Executed

Cai Mansion

Cai Mansion was still rather big, considering Captain Cai was the equivalent of an eighth ranked official. His wife, Madam Cai, was in the compound when there was a knock on the door.

"Sister, Captain Cai has sustained several injuries and has returned. Quickly go and greet him." A neighbor knocked on the door and shouted.

Madam Cai hurriedly left the house when she saw a pair of soldiers helping Cai Yuan Zhen down from the cart.

The minute the soldiers saw Madam Cai, one of them shouted, "Sister, come over. Captain suffered several strokes as decreed by the admiral today. Come and take a look."

This was an old ‘brother’ who had been with Cai Yuan Zhen for a long time.

Hearing these words, Madam Cai took Cai Yuan Zhen’s arms and spoke, "I told you to be more careful. Today you suffered the cane once again."

Cai Yuan Zhen’s face looked somewhat pale and slightly crestfallen, "So what if I suffered the cane again. You’re just a housewife, what do you know?"

Seeing her husband suffering like this, she didn’t say much. Her heart ached and she led Cai Yuan Zhen into the room.

Cai Yuan Zhen laid down on the bed and didn’t speak for a long time. Madam Cai extended her hand and patted her husband, "What did you do wrong today?"

Cai Yuan Zhen lay face down and didn’t reply his wife.

Seeing him this way, Madam Cai started weeping. The sounds of her sobs made his head throb and frustrated him. After hearing her sob for a long time, he then scolded out harshly, "You’re just a housewife, what do you know? Stop crying in front of me. The sounds of your sobs infuriate me."

Madam Cai endured the scolding and replied, "After getting punished in the military camp, you return home and start scolding people. What’s wrong with me showing concern for you? If you don’t want me to show concern for you, I won’t."

"I’m not saying anymore. Fetch me some wine. I want to drink some wine." Cai Yuan Zhen pulled his wife nearer to him.

"You were punished and caned by the soldiers and have deep wounds, but you still wish to drink wine? Your wounds won’t recover quickly if you do that. Let me see the extent of your wounds." Madam Cai spoke.

Cai Yuan Zhen paused for a long time before mumbling, "The medic doctor has already seen it. He’s also applied ointment for me."

Seeing his expressions of sadness, his wife turned around to fetch some wine and brought it into the room. "I’ve heated up the wine. This is medical wine and would be good for your wounds. I’ve gone to some extent to find this wine for you, and it is good for wounds and injuries. Drink two cups to ensure a faster recovery."

Madam Cai was nagging by the side, ensuring his comfort and hoping that he would recover quickly. All of a sudden, Cai Yuan Zhen felt a certain sadness well up within his heart, as tears started rolling down his cheeks. Lying face down, he spoke, "Admiral Chen ordered for me to endure ten strokes of the cane over a small matter. It’s just that Admiral Chen… Admiral Chen has changed."

"In the past, we used to hunt for wild chickens. Every time we caught one, we would spit roast it, and he would give us the thighs for being good soldiers. And now…" At this point, Cai Yuan Zhen couldn’t bear it any longer, as tears streamed down his face.

"Yuan Zhen!" Madam Cai watched as her husband, who had always been tough and strong, shed tears. She was astounded, as she extended her hand to console him. She couldn’t help but be choked with emotions as well.

All of a sudden, someone walked up to their front door, "Captain, Captain, Top Scorer Pei is here."

"Top Scorer Pei?" Cai Yuan Zhen was visibly shocked. He had to think for some time before realizing who he was. It’s just that he never had any interactions with this person before, why did he come here today?

At this point, he had to get out of bed. He then turned to his wife, "Please invite him to come in."

Madam Cai walked out and saw a young man greeted her. He wore a long, white robe and a black wool cap. His robes flapped in the wind, giving him an elegant aura. He looked no older than sixteen or seventeen years of age. Deep down, she couldn’t help but ask herself, "Who was this person? Could it really be master Top Scorer? But he looks too young to be him?"

