At noon, the sky was somewhat overcast.
On this already cold winter day, a cold wind began to blow.
At the execution ground, a large crowd of civil and military officials, as well as imperial relatives, had already gathered to watch.
Xie Zhi's hair was all combed up and tied with a black jade buckle. He wore armor over his mourning clothes, and a long sword was at his waist. He stood on the execution platform with a blank expression.
Beside him, the Vice Minister of Justice was holding a long booklet, announcing the crimes committed by the convicts…
Today, in addition to Jiang Lanyue being executed by dismemberment, the mastermind behind the previous assassinations of Qianhua Palace has been identified.
Some of the masterminds will be beheaded today, while others will be exiled to the desolate lands after witnessing the executions...
When Yuan Yao and Yun Chan arrived at the outer perimeter of the execution ground, all the prisoners had already gathered there.
Looking around, Yuan Yao recognized most of the people kneeling on the execution platform.
Prince Yonghe, Prince Duankang, an unnamed marquis...
Anyone you pick out is a member of the royal family.
Yun Chan, dressed in a black guard uniform with a white ribbon tied around his waist and a silver mask covering his face, stood openly beside her.
His voice was cold: "The new emperor is tough, and he does things cleanly and efficiently."
“A new broom sweeps clean,” Yuan Yao said with a faint smile. “Moreover, he is the emperor.”
Yun Chan's voice was calm: "Your Majesty has a good eye for people. Jiang Chengyan is the makings of an emperor."
Yuan Yao smiled and said, "Otherwise, Father wouldn't have felt comfortable entrusting the Great Qi to him."
Meeting her bright, flower-like smile, Yun Chan was slightly taken aback, then her lips also curved into a smile...
On the execution ground.
In just a few days, Jiang Lanyue had already lost a lot of weight.
She was already thin, and now she's so thin she's practically skin and bones.
The oversized prison uniform she wore looked like a curtain draped over her shoulders; when the wind blew, it seemed empty and flimsy.
Jiang Lanyue's skin was deathly pale, her eyes were sunken and had dark circles under them. Her face was so thin that her cheekbones looked exceptionally high.
Her once large, lifeless eyes, after such extreme weight loss, now look like temporary implants; with every movement, you worry they might fall out...
Jiang Lanyue, her hair disheveled, knelt on the ground.
The cold wind had long since made her numb.
She vaguely thought: It's better to be numb from the cold; if she's numb, she won't feel the pain when the execution happens...
Dismemberment by chariot?
Jiang Lanyue sneered inwardly.
She lived her whole life in a state of constant fear and humility, and always kept a very low profile.
She was the emperor's daughter, and should have been the most noble woman in the world, yet she lived a humiliating life for twenty years.
From a young age, she was ignored and looked down upon.
She, a princess, lived a life worse than even a county princess.
At such a young age, they were sent to Fotaishan, where they were forced to wear plain clothes, chant Buddhist prayers, and perform vegetarian meals...
The coming-of-age ceremony is the most important occasion for a girl, and it is a grand affair with blessings and gifts from relatives and friends.
And what about her? On the day she came of age, all she received was a bowl of plain noodles cooked for her by a maid, and a pair of pure gold hairpins given to her by Jiang Huairou, who was only pretending to be kind...
Yuan Yao, the one who harmed her to this state, was merely a princess. Yet, on her coming-of-age ceremony, she received congratulations from four kingdoms and marriage proposals from all sides. How glorious she was!
"Hehe..."
Jiang Lanyue rolled her eyes, and when she looked up, she saw the people on the execution platform.
The man was dressed in white, his hair as black as a waterfall.
She smiled radiantly, chatting and laughing sweetly with the aloof man beside her...
"Yuan Yao! Yun Chan!" Jiang Lanyue almost ground her teeth to powder as she uttered these two names with hatred.
Not far away, Xie Zhi's brows twitched, and he gave her a cold look.
"Bang!"
Jiang Lanyue took a solid kick to the back.
The imperial guards watching over her coldly shouted, "Behave yourself! Keep quiet!"
However, Jiang Lanyue seemed oblivious, her eyes fixed on the person on the execution platform...
Yuan Yao was talking to Yun Chan when she felt a cold gaze staring at her.
