Chapter 132 She is Xin'an!
Even after Bai Xiuming exposed her, Xue still insisted that she did not know this person and naturally refused to go with the Mingjing Division guards.
She grabbed Jin Yanghou's sleeve, hiding behind him, her gaze passing over Jin Yanghou to look at Bai Xiuming, who was surrounded by a group of Mingjing Guards.
Xue felt completely powerless. Why, why him again?
This person is like a nightmare, constantly appearing before them and dragging them into hell! Can't he just let them go?
"Lord Bai, if you want to arrest someone, you should at least provide evidence. Not just anyone's words can be taken as testimony." Marquis Jinyang held Xue's cold hand, as if to comfort her.
"So, Lord Marquis, you didn't know." Bai Xiuming said with a half-smile, "Oh, I forgot, Lord Marquis, you were not allowed to attend this birthday banquet."
The Marquis of Jinyang's face flushed red and then paled: "So what?"
Although an investigation revealed that the Marquis of Jinyang's residence had no connection with the Shen family, His Majesty still disliked him. After being sent back to the Mingjing Division, he was not reinstated to his original position and was therefore ineligible to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet.
"So the Marquis is unaware that Xu Zecheng, who rescued the Marquis from the Mingjing Division that day, has been implicated with the Magistrate of Xin'an County."
Marquis Jinyang was stunned and subconsciously turned to look at Lady Xue.
He naturally knew that he was able to leave the Mingjing Division that day thanks to the efforts of Vice Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel. Lady Xue had also told him that she had some connections with the Princess of Xin'an County, which was why she had asked her for help.
Something happened? These two are always low-key, what could possibly have happened? Marquis Jinyang couldn't imagine.
Xue's hands trembled even more violently. From the moment she heard the name Han Xiaotong, she realized something was wrong.
Bai Xiuming looked at the trembling Xue Shi: "Han Xiaotong has been impersonating the Princess of Xin'an County for more than ten years. What a coincidence that the Lady of the Marquis has known the fake princess since childhood."
Madam Xue's expression froze. She couldn't understand how she could have been discovered, since nothing had happened in the past ten years.
“I do know Han Xiaotong. When Lord Bai asked about her earlier, I didn’t realize it at first. She was my childhood friend, but we haven’t seen each other for many years.” Seeing that Bai Xiuming didn’t interrupt her, Madam Xue continued, “As for her impersonation, I knew nothing about it. That day, I simply went to ask Princess Xin’an for help.”
Even now, she remains stubborn.
"You've never had any dealings with the Princess of Xin'an, you've never even spoken to her, so why would she help you?"
"I...I..." Madam Xue simply couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation in a short time.
Bai Xiuming was too lazy to deal with her anymore and said directly, "Han Xiaotong admitted that you used her identity to blackmail her into helping you release the Marquis of Jinyang from the Mingjing Division."
"I don't!"
“It doesn’t matter if Lady Hou doesn’t admit it. You can go to the town prison and confront her face to face.”
Xue was speechless.
The guards of the Mingjing Division surrounded them, and the Marquis of Jinyang gripped Xue's hand tightly, his eyes filled with sorrow: "Madam..."
The Xue family did all this for him.
Looking at the Marquis of Jinyang, Lady Xue burst into tears: "My lord, I don't want to go to the Mingjing Division..."
Ignoring the two's reluctance, the guards from the Mingjing Division grabbed Xue's shoulders and took her away.
As she was being pushed along, Lady Xue turned back and called out to Marquis Jinyang, "My Lord..."
Marquis Jinyang took a step to chase after him, but was blocked by a sword that was thrown across his path.
Bai Xiuming held the knife in one hand, turned his head to look at the Marquis of Jinyang, and reminded him with a half-smile: "Your Excellency has just been released by His Majesty. Do not act impulsively and harm yourself and others."
"Bai Xiuming," the Marquis of Jinyang gritted his teeth, "I have no grudge against you..."
"Could it be that the Marquis of Jinyang wishes to make an enemy of me?"
Marquis Jinyang gritted his teeth, but dared not utter a word.
Bai Xiuming chuckled and sheathed his longsword: "Let's go."
The Mingjing Guards arrived quickly and left even faster. They didn't touch a single tree or blade of grass in the Marquis's residence, except for taking away the Marquis's wife.
Xue was sent to the town prison, where she met her former sisters, who had now lost their faces.
She was terrified and kept screaming.
Han Xiaotong only lifted her eyelids slightly. She was sitting against the corner of the wall, wearing a prison uniform, and her exposed arm was covered in blood and flesh.
Because she had lied earlier, saying that Xu Zecheng had personally killed the Princess of Xin'an, she was still subjected to the torture of being skinned alive.
