sbdcsierra Chapter 114 Dragon Travels the World 1
Chapter 114 Dragon Travels the World 1
(I don't know if you guys have seen this show, but "Dragon Travels the World" is really good. I really love this show, so I couldn't help but write a short review.)
The majestic courthouse stands tall, its red walls and gray tiles, its upturned eaves and corners exuding ancient charm and solemnity. Sunlight shines on the golden glazed tiles, making them gleam, as if proclaiming this place as the court where right and wrong are judged.
In the center of the courtroom, Prefect He Zhengjie, wearing a black gauze hat and a bright red official robe, sat upright in a high-backed chair, his face filled with grief and sorrow. His trembling hand gripped the gavel, which he slammed down on the table with a 'bang,' breaking the silence of the entire hall.
"He Yaozu, the one who brought the criminals!"
At the governor's command, constables immediately brought in a man from outside the hall. He was about twenty years old, dressed in a white prison uniform, but his face showed no sign of fear. Instead, he looked arrogant. His hands and feet were bound with heavy chains, which rattled loudly with his movements. He entered the hall, gave a cold smile, and then knelt down.
The reason he wasn't afraid to go to court was because the person judging him was his own father, and he simply couldn't believe that his father would actually sentence him to death!
Even if he made a mistake, so what? The person who interrogated him was his own father, who was the governor of the prefecture, a high-ranking official of the third rank. Could such a person not protect him?
So he didn't feel flustered at all, and even leisurely looked at everyone in the hall.
His father, as the presiding judge, naturally sat in the center of the courtroom without a doubt. However, there was another chair next to his desk, where the King Sima Yulong sat upright, while Marquis Zhongyi Zhao Yu stood behind him. Both of them frowned involuntarily when they saw him enter the courtroom.
Under their condescending gaze, He Yaozu couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed and angry.
He just liked Zhou Yun'er, so why did they have to sabotage him time and time again?
If they hadn't interfered, I wouldn't have ended up in a situation where I have to go to court against my own father.
He Yaozu gritted his teeth angrily, about to express his dissatisfaction, when he heard his father in the courtroom slam the gavel again.
"He Yaozu, do you know your crime?"
He Zhengjie's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly. He had solved countless cases and seen countless vicious criminals in his life, but only this case made his heart bleed.
Looking at his son kneeling below the hall, he couldn't help but recall the past. The He family was not large, and he had longed for this son for so long.
My son used to be so obedient and sensible, but now he's a prisoner and a sinner for all time.
Why is this so?
"father······"
He Yaozu called out nonchalantly, but before he could finish his sentence, He Zhengjie interrupted him, "Shut up! What are you talking about, claiming kinship? Call me 'sir'!"
"Oh! I'll call you Lord He! Is that alright?"
He Yaozu nodded, thinking to himself that his father was putting on a pretty convincing act.
His stubbornness was so infuriating that one wanted to slap him a few times and see if he could still laugh.
Seeing his unrepentant appearance, He Zhengjie, who was seated above him, felt even more pained and asked with a forced smile, "Do you know your sins and repent?"
What does Father mean by this? Does he really intend to sentence me?
"Confess your guilt?" He Yaozu suppressed his surprise and sneered, "What crime have I committed! If you insist on convicting me, then convict two other people first!"
Should two people be convicted first?
Hearing this, He Zhengjie felt a sense of relief. Could it be that someone was behind his son's mistake?
Which two people?
"You mean you and my mother?"
"Ah!" He Zhengjie exclaimed in shock, hardly believing his ears. "What did you say?"
He Yaozu pointed at his father in the hall, his face darkening: "Lord He, you are a man of great learning, but I ask you, whose fault is it that you failed to educate your adopted son?"
Mingming's mother had said that her father was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and no matter what he did or what mistakes he made, her father could protect him.
But now?
He had only made a minor mistake, yet it escalated to a courtroom battle between father and son. He was kneeling in disgrace, being tried in court. How absurd! How ironic!
He Zhengjie's eyes widened, and his body swayed uncontrollably. He had been waiting for hope to arrive, but instead, he was met with his son's questioning, which made his already grieving heart bleed even more.
It is the father's fault if he raises a son but does not teach him properly!
My son is right!
It is true that the son made a mistake, but he was not entirely without fault either. If he hadn't been so busy with government affairs and neglected to discipline his son, such a disaster would not have happened!
He Yaozu continued to ramble on from below the hall, repeatedly saying, "I've never been wrong before, so why am I wrong now?"
His son's repeated questions left He Zhengjie slumped in his chair, utterly exhausted. He kept blaming himself for failing to properly raise his son, which had resulted in such an unfilial descendant in the He family.
