Chapter 108 The Marquis of Le'an was executed by being torn apart by five horses!

The general hurriedly looked over and saw that Xiao Qidi was unharmed, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Jiang Peihuan's eyes as she sat slumped on the ground like a living dead.

She struggled to her feet, staggered over, and uttered a hoarse voice, "General...that wasn't an assassin...that was...your emperor...he's my son...Xiao Qidi..."

She didn't need to ask Marquis Le'an to guess that it must have been Marquis Le'an's advisor who used a forged imperial edict.

Back then, for the sake of Marquis Le'an, she did not hesitate to help him steal a silk scroll used for imperial edicts from the palace, and used a scheme to obtain the Xuanwang Jade Seal kept by the Prime Minister, stamping it with her own Empress Dowager Jade Seal as well.

Since the Shuncheng Army was originally a local garrison and not transferred to another region, it did not need a military tally. As long as there was a blank edict made into a forged edict, it would be enough to trick the Shuncheng Army into coming in to help under the pretext of protecting the Empress Dowager and the Marquis.

But the Shuncheng army certainly didn't know the imperial edict was fake.

Therefore, the only way to protect Xiao Qidi now is for her to step forward and tell the Shuncheng Army the truth.

"Empress Dowager!" Marquis Le'an hurriedly went to greet her, deliberately shouting loudly to cover up Jiang Peihuan's already hoarse and weak voice, "Empress Dowager, you have been frightened. I will take you to rest first. You can handle everything here!"

Jiang Peihuan tried to struggle, but she was already exhausted.

Marquis Le'an lowered his voice, "Don't ruin my plans again! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After saying that, he secretly struck Jiang Peihuan on the back of the neck and called his men to take her to the main hall.

After dealing with this unexpected minor situation, Marquis Le'an glanced at Xiao Qidi.

Xiao Qidi stood calmly amidst the circle of guests of Marquis Le'an, his eyes fixed on the general who had led the army.

He could tell from the voice that the general was none other than Li Yao.

But Marquis Le'an was completely unaware of this.

They assumed that Xiao Qidi was so frightened that he had given up resisting.

Marquis Le'an did not want to waste time and cause further complications, so he quickly returned to the general of Shuncheng Army. "General, the assassin seems to have given up resistance. I will order his execution. But if the assassin makes a last-ditch effort, I hope you will send troops to help me."

"My lord, don't be in such a hurry. Why don't you listen to the imperial edict first?" Li Yao, dressed in the armor of a general of Shuncheng Army, then took out the imperial edict from his waist.

Marquis Le'an was puzzled. "What kind of imperial edict is this?"

Li Yao smiled and said, "It is indeed an edict bearing the jade seals of the Xuan King and the Empress Dowager."

"Oh..." Marquis Le'an smiled as well, "Is there something wrong with the imperial edict?"

Li Yao unfurled the imperial edict and loudly proclaimed, "The Marquis of Le'an is plotting to assassinate the emperor and rebel in the Shun Palace. The Shun City Army is hereby ordered to immediately obey General Li Yao's command and enter the palace to protect the emperor!"

Marquis Le'an was shocked and blurted out, "How is this possible?!"

Li Yao said, "This has the seals of the Xuan King and the Empress Dowager on it, how could it be impossible? Otherwise, what do you think I would bring troops here for?"

Marquis Le'an's mind went completely blank.

That's not right...

The edict was supposed to order the Shuncheng army to protect him and the Empress Dowager and to kill the assassins.

How did it turn out like this?!

"Wait a minute..." Marquis Le'an rubbed his head, gritting his teeth, "In the Shuncheng Army, what general is there named Li Yao? I've never heard of him!"

“My lord,” Li Yao put down the imperial edict and grinned, “Li Yao is me. I am an unknown general from the border region. Of course you have never heard of me, but the imperial edict orders me to lead the Shuncheng Army to protect Your Majesty, so I can only obey.”

Marquis Le'an was stunned on the spot.

Li Yao flicked the reins and rode his horse swiftly towards the encirclement.

Several hundred Shuncheng soldiers followed closely behind.

Before the group of retainers of Marquis Le'an surrounding Xiao Qidi could react, a gap was created by the impact.

Li Yao dismounted, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty! I am late, please forgive me!"

Xiao Qidi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his voice finally revealing fatigue, "These people... I'll leave it to you to deal with."

"Yes!" Li Yao stood up, glanced around coldly, and loudly ordered, "Kill them all!"

Splash—

Immediately, half of the retainers were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.

Half of them turned tail and ran, attempting to escape.

However, in addition to the hundreds of Shuncheng soldiers who arrived earlier, there were nearly 10,000 troops outside the main hall, which had spread throughout the entire Shun Palace in layers, with the main hall as the center.

This group of retainers originally numbered over three thousand, but Xiao Qidi killed or wounded nearly three hundred of them.

