Chapter 46 Harsh Punishments in Troubled Times

Chapter 46: Severe Punishments in Troubled Times

The rain grew heavier.

The common folk huddled together, yet a vacuum seemed to surround Chu Jiubian, keeping everyone at a distance.

The surrounding civilians, even the soldiers and officials near Qin Xiao, appeared not to notice this phenomenon. It was as if they were controlled by some force, instinctively ignoring the strangeness.

Only Qin Xiao saw it.

Once again, he witnessed the extraordinary supernatural quality about Chu Jiubian.

He also saw the other's indifferent gaze.

This was Chu Jiubian's usual demeanor—his light-colored pupils seldom betrayed any emotion, and he always carried a sense of solitude, as if detached from the world.

Zhou Boshan's agonized cries grew weaker and weaker. Those tied to the other stakes were officials from Huaixian County and Guangqing Prefecture. By now, some had fainted, others were weeping, and pleas for mercy rose and fell.

But almost all were swallowed by the sound of rain, unable to reach Qin Xiao's ears.

Standing hundreds of meters apart across the curtain of rain, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian remained motionless, their gazes locked.

After what felt like an eternity, the man's screams ceased completely, and a pool of bright red blood spread into a large pinkish puddle.

Lightning flashed through the clouds, and thunder rumbled loudly.

Qin Xiao stood up and ordered those beside him, "The disaster relief grain has arrived. Prepare to distribute porridge."

This person was the Commandant of Hexi Commandery. Having witnessed Qin Xiao's methods back in Puxian County—where a fourth-rank prefect was executed without hesitation—and now this "lingchi punishment," he felt both respect and fear.

He didn't even dare to look Qin Xiao in the face, lowering his eyes slightly as he acknowledged the order.

Qin Xiao stepped forward, not bothering with an umbrella, and walked slowly toward Chu Jiubian.

Most of the onlookers had fled in terror when Zhou Boshan was barely recognizable as human. The remaining few now scrambled panic-stricken into the city, their eyes filled with fear and dread when they glanced at Qin Xiao.

They didn’t look at him as a savior but rather as some kind of monster.

Qin Xiao stopped in front of Chu Jiubian, drenched from head to toe, with a few strands of wet hair clinging to his cheeks.

Chu Jiubian stared at him for two breaths, then tilted the umbrella handle slightly, sheltering Qin Xiao under it.

"Did you just arrive?" Qin Xiao asked.

"Mm." Chu Jiubian glanced behind him. "What will you do with those people?"

He was referring to the officials other than Zhou Boshan.

"Behead them," Qin Xiao replied flatly.

As if on cue, the soldiers who had remained on site drew their blades at the Commandant's order and, one after another, slit the throats of those officials.

Bright red blood sprayed, dyeing the entire ground crimson.

Chu Jiubian watched from a distance when suddenly, a deep, weary voice spoke.

"Do you think I'm cruel?" Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian paused, raising his eyes to meet the man's bloodshot, exhausted gaze.

"Why do you ask?" He was somewhat surprised.

"Everyone says so," Qin Xiao stared intently at him. "What about you?"

Chu Jiubian's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the stubble beginning to show on the man's chin.

He suddenly wondered if, in a world without him, Qin Xiao had ever harbored the same doubts and uncertainties?

Had he asked someone else the same question back then?

Or had Qin Xiao silently swallowed all these emotions from beginning to end, continuing to "do as he pleased," remaining the "cruel and bloodthirsty" regent in everyone's eyes?

In that moment, Chu Jiubian suddenly felt that he and Qin Xiao weren’t actually that similar.

"You did the right thing," Chu Jiubian raised his eyes again to meet the man's gaze, not shying away. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

In the current situation, only by executing these people could public sentiment be stabilized and the court's and emperor's authority be maintained.

Moreover, such swift and decisive action was Qin Xiao's third act of deterrence to the people.

The first time, Qin Xiao bloodied the Shenwu Gate, suppressing the rebellious ambitions of the noble vassal princes.

The second time, he beheaded two scions of powerful families in front of all officials, demonstrating that he did not fear the influence of these aristocratic families and forcing them to restrain their descendants from daring to defy the court.

The third time was today.

Qin Xiao used the cruelest punishment to deliver the most direct warning to all officials aligned with the powerful families.

Anyone could rely on these families; anyone could seek opportunities to climb higher. But Qin Xiao's bottom line was "the common people" and righteousness.

