Chapter 596: First Volume, Chapter 596: Raid the Execution Ground

First Volume, Chapter 596: Raid the Execution Ground

Along both sides of the street, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered.

The crowd pointed and whispered incessantly at the prisoner cart.

"I never thought the Duke of Ning would actually be brought to the Execution Platform."

"Since the Duke of Ning was arrested, only a few days have passed—already they're executing him? This is too fast!"

"What do you know? If the Emperor decrees you die at the third watch, you won't live till the fifth!"

"Even so, it's tragic—the Duke of Ning, a loyal and righteous Old Minister of Shedynasty, ends up like this. Truly heartbreaking."

"It's all because of Qin Feng!"

Among the crowd, the sons of officials stared at Xie Bi in the prisoner cart, their eyes filled with cruel delight.

How could they miss such an opportunity to throw stones at one who has fallen?

They immediately began loudly inciting others.

"Stop calling him Duke of Ning—he's been stripped of his title!"

"Hmph, in my view, Xie Bi brought this upon himself—he was blind to put his bet on Qin Feng."

"Now that Xie Bi is about to lose his head, where is Qin Feng? Why hasn't he shown up?"

"Hah! He calls himself a Northern Border Powerhouse, loyal and righteous, never abandoning a comrade—I spit!"

Several other sons of officials, who also held old grudges against Qin Feng, echoed these words in agreement.

"I've never met anyone as hypocritical as Qin Feng."

"Even as his own father-in-law is dragged to the execution ground, he dares not show his face—not even to walk a few steps in farewell?"

"All this talk of never abandoning or forsaking—just a pretense for fame."

"Of course Qin Feng won't come! Once Xie Bi dies, it'll be Qin Feng's turn next. Heh—he's probably hiding at home, shitting his pants from fear."

At that moment, one of the sons of officials, no one knew from where, produced a broken vegetable basket and hurled its rotting leaves forcefully onto the prisoner cart.

One person wasn't enough—he shared the rotting leaves with the others, all joining in to humiliate Xie Bi.

As they threw, they shouted.

"Traitor! Corrupt faction!"

"You're nothing but followers of Qin Feng Gouzei—how dare you disrupt Shedynasty's governance? You deserve this!"

"Disloyal, unrighteous traitor—you're dead and still not enough!"

"Did you dare secretly collude with the Northern Di? Have you forgotten how many Shedynasty sons they slaughtered? Xie Bi, you truly deserve to die!"

Standing nearby, Xie Yun'er watched her father being humiliated, her eyes red with tears.

Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into her flesh until blood dripped steadily between her fingers.

Xie Yun'er had tried several times to rush forward and kill those scoundrels.

But at the last moment, she held back.

Small impatience ruins great plans.

"Father, hold on just a little longer—I'm coming to save you from this hell."

Xie Yun'er cried out silently in her heart, yet despair washed over her as she saw the Imperial Guards and Palace Guards surrounding the cart.

Over these past days, Xie Yun'er had left Jingdu and visited every relative and friend of the Xie Family.

She had barely gathered twenty Dead Soldiers, preparing for one final gamble.

But…

Even without the Palace Guards, the mere sight of the armored Imperial Guards had left Xie Yun'er's heart dead.

This raid on the Execution Ground would only mean death.

"Very well!"

"Even if I die, I will die with my father!"

"Father, I will not let you walk Huangquan Road alone."

Xie Yun'er and the twenty Dead Soldiers hid among the crowd, silently following the prisoner cart toward the Execution Ground.

Now was not yet the time to strike.

By custom, Palace Guards may not linger long outside the Imperial Palace—they would surely return to the Imperial Palace after the handover.

Once the Palace Guards left, the situation of ten deaths and no hope would become nine deaths and one chance.

Half a Envoy later, the grand procession finally arrived at the Execution Ground.

The Minister of Justice handed over the prisoner to the Dali Temple Chief, then Xie Bi was dragged from the cart and led toward the Execution Platform.

