bookrandom Chapter 956 I Didn’t Provoke Him
Chapter 956 I Didn’t Provoke Him
The sharp arrow pierced Chong Biao's forehead.
The figure who had been a powerful figure in Lingzhou for decades suddenly stiffened and staggered two steps in his gold-threaded black boots.
He reached up to the air with his calloused hands in vain and fell heavily to his knees, his eyes wide open, his gold-plated canine teeth still stained with half of the cruel words he hadn't said yet.
The poisoned lancet fell to the ground.
The dust raised by Chong Biao's fall had not yet settled, but the guard leader's Mo Dao had already been placed on the neck of the fourth son of Zheng.
At the teahouse window opposite, the black-clad archer Tang Xinghe slowly retracted his bow.
His eyes were stern and he suddenly pulled out a black feather arrow from his quiver.
The moment the bowstring vibrated, the arrow flew out of the air, drawing a sharp arc in the air.
The arrow flew through the half-closed window opposite like a living thing, brushed past Cen Che's nose with a sharp whistle, and "clanged" into the cypress wall behind him, the tail of the arrow still trembling.
Cen Che's pupils suddenly shrank and a bead of blood oozed from the tip of his nose.
He was shocked.
Cen Ji was also shocked and broke out in a cold sweat, "Who did you offend?"
Cen Che was still trembling, "I have always been a kind person, how could I offend anyone?" He suddenly became angry, "Is it you! Who else wants to kill me besides you?"
Cen Ji: “!!!”
Cen Che felt that this must be the case, and glared at him, "One moment, you asked me to help you, and the next moment you wanted to kill me. Well, Cen Ji, do you think that if you kill me, you can sit on the throne smoothly?"
Cen Ji was too tired to talk, but he couldn't help but say, "Pig brain!"
If it weren't for the gold mine, he wouldn't bother to win over this idiot.
Cen Ji stood up and pushed open the carved wooden window, letting cold wind pour into the tea room.
A young man in black was standing by the window opposite. In the backlight, only his silhouette could be seen holding a bow in one hand.
He was clearly born with a good appearance that came from a life of luxury—his sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were full of stars and the moon. But the murderous aura that lingered around him was like a Shura crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Cen Che also saw Tang Xinghe.
Tang Xinghe's gaze fell directly on Cen Che's face, causing the latter to feel an inexplicable chill on his back.
The bowstring was still trembling, and their eyes met.
This was their second meeting.
The first time we met was at Enyi Inn.
At that time, Cen Che felt that the boy had an inexplicable hostility towards him.
This time it's even worse.
Cen Ji asked, "Do you know him?"
Cen Che felt aggrieved, "Not really acquaintance. He is the princess's cousin and also her personal guard." After a pause, he continued, "I didn't offend him, why is he treating me like this?"
Cen Ji looked at his brother, feeling a little annoyed, "Is it possible that he also likes your Red Magpie girl?"
Cen Che closed the window and sat down, still in shock, "No, I can't?"
He said "no", but he felt that it was very likely that Cen Ji told the truth.
He recalled that when they first met, they were discussing the disappearance of Hong Que. He had wanted to curry favor with the princess at that time...
On the other side, Tang Xinghe walked down the teahouse with his bow drawn, and ordered the golden-armored guards, "There are still two missing in the teahouse across the street. Go and catch them!"
The golden armored guards received the order and took Cen Ji and Cen Che to the prison. No one paid any attention to Cen Che even though he shouted that he was the son of the Xie family and was familiar with the princess.
The two princes of Liang State did not stay in their own country, but had to come to Beiyi to be imprisoned.
But the two of them cannot reveal their true identities, so they blame each other.
The two of them were lucky, at least their heads were still safe. There were more than a dozen people who died on the spot like Chong Biao today.
There are also some people, such as the fourth son of Zheng, who were deeply connected with Jiang Zhongxin and committed countless crimes, which were listed one by one by Qiu Zhiyan at the execution ground.
The fourth son of Zheng was chained and kneeling in the center of the execution platform, listening to Qiu Zhiyan read out the charges one by one.
Colluding with officials to embezzle disaster relief grain, selling illegal salt, abducting young girls... Every time one of the charges was read out, there was an uproar from the audience.
There were witnesses and physical evidence for every crime - the blood writing of the granary manager, the whip marks on the salt workers, the secret letters tucked in the account books, all clearly visible in the sunlight.
Obviously, the princess was well prepared.
"A total of twenty-eight major crimes." Qiu Zhiyan closed the file.
The evidence is conclusive with both human and physical evidence.
Even if someone said that physical evidence can be fabricated and witnesses can be bought, but the princess's iron-blooded tactics were frightening, and no one dared to raise any objections.
The scene of the knife falling on the execution ground is still vivid in my mind. The blood is still warm and the air is filled with a fishy smell.
Who complains about living too long?
Some of the bribed henchmen have been arrested, while some who escaped are still hiding in the crowd and trembling.
They watched their masters being pushed onto the execution platform one by one and dared not say another word.
Some people even turned around quickly and immediately joined in the shouting of "Long live the princess, long live the princess, may the princess be wise and enlightened!" Their shouting was so sincere and heartfelt.
Young Master Zheng Si looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the few hangers-on who used to serve him faithfully. They were shouting the loudest at this moment, and one of them even shed tears.
Young Master Zheng Si looked at the people around him who were tied up like him, and suddenly realized that the princess was luring him into a trap.
The dragnet has tightened.
Merchants and officials who participated in inciting civil unrest were executed on the spot.
The bloodstains beside the execution platform had not yet dried, and the dozen or so heads that had just been chopped off were now neatly stacked in a wooden cage.
In the military formation below the stage, a young lieutenant clenched the hilt of his sword fiercely, his knuckles turned white, but he did not move.
But several of Jiang's personal soldiers in the back row could no longer hold back, and one of them shouted hoarsely: "General, you are innocent!"
In an instant, Wu Qicheng, who was standing on the city wall not far away, made a gesture, and feather arrows flew up and several bows were drawn.
The young captain was obviously very powerful in the army. He raised his hand and stopped the commotion in the army behind him.
He strode out, his combat boots crushing the blood pools on the execution ground, and the sword at his waist collided with the armor, making a clanging sound.
He took a step forward, and the golden-armored guards around the princess moved closer and protected her.
Shi Anxia raised her hand lightly, and the golden-armored guard took a step back.
When the young captain arrived in front of the execution platform, he suddenly slammed his knee on the ground. His knee armor hit the bluestone, producing a few sparks.
"I dare to..." He looked up at the princess, his Adam's apple rolling and pulling at an old arrow scar on the side of his neck, "General Jiang is an official appointed by the court. Even if the evidence is conclusive, according to the law, the Ministry of War and the three courts should jointly try the case and then present it to the emperor for approval."
His voice was as cold as iron, and every word was powerful. "Princess, you can kill the rioters and the bandit leaders, but killing a third-rank general without authorization is not the way for a minister."
The execution ground suddenly fell silent.
Shi Anxia smiled faintly, "Are you Jiang Shuyuan?"
The young captain obviously didn't expect the princess to know his name. He was stunned for a moment and responded loudly, "I am Jiang Shuyuan."
Shi Anxia nodded and looked at Qiu Zhiyan.
Qiu Zhiyan nodded slightly and said loudly, "Jiang Shuyuan, as Jiang Zhongxin's adopted son, you should be very clear about what Jiang Zhongxin did. For this reason, you had a conflict with your adoptive father. You despise what he did, but you don't have the courage to expose him, so you have to request to be transferred to the Black River Valley to guard the pass."
He paused and asked in a deep voice, "Am I right?"