Chapter 49: The Greatest Nemesis of This Lifetime

"Prefect Li Yunshan."

Regardless of how hard the members of the Yuan family were kowtowing on the ground below, Tian Yueying remained completely unmoved.

Yesterday, Li Yunshan had already presented her with a complete record of the crimes committed by the Yuan family members over the years.

Aside from forcibly seizing innocent women, they had wantonly embezzled the property of others and murdered commoners without cause.

In short, every single member of the Yuan family, young and old alike, was guilty of grave offenses.

As for the infant in swaddling clothes mentioned by the Matriarch of the Yuan family, Tian Yueying had pitied him yesterday and even considered sparing his life.

However, Li Yunshan revealed that once, when the Fifth Mistress of the Yuan family was strolling through the streets with this child, an old farmer accidentally bumped into her. Knowing she was a member of the Yuan family, the old farmer immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed incessantly, begging only for his life to be spared.

Instead, the Fifth Mistress cursed him as a worthless wretch, declaring that the baby in her arms was the future sovereign of Xiaocheng, and how could he be tainted by a lowly peasant?

She immediately ordered her guards to execute the old farmer right there in the street.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chuan immediately proposed that regardless of age, every single person sharing a blood tie with Yuan Tianze should be sentenced to death!

Summoned by the Empress, Li Yunshan stepped forward to the lower platform, kneeling prostrate to await her commands.

"The Yuan family, spanning nine familial branches and numbering over one hundred and fifty souls, has acted with lawless abandon and perverted the law for selfish gain. I now command you to escort them all to the vegetable market and carry out the execution precisely at the hour of the horse!"

"Furthermore, the principal culprit, Yuan Tianze, whose crimes are unforgivable, shall be subjected to the punishment of dismemberment by chariots. After his death, his head shall be hung from the gates of Xiaocheng for all the citizens to witness!"

...

That very afternoon, the area outside the gates of Xiaocheng was packed with commoners who had gathered to watch the spectacle.

Everyone in the city already knew that the executions would take place at the vegetable market at noon.

Hearing that the arch-fiend Yuan Tianze was to be executed by dismemberment, the townspeople cheered endlessly.

Some even spontaneously gathered a mile outside the capital gates to light bonfires and dance in celebration.

By then, Yang Chuan and Tian Yueying had finished tallying all the silver and treasures plundered by the Yuan family.

A portion was being transported back to the capital under Li Yunshan's orders, while the rest had been brought up to the top of the city gate tower.

Looking down at the dancing and rejoicing populace below, Tian Yueying wore a rare, genuine smile that she hadn't shown in days.

"Young Master Yang, look," she said softly, "the arch-fiend is dead, and the people are so truly happy."

"Speaking of which, it is all my fault for not having set foot within the borders of Great Qi for the past three years. Otherwise, I would never have allowed a monster like Yuan Tianze to enjoy three years of unchecked tyranny in Xiaocheng."

"Your Majesty, even if you had remained within the empire for these past three years, could you truly have guaranteed that not a single miscarriage of justice would occur across Great Qi?"

Seeing Tian Yueying lower her head in self-reproach, Yang Chuan immediately offered comforting words.

What does it mean for a hidden dragon not to use its power?

It means that when a person knows their strength is insufficient to shake the heavens, they must cultivate themselves in seclusion, remaining completely undisturbed by the lightning and thunder raging outside.

Whether it was Tian Yueying staying away from the world or the trials she faced after stepping out, everything that happened was simply meant to unfold at the appointed time.

As a high-ranking official who had assisted the Empress of Great Kang for three years, Yang Chuan understood this principle profoundly.

Years ago, he had accompanied Yan Wugou into hiding at Chengen Temple for a full seven years.

During those seven years, they had countless opportunities to return to Great Kang and usher in a new era of prosperity.

However, Yan Wugou was still just a child back then, and Yang Chuan's martial cultivation was not yet fully matured. Had they returned prematurely, they would have merely become pawns manipulated by powerful ministers, utterly incapable of seizing any real authority.

Yet, seven years later, Yang Chuan stood supreme under the heavens, leading Yan Wugou out of encirclement to forge the present prosperous age of Great Kang!

Was Tian Yueying's situation not precisely the same?

When the Empress was weak, injustices were rampant across the land. Even with the desire to intervene, she would have ultimately suffered a disastrous defeat due to her lack of power.

Today, however, things were different. Having trained under Yang Chuan over the years, she had not only mastered profound martial arts but also refined her statecraft far beyond her past self, making the wholesale trial of the entire Yuan family possible.

Hearing Yang Chuan's insightful words, her face brightened once more, and her body unconsciously drifted a little closer to his.

As the cheers of the crowd swelled, Tian Yueying seized the moment and, alongside Yang Chuan, brought forward the chests overflowing with currency.

Seeing this, Li Yunshan hurriedly stepped to the edge of the city gate tower and shouted down to the citizens below.

"Hear me, everyone! Today's judgment was personally overseen by our Great Qi Empress and Prince Jianwang Yang Chuan, finally returning justice and clear skies to the people of Xiaocheng!"

"After the execution of Yuan Tianze and the one hundred and fifty members of his clan, Her Majesty personally confiscated all the illicit fortunes hidden by the Yuan family. Aside from a portion sent to the capital, the remaining wealth will be distributed directly among the people of the city!"

"Now, do not push or shove. Clear an open space outside the gate tower so Her Majesty can scatter the wealth for all of you!"

Hearing this news, the crowd erupted into an even louder wave of cheers.

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, the entire assembly dropped to their knees as one.

"All the people of Xiaocheng pay homage to the Empress of Great Qi and to the Prince Jianwang!"

In an instant, countless coins rained down from the city walls like falling stars.

The townspeople displayed remarkable discipline; pushing and shoving were nowhere to be seen. They queued up orderly to pick up the fallen currency, each person filling only a single pocket.

Just as the two of them stood looking out over the citizens gathering their coins, completely immersed in the joy of Xiaocheng's liberation, a guard suddenly rushed up from behind to report.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Reporting to Prince Yang! Patriarch Xue Zong of the Xue family, accompanied by his wife and young daughter, has come to pay their respects and express their gratitude!"

Hearing this, both turned around to see Xue Zong standing there with eyes brimming with tears, looking at them with deep emotion.

Yesterday, when they heard that these two intended to clear the Xue family's name, Xue Zong had been deeply skeptical.

He had assumed they were mere surface-level figures incapable of achieving anything substantial.

Little did he know that following the public trial of the Yuan family clan today, he would discover that the breathtakingly beautiful woman he met yesterday was none other than the reigning monarch herself!

Seeing the two turn around, Xue Zong dropped heavily to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, Prince Yang, this humble one was blind and offensive yesterday! I beg Your Majesty and the Prince to forgive my transgression!"

"Oh come now!" Yang Chuan chuckled, a warm understanding in his voice. "You weren't offending us yesterday; you simply acted out of concern that we too might be framed by the Yuan family."

How could the perceptive Yang Chuan fail to understand the true motives behind Xue Zong's previous caution? Exchanging a glance with Tian Yueying, the two stepped forward together and raised the three members of the Xue family to their feet.

Witnessing this scene, even Li Yunshan looked on with unconcealed envy.

This was the very first commoner in Xiaocheng to be personally helped to their feet by the Empress herself. Though Xue Zong was a wealthy merchant, he had always kept to his own affairs over the years and had never bullied a soul.

Perhaps it was this guarded conscience that earned the Xue family the Empress's grace, ultimately delivering them from their greatest enemy.