Although there were still more than two thousand left, they had no ability to resist the nearly ten thousand Shuncheng soldiers.

In an instant, screams filled the air and blood flowed like a river within the Shun Palace.

Xiao Qidi sat quietly on the steps in front of the main hall, looking at the hellish scene before him with an expressionless face.

Gradually, the screams subsided, and the smell of blood grew stronger...

In the end, all the people brought by Marquis Le'an were killed.

Li Yao grabbed the already terrified Marquis of Le'an and threw him down the steps, reporting, "Your Majesty, only he remains. What should we do with him?"

Xiao Qidi snapped out of his daze, his thin lips pressed tightly together as he stared at the Marquis of Le'an kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, spare my life...Spare my life!" Marquis Le'an was terrified, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"Spare me?" Xiao Qidi's eyes were terrifyingly cold. "You still have the guts to say those two words?"

Marquis Le'an kowtowed desperately, his face bleeding profusely. "I was wrong, I was really wrong! I'll never dare to do it again! I'm still useful... From now on I... I... I'll serve Your Majesty with my life! I only beg Your Majesty to give me one more chance!"

At that moment, Xiao Qidi heard a rustling sound behind him.

Looking back.

The Empress Dowager struggled to climb to the threshold of the main hall.

Xiao Qidi quickly averted his gaze and stopped looking at her.

"Your Majesty..." Jiang Peihuan said weakly, "I...I want...to see him one last time."

Xiao Qidi remained silent.

Li Yao hesitated for a moment, intending to go over and help the Empress Dowager, but was stopped by a look from Xiao Qidi.

Jiang Peihuan struggled to climb over the threshold. The once elegant and noble Empress Dowager of Xuan Kingdom was now in a sorry state and extremely miserable. Li Yao silently turned away.

"Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager!" Lao An noticed Jiang Peihuan approaching, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

Jiang Peihuan practically crawled and rolled down the steps, and when she reached Lao An, she struggled to stand up.

"Save me...save me..." Lao An pleaded in a low voice.

Jiang Peihuan forced a bitter smile. "Save you? I can barely take care of myself... how can I save you..."

Lao An grabbed her hand. "Pei Huan, you are the King's birth mother. No matter what, he won't kill you. No one can bear the stigma of matricide, especially the King of a country. He won't kill you... Besides... Besides, there are so many important officials in the court who follow your lead. If you plead for me... he will definitely give you face..."

Jiang Peihuan's eyes were vacant as she looked at Lao An's expectant gaze. Her lips parted slightly, "Lao An, let it go... We both deserve what we got. Don't struggle anymore."

Her resigned demeanor made Lao An extremely anxious.

"Peihuan... I beg you... please help me again," Lao An said hurriedly. "I don't want to die. I haven't lived enough. Please save me this once, for the sake of our past relationship, okay?"

"Have you forgotten how happy you were all these years we were together?"

“You once said that neither Situ Wei nor the late king ever truly loved you, and that you only found love with me. I… I am the only man in this world who gave you happiness and truly loved you.”

These words stirred up Jiang Peihuan's memories.

Those days were indeed the sweetest in her bitter life.

Perhaps because the past was too bitter, once they tasted a little sweetness, they couldn't extricate themselves and became deeply immersed in it.

Even though she gradually discovered that it was just a poison that made her dream, she still drank it as if it were a sweet drink.

Now... the poison has taken effect, and it's time to wake up from the dream.

She raised her hand and gently touched Lao An's cheek. "That's enough. You don't need to lie to me anymore. Maybe at the beginning, you really did have feelings for me, but in the end... you only love yourself. You're willing to sacrifice our child for yourself, and you're willing to sacrifice me, aren't you?"

“Peihuan, I’m sorry, I…I…” Lao An cried bitterly, “I was tricked by Xiao Qidi, that’s why I killed our child, that’s why I insisted on killing Xiao Qidi even though you threatened to kill yourself, but I really love you!”

Jiang Peihuan thought that even if the happiness she had experienced before was just a false dream woven by Lao An, it was still the happiest time of her life. Considering this affection, she decided to persuade Lao An not to try to beg Xiao Qidi for forgiveness anymore.

If he could openly admit his mistakes and atone with his death, he might at least have a complete body. On the contrary, the more he begs for his life, the more tragic his death will be.

But seeing his pathetic and despicable behavior of making all sorts of excuses and shirking responsibility, she was completely heartbroken.

This kind of man...

They don't even deserve to be left with a complete corpse.

"Lao An..." Jiang Peihuan forced a smile, "Since you want me to help plead for him, I will do as you say."

Lao An thought he had found a lifeline and said excitedly, "Okay... Go and tell them that I'll agree to any condition as long as I can live!"

Jiang Peihuan slowly rose, walked down the steps, and kowtowed to Xiao Qidi, saying, "Your Majesty, please spare his life, considering the years of kindness and care Lao An has shown me."

