The Li family, who had betrayed the country, and all their major clans were exterminated and executed.
Hundreds of people were all tied up at the execution ground, and the crowd of onlookers completely blocked the road.
The executioner, with a face full of scars, shirtless, clutching a large cleaver, stared expressionlessly at the scene below.
"Have you heard? More than ten years ago, the Vice Minister of Revenue, Yixiabo, was wronged. It was the Minister at the time, Li Shouhai, who embezzled government funds and slandered Yixiabo to pay off his good-for-nothing son's gambling debts."
“I had long suspected it. Yi Shilang was a rare good official, and he was also incorruptible. When he was alive, his family was not as wealthy and luxurious as that of an average rich man.”
"Yes, what a rare good official, killed by these damned bastards. The Yi family died a truly tragic death back then."
Xu Zang fulfilled his promise to Yi Mu, clearing Yi Shabo's name.
The seal on the gate of the Yi residence was removed, and the desolate courtyard, overgrown with weeds, was tidied up and restored to its former state.
Xu Zang personally wrote the plaque for the Yi residence, which read "Upright and Honorable".
When the execution time arrived, the adults covered the children's eyes, and the executioner raised his knife and brought it down, splattering blood everywhere.
The head detached fragilely from the skull and was snatched away by a stray dog lying in wait, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Rain began to fall from the sky. Winter rain is heavy and torrential, and it quickly diluted the blood on the platform, which then flowed down the ditch and into the sewer.
A man wearing a straw raincoat, which covered most of his face, took one last look at the bloody execution ground, then quietly left with the hurried crowd. His steps were a little limping, but his movements were still quite agile.
Xu Zang dismissed the concubines in the harem and arranged marriages for them, all of whom were from good families.
He would never love anyone again in his life. These women in the palace would only end up living like widows, so it would be better to let them remarry.
The people of Xu Kingdom are not very conservative; wealthy families even consider it an honor to marry the emperor's woman.
Those women who entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection but were ultimately rejected were then eagerly sought after by powerful families who came to propose marriage.
With the harem completely empty, the court unstable, and the emperor deep in thought, no one dared to offend him at this critical juncture.
Xu Zang selected a child from among the imperial clan's offspring, named him crown prince, and groomed him to be the next emperor.
Three years later, the Xu Kingdom reached its peak of power, fully opened its ports, and began trading with neighboring countries.
The economies of neighboring countries have been boosted, and people's lives have become more prosperous.
Nobody wants to fight anytime soon.
When the late emperor was on the throne, he only knew how to oppress and appease the surrounding small countries, forcing them to pay tribute every year. Xu State only took the benefits and did not help its little brother.
Xu Zang was different; after stabilizing the court, he thought about leading the neighboring countries to develop together.
The elder brother eats meat, and the younger brother drinks soup. Over time, the status of Xu Kingdom has risen steadily, making it a well-deserved powerful nation. The surrounding small countries voluntarily become vassal states, willingly paying taxes and tributes.
In the autumn of the third year after Yi Mu left, Xu Zang went up Fuyang Mountain.
The eldest brother was flying kites on the mountain with his two children, while his sister-in-law held a travelogue beside him, occasionally looking up at her husband and children with a happy smile on her lips.
It was a scene so beautiful that one couldn't bear to disturb it. Xu Zang didn't want to bother the two of them, so he quietly went to the room where Yi Mu used to live.
Time seemed to have stopped three years ago. The room was spotless. If it weren't for the signs that no one had lived there, Xu Zang would have suspected that Yi Mu hadn't actually died and had returned to Fuyang Mountain.
So many things happened in this house; they are all beautiful memories.
Xu Zang sometimes thought that if he hadn't forced Yi Mu, perhaps they would still be fellow disciples. Even if he felt resentful, it would be better than being separated by death.
"You are the emperor now. Is it really appropriate for you to leave the palace without permission?"
Jieyu's voice came from the doorway. Xu Zang turned his head and watched his senior brother walk into the room.
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