Meanwhile, at the execution ground in the capital of the Western Qin Kingdom.
As everyone had predicted, the incompetent and paranoid Emperor Jing, fearing that the other two kingdoms of Lingkong would turn their anger on Western Qin because his plan to launch a sneak attack had been exposed, decided to strike first.
In the main hall, he angrily denounced Xuanyuan Han for his incompetence, which led to the failure of the plan and brought great disaster upon Western Qin.
The only solution now is to kill him to appease the anger of various countries and ease tensions with both nations.
Thus, Xuanyuan Han remained steadfast and unyielding, dressed in a thin blue prison uniform, bound by heavy shackles, and tied to a thick pillar in the execution ground, awaiting his beheading at noon.
By this time, the area around the execution ground was already deserted, with crowds of people gathered, making it impossible to move. They all knelt down and paid their respects to him, and there were many different opinions.
"Long live His Highness the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin! Long live the King of Qin!"
"His Highness the King of Qin has protected our Western Qin and made invaluable contributions on the battlefield. He must not be killed!"
"If the late emperor's spirit is watching, the Prince of Qin cannot be killed, he cannot be killed!"
...
However, no matter how loud the voices of the people rose and fell, they seemed so small and powerless at this moment, and could not help the situation.
But in Xuan Yuanhan's mind, ever since he left Dongning Kingdom, he has been unable to extricate himself from the scene where Yi Shangyun humiliated him in front of everyone.
"King Xuanyuan Han of Qin, who do you think you are?"
"In order to survive in this world, and unwilling to be looked down upon by others any longer, I thought of getting close to you, hoping to gain some respect from others by relying on you."
"You are nothing but a groveling, subservient dog by the side of Emperor Jing of Western Qin! Tell me, why should I, this princess, continue to fawn over you? I advise the King of Qin to stop his incessant chatter, lest he humiliate himself and become despised!"
...
He couldn't believe that these words and sentences came from her mouth, yet they were indeed words that cut to the bone and sentences that ripped out his heart. Every word she spoke was so powerful, resounding, and ruthless.
At this thought, Xuan Yuanhan murmured absentmindedly, "Yun'er, what did I do wrong? Why are you so heartless to me? If you don't love me, why did you have to submit to me?"
Amidst these cheers, the moment has finally arrived.
"It's noon, carry out the execution!"
Upon hearing the sound, several hidden guards, concealed throughout the crowd, secretly drew their concealed swords.
Just as they were about to leap out at once, a very loud female voice suddenly rang out: "The imperial pardon bestowed by the late emperor is here! Who dares to touch the Prince of Qin!"
The crowd followed the sound and saw a woman wearing a black veiled hat and accompanied by a young maid. The two of them slowly stepped forward together.
"Who are you? How dare you stop me from carrying out the execution by imperial decree!" The official in charge of the execution, who was nearly fifty years old and whose eyesight seemed to be failing, solemnly clasped his hands in the direction of the Western Qin Imperial Palace, where the emperor was located, and shouted at him.
The woman's lips curled slightly upwards, a disdainful smile playing on her lips, and she called out to herself, "Huan'er!"
The little girl immediately took out a golden token from her bosom, with the words "immunity from death" written on it, and displayed it in front of everyone.
Upon seeing this, the official seemed somewhat startled. He steadied his official hat with both hands before slowly rising, walking closer, rubbing his eyes, and carefully observing the situation.
Finally, stroking his white beard, he recalled and murmured to himself, "Since the founding of this country, I have never heard of any 'immunity token,' except for the one that the late emperor bestowed upon Consort Chun, the mother of the Prince of Qin. Those who received this token often had their descendants or even their own crimes committed or executed... But Consort Chun has been dead for many years, and this immunity token disappeared with her. How could it possibly reappear here now..."
He examined the gold medal again for a long time. It was engraved with the totem of the Western Qin Kingdom. Suddenly, the official seemed to realize something and quickly looked at the woman, asking, "Who are you?"
Only then did the woman slowly remove her long veil to cover herself.
Upon seeing this, the official's eyes widened, and his legs seemed to give way, as he involuntarily knelt down, bowing and stammering, "You are... Pure... Pure... This old minister pays respects to the Pure Consort, may you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"
In an instant, everyone present bowed and knelt before her, saying, "Greetings to the Pure Consort, may you live a thousand years!"
"Get up, all of you!" The woman waved her hand, then turned around and asked, "Well, the late emperor's pardon is here, and you have verified it, sir. Now that you have personally recognized me, I wonder if you can release the Prince of Qin now?"
The official hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said repeatedly, "Release him, release him right away!"
With that, he ordered the jailer beside him, "Men, quickly untie His Highness the Prince of Qin!"
Two jailers quickly went up and, tiptoeing and trembling, removed the ropes and shackles binding Xuan Yuanhan.
