Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei stayed outside the city for one night. He felt so uncomfortable sleeping on the hard bed in the inn that he didn't even want to ride the donkey. So he led the donkey leisurely into the city.

It seemed that something big happened in the city today. Everyone was running towards one place. Zhang Jingwei didn't know why, so he also started running.

When he ran to the vegetable market, Zhang Jingwei suddenly found something wrong. It turned out that these citizens were there to watch the beheading.

Zhang Jingwei couldn't understand why beheadings had to take place in the vegetable market, and why these people in ancient times liked to watch beheadings so much. Weren't they afraid?

Suddenly, a towering, imposing figure, like an iron tower, emerged from the bustling crowd. With steady, powerful steps, he approached Zhang Jingwei. Seeing this, Mu Tou's heart tightened. He subconsciously clenched his fists, leaned forward slightly, and assumed a posture ready to meet his opponent at any moment.

At this moment, Zhang Jingwei said calmly: "It's okay, Mu Tou, we are one of us!" Hearing this, Mu Tou's tense nerves relaxed instantly, and his posture that was ready to go was slowly retracted.

Soon, the tall and imposing figure appeared before Zhang Jingwei. It turned out to be Dong Dazhuang. Dong Dazhuang bowed and said, "Master, why are you here so early to join in the fun?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled and waved his hand, replying, "That's not the case. I just saw everyone running around in a hurry, and I was curious about what was going on, so I followed to take a look. I didn't expect someone to be beheaded here as a public example."

Dong Dazhuang nodded solemnly upon hearing this, and said indignantly: "This thief is so audacious that he dared to lead his men to attack our army. He is simply lawless!"

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but smack his lips in amazement, "Wow, so brave?!"

Dong Dazhuang continued, "That's right! It's said that this thief is the leader of a gang. All the brothers he brought with him in this operation died, and he himself was unfortunately captured on the spot!"

As they spoke, a commotion erupted. Then, a disheveled prisoner was escorted forward. His clothes were tattered, and his crotch was stained with filth, evidently terrified and incontinent. A closer look revealed scars all over his body, suggesting he must have endured numerous tortures and beatings.

A notice on the side read, "There is a man from Fenzhou named Li Yi. He raised an army in broad daylight and attacked the officers and soldiers of Yunzhou. He is guilty of treason and has been sentenced to immediate execution by the Yunzhou prefect."

Zhang Jingwei looked at the notice with disdain and said, "How sloppy!" He was afraid of this kind of scene, so he fled the scene before the order fell to the ground.

"It's unfair!" Zhang Jingwei suddenly heard this ethereal voice in his ears.

"It's unfair!" Zhang Jingwei thought it was just an auditory hallucination, but when the voice sounded again, he couldn't help but be startled.

Zhang Jingwei turned his head to Mu Tou and asked, "Mu Tou, did you hear any sound?"

Mu Tou looked bewildered and replied, "No, Master probably didn't sleep well last night and is just hallucinating."

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly and said, "Well, that should be the case, but I went to bed before you yesterday, so I couldn't hear you snoring."

Mu Tou scratched his head and laughed, "Haha, Master, I feel relieved as long as you eat well and sleep well!"

After a brief laugh with Mu Tou, Zhang Jingwei didn't take the sound seriously.

The chief clerk of the execution room, dressed in a green official uniform, walked to the execution platform, read the verdict, drew out a sharp order, threw it onto the execution ground, and shouted: "Noon has arrived, execute!"

"I am innocent, save me!"

Zhang Jingwei heard the voice again. This time the voice was extremely crisp and the pronunciation was clear. He turned around suddenly and found that the death row prisoner did not speak or even open his eyes. He was just swallowing one breath after another. He must have suffered inhuman torture in prison. There was no life in his body. There was a watermark on his crotch, which was probably the only place on his body that reacted.

The executioner held up the knife, muttered something, and stood behind the prisoner. In front of the execution ground, a little boy lit the incense, and then the executioner raised the knife high.

"Help!"

A deafening cry for help suddenly rang out, as if a thunder exploded in the air.

The sound was so loud that Zhang Jingwei felt his ears buzzing and a strong sense of tinnitus came over him instantly.

He subconsciously bent down and covered his ears tightly with his hands, trying to relieve the discomfort.

Seeing this, Mu Tou, who was standing by, shouted anxiously, "Master, what's wrong?!"

Zhang Jingwei didn't bother to answer, but shouted anxiously: "Go and save him!"

Mu Tou looked bewildered and asked helplessly, "What? Who did the young master say he wanted to save?"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Jingwei suddenly stood up and shouted with all his strength: "Spare his life!"

Instantly, the entire execution ground fell silent, with everyone's gaze fixed on Zhang Jingwei. Even the executioner, holding a large knife and about to strike, was startled by the sudden shouting, his hand frozen in mid-air.

At this moment, the head clerk of the execution room, who was sitting on the execution platform, glared angrily and shouted, "How dare you! Who is making a noise here?"

Zhang Jingwei was not afraid at all. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir! You must not execute me at this moment!"

The head clerk of the torture chamber frowned, his face showing displeasure. He sternly said, "Zhang Xiaolian! This is a crucial execution ground. How can you be so reckless and foolish?"

However, Zhang Jingwei didn't retreat. Instead, he continued forward and whispered to the chief clerk of the criminal department in a low voice, "Master Chief Clerk, have you carefully considered this matter? If this man is from Fenzhou, according to common sense, the Fenzhou authorities should first accept the case and oversee the execution."

The chief clerk of the criminal department angrily said, "The governor ordered it, and I am supervising the execution. What's wrong with that?"

Zhang Jingwei continued whispering, "Now the prefect has ordered you to oversee the execution. Isn't the reason behind this worth pondering? I suspect the prefect himself is worried that the Fenzhou authorities will take action over this matter, so he's dumped this hot potato on you. After all, you've only just left office, so I'm afraid you might not be fully aware of these official rules and procedures!"

The head clerk of the criminal department slapped his head, looked at Zhang Jingwei with wide eyes, and said, "Zhang Xiaolian...you...you have a point!" Then he turned to the yamen runners and ordered, "Take the prisoner back to the death row. There are still some doubts in this case. Let me check with the prefect."