Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

An hour before noon, the execution ground was already surrounded by layers of people.

Inside the execution ground, hundreds of rioters, with their hands bound behind their backs, knelt on the ground.

Outside the execution ground, several squads of heavily armed guards stood motionless, ready to receive orders at any moment.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

Mu Changge had copper nails driven into her shoulders and her Qi Sea sealed.

He was trembling uncontrollably, his terrified eyes darting around the field.

Not far away, Zhao Yuanli, Liang Youxin, and Zeng Qian also had blank expressions, with a hint of doubt still in their eyes.

They probably never imagined that they would end up like this.

Outside the execution ground, the crowd was abuzz with discussion, and many merchants and residents affected by the civil unrest were applauding the impending fate of these people.

bang——

With the sound of a gong, Shen Lang slowly walked to the execution platform.

Wei Donghai and Yang Xiong followed closely behind.

The three of them glanced at each other, and with Shen Lang in the middle, they all sat down.

"We're innocent, Your Honor! We're truly innocent!"

"My lord, please have mercy! I'm still young and don't understand!"

"My lord, please have mercy! Please have mercy! I will never dare to do it again, I beg you—"

As soon as Shen Lang appeared, the execution ground erupted in wails.

Even Zeng Qian, who was closest to the execution platform, began to try to please Shen Lang.

"Shen Lang, I know you want to be the son-in-law of the Great Chu Emperor. How about this, you let me go, and I'll definitely make you the Emperor's son-in-law, okay?"

He looked so pitiful, just like a dog.

"Humph."

But Shen Lang didn't even have the desire to speak to this idiot. He snorted coldly and even deliberately took two steps away.

"I've heard that stupidity is contagious, and I don't want to become an idiot because of these fools."

Anyone with a modicum of sense wouldn't do something so reckless, but Zeng Qian's lack of decency is truly beyond Shen Lang's comprehension.

The whole process was like a group of people getting drunk at dinner and then suddenly coming up with the idea of ​​putting on a show that would get them killed.

Not to mention, the Empress had long wanted to wait for you to expose yourselves so she could find an excuse to get rid of you.

Yang Xiong also gave Zeng Qian and the others a disgusted look, then caught up with Shen Lang and said, "Even at this point, they're still saying things that no one would believe. I don't know what they're thinking."

"Lord Shen, let's hurry up and use the torture. The execution time in the Great Chu Law is just a formality on paper; that's enough."

Shen Lang sat down in front of the execution platform, spreading his hands on the table: "You can't say that. The law is the law. No matter how unjust it is, it must be strictly followed until it is amended."

Especially for us officials appointed by the court, we must set an example and not simply brush it off with a "that's enough" attitude. This is not only unjust to the law, but also a contempt for His Majesty's imperial authority.

Upon hearing this, Wei Donghai immediately began to flatter him: "Lord Shen is truly loyal to the Great Chu and His Majesty, a model for all of us in officialdom."

In my humble opinion, the entire court should take Lord Shen as their role model; only then can they progress and grow.

Hearing this, Shen Lang couldn't help but beam with joy.

He rested one hand on his cheek, trying to remain calm, and occasionally rubbed his chin and upper lip with his hand in an "8" shape to prevent himself from laughing.

Flattery is certainly a bad thing, but hearing it occasionally can make people feel happy. Besides, who doesn't like to hear nice things?

"Your Excellencies are too kind. I am unworthy to serve as a role model for all officials. All I do is for His Majesty and for the sake of the nation."

After offering a few compliments, he moved on to the main topic.

"However, just sitting here and waiting won't solve anything. Look at all those people supporting us here. Why don't we take advantage of the time we still have and read out the charges against these rioters?"

Yang Xiong immediately flicked his sleeve and gave Shen Lang a thumbs up: "Lord Shen, this is truly a stroke of genius!"

In broad daylight, in front of the entire city, the crimes of Zeng Qian and his associates were publicly announced.

"Letting the people know why these thugs were punished will also make them understand the importance of the law. Brilliant, truly brilliant."

Wei Donghai immediately chimed in: "The most important thing about this move is that it can also kill people's hearts and minds, so that Zeng Qian and his gang of thugs will be despised even after they die!"

Listening to the constant flattery from the two people beside him, Shen Lang finally understood why so many people throughout history have tried so hard to get into officialdom and obtain a position, and why they would climb the ladder whenever they had the chance.

Look at these two; they are typical examples of living proof.

It's so irresistible!

"Alright, then who will state the main culprit's crimes?"

"Let me do it."

Wei Donghai snatched the indictment first, and was just about to read it aloud when...

"The Empress has arrived!"

A loud shout at the execution ground immediately caused the onlookers to bow their heads and kneel on the ground.

Many people never dreamed that the supreme empress would personally come to the execution ground.

This is an immense honor.

Wei Donghai, Yang Xiong, and Shen Lang immediately stood up and stepped aside to greet them.

