Chapter 440: Entire Family Executed

"Yue'er, our Great Shen finally has female officials!" Xiao Feiyang tried to grab Su Youyue's hand but was quickly stopped by someone behind her. He only realized later that he was also dressed as a man, so grabbing Yue'er's hand wasn't appropriate.

Su Youyue looked at the person behind Xiao Feiyang and saw Jin'er, dressed in men's clothes, which brought a gentle smile to her face.

Jin'er's men's clothes were obviously too big for her; even the ordinary soldier's cap on her head was too large, nearly covering her eyebrows.

At that moment, there was no time for reminiscing. The surrounding townspeople quickly accepted that there were two new female officials in the court.

"So the incredible weapon was made by a woman, no wonder the Emperor appointed them as female officials!"

"Yes, if not for this divine weapon, our Jiuyuan Town would have been lost long ago..."

"Just now, that woman of County Magistrate Wang actually said that Lord Xie was keeping a mistress in the military camp. Ptooey! Don’t sully Lord Xie with your filthy thoughts. Lord Xie and Lady Xie are deeply in love and have come to the battlefield together to defend our country and protect us common folks!"

"Yes, Lady Xie must be wearing men’s clothes for practicality..."

In an instant, the villagers' tone reversed, and they all stretched their necks, wanting to see what this female official and Lord Xie's wife looked like.

On the stage, Zhang Shuitong, who had been so self-righteous moments earlier, was completely dumbfounded as she stared at Xie Yuan and Su Youyue in the crowd.

Earlier, when her nanny and Second Aunt called this woman 'my lady,' she had sneered, thinking this woman couldn't possibly be Lady Xie. Lady Xie was bedridden in the capital, so this must be a mistress Lord Xie kept outside for her beauty!

Because of this, she hadn't considered Su Youyue as anything significant and had even brought her out to humiliate Xie Yuan when needed.

Who would have thought that this woman wasn't some mistress Lord Xie kept outside, but was actually Lady Xie! And now, she had become a female official of Great Shen!

At that moment, Zhang Shuitong's face burned with embarrassment, but her heart felt as if it had been doused with a bucket of ice water in the middle of winter.

"Lord Xie should have beaten this woman to death for slandering him!" someone in the crowd spat with hatred at Zhang Shuitong.

Listening to this, Lu Dashan and Zhang Xietou felt as if the world had gone dark.

"This can't be allowed!"

As they were at a loss, a general next to Xie Yuan whispered to him briefly and then stepped forward to announce publicly.

"Zheng Xingwang, son of Zheng Neng, the steward of Prince Rong, murdered County Magistrate Wang Shouren, who had been appointed by the Emperor to Jiuyuan Town six years prior, and took on his identity. In Jiuyuan Town, he bullied men and women and committed countless atrocities. Last night, he betrayed the country, stole military ammunition, and secretly sent it to Prince Rong's camp. His crime warrants the extermination of his entire clan. By Lord Xie's order, the County Magistrate's residence will be searched, and the entire family will be executed!"

The announcement left the people of Jiuyuan Town feeling as if they couldn't understand the words they were hearing.

The bustling crowd suddenly fell silent like still water, looking at each other with expressions full of disbelief.

Three seconds later, the still water boiled over, erupting into chaos.

"What? Did I hear that right? The County Magistrate isn't the County Magistrate? He's a fake?"

"Good heavens, how could such a thing happen! County Magistrate Wang wasn't actually County Magistrate Wang but the son of Prince Rong's steward! All these years, he abused his position as county magistrate to do so many despicable things!"

"Last night, he even stole ammunition for Prince Rong's army, trying to get us all killed! Lord Xie's judgment is spot on; beating him to death wouldn't be enough!"

Zhang Shuitong’s parents, who had been wondering how to save their daughter, were also struck dumb, unable to process the situation.

The imposter County Magistrate, now kneeling on the stage, turned pale with realization. Now he understood why Lord Xie had arrested him—not just for last night's incident, but because his true identity had been exposed!

When he had first assumed County Magistrate Wang’s identity, he had been uneasy, fearing discovery. But gradually, everyone in Jiuyuan Town had come to accept him as County Magistrate Wang, and he had relaxed, almost forgetting his real name.

Now that his identity had been exposed, it felt as if his very undergarments had been stripped off, leaving him completely exposed with nowhere to hide.

We’re finished… The prince hasn't even stormed the city, and now the imperial reinforcements have arrived. Is heaven trying to destroy us?

Before County Magistrate Wang could finish his thought, another round of rotten eggs and rotting vegetables came flying at him. His bulky body had nowhere to hide, so he had to endure it. "Lord Xie, your subordinate is being wronged..."

But perhaps due to his lack of confidence, even his plea of innocence was weak.

Zhang Shuitong's lips trembled uncontrollably. She was shocked speechless.

What? The county magistrate is a fraud? And now she was going to be beheaded because of him!

How could this be happening?

She didn’t want to die. She had only just arrived at the county magistrate’s residence and hadn’t even enjoyed its luxuries. How could she be beheaded now?

She hadn’t committed any of those evil deeds. She was wronged!

As she saw the executioner approach with a blade, Zhang Shuitong was nearly driven mad. "Help! I… I want to go home! Father, Mother… please save me!"

Below the stage, Lu Dashan and Zhang Shoetou were almost fainting. They had thought their daughter had climbed high, but it turned out to be a false hope. Now, their daughter’s life was at stake!

But it was too late to regret it now. Lu Dashan didn’t dare rush the stage to save her daughter and stood helplessly. Looking around frantically, she finally spotted Granny Zhang and a few others.

Her eyes lit up as if she had found a lifeline. She rushed over, "Mother, Mother… please beg Lord Xie to spare Shuitong. She only just arrived at the county magistrate’s residence and knew nothing about the crimes!"

Granny Zhang, whose arm was grabbed, remained unmoved as she looked at her steadily. The look made Lu Dashan feel uneasy. She finally remembered that the two families had severed ties. But still, when a life was at stake, how could old grudges matter?

"Mother, Shuitong is your granddaughter. How can you just watch her die?"

Before she could finish, Xiao Hua pushed her away forcefully. "Pfft, what granddaughter? We don't have a relative as evil-hearted as her in our family!"

Although Lu Dashan had never liked Xiao Hua, she didn’t dare to lose her temper. She just wanted to beg Granny Zhang to save her daughter.

But Granny Zhang remained extremely calm as she looked at her. "Dashan, I advise you to stop worrying about Shuitong. Do you know why Lord Xie ordered the entire county magistrate's residence to be executed, but all the other women, except the county magistrate's wife and Shuitong, were set free?"

Lu Dashan was stunned. She hadn’t thought about the reason. She did know there were many women in the residence, as her daughter had complained to her several times after entering.

Now, only the county magistrate's wife and Zhang Shuitong were captured. The others were indeed nowhere to be seen.

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and said, "Is it because Lord Xie is deliberately taking revenge on our Shuitong?"