Sima Yulong, who was visiting the people under the pseudonym Chu Tianyou, sighed inwardly. He Zhengjie was honest and upright, loved the people like his own children, and was extremely popular. He never expected that he would raise such a rebellious son. What a misfortune for the family!
Sima Yulong sighed and couldn't help but feel a headache. When he first learned that He Yaozu had made a mistake, he thought he would help him turn back from the wrong path and start anew. However, he didn't expect that his plan would backfire and force He Yaozu into this predicament.
He Zhengjie is over fifty years old and has only one son. Is it really necessary to let such a loyal and patriotic official suffer the pain of losing his son and have no descendants?
Regardless of Sima Yulong's inner turmoil, under He Yaozu's questioning, He's mother outside the door could no longer hold back. She rushed into the hall, knelt beside her son, and embraced him, weeping uncontrollably.
"Master, Yaozu is your own son, please let him go!"
The appearance of He's mother was like a lifeline for He Yaozu. Desperate for validation, he grabbed He's mother and asked, "Mother, do you think I'm wrong?"
Mother He lowered her head and sobbed silently.
Looking at his mother, who was crying silently, He Yaozu felt a pang of guilt, but at the same time, a surge of resentment arose within him: "Mother, you were the one who said my father was a high-ranking official and that I shouldn't be afraid of anything. Wasn't that what you said? Then why am I like this today? Why?"
Looking up at her son, whose expression was no longer as obedient as before, He's mother felt remorse for spoiling him too much in the past, which led him to his death.
For someone who loves her son more than herself, the fact that her own indulgence led her son to his death is undoubtedly more painful than killing her.
He Yaozu's unrepentant attitude shattered He Zhengjie's last hope. He slowly closed his eyes, composed himself, and made a decision.
His son had committed a heinous crime and showed no remorse, which caused him immense heartache, but he could not turn a blind eye to it.
Otherwise, how can justice be served?
How can we redress the grievances of the people and restore justice to the world?
Moreover, the laws of the country are strict, and as the governor of the prefecture, he must not break the law.
"enough!"
Thinking of this, He Zhengjie shouted to stop the mother and son below the court, and, suppressing the pain in his heart, slammed the gavel: "He Yaozu, hear the verdict!"
The courtroom fell silent as everyone's eyes turned to He Zhengjie, wondering how he would sentence his own son.
He Zhengjie gritted his teeth: "This prefect sentences you, you, you to be beheaded and your head displayed to the public three days from now!"
This verdict was like a thunderclap, shocking everyone in the hall!
No one expected that He Zhengjie would actually sentence He Yaozu to death.
Even Sima Yulong, the ruler of the country, was shocked when he heard this verdict.
He Yaozu was undoubtedly guilty of heinous crimes, but the Dragon Slaying Society's instigation also played a role in his offenses. Therefore, if they had focused on this aspect, saving his life wouldn't have been impossible, and a sentence of ten or twenty years wouldn't have been out of the question. Unexpectedly…
Sima Yulong couldn't help but frown.
Upon hearing the verdict, He Yaozu was immediately enraged and abruptly stood up to cause a scene in the courtroom. However, before he could even stand up, he suddenly felt dizzy, a sharp pain exploded in his brain, and a red mark appeared on his forehead. Countless images flashed through his mind, and finally, his consciousness turned into darkness.
······
"It's really hard to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things!"
"It's only been a few years, and they're already doing all sorts of things!"
"Damn it, abducting women and killing them to cover it up—is this something I would do?"
"It's just a matter of sealing your memories, how come you seem like a completely different person?"
In the dark and gloomy prison cell, the floor was covered with dry straw. He Yaozu leaned against the mottled wall, secretly despising himself.
In the final moments of his previous life, he finally saw the new world he had longed for, and felt no regrets, ready to embark on his journey to the next life with equanimity.
On his deathbed, he secretly pondered that since he had already transmigrated into the body of an emperor twice in a row, he shouldn't be an emperor in the next world. He was already tired of the life of an emperor.
Little did he expect that when he opened his eyes again, he had become an infant.
He turned into a baby!
Who knows what it feels like to be an emperor who holds absolute power one moment and a baby who needs to be taken care of the next?
It's an absolute test of the mind, making this drastic change unacceptable.
This feeling is absolutely devastating!
He originally wanted to starve himself to death, after all, he was just a newborn baby who couldn't even roll over, so other ways of dying were impractical.
However, Mr. and Mrs. He had only had this precious son after nearly ten years of marriage, so they cherished this hard-won son extremely. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they valued their son more than their own lives.
If anything is even slightly wrong with the child, the two of them become as anxious as ants on a fire, and they can't even eat.