Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 126 Judgment
"How dare you act so presumptuously in court?!"

The aggrieved party was stunned by Zhang Jinhua's actions and didn't know what to say for a moment. Jiu Que, sitting in the courtroom, saw everything clearly. This scoundrel was trying to exonerate himself by feigning madness. He had really misjudged the situation!
She slammed the gavel in her hand, the crisp sound echoing in the courtroom, startling Zhang Jinhua.

He found it strange, though. Why was the imperial envoy sitting in the courtroom speaking a woman's voice? He mustered his courage and looked up. Wow! There wasn't just one woman; another was sitting at the table next to him, looking at him and taking notes.

Zhang Jinhua immediately became suspicious. He'd never heard of a female imperial envoy. Could this be a lie?

"My lord, I have never heard of a female imperial envoy in the court. Do you have any token to prove your identity? Otherwise, this court is not a place for women."

Women are nothing more than objects for him to play with in the inner quarters, yet he dares to step on them. It's truly laughable.

Before Zhang Jinhua could say anything more, he saw the man sitting high in the courtroom stride over and reach out his hand to him. Zhang Jinhua didn't take him seriously; she was just a thin woman, how much strength could she have? This was a perfect opportunity for him to throw a tantrum. He had never heard of an official in court personally coming down to beat someone.

"Clap clap clap!"

The next moment, Jiu Que delivered three hard slaps, completely stunning Zhang Jinhua. His tall frame was manipulated by Jiu Que like a toy. The three slaps sent him sprawling to the ground, teeth flying out along with blood, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

The next moment, the intense pain caused Zhang Jinhua to cry out in agony.

"Good! Well done! Your Excellency is truly a righteous and just official reincarnated!"

The victim burst into laughter upon seeing this scene. If he weren't physically unable to move, he would have loved to give Zhang Jinhua a few more whacks.

Jiu Que had just lost control of her emotions, and only after beating the other person to the ground did she feel a little better. She never imagined that there could be such a shameless person in the world! She was even afraid that beating him would make him happy!

After the other party had been wailing for a long time, Jiu Que slowly and methodically invited the witnesses forward. The doctor who was supposed to testify was initially a little nervous, but after seeing Jiu Que beat Zhang Jinhua to a pulp with his bare hands, he suddenly relaxed and recounted in detail everything he had witnessed. Not only him, but the onlookers also stepped forward to testify.

"That's right! Zhang Jinhua did all of this, and we all witnessed it!"

"That scoundrel didn't stop there! He forcibly seized fifty acres of our land, and when we tried to get an explanation, he burned all the wheat we had planted that year. We're just ordinary people, how dare we go against the prefect's brother-in-law?"

“This isn’t the first time he’s abducted women. I personally witnessed him snatch our neighbor’s newlywed wife. She had a fiery temper and jumped into the river that very day! He’s killed more than just this one person!”

"..."

After reviewing the witnesses and evidence, Jiu Que turned and sat back in his chair, slamming his gavel down. "Zhang Jinhua, you have abused your position to act tyrannically, directly or indirectly causing the deaths of more than thirty people. I hereby sentence you to be cut in half at the waist! There's no need to wait until autumn; let's do it today! Men, clear that piece of land in front of the government office; carry out the execution now!"

"My lord, my lord, spare me! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"

Zhang Jinhua had originally planned to travel after autumn, which would take several months. Who knew what might happen during those months? Perhaps the emperor would grant a general amnesty? But she never expected that the woman sitting above would not wait until autumn and would execute her now, and by cutting her in half at the waist!

He might as well just be sentenced to beheading! Beheading is just a matter of a blink of an eye, but the punishment of being cut in half at the waist is so painful, how could he possibly endure it?
No matter how much he pleaded, the wine remained unmoved, and Zhang Jinhua knew he was going to die. Taking advantage of the fact that the constables behind him hadn't yet arrived, he gritted his teeth and rammed his head against a nearby pillar. He'd rather die right there than be cut in half at the waist!

However, the bailiffs in the courtroom were all skilled men that Jiu Que had brought with him on this trip. How could they let him escape punishment? One of them kicked him lightly, and Zhang Jinhua was kicked back into the courtroom, lying on the ground in a sorry state. Suddenly, he burst into tears.

He knew he was doomed.

Those watching from the sidelines felt refreshed and invigorated by his appearance. The onlookers, having heard Jiu Que's verdict firsthand, knew that he was a capable official who would take responsibility and that this great scourge would be cut in half at the waist. They immediately called upon their friends and relatives, attracting even more onlookers.

That day, the people of Qianzhou City were undoubtedly excited and enthusiastic, after all, their place had finally welcomed a just and upright official. It was said that this was an imperial envoy sent by the court, and although this envoy was a woman, who said women couldn't judge cases? Look at this official, how fair her judgments were! The previous Liang Heng was a male official, but he was incompetent and allowed his subordinates to harm so many ordinary people. He deserved to die!

Seeing that the common people were all crowding around to watch the execution, Jiu Que could not back down and simply took charge of the execution himself!

Zhang Jinhua was truly a coward. When he saw that incredibly sharp guillotine, he was so frightened that he wet himself, defecating and urinating at the same time. The onlookers only felt relieved at the sight.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Jiu Que waved his hand. Accompanied by continuous screams, this scoundrel who had harmed countless lives finally breathed his last in endless pain.

And this was just the beginning. Over the next five days, Jiu Que heard countless tragic stories, and with ample witnesses and physical evidence, most were executed on the spot. These five days were also a time of celebration for the people of Qianzhou, as corrupt officials whom they dared not even utter a word against in their daily lives were all executed one by one by the imperial envoys sent by the court.

This is even more lively than the Chinese New Year.

In truth, the common people are very simple and honest; they only need to survive and rarely cause trouble. People like Jiu Que, willing to listen to their grievances and stand up for them, are extremely rare in Qianzhou City. Through word of mouth, almost the entire Qianzhou region knows that an unprecedentedly upright and just official has arrived!

Especially those people who had avenged their great grudges, some even set up shrines in their homes to honor Jiu Que!

(End of this chapter)