Fortunately, those people only peeled off the skin below her elbows and didn't continue.
Xue's screams were really annoying. Seeing that his master was getting impatient, the guard from the Mingjing Division shouted angrily, "Stop screaming!"
Madam Xue shuddered and raised her hand to cover her mouth.
"Didn't the Lady Hou want to confront her? Now you can speak."
Xue swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet Han Xiaotong's gaze, even though the other woman had no face at all.
“Lord Bai, what I said is true. I only went to ask the county magistrate for help that day and did not know her true identity.”
At this point, Xue could only place her hopes on Han Xiaotong.
She hoped that the other party would consider their friendship and deny that she recognized the other party's identity.
After all, the fact that Han Xiaotong's identity was discovered had nothing to do with her.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing her words, Han Xiaotong scoffed. Enduring the burning pain and itching all over her body, she shattered all of Xue's hopes: "Xue Xunfang, if you hadn't exposed my identity, why would I help you?"
"you……"
Han Xiaotong's eyes twitched, which, combined with her face, made her look particularly frightening.
"If Lord Bai doesn't believe me, you can ask Xu Zecheng. Xu Zecheng also knows that Xue Shi and I have known each other since childhood. I have also told him that I hope he will help save the Marquis of Jinyang out of consideration for my more than 20 years of friendship with Xue Xunfang."
Han Xiaotong wished she could tell Bai Xiuming everything she knew.
Once she was actually inside the town prison, she realized why people in the court were so terrified of it; it was no place for a human being.
Bai Xiuming is a thousand times more terrifying than those ghosts that rip out people's hearts and livers.
Now, her biggest regret is that she dared to lie to this person back then.
She was truly terrified, and even began to regret it. Had she known that Bai Xiuming existed in the capital, she would have preferred to stay in Jiaozhou and be an ordinary woman in the city rather than see him in the town prison.
"Does Madam Hou have anything else to say?"
What else could Xue say?
Even if she said that Han Xiaotong and Xu Zecheng colluded to frame her, probably no one would believe her.
She glared at Han Xiaotong with resentment: "Why? I never intended to expose your identity, so why did you try to harm me?"
Xue believed that the other party had informed Bai Xiuming of this matter on their own initiative.
But the truth is, Han Xiaotong knew nothing about it. She was also startled when Bai Xiuming suddenly came to Zhenyu to ask her about her relationship with Xue Shi.
"I didn't harm you, nor did I bring this up on my own initiative."
Whether Xue Xunfang believed it or not, she still harbored some affection for this childhood friend.
Xue was bewildered. If it wasn't Han Xiaotong, then who was it? How did Bai Xiuming know?
"Find a quiet cell and send Lady Hou in to rest," Bai Xiuming ordered.
As Xue was being shoved into the darkness, she seemed to suddenly remember something and screamed, "Was it Ji Chan who said it? Was it her?"
Bai Xiuming twitched the corner of his lips and was about to leave when he heard Han Xiaotong call out to him.
"Master Bai."
"What's up?"
"I've told you everything you want to know, and I know I don't have much time left. Can you at least let me die knowing why? Let me know how this face of mine was taken off?"
She thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't understand how she had ended up in this situation.
"Very well, I have always been lenient towards those who are about to die." Bai Xiuming said in a calm tone, "Princess Xin'an is not dead. She was saved by your fiancé's uncle."
A look of realization flashed across Han Xiaotong's eyes: "He didn't die... I see, I see..."
This answer was enough for her; she no longer wanted to know why the craft that the Yu family had passed down for generations had been cracked by the other party.
She had only one thought in her mind: retribution may be delayed, but it will come eventually.
At this moment, Achan was unaware that her guess had successfully caused the Marquis of Jinyang's mansion to lose its wife.
She heard the news from Lin Sui on the third day after the incident.
As the year drew to a close, the teacher that General Lin had found for Lin Sui had returned to his hometown. During this time, she no longer needed to practice martial arts every day, so she would come to play with A Chan after her training.
When she arrived, Achan was making incense charcoal.
The incense powder she made for hand warmers was very popular, and then some customers suggested that she make some incense charcoal to sell.
Mixing the incense powder into the charcoal powder, remolding and air-drying it not only makes it look nicer but also makes it easier to use.
Ah Chan was quite obedient to advice. She had been testing incense charcoal the day Bai Xiuming arrived, and planned to make more today. Business would be good at the end of the year, and she could earn some pocket money.
When Lin Sui arrived, A Chan pulled her aside to help.
Lin Sui, who possessed cultivation, directly used his inner energy to crush the charcoal into powder, one in his left hand and one in his right, and soon a pile of charcoal powder accumulated around him.
