Accidentally dressed as an empress

The people looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and astonishment, with layers of doubts in their hearts.

An old man, leaning on a cane, tremblingly said to the young man beside him, "How is this possible? How could our governor be a fake?"

The young man was also shocked, scratching his head and replied, "I find it incredible too. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

"I think it was Master Li and his gang of bad guys who bit back before they died, framing the governor."

"But, if the governor shows the imperial letter of appointment and seal, wouldn't that prove its authenticity?"

"Why didn't the governor show his letter of appointment? Is it true? There really is no letter of appointment?"

A burly man yelled, "Humph! I think all these officials are two-faced. Maybe this governor is a fake, all pretentious, and now he's been exposed!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately sparked a debate among the people around.

Someone retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! Have you forgotten all the good things the governor has done for us? Disaster relief, waterway repairs, and epidemic control—none of these things have not benefited the people."

The man's face turned red and he wanted to argue, but was persuaded by others.

Their discussions rose and fell, interweaving into a noisy cacophony.

Everyone couldn't believe it and exchanged shocked glances with each other.

A lady who looked elegant stood up. She was wearing a simple but clean and tidy cloth shirt, her hair was neatly tied behind her head. Her face showed the calmness and composure that came with the passage of time, and her whole body exuded an elegant and gentle temperament.

She raised her head slightly, her eyes firmly scanning the crowd around her that were filled with suspicion and confusion. Then she cleared her throat and spoke slowly, "If the governor is a fake, how could there be an army to help him? I see those are regular troops."

The old lady's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples among the crowd.

A young man immediately echoed loudly, "Exactly. At the beginning, there were also troops from Xiling coming over. I have a relative who was in the Xiling army. According to him, when they received the order, they didn't dare to slack off at all and rushed over without stopping. From that scene, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the governor was no ordinary person, and that he must have powerful forces behind him."

An old man with some experience beside him twirled his beard and nodded thoughtfully: "Our prefect may be of a higher rank and a high-ranking official who came to inspect!

Think about it, how could an ordinary governor have such authority and means to command troops from all directions?"

At this time, a burly girl in the crowd said in a loud voice: "Anyway, our governor is a great lady. I believe her!"

No matter what others say, my life was saved by the governor. If the governor hadn't distributed relief porridge in time during the famine, I'm afraid my family would have been destroyed long ago."

"I believe her too!"

"Anyway, it was the governor who saved us. I believe her!"

"We all believe her!"

Yunxiu listened to what everyone said and smiled with relief.

Yunxiu spoke slowly, her voice as calm as the air at the execution ground: "The crimes of Mr. Li and his family are proven to be irrefutable. There is absolutely no injustice."

She sat calmly before the execution platform, facing the crowd calmly: "I solemnly promise to continue to uphold justice and work for the well-being of the people of our city. If there are any illegal activities, you are welcome to report them according to the law."

The sky was covered by thick dark clouds, with only a few faint rays of light shining through, peeking at the world from above.

The air was filled with a disgusting smell of blood, mixed with the smell of dampness and decay, which seeped into people's nostrils.

Around the execution ground, the dilapidated houses looked shaky in the haze, and the walls were covered with mottled marks.

Mr. Li and his family were brought here in a rough manner. Their bodies were tightly bound with heavy iron chains, which rubbed against their skin, leaving bloody marks.

The whole family, young and old, looked haggard, their eyes filled with fear and despair, and the children's cries seemed particularly miserable in this depressing atmosphere.

The execution stand was already crowded with common people, their eyes filled with curiosity and resentment.

From time to time, whispers could be heard from the crowd, talking about the evil deeds of Mr. Li's family.

As the moment of execution approached, the executioner stood with a knife in his hand. The knife was broad and sharp, with bloodstains from previous executions still on the blade, flashing a strange red light in the weak sunlight.

