At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"Hey!"

"啕——"

The sounds of vomiting rose and fell in a row outside the city of Yudu. The air was filled with the stench of blood mixed with a sour smell, making it an unbearable place to stay.

"Take it away!!"

"Bring the next batch!!"

But compared to these noises, the constant shouts were even more unsettling.

Then one could see men dressed in military uniforms and carrying daggers, each with their mouths and noses covered by white cloth, carrying headless corpses to be executed and escorting a group of prisoners to the execution ground under the command of their officers.

"Please forgive me, I know I was wrong!"

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

"I'm a student! I've passed the imperial examination!"

"Don't kill me—"

The prisoners, who were practically carried up, were all terrified, trembling and screaming. Many of them even had their lower bodies soaked in excrement and urine.

But the Imperial Guards walked on indifferently until they escorted the prisoners to their respective positions, bound them with leather belts, and then orderly withdrew from the execution ground.

"Do not kill me!"

"Do not kill me!"

"Don't kill me—"

The bound prisoners stared wide-eyed and screamed in even greater panic, as if this would make the Imperial Guards responsible for the torture spare their lives.

Unfortunately, all of this was just a fantasy.

"puff--"

As each of the Imperial Guards raised their hilt-bladed tiger-head swords and forcefully spat a mouthful of strong liquor onto the blades, the liquor mixed with blood dripped down, and the execution ground began to stir.

"Keep killing! How many have we killed already?!"

"This is the thirteenth batch, twenty in a batch, which is two hundred and sixty."

"You're really ruthless! You're still counting even now?!"

"When it comes to ruthlessness, who can compare to the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"Yes, look at them, they've executed so many, and they still don't even flinch."

"No wonder the emperor trusts them; he has no mercy on treacherous and corrupt officials who harm the country."

"If we show leniency towards treacherous and corrupt people, then it's us ordinary folks who will suffer!"

Amidst the murmurs and discussions, the Imperial Guards standing on the execution ground raised their tiger-headed broadswords high, each with a cold gaze as they brought them down...

"Hey!"

"啕——"

Then came another round of vomiting sounds.

Ta-da!!

Under these circumstances, on a temporary high platform, a commander dressed in a flying fish robe and carrying an embroidered spring knife quickly ran towards the platform. Before long, he reached Lou Han, the commander of the Northern Garrison, and lowered his head to speak.

"Boss, several newly appointed scholars and more than ten officials who were observing the execution have fainted."

"Just take him away for treatment."

Upon hearing this, Lou Han suppressed his nausea and said in a low voice, "Tell your men to pay more attention to the newly appointed scholars and not delay them."

"Yes."

The man immediately responded.

"continue!!"

Ignoring the person who stepped down from the platform, Lou Han coldly shouted, his cold eyes making people afraid to look directly at him.

After the grand announcement of the results of the imperial examination, the announcement of the results, and the celebrations, Yudu had not yet recovered from the commotion. On the second day after the emperor summoned the newly appointed scholars to a banquet at the Daxing Hall, two execution grounds were set up in the inner city and six in the outer city of Yudu. The executions began for a group of people arrested for leaking information about the imperial examination results, as well as a group of people who had gambled on the results of the imperial examination. As soon as the news was spread by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it caused a great uproar in and around Yudu.

No one expected it to actually be a killing.

Many people originally thought that with so many people arrested, including those from the princess's residence and the residence of a nobleman, even if they were to be executed, the current emperor should consider the impact.

What no one expected was that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was indeed acting on the Emperor's orders to carry out a large-scale public execution of the previously detained group.

That’s not all.

In addition to the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who are to observe executions, all relevant central government officials are required to dispatch teams of no less than twenty people to various execution grounds in and around Yudu to observe the executions.

Many of the people of Yudu, eager to witness the spectacle, flocked to various execution grounds. As a result, both the Northern and Southern armies mobilized a significant number of personnel to maintain order at the execution grounds.

A corner of this execution ground.

Dong Heng sat there looking rather uncomfortable, his brows furrowed as he looked at Li Bin. "Compared to them, I feel like a complete and utter waste!!"

"if not?"

Li Bin, standing with his sword at his side, said expressionlessly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the sharpest sword in His Majesty's hand. Any treacherous villains, demons, or monsters who dare to overstep the law and provoke the central government will inevitably suffer a heavy blow from them."

"Previously, many people felt that His Majesty was too biased towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guard, giving them all the good things."

“If anyone can say that now, I, Li Bin, truly admire them. They are complete scoundrels! They can only see the good and cannot see any bad at all.”

"Yes, I'm impressed by them."

Dong Heng said in a low voice, "This person kills without hesitation, without even blinking an eye, one wave after another. I know that these people who deserve to die all deserve to die; they are utterly wicked!"

"But I just can't get over this mental hurdle."

"Then let's get through this as soon as possible."

