

Became the subject of conversation for the overwhelming majority of citizens.

"Implicating nine generations, beheading them in the street—Great Qin's laws are as merciless as ever!" In an inn, someone sighed before lifting his wine cup and draining it.

The person sharing his table heard this and shook his head with a smile.

"Colluding with demons and evil spirits means they deserve it. If not for Great Qin's laws restraining them, who knows how many people would defect to the Eternal Life Alliance? Killing them is good. The more killed, the fewer will dare side with demons and evil spirits."

"Forget it, this has nothing to do with us. Drink, drink. Tomorrow, we'll go watch the execution."

"Fine, drink, drink!"

The two clinked cups and traded drinks, drinking to their hearts' content.

Meanwhile.

Hong Cheng led several men through the Zhao Family estate, turning it upside down inside and out. In the end, they hauled everything back to the yamen in one sweep.

Inside the main hall.

Shi Qingsheng held a ledger in his hands and reported on several matters.

Shen Changqing sat at the head, slowly sipping tea as he listened to every word.

"Reporting to you, my lord, this search of the Zhao Family residence uncovered two thousand taels of gold, seven thousand taels of silver, as well as several antiques and paintings. Their preliminary estimated value is around twenty thousand taels—"