Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

"First, loyal ministers are not wronged! Traitors should not be allowed to act!"

"Secondly, anyone who colludes with enemy states or harms national interests, regardless of who they are or what position they hold, shall be executed without mercy!"

"Anyone who bullies the people or drives someone to death, regardless of whether they are an official, wealthy, noble, or related, will be absolutely not tolerated!"

"Thirdly, this is what I most want to say."

He paused for a moment, his gaze piercing through the vast sea of ​​people.

"In the Great Yan Dynasty, everyone should have land to cultivate, clothes to wear, and books to read!"

"These are my three rules. If I fail to uphold even one of them, I will not be worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after my death!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

A moment later, a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami suddenly erupted:

"Long live Your Majesty!"

Long live the Great Yan!

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

After Chen Shao and the others quieted down for a moment, they threw the command arrow on the table down.

"cut!"

Han Cao suddenly sprang to his feet, drawing strength from who-knows-where, roaring and laughing maniacally to the sky:

"This old minister is innocent! Heaven is my witness! This is a fabricated charge! A fabricated charge!"

"shut up!"

Chen Shao's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, as if those three words had touched a raw nerve.

"Based on fabricated charges?"

"You're not worthy to say those three words!"

"cut!"

The executioner no longer hesitated.

The broadsword fell.

Han Cao was still smiling, that smile forever frozen in place, his head rolling off, blood spurting three feet away from his neck.

Upon seeing this, the high priest was terrified. He suddenly raised his head, his hair disheveled, and his eyes filled with resentment.

He stared at Chen Shao, his voice like a ghostly wail.

Chen Shao! In the name of the shaman, I curse you!

"I curse you to die by heavenly lightning!"

"I curse you to break... ah!"

A flash of light, and the sound abruptly ceased.

The second head rolled down.

The high priest's eyes were still open and his mouth was still agape; the last bit of the curse was stuck in his throat by blood.

Of course, Chen Shao wasn't afraid of his curse. Who could play with lightning like him?

The people went completely mad.

"good!"

"Dead! Both traitors are dead!"

Regardless of the dynasty, the people's hatred for traitors has reached its peak.

Because if anything happens, ordinary people will be the first to suffer.

Homes were burned down, relatives were killed, and property was looted...

The enemy laughs on horseback, while her own son simmers in the pot...

Especially considering that those who secretly colluded with the empire and sold them to foreign tribes were from the highest levels of the empire, Han Cao's execution was undoubtedly a cause for celebration.

Cheers, wailing, cursing—some knelt and kowtowed, some danced with joy, and some even rushed forward.

"I'm going to tear off a piece of his flesh to offer as a sacrifice to my father."

The scene was extremely chaotic.

Outside the crowd, Qin Ling Shuang was dressed in a plain white dress.

The moment Han Cao's head hit the ground, she trembled all over, lost all strength, and slowly knelt down.

Tears streamed down my face instantly.

His head slammed down heavily.

"Father, can you hear me...?"

"Han Cao is dead, that scoundrel is dead, Father, you can rest in peace now..."

She cried so hard that she was trembling all over and almost lost her voice.

The people around were still cheering, and no one noticed the woman who looked exactly the same.

...

On the other side of the execution ground.

Yu Qi'an and Shen Qingci stood in the line of officials.

The two men exchanged a glance after the second head fell to the ground.

"Lord Yu, the Great Yan Dynasty is in the making."

Yu Qi'an grinned and muttered:

"I only wish that all people may be well-fed and clothed, and I will not hesitate to leave the mountains and forests despite the hardships."

...

At this moment, the one who suffered the most was Yuwen Huagu.

In the General's Mansion, the doors and windows of Yuwen Huagu's study were tightly shut, preventing even a ray of light from entering.

He sat alone in the armchair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

This once mighty and powerful general was now completely devoid of energy, looking like a dead man.

Han Cao was executed on the spot...

The man who fought him for most of his life is dead...

Han Cao suppressed him for twenty years, taking away his people, dividing his power, and undermining his position.

Logically, since Han Cao is dead, he should be celebrating and have the Yuwen Song and Dance Troupe, with its three hundred singers, perform a grand show.

But he couldn't be happy at all.

On the contrary, a sense of desolation, like the sorrow of a rabbit dying and a fox mourning, enveloped him, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Am I next...?"

He gave a wry smile. Although he had been foolish his whole life, he still understood this kind of thing.

The art of rulership lies in balance.

No one in the court could rival Han Cao, so what use was Chen Shao to him?

"It's no use."

Yuwen Gu shook his head. "The next strike will be aimed at this old man's head."

Thinking of this, he curled up into a ball.

Despite it being September, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

Despite beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, his hands and feet were ice-cold and had no warmth at all.

With a creak, the study door was pushed open.

Yuwen Mingzhu and Yuwen Hualong walked in one after the other.

"father!"

"Big brother!"

Yuwen Gu stared blankly at the ceiling, and upon hearing the two voices, he could only say bitterly:

"It's over...it's all over..."

"My Yuwen family is completely finished."

Yuwen Zhu walked a few steps to her father, squatted down, and took his hand.

Yet, these hands exuded a deathly chill.

"Dad, what are you thinking about?"

"Han Cao is Han Cao, and you are you. Han Cao deserved to die for colluding with the Northern Barbarians, but you, Father, did not. Although you were a bit arrogant before, you didn't go this far. His Majesty knows this."

Yuwen Gu slowly shook his head. "Daughter, you don't understand."

"This kind of high-level political struggle is beyond your comprehension. Father is a major threat in his eyes; he has long regarded father as a thorn in his side. Sigh."

"Alas, when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked."

Yuwen Mingzhu was speechless.

Yuwen Hualong, standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer.

He shoved Yuwen Mingzhu aside. "My dear niece, there are some things you can't keep hidden forever. You have to speak your mind."

"If you won't tell me, I will."

"Brother, His Majesty won't kill you."

Yuwen Huagu was taken aback: "Second brother, you don't understand either?"

Yuwen Hualong sighed, "Brother, at a time like this, stop trying to make yourself look good. Can you even compare to Han Cao?"

"Han Cao is a cunning old fox, scheming and manipulative. If His Majesty doesn't kill him, who will he kill?"

"Our Yuwen family exists solely because of the imperial power. Without the imperial power, we are nothing. Now, as long as you go before His Majesty, hand over the military tally and seal, and then cry and say that you are resigning to retire, His Majesty will not make things difficult for you."

Yuwen Huagu's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up straight.

"real?"

"Of course it's true. But these are secondary. The most important thing is the reputation that our Yuwen family has built up over the years. It is this reputation that will prevent His Majesty from having any intention to kill us."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Huagu sat up even straighter.

A slight smile appeared on his face as he gently stroked his beard.

"You can elaborate on the second son's reputation, what kind of reputation does he have?"

"Stupid! So stupid that no one would even bother to kill you! This is the greatest virtue of the Yuwen family."

"You damned bastard!"

Yuwen Huagu gave the second brother a big beating.

Is this even human language?