Children of Loulan

Chapter 269 Kill them

The king smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, as if he had seen through the prime minister's mind. He said earnestly: "Prime Minister, you are too kind. Compared with the entire Loulan, the reputation of the princes is naturally not worth mentioning." Although this sentence seemed to be comforting the prime minister, it was actually reminding him not to forget the overall situation.

Then, the king continued, "However, the prime minister has been getting older in recent years, and he is probably not able to handle the affairs of the court. Therefore, you don't have to take this matter to heart, so as not to tire yourself out." After saying this, the king patted the prime minister on the shoulder, expressing his understanding and tolerance. However, he knew in his heart that the prime minister had gradually stopped managing the affairs of the court, and now he suddenly intervened in this matter, which must be strange.

Finally, the king said, "In a few days, I will personally interrogate him." This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, making the prime minister feel even heavier.

But he knew in his heart that this matter could not be reversed. He could only blame himself for devoting all his energy to that matter and being indifferent to many things in the court. This caused the king to have a rift with him. Since this way was not feasible, he could only think of other ways. Therefore, he left the palace quickly without hesitation and waited quietly for news from the other side.

After he left, the king asked, "How is the situation? Have you found out?"

Just as he finished speaking, a man in a black robe suddenly appeared in front of him. The man knelt on one knee and replied respectfully: "My king, according to the map provided by King Cheng, there is indeed a training ground that can accommodate 10,000 soldiers for training at the same time. In addition, several people rushed to the training ground last night, and then the patrol and guard force of the training ground was further strengthened."

The king then asked, "Have you found out where those people who suddenly appeared came from?"

The man replied, "We have sent people to closely monitor that place. If we find anything, we will report it to the king immediately!"

The king nodded slightly, indicating his agreement: "Well, keep a close eye on it, and don't let your guard down, lest any unexpected incidents occur!"

At the same time, the prime minister who returned to his house was also anxious and restless. He was anxiously waiting for news from the other side. As long as the news did not come back, his heart would never be at peace. After careful consideration, the prime minister suddenly thought of the women of the Shangshu family, and thought that maybe he could use this relationship to find out the situation. So he immediately called his eldest daughter-in-law and told her to try to enter the Shangshu mansion in the name of visiting. After all, as the daughter of the Shangshu, it is natural for the eldest daughter-in-law to visit her relatives to care about their safety.

However, not long after, the eldest daughter-in-law hurried back and told the prime minister with a frustrated face that the king had ordered that no one was allowed to visit the women of the Shangshu family. The prime minister, with a lonely face, could only continue to wait for news from there.

Time passed bit by bit, and finally, night fell and the sky gradually darkened. A man hurried back and ran straight to the study to report to the prime minister: "Sir, everything is normal over there, and we didn't find anything suspicious. In addition, we have increased patrols and guards to ensure that nothing goes wrong!" Hearing this news, the prime minister finally felt a little relieved.

He frowned, looked at the man in front of him suspiciously, and asked in a low voice: "Then why did you come back to report now? And where did they go?"

The man immediately bowed his head and answered respectfully, "Your Excellency, when I arrived there, I worked with them to check the surroundings. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, I came back to report to you. They will remain where they are and continue to help check for any abnormalities."

The Prime Minister nodded slightly to show his understanding, then waved his hand to let the man leave, and said, "Well, you go back first. Remember to tell them to expand the patrol area, including the surrounding areas, to see if there is anything suspicious."

The man replied respectfully, "Yes!" Then he stood up and turned to leave. Although he had received a definite answer, the prime minister still couldn't relax. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, because he always felt that this arrest operation against the Shangshu seemed to be aimed at him.

The prime minister immediately ordered his trusted men to quickly send people to the prison to inquire about the situation. He knew that he had to learn more about the Shangshu's substitution of stones and wood. Only in this way could he better deal with the current situation and protect his position and safety.

At this time in the prison, Shangshu was recalling the whole incident painfully. He racked his brains to think about every detail, trying to find out the reason for his failure. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a conclusive answer. The only possible flaw was probably the letters that needed to be forged. Apart from that, he really couldn't think of any other problems.

In this dark and damp cell, the Shangshu felt desperate and helpless. He looked at the closely guarded soldiers around him, and his heart was filled with fear. He knew that he was in a desperate situation, and the only hope seemed to be that the prime minister could lend a hand to save him and his family. So, he could only silently wait for news from the prime minister, hoping for a miracle to happen.

However, as time went by, the Shangshu did not wait for the prime minister to rescue him, but waited for the king to come and interrogate him. At that moment, facing the ironclad evidence, he could not deny it, nor could he quibble. At this moment, he clearly realized that his fate was doomed and death was only a matter of time. However, in order to protect his family, he decided to bear all the blame alone and never implicate the prime minister.

The Shangshu gritted his teeth and firmly admitted his crime, saying that he was willing to accept any punishment. However, what he didn't know was that although he tried his best to defend the prime minister, his subordinates pointed the finger at the prime minister. The testimony of these people made the prime minister the target of public criticism and made the case more complicated.

Finally, the king announced that the Shangshu had been receiving a salary from the emperor but had not thought about sharing the emperor's worries. Instead, he had endangered the interests of Loulan and had moved the city wall of the western border. Therefore, he sentenced the Shangshu and several main criminals to immediate execution. All men over the age of ten were to be exiled to the southwest for 1,500 miles, and all their property was confiscated. All female family members were to leave the Shangshu's mansion immediately and were not allowed to take a single cent with them.

On the day of the execution, the sun was shining and the breeze was blowing, but there was a tense atmosphere in the air. Many people came out of their homes and gathered around the execution ground to watch the execution. Some people had excited expressions, as if they were expecting an exciting show; while others looked angry, holding dung balls, ready to throw at the Shangshu and other criminals.

When Shangshu and others were escorted to the execution ground, there was a commotion among the crowd. Some people began to laugh at and insult them, and some even threw dung balls at Shangshu and others. The dung balls hit Shangshu, splashing pieces of filth and emitting a foul smell. Shangshu's face turned pale, and his eyes lost their luster, as if his soul had left his body.

The Shangshu stood on the execution ground, feeling the stench coming from above and the shouts of the people around him. "Kill them!" "Kill them!" The voices kept coming out.