They had just secured a good position when it was noon.
Amidst the desperate cries of the prefect's son, the wailing and cursing of the prefect's wife, and the cheers of the common people, the prefect threw out the order. The moment the order hit the ground, he uttered a trembling voice, "Execute!"
"No—" The Prefect's wife let out a shrill scream as she watched helplessly as her beloved child, whom she had cherished for over twenty years, had his head severed by the Ghost Head Blade, his blood spraying three zhang away.
The head fell to the ground and rolled over to the magistrate's wife, its eyes still wide open, filled with fear and resentment.
"Xing'er—" The Prefect's wife broke free from the guards restraining her like a madwoman and rushed over to hug the head.
“Xing’er—my Xing’er—” she cried, clutching her head.
However, for the families of the victims killed by the mother and son, this scene was incredibly gratifying.
Led by the victims' families, countless people began to cheer and applaud. Finally, someone started it all, and the crowd knelt down before the execution platform, shouting, "Your Majesty is wise!"
The shouts, rising and falling like the tide, echoed throughout the entire West Street.
Although he said he wanted Xie Chang'an to get used to it in advance, when the executioner actually raised his sword, Xie Shaoling still reached out and covered Xie Chang'an's eyes.
Xie Chang'an, who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood in his previous life: ...
So what if he tries to cover it up? This kind of scene was nothing to him in his past life; he had cut off countless heads with his own sword.
However, Xie Shaoling didn't hold it for long. After the head was held by the Prefect's wife, Xie Shaoling withdrew his hand, and Xie Chang'an saw the headless corpse on the ground and the blood everywhere.
He finally understood. His father did want him, who was only six years old, to get used to such a bloody scene, but it would have been better not to cover his eyes in the first place!
If he were really only six years old, he would definitely be so frightened by what he saw that he would have nightmares at night!
On the execution ground, the prefect's wife held the head and wept bitterly. The prefect slumped in his chair, his face ashen. The Minister of Personnel stared at his grandson's headless body, his face ashen. Meanwhile, the people below the platform continued to cheer.
They cheered that the local tyrant was finally dead, and they also cheered that His Majesty was truly willing to severely punish the son of a high-ranking official for the sake of ordinary people like them!
"Has the emperor changed his ways?" Xie Shaoling murmured, somewhat incredulous.
Hasn't the emperor always disregarded the will and opinions of the people?
Xie Chang'an didn't know whether the emperor had changed his ways, but he knew that Ye Jingchen's schemes and instigation were indispensable.
If he had handed the prefect's son over to the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review from the beginning, he would not have achieved the same result.
At this moment, the emperor's prestige reached its peak in the hearts of the people of the capital.
However, the matter did not end there.
The contrast between the tears on stage and the laughter off stage was so stark that it was unbearable for the Prefect's wife, who was already grieving the loss of her son.
She doesn't think her child is an irredeemable villain, nor does she reflect on what's wrong with her for raising such a bullying and wicked son. She just feels that her son shouldn't die, and that the people cheering in the audience should die!
She carefully set down her child's head, then turned to pull out the short sword from the waist of the guard standing behind her. She was going to kill those unruly people, kill them all, and make them pay with their lives for her son.
However, how could a woman who was powerless possibly snatch the sword from the waist of a well-trained guard?
The imperial guard kicked the prefect's wife, who was trying to seize the knife, far away. He then leaped forward, drew his sword, and held it to the prefect's wife's neck. The whole action was fluid and graceful. He didn't even glance at the prefect's wife, but instead looked at the Minister of Personnel, who was still sitting there.
"You killed my Xing'er, I'll make you pay with your lives!" Even with a knife to her neck, the Prefect's wife did not behave herself, but instead looked at the common people below the stage with resentful eyes.
She looked at them very carefully, as if trying to remember every face.
Her eyes were like those of a demon crawling out of hell, and under her gaze, the cheers gradually subsided.
"Your own son's life is precious, but my daughter's life isn't? Your son committed many evil deeds, and he deserves this fate. What right do you have to resent us?" Suddenly, someone in the silent crowd raised a loud voice to question them.
"To cover up your son's crimes, you also killed many innocent people. According to the laws of Da Yuan, you should also be sentenced to death!" another voice shouted angrily.
"We beg Your Excellency to uphold justice!"
The moment the voice rang out, the scene fell silent for a moment, followed by a cacophony of voices echoing it loudly.
"We beseech the Prefect to uphold justice!"
"We beseech the Prefect to uphold justice!"
"We beseech the Prefect to uphold justice!"
Would the Prefect of Jingzhao dare to make a move?
He dared not move.
He stole a glance at his father-in-law, who was still sitting there steadily, and wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a loud voice came from afar.
"Imperial edict arrives—"
In one day, the emperor issued two imperial edicts, but the second edict did not specify who should receive it.
The commander of the Imperial Guards, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, rode up at breakneck speed.
The crowd hurriedly dispersed to both sides, clearing a path. A tall horse galloped in, and with a final neigh, it came to an abrupt stop below the execution ground.
The commander of the Imperial Guards leaped from his horse onto the execution platform with a light tap of his toes. With a graceful turn, he faced the throng of people and read out the emperor's new decree.
If a son is not properly taught, it is the father's fault. The Prefect of Jingzhao has failed in his duty to educate his son, allowing him to commit violence. His virtue is unworthy of his position; he should be dismissed and investigated!
His wife, in an attempt to cover up her son's crimes, hired someone to commit murder and threatened and intimidated the victim and his family. Her numerous misdeeds are unforgivable. She should be immediately imprisoned and punished according to the law once all her crimes have been investigated.
After the imperial edict was read, the Imperial Guards immediately took the Prefect and his wife away, and all the Imperial Guards withdrew, leaving only the Minister of Personnel, who seemed to have aged many years in an instant, standing alone on the execution platform.
This was even more joyous for the people of the capital than the New Year; their cheers were so loud they seemed to pierce the sky.
"Your Majesty is wise!" I'm tired of saying that.
After a long while, the people gathered around the execution platform gradually dispersed.
After watching this grand show, Xie Shaoling should take his wife and children back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
"Qingqing, our Emperor has changed so much in the past few years!" he couldn't help but exclaim.
Xu Qingqing thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I don't know anything about court affairs, and I've never met His Majesty. But I've met His Highness the Crown Prince twice. He's an exceptionally adorable child, and he's good friends with our Chang'an!"
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