After pressing the charcoal powder, Achan brought over a pile of dry wood, and she had to continue kneading the wood powder.
This task didn't stump Lin Sui. While working, she chatted with A Chan about the strange things she had heard recently.
"By the way, something has happened again at the Marquis of Jinyang's residence, did you know?"
"What happened?" Achan was sifting charcoal powder and didn't even look up when she heard her question.
"The Lady of Jinyang is involved in the face-changing case. My elder brother said that she may become the first Lady of the Marquis to go to jail."
"You even know about the face-swapping case?" Achan was somewhat surprised, thinking that the emperor would suppress a case involving the royal family.
Actually, the emperor had considered it, but so many people saw Han Xiaotong's face fall that day, and over time, the story became too bizarre, and the word spread like wildfire.
The saying goes, "The law does not punish the masses." The emperor could not possibly reprimand all the court officials for this matter, so he simply stopped interfering.
“You haven’t been to the teahouse to listen to storytelling lately, have you? The storyteller has started telling the story of the face-swapping case now.” After saying that, Lin Sui clicked his tongue twice. “Xu Zecheng and this fake county magistrate are really inhuman. They actually peeled off the county magistrate’s face and put it on their own. Aren’t they afraid of having nightmares at night?”
Ah Chan really didn't go to the teahouse anymore; it's been cold lately, and she's too lazy to go out.
"Do you know how the Xue family got involved?" Achan asked.
"I heard she knew the fake county princess since childhood and saw through her identity long ago, but she didn't report it," Lin Sui exclaimed. "I wonder how Lord Bai found out?"
Of course, she followed her advice, Ah Chan thought to herself with a touch of smug satisfaction.
But in her heart she was thinking that Bai Xiuming was really obedient, and she would praise him properly next time they met.
"Now that the case has become such a hot topic, hasn't the authorities said how the culprit will be sentenced?"
"I already said, the execution will take place the day after tomorrow."
Achan exclaimed in surprise, "So fast?"
"The New Year is almost here, and it's considered unlucky to be executed during the first month of the lunar calendar, so they're all being held before then." After saying that, Lin Sui asked A Chan with great interest, "Do you want to go and watch?"
"Are you going?"
"I heard that the fake county princess's face fell off at His Majesty's birthday banquet. I've never seen a faceless person before, so I must go and see for myself. Don't you want to see it for yourself?" Lin Sui retorted.
Although she had seen it before, it didn't seem like it was a bad idea to go and join in the fun again.
So Achan nodded: "Then I'll go too, and you can pick me up then."
"good."
Two days later, just past 9 AM, Achan and Lin Sui arrived at Caishikou, the execution site for the day.
When they arrived, the place was already packed with people.
The officials surrounded the execution ground, while the onlookers whispered amongst themselves, their faces full of curiosity.
Most of them, like Lin Sui, had come specifically to see the faceless fake county magistrate after hearing about the face-changing case.
With Lin Sui protecting her, A Chan wasn't pushed around by others, and the two even managed to secure a good spot in front.
The appointed time had not yet arrived, and the prisoner had not been brought up. Achan glanced at the execution platform, and seeing that the executioner was not Bai Xiuming, she looked away.
Surprisingly, she saw Prince Ying'an and Princess Ying'an below the execution platform.
The two looked extremely haggard, as if they had aged more than ten years since the day of the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet.
Achan looked away from them.
At noon, Xu Zecheng and Han Xiaotong, the real culprits in the face-swapping case, were finally brought in.
Han Xiaotong was still wearing a black cloth cover on her head. At noon, the executioner removed the hood from her head.
Everyone around saw what she looked like, and screams rose and fell from the crowd. Achan could even hear someone calling her a monster in a shrill voice.
The executioner calmly shouted, "Send them their last meal—"
Princess Ying'an was pushed by the prince and stumbled forward. She pushed the last meal in the food basket in front of Han Xiaotong, ignoring the food that was spilled inside and not even glancing at her before turning away.
Their presence at the execution ground today was not voluntary, but rather an order from the emperor, which they dared not disobey.
The emperor specially granted them permission to leave the capital a few days later to go to the imperial temple, saying it was to fulfill their kinship with Han Xiaotong, and even allowed them to collect her body.
They don't want this kind of favor at all!
"Mother." The princess hadn't taken more than a few steps when she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.
Her body stiffened.
"Mom, I don't want to die, please save me!" Han Xiaotong pleaded, crying.
Anyone would feel fear when facing death, and she was no exception. At this moment, the fear of death overwhelmed her, and she wanted to seize every opportunity that would allow her to live.
