Hell Prison

Author: Hengzhou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In the early spring of the second year of the Daming era, the absurd actions of the court staged a ridiculous farce. The Daming Emperor executed the court official Xia Wenzhong at West Four. To save the lives of his family, Xia Wenzhong secretly sought help from the executioner Hu Qi before his execution. Driven by profit, Hu Qi risked his life to rescue Xia's wife and three children. They fled to Hu Qi's hometown, Suzhou, and settled there. With his own skills, Hu Qi built a fortune in Suzhou and raised the three children with Xia's wife. He himself went through a series of bizarre experiences, including running a slaughterhouse, opening a steamed bun shop, establishing a commercial society, building temples, and even becoming a monk. Later, he helped his son Dong Tian in business, making his son a leader in Suzhou's commercial circle. In his struggles against corrupt officials, powerful landlords, unscrupulous merchants, bandits, and foreign invaders, Hu Qi displayed a unique personality and tenacious spirit. Yet, he was also ignorant and deluded, becoming a notorious "worldly demon" in the local area. He was righteous, loyal, and kind, with a compassionate heart, but also cruel, selfish, and bloodthirsty. He was wise, resourceful, adaptable, and skilled in dealing with people, yet greedy, lustful, ignorant, and utterly absurd. In the end, he could not escape the tragic fate history had arranged for him. He was executed at the very place where he had taken lives.