Ping Zhao Lu

"Hmph, don't you see what kind of person you are? How dare you pretend to be the prince!" Qin Lan also sneered.

As soon as he finished speaking, a very majestic and cold voice of rebuke was heard in the hall.

"You ignorant fellow, hold him down for me!"

The sound instantly attracted everyone's attention.

They all looked in the direction of the sound.

I saw Xu Zhouye walking slowly towards me with steady and powerful steps.

Chu Yunxiao, who was walking side by side with him, had a stern face and exuded a powerful aura that made people dare not look directly at him.

Wherever these two people went, they seemed to bring invisible pressure, making the air around them seem heavy.

Behind them followed Zhao Fuyi and some other officials. These people bent their bodies slightly and did not dare to look directly at the two people walking in front of them.

For a moment, no one in the hall dared to breathe.

When Shi'an and the two guards saw Chu Yunxiao and the person standing next to him, expressions of extreme fear suddenly appeared on their faces and their bodies began to tremble involuntarily.

They seemed to be under a spell, and after a moment of silence, they suddenly fell to their knees as if awakening from a dream, shouting in unison:

"Your subordinate greets the Emperor and Empress!"

This sudden change left Jia Changfeng and others dumbfounded. They stood there blankly, their faces full of disbelief, their mouths wide open, but unable to utter a word.

While they were stunned, the bailiffs forced them to kneel on the ground.

After a long while, Jia Changfeng muttered to himself in disbelief:

"How is it possible... How is this possible?"

Although he had never seen the prince's face in person, he had seen the emperor. This was all thanks to his father, the King of Zhenbei. If it weren't for his father's influence, he would probably never have seen the emperor in his lifetime.

At this moment, the emperor who held the power of life and death in the world stood before him vividly. Jia Changfeng felt his heart sink to the bottom of the valley.

"They...really are..." Qin Lan saw that Jia Changfeng's arrogant and domineering aura beside him suddenly disappeared without a trace, and he couldn't help but become panicked.

Jia Changfeng looked solemn and nodded slowly, as if this nod had already doomed the two of them.

Seeing this, the only glimmer of hope in Qin Lan's heart was extinguished like a candle in the wind. His heart, which had been hanging high in the air, fell completely into the abyss, with no possibility of survival.

"You have committed such a grave mistake, and I am powerless to do anything about it!" Zhao Fuyi shouted harshly. He then quickly stepped forward, knelt on both knees before the Emperor and Empress, and said with deep fear and trepidation, "I have failed to do my job well, and this has led to this situation. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely!"

Chu Yunxiao's face was frosty as he stood there coldly, not even glancing at Zhao Fuyi who was kneeling on the ground to apologize.

His deep eyes slowly scanned the people in the hall, revealing a frightening majesty, but he never uttered a word, nor did he signal them to stand up.

When his eyes accidentally fell on the injured Chu Heyuan in Shi'an's arms, his face changed drastically in an instant, and became so gloomy that it seemed as if ink could drip out of it.

When Xu Zhouye, who was standing by, saw the injured Chu Heyuan, his heart suddenly tightened and he felt a surge of pity.

He didn't dare to delay for a moment, and quickly strode up to Shi'an. He carefully took Chu Heyuan from his arms and gently held him in his arms.

At the same time, he stretched out a hand and tightly grasped Chu Heyuan's arm, which was constantly oozing blood, and anxiously shouted, "Go and call the doctor! Hurry!"

After receiving the order, Shi'an did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and immediately turned around and left in a hurry.

At this time, Chu Heyuan's face turned pale due to excessive blood loss, and his eyelids were moving slightly.

He tried his best to open his eyes and looked at the person holding him. Before he fainted, he praised, "Good, good looking!"

Xu Zhouye didn't care about anything else. He ordered Zhao Fuyi to vacate a room, then hurried away with Chu Heyuan in his arms.

After Xu Zhouye turned and left, the already solemn atmosphere in the lobby seemed to freeze.

Chu Yunxiao sat on a chair right above the courtroom with a stern expression, his right index finger tapping lightly and rhythmically on the table in front of him.

At this moment, everyone kneeling in the hall was sweating profusely and dared not say a word.

Especially Jia Changfeng and Qin Lan, who were so arrogant and domineering just now, have now lost their previous arrogance.

The two of them knelt there, not daring to breathe, their faces filled with regret.

Time passed minute by minute, and the entire lobby fell into dead silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Yunxiao, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke slowly, "Just now, I heard the prince making a big fuss from a distance, claiming that if He Yuan were the crown prince, he would tear his head off and use it as a ball for everyone present."

As soon as he said this, Qin Lan was so frightened that his face turned pale as paper, his body was shaking, and he was about to faint.

Fortunately, Jia Changfeng next to him was quick-witted and quickly reached out to support him, otherwise Qin Lan would probably have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

Jia Changfeng was also sweating profusely, his whole body trembling like a sieve, and he stammered, "Your Majesty, please spare my life! It was I...I was blind! In the heat of the moment, I spoke without thinking, and offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."

"Impulsive? Talking without thinking?" Chu Yunxiao's voice became increasingly icy, as if it could make people fall into an ice cellar in an instant.

Then, he swung his hand violently and slammed the gavel beside him onto the table with a deafening bang. "Since that's the case, I might as well be impulsive today. Come on, nail me!"

As Chu Yunxiao finished speaking, the yamen runners acted quickly and in a blink of an eye, they carried a wooden board covered with sharp iron nails to the center of the hall.

