The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

City Lord's Mansion.

The newly appointed city lord, Xu Xia, and his wife, Yun Wanyi, stayed up all night to expedite the handling of the Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin incident.

Both of them had put in their best efforts to make a good impression on Ren Tianye and to ensure that the Duke's trial by the public would be an ironclad case.

But in reality, the process went much, much more smoothly than I had imagined!

After the notice was posted, all kinds of evidence poured in from all directions. There were so many letters that they couldn't be stored, and many people were even willing to come forward to testify.

This allowed the two of them to finish extremely quickly.

The process is now basically complete; only one final proofreading is needed to finish.

"I never expected it to go so smoothly. It seems that the Duke still has the support of the people. How many ordinary people in our Huai'an City have suffered from the ironclad rule of 'love above all else' for too long?"

"The arrival of the Duke is like a timely rain after a long drought."

Xu Xia couldn't help but sigh.

Yun Wanyi expressed her agreement, but her perspective on the incident differed slightly from Xu Xia's.

He frowned and said, "After seeing this evidence, I realize that some things may not seem like much on a scale, but once you put them on, they can weigh a ton."

"Before, I was a member of the Yun family in Huai'an City and was highly regarded by the military. I never expected that Huai'an City would be in such a chaotic state."

"A mere Zhou Zhi, in charge of criminal matters, has managed to cause such a commotion; and a nobody like Xu Qin dares to act so recklessly!"

Upon hearing Yun Wanyi's words, Xu Xia's expression turned solemn almost instantly, and he expressed his deep agreement.

This week's straight is truly outrageous!

Judging from the collected evidence, Zhou Zhi spread rumors, abused his power, corrupted public morals, neglected his duties, and harmed the lower classes.

This allowed heresies to flourish in Huai'an, causing countless people at the bottom of society to stop farming and working, leaving ordinary people without a means of livelihood and displaced.

It also led countless women from poor families to neglect needlework and household management, and instead pursue unrequited love.

It also completely blocked the path to advancement for those with talent, turning Huai'an City into a place devoid of human truth and reduced to a realm of beasts.

Even killing him wouldn't be enough to vent our anger, given that he committed multiple crimes and was punished concurrently!

And Xu Qin was no less impressive.

He deliberately poisoned others' prized horses, harassed officials and gentry, and spread rumors to mislead the public.

Even according to the law, it should be an immediate execution!

Needless to say, it was General Zhang Shi's horse that was injured!

"The two are so despicable that at the time of trial, I will represent Huai'an City to read their names one by one and execute them on the spot, so that Huai'an City will know that since the Duke arrived, Huai'an will undergo earth-shattering changes."

As Xu Xia spoke, his resolve grew stronger. If he were to become the lord of Huai'an City in the future, he would never allow Huai'an City to repeat the same mistakes.

Huai'an City needs true peace and tranquility.

Yun Wanyi shared the same thought. She exchanged a glance with Xu Shang, and they both saw a determined look in each other's eyes, and couldn't help but smile.

They were quite united.

Just then, the clerk walked in.

The messenger reported, "Sir, Madam, many more letters have arrived. Shall we bring them in?"

"Anything else?" Xu Shang asked. "Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin's crimes are already countless, but are there even greater sins?"

"Bring it in."

The clerk said, "Sir, there are quite a few letters, probably several thousand in total. Please bring them all at once."

"How much?" Xu Xia was taken aback.

Yun Wanyi, who was standing next to her, was also startled.

Thousands of letters?

What? Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin have really messed things up?

How could it be reported by so many people?

"Indeed, there were thousands of letters, and they all came to the sales office at once in a short period of time."

Chengshufang is the place where Huai'an City Management Office receives and sends documents. It has always allowed the public to submit letters of appeal and complaint. However, previously, the person or their agent had to bring the silk scroll to the county government office to submit it in person, register it, and affix their seal.

This time, however, in order to collect evidence of Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin's crimes, Xu Xia specially ordered the city of Huai'an to open up and allow the people of Huai'an to freely mail letters.

But Xu Xia never expected that he would be able to deliver so many as several thousand letters!

How many literate people are there in Huai'an City?!

