Chapter 59 Death

At noon the next day, a huge crowd filled the area outside Xuanwu Gate. On the high platform, the old emperor sat in person, flanked by civil and military officials. Below, Wen Youqing knelt bound and covered in wounds.

Cui Junji stood among the officials with a calm expression.

"Take people to capture Shen Wenshi!" the eunuch in charge of ceremonies shouted.

The old emperor slowly stood up and scanned the room. "I've come here in person today to show everyone the fate of a traitor! Shen Wenshi, you've slandered the Wang family for hoarding military equipment, colluding with court officials, and harboring ill intentions. Do you acknowledge your guilt?"

Wen Youqing looked up and suddenly laughed wildly: "Kneeling here, so this is what it feels like..."

The old emperor's face changed: "How dare you! Slap your face!"

The guard stepped forward and slapped Wang Huan hard, causing her mouth and nose to bleed. But Wen Youqing continued to laugh wildly, "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty! Our entire family has been killed. Aren't you just holding a grudge against my husband for uncovering your son's dirty laundry and executing him? A father who couldn't teach his son well and manage his court officials is now taking advantage of his power to take revenge. How incompetent!"

The reason for the emperor's rebellion was tacitly understood, but when it was brought to light, the entire audience fell silent. It was early winter, and unexpectedly, it began to rain.

Seeing this, the old emperor was so angry that he trembled all over. "You, you... your words and actions are outrageous, you are deceiving the emperor, you deserve to die! Come, drag this woman away and execute her by slow slicing!"

But no one dared to move.

At this moment, a cold arrow shot out and hit the old emperor in the shoulder! Countless masked men stepped out from the shadows, holding crossbows and arrows, indiscriminately shooting everyone present.

A fierce battle ensued between the Imperial Guards and the masked men. Cui Junji protected the wounded old emperor. "Protect the emperor!" Cui Junji shouted.

In the chaos, Wen Youqing almost immediately recognized it as Luo Ling!

—

Luo Ling stood at the outermost edge of the crowd, his fingers unconsciously stroking the short blade hidden in his sleeve. Cui Junji's words from three days ago were still ringing in his ears.

"Wen Youqing has done you a great favor. Now she's going to be beheaded. There are some things I can't do, so I can only ask you for help." Cui Junji's voice was gentle but carried an undeniable power. "The guards at the execution ground are lax, which is a perfect opportunity to save her. In the chaos, not only can you save her, but you can also eliminate those treacherous officials who are harming the country and the people in one fell swoop, and even..."

Cui Junji didn't finish his words, but Luo Ling understood what he meant. The current emperor was incompetent, and his former son-in-law, along with so many loyal ministers... If they could take advantage of the chaos during the execution to eliminate the emperor and those high-ranking officials, it would be a great relief to the world.

Luo Ling took a deep breath, cold sweat trickling down his neck into his clothes, bringing a chill. It wasn't that she hadn't doubted Cui Junji's motives, but Wen Youqing's kindness was far greater than anything else.

As long as the young lady can be rescued, the rest doesn't matter.

"Bring the criminal Shen Wenshi!" The high-pitched voice of the executioner penetrated the crowd.

Luo Ling watched Wen Youqing being escorted to the execution platform by two jailers. She had lost considerable weight, her prison uniform hanging loosely on her body, but her steps remained firm, her back straight. Even in this desperate situation, she maintained her innate pride.

Luo Ling's heart ached. She recalled every moment with Wen Youqing. Such a kind young lady, treating her like a younger sister and letting her learn anything she wanted. But then, in the most difficult times, she pushed her away, and she couldn't do anything to help.

And now, her young lady was framed by the incompetent emperor and treacherous ministers and sentenced to beheading.

In this world, no one cares about loyalty or treachery. Having no friends or factions is the greatest sin.

Luo Ling clenched her fists. She gestured behind her, and over thirty men quietly dispersed to their designated positions. These were all people who had received favors from Wen Youqing, and upon hearing they were being rescued, they came without hesitation. They were simple and loyal, yet unaware that this operation harboured another conspiracy – the assassination of the emperor and the high-ranking officials present.

Luo Ling had no intention of telling them this. She planned to complete the "extra task" assigned by Cui Junji alone, without getting her brothers too deeply involved.

On the execution platform, Wen Youqing was already kneeling on the ground.

Luo Ling's gaze swept across the execution platform. The emperor had indeed arrived—this was the accurate information Cui Junji had provided—sitting beneath a canopy, flanked by several important court officials. The guards were heavier than usual, but as Cui Junji had said, they were mostly deployed in the open, while the hidden forces were lax.

Suddenly, it began to rain, a rare early winter rain that cut like a knife through the flesh. The onlookers began to stir, some holding up umbrellas, others retreating to seek shelter. This was the perfect opportunity to create chaos.

Luo Ling took a deep breath and gave the signal for action.

The first arrow was fired from the western teahouse window, accurately hitting the emperor's right shoulder. Immediately afterwards, an explosion sounded from the east—it was a "smoke bomb" provided by Cui Junji, loud but insignificant, primarily intended to create panic.

