Chapter Sixty-Six: Slaying Qian Shanduo with My Own Hands

“Your Majesty, spare me…” Faced with Mingtian’s accusation, no matter how many excuses Qian Shanduo might have, he was already driven to a dead end. Snot, tears, and saliva streamed from his contorted features like water from a leaky faucet, his head banging against the floor with a dull, echoing thud.

But who was Xiao Baojuan? He was the Lord of Eastern Decadence—the most fatuous and inhumane emperor in all the history of China! Sympathy, to Xiao Baojuan, was a joke. Especially now that he knew he had been the victim of a murderous plot.

The obese emperor’s brows bristled as if singed, and without hesitation, he slammed his foul, bare foot hard against the back of Qian Shanduo’s head as he kowtowed. There was a sickening thump. No matter how fat one may be, the forehead cannot grow padding. Qian Shanduo’s skull smashed against the floor with such force that even the glazed tiles beneath him cracked.

“Ugh… Your… Your Majesty…” Reeling from the blow, Qian Shanduo had no strength left to beg for mercy, lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

Don’t be fooled by the Lord of Eastern Decadence’s obesity—history recorded that he once set up his own stall, butchering sheep and selling meat with his own hands. Clearly, he was not lacking in strength. A kick like that would leave even Anluo in pain for a while, let alone Qian Shanduo, who must have suffered a concussion by now.

“Mercy?” Having tasted the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup, which had even cured his stammer, the Lord of Eastern Decadence was still fuming. He aimed two vicious kicks at Qian Shanduo’s kidneys. “You wretched fat fool! What do you take me for? You plot against your emperor and still dare beg for mercy? Where would that leave my dignity?”

With that, the Lord of Eastern Decadence waved his hand and roared at the soldiers nearby, “What are you staring at? Drag him out at once and execute him by slow slicing!”

At these words, Qian Shanduo’s face turned ashen. The arrogance he once wore vanished without a trace. He turned to glance at his chef team; the three golden chefs had long since turned pale as death, shuffling backward on their knees, not daring to meet his gaze.

Next, he looked toward Xiao Yaoguang, who stood by the palace doors. Having just received two slaps from the emperor’s filthy shoe soles, Xiao Yaoguang dared not speak on his behalf, instead turning his head away and feigning ignorance.

At last, Qian Shanduo cast a desperate glance at the twenty-seven cooks from his own kitchen, stretching out a trembling, tear-stained hand. Though he could no longer speak from concussion and sobbing, the plea in his eyes was unmistakable.

But all he received from them were twenty-seven cold, pitiless stares!

Those who follow the Way will find much help; those who lose it will find little. At this moment, Qian Shanduo finally remembered those ancient words of Mencius, spoken over seven hundred years ago and still passed down to this day.

Qian Shanduo was in utter despair. He wailed in regret.

“Save me… anyone, please save me… I swear I’ll never dare again, I beg you, please… I don’t want to die!”

Pathetic and undignified, in the final moment before death, Qian Shanduo’s pleas for mercy were ugly and crude indeed.

In that hall, apart from the crowd of onlookers who did not know the truth, not one person felt a shred of sympathy for Qian Shanduo!

Yet just as Qian Shanduo was about to be dragged away, Mingtian glanced back at the memorial tablet of Master Zhao Ke.

“Wait!”

He raised a hand, his voice ringing out across the hall, halting the two soldiers from dragging Qian Shanduo away.

Qian Shanduo was stunned, clearly not expecting Mingtian to stand up for him at such a time.

But any hope Qian Shanduo felt was destined to be crushed by even deeper despair. Save you? Don’t be absurd! I wouldn’t even bother saving a real flatworm, let alone you!

“Your Majesty!” Kneeling before the Lord of Eastern Decadence, Mingtian cupped his hands in a formal request. “I have a favor to ask.”

Having tasted the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and experienced peerless flavor, the emperor looked at Mingtian as if he were his own father, beaming as he hurried to help him up. “Master Mingtian, do you wish me to spare his life? That’s fine, I’ve never shown anyone such favor before, but for you, I’ll make an exception. Guards, release him—”

“No…”

Lifting his head, memories of those two days with Zhao Ke flashed through Mingtian’s mind—the honest, kind-hearted chef, and then the wretched sight of Zhao Ke dead in the storeroom. His fury would not subside. He felt as if his very throat was choked by rage.

“Though my time with Master Zhao Ke was short,” Mingtian said candidly, “he was always gentle and caring toward me. Although I never spoke it aloud, I already considered him my teacher.”

To plot against the emperor and cheat in competition were both crimes of deceiving the sovereign. Coupled with corruption and dereliction of duty, Qian Shanduo was certain to be sentenced to three thousand six hundred cuts of slow slicing!

Such an execution would usually last a full three days before death finally claimed its victim. But the Lord of Eastern Decadence had just eaten Mingtian’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall—he had only five and a half hours of life left.

What Mingtian feared was that once the emperor died, the law would lose its effect, and Qian Shanduo might escape justice.

He would not allow this wretched fat man even the slightest chance!

He knew all too well the saying about letting the tiger return to the mountain. Besides…

Slow slicing? What a joke! Do you think I’d let you off so easily?

“Your Majesty, I request permission to personally execute Qian Shanduo and avenge my master’s murder!”

At these words, the brief hope that had flickered in Qian Shanduo’s heart was immediately doused with ice water.

The Lord of Eastern Decadence arched his brow, a troubled look crossing his plump face. “Ah, Master Mingtian, that puts me in a difficult spot. Slow slicing is the work of professional executioners. If you don’t manage the full number of cuts before he dies, it would bring shame upon you.”

He spoke with utmost respect, leaving all present dumbfounded. Clearly, Mingtian’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall had utterly conquered the emperor’s palate—he probably never treated even his own father with such courtesy.

Mingtian smiled and shook his head. He had already considered the matter of the execution. He was no sadist; he took no pleasure in cruelty. But there was an old saying in the modern world he remembered well: When good men grow angry, evil men bring disaster!

“Your Majesty,” he said with a slight bow and a smile, “are you familiar with these two punishments—the Human Jar and the Rat Torture?”

At this, the Lord of Eastern Decadence’s face lit up with delight and curiosity. After all, his favorite pastime was playing with rats!

The Human Jar, as emperor, he certainly knew. But Rat Torture, a method from the medieval West, was something he had never heard of. Yet the mere mention of rats piqued his interest.

“Master, what is this Rat Torture? Might I witness it for myself?” The emperor revealed a perverse grin.

Mingtian said nothing, turning to see that Qian Shanduo had already fainted dead away, his face bleached white with terror.

“Guards, douse him with cold water and wake him up. I shall demonstrate the Rat Torture for His Majesty!”

…

All right, that’s the third update for today. The plan for three daily releases this week is finally complete.

Tomorrow, I’ll return to two updates per day. I need to save up some drafts so I can have a true burst during the climax.

If only I’d had more drafts ready for this Qian Shanduo arc—I could’ve released it all in one go, what a pity. I’ll work harder to write and save up more drafts in the future. Thank you all.