Chapter 0005 I am really foolish, truly!
Emperor Kangxi ... ... the case of Prince Zhu San ... ... Zhu Yicheng ... ... plotting rebellion ... ... sent to the capital ... ... slow slicing ... ... !
"It's done, it's done, how foolish I am! Really! How could I be so foolish? To actually discuss revolution with the officials of this era, isn't that akin to an old man hanging himself—asking for a longer life?"
Although Zhu Yicheng was bound and his mouth was tightly gagged, even his eyes were covered with a black cloth, his ears were not deaf. Since being forced into the vehicle, he could faintly hear the conversations of those accompanying him from outside the car. Although Zhu Yicheng did not catch every word, he grasped the general idea.
Yiting, a small town located midway between Yuyao and Shangyu, may be small in size, but it is a crucial transportation hub and a thousand-year-old ancient town. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, the poet Liu Yazi penned the famous lines "Red trees, green mountains, and White Horse Lake, rain drizzles and misty towers, both vague" in Yiting. When discussing Yiting, one cannot overlook its most famous feature, White Horse Lake. Escorting Zhu Yicheng and his party, they descended the slope along the official road, turned a few bends, and suddenly found themselves in a broad expanse, where a cluster of buildings came into view, marking Yiting Town. Not far from Yiting, a picturesque scene of lake and mountains unfolds, which is White Horse Lake.
Around noon, a group of people passed Shangyu, and ahead lay Shaoxing. Calculating the time, if they arrived in Shaoxing before dark and stayed for a night, they could reach Hangzhou around noon the next day. This journey could be considered smooth, and the thought of delivering the prisoner to the governor's office in Hangzhou made Huang Jie feel an uncontrollable joy.
These fragmented words echoed like thunder in Zhu Yicheng's ears, momentarily leaving him stunned
"My lord, just ahead is the post station. Lord Wu has sent me to inquire if it would be safer to rest for the night at the post station before proceeding to Shangyu, as traveling at night is not very safe." A soldier in light armor ran up from the front of the group to ask Huang Jie. Huang Jie looked up at the sky and nodded slightly: "That is fine, let Lord Wu make the arrangements."
In this mission, although Huang Jie serves as the principal and Wu Gang as the deputy, Wu Gang is a military officer, and they must rely on him for protection along the way. Moreover, the person sent by Wu Gang was not wrong; in April, it gets dark early, and in just over an hour, the sun will set. Considering the distance, it is absolutely impossible to reach Shangyu before sunset. Traveling at night may not guarantee safety on the official road, especially since they are escorting a prisoner of state like Zhu Yicheng. Although the post station is small, it does have accommodations, and staying overnight at the post station before continuing the journey tomorrow is a wise choice
The most convenient route from Yuyao County to the capital Hangzhou is certainly the official road. However, speaking of the official road, it is not particularly impressive; at best, it is comparable to a rural path that lacks concrete paving in later times. Moreover, Zhejiang is mountainous. Although the mountains are not high, their undulating terrain makes travel quite difficult. The large wheels of the cart transporting Zhu Yicheng creaked and groaned as they slowly moved forward over the rugged and uneven surface.
When the carriage arrived at the post station, the leading soldiers had already arranged accommodations. Due to the presence of a state prisoner, Wu Gang specifically instructed someone to find a post attendant to secure a small courtyard. Although the space was somewhat limited, once the courtyard door was closed, it could be isolated from the outside, thus greatly enhancing security
When Zhu Yicheng realized that he had made a mistake regarding the era, his small face instantly turned pale with fright, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably
In fact, it is not only Huang Jie who thinks this way; even Zhou Zhongliang is contemplating similarly. As they get closer to Hangzhou, Zhou Zhongliang is increasingly calculating how to gain more benefits for himself from this matter. If there is anyone among the group who is free from such thoughts, it might be Wu Gang. As a military officer, Wu Gang does not possess the same cunning as the literati Huang Jie and Zhou Zhongliang; his mind is solely focused on successfully completing this mission.