Upon seeing this, the woman hurriedly said, "Huan'er, quickly go and help His Highness up!"
"Yes!" Huan'er hurried over and did as instructed.
The woman followed him closer and looked deeply at Xuan Yuanhan's still distraught appearance, feeling extremely distressed.
She examined his entire body and, seeing no wounds, gently stroked the contours of his face, saying with heartache, "My son, your mother is back. I'm so sorry for all the suffering you've endured these past years!"
As if he vaguely heard her call, Xuanyuan Han's consciousness suddenly returned slightly. He stared blankly at her face, murmuring softly, "Mother..."
Upon hearing this, the woman burst into tears and embraced him tightly: "It's been months since I last saw you, my son, what has happened?"
Upon returning to the Prince of Qin's residence, he summoned Imperial Physician Yue to personally examine him. The physician found that he was not injured, but was simply somewhat distracted due to some unresolved issues.
After settling Xuan Yuanhan in and learning from her former servants about what had happened at the Prince of Qin's residence over the years, Consort Chun couldn't wait to go to the palace to demand an explanation for the injustice Xuan Yuanhan had suffered that day.
Now that they have learned everything that happened on the execution ground, Consort Chun is still alive and well, and she used her pardon to save the life of the Prince of Qin. The mother and son in the palace hate each other so much that they grit their teeth.
But now that things have come to this, it's a fact that we have no choice but to face it all again.
Sure enough, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine, who had not seen each other for many years, immediately engaged in a fierce verbal battle upon meeting.
Even at this moment, the Empress Dowager still feigned complete ignorance and said, "Sister, I really didn't expect that you would still be alive?"
The Empress Dowager said, "What? I am still alive and did not die in that fire back then. The Empress Dowager must be very disappointed now!"
The Empress Dowager feigned innocence and said, "What are you saying, sister? The fire that happened in the middle of the night was an accident. But no matter what, I am naturally overjoyed that you are alive, so how could I be disappointed?"
"Whether that fire was an accident or not, you and I both know the truth. These things are in the past, and I don't want to hold them against you anymore. I've come here today for my son's sake, to seek an explanation from the Emperor!"
As Consort Chun spoke, she turned her gaze to Emperor Jing, who was sitting silently to the side.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing smiled, put down his teacup, and said, "I wonder if what the Empress Dowager is referring to is what happened at the execution ground today?"
Consort Chun asked solemnly, "Otherwise what? What heinous crime has Prince Qin committed that has caused the Emperor to harbor murderous intent and want his life?"
Emperor Jing said slowly, "As everyone knows, the Prince of Qin failed in his duties and exposed his identity in Dongning. Now, he has put Western Qin in the spotlight. If he does not die, how can I explain this to the Lingkong Kingdom? Our country already needs a long period of recuperation after the fierce battle with Beilie that just ended. If other countries invade again at this time, how should we deal with it?"
Consort Chun angrily said, "So, the Emperor is going to sacrifice his only younger brother in exchange for a brief period of peace in Western Qin?"
Emperor Jing seemed to want to argue further: "I..."
Consort Chun hurriedly interrupted her, continuing, "Do you think I don't know that sending Prince Qin with gunpowder to pretend to secretly trade with the Third Prince of Dongning was actually the Emperor's idea to deliberately blow up the Dongning Imperial City? The Emperor is determined to kill him. After all these years, the Emperor's heart has truly become even more ruthless!"
The room fell silent after these words were spoken.
After a long pause, Consort Chun finally spoke again: "The reason I've come here is to tell you both that now that I've returned, I will no longer be at the mercy of others as before!"
After speaking, she stood up to leave. After taking a couple of steps, she suddenly remembered something and said, "There is one more thing. I, the Dowager Consort, am still alive. Without my permission, that woman from the Prince of Qin's residence must return to where she came from."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager said worriedly, "But Princess Yongle has been in the Prince Qin's residence for over a year. If we expel her now, I fear it will cause trouble for the Kingdom of Dongning..."
Consort Chun said disdainfully, "So what if she is Princess Yongle of Dongning? Did Prince Qin personally kick down her sedan chair door to welcome her into his residence? Not only do I not recognize her, but Prince Qin has never acknowledged her either. Whoever made the decision in the first place should clean up the mess!"
"But..." The Empress Dowager seemed to want to say something more, but Emperor Jing quickly reached out a hand to stop her.
Seeing that the two had no further objections, Empress Dowager Chun stepped over the threshold and walked out.
Seeing that her figure had finally disappeared, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand heavily on the table in a fit of rage, gritting her teeth and saying hatefully, "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! That vile woman, she's like a persistent ghost, a persistent ghost!"
Only Emperor Jing said in a deep voice, "It's futile to say anything now. Right now, Mother Empress, you should quickly think of a way to settle Princess Dongning."
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