The court could engage in all kinds of struggles, but using the people as bargaining chips was absolutely forbidden.

Otherwise, Qin Xiao had shown everyone today the consequences they would face.

Of course, this also served another important purpose: to make all those who relied on the powerful families see clearly, should anything happen, whether the powerful families behind them would truly protect them.

Qin Xiao understood the firmness and calmness in Chu Jiubian's attitude.

Yet because of this, he wanted to dig deeper, to get a clearer answer.

"But I used the *lingchi* punishment," he said.

This punishment was established by the second emperor of the previous dynasty, a ruler posthumously titled "Li" (Severe). Not only did he institute *lingchi*, but also punishments like *paoluo* (burning against a heated metal pillar), flaying, and chariot tearing.

Later, because these methods were deemed too cruel, subsequent emperors, seeking a reputation for "benevolence," never used them again.

Now, Qin Xiao had reinstated *lingchi*. Even if he himself felt it was justified, seeing the fear in the people's eyes made him waver for a moment.

He hadn’t been afraid of being misunderstood by the world before, nor of his reputation for brutality.

He even felt that such a fearsome reputation could better intimidate the realm.

But now, facing Chu Jiubian, he desperately wanted to know the other's opinion.

"Punishments are light or heavy according to the era; uniformity is not always appropriate. There are principles and essentials," Chu Jiubian said calmly. "In chaotic times, severe punishments are used. What of *lingchi*? Some people simply deserve to die."

"No matter how cruelly they die, or how many times over, the sins they committed can never be atoned for."

The harm has already been done; any price paid is too light.

Those people who lost their lives due to Zhou Boshan's poor judgment, those innocent souls—even if he were to die a hundred times over, they'd never return.

Qin Xiao looked at him, remaining silent for a long while.

Chu Jiubian was speaking of Zhou Boshan, of those corrupt officials, of all the powerful nobles and officials who treated human life as worthless.

But it wasn't just about them.

He seemed to be referring to something more obscure, something only he knew—certain people, certain events.

Qin Xiao lowered his gaze, looking at the young man's left wrist gripping the umbrella handle.

The marks there had already faded significantly, but as Chu Jiubian himself had said, some wounds may no longer be visible on the surface, yet the harm they caused would never truly vanish.

Qin Xiao's fingertips twitched faintly but were immediately withdrawn, clenched into a fist.

Yet the next moment, he still reached out and took hold of the umbrella handle.

Chu Jiubian let go.

They didn't speak further on the matter, walking side by side into the city.

Qin Xiao held the umbrella handle, with most of the canopy sheltering Chu Jiubian's head.

"Have the people been settled?" Chu Jiubian asked.

"They're all in the northern part of the city."

The relief funds and grain were being overseen by Director of the Ministry of Revenue Chao Shun, who dared not make any mistakes. Thus, Chu Jiubian felt at ease walking with Qin Xiao along the city streets, heading north toward where the flood victims were gathered.

Huai County had nearly thirty thousand residents, and the three submerged villages accounted for nearly ten thousand people.

These individuals were relocated by Qin Xiao in batches to different villages and towns, placed under the care of Commandants who dispatched soldiers to watch over them, preventing riots and accidents.

Currently, in Huai County's town alone, there were over a thousand flood victims, all gathered at a dilapidated Taoist temple in the northern part of the city.

As the two walked, they encountered many local residents wearing straw raincoats, along with scattered flood victims.

They were likely the same group who had been watching the events outside the city earlier.

Upon seeing Qin Xiao, these people's expressions changed, and they hurriedly avoided him.

Chu Jiubian glanced at Qin Xiao, who remained calm, seemingly untroubled.

"How were the remains of the people handled?" Chu Jiubian asked.

Qin Xiao replied, "I had them retrieved and burned."

Floods are most likely to breed epidemics, so burning the bodies was the safest measure.

This included the people from Pu County who had been thrown into the floodwaters to reinforce the embankments. Qin Xiao had also ordered Director of the Ministry of Works Liu Junqi, who remained to repair the embankments, to retrieve and burn all the bodies, ensuring they were properly disposed of.

However, this meant that those who witnessed the burning of their relatives' and friends' remains felt a more complex mix of emotions toward Qin Xiao—awe and gratitude, but also a hint of resentment.

In these times, people placed great importance on burial and peace for the deceased, and they deeply opposed destroying remains.

But this was the most reliable method, and Qin Xiao had to do it.