She looked up and gazed at Jiang Lanyue.
They weren't far apart, so Yuan Yao could clearly see Jiang Lanyue's sinister gaze.
Oh……
Yuan Yao gave a sarcastic sneer: "Our Princess Lan Yue, who murdered her emperor and father, is almost dead, yet she still hates me."
Upon hearing this, Yun Chan followed Yuan Yao's gaze.
Jiang Lanyue was staring intently at them.
This gaze displeased Yun Chan.
He frowned slightly.
Fingertips gently caressed a silver needle...
At this moment, the crowd began to murmur quietly.
Yuan Yao looked up.
Jiang Chengyan, surrounded by a group of palace servants, walked steadily toward the execution platform.
Beside him, Huaiyao, dressed in inconspicuous mourning clothes, winked at Yuanyao and mouthed a greeting.
Yuan Yao smiled faintly at her.
Li Deshan walked beside Jiang Chengyan, and in a high-pitched voice announced, "His Majesty has arrived..."
Immediately, everyone knelt down in worship.
Yuan Yao did not perform the kneeling ceremony, but instead curtsied and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Jiang Chengyan said sternly, "No need for formalities, please sit down."
After speaking, with Li Deshan's help, he sat on the highest chair on the execution viewing platform.
Yuan Yao and Huai Yao stood side by side not far from Jiang Chengyan.
The Vice Minister of Justice put away the memorial and said something to Xie Zhi.
Soon, Xie Zhi walked over with his sword, bowed without looking to the side, and said, "Your Majesty, the crimes of the person who was punished have been announced to the world."
It will be noon soon.
Jiang Chengyan nodded, his expression indifferent: "Execute him."
On the execution ground, many people looked up at Jiang Chengyan, their expressions filled with surprise and curiosity.
The Emperor only uttered two words?
After averting their gaze, many people began exchanging glances—
The new emperor is a decisive and efficient person.
Xie Zhi, sword at his side, stood on the execution platform and announced loudly, "Prepare for execution!"
On the execution platform, the executioners were all burly and strong, holding a large knife in one hand and a bowl of strong liquor in the other, taking a big gulp and spitting it out forcefully.
The air is thick with the smell of alcohol.
Outside the execution ground, there was a chorus of weeping.
The cries all came from the families of those being punished.
Xie Zhi acted as if he hadn't heard, and loudly proclaimed, "Execute them!"
The white blade rises, the red blade falls.
One by one, human heads, dripping with hot blood, rolled onto the cold ground.
One of the heads rolled to Jiang Lanyue's feet.
When the head struck Jiang Lanyue's foot, the eyeballs were still moving, and blood was still gushing from the severed wound...
Upon seeing the heads of the crowd, Jiang Lanyue's lifeless eyes finally regained their sparkle.
She opened her mouth wide and screamed, "Ah..."
The shrill sound was especially mournful in the cold winter.
Jiang Lanyue practically crawled on her knees, acting like a madwoman, crying as she moved away from the head with its wide-open eyes.
The imperial guards tried to pull her away, but they couldn't.
Jiang Lanyue cried out, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die... I know a secret!"
Don't kill me, I'll tell you a secret..."
Xie Zhi glanced at Jiang Chengyan on the execution platform and said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Why aren't you taking her to be executed?"
The imperial guards were both shocked and frightened, and quickly went to pull Jiang Lanyue away.
Jiang Lanyue twisted her body frantically, crying out in a shrill voice towards Jiang Chengyan, "Your Majesty, I know a secret, a thousand..."
The sound abruptly stopped.
Jiang Lanyue's eyes widened, her eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
She... lost her voice!
A silver needle was inserted into her throat.
He lost his voice, but he didn't die, nor did he lose his sense of pain...
Suddenly, Jiang Lanyue looked up.
On the execution platform, Yuan Yao coldly watched her. The silver-masked man beside Yuan Yao had a cold demeanor, and his raised sleeve had not yet been retracted.
Clouds murmur...
It really is him!
Yuan Yao... is really with Yun Chan now!!
Jiang Lanyue's face was full of resentment.
Xie Zhi coldly ordered, "Drag Chen Lanyue away, mount her horse, and execute her!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com