Getting Simulated By The Empress Is Not My Intention - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Execution Ground

Three days later, Baiyang County, execution platform.

Today was the day that the new county magistrate was going to execute the death row criminals. Early in the morning, the bailiffs released a notice, which attracted many people to watch.

“The new county magistrate has just arrived and he’s already trying to kill people to establish his authority!”

“He’s got the wrong target. No one would care if he killed a few refugees and beggars. The people he wants to kill are the direct descendants of the Bai and Yang families. If he enrages these two families, how will he be able to survive in Baiyang County?”

“Don’t forget how the previous county magistrate died! When he went to mediate the dispute, he was directly beaten to death!”

The commoners were discussing when they heard someone shout, “Master Yang is here, all of you move aside!”

They saw a group of tall and strong men holding sticks in their hands. They surrounded a wooden palanquin.

“It’s the sedan chair of the Yang family’s head, Master Yang!” The commoners quickly moved aside, afraid of blocking his way.

The servants washed the road around the execution ground and covered it with a fur blanket. Then, Yang Shan, the head of the Yang family, walked down slowly and sat on the chair that the servants had prepared. A group of servants surrounded the area with fierce looks on their faces. No one dared to get close.

“Master Bai is here!” Someone shouted in the time it took to brew a cup of tea.

Bai Liangpu’s entrance was even more impressive than Yang Shan’s. Not only did he come in a palanquin, but his palanquin was twice as big as Yang Shan’s. There was even a tea table and maidservants inside.

“I heard that when carrying Master Bai’s palanquin, you can’t shake it at all. If you let his tea spill, you’ll be beaten up!” When the commoners saw this, they were both afraid and envious.

The maidservants opened their paper fans to shield Bai Liangpu from the sun before he sat down.

When Yang Shan saw this, he said sarcastically, “Isn’t the Bai family a military family? What, are you afraid of the sun?”

Bai Liangpu laughed contemptuously and replied, “Don’t you know whether or not I’m from a military family? Which one of us lost the last armed fight? Have you forgotten?”

At the mention of this, veins popped up on Yang Shan’s forehead. He scolded, “Last time, your Bai family injured dozens of my disciples. I haven’t even settled this score with you!”

Bai Liangpu replied coldly, “I don’t have the time to bicker with you today. Let’s deal with this matter first!”

The two of them looked at the execution platform. At this time, Ah Da and the others had already escorted four prisoners to the execution platform.

Among the four, two were from the Bai family, and the other two were from the Yang family.

These prisoners were fearless at first, thinking that they would be released in a couple of days after being caught. However, when they heard that the new magistrate was going to execute them, they panicked.

Seeing Yang Shan and Bai Liangpu below the execution platform, the four of them immediately shouted.

“Clan leader, please save me!”

“Great-grandpa, save me! They want to kill me!”

“Clan leader, father, mother, second uncle, save me!”

Bai and Yang’s families had quite a number of their relatives, and when they heard them shouting, these people quickly begged Bai Liangpu and Yang Shan, “Master, please save them!”

“Shut up, I know what I’m doing!” Bai Liangpu berated.

“Don’t worry. With me here today, none of them will die!” Yang Shan snorted coldly.

They waited for a long time before Zhang Beichen arrived.

The Bai family and Yang family’s men had already surrounded the execution platform, all of them were glaring at Zhang Beichen and the rest of the men with ferocious expressions.

The official registrar Liu Wen’s legs turned weak in fear when he saw the Bai and Yang family heads were here. This was no joke. If they really dared to make a move, Liu Wen had even personally seen them kill the previous county magistrate!

Zhang Beichen walked towards the execution platform unhurriedly. Yang Shan and Bai Liangpu looked at him and sat on their chairs, not getting up.

They didn’t hide their contempt when they saw Zhang Beichen’s young appearance.

Yang Shan said, “Zhang Beichen, you’re just a public official. Your rank is below us. Why didn’t you bow to us when you saw us?” yang

“I’m not just a public official, I’m also the county magistrate. I’m handling public affairs now, so ranks do not matter here!”

Zhang Beichen stood on the execution platform and said to the crowd and the people who were watching from afar, “Citizens of Baiyang County, I am the new county magistrate of Baiyang County, Zhang Beichen!”

“I believe everyone is clear about what I am going to do today.” He pointed at the four people kneeling on the ground and said, “These four people beat the previous county magistrate to death in broad daylight in front of everyone. They have no respect for the law and are guilty of the most heinous crimes!”

“So today, I’m going to behead them here and now, in accordance with the law!”

“Father, save me!” The few people on stage shouted.

