Accidentally dressed as an empress

Inside the courtroom, the atmosphere was so solemn it seemed as if water could drip from it. The surrounding walls were built of thick bluestone, and the caisson ceiling soared high above. Dim light struggled to enter through a few narrow windows, but even this was largely swallowed up by the solemn atmosphere, leaving only a few blurry shadows on the ground.

Yunxiu sat upright on the chair in the main hall, his posture straight and straight, his dark official uniform looking straight and majestic.

Her face was as white as jade, and beneath her willow-shaped eyebrows, her eyes were like cold stars, deep and sharp. Her black hair was neatly tied behind her head, with only a simple jade hairpin inserted in it.

The yamen runners on both sides stood straight, wearing uniform yamen runner uniforms with a black background and red edges, and holding water and fire sticks in their hands.

With a loud shout, "Open the court—mighty—" the former prefect was escorted into the court by the jailer.

His hair was messy like a grass nest, with some strands tangled together and stuck to his dirty cheeks. His fine clothes were tattered.

Yun Xiu's eyes were like torches, and his voice was cold: "Everyone in the hall, please state your names."

The voice echoed in the silent court with unquestionable majesty.

Li Mian snorted coldly and looked up at Yun Xiu, his eyes intertwined with resentment and unwillingness. After a brief silence, the hoarse voice finally squeezed out from his throat: "I am the governor of Yunyin City, Li Mian."

Yun Xiu looked through the files and said slowly, "Li Mian, you entered the Imperial College in the second year of Xuanyuan. Twenty years ago, Yun Guo law stipulated that men were not allowed to serve as officials. Li Mian, how did you become a prefect?"

The words were like thunder, booming in the courtroom, shocking everyone outside the hall and making them look at each other in surprise.

When Li Mian heard this question, his body shook violently and the expression on his face changed instantly, as if he had not expected Yun Xiu to ask such a sharp and direct question.

His lips trembled slightly, he seemed to be hesitant to speak, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

After a brief silence, Li forced himself to remain calm, raised his head, looked directly at Yunxiu, and argued, "Sir, there must be a misunderstanding. Although there are new regulations, I was already in office before they were promulgated, and during my tenure, I have achieved many political achievements. I did not occupy this position without reason."

Yunxiu frowned and her eyes became even colder. How could she not know that Li Mian was making excuses?

Yunxiu waved her sleeve lightly, and the gavel on the table slammed loudly. "Don't try to quibble! There are traces of everything you did before and after taking office. Don't think you can get away with it."

The beads of sweat on Li Mian's forehead became more and more dense, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the bluestone slabs under his feet.

His breathing became rapid, his hands clenched into fists unconsciously, and he was secretly thinking about how to deal with the situation.

At this moment, the courtroom was silent. Everyone focused their eyes on Li Mian, waiting for his further response. Only the sound of the wind whistling past the window lattice seemed to be urging the truth to be revealed.

Yunxiu shouted loudly: "Tell the truth!" Yunxiu used the power of words to try cases and it always worked.

Li Mian's voice was extremely low, as if every word weighed a thousand pounds, forcing itself out with difficulty. "I... I was born into a poor farming family. By chance, I met a woman from my hometown, a woman from a humble background who had been admitted to the Imperial College. I... I harbored evil thoughts, and one rainy night, I took advantage of her unpreparedness and murdered her. Then, I stole her identity documents, impersonated her, and entered the Imperial College. I worked my way up the ladder, finally ascending to the position of prefect."

As he spoke, there was an uproar in the courtroom. Everyone was shocked and angry, shaking their heads with contempt and disgust on their faces.

Yun Xiu's eyes widened as she stared at Li Mian, who collapsed on the ground. Her voice trembled slightly with anger: "Li Mian, you impersonated someone else and killed innocent people. Such evil deeds are intolerable to heaven!"

She leaned forward slightly, her voice cold and unyielding as she demanded again, "Li Mian, after becoming the governor of Yunyin City, you allowed bandits to run rampant, causing the people to live in dire straits and suffer the pain of robbery. You also promoted Li Jiaqi, a member of your clan, and made him your trusted henchman, secretly orchestrating many shady deeds for you. Is that right or not?"

Li Mian knelt in the hall, his body trembling slightly. The majesty he once had as a prefect was long gone.

His hair was scattered messily across his forehead, covering his eyes filled with fear and anxiety. Sweat soaked his tattered clothes, which clung tightly to his frail frame. Hearing Yunxiu's words, his lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to quibble, but was momentarily speechless.

After a brief silence, he slowly raised his head, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and finally he responded in a low voice: "Yes." The voice was as weak as the buzzing of a mosquito or fly, but it was clearly audible in the silent court.

