The emperor is biased and wants to kill me, but you chickened out when the army is at the city gates

As soon as Qin Xuan finished speaking, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

The name Qin Xuan commands awe not only in Beining City, but also among all the people of the Great Qi Kingdom.

The people of Beining City, in particular, witnessed firsthand how the young King of Chu fought valiantly against the enemy and dealt a heavy blow to the Tulan army.

Such a person, even just a glance from afar, can inspire fear.

But the young man in front of him was not particularly strong, nor did he have the imposing and dignified air portrayed in plays. On the contrary, the fair-skinned young scholar beside him had a much more imposing presence.

"Are you King Qin Xuan of Chu?" Wu Qiwen cursed himself inwardly for being so easily frightened; he had almost been fooled just now.

He stared coldly at Qin Xuan and said sinisterly, "If you are the King of Chu, then I am the Emperor of Daqi."

"Come here! This man dares to impersonate His Highness the King of Chu. He must be a spy sent by the Jurchen Kingdom. Seize him immediately!"

Although Wu Qiwen was a corrupt official, he was still quite quick-witted.

Even if Qin Xuan were truly the King of Chu, he could simply claim ignorance afterward and downplay his true intentions.

But is Qin Xuan so easy to deal with?

His eyes turned cold, and the next second he appeared in front of Wu Qiwen like a ghost.

Wu Qiwen was startled and stammered, "You...you...what are you going to do?"

"Pfft!"

As soon as Wu Qiwen finished speaking, Qin Xuan grabbed him and slammed him into the field next to him.

It was the dead of winter, and although it wasn't snowing, the muddy water in the fields was enough to make the county magistrate cry out in pain from the cold.

"You dare to assault an official of the imperial court? Your life is in danger!"

The clerk screamed in terror, and then all the constables behind him rushed out, each wielding a fire poker.

But before the group could even get three or five steps forward, Zhao Luoying had already rushed ahead.

She moved like a wolf among sheep, attacking with both hands and knocking all the good-for-nothings to the ground in the blink of an eye.

Qin Xuan knew that Zhao Luoying was venting her anger, so he let her beat him up.

To his surprise, these people were truly fearless, and after he suffered a loss, they all drew their swords from their waists.

"Kill him to death!"

The head constable had just been hit in the nose by Zhao Luoying, and was now shouting while bleeding from his nose.

"call out!"

Suddenly, a sharp arrow, accompanied by a whooshing sound, struck.

Those around him only saw a blur before the shouting yamen runner leader was shot between the eyebrows and fell straight down.

This sudden scene made everyone present hold their breath.

Even the constables who were about to draw their knives stood frozen in place like wooden figures.

"Sorry..."

The sounds of horses neighing, accompanied by a muffled thud of hooves, approached from afar and quickly reached the scene.

A Shence Army general quickly dismounted and knelt on one knee before Qin Xuan and Zhao Luoying, saying, "This humble servant is late, please forgive me, Your Highness and Your Highness."

A prince?!

princess?!

Upon hearing these two titles, the advisor, the registrar, the wealthy merchant, and Wu Qiwen, who had been shouting loudly just moments before, were completely dumbfounded.

The group felt as if a heavy hammer had fallen upon them, and half of their souls had been terrified.

"He...he really is the King of Chu..."

Wu Qiwen muttered to himself and collapsed onto the field, his back covered in cold sweat.

"King of Chu? Are you really the King of Chu?"

The advisor swallowed hard, but quickly forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath and said, "We have always known that His Highness the Prince of Chu loves his people like his own children. We were unaware of your identity before, so we have offended you. Please forgive us, His Highness the Prince of Chu."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared in Qin Xuan's eyes.

He looked at the advisor with a half-smile and couldn't help but say, "You're quite a clever person. You remain calm in the face of danger and have some courage."

The advisor's words just now first bestowed upon Qin Xuan an unshakeable compliment.

After all, it is common knowledge that Qin Xuan was able to take over Beining City even after the coup because he was loved by the people.

But if he were to punish someone for their ignorance, wouldn't that be tantamount to showing that he treats ordinary people with the same indifference as other powerful figures?

Others could even make a big deal out of this and accuse Qin Xuan of seeking fame and fortune.

For Qin Xuan, who has always valued public opinion, this was naturally a losing proposition.

"Your Majesty flatters me. I simply do not wish to die," the advisor replied honestly and cautiously.

He knew he had already offended Qin Xuan to death, but as long as he survived today, he could escape to another place and at least save his life.

Whether you live or die is not up to me, but up to the people whose land you have seized.

Qin Xuan smiled faintly, but his gaze slowly turned to the rear of the Shence Army.

The advisor and others subconsciously followed his gaze and saw that there was actually a large group of poor people following behind the Shence Army.

Many of these people were known to the clerk and others; they were the original owners of these fertile fields.

At that moment, the clerk looked as if he had just died, and immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud, pleading loudly, "Your Highness, I was wrong, please spare my life."

"It's over! It's all over now!" Wu Qiwen had just stood up, but when he saw the huge crowd of people, his heart sank.

Only the wealthy merchant Wan Youcai revealed a hint of ruthlessness, suddenly snatching a long knife from a constable and preparing to stab Qin Xuan.

But he seemed to have forgotten Qin Xuan's background, and he also forgot that Qin Xuan was not only accompanied by Zhao Yingluo, but also by the Shence Army.

Almost the instant he moved, someone slashed at him with a knife.

The next second, his right arm, which was holding the long knife, fell to the ground.

"what……"

Wan Youcai let out a piercing scream, writhing on the ground in agony.

But Qin Xuan remained calm and composed, not even glancing at him.

He walked up to the people with a slightly guilty expression and said loudly, "The day I came to Beining City, I promised all the people of the city that I would make sure you had a good life. But unfortunately, I underestimated the extent of the wickedness of those corrupt officials in the city."

"That's why I came to Lanshan County in person to uphold justice for everyone!"

"Now, tell me, should these people be killed or not?"

The people were stunned for a moment, but in the blink of an eye, someone, filled with rage, roared, "Kill!"

This shout of "Kill!" was like a thunderbolt igniting a fire in the earth, and the other people erupted one by one:

"kill!"

"Kill these corrupt officials!"

They deserve to be torn to pieces!

"..."

The sound was like a tidal wave, making it hard to breathe.

Qin Xuan coldly turned his head and said icily to the group of corrupt officials in front of him, "Where is the Shence Army!"

"The general is here!"

The Shence Army's roar was like thunder.

"Everyone present must be killed without mercy!"

"Furthermore, the county magistrate, registrar, secretary, and wealthy merchant Wan Youcai of Lanshan County will have their entire families implicated!"

No one expected that Qin Xuan wouldn't even give these people a chance to be imprisoned.

In an instant, the group led by the county magistrate of Lanshan County began to scream in agony one after another, their pleas for mercy were so shrill.

But faced with the Shence Army's long swords, their fate was sealed.

Death is the fate they deserve.