However, driven by a sense of responsibility, Xu Xia rallied his spirits and said, "Bring them all in."

As the clerk went to fetch it, Xu Xia turned to Yun Wanyi apologetically and said, "Madam, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with your help."

Yun Wanyi shook her head and said, "Serving the Duke is not tiring. Besides, with such a corrupt atmosphere in Huai'an City, officials should rectify it."

The two shared the same goal and were determined.

I am not afraid.

Before long, several clerks were seen carrying thousands of letters back and forth, placing them one by one into the room, filling half the room.

Xu Shang immediately opened it, only to find that it was written on it.

"To the Lord of Huai'an City:"

"My daughter is a loyal reader of the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion in Huai'an City. Since childhood, she has recited the sacred texts of love and firmly believes that love is supreme and the pavilion is the most revered!"

"The Duke Ren Tianye who came from the imperial court today is defying heaven and morality, disrupting the order of things, and intends to burn down the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion in my Huai'an City. He also wants to kill Lord Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin, a member of my Huai'an City Mutual Exchange Alliance. I can no longer tolerate this!"

"We implore Your Majesty to punish him severely immediately!"

"Protect the Red Phoenix Pavilion, safeguard the Way of Love, and save the people!"

"A thorough investigation is underway into the four major crimes of Duke Ren Tianye. Every word is true and there is absolutely no falsehood!"

Xu Xia reads words extremely quickly.

I saw this almost instantly, but my heart skipped a beat, and the light letter in my hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

It slipped from his hand.

"Reporting on the Duke to me?"

"Is this... a way for me to judge the Duke?"

Xu Xia was sweating profusely.

Noticing something was wrong, Yun Wanyi quickly asked, "Husband, what's wrong?"

Xu Xia was speechless for a moment.

My body was shaking, my hands were shaking, even my mouth was shaking. I couldn't speak at all, and I only felt a strong fear surging inside me.

Having barely escaped the Huai'an Incident, he managed to secure the position of Huai'an City Lord. He was constantly worried about failing and being disapproved of by the Duke, so he devoted himself entirely to his duties. But...

Now, let him judge the Duke?

If he had the ability to judge the Duke, would he have needed to live in the shadow of his elder brother Xu Shang for so many years?

When Yun Wanyi asked but received no answer, she knew something was wrong and quickly picked up the envelope to look at it.

She was more resilient than Xu Xia, or rather, having served as the military representative of Huai'an City for a long time, she had more experience and was more composed in the face of adversity.

I gritted my teeth and kept watching.

"The four major crimes of Duke Ren Tianye are all true, without a trace of falsehood!"

"Firstly, Duke Ren Tianye insulted believers of the Way of Love, falsely claiming that the sacred texts were vain and worthless, and wanted to burn down the Red Phoenix Pavilion, ban the books, and sever human relationships. This is going against Heaven and harming the people, and will surely incur divine retribution!"

"Secondly, Ren Tianye, the Duke of Ren, is ruthless and heartless. He is jealous of the true feelings in books and cannot bear to see the men and women of Huai'an receive preferential treatment and good marriages. He deliberately suppresses them. He is young and arrogant and thinks the world and people are not human."

"Thirdly, Lord Zhou Zhi was a good official in Huai'an, safeguarding the peace of the region and protecting our path of love, yet he was to be killed by Ren Tianye. Little did he know that with Lord Zhou Zhi dead, Huai'an would become a heartless and loveless hell on earth!"

Fourthly…

Upon seeing this, Yun Wanyi felt dizzy, but she still insisted on finishing reading.

"As long as the Way of Love endures, the Red Phoenix Pavilion will never fall!"

"Ren Tianye has destroyed the principles of love, harmed the people, and defied the will of Heaven. If he is not severely punished, the morals of Huai'an City will collapse, and all marriages will be severed!"

"We implore Your Majesty to uphold the sacred law and the principles of morality, to enforce the law impartially, and to severely punish Ren Tianye!"

"Stop their attempt to burn down the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion, release Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin, restore the orthodox tradition, and protect the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion!"

Whoops!

Yun Wanyi couldn't hold on any longer either.

The letter in his hand fluttered to the ground!

His face was deathly pale!

……