Yunxiu angrily slammed the gavel, a resounding "bang" echoing through the courtroom, making everyone's ears ring. "As a magistrate, you are supposed to protect the country and the people, yet you collude with bandits and exploit the people. Where is your conscience?" Yunxiu's voice rose with anger, carrying a righteous tone that made everyone present feel her deep disgust for such evil.

Li Mian was so frightened by the shout that his legs gave way and he fell to his knees with a thud. "Sir, I... I have no choice. The bandits are powerful, and I'm new to the job, so my foundation isn't stable. If I don't compromise, my life is in danger." He tried to excuse his crime, but his eyes were filled with panic and guilt.

Yun Xiu sneered, "Huh! Your foundation isn't stable yet? What happened next? You've been in Yunyin City for years, why didn't you try to wipe out the bandits? Instead, you exploited them for your own personal gain? And Li Jiaqi, you two were in cahoots with him. He was wantonly amassing wealth in the city and seizing people's land. How dare you say you were completely unaware?"

Li Mian touched the ground with his forehead, not daring to look Yunxiu in the eye. "Sir, I know my crime. I was blinded by greed and was confused for a moment. It's true that other members of the Li family did a lot of bad things, but I also tried to stop them, but... I just couldn't completely restrain him." His words were inconsistent and full of loopholes, and it was obvious that he was struggling to his death.

Yun Xiu stood up, walked to the front of the hall, and looked down at Li Mian. "Don't try to make excuses anymore. I have found the account books in the secret room of the prefectural mansion. Your crimes are irrefutable. Today, in this court, you must truthfully confess all your evil deeds, otherwise, your crimes will be aggravated."

At this time, the sky outside the court was gloomy and covered with dark clouds, and a heavy rain seemed to be about to pour down.

Li Mian's body trembled like a sieve when he heard Yun Xiu's words. He knew he had no way out. "Sir, I... I colluded with bandits... I also embezzled public funds to manage relationships within the court in an attempt to consolidate my position. Furthermore, I accepted bribes from wealthy merchants in the city, framed loyal officials, excluded dissidents, dismissed disobedient officials from the prefectural government, and installed my own trusted aides in their place..."

Oh, that’s all?

Yun Xiu frowned and demanded, "Li Mian, please explain clearly. What exactly happened with the poisoned relief porridge? And what about the bodies dumped in the wells and rivers?"

"Famine ravaged Yunyin City, leaving the people homeless and starving. The disaster relief porridge was their lifeline, yet you were so heartless as to poison it, causing the tragic loss of innocent people. How could you be so cruel?"

Yunxiu's eyes burned with rage. Her hands gripped the armrests tightly, her knuckles turning white as she shouted, "You are such a heartless person! To achieve your goal, you are so ruthless and cruel, killing innocent people. Officials should uphold justice and work for the benefit of the people, but you treat human life as worthless and disregard the laws of the country. Your crimes are truly heinous!"

"I...I...I really didn't do this!" Li Mian denied it vehemently.

Yunxiu laughed: "It wasn't you who did it? Then who wanted to drive me out of the prefectural government?"

Li Mian shouted, "You are not a prefect! I have never received a letter of appointment from the court! The prefect of Yunyin City should have been me!"

"Announce the imperial edict." Yunxiu said loudly and took out a bright yellow silk book from her arms.

A group of people knelt down in the hall.

Yunxiu read aloud, "By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The eldest princess, Yunxiu, is ordered to proceed to Yunyin City, her fiefdom in Xiling. This is my decree."

Yunxiu slowly stood up and took off her official robe, revealing the yellow imperial dress embroidered with a phoenix pattern and the white jade phoenix pendant around her waist.

The crowd gathered in the prefectural governor's mansion, all stunned. Someone was the first to shout, "May Your Highness be blessed with good health!"

A group of people shouted: "Your Highness, may you be blessed with good health!"

Some people whispered, "Your Highness? How high is that official?"

"The Emperor's daughter, how high an official position do you think you are?"

"An official only lower than the emperor."

"Ah... that's a high-ranking official."

Yunxiu looked at Li Mian, whose face was ashen and shocked, and asked, "Li Mian, what else do you have to say?"

"I...I plead guilty. I deserve to die..." Li Mian knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

Yun Xiu swept his gaze across the courtroom, righteously pronouncing his verdict: "According to the laws of our dynasty, Li Mian entered the government under a false name. This crime should be stripped of his official position, all his property confiscated, and he should be exiled to the frontier for hard labor, forbidden from returning to his hometown for life. Furthermore, he committed intentional homicide, colluded with bandits, poisoned porridge, and caused a plague, resulting in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Yunyin City residents. These crimes are extremely heinous, and his entire clan should be executed immediately to serve as a warning to others!"

The servants below the hall shouted in unison: "Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing the verdict, Li Mian's face turned pale, his eyes hollow, and he collapsed to the ground. His sins were unforgivable, and he knew his end was near. His former wealth, power, and status had vanished like a dream.