684 Execution (5)
The servants of the Shen family were all sent into exile while the masters and madams were all executed with the exception of the first branch.
It had been a long time since such a big case happened in Ming Qi, and this case did not seem to be so serious. The government seemed to have deliberately kept it a secret. They only announced that Shen Wan was convicted of failing to do his job and causing a great loss to Ming Qi.
However, no one knew what the “loss” was.
This was how officials were. If the emperor wanted the officials to die, they had no choice but to die. Sometimes, Emperor Wen Hui did not even bother to think of a reason to execute the officials. Now that Shen Wan and Shen Gui’s official careers had hit the rock bottom, there was no one who wanted to speak up for them. In short, everything happened so quickly that no one expected it.
Shen Miao would naturally go and see the execution.
Luo Tan looked at Shen Miao in surprise and asked, “Why are you going to see that kind of bloody scene? You’ll have nightmares at night. It’s better not to go.”
Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan would not go. They still had military affairs to attend to. Of course, even if they did not have military affairs, they would not go. Luo Xueyan did not have any feelings for the Shen family, but Shen Xin probably did. However, those feelings had been wiped away by the things the Shen family had done over the years.
Shen Miao said, “I want to go and take a look. I’ve never seen an execution before.”
Luo Tan was speechless. She said angrily, “What’s there to see about execution?!” However, she was secretly anxious for Shen Miao. Women were always soft-hearted. Although the Shen family were not good people, Shen Miao had been with them for so long after all. It was inevitable that she would feel sad.
“I’ll go with you then,” Shen Qiu said. Shen Qiu knew how stubborn Shen Miao was. If he didn’t let her go, Shen Miao would probably sneak out. He was not afraid. Moreover, with guards around, he could protect Shen Miao better.
“I’ll go with you too.” Luo Ling smiled and said, “I’ve never seen an execution either.”
“What nonsense are you talking about, Cousin?” Luo Tan glanced at Luo Ling. “When we were in the Northwest, people were getting executed almost on a daily basis. What do you mean you haven’t seen it?”
Luo Ling’s smile was a little stiff. When Shen Qiu heard this, he looked at Luo Ling meaningfully, making Luo Ling feel a little uneasy. He said, “Then let’s go together.”
Seeing that everyone had left, Luo Tan gritted her teeth and stomped her feet before saying, “Then I’ll go you too. I don’t want to stay in the mansion alone… Cousin Miao, you have to cover your eyes later.”
When the group arrived at the execution ground, it was packed with commoners. Because Shen Qiu had brought many guards with him, the commoners took the initiative to make way for them. Some people recognized Shen Qiu and started whispering with each other, pointing at him and Shen Miao.
They had long known that the first branch of the Shen family was not on good terms with the second and third branches, but they did not expect the siblings of the first branch to come to watch the execution. Some people said that it was a blessing in disguise for the first branch to leave the Shen family back then, which was why they weren’t implicated this time. Some people said that these two siblings were too cold-blooded and took delight in watching their family getting executed.
On the execution platform, Shen Wan and the others were kneeling with shackles on their knees. They were wearing dirty prison clothes and looked disheveled. Shen Yue and Old Madam Shen’s mouths were covered with rags, and people were able to see Shen Yue shaking her head desperately with fear in her eyes. Shen Yue and Old Madam Shen had always been very afraid of death. They probably still could not accept this outcome and were still trying to figure out ways to salvage the situation.