Unfortunately, Princess Ying'an could not save her, nor did she want to.
Princess Ying'an didn't turn her head back. Han Xiaotong's crying didn't move her in the slightest. She covered her face with her sleeve, wishing she could leave even faster.
She vaguely heard people around her speculating about her identity, and she was afraid of being recognized.
Unfortunately, Princess Ying'an was unaware that the story of her deep bond with the fake county princess and her refusal to acknowledge her biological daughter had already spread throughout the teahouses and taverns.
Even if the emperor hadn't punished the Prince Ying'an's mansion that day, their mansion would have had no reputation to speak of afterward.
Someone came forward and hastily fed the two their last meal. At noon, the food was taken away.
Han Xiaotong cried uncontrollably, but unfortunately, she had no face, and her crying only made people feel horrified.
Xu Zecheng knelt quietly to one side, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.
He heard that Xin'an was not dead; she had returned to seek revenge.
Will she come today?
"Probably," he thought.
Like Han Xiaotong, Xu Zecheng also regretted it.
If his face hadn't been swapped, and his wife were the real Princess Xin'an, he could still have risen through the ranks in officialdom. Because of the Prince of Ying'an's influence, the nobles in the capital wouldn't have made things difficult for him, and he would have lived a good life. None of this would have happened.
His son will live on; the child is intelligent from a young age and will surely grow up to be just like him.
Xin'an has a bad temper, but if you listen to him, he can teach her slowly. If he has just a little patience, she won't be like this anymore.
How could I have been so bewitched back then?
Xu Zecheng racked his brains and finally figured out the reason. Yes, it was because Han Xiaotong kept telling him that the Princess of Xin'an was high and mighty and looked down on him. He was sure that a woman like her would never stay at home.
Gradually, he came to believe this explanation.
How could he have believed it?
Suddenly, Xu Zecheng's gaze stopped.
He spotted a woman in the crowd on his left. She was wearing a light blue dress and she kept looking at him.
Her gaze was different from that of the other onlookers. Their eyes held curiosity, disdain, and disgust, but in her eyes, there was only pleasure.
Bai Yuan...she is Xin An!
Xu Zecheng wanted to take one last look, but then he heard the executioner shout, "Execute!"
The next moment, his head rolled to the ground, his eyes blinked, and the world went dark.
After the execution, the surrounding people still refused to leave. In the end, it was only when the officials came forward to drive them away that they reluctantly departed.
After today, the popularity of the face-swapping case in Beijing's teahouses and taverns will likely rise further.
Prince Ying'an and Princess Ying'an have not yet left; they still need to collect Han Xiaotong's body.
Fortunately, they didn't need to do this themselves; they could just leave it to the government officials. However, after the body was examined, they had to take it back.
Princess Ying'an stood stiffly in front of the prepared coffin, watching as the people placed Han Xiaotong's body and head into it.
The coffin was covered, and the servants of the Prince Ying'an's mansion carried it out. She and the prince walked behind, looking for the mansion's carriage. However, they hadn't gone far when they suddenly saw some common women pointing and whispering at them.
"That must be Princess Ying'an. I heard she didn't even recognize her own daughter."
"My God, is this really my mother?"
"Who knows? Maybe she did it on purpose. Didn't they say she and Princess Zhen didn't get along?"
"That woman is truly wicked."
"If you ask me, the officials of the Mingjing Division should also thoroughly investigate her identity; perhaps she is an imposter."
As those words reached her ears, the princess felt a surge of anger, which made her vision go black, and she collapsed limply to the ground.
A chorus of screams erupted around them, and Prince Ying'an shouted, "Quickly, fetch a doctor!"
But this is around the execution ground, where would a doctor come from?
After waiting for a long time, a refined man in a blue robe stepped forward and said to Prince Ying An, "I am the doctor, please make way for me."
Prince Ying'an glanced at the other person suspiciously, but still stepped aside.
The man took out a silver needle and pricked the princess a few times. The princess's eyelids trembled and finally slowly opened.
Upon seeing this, Prince Ying'an was overjoyed: "Thank you, Doctor. May I ask your honorable name? I will certainly present you with a generous gift."
The man put away the needles and nodded slightly to Prince Ying'an: "A village doctor, my name is not worth mentioning."
He then added a reminder: "Your wife shows signs of a stroke. She should try to stay calm and composed. If she faints a few more times, even a miracle won't save her."
After saying that, he turned to the woman in a light blue dress standing beside him and said, "Let's go."
The woman nodded to him, her calm gaze sweeping over Princess Ying'an before she stepped past Prince Ying'an.
He watched the doctor and woman walk away, and for some reason, he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
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