Accidentally dressed as an empress

Execution Day

As the morning light broke, dark clouds hung heavily over the city. The narrow streets were already filled with people who had come to hear the news.

Mr. Li and his family were imprisoned in a dark and damp cell. At this moment, the heavy iron door creaked, and a team of soldiers wearing armor and holding spears came in one after another.

The soldiers' footsteps echoed in the silent prison corridor, and every step seemed to step on the hearts of Mr. Li and his family.

"Master Li, it's time to set off." The leading soldier said expressionlessly, his voice as cold and hard as the stone walls of the cell.

Master Li's body trembled violently. He raised his head, his eyes filled with fear and despair, and tremblingly said, "Master Jun, can you give me a little more time? I have something to say to my family."

The soldier remained unmoved and responded coldly, "Master Li, there is no time for you to delay. When the time comes, you must be executed."

Upon hearing this, Master Li's wife cried even more bitterly, "Master, what should we do? Are we really going to die here?"

Master Li sighed helplessly: "It has come to this. It's all my fault."

The soldiers walked forward mercilessly, put cold iron chains on them, and locked them tightly. With a "clatter", the sound of the iron chains colliding was particularly harsh in the cell.

Mr. Li's wife had already burst into tears. Her body was shaking like a fallen leaf in the wind, and she held her young child tightly in her arms.

The child was so frightened that his face turned pale, his eyes were wide open, and he asked in a low voice with tears in his eyes, "Mom, are we going to die?" His mother could only hug him tightly, speechless.

Under the pushing of the soldiers, Mr. Li and his family were forced to step out of the cell.

Their steps were unsteady, like the walking corpse, as they were escorted slowly towards the vegetable market. The people on both sides of the street pointed and talked about them.

"Look, this is the family of Mr. Li who has done so many evil things. They are finally getting their retribution." An old man said with a frown, his eyes revealing deep disgust.

"Humph, when they were bullying us, did they ever think that this day would come?" A young man echoed, clenching his fists.

When Mr. Li heard these words, he felt a pang of pain in his heart. He lowered his head and did not dare to look at the people around him.

Once, he was a man of final say in this city, but now he was a prisoner, facing death. His heart was filled with regret, but it was too late to do anything.

The troops advanced slowly, each step like a step towards the abyss of hell. Master Li's eldest son struggled, shouting at the soldiers, "Why are you doing this to us? My father has done good things for this city!"

The soldier showed no mercy and struck him on the leg with a stick, scolding him, "Your father's evil deeds are too numerous to list, and you still dare to be so stubborn!"

Seeing this, Master Li wanted to help, but was pushed away by the soldier. He begged, "Master, please don't hurt my son."

The soldier replied impatiently, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you too!"

Finally, they arrived at Caishikou, which was already crowded with people eagerly awaiting the verdict of justice.

Caishikou had already been surrounded by crowds of people, who were surging like a tide and jostling each other shoulder to shoulder.

Although the sun was pouring down from the sky, it could not dispel the depressing and heavy atmosphere that was like a haze.

Mr. Li and his family, young and old, were escorted by many soldiers and taken to the center of the execution ground, staggering like lambs.

The soldiers had grim expressions on their faces and roughly tied them up with thick ropes as if they were escorting extremely vicious criminals.

Mr. Li's former arrogance had long since disappeared. His hair was scattered messily in front of his forehead, his eyes were full of fear and helplessness, and his face was thin and haggard.

His wife had already collapsed on the ground, her crying so faint that it was almost inaudible. All that could be seen was her shoulders shaking constantly, and her once delicate face was covered with tears and snot.

The children were so scared that they burst into tears. They were still young and didn't understand why they had suffered such a misfortune.

The people around gathered in three layers, whispering and talking.

On weekdays, they were very angry about the evil deeds of Mr. Li's family in the city, and they cursed them countless times in private.

Most people still felt very happy. Several old men excitedly waved their crutches and cheered loudly: "Such a wicked man finally gets his comeuppance today. God really has eyes!" Some young people also shouted, and the voices rose and fell, echoing over the execution ground.

The Caishikou area was packed with people, and the atmosphere was oppressive and solemn. The soldiers, like escorting serious criminals, tied up Mr. Li and his family and hustled them to the center of the execution ground.

They all looked haggard, their eyes filled with fear and despair, and their pale faces looked even more miserable under the bright sunlight.