Before long, a group of imperial guards parted the crowd to make way for Jiang Mengxuan, Ye Mo, and other civil and military officials to enter the execution ground.

"See Your Majesty."

The moment Jiang Mengxuan stepped onto the execution platform, Shen Lang and the other two immediately bowed in respect.

"No gift."

Jiang Mengxuan flicked her phoenix sleeves lightly.

"I have come here today with my civil and military officials to observe an execution. Prefect Shen, you need not concern yourself with me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang inwardly scoffed: "Do you even believe what you're saying? Everyone's paying attention to you now that you're here, who the hell would look at me?"

But he still said, "Everything is at Your Majesty's discretion."

"Ah."

Jiang Mengxuan found Shen Lang more and more pleasing to the eye, her eyes filled with doting affection.

At this moment, the prisoners being executed on the execution ground began to stir upon seeing the Empress herself.

"Your Majesty, we are innocent!"

Zeng Qian was the first to shout.

"Your Majesty, everything I have done is for Your Majesty's sake. Please have mercy and spare me!"

Liang Youxin and Zhao Yuanli also began to cry and beg for mercy.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned and asked Shen Lang, "When will the execution begin?"

"Your Majesty, it will still be half an hour before noon. I was just about to read out the crimes of these thugs in public."

"Then I shall read it aloud."

Shen Lang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

So he led Jiang Mengxuan to the main execution table, while Ye Mo and the other civil and military officials took their seats in front of their respective observation platforms.

When the Empress arrived, Wei Donghai and Yang Xiong naturally had to keep three steps away as a sign of respect.

At the same time, she greatly envied Shen Lang for being so favored by the Empress.

"Your Majesty, these are the pieces of evidence against Zeng Qian and the other principal offenders."

"I have already seen what you sent last night."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly, then refused the evidence Shen Lang offered, and began to announce Zeng Qian's crimes without any prepared statement, her face expressionless.

"I, Jiang Mengxuan, Empress of Great Chu, solemnly hereby enumerate the crimes of Zeng Qian, Mu Changge, and other death row inmates!"

"Zeng Qian, whose ancestral home is Jiaozhou, comes from a prominent family of our Great Chu. In the eleventh year of the lunar calendar, he entered the capital to serve as an official and was trusted by the late emperor, who entrusted him with the position of Prefect of Jingzhao."

However, despite holding an important position in the capital, he did not dedicate himself to his duties. Instead, he formed cliques and colluded with local gentry to oppress the local people of Jiaozhou.

During his tenure, he annexed 620,000 mu of farmland in Jiaozhou, illegally opened 36 salt wells, and stole 4.6 million taels of silver from the local treasury.

Even so, he was still not satisfied. Several months ago, in order to allow the imperial court to cultivate 260,000 mu of fertile land in Xishan, Jiaozhou, he did not hesitate to collude with scoundrels from the martial arts world.

The indiscriminate slaughter of people in the suburbs of Xishan resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and left as many as 20,000 farmers homeless.

Farmers without land became refugees, and in order to survive, they had no choice but to seek refuge in the capital. However, during the migration, they suffered all kinds of hardships.

In the end, only about six thousand people arrived in the capital, and the culprit behind everything was Zeng Qian!

They were actually colluding with Mu Changge, the man chosen by me for my future husband, and a bunch of corrupt officials in the court, attempting to overthrow the government. They even went so far as to incite public opinion against the court.

They're willing to sacrifice their blood and lives to consolidate their own interests. Tell me, shouldn't these impeccably dressed scoundrels be killed?

The people were stunned, never expecting that Zeng Qian could be so vicious.

"Zeng Qian, you monster, give me back my son's life!"

Suddenly, an angry shout from a woman and child rang out from the crowd.

"Execute them!"

"Execute them!"

"Execute them!"

Instantly, everyone was enraged by the Empress's words and unanimously demanded the execution of the thugs on the execution ground.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Qian and the others turned ashen-faced.

They understood that it was all over, and their family was finished.

Sitting on the viewing platform, Ye Mo had a gloomy face and finally sighed helplessly.

"It's noon! Execute!"

At Shen Lang's command, Qu Yi immediately waved his hand, and the first team of a hundred men stepped forward, pointing their guns at the back of the head of the main culprit kneeling at the front.

"No, I don't want to die, I don't want to die! I am a disciple of the Xuantian Sect, and Sect Master Bai Tianyu is my master!"

Daoist Shen Zhao is my ancestor's husband, you can't kill me!

Mu Changge knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, crying so hard that she lost control of her bladder and bowels.

Zeng Qian, Liang Youxin, and their group were also on the verge of tears.

"Execution!"

boom--

At Qu Yi's command, hundreds of flashes of fire streaked past the muzzles of the guns.

The cries and shouts were immediately silenced, and the prisoners kneeling on the ground fell forward one by one.

"Good~"

Cheers erupted from the crowd once again.

Ye Mo was deeply shocked when he witnessed the execution carried out with rifles.