Deng Gui was dying. He had been tortured beyond belief. The lashings, the branding, the piercings of bamboo sticks, the scalding water, the horrific tortures were unbearable.

The emperor had to parade these three men through the streets as a warning to the public. Deng Gui, though tortured beyond recognition, was fortunately still alive. The jailer brought him the finest ginseng soup to keep him alive.

But this was not a good thing for Deng Gui. He might as well just die and avoid this suffering.

For Li Xiaoyi and Xu Bingzhe, life was worse than death. Watching these bizarre and cruel tortures inflicted on Deng Gui, the visual impact on them can be imagined.

The jailer thought Deng Gui would die if tortured any further, so he finally stopped.

At this time, the prison warden walked in: "Okay. The order from the Ministry of Justice has come down. The three of you should set off together tomorrow. Send them something good tomorrow morning." The last sentence was said to the other jailers.

Deng Gui was carried into the cell, Li Xiaoyi was pushed in. Xu Bingzhe, whose legs were weak, was carried and thrown into the cell.

At dawn, the jailer brought the last meal.

The food was quite good: a pork elbow, a plate of roast chicken, a bowl of white rice with two chopsticks stuck in it, and a pot of wine.

Deng Gui had no time to think about it. He couldn't even close his mouth. The jailer gave him a bowl of ginseng soup and that was it.

Li Xiaoyi's hand was shaking as he held the chopsticks. He tried several times to pick up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. However, his hand was shaking so much that the meat fell to the ground before reaching his mouth. Li Xiaoyi hesitated for a moment, threw away the chopsticks, picked up the piece with his hands and started to chew.

Xu Bingzhe howled every time he ate a bite of meat, then ate another bite of meat and howled again.

After dinner, it was time to go on the road. The jailer put shackles on him. Li Xiaoyi finally broke down and screamed: "I don't want to die, I don't want to die! Dad! Save me, wuwuwu!"

Li Xiaoyi only cried twice when he learned of his father's death, but now he started crying loudly.

The jailer angrily said, "You don't want to die, but have you ever thought about whether Jin Cui Lian wants to die? You deserve this day!"

Li Xiaoyi immediately wilted. He began to feel a deep fear, the fear of death, and huddled there trembling.

Xu Bingzhe was much tougher than him. He stopped crying and drank the wine in the wine pot. He just felt a little dizzy when he walked.

The execution ground east of Bianjing City was packed. Notices had already been posted: Deng Gui, the traitor, was to be executed immediately for betraying the Western Frontier Army. The Kaifeng prefect, who had shielded Li Xiaoyi from rape and murder, was to be executed immediately.

Li Xiaoyi and Xu Bingzhe were shackled and chained, and were escorted to the execution ground by a large group of soldiers.

Deng Gui was treated much better. He was also shackled, but he was sitting on a broken ox cart. He hung his head, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

People along the way threw rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves.

On a platform above the execution ground, three executioners were already standing with swords in their hands.

Behind the three executioners were officials from various departments responsible for the case, including the Ministry of Justice, the Remuneration Officer, the Detailed Reply Officer, the Procurator, and the Law Officer.

There were huge crowds of people below the execution ground platform, and a row of soldiers surrounded the edge of the execution ground to maintain order.

When the three main culprits were brought up, people's emotions were instantly ignited.

"Beat him to death!"

"Kill this traitor!"

"Kill that little bastard from Li Xiangfu."

"Kaifeng Prefecture Governor Xu Bingzhe, you bastard official, you deserve it!"

An old man at the front of the crowd pointed at Li Xiaoyi angrily and said, "You, give me back my daughter's life!"

Li Xiaoyi was so frightened that he took a step back involuntarily, and the crowd pointed at them and cursed them.

The crowd began to riot, so an official came out to stop them: "Silence!"

With a "bang!", the soldier beside him struck the gong.

The sound of the golden gong is a signal used to maintain order at the execution ground. Whenever the crowd's emotions are aroused, the soldiers who sound the gong will often sound the gong to signal silence.

The crowd quieted down a bit. Soldiers escorted the three prisoners to kneel before the executioner and untied the wooden shackles around their necks so that the executioner could strike.

The sun was hanging on the treetops in the southeast, and it was not yet three quarters past noon, so everyone had no choice but to continue waiting.

In an inconspicuous corner beside the crowd, three people were quietly watching the scene in front of them.

One of the young men, dressed elegantly, held a folding fan, half of his face hidden. Clearly, he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Next to him stood a burly, bearded middle-aged man, and a slightly older servant. These three were Zhao Huan, Cao Dongsheng, and Wu Ge, in disguise.

Zhao Huan looked at Deng Gui, who was tortured to death, and asked, "Youwei, am I going too far?"

Cao Dongsheng hurriedly whispered, "Young Master, what are you talking about? These people are extremely evil. Even if they were killed a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough to quell the people's anger. Just look at those people."

Zhao Huan turned his head and saw that the people below were all filled with righteous indignation and were cursing in low voices.

"I heard that it was this bastard Deng Gui who betrayed the Western Frontier Defense Army, causing our Lord Yao to fall into the ambush of the Jin thieves." said a scholar.

Another middle-aged man nearby said, "Alas. Thinking of Yao Pingzhong sacrificing his life for his country, dying in battle, I wish I could eat the flesh of that scoundrel Deng Gui alive!"

The scholar nodded immediately and pointed at Li Xiaoyi: "This is the young master of Prime Minister Li's mansion. He relied on his father's reputation to rob decent women and commit all kinds of evil. This time, I heard he even killed a commoner girl. This evil villain deserves his punishment."

The middle-aged man nodded. "I know about this. I heard it was a case personally decided by the current emperor. The Kaifeng prefect, Xu Bingzhe, a corrupt official, protected Li Xiang's family, and was sentenced to death by beheading by the emperor."

"That's right. I heard that the emperor was a tyrant and a fool, but I think he's quite wise."

"Hmm, it seems we have misunderstood the Emperor."

It was the first time Zhao Huan heard someone praise him behind his back, and he couldn't help but feel overjoyed. He wanted to hug these two people, kiss them hard, and reward them with high positions.

For a long time, I have been carrying the infamy of being a dog emperor and a tyrant. Today, someone finally cleared my name. It turns out that the public has sharp eyes.

"Noon has arrived! Execution!" The official behind the executioner stood up and said, "Now that the prisoner has been identified, the execution will begin!"

The official from the Ministry of Justice threw the red-headed lottery ticket on the table to the ground.

Three executioners, each with a ferocious face and a thick frame, picked up the wine jars at their feet, took a sip of wine, and sprayed it onto the blades of the ghost-head knives. Putting down the wine jars, the three of them simultaneously raised their long, wide ghost-head knives high in the air and chopped off the heads of the three prisoners.

The three executioners moved with great agility, striking out their blades almost simultaneously, completing the execution in one go. Except for a few timid individuals who covered their eyes and dared not watch, the crowd below immediately erupted in cheers.

The three heinous criminals received the punishment they deserved.