Yang Shan stood up and scolded Zhang Beichen, “Zhang Beichen, my two Yang family juniors only accidentally touched the magistrate once or twice. When did they kill him? Do you have any evidence?”

Bai Liangpu also looked around and asked, “Did anyone see the county magistrate being killed by them?”

“No, they’ve been wronged!” The people from the two families shouted.

The commoners naturally didn’t dare to speak. This time, the people from the two families became even more arrogant. They shouted, “They’ve been wronged, let them go!”

“Release them!”

They shouted together, but the bailiffs didn’t dare to say anything. Even Ah Da and the others that Zhang Beichen had brought didn’t dare to move. If they really started a fight, they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Zhang Beichen’s face was cold as he glanced at Yang Shan and Bai Liangpu.

“The four of them killed someone, and the bailiffs from the county government witnessed it with their own eyes. Not only that, General Che Yang who led the troops that day also confirmed it. The evidence is irrefutable, how can you say that they are wrongly accused?”

Che Yang was a general under the empress of the Kingdom Qin, and he was the one who led his men to settle this matter.

Since Zhang Beichen brought him up, the Bai family and the Yang family couldn’t really object.

“Zhang Beichen, even if they saw it, they can’t prove that it was these people who killed the previous county magistrate,” said Bai Liangpu. “They only injured the magistrate by accident. Perhaps the magistrate’s body was weak to begin with and he died of illness.”

“Preposterous! Bai Liangpu, you’re the Bu Geng of Kingdom Qin (a kind of noble title, three ranks higher than a public official). How could you say such ridiculous things?” Zhang Beichen scolded.

“You’re lying through your teeth and ignoring the law. You’re a disgrace to your ancestors!”

Bai Liangpu was shocked. He didn’t think that Zhang Beichen would dare to scold him. Words like ‘bringing shame to your ancestors’ were considered extremely insulting in this era.

In the past, the previous county magistrates would cower in fear when they saw him. However, Zhang Beichen’s attitude infuriated Bai Liangpu. Bai Liangpu berated, “Zhang Beichen, you’re just a small public official. How dare you insult me? You’re looking for a beating!”

Bai Liangpu’s aura burst out, forming a powerful pressure. The people of the Bai and Yang families cooperated with him. They were all martial arts practitioners. Their aura converged like a tidal wave.

The few bailiffs in front couldn’t resist it and were directly flipped over by the airwave. Seeing that the pressure was about to press down on Zhang Beichen, Hu Cheng shouted, “This is the execution ground, a place where public law is executed. Are you all trying to rebel?”

As he shouted, an even more powerful energy burst out from Hu Cheng’s body. The pressure of Bai Liangpu and the others was like a wave that hit a mountain, bouncing back directly.

The surrounding men were all knocked over, and some even suffered internal injuries.

Bai Liangpu and Yang Shan were shocked. They asked, “Who are you?”

“A nobody from the Black Armored Army. I am now Lord Zhang’s guard,” Hu Cheng said coldly.

“The Black Armored Army!” The two of them were even more surprised when they heard this. Other people might not know, but how could they not know? The Black Armored Army was the personal army of the Qin Emperor!

With his strength, this person was definitely not a nobody.

Bai Liangpu took a closer look at Hu Cheng’s face, and his expression changed drastically. He seemed to have recognized that Hu Cheng was the empress of Kingdom Qin’s personal guard!

The empress of Kingdom Qin had actually sent her personal guard to protect Zhang Beichen. It seemed like they really couldn’t act rashly.

At this thought, Bai Liangpu sat down quietly. Yang Shan had never seen Hu Cheng before, but seeing Bai Liangpu like this, he also knew that this was not the time to cause trouble. Thus, he also sat down.

Although Hu Cheng had shown a little of his strength, they would not give up just like that.

They were all from the old clans. In Kingdom Qin, the power of the old clans was greater than that of the imperial family of the King of Qin.

Bai Liangpu calmed himself down and said to Zhang Beichen, “County Magistrate Zhang, although they did injure people by mistake, they are still innocent. But I don’t think that they deserve to die. If you enforce the law strictly, I’m afraid it’ll be hard for you to convince the public in the future!”

There was a faint threat in his words. Even if he didn’t make a move on Zhang Beichen today, if Zhang Beichen killed his family, he would definitely take revenge!

Yang Shan also said, “The Yang family is a good family. Even if they made mistakes, we must give them a chance to correct them. County Magistrate Zhang, do as you see fit!”

The two of them sat on the chairs, and behind them were hundreds of strong men and servants. Many commoners were watching from afar.