On the right was an official wearing the uniform of an eighth ranked official. There was a soldier dressed in full armor as well and looked to be of the eighth rank too. The pair of soldiers belonging to her husband bowed deeply upon seeing them.

Behind the soldier were an entire row of foot soldiers, who had blades hanging down from their waists.

Seeing such a scene made Madam Cai flustered and panicky. She then stuttered, "Official sir, my husband had just been caned several times, please come in to speak with him."

Pei Zi Yun heard this and frowned. In his previous life, he had known Cai Yuan Zhen. The pirates had made a brazened move and attacked. The navy put up a superior fight and eventually won. Cai Yuan Zhen had been the reason for their success, he was thus promoted rapidly.

Pei Zi Yun smiled, "Let’s enter to pay a visit to his Excellency Cai."

The few of them walked through the door as Pei Zi Yun observed his surroundings. He noticed that there were three rooms. Each was in good condition and were linked by a corridor. It was adorned with old furniture and household decorations.

"I recall that his excellency Cai was an eighth ranked official, how did he end up in this state?" Pei Zi Yun turned around to ask Madam Cai, who started tearing up once again.

An old soldier then spoke out, "Actually, his excellency only gets paid 48 taels of silver a year. He sends a small amount back to his village for the children. The rest, he splits between us, his soldiers and brothers. Hence, he often has very little left for himself."

"What’s most important is that his Excellency never ever shortchanges us, or pay us less than we deserve."

Even before he could finish speaking, he received glares from someone beside him. That instantly caused him to clam up.

Pei Zi Yun walked in and saw the person lying flat on the bed. There were several empty bottles of wine scattered around. Seeing that several people appeared in his bedroom, he asked suspiciously, "Who are you people?"

"I am Pei Zi Yun. I’ve come to look for you, and ask if you wish to wipe out the pirates?" Pei Zi Yun asked plainly. This person listened as he gritted his teeth and struggled to sit up, "I know you. You are master Top Scorer. You wish to wipe out the bandits? If you ask me, of course, I want to. I’ve been fighting rebels, bandits, and pirates my whole life. But at this point, the pirates are the responsibility of the imperial court. Even if you are a Top Scorer, what can you do against the decree of the imperial court?"

Hearing Cai Yuan Zhen’s words, Pei Zi Yun didn’t reply. Instead, he waved his hands. The leader of the troops which he had led stepped forward. His expression was blank. He too waved a hand, as several soldiers stepped forward, showing a banner.

"The Imperial Banner?!" Cai Yuan Zhen paused in shock before he trembled and got off the bed. He then fell to the ground, on his knees. He didn’t care if his wound had split open once again.

Chen Pu didn’t pay much attention to this scene and started reading out, "The Governor decrees, along with the support from the admiral, that Pei Zi Yun shall lead the navy. Cai Yuan Zhen, listen and obey."

"What you should ask is, what’s the Governor going to do to try and get rid of the pirates!" Pei Zi Yun spoke out coldly. "This is an imperial order, but I still care about whether a person is willing or not. A soldier who’s unwilling is useless in battle."

"Now that the dynasty is already stable, there’s no chance for a person to rise up the ranks for fighting wars. What are you trying to do?"

"To put in bluntly, if you refuse now, I can always call someone else. But if you agree, and disobey my orders in battle, I shall have your head." Pei Zi Yun’s words were cold as ice.

"I shall do it!" Cai Yuan Zhen thought about how he was given ten strokes of the cane earlier and gritted his teeth. He then responded, "This humble subject Cai Yuan Zhen shall respond to the order."

"Do you need to rest to heal your wounds?" Pei Zi Yun asked.

Cai Yuan Zhen gritted his teeth, "A mere superficial wound which won’t stop me."

"Good. That’s a strong soldier. I command you to rally your troops this very moment!" Pei Zi Yun spoke out, "Chen Pu, the logistics officer has already made the necessary preparations, and we are ready to set off."

"Yes, this subject shall obey!’

An entire entourage of people started marching back towards the military camp. At this point, Liu Xiang drank a deep mouthful of wine. He was drunk and clearly tipsy. He then headed towards the Captain’s lodge, his heart was on fire. This was his turf from now on.

