Looking at Liu Xiangnan and the others standing beside him, Zhu Meng helplessly lowered his head.
Xiao An suddenly slammed the table and said sternly, "Zhu Meng, you plotted rebellion. I, in consideration of your past military achievements, intended to spare your life. But you fled to Da Tu Kingdom, colluded with foreign enemies to attack my Da Cang Kingdom. What were your intentions?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng suddenly threw his head back and burst into loud laughter, "Xiao An, stop being hypocritical. It's the victor who writes history. There's nothing more to say. Do as you please."
Actually, Liu Xiangnan, standing nearby, could see that Zhu Meng was merely putting on a brave front. After all, he had once been the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army and did not want to appear too weak at this moment. Perhaps this was his last act of defiance before his demise.
Xiao An, naturally, could not tolerate Zhu Meng's arrogant attitude.
Just as he was about to speak, Liu Xiangnan stepped forward, "Your Majesty, please wait. This old minister has something to say."
Xiao An glanced at Liu Xiangnan, nodded slightly, and made a gesture.
Liu Xiangnan bowed again and turned to face Zhu Meng, "Zhu Meng, in consideration of our past camaraderie as court officials, I will plead for you today. If you can hand over the antidote and cure the Crown Prince's peculiar poison, perhaps His Majesty will be merciful."
Upon hearing Liu Xiangnan's words, Zhu Meng, who had previously closed his eyes and lowered his head, suddenly looked up, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
Indeed, seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, who wouldn't want to seize it? Zhu Meng was human, after all.
"I do not know what poison the Crown Prince has been afflicted with, and therefore cannot produce an antidote."
The implication behind these words was clear: tell me about the poison, and then we can discuss the antidote.
Liu Xiangnan said with a heavy tone, "It is said that the poison afflicting the Crown Prince is from the Heavenly Mountain Snow Toad. It is also said that one must consume the flesh of the mother creature that produced the poison to counteract it."
Hearing Liu Xiangnan's words, Zhu Meng was stunned.
"This, this rumor, it was the poison used by the Black Wolf Guards near Crown Prince Bridge."
Liu Xiangnan nodded upon hearing this. It seemed Zhu Meng knew the origin of the poison.
"Ah, since you know about this poison, do you know how to antidote it?"
Facing Liu Xiangnan's insistent questioning, Zhu Meng shook his head, "To be honest, I truly do not know how to resolve this poison."
After speaking, he wearily closed his eyes, realizing that his attempt at self-preservation had failed.
At this point, Xiao An lost his last shred of patience and waved his hand.
Soldiers on both sides stepped forward, hoisted Zhu Meng up, and carried him away.
Outside the imperial palace, on the main street, a platform more than three feet high had been erected as an execution ground.
The common people gathered around, waiting to witness the fate of this traitor.
The commander of the Imperial Guards, Bai Han, was in charge of monitoring the situation. He led his men to bring Zhu Meng onto the platform.
The surrounding citizens, upon seeing Zhu Meng arrive, let out cheers.
It was only now that Zhu Meng realized he had been completely abandoned. The people were more overjoyed than during a festival at his impending execution. Looking at the smiling faces below, his heart bled.
A soldier brought over a bamboo basket, which contained two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, along with a pot of wine.
The soldier used chopsticks to pick up a piece of food and put it into Zhu Meng's mouth.
After feeding Zhu Meng a few bites of food, he picked up the wine pot and poured some wine down his throat.
Normally, Zhu Meng's close relatives would have fed him and asked if he had any last words. However, for a traitor like him, his family members had long since been arrested and executed. Thus, a mere formality was carried out.
After a few sips of wine, the execution was about to commence.
Zhu Meng looked at Bai Han and sighed softly, "Commander Bai, as they say, a dying man's words are good. I wish to see Marquis Liu one last time. Could you please relay a message for me?"
Bai Han was taken aback by this request and then shook his head, "I advise you to give up this idea. Marquis Liu is not someone you can just meet whenever you please now."
Zhu Meng looked at Bai Han and said mysteriously, "This matter is of great importance. What I wish to say concerns the secrets of the Da Tu Kingdom, but I only trust Marquis Liu."
Upon hearing this, Bai Han dared not delay. He ordered his men to temporarily guard Zhu Meng, and he himself hurried back to see the Emperor.
After hearing Bai Han's relayed message, Liu Xiangnan frowned. He cupped his hands towards Xiao An and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister and Zhu Meng have no personal ties, therefore, I do not wish to go."
Xiao An fell silent for a moment. He himself was unsure whether to let Liu Xiangnan go.
Just then, a man stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say."
Xiao An turned to look at this person, who was the current Prime Minister, Chen Junyu.
Xiao An pondered for a moment, then slightly raised his hand, gesturing for him to continue.
Chen Junyu bowed again, "Your Majesty, you and this old minister should allow Marquis Liu to go and witness Song Zhongmeng's final moments."
"Although Zhu Meng is a traitor and deserves to have his entire clan exterminated, he has also rendered great service to Da Cang. Your Majesty, by sending Marquis Liu to bid him farewell, it would demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolent rule and love for the people."
"Furthermore, it would serve as an opportunity to proclaim to the world to follow the righteous path and refrain from committing such heinous acts as Zhu Meng did!"
Hearing his words, Xiao An fell into a contemplative silence. He looked up at Liu Xiangnan. In matters like these, even as Emperor, it was difficult to forcibly send Liu Xiangnan. In other words, the decision to go or not rested entirely with Liu Xiangnan.
Liu Xiangnan did not think too much about it, only feeling that what Chen Junyu said had some merit. He cupped his hands towards Xiao An and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, I will go and see what tricks Zhu Meng is still trying to play."
Soon, Liu Xiangnan arrived at the execution ground with Bai Han.
Seeing that Liu Xiangnan had truly arrived, a flicker of light appeared in Zhu Meng's eyes.
Although it was fleeting, it was evident that his inner emotions were greatly stirred.
The onlookers, upon seeing Liu Xiangnan's arrival, let out even louder cheers.
This was sufficient to show the immense welcome and support the common people held for Liu Xiangnan.
Liu Xiangnan stepped forward and looked at Zhu Meng, his expression calm, "Zhu Meng, now that your end is near and you wish to see me, do you have anything further to say?"
Zhu Meng looked at him with a smile. He could still smile at this point, which even earned him a bit of admiration from Bai Han.
Liu Xiangnan was also surprised that a man facing death could speak to him with such a smile. He took two steps forward, "Whatever you have to say, speak."
"Marquis, I know I am about to die. As the saying goes, a dying man's words are good. Therefore, before I die, I will offer you a merit."
Liu Xiangnan's eyebrows rose, "Oh? What merit, tell me."
"Marquis Liu, this merit is of paramount importance. There is actually another way to antidote the poison afflicting Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun."
"The poison that Xiao Jingyun has been afflicted with is one of extreme yin and cold."
"For ordinary people to antidote it, they would naturally use methods of extreme yang and strength to supplement his yang energy. However, this poison precisely exploits this common psychological response. Once yang energy is supplemented, death is certain."
"Then how should this poison be antidoted?" Liu Xiangnan's eyes widened in surprise. Zhu Meng seemed to be being deliberately mysterious, which also confused him.