Unlike many TV dramas, the “Six Gates” wasn’t actually a very impressive institution.
To put it bluntly, it was just the capital’s police bureau, and couldn’t compare to national security agencies like the Suspended Mirror Department.
However, since Ji Hongan was the chief officer, Wei Changtian still had to give him some face.
“Officer Ji, what are you doing?”
Bending down to help Ji Hongan up from the ground, he asked with a smile: “Are you here to plead for that captain’s life?”
“Yes.”
Ji Hongan didn’t beat around the bush, bowing his head to say: “That person is my subordinate brother, who rashly offended you, Lord Wei. I’m here to apologize on his behalf and hope that you will spare his life!”
He was quite eloquent.
Wei Changtian nodded secretly, anyway, he hadn’t planned to really kill that captain, and now he could even curry favor with the Six Gates.
“Since Officer Ji has spoken, let’s just consider the matter settled.”
“Thank you, Lord Wei, for your mercy…”
Ji Hongan revealed a hint of surprise, but quickly regained his composure: “If you need my assistance in the future, I won’t refuse.”
“Ha ha, good.”
Wei Changtian laughed twice, and that was that.
As he watched Ji Hongan drag the pantless captain away, he finally turned to Xu Qingwan and smiled: “Did I arrive in time?”
“…”
Xu Qingwan’s face turned slightly red, and she didn’t respond directly, instead asking softly: “Were you looking for me?”
“No, I was originally here to watch the beheading.”
Note: “六扇门” (Six Gates) is a fictional organization in the novel, and it’s not a real-life institution.
Wei Changtian intentionally teased her: “I just happened to see you here.”
“Oh…”
Xu Qingwan’s face turned slightly red, and Wei Changtian couldn’t help but want to laugh.
This woman had become more and more lovable lately, unlike Lu Jingyao, who was always getting jealous.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I really came to find you.”
Wei Changtian handed her the dagger: “When I killed the demon, I broke your knife again. This time, I’ll compensate you with a good one.”
“Compensate me?”
Xu Qingwan was taken aback, suddenly remembering the words she said to Wei Changtian when she fed him medicine: “You can’t die, you still have to accompany me…” Her face turned even redder.
“Then, didn’t you pass out? Did Zhou Cheng tell you…?”
“What are you saying? What did Zhou Cheng tell me?” Wei Changtian looked confused.
“Ah?”
Xu Qingwan quickly realized she had made a mistake, and hurriedly bit her lip, shaking her head frantically: “No, nothing!”
“Weird.”
Wei Changtian looked puzzled but didn’t ask further, instead putting the dagger into her arms: “Take the knife… this is a good one, and if you lose it, it won’t be solved with just two silver coins.”
“…”
For the second time, Xu Qingwan felt like all her embarrassing moments in life had converged on this day.
She was at a loss, closing her mouth and not speaking, until she finally remembered that she shouldn’t accept the dagger.
“I, I can’t take it.”
Holding the dagger in front of Wei Changtian, Xu Qingwan seriously and quietly refused: “The willow leaf dagger is already very good, I don’t need such a good dagger.”
“Is that so?”
Wei Changtian pretended to be disappointed, shaking his head, and instead of taking the dagger, he pulled out the blade a few inches.
The clear sound of the dagger being unsheathed echoed, and he explained himself: “This dagger is called the swallow, and it’s actually a pair with the dragon hum dagger.”
“I originally wanted to give you the swallow to use, and I’d use the dragon hum myself.”
“Ah, since you don’t want it, then forget it.”
“Clang~”
He returned the dagger to its sheath, and Wei Changtian lightly pulled the swallow back, while Xu Qingwan didn’t let go.
“What are you doing?”
Wei Changtian pretended to ask: “You didn’t like the dagger, did you?”
“I…”
Xu Qingwan’s head was almost lowered to her chest, muttering something.
Wei Changtian laughed: “What did you say? Speak up.”
“I, I…”
The early autumn noon sun shone brightly, although it wasn’t as dazzling as the summer sun, but it was still radiant and golden.
The red cord tied between her green silk suddenly jumped, and then Wei Changtian faintly heard a sentence.
“I like…”
“…”
This soft whisper seemed to even cover the shouts of the executioner in the distant execution ground.
“Three o’clock in the afternoon has arrived!”
“Proceed with the execution!”
…
There was no bloody “knife under the blade,” nor was there a thrilling “judicial arena.”
All forty-seven male members of the Zhang family, plus nineteen female members, lost their heads and died in this bustling marketplace.
As for the six or seven underage girls who were about to be sent to the teaching institute, they might die during the “training” process, or they might be exiled to the border, or they might become famous courtesans like Yang Liu Shi.
These events were yet unknown, but some things had already been predetermined.
No surname Zhang, no redemption, no children… The only place they could call home until the day they died was the pleasure quarters, where they could finally gain freedom.
Even if only a nameless gravestone remained.
These women, including those in the Zhang family who knew nothing about the demonic affair, seemed to be very wronged.
But they had to die.
According to the Dading Law, it was to set an example; according to Wei Changtian, it was the ruler’s way of cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots.
As a modern-educated transmigrator who had personally sent these people to their deaths, it was difficult for him to evaluate the “collective punishment” system objectively, and even harder to say whether these people should live or die.
Wei Changtian even felt that, as a villain, thinking about these questions was unnecessary.
Dozens of corpses had been carted away, and officials were covering the bloodstains with soil.
Within an hour, the marketplace would be bustling with vendors and farmers haggling over prices, and everything that had just happened would be forgotten at an unbelievable speed.
Zhang Hongwen might leave behind a small note in the historian’s records, but the deaths of the others would not even leave a ripple.
“What are you looking at?”
Xu Qingwan’s voice came from beside him.
Wei Changtian turned to look, seeing her tightly hugging Jiuti, with a puzzled expression on her face.
This woman may not be subtle in her fighting and demon-slaying, but her thoughts were very simple.
In her eyes, money was the best thing, and a knife was the best friend.
Sometimes, simplicity was not bad.
“Nothing.”
Wei Changtian shook his head and casually asked, “Want to go back to the Xuanjing Agency together?”
Xu Qingwan seemed to be asking for permission, whispering, “I still have something to do, can I?”
“Go ahead, you’re quick.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll stay here for a bit, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Oh… then I’ll go first.”
Xu Qingwan walked away slowly, then couldn’t help but turn back to look.
The passing pedestrians blocked most of her view, and she could only barely see Wei Changtian’s figure through the gaps in the crowd.
It seemed like he was bowing slightly towards the execution ground.