"There's an assassin! Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!" The guards suddenly became chaotic and rushed towards the execution platform.

The people panicked and fled in all directions, breaking up the guards' formation. Luo Ling and his brothers took advantage of the chaos to rush to the execution platform and engaged in a fierce battle with the guards.

Swords flashed and blood mixed with rainwater flowed on the bluestone slabs. Luo Ling was extremely brave, killing three guards in a row and finally rushing to Wen Youqing's side.

"Miss, I'm here to save you!" Luo Ling cut the rope on her body.

Wen Youqing raised her head, raindrops sliding down her pale face: "Luo Ling! This is a circle—"

Her words were interrupted by a sudden arrow. Luo Ling parried it with his sword, grabbed her, and ran towards the planned retreat route.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. But Luo Ling felt a faint unease. It was going too smoothly. The guards seemed too slow to react, as if... they were letting them go?

At this moment, there was an even greater commotion from the execution platform. Several agile men in civilian clothing suddenly attacked, charging directly at the emperor and the high officials. Those weren't Luo Ling's men!

Luo Ling understood instantly—Cui Junji had another group of men mixed in with the crowd. This was the real assassination team! Her men were merely bait and scapegoats to attract attention.

"Hurry up!" Wen Youqing suddenly pushed her hard, "Hurry! Leave me alone!"

Unfortunately, it's too late.

The originally panicked guards suddenly became organized, quickly forming a circle that trapped Luo Ling and the assassins in the center. A hail of arrows rained down from the surrounding rooftops, slaughtering everyone in the area without distinguishing friend or foe.

The brothers fell one after another, and screams were heard everywhere.

Luo Ling desperately protected Wen Youqing and tried to break through, but there were enemies on all sides.

"Put down your weapons! Those who surrender will not be killed!" A loud voice rang out.

Luo Ling looked up and saw Cui Junji standing on the execution platform unharmed, right next to the emperor!

At this moment, Luo Ling understood everything. There was no plan to assassinate the emperor at all; this was all Cui Junji's conspiracy.

He exploited his favor to Wen Youqing and instigated them to hijack the execution ground, create chaos, and then capture them all in one fell swoop. In this way, Cui Junji could play the hero who saved the emperor in front of him, while at the same time eliminating Wen Youqing and her supporters.

And those assassins were also Cui Junji's own men. They killed the disobedient political enemies and staged a drama of shifting the blame!

"Cui Junji! You traitor!" Luo Ling roared, his voice heartbreaking, and stabbed straight at Cui Junji.

With a "puff", the sword pierced through layers of guards and went straight into the emperor's chest.

Luo Ling looked in disbelief at Cui Junji, who had suddenly given up his lifeline. The next moment, her heart was pierced by Cui Junji's long sword. Before she closed her eyes, she only heard Cui Junji whisper, "Thank you."

"No!" Wen Youqing roared, trying to break through the siege with the momentum of a wild beast.

But Cui Junji just waved his hand coldly, "The regicide must be killed without mercy!" More arrows were shot, Wen Youqing's body shook, and an arrow had pierced her chest.

Wen Youqing opened her mouth and blood flowed from the corner of her lips. When she fell to the ground, she looked at Luo Ling, whose merits were divided up by the guards as military merits, and could not utter a word.

Wen Youqing collapsed to the cold ground, her vision blurring. The last thing she saw was Cui Junji's impassive expression as he stood on the execution platform. His guards, under the pretext of eliminating any remaining rebels, beheaded everyone on the execution ground one by one.

His brother, Wen Youqing, the high-ranking officials who wanted to watch the fun, and even the killers hired by Cui Junji himself, all died, and only Cui Junji was the winner.

The rain was still falling, washing away the blood on the ground, but it could not wash away the stench of conspiracy and betrayal.

Cui Junji watched the massacre on the field with an expressionless face as it came to an end.

All of Luo Ling's men fell.

Those "assassins" have also been "killed" - of course, they were all death warriors secretly trained by Cui Junji, and they were ready to sacrifice themselves for this plan.

Most of the officials who wanted to see the fun between him and the Wang family also fell.

He glanced across the execution ground.

A perfect three-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

A young guard came running over, trembling: "Sir, the rebels have all been killed. There are forty-eight bodies in total."

Cui Junji, who was preparing the emperor's remains, waved his hand and feigned sorrow. "Let the body remain exposed for three days as a warning to others. Your Majesty was framed and killed by thieves. All the officials and the people have witnessed it. Quickly notify the inner court and the Dali Temple to handle the funeral."

Before leaving, he took one last look at the dying Wen Youqing and said to his confidant, "Let's clean up together."

The rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and a ray of sunlight shone on the blood-stained execution ground, reflecting a strange light.

Lord Cui adjusted his court robes and left calmly. Behind him, the guards were cleaning up the bodies and washing away the blood. Tomorrow, everything would be as if nothing had happened.

But some people will never forget the execution ground on that rainy day.