Yu Jingchen merely spoke softly, ordering it hung on the city walls, then arranged for the next person.
This second person… Yu Jingchen bestowed a bed of nails. Well… this should be considered merciful, right?
The person’s hands and feet were all bound. Hands raised above the head, the bed of nails positioned in the center. The guards threw the person onto the bed of nails. Two guards stood at each end, one pulling the hands, the other pulling the feet, forcing the person being tortured to continuously roll on the bed of nails.
By the time the second person breathed their last, dawn was breaking. Yu Jingchen had ordered that there would be a morning court today. The content of the court was to come here to witness the executions. Not only ministers but also concubines had to attend…
The entire area outside Zichen Palace was already crowded… Witnessing the bloody scene before them, the concubines could not bear it and had already fainted. However, Yu Jingchen ordered them doused with buckets of cold water, and he even said that if they truly could not endure it… they could relocate to the cold palace themselves.
Everyone knew that His Majesty was killing the chicken to scare the monkey, and also serving as a warning. Which of these ministers did not have a daughter in the harem? Yu Jingchen was doing this deliberately.
“Next,” Yu Jingchen said, finding the spectacle to be somewhat leisurely, yet paradoxically, it was precisely this feeling that made it even more bone-chilling.
“For the third person, what shall we do? Bone severance,” Yu Jingchen declared. Bone severance? The name alone inspired terror. This form of punishment… was to chop the person into pieces alive, bit by bit. Perhaps starting from the toes, or fingers?
Nan Zhiyun’s embrace of Yu Jingchen’s arm trembled uncontrollably. Because she had been held in his arms all along, Yu Jingchen could clearly feel her change and knew Nan Zhiyun was struggling to hold on.
Perhaps he did feel a pang of pity. So, he secretly pressed Nan Zhiyun’s acupoint to induce sleep. Nan Zhiyun’s hand, which had been clinging to Yu Jingchen’s robe, loosened. Yu Jingchen looked at the girl in his arms, sweating, and doubted if he had done the right thing…
He had been very afraid before that Nan Zhiyun would not be able to bear such scenes, especially after the incident with the Wen family had already caused her so much panic. Now, in this situation… he was worried.
But as it turned out, he wanted to see if Nan Zhiyun could accept this side of him after witnessing it… He himself was such a bloodthirsty and cruel person. The side of him that was addicted to killing might never have been fully revealed to her before, so he also wanted to know if Nan Zhiyun could tolerate his true nature.
Although Nan Zhiyun had not cried out in fear or expressed a desire to flee or distance herself from him just now, Yu Jingchen could no longer bear to let her listen further. Therefore, he pressed her sleep acupoint.
The little girl was already starting to sweat. He gently wiped it for her. He did not even know what to do with Nan Zhiyun.
The screams from below pulled Yu Jingchen’s thoughts back. This world was inherently crimson. It was either their blood or his own. He never felt that instilling fear in others was a bad thing. Only when others feared and revered him would they be cautious and restrain themselves.
Therefore, Yu Jingchen never intended to be a good person, nor did he ever intend to govern the world with benevolence and righteousness. He always had only one principle: those who obey him prosper, and those who defy him perish. Any threat, any hidden danger, he would personally crush, regardless of their status… because he was the Emperor.
But… in this lifetime, he had told Nan Zhiyun that in front of her, he would first be her husband, and then the Son of Heaven…