By the time the two reached the northern part of the city, the sky had completely darkened.

The Taoist temple sheltering the flood victims had once been quite prosperous, but after the magistrate of Huai County became Buddhist and expelled the Taoist priests, the temple became dilapidated.

Still, the temple was spacious, and accommodating over a thousand flood victims wasn't overly crowded.

The two didn't approach, standing instead at a distance to observe.

The grain brought by Chu Jiubian had already arrived. The temple gates were wide open, with many local officials from Huai County assisting the relief troops in unloading the supplies.

Some of the stronger flood victims were also helping, while those who were weaker tried to contribute in whatever way they could. Others knelt with hands pressed together, bowing to heaven and earth in gratitude.

There had been no porridge distribution that evening, and the people had grown restless. However, upon hearing that Qin Xiao had executed the corrupt officials outside the city, even those with grievances dared not voice their dissatisfaction.

Now, with the arrival of the grain, their discontent vanished entirely, replaced by gratitude.

Gratitude for momentary relief, for the officials' slight compassion, for the vague mercy of the gods.

Such were the flood victims—such were the uneducated common people.

They knew little of lofty principles, unable even to distinguish right from wrong. Struggling to secure basic sustenance, how could they ponder who treated them well and who did not?

Anyone who provided them with food and drink, who kept them from starving or freezing, was a good person, a good official.

Those who didn't provide for them were corrupt and evil officials.

Before the relief grain arrived, Qin Xiao had already been seen as a cruel and fearsome official in their eyes. Now, with the grain delivered, he became the good official who cared for them and eliminated the corrupt.

But this wasn't their fault.

Whether in previous dynasties or under the past rulers of Great Ning, the policy had always been to keep the people ignorant.

Commoners didn't need to understand; they were merely tools of production, for warfare, for political attacks—insignificant as ants...

They could be many things, but never complete individuals with sound minds.

Even the few who gained awareness would, for the sake of so-called prospects or a better life, become dependents of various factions.

From tools, they turned into disposable pawns.

As for those educated scholars and nobles who claimed to understand principles, how many truly grasped them?

Chu Jiubian stood quietly, the umbrella shielding his head, though his clothes, shoes, and socks were already soaked.

A faint disturbance arose from the distant temple, and then a figure rushed out, laughing and shouting.

It was a woman.

Though the sky was dark, the outline of her figure revealed a heavily swollen abdomen.

She was pregnant!

Chu Jiubian's expression changed, and he quickly moved toward her. Qin Xiao moved almost simultaneously.

Several people emerged from the temple in pursuit, all appearing to be older women.

The woman jumped and danced in the rain, then suddenly stopped, shyly touching a decorative hairpin tucked into her messy bun. She spoke to the empty space as if asking someone if it looked pretty.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao approached her, noticing her tangled hair clinging to her face and a coin-sized birthmark faintly visible on her cheek.

The woman tilted her head, looking at Chu Jiubian.

Then, as if remembering something, she ran toward Chu Jiubian. Qin Xiao almost instinctively stepped forward to block him.

The woman reached out and tightly grasped Qin Xiao's arm, her dark eyes empty and glazed.

"You're back," she said, hurriedly withdrawing her hand to smooth her hair. Then, carefully, she took out a small, drenched garment from the front of her robe. The red linen, soaked through, had bled from soaking, turning dull and gray.

"I made this for our child. Isn't it pretty?" Her gaze grew increasingly distant as she cradled the small garment against her chest, smiling gently. "It's beautiful. Our child will look good in anything."

The women who had been chasing her caught up. Recognizing Qin Xiao, their faces changed, looking alarmed, and they knelt to kowtow.

"Rise," Qin Xiao commanded, then looked at the distraught woman.

One of the bolder women spoke up, her voice trembling. "Sir, she's mad. She didn't offend you, did she?"

"It's fine. Take her back," Qin Xiao replied.

The other women quickly surrounded the woman, supporting and guiding her as they carefully led her back toward the Taoist temple.

Chu Jiubian stopped the brave woman and asked, "What happened to her?"

"Sir," the woman replied, not daring to lie, and quickly told him everything she knew.

It turned out that Qin Xiao had previously ordered doctors from nearby counties to be summoned and assigned to the areas where the disaster victims had gathered to provide medical care. An elderly doctor from Yunlu County had been assigned to this Taoist temple.

The old doctor was accompanied by a young apprentice and this distraught woman.

