The legitimate daughter was reborn, and the emperor’s little Jiaojiao went crazy.

Chapter 957 It’s Not Jiang Zhongxin

Qiu Zhiyan's questioning was like a blunt knife cutting into Jiang Shuyuan's flesh.

He was an orphan, with a surname from one of the hundreds of families. He took the surname of whoever gave him food.

In the end, he changed his surname to Jiang Zhongxin's and became Jiang Zhongxin's adopted son.

In his mind, Jiang Zhongxin is kind, generous, and righteous.

That is his role model and his god.

Jiang Shuyuan remembered that when he was ten years old, he collapsed in the snow due to hunger, and it was Jiang Zhongxin's cloak that wrapped his frozen body; he remembered that when he was injured during martial arts training, his adoptive father applied the golden medicine on his wounds; he also remembered the warmth of the man's palm on the back of his hand when he taught him to write the two words "loyalty and righteousness".

One day, Jiang Shuyuan discovered that his adoptive father was hypocritical and had a dirty face hidden under his righteous appearance.

He angrily asked Jiang Zhongxin, why? Why did you destroy the beautiful image in his mind?

Jiang Zhongxin told him that appearances are for the world to see, and that only happiness is life. He also told him that the bigwigs in the temple and the court, who doesn't read the books of sages while drinking blood and chewing bones?

At that moment, Jiang Shuyuan's sky collapsed and everything in front of his eyes was dark.

Jiang Zhongxin was not afraid of his adopted son exposing him at all, because his adopted son's life belonged to him.

In fact, Jiang Shuyuan did not expose Jiang Zhongxin. He just asked to be transferred to the Black River Valley, where he wore the thinnest clothes, ate the bitterest food, and lived the hardest life.

Jiang Zhongxin let him do what he wanted and just told him, "You can come back anytime you want. It's just a matter of a word from me. When you are willing to come back to me, you have to help me do things."

Jiang Shuyuan never came back until Jiang Zhongxin got into trouble. As his adopted son, he couldn't just ignore it.

However, Jiang Shuyuan disagreed with the idea of ​​some of his close confidants to "make things bigger". He knew better than anyone that everything his adoptive father had done over the years was immoral and unjust.

But he should not be executed on the spot, but should be taken to the capital for trial - this is the only thing he can do as an adopted son.

But he couldn't say these words and could only keep them in his heart. In the end, he silently responded to the request of his confidants to "stand up for his adoptive father."

At this time, the confidants turned their heads anxiously to look at the sky, waiting for the agreed signal.

Once the fireworks of the city defense camp rise, they will immediately take action - rush to the execution platform and rescue Jiang Zhongxin at all costs.

But no one expected that the execution ground had already been set up with a dragnet. The princess's personal guards surrounded the execution platform like an iron barrel, and the fourth son of the Zheng family was also beheaded with a single blow.

Looking at the city wall again, there were arrows everywhere and archers showed their arrowheads in unison. The cold light was so blinding that one could not open their eyes.

They knew that this rescue attempt had ultimately failed.

The henchmen froze in place, veins bulging on their hands gripping the knife handles, but they ultimately did not dare to take another step forward.

Jiang Shuyuan stared at the blood on the execution platform that had not yet dried, and his Adam's apple rolled. He slowly raised his head, his eyes becoming colder and colder, "Is what I said right? Should my adoptive father be sent to the capital for trial?"

Qiu Zhiyan curled up the corners of his mouth into a meaningful smile and suddenly clapped his hands twice.

The crisp applause was particularly harsh in the solemn execution ground. The guard stepped forward, grabbed the prisoner who was kneeling in the middle of the execution platform, and roughly pushed aside his long hair.

Jiang Shuyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Behind him, he heard the intermittent gasps from his confidants.

That blood-stained face was not Jiang Zhongxin!

Qiu Zhiyan then brushed off his sleeves slowly and looked up at the people in the audience. "Don't worry, everyone. As you wish, the criminal Jiang Zhongxin..." He deliberately dragged out his tone, "has been escorted back to Beijing for trial."

This is just a death row prisoner whose body shape is similar to Jiang Zhongxin.

Jiang Shuyuan's body shook violently, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He closed his eyes, and a hint of relief rose in the corners of his mouth.

But this moment of relaxation did not last long. Qiu Zhiyan's clear voice broke through the solemn atmosphere on the execution ground, "You won't be able to wait for the signal from the city defense camp." As soon as he finished speaking, his face suddenly changed and he shouted sternly, "Capture him!"

Suddenly, Jingwei rushed in from all directions. With cold light flashing, hundreds of long swords were unsheathed at the same time, surrounding Jiang Zhongxin's confidants.

What is even more shocking is that the armor of those Jingweis is clearly engraved with the royal dragon emblem.

Jiang Shuyuan instantly broke out in a cold sweat on his back - these were actually the imperial guards who were stationed in the capital all year round!

It was not until this moment that everyone realized that this so-called "execution on the spot" was actually an elaborate trap.

What a good trick to lure the snake out of its hole! When Jiang Shuyuan was thinking about this, the sound of chains could be heard all around him.

Those close associates who had just been clamoring for justice for Jiang Zhongxin were now being pinned to the ground by the Imperial Guards like dead dogs.

A cold light flashed, and several people who struggled to resist the attacker were beheaded on the spot. The splattered blood formed dazzling streams on the bluestone slabs.

Qiu Zhiyan stood on the execution platform with his hands behind his back, his indigo official robe rustling in the north wind. He looked down at the silent crowd below the stage, and his voice was like ice, "From now on, the limit is three days——"

The execution ground was dead silent, with only the sound of iron chains colliding.

"Anyone involved in the Jiang Zhongxin case, regardless of their official rank or wealth—" He slowly raised his hand, revealing a corner of bright yellow silk from his sleeve. Suddenly, he waved his sleeve, and the imperial edict unfolded, "Those who surrender themselves can live."

As the silk scroll was turned, his eyes suddenly turned cold, "Those who are late will be killed! No mercy!"

Within three days after that, a thin layer of frost formed on the bluestone steps in front of the yamen.

Before dawn, there were already figures wandering outside the yamen.

Merchants in silk and satin trembled as they held out their account books, while officials in official uniforms knelt in front of the steps and kowtowed repeatedly. Some even took off their belts and hung them on trees by the roadside before reaching the government office.

By the time the lawyer who was recording the confession was writing, he had worn out three of his red pens.

The pile of confessions grew higher and higher, and in the end, it cast a distorted shadow on the case, which looked very much like the outline of a guillotine.

Qiu Zhiyan sat under the mirror every day and collected the tearful confessions one by one.

When the evening drum sounded, he would wrap the day's confession in yellow silk and have four guards armed with swords escort it to Enyi Inn in the deepening dusk.

The prison was already overcrowded and could barely hold more people.

Emperor Zhaowu was so angry when he read the confessions that he didn't want to eat dinner for several days.

He slammed the confession down on the table so hard that the incense burner shook.

"Master, these jade dumplings..." Xiao Shuzi hadn't finished speaking yet while holding the food box when he was frozen in place by a glare from Emperor Zhaowu.

"I have no appetite." The emperor rubbed his temple, his chest rising and falling violently under his black uniform. "These parasites! They eat the court's salary, but do evil things behind the scenes."

Xiao Shuzi bravely advised, "Master, please eat a little. You can't starve your dragon body for these things, right?"

His master has become thin due to hunger, which makes people feel sorry for him.

Emperor Zhaowu waved his hand and said, "No, no, I'm full of anger."