Seeing this, Jia Changfeng and others collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Jia Changfeng's knees trembled as he crawled forward in a nearly desperate manner, begging bitterly, "Your Majesty, please spare my life. I truly know I was wrong! Please, for the sake of my father, who has made great contributions to the Great Wei Kingdom and expanded its territory, forgive me this time!"

However, Chu Yunxiao seemed to have not heard Jia Changfeng's desperate cries at all. His face was as gloomy as water, his eyes were cold, and he only opened his lips slightly and uttered two words: "Execution!"

"Your Majesty! No!" Jia Changfeng let out a last shrill scream, but it was of no avail.

Several strong yamen runners rushed forward, grabbed Jia Changfeng's arms and legs mercilessly, and dragged him onto a wooden board covered with sharp iron nails.

"Ah--" The moment Jia Changfeng's body touched the nail board, a heart-wrenching scream resounded through the sky.

In an instant, the iron nails on the nail board, which were originally shining with cold light, pierced into Jia Changfeng's body. Strands of blood slowly seeped out from the wounds, dyeing the originally hard and ruthless nail board red.

Jia Changfeng was in excruciating pain, struggling and twisting his body desperately on the nail board, like a trapped beast.

Qin Lan, who was kneeling on the side and watching, was already frightened out of his wits by the horrific scene before him. He opened his eyes wide and his mouth, wanting to scream but no sound came out. He was stunned and unable to move.

The others kneeling on the ground lowered their heads even lower, not daring to look at this tragic scene.

Zhao Fuyi, who was in charge of the murder case, shook his head and sighed repeatedly, thinking to himself: Jia Changfeng was always arrogant and domineering, and now he has ended up like this, it can be said that he deserves it.

Chu Yunxiao looked at the person being tortured in the hall with an expressionless face.

Time passed minute by minute, and finally, after a long period of torture, Chu Yunxiao raised his hand slightly and said lightly: "It's okay."

The yamen runners who received the order immediately took action. They carefully lifted the dying and blood-covered Jia Changfeng off the nail board.

At this time, Jia Changfeng was covered in wounds. There was not a single piece of intact skin on his body. Blood continued to flow out of his wounds, staining the ground beneath him scarlet.

He was breathing heavily, and every breath was accompanied by excruciating pain. He could only lie there weakly, unable to move.

The strong and pungent smell of blood filled the air, choking Qin Lan so much that he couldn't help but dry heave.

Chu Yunxiao's expression remained unchanged. He waved his hand and ordered the yamen runners, "Carry him away and ask the best doctor to treat him. Make sure to save his life."

"Yes!" The yamen runners answered in unison, then they hurriedly lifted up the wounded Jia Changfeng and left the scene in a hurry.

Qin Lan was so frightened that he dared not move.

Chu Yunxiao's eyes were cold as he slowly swept over Qin Lan, Lu Wenxun and others who were kneeling on the ground.

There was a cold light flashing in his deep eyes, like an icy sharp blade.

After a long moment, his gaze fixed on Qin Lan, and he asked nonchalantly, "Are you Qin Lan, the third son of Qin Huaichuan, the governor of Shuozhou?"

The moment Qin Lan heard his name being spoken, his body stiffened like wood. He was stunned for a long time before he kowtowed tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

Chu Yunxiao looked down at Qin Lan, who was kneeling and trembling on the ground, and said in a cold voice: "You are disrespecting the prince. Do you know your crime?"

Qin Lan was so frightened when he heard this that his face turned pale. He kowtowed repeatedly, muttering, "I, this humble servant, meant no offense! I truly know I was wrong! I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me and spare my life!"

Chu Yunxiao turned a deaf ear to him, his face still gloomy, and ordered coldly: "Slap your face."

As soon as he finished speaking, the executioner who had been on standby for a long time raised his hand and slapped Qin Lan's face mercilessly one after another.

Each slap was accompanied by a whistling sound, making Qin Lan dizzy and dazed, with only crackling sounds in his ears.

As time went by, Qin Lan's face gradually became red and swollen, and blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.

But the bailiffs who were carrying out the execution showed no sign of mercy and continued to wave their hands mechanically.

Finally, when Chu Yunxiao felt that the punishment was enough, he slowly called for a stop.

At this time, Qin Lan's entire face had swollen like a pig's head, which was a horrible sight.

He covered his cheeks, which were burning from the slap, with his hands tightly, and tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes, flowing down with the blood.

His eyes were filled with pain and fear, as if he had just experienced a nightmare.

Chu Yunxiao pretended not to notice his fear, "Is your brother's death related to you?"

Qin Lan did not expect the emperor to ask such a question. He was at a loss for a moment and didn't know how to respond.

He wanted to deny it, but when the words came to his lips, he found it difficult to speak.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao turned to look at Zhao Fuyi, who was kneeling beside him, and waved to him to stand up. He said in a deep voice, "How did the second young master Qin get trafficked to the pawnshop? Have you sent anyone to investigate?"

Zhao Fuyi stood up and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have followed the advice of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and have sent people to investigate. I believe there will be results soon."

Chu Yunxiao nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction. "I have already sent people to track down the person who assassinated the Second Young Master Qin. I will never let that evildoer go unpunished."

Hearing this, Qin Lan's hands on the ground trembled even more violently, making it even more difficult for him to refute.

Chu Yunxiao looked at Qin Lan again, the coldness in his eyes piercing his bones. His tone was steady, yet it was full of authority. "It's okay if you don't say it. Once we have all the witnesses and evidence, I won't need to hear your defense."

After saying that, Chu Yunxiao stood up and made a gesture to leave.

Qin Lan couldn't bear it after all.

She cried out, "It was me! I was the one who planned my brother's death!"