Zhu Yu followed behind Lu Qing, running all the way towards the West Market. The closer they got, the more bustling it became.

Some had squeezed to the front earlier and seen everything they needed to see, and now were walking away while vividly describing the beheading scene to companions who missed it.

Others had been stuck at the back earlier and couldn’t get in, now they were desperately trying to push to the front, maybe to catch the excitement, or because they believed the demon path rumors that flesh and blood could cure ailments.

Lu Qing discreetly signaled the talisman to lead the way, with Zhu Yu following behind it, and himself behind Zhu Yu. With the tall and burly talisman opening a path, the people in front were mostly pushed aside. Zhu Yu followed closely without worrying about being shoved or jostled.

Amongst the chaos and the murmurs of complaints from those unable to squeeze through, the four managed to get to the front, and Zhu Yu peered through the gaps at the scene inside the execution grounds.

Despite the auntie she previously encountered who spoke boldly, dealing with dead people’s flesh and blood was another matter entirely—it’s one thing to talk about it, and another to do it.

Inside the execution grounds lay a headless corpse, clad in death row prison garb. Its height and stature unmistakably matched Yan Daoxin, except the head was missing.

Zhu Yu knew, according to customs, that for someone like this convicted of capital punishment by the Emperor himself, the family wouldn’t be allowed to retrieve the corpse.

After beheading, the head of the criminal would be hung on the city gate for three days as a warning to others, then wrapped hastily in straw mats with the body and discarded at Gravesite, left for wild dogs to gnaw and tear apart.

This was considered the utmost punishment and humiliation for the criminal.

The head was missing, presumably taken by the Executioner and executor to hang on the gate, leaving behind some governmental official-looking people guarding the body.

Near the headless corpse, a couple of people timidly held pieces of cloth, nervously trying to approach and dip them in blood, yet hesitating and conflicted.

Lu Qing’s hands clenched into tight fists, knuckles turning white, muscles taut.

Zhu Yu hurriedly held his arm, as if fearing he would act impulsively from suppressed rage despite the situation.

Lu Qing glared with red eyes at the headless corpse on the execution grounds until the few civilians had finished dabbing the blood and fled quickly, and the governmental officials stepped forward to wrap the body in straw mats.

Lu Qing stirred, seemingly pained by the scene, unable to suppress inner anguish, wanting to rush forward.

Zhu Yu quickly signaled the rune talisman brothers, who grabbed Lu Qing’s arms, dragging him away from the execution grounds.

The four walked back, with Lu Qing like a lifeless shell, eyes vacant, as the rune talisman supported him on either side and Zhu Yu followed behind.

Only upon returning to Yunyin Pavilion, navigating familiarly to their courtyard, did their demeanor suddenly change.

Moments ago, Lu Qing seemed drained, but in the blink of an eye, he was back to normal. Zhu Yu removed her veil hat, fanning her face: "Running so quickly, I didn’t feel it at first, but once heated up, this veil hat is really stifling, holding in all my sweat."

Lu Qing pulled her to his side with a smile, gently wiping the fine sweat from her brow with his sleeve, then taking a tea cup from the tray brought by the rune, pouring tea and offering it to Zhu Yu.

The tea had been brewed earlier by Liu Yueyao and left to cool, Zhu Yu drained the cup in one go.

While she considered her physical condition decent, the rushed run made her parched, her chest burning as she caught her breath.

A cup of slightly cool tea felt refreshing.

"Actually, when we were heading to the execution grounds, those watching us from around earlier had already left." Zhu Yu wiped the corners of her mouth and spoke to Lu Qing, "Originally, when you warned me we were being followed, I hadn’t sensed it, and dared not look around in case others noticed.

But later, when you were stuck here, I saw it—the street was mostly empty with everyone wanting to watch the execution, and among those left, I saw a man, dark and strong, standing at a bead flower stand endlessly picking and choosing, clearly with nothing else to conceal!

So just now when you returned, with the rune talisman supporting you, was it in case unseen eyes were still on us?"

"Smart lady," Lu Qing smiled, gently tucking stray hairs stuck by sweat behind Zhu Yu’s ear.

"And now... the West Market execution is done, should we leave the Capital?" Zhu Yu asked.

"No rush," Lu Qing shook his head slowly, "We’ve waited so long, and just as the drama is about to unfold, leaving now would be too much of a loss. At least we should watch a bit more."

This aligned with Zhu Yu’s intentions, so she didn’t hurry to prepare to leave, staying peacefully in the courtyard.

In the following period, a certain allegorical nursery rhyme spread more widely among the Capital’s streets, largely unnoticed by the uneducated folk who mostly couldn’t recognize a character, assuming it was just children singing thoughtlessly. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But as more children sang it, readers who could grasp its veiled meanings quietly started whispering among themselves.

Even the literary scholars in Yunyin Pavilion were no exception.

"This flue burning through the ninefold eaves... doesn’t sound like anything good to me."

That day, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, bored, disguised and changed clothes, mingled in Yunyin Pavilion listening and drinking, overhearing nearby scholars discussing the nursery rhyme.

Upon hearing their topic, Zhu Yu became animated, rolling a peanut between her fingers, rubbing the bright red skin into crumbs over the table, forgetting to pop it into her mouth.

Now she wasn’t in the mood for snacks, only interested in hearing the gossip.