The people around gathered around. Although they were angry about the evil deeds of Mr. Li's family, they were very happy to see this scene and cheered.

Yunxiu was wearing official uniform and standing on the execution platform with a stern expression. The breeze gently blew her clothes.

Just as the executioner was about to raise his butcher knife, a man suddenly rushed out from the crowd.

The man was wearing a tattered long gown, his hair was a little messy, but his eyes showed determination.

He rushed to the execution platform, pointed his finger at Yunxiu, and cursed at the top of his lungs: "You are not a governor at all! You are an imposter! What right do you have to decide the life and death of others here!"

This sudden scene stunned everyone present. The soldiers reacted quickly, surrounding the man and arresting him.

His arms were tightly grasped by the soldiers, but he still struggled hard, kicking the ground with his feet, raising a cloud of dust, and shouting, "Don't be fooled by her! She's not the real governor at all, she's just an imposter!"

His voice became hoarse due to excitement, but it echoed throughout the entire Caishikou, causing a commotion among the people around him, and they all cast astonished glances at him.

Yunxiu, standing on the execution platform, frowned slightly upon hearing this, her delicate eyebrows instantly twisting into a "川" shape. Her cold gaze fixed on the man, a look of authority and oppression in her eyes. She said coldly, "Who are you? How dare you disrupt the execution grounds and slander me? If you have grievances or objections, you can appeal according to the law. Why are you being so unreasonable and unreasonable?"

Yunxiu's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard in every corner of the execution ground. The cold tone seemed to freeze the air around it.

The man, however, laughed heartily, his laughter tinged with a hint of madness. He stiffened his neck and shouted back, "You're a fake prefect! Do you have a letter of appointment from the court? Do you have a seal? Even your official uniform is made from the original prefect's clothes! You're definitely a fake, with ulterior motives, trying to pass off a fake as the real thing and manipulate the affairs of this city."

Yunxiu's heart trembled, but she remained calm. She slowly glanced around and saw the people whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with confusion and anxiety. If she forcibly suppressed this person's speech at this moment, she was afraid that it would only cause greater unrest and make the truth even more confusing.

Yun Xiu took a deep breath and said loudly, "Since that's the case, I will confront you here. You keep saying I'm a fake, but do you have any real evidence? Don't slander me based on mere conjecture and speculation."

The man sneered, "Evidence? Of course I have it. The former governor has been missing for many days, and yet you suddenly appear. New to you, you dealt with Master Li's family with swift and decisive action. It seemed fair and strict, but in reality, you were eliminating dissidents and clearing obstacles for your own ambitions."

Yunxiu shook her head slightly. "These groundless inferences alone are hardly convincing. Since I took over the affairs of this city, I have toiled day and night, and everything I have done has been for the benefit of the people, and I have no regrets. Master Li's family's evil deeds are notorious, and the evidence is solid. I have punished them according to the law. What's wrong with that? But you, causing trouble and disrupting order in this execution ground, are you being instructed by someone to deliberately come here to confuse the public?"

The man was speechless for a moment, a flicker of panic in his eyes, but he still pretended to be calm. "Don't slander me! I'm just a commoner in the city, and I just can't stand you, an imposter, acting so arrogantly here. If you really have an imperial appointment, why don't you dare show it?"

Yun Xiu sneered, "How can I show the imperial appointment letter to anyone casually? This is a confidential matter, how can you question it here? If you continue to be so unreasonable, don't blame me for being rude."

The man laughed wildly: "Hahaha, you just don't have a letter of appointment! The court didn't send a governor here at all!"

The imperial court did not send a governor, but sent the eldest princess to govern the fiefdom.

Yunxiu smiled, her face calm, and she said in a deep voice, "Don't talk nonsense here.

Since I took office, I have been impartial and worked for the people. The crimes of Mr. Li's family are proven and the evidence is overwhelming. How can I allow you to overturn the verdict based on your groundless speculation?

Come, drag him away and interrogate him after the execution."

The soldiers received the order and forcibly dragged the scholar away. The scholar continued to shout: "Everyone, open your eyes! Don't let this conspiracy succeed!"

The people around looked at each other in confusion, with doubts in their hearts, wondering what truth was hidden behind this sudden change. The atmosphere at the execution ground became increasingly tense.