"It's truly pitiful," the woman sighed. "Dan Niang's husband was falsely condemned and killed by the magistrate of Yunlu County. When she heard the news, the emotional shock drove her mad, and she’s been sometimes lucid, sometimes mad ever since. The old doctor took pity on her and has been keeping her with him."

The magistrate of Yunlu County?

Chu Jiubian had heard Liu Junqi mention him before—the one who had innocent commoners executed at the yamen entrance. He was among the officials who had just had their throats slit outside the city walls.

That manner of death was far too merciful for him.

Chu Jiubian felt his head spinning again. He closed his eyes, bearing the dizziness, and asked the system in his mind, "Can she be treated?"

"Host, this system can perform a comprehensive scan and provide a treatment plan. It will cost 30 Faith Points. Are you sure you want to generate the treatment plan?"

He had just earned over 30 Faith Points from the disaster relief efforts, and now he was about to use them so soon.

"Confirm," he said.

"Target located. Scanning in progress."

"Scan complete."

"The patient is suffering from mild mental disturbance from emotional shock. Special medication can be used for intervention. Given that she is pregnant, it is recommended to halve the dosage."

Chu Jiubian felt relief.

"As the host has reached the required spending threshold in the system, you are given one course of medication."

"If the host requires broader and more extensive scanning for multiple individuals, please spend 300 Faith Points to purchase a monthly service."

Chu Jiubian slowly opened his eyes and saw that the woman who had answered him had already turned and run back into the temple.

The surroundings were dark all around, with only a faint light coming from the distant Taoist temple.

The rain muffled the voices from inside the temple, but the pattering against the umbrella grew increasingly distinct.

Qin Xiao’s profound gaze was fixed on the figures moving about in the temple. The sensation where the woman had gripped his arm remained vivid, and the feeling of tight grip slowly spread from his arm to his chest, making him breathless.

Suddenly, the back of his left hand, which held the umbrella, felt a chill, and the muscles in his arm instinctively tensed.

Qin Xiao looked down and saw the young man’s cool palm covering his hand.

The umbrella handle tilted, then drooped completely, before the young man took it and closed it shut.

Qin Xiao looked up, looking at Chu Jiubian in the faint light.

Without the shelter of the umbrella, Chu Jiubian was now fully exposed to the rain alongside him.

Chu Jiubian brushed his soaked bangs back, revealing a smooth forehead that made his face look even more exquisite.

His usually emotionless eyes now seemed to hold a flicker of light, starkly visible in the dim light.

"In times of famine and chaos, distribute aid and lighten taxes," Chu Jiubian said slowly. "Root out bandits and appeal to the gods."

During a famine, it was essential to provide relief supplies to the people, reduce labor duties and taxes, eliminate bandits, and offer sacrifices to the gods to find spiritual comfort.

Qin Xiao had accomplished the first few, but the last—appealing to the gods...

"Do you know why I don’t believe in gods?" Qin Xiao asked, his voice soft, almost gentle.

Chu Jiubian remained silent.

Qin Xiao seemed to smile, or perhaps not.

"If gods truly exist, why do they not see this suffering?" he asked.

Chu Jiubian gazed at the man’s blurred outline in the darkness, his Adam's apple moving slightly.

In that moment, he finally understood something.

Why had he always felt that Qin Xiao was hesitant? Why did it seem as though Qin Xiao was always wary of something?

Qin Xiao wasn’t hesitant or indecisive—he cared.

He cared about these people.

Chu Jiubian suddenly felt both very close to and very far from the man before him.

The system’s voice echoed in his mind: "Monthly service activation failed. The host is 130 Faith Points short of activation. Please keep working."

"I can see it," Chu Jiubian said, his voice cool and flat.

Qin Xiao watched him without speaking.

"I need faith," Chu Jiubian continued. "Hand over this Taoist temple to me, and I will help these people get through this hardship safely."

Qin Xiao remained silent for a long time, and so did Chu Jiubian.

The rain seemed to grow heavier, and Chu Jiubian could hardly open his eyes.

The umbrella was taken from his hand by Qin Xiao, who held it over their heads once more.

Chu Jiubian raised a hand to wipe his eyes, but his eyelashes brushed against Qin Xiao’s fingers first.

His half-raised hand hung in the air as he closed his eyes, feeling the man’s calloused fingertips gently wipe away the moisture from his eyes.

Amid the sound of rain, a deep, quiet voice reached his ears: "Alright."