Capturing Zhu Yicheng may be impossible for Huang Jie to claim sole credit, but the merit of escorting a criminal of such significance is sufficient for him to achieve an "Outstanding" rating in next year's evaluation. Moreover, this time he is acting in place of the governor to go to the capital; if he can be remembered by the provincial governor, it might just pave a path for his promotion in the future. With this thought in mind, Huang Jie couldn't help but smile slightly as he sat in the carriage, beginning to contemplate visiting a few peers and superiors after completing his duties in the capital to facilitate some connections.
The term "Yiting" literally refers to the post station located here. Over time, as merchants and travelers gathered in this area, it gradually developed into a market town. As the horse-drawn carriage approached Yiting, the number of people around began to increase. However, the ordinary merchants and common folk instinctively kept their distance from Huang Jie and his entourage. The reason was simple: the sight of a caravan of over ten people resembled that of officials and their families traveling, not to mention the presence of Wu Gang and several soldiers dressed in green military uniforms.
Kangxi? This certainly cannot refer to the famous talk show "Kangxi Lai Le" from Taiwan, as the Qing Dynasty would not have had Tsai Kang-yung, nor could there have been Xiao S. Therefore, this Kangxi must refer to the Kangxi Emperor portrayed by Chen Daoming in "Kangxi Dynasty." Zhu Yicheng has only now come to realize that the era he is in is not the late Qing Dynasty he had imagined, nor is it the period of the Xinhai Revolution, but rather the prosperous era of the Great Qing, when the Kangxi Emperor, known in history as the "Eternal Emperor," was reigning over the world.
This situation appeared rather mysterious to the courier, yet the stationmaster did not dare to inquire further; after all, when the superiors had requests, the subordinates simply followed through. After settling into the small courtyard, they spent a night without incident. As soon as dawn broke the next day, Huang Jie and his party departed from the post station, continuing their journey towards the capital, Hangzhou
In one of the large vehicles, Zhu Yicheng, tightly bound, was being stuffed inside. Accompanying him was a soldier armed with a steel knife, clearly to prevent Zhu Yicheng from escaping and to keep him under surveillance. Having been taken out of the prison at noon, Zhu Yicheng was confusedly shoved into the prepared large vehicle, and then set off with Huang Jie and his group. Three hours had passed since their departure, and Zhu Yicheng, who had only consumed a bowl of spoiled porridge from yesterday until now, felt his stomach growling with hunger. However, at this moment, his mind was not preoccupied with the issue of filling his stomach; instead, he was enveloped in immense shock and fear, filled with extreme regret.
Unfortunately, there is no remedy for regret in this world. Words once spoken are like water spilled on the ground. Zhu Yicheng's current tragic fate serves as a clear testament to the errors in his choices. Even more terrifying is that he heard his own name in those conversations, along with phrases about being escorted to the capital for a slow and painful execution. The thought of scenes from movies flashed through his mind, recalling the executioner wielding a gleaming sharp knife, poised to inflict thousands of cuts on his delicate skin, ultimately leaving him a mere skeleton, tortured and suffering before death. The horror intensified as he heard his name again in those dialogues, and the grim words about being taken to the capital for a slow execution echoed in his mind. The image of the executioner with the bright, sharp knife ready to carve into his tender flesh, leading to a tragic end of enduring torment and pain, overwhelmed Zhu Yicheng, causing him to lose control and wet himself.
If he were not bound, Zhu Yicheng would even want to slap himself hard a few times. In the glorious era of the Qing Dynasty, talking about overthrowing the Manchus was akin to lighting a lamp in a latrine—seeking death. At this moment, a line flashed through Zhu Yicheng's mind: "Once, a wonderful opportunity lay before me, but I did not cherish it. When I lost it, I regretted it beyond measure. There is no greater pain in the world than this. If heaven could grant me a chance to start over, I would say five words to that old official: 'Long live the Qing Dynasty.'" Once, a wonderful opportunity lay before me, but I did not cherish it. When I lost it, I regretted it beyond measure. There is no greater pain in the world than this. If heaven could grant me a chance to start over, I would say five words to that old official: 'Long live the Qing Dynasty.' If I had to set a deadline for this explanation, I would hope it to be: ten thousand years!
As Huang Jie and others arrived, the station master was required to come forward to receive them. However, with important matters at hand, Huang Jie did not meet the station master at all, instead instructing Wu Gang to send someone away. He personally drove the cart into the courtyard, settling everything with his own people, and did not even allow the station master to intervene with the horse feed.