I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 321 Crimes Exposed

Anyone who obstructs the imperial examinations shall be executed without mercy! This decree spread throughout the entire Qin Dynasty like a gust of wind.

With this order issued, an unprecedented purge began. Those prefects and magistrates who dared to obstruct the imperial examinations and were found to have problems were like lambs to the slaughter, falling one after another into the net of justice, ultimately being taken to the execution ground and beheaded as a warning. In an instant, blood stained the earth red, and heads rolled everywhere—a gruesome scene.

Panic gripped the entire Qin Dynasty. The common people lived in constant fear, terrified of breaking the law; while the officials in the court were even more anxious, living in constant fear, like frightened birds, living in constant anxiety, lest misfortune befall them and they become the next victims.

However, amidst this tense situation, one place remained remarkably tranquil: Pingyang County in Liangshan Prefecture. It was like a secluded paradise, completely unaffected by the external storm. At this moment, Magistrate Wang Qian was leisurely enjoying the flowers and birds in the backyard of the county government office. He was dressed in a magnificent silk robe, gently fiddling with a flawless jade pendant in his hand, which shimmered captivatingly in the sunlight. His face was serene and content, a slight smile playing on his lips, seemingly oblivious to everything happening outside.

Just then, County Magistrate Xu Dong rushed in, looking extremely anxious. He quickly approached Wang Qian, bowed, and said urgently, "Your Excellency, I heard that the King has issued an order that anyone who obstructs the imperial examinations must be killed, without exception!"

Wang Qian turned around, glanced at Xu Dong, and smiled slightly, saying, "I haven't interfered with the imperial examination, so what's there to be afraid of?" He said it so casually, as if the order had nothing to do with him.

Seeing Wang Qian's nonchalant attitude, Xu Dong became even more anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, please don't take this lightly! You deliberately prevented many students from registering. If the higher-ups find out, that's a capital offense!"

Upon hearing this, Qian calmly sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said slowly, "Registration always requires review, right? It's their own fault for not meeting the requirements, how can you blame me? Besides, my uncle is the prefect, if there's any news, he'll definitely tell us in advance. You're just too timid, relax, nothing will happen." Wang Qian spoke with great confidence, feeling that with his uncle as a powerful backer, he would definitely be safe and sound.

Seeing Wang Qian's stubbornness, Xu Dong sighed inwardly, but still unwilling to give up, and advised, "Sir, let's think of a way to remedy the situation before we get caught."

Wang Qian put down his teacup, looked up, and asked, "How can we fix this?"

Xu Dong quickly said, "That's easy, just get all the students to sign up!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qian's face immediately changed. He said loudly with a dark expression, "No way! What right do those poor boys have to participate in the imperial examination? They think they can ride on my head? They've offended me, and they still want to get ahead? No way!" Wang Qian became angrier and angrier as he spoke. In his eyes, those students from ordinary families were not worthy of participating in the imperial examination at all.

Xu Dong was utterly helpless, seeing that all his attempts to persuade him were futile. He knew that Wang Qian's uncle was the prefect, and he'd heard that Wang Qian had even greater backing in Xianyang, while he himself had nothing. If this matter were to be investigated, he certainly wouldn't escape unscathed. The more Xu Dong thought about it, the more worried he became, his brows furrowing into a knot, utterly at a loss for what to do. He could only silently retreat, his mind racing, trying to find a way out for himself.

Wang Qian was completely unaware that his uncle, the Prefect of Liangshan, had already been taken into custody. Immediately after the King of Qin issued his decree, Ying Wuyou swiftly dispatched a large number of personnel to carry out the operation. Their mission was very clear: to begin a thorough investigation with the Prefect, and once any problems were discovered, to immediately take him into custody, and then proceed to conduct a more in-depth investigation in each county.

Within a few days, investigators followed the trail and quickly tracked down Wang Qian. The fact that Wang Qian had deliberately made things difficult for and disqualified impoverished students from registering for the imperial examinations was already widely known in Pingyang County. However, these poor people, lacking a proper channel to appeal, could only sigh in despair, feeling hopeless about getting justice. Who could have imagined that someone would now be specifically assigned to investigate this matter!

The investigation uncovered a host of crimes committed by Wang Qian. In addition to obstructing the imperial examinations, his numerous misdeeds, including abusing his power to bully men and women and accepting large bribes, were also revealed.

Just as Wang Qian was immersed in the pleasures of his newly acquired thirty-eighth concubine, a group of officials suddenly burst through the door. Only then did Wang Qian snap out of his daze, but it was too late. He was roughly dragged from the bed, wearing only thin underwear, looking utterly disheveled. Terrified by this sudden turn of events, Wang Qian struggled to break free, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Who are you? Don't you know who I am? How dare you arrest me so brazenly!"

Hearing his desperate shouts, the soldiers did not stop. "What right do you have to arrest me? My uncle is the dignified Prefect!" Wang Qian roared angrily. However, the only response he received was the cold words of a soldier: "We are here on the orders of Princess Jiayang to arrest criminals who are obstructing the imperial examinations."

And so, Wang Qian was roughly escorted out of the county government office by the soldiers. In this chaotic moment, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of County Magistrate Xu Dong, who was also being led out bound hand and foot. As their eyes met, Xu Dong's eyes, filled with despair and fear, stared straight at Wang Qian, as if silently saying, "This time, we're completely finished."

On the way from the county government office to the prison, Wang Qian refused to give up and kept shouting loudly, but the soldiers escorting him remained as still as wooden figures, not uttering a single word from beginning to end.

As the heavy prison door slammed shut behind him, Wang Qian, imprisoned, still firmly believed he would soon regain his freedom. What followed was a long and anxious wait. Time slipped by unnoticed; he had long since lost track of how much time had passed, only knowing that he was enduring the darkness.

Finally, one day, the prison door, which had been tightly closed for so long, slowly opened once more. Several fierce-looking soldiers dragged Wang Qian out like a dead dog without saying a word. His eyes, deprived of sunlight for so long, were suddenly exposed to the blinding light, and Wang Qian felt an unbearable stinging pain. He could only squint, struggling to adjust to the intense light. When he finally recovered and could see clearly what was before him, he was terrified—he found himself standing on a high execution platform! He knew this place all too well, for it was the guillotine where prisoners were executed.

In utter terror, Wang Qian instinctively wanted to shout again that his uncle was the Prefect, hoping to escape this calamity. But the words were barely out of his mouth when his gaze suddenly fell upon the figure kneeling at the front. In an instant, he froze, as if struck by lightning—that figure was none other than his uncle, whom he had always relied on.