The minute he got near, he could hear the sound of drums beating violently. Liu Xiang paused in shock, "What was happening?"

He then hurriedly walked over, unable to contain himself. Seeing the entire group of soldiers approaching, he could hear the orders being issued by several higher-ranking officers. When he looked closely, he realized that the group was being led by Cai Yuan Zhen. He fumed in red-hot anger.

Liu Xiang trembled violently in anger as he shouted out, "Cai Yuan Zhen, you’ve already been kicked out of your post. How dare you issue commands here? Don’t you have any regard for Admiral Chen’s orders?"

Pei Zi Yun smiled as he watched on. At this point, he glared at Liu Xiang curiously and asked Cai Yuan Zhen, "Who is this slobbering drunkard in the military camp?"

Cai Yuan Zhen gritted his teeth and replied, "Lieutenant Liu Xiang!"

"Lieutenant Liu Xiang?" Pei Zi Yun laughed out aloud before giving a severe expression, "That’s strange. He’s just a mere lieutenant. How dare he shout so loud and rudely to a captain, who is of a higher rank?"

"Men, come and drag him away. Give him twenty strokes of the cane." Pei Zi Yun’s expression fell. This was the first time he showed himself in the military camp. The rest of the soldiers were orderly at first but had been driven to an ill-disciplined manner because of this person.

"Yes!" A pair of soldiers stepped forward and grabbed him.

Liu Xiang’s heart froze in fear as he shouted out, "Who are you? Even if you’re men belonging to the Governor, you are overstepping your boundaries as well. I am the replacement Captain here. And I was handpicked personally by Admiral Chen. Who are you?"

As he spoke, the pair of soldiers grabbed him. He flung their arms away and shouted out, "How dare you. Admiral Chen is my brother in law. I belong to King Lu!"

As he spoke, he took out a tile and showed it to everyone.

Pei Zi Yun had taken him for a fool and wanted to add another ten strokes to his outstanding twenty. When he saw the tile, he raged out, "What is this thing? You are a mere lieutenant, how dare you act in such a disorderly manner. Watch closely with your blind dog eyes, and see for yourself. What is this I have here?"

He then waved his hands, as the group of soldiers came forward, lifting the imperial banners up. Pei Zi Yun laughed and glared at the group leader, "What are you waiting for, bring the banner over!"

The group leader hesitated for a moment as he signaled for his men, "Bring it over!"

The soldiers stopped hesitating and brought the banners forward. The minute the banner was brought before Pei Zi Yun, his expression changed. He looked at it reverently and fell to his knees and kowtowed three times. When he was done, he waved his hand and shouted, "The military moves according to the orders from above. Take this scoundrel out to face punishment!"

Everyone was shaking from fear as Liu Xiang fell to his knees. Large droplets of sweat formed over his brows as he whispered, "Your Excellency, I didn’t know you carried the Emperor’s banner. I was wrong. Please have mercy!"

"Kill, kill kill!" Pei Zi Yun shouted, each time he said the word, he said it faster than the last. The soldiers looked at Pei Zi Yun before he waved his hand again, "What are you waiting for, go!"

This time, the soldiers didn’t hesitate as they dragged him out. "Spare me. No, my brother-in-law is an admiral. No… You can’t kill me…"

His words then turned to screams of fear, which caused the hair on everyone’s arm to stand up. Soon after, everything went silent. Before long, a soldier stepped forward and presented Pei Zi Yun with Liu Xiang’s severed head.

The soldiers and captains present were all stumped. Even Cai Yuan Zhen’s face turned pale. This was the brother-in-law of the great Admiral Chen. He was an eighth ranked official and someone that he could never undermine in his entire life. How could he have died just like that?’

Pei Zi Yun had killed numerous people. He looked at this severed head with impunity and laughed out, "Only with blood will an army be orderly. This Liu Xiang is really generous to lend me his head. That much, I can appreciate and give him credit."

That was not a funny joke at all. Realizing his mistake, he shouted out, "Raise the alarm. We set sail!"