In fact, the concerns of the Xi'an Prefect were not unfounded. Although it would not be difficult for Zhu Yunwen to forcefully kill a concubine of the Prince of Qin, it was sometimes not so simple.

In particular, Zhu Yunwen had little influence in Xi'an, while Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, and his concubine, Consort Deng, had cultivated their influence there for a long time.

The forces that have formed are already intricate and deeply intertwined, so it will probably not be easy for Zhu Yunwen to touch Consort Deng, the concubine of the Prince of Qin.

After being reminded by the prefect, Zhu Yunwen glanced at the prefect and said:

Why did you remind me of that?

The prefect swallowed nervously before speaking:

"As the local official in charge, I ask myself honestly, I also hope that the people here can live better and be treated kindly."

Normally, Consort Deng is arrogant and domineering. Relying on her status as the Princess Consort of the Prince of Qin, she treats the people of Xi'an Prefecture like livestock. As the Prefect, I naturally cannot stand by and watch.

In the past, due to my lowly status and insignificant voice, I couldn't play much of a role. But today is different. Now that His Highness the Crown Prince is standing up for the people, to put it bluntly, I naturally hope that the guilty will receive the punishment they deserve.

Zhu Yunwen gave the prefect a deep look. The prefect was a bit cunning, but not a bad person.

Overall, they still cared about the people and didn't want Consort Deng, this potential threat, to remain.

He didn't expect Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin to be killed, but if Consort Deng, who colluded with Prince Zhu Shuang, could pay with her life, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

It's always good to have one less scourge.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the prefect and said:

"In that case, do you have any good ideas?"

The prefect looked around and whispered to Zhu Yunwen:

"I'm afraid that after today's execution at Caishikou, Your Highness, you should personally go to the prison to prevent any unforeseen events. If you were to intervene, some things might be able to be contained."

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly, then spoke:

"I understand. You shall continue to implement the policy of abolishing land annexation. As for the execution, I will personally oversee it. She will surely die today."

Zhu Yunwen was so confident because he still had a trump card up his sleeve.

Although this trump card comes from the history he knows, he doesn't know if such a thing actually happened in this world. But after all, apart from himself, almost everything in this world conforms to the history he knows.

Even if he were to gamble, he would have a very high chance of winning.

After the prefect left, Zhu Yunwen, along with the Imperial Guards and Zhao Qingzhu, headed towards the execution ground.

It is now noon, and at three-quarters past noon, Consort Deng will be executed.

At this moment, in the residence of Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin, he was still trying to figure out how to protect Consort Deng.

Although she knew that she would be punished by Zhu Yuanzhang no matter what, and that Zhu Yuanzhang might even punish Consort Deng as well.

However, being able to save Consort Deng's life was also a good thing for him, for no other reason than that he genuinely liked Consort Deng.

He didn't have much affection for his principal wife.

Zhu Yunwen, who was well-versed in history, knew that in the past, Consort Deng had also angered Zhu Yuanzhang for some reasons, and was therefore sentenced to death by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's decision to sentence Consort Deng to death was based on sufficient confidence and conviction, because he firmly believed that even if Zhu Yuanzhang knew what Consort Deng had done, he would still order her execution.

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang had always respected Zhu Yunwen's choices. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to kill Consort Deng, he knew that he would support Zhu Yunwen's decision to kill her.

Therefore, in Zhu Yunwen's mind, Consort Deng must die today no matter what.

At this moment, countless people have gathered at the bustling Caishikou market in Xi'an. Xi'an used to have a beautiful name: Chang'an.

Xi'an was once the capital of the Tang Dynasty. There was an East Market and a West Market in Xi'an Prefecture. Generally, if someone was to be executed, they would be pushed to the Caishikou in the East Market.

This was true during the Tang Dynasty, and it remains true today. So the people of Caishikou in the East Market all came to watch the spectacle, because the person to be killed today was no ordinary person; he was the concubine of the Qin King, the local tyrant of Xi'an Prefecture.

Consort Deng was known for her wickedness and oppression of the people, treating human life as worthless, which had long aroused public resentment.

There was a time when a commoner who had suffered injustice wanted to go to Nanjing to tell the King and Queen of Qin, but the King and Queen sent people to stop him and kill him to silence him.

Such heinous acts are utterly despicable, so now that Consort Deng is about to be beheaded, the people naturally applaud and cheer, and everyone comes to watch this incredibly satisfying scene.

A makeshift execution platform was set up at Caishikou.

The local magistrate was sitting there, and he was to oversee the execution of Consort Deng. He was terrified because he noticed that several prominent local families were watching him with ill intent.

These prominent families were related to Consort Deng and had always benefited from the influence of the Deng family, and even more so from Consort Deng herself.

In Xi'an Prefecture, a considerable force had gathered, so the county magistrate knew that the prefect had given him a dangerous mission by sending him to oversee the execution.

When that time comes, the local noble families will surely come out to stop him, and he, a mere county magistrate, will probably not be able to face them.

But now that the time had come, the magistrate had no choice but to tremble as he took out a divination slip from the container and was about to speak.

However, at this moment, a relative of Consort Deng stood up from the crowd and said:

“Magistrate Zhang, you should think twice before you act. The woman you are about to kill is the concubine of the Prince of Qin, who is a member of the royal family. You are just a county magistrate. If you order the execution of Consort Deng, you will not be able to bear the consequences.”

Another relative of Consort Deng also stepped forward and sneered, saying:

"Consort Deng is, after all, a princess. It seems unreasonable for the Crown Prince to have her beheaded in public here based on some so-called crimes. What if this gets back to the court and causes controversy, leading to some negative impacts and consequences?"

Upon hearing these words, Magistrate Zhang, who was already frightened, began to tremble even more.

How could he not know that this was a hot potato?

After all, this is a matter between important people, yet it's been entrusted to a lowly official like him. If problems arise later, wouldn't he be the first to be punished?

It's not that he was timid; what those relatives of Consort Deng said did make sense.

Consort Deng sneered and said:

"You're just a lowly county magistrate. If you really dare to order my execution, I guarantee you'll be down there with me in a few days. The Prince won't let you off the hook. So, do you dare to oversee my execution?"

The magistrate dropped the decree in his hand to the ground; he dared not, he was afraid.

Upon seeing this, Consort Deng revealed a cold smile and said:

"You think you can kill me so easily?"

However, at that moment, a group of Imperial Guards cleared a path in the distance, and Zhu Yunwen strode over, then spoke calmly:

"He wouldn't dare, but I would!"