Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 495: Returning to Feng Family Village (1)
The next day, as soon as the sky brightened, Dugu Chen led the same guard out, and by the time they returned, it was already afternoon.
"Is everything taken care of?" She saw her husband enter the room, his face shadowed with gloom, and she knew that the Magistrate must have committed heinous crimes. Indeed, anyone capable of raising such a massive python was undoubtedly no good.
"This Zhang Feng, he really had the gall of a bear, boundless. Even if his son died a hundred times, it wouldn’t soothe the hatred in my heart." Speaking of Zhang Feng, Dugu Chen took a deep breath and exhaled the murkiness before slowly calming his emotions.
Feng Xuxu walked up to him, patted his shoulder, and handed him the freshly poured warm tea, softly consoling, "The world is so vast, how can you attend to everything?"
Dugu Chen held the soft hands on his shoulder and gave a bitter smile, "My lady, before I met you, all I wanted was to grow strong enough that no one would dare to bully me. But after meeting you, all I wished for was to provide you a safe haven, where no one would dare to harm you. Yet, becoming the Emperor, my heart has grown greedy again, longing to provide my people with more benefits, to ensure they don’t go hungry or cold. I’ve been diligent for two years, but why is it that these corrupt officials cannot be entirely eradicated? No matter the crime, even wiping out nine generations as punishment doesn’t deter them, and I truly don’t understand!"
Feng Xuxu understood all too well. The vast world is filled with officials sheltering one another, a practice pervasive for over a thousand years, not resolved overnight. She sighed softly, "My lord, you have done well. At the very least, you keep distant from miscreants and close to the wise. The fact that you are willing to listen to their counsel and bravely try new approaches speaks volumes of your character. Since your accession, the common folk live in peace and contentment, without any unrest. Even the several dozen newly acquired cities remain tranquil. Which of the commoners don’t praise you? As for those corrupt officials, just execute one as you find one. Even if you can’t finish them all, it will serve as a warning."
Dugu Chen nodded grimly and silently sipped the tea in his cup, his head bowed.
A day later, the towns and alleys joined together, people beating drums and gongs as they walked through the streets shouting, "Hurry to the streets to see! Zhang Feng will be executed at the marketplace today at noon. Those with grievances, come voice them; those with vendettas, come settle them!"
House-bound citizens, drawn by the drumming, left their homes to gather at the street corners, discussing whether the news about Magistrate Zhang Feng was true. As soon as confirmation came, they scampered home on their bound feet. Then, soon after, the men and women, young and old, left their houses with baskets in hand, crowding the streetsides, waiting for Zhang Feng’s procession, ready to hurl their ’treasures’ at Zhang Feng and his entourage, to dispel the pent-up resentment. For years, they had oppressed the commoners, forcefully taken women, and arbitrarily levied exorbitant taxes. His relatives were even worse, relying on Zhang Feng’s position to bully and terrorize in Zhangzhou Prefecture, causing widespread lament among the people.
"Look, there they are," a sharp-eyed youth announced, pointing to a large wooden cage on an approaching carriage carrying Zhang Feng. The crowd started to get excited, gripping rotten vegetables or fetid eggs in their hands. The children held small rocks, ready to pelt them as the procession passed. Rotten vegetation and eggs flew through the air, all aimed at Zhang Feng in the cage. The stench wafted for miles, but the soldiers leading the carriage and Zhang Feng’s son following were the ones who truly suffered. The son was in an even worse state than his father, his head covered in bloody welts from the rocks. Some wounds had even split open, and the blood flowed down over his eyelids, past his lashes, down his face, dripping onto his lips and falling drop by drop. Yet his face was ashen, dejected, never daring to believe his end had come.
