My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 47 Selling one’s body to bury one’s father

Today, Yongcheng has transformed from its desolate state of just a few days ago, with its streets and alleys once again bustling with activity.

Upon closer inspection, a hint of excitement could be seen on everyone's face.

At noon, the city was teeming with people. Almost half the city's population had flocked to the same place.

It was a high execution platform, and Ning Liang, the prefect of Yongcheng, sat behind it.

At three quarters past the hour, a prisoner with his head covered by a black cloth was dragged half-dead onto the execution platform by two officers.

The prisoner's legs were of different lengths, and his body was covered with wounds of varying sizes. Blood was still seeping from the wounds, leaving long trails of blood on the ground.

He seemed to be on his deathbed, lying motionless on the stage like a dead fish.

The people in the audience whispered among themselves.

"Is this the murderer who killed more than a dozen girls?"

"Yes, didn't you see the official notice posted yesterday? It's unbelievable that the murderer was actually among us all along, and even a gatekeeper at Baoyue Tower! It's terrifying to think about!"

"That's right! But fortunately, our prefect is resourceful and arrested the criminal in just a few days. Otherwise, we don't know how long we would have to live in fear."

"Phew! Look! The execution is about to take place!"

The burly executioner, wielding his beheading blade, strode toward his victim.

He raised the wine jar and poured it into his mouth. He grabbed the assailant by the back of his collar and slammed his head against the wooden stake, then sprayed the wine he was holding onto the knife.

The sunlight shone directly down, falling on the sharp blade that was raised high, and the light was reflected into everyone's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, a head fell to the ground with a thud.

The silence lasted only a moment before the audience erupted in cheers and applause, each louder than the last.

Amid the excited crowd, only one aloof figure stood out, silently observing everything.

After a long while, the man slowly revealed a meaningful smile.

On the surface, Yongcheng had returned to its usual tranquility and peace. But only a few people knew that beneath this calm, turbulent undercurrents were still brewing.

In the government residence—

Ning Liang choked on a mouthful of tea and coughed incessantly.

After finally regaining her composure, she didn't know what expression to wear in front of the person in front of her.

"The method is good, but... are you sure you can do it too?"

Xie Yan stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, her face serious, and said, "Lord Ning, a man cannot say no."

Ning Liang opened his mouth in vain, but could not make a sound. Then he looked helplessly at Chu Ling beside him.

After calmly taking a sip of tea, Chu Ling seemed to notice Ning Liang, lightly patted him on the shoulder, and said, "He is indeed very capable."

Ning Liang: "..."

After the midday incident, all the brothels in the city reopened. However, the number of customers was significantly less than before.

Especially now that the "Flower Goddess" is no longer in Xunfang Pavilion.

Mother Mo leaned against the door with a slightly sorrowful expression, looking at the brothel across the street, which, despite not having many customers, was doing better than her own, and sighed deeply again.

Ah, the sun is gradually setting in the west, just like her current mood, gloomy and lifeless—

...Wait, what's that?

Mother Mo stopped her sigh and suddenly noticed something walking towards her from the end of the road under the setting sun.

She blinked hard, then squinted for a long while before exclaiming incredulously, "...Good heavens! Another person has died!"

But then they saw that the person walking towards them was a man and a cart.

The person was dressed in mourning clothes, and the cart was a flatbed cart on which a corpse was clearly lying.

People on the street stopped what they were doing, ready to run away at the slightest sound.

In a moment of trepidation, the man slowly approached, pulling his cart. A gust of wind blew, knocking off his mourning hat.

The expressions of the people on the street immediately changed from fear to amazement.

The thing covering her face fell down, and everyone realized that she was actually a beautiful woman with a lovely face and an elegant and refined appearance!

The beautiful woman sobbed as she struggled to pull the cart, looking so pitiful that one couldn't help but go over and help her.

A burly man coughed a few times, helped her steady the swaying cart with one hand, and asked her softly, "Miss, is something wrong? Do you need help?"

The others quickly chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, girl, why are you dragging a corpse all by yourself?"

"Could it be that another murder has occurred, and they've come to our prefect for help?"

As they chatted, they slowly came to a stop at the entrance of Xunfang Pavilion.

The girl gave a gentle curtsy, smiled gratefully at the people who came to help, and her eyes were glistening with tears.

Her face was full of sorrow, and her voice, though soft, carried clearly to everyone's ears: "Thank you all for your help. My surname is Xia. To tell you the truth, the person lying on this wooden board is actually my father."

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Your dad? What happened?"

The young woman sobbed and lamented for a few moments, whetting everyone's appetite before speaking again: "My father and I have been poor since childhood. I wanted to leave home with my father to find a skill to make a living. But who would have thought that the master of the house would have such evil intentions towards me? My father was even beaten by him during the argument."

"Fortunately, he was also frightened by this and dared not do anything to us again, so he threw us out. But who knew that on the way home, my father was in pain and grief, and died before I could call a doctor."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed. They cursed the inhuman master while also feeling sorry for the woman's plight.

But the next second, what she said made everyone's eyes light up—

"My father has been gone for many days, but I am penniless and unable to bury him. I beg all kind-hearted people to help me. I am willing to do anything to repay your kindness!"

Such a good thing?!

The men's eyes lit up, and they were about to speak when someone rushed in and threw a heavy purse into the girl's hand.

"Don't try to take it from me!"

That beaming face—wasn't that Mo's mother, who had just been sighing and complaining?

Someone protested: "How could you do this! How could such a perfectly good girl go to you?!"

Mother Mo glared at him angrily, "What about me? Tell me! Don't think I don't know what you stinking men are thinking. What's the difference between going to my place and going to yours? At least I can make sure she lives a life of luxury, while you guys are all poor and pathetic! Can you even do that?"

The crowd was furious: "You! You! You're unreasonable!"

"Humph!"

Mother Mo snorted coldly, then smiled broadly at Miss Xia, "Since you have no family and nowhere to go anyway, why don't you come stay with me?"

Seeing the girl hesitate, Madam Mo patted her chest and said, "Girl, think it over carefully. You might suffer all sorts of hardships all by yourself. But if you come with me, not only will I be able to give your father a proper burial, but you'll also live a life of luxury from now on!"

Xia swayed slightly, her eyes red-rimmed. After gritting her teeth and glancing at her deceased father a few more times, she finally nodded slowly.