Standing at the edge of the Execution Ground, Xie Yun'er stared fixedly at the Palace Guards.

As time passed, her eyes grew lifeless—the Palace Guards had not left at all; instead, they formed a final DefensiveLine around the Execution Ground.

Clearly, the Liang Emperor had issued a death order: today, Xie Bi must die, no matter what.

Moreover, the Liang Emperor anticipated someone would raid the Execution Ground, so he had sealed the site like an Iron Barrel.

As Xie Bi was bound to the Execution Platform, all that remained was to wait for the execution time.

But the outcome once again defied Xie Yun'er's expectations.

The Dali Temple Chief gave no delay—he immediately ordered the executioner to enter.

To kill Xie Bi, the Liang Emperor no longer cared for tradition—he wanted speed and efficiency.

Xie Yun'er gave up all caution, drew her long sword from within her ragged clothes, and cried out: "Kill!"

No sooner had the words left her lips than she leapt over the Fence, charging toward Xie Bi.

The twenty accompanying Dead Soldiers responded instantly, rushing forward without fear of death.

That cry of "Kill!" made Xie Bi, who had been silently awaiting death, shudder violently.

Several times he wanted to turn around and look, but the ropes binding him were tied too tightly—he couldn't move at all.

"Yun'er… silly girl…"

Xie Bi's face was pale as death, his eyes filled with despair.

Knowing the Imperial Guard and Palace Guards as he did, Xie Bi knew Xie Yun'er would die before him.

He never expected that, at the brink of death, he would endure the tragedy of burying his own child.

Seeing Xie Yun'er suddenly burst forth, the Minister of Justice couldn't help but laugh: "Heh, the Xie family really has some grit."

"The Xie family has no sons—women must stand strong."

The Chief of Dali Temple had no grudge against the Xie Family; he was merely following orders.

Watching Xie Yun'er charge out, he let out a soft sigh: "What a pity."

Faced with this sudden raid on the Execution Ground, all the officials overseeing the execution wore expressions of ease, treating it as nothing.

Before Xie Yun'er could reach the second fence of the Execution Ground, more than half of the Dead Soldiers behind her were shot down by a hail of arrows.

These Imperial Guards lacked battlefield experience, but their training intensity was extremely high.

Relying on their precise archery, they gave the Dead Soldiers not a single chance.

The Imperial Guards stationed within the walls and the Garrison Army reinforcements from the rear coordinated perfectly—within just a few breaths, all twenty Dead Soldiers were slain.

Xie Yun'er charged alone to the wall; had the Minister of Justice not given a last-minute order, she would have been shot dead on the spot.

Watching the Dead Soldiers she had brought, crushed like ants.

Xie Yun'er gritted her teeth, leaped over the second fence, and charged straight at the Imperial Guards without hesitation.

With all her strength, she swung her Golden Sword at the Imperial Guards.

Clang!

With a sharp crack, the Golden Sword was deflected outright.

Faced with the monstrous defense of the ShanZiWenPenLingArmor, the longsword—lacking armor-piercing capability—was like scratching an itch.

It left only a faint scratch on the armor.

Not only could it not wound the Imperial Guards, it couldn't even make them feel the impact.

The Minister of Justice shouted: "Since you've come, let the Xie father and daughter both ascend the Execution Platform together!"

The Imperial Guards could have simply shot Xie Yun'er dead or stabbed her to death with spears.

But they did not—instead, under the Minister of Justice's orders, they rushed forward and forcibly pinned her to the ground.

Then they seized her limbs, hoisted her into the air, and in just a few breaths, bound her into a tight bundle with Rope.

If she had shed her Heavy Armor, Xie Yun'er was confident she could defeat any single Imperial Guard present.

But alas… under complete overwhelming superiority in strength and equipment, no matter how skilled her martial arts, she had no way to unleash them.