Li Bin leaned forward, looking at the execution ground not far away, and said with emotion, "If you don't want to stay in Yudu and wait to die for the rest of your life, and if you don't want to be left far behind by them, then you, me, and Zong Zhi and the others will all have to go to the front line to gain experience."

"Don't forget, Huanglong can currently receive guidance and training from Marquis Chenyang at Shanglin Garden."

"Just wait and see. Once there is war on the border, no matter if it is in the north, west, east, or south, as long as an urgent report is sent back to the central government, the Imperial Guards will surely be dispatched to the battlefield by imperial decree."

"Compared to us, they have no way out, not to mention that deep down they all yearn to go to the battlefield, because only in this way can they repay the emperor's kindness."

Dong Heng remained silent.

Because he knew how correct what Li Bin said was.

Previously, he had also longed to go to the battlefield, like his ancestors and fathers, to lead his army across the land and fight fiercely against the invading enemy.

But today, seeing so many people being killed, Dong Heng felt a deep fear in his heart. It was the first time he had seen such a scene, and it was so bloody. Dong Heng was afraid.

What Dong Heng feared even more was that the Jinyi guards in charge of the executions were like cold-faced demons, showing absolutely no reaction.

This is just the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The predecessor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zang Hao and his men belonged to the Eighth Colonel Department. In the past, in the Shanglin Garden, their colonel department was only ranked in the middle to upper range in terms of overall performance, including training, combat, individual and group competitions.

In other words, the Eighth Colonel Division possesses unique skills, such as disguise and interrogation, which gives them an advantage; otherwise, their ranking would be even lower.

The competition within the Imperial Guard is fierce.

Even among the most ordinary-looking people in the Imperial Guard, one should not underestimate them in the slightest; they might be hiding some extraordinary skills.

This is what Dong Heng witnessed firsthand during his three years on duty at Shanglin Garden.

"Why did you invite those newly appointed scholars to witness the execution?" Dong Heng, not wanting to continue thinking about it, changed the subject and looked at Li Bin.

"Still don't understand?"

Li Bin looked at Dong Heng with a half-smile.

"What do you understand?"

Dong Heng was clearly taken aback.

"In your eyes, the Emperor values ​​these newly appointed scholars highly, so shouldn't they be invited to witness the execution?" Li Bin asked, scrutinizing Dong Heng.

"Is not it?"

Dong Heng subconsciously said, "Look at the imperial examination results posted a few days ago. His Majesty prepared so much for these newly appointed scholars. Many of them are the first of their kind in our dynasty."

"This favor is truly unparalleled."

"And another thing, when they were traveling in Yudu, the people leading their horses were the Imperial Guards. Goodness, you have no idea, I was stunned when I saw that scene."

"That's true, they have to come."

Li Bin said arrogantly, "Your Majesty's actions are precisely to tell the world the importance that the nation attaches to the talent selection ceremony, but that alone is not enough."

"The purpose of summoning the newly appointed scholars is to let them witness firsthand how all those arrested were executed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This is to show the world that the imperial court values ​​fairness and impartiality in the selection of talents."

"No matter who is involved, as long as they cross this line and are caught, there is only one outcome: death!!"

"Shouldn't we summon officials from the central government to observe the execution?"

Dong Heng was utterly astonished. Pointing at the group of officials in the distance, he glared at Li Bin and said, "It can't be for these reasons too, can it?"

"Some of it."

Li Bin, with an arrogant expression, looked in the direction Dong Heng pointed, "More importantly, the Emperor wants to use this to intimidate the court, to let all the officials know that the laws and regulations of our dynasty are not for show, the authority of the central government is not for show, and the Emperor's majesty is not for show!"

"Anyone who dares to do these things should think twice about what will happen if they do something wrong and get caught."

Dong Heng's mouth dropped open.

He clearly hadn't thought of these things.

'Your Majesty, what kind of Great Yu do you desire?'

In contrast to Dong Heng's reaction, Li Bin thought to himself.

For Li Bin, through the emperor's wedding and the various imperial examinations this year, he had already discerned the current emperor's attitude towards the central government and the world. In particular, he had observed the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations in the Taiji Hall. Although he did not participate in the ceremony but was responsible for maintaining order with Zong Zhi and others in the outer city, when he learned that the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager had arrived at the Taiji Hall together, he knew that the world of the Great Yu had completely changed at that moment.

Thinking about all this, Li Bin had only one idea.

Under the current emperor's control of the Great Yu, is there any chance for him to travel to Xiliang and fight against Xichuan, the enemy of the Great Yu, to avenge his grandfather's death in battle?

Li Bin had grown up by the time Li Jin died in battle and returned to the capital. Li Bin knew one thing: the Li family had to follow closely behind the emperor.

"kill--"

Shouts rang out again, breaking the silence, but it quickly returned to normal. And so, in and out of the present-day Yu capital, a strange stillness descended...