Yun Xiu said, "My fellow villagers, this thief is a notorious criminal. He's smuggled salt, grain, and weapons in enormous quantities. According to Yun Guo law, he's guilty of treason and his entire clan will be executed. It's noon now, let's execute him!"

The command arrow in Yunxiu's hand flashed with a cold light in the sunlight. After she finished speaking, she threw the command arrow down.

The command arrow fell to the ground and the executioner started. She was testing the knife, and the blade cut through the air, making a creepy whistling sound.

Immediately afterwards, Mr. Li was forced down on the guillotine. He struggled desperately, but the executioner ruthlessly pressed his knee against his back, making him unable to move.

The executioner raised the sword high. In the few remaining rays of light, the shadow of the sword enveloped Master Li like the black robe of the god of death.

With a dull roar, the big knife fell, and blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing on the surrounding ground, forming a pool of blood.

Mr. Li's head rolled to the side, his eyes wide open, as if he died with his eyes open.

Upon seeing this, some of Mr. Li's family members fainted on the spot, while others screamed frantically and tried to break free. However, the executioners showed no mercy and executed them one by one.

Every time the sword fell, it was accompanied by splattering blood and miserable screams. The bloody and terrifying atmosphere filled the entire Caishikou and lingered for a long time, making everyone present feel deeply shocked and terrified.

Yunxiu calmly supervised the execution, but the scholar's words were like a thorn in her back, making her unable to calm down.

After returning home, the sky suddenly became gloomy, and dark clouds rolled and surged like ink, as if foreshadowing that a storm was coming.

Yunxiu hurried into the study and immediately summoned his most trusted confidants.

In the study, the candlelight flickered, the light and shadows swayed on everyone's faces, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Yun Xiu spoke solemnly, "Everyone has heard about what happened at the execution ground today. While the scholar's words are absurd, they may sow seeds of suspicion in the hearts of the people. If we don't deal with it quickly, there may be unexpected consequences. Su Da, first thoroughly investigate the identity and background of this scholar to see if he is being manipulated."

Su Da, Su Er and the others as well as Tan Juan nodded.

Tan Juan said, "Sir, this matter must be handled in secret. If there is indeed a mastermind behind this who wants to use this to bring you down, they must have set numerous traps. Our investigation must also be conducted in secrecy, so as not to alert the enemy."

Yunxiu nodded slightly and said, "You can split up into several groups. One group will investigate the people that the scholar usually keeps company with to see if there is anything unusual. The other group will go deep into the market. Right now, the market is filled with an uneasy atmosphere, and everyone is discussing the matter of the execution ground.

Find out if there are any false rumors about me in the city recently, and where they came from; and also, carefully sort out all the evidence and investigation process of Mr. Li's case to see if there are any omissions that have been exploited."

After making all the arrangements, Yunxiu sat alone in her study. Outside the window, the wind howled, rustling the branches like ghosts and wolves. Her mind was filled with thoughts.

She knew full well that she had touched the interests of too many forces in her pursuit of justice, and that this might just be the beginning of their counterattack. But she firmly believed that she had done nothing wrong and was not afraid of any conspiracy or trickery.

A few days later, the investigation yielded preliminary results. The scholar was a poor student sponsored by Mr. Li's family. Although he had heard of some of Mr. Li's evil deeds, he was unwilling to believe them because of his old favor.

Recently, he accidentally got some vague clues and was misled into thinking that Yunxiu was fake, so he rashly caused a scene in the execution ground.

After Yunxiu learned the truth, he did not immediately punish the scholar, but decided to hold a public trial.

On the day of the public trial, Yunxiu sat in the hall with a dignified look: "Although the scholar acted rashly, considering his original intention was not bad and he was misled, I will give him a lighter sentence and give him twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others.

However, I will not show mercy to those who are behind this, who are attempting to disrupt public opinion and commit murder by proxy. From today on, a city-wide investigation will be launched. Anyone implicated in this matter will be severely punished once proven to be involved!