Lao An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the Empress Dowager had intervened to plead for him. No matter how severe the punishment was, as long as he was alive and the Empress Dowager still had some affection for him, he would always have a chance to make a comeback.

Looking at the Empress Dowager kneeling at his feet and listening to her pleading words, Xiao Qidi felt as if his heart had been stabbed again.

Even after all this, she still wants to save Lao An's life?!

If we were to mention Lao An's achievements in politics over the years as the Marquis of Le'an, that would be one thing.

But what they brought up was their shameless affair!

This blow not only pierced Xiao Qidi's heart, but also struck a nerve.

Anger erupted like a volcano, shooting straight to his head.

A powerful killing intent surged and permeated the air, as if freezing the surrounding atmosphere.

Jiang Peihuan felt the terrifying aura without even looking up, her whole body turning cold uncontrollably. But a bitter and desolate smile appeared on her lips as she silently thought, "Lao An, you've schemed against me countless times, and I've always pretended not to know. This time, it's my turn to scheme against you. This is the first time, and also... the last time."

"Guards!" Xiao Qidi roared in fury, "Tear Lao An apart by five horses! After he dies, grind his bones to dust!"

Lao An was struck dumb, his whole body went limp, and he instantly lost control of his bladder and bowels.

Li Yao immediately summoned his troops and quickly prepared for the execution.

Five horses and a few thick ropes, easy to handle.

Lao An was terrified to the extreme, his body went limp like mud. Several soldiers dragged him to the middle of the open space and tied his head and limbs tightly with ropes.

The other ends of the five ropes were tightly tied to the five horses.

"Rise!" Li Yao shouted.

The five soldiers simultaneously spurred their horses forward.

With a whoosh.

The rope tightened, and Lao An, who was in the middle, was suspended in mid-air.

"Your Majesty! I was wrong... I was really wrong! Please... spare my life... spare my life!" At this moment, Lao An burst out with an extremely strong will to survive, howling and screaming at the top of his lungs, and the five ropes were also trembling violently.

The piercing sound made Jiang Peihuan involuntarily close her eyes and cover her ears.

Even though he knew this was the consequence of Lao An's own actions.

However, she couldn't bear to look or hear it.

Xiao Qidi rushed down the steps, grabbed Jiang Peihuan and pulled her up, pried her hands apart, and turned her head towards the direction where Lao An was being tortured. "Empress Dowager, I've avenged your two children for you. Don't you want to take a good look?"

"No... Your Majesty, please... no!" Jiang Peihuan pleaded desperately with her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes and look carefully!" Xiao Qidi's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Jiang Peihuan's hands with one hand and pried open her eyelids with the other, while ordering the surrounding area to be illuminated.

Soon, countless torches were set up in the open space.

It illuminates everything as if it were daytime.

Even every single hair of Marquis Le'an could be seen clearly.

In particular, his eyes, torn between extreme fear and an extreme will to survive, were branded into Jiang Peihuan's pupils like a hot iron.

"Execute them!" Li Yao shouted. "Pull!"

Five soldiers simultaneously whipped the horse's hind legs.

The warhorse, in pain, kicked its legs and charged forward.

Crackling sounds...

Lao An's body made a sound like bones and joints were being snapped.

Then, with a loud crack, it shattered into pieces!

The head, body, and limbs were all separated, with broken bones, blood, and internal organs scattered all over the ground!

Jiang Peihuan was greatly shocked, screamed, and fainted.

The soldiers calmed the warhorses down, the sound of hooves stopped, and everything became quiet, except for the crackling sound of torches burning.

Li Yao stood quietly beside the steps, not daring to say anything, and could only wait for the emperor's instructions.

Looking at the mess on the ground, Xiao Qidi said indifferently, "Everyone... step back. We'll clean up tomorrow. I'm tired and want some peace and quiet."

Li Yao clasped his hands in a fist salute and gestured to his soldiers.

At that moment, Xiao Qidi seemed to lose all his strength, and he gritted his teeth and struggled to lift the unconscious Jiang Pei into his arms.

Then, swaying slightly, he carried her into the main hall and gently placed her on a bench.

I don't know how much time passed.

Jiang Peihuan woke up from her coma once again.

Xiao Qidi sat to the side, lost in thought, his eyes devoid of any light or emotion, only showing a numb weariness and emptiness.

"Qidi..." Jiang Peihuan reached out her hand to his shoulder and called out softly in a hoarse voice.

Xiao Qidi snapped out of his daze, quickly stood up, and avoided Jiang Peihuan's hand. His blood-stained face regained its icy expression. "The Empress Dowager is awake?"

Jiang Peihuan's hand paused in mid-air, then slowly withdrew. She struggled to sit up, her eyes lowered, and asked, "Your Majesty... what do you intend to do with me?"