Chapter 323 Feeling like old friends at first sight
On the streets of the imperial city, officials were already escorting prisoners to the execution ground.
Walking in the front were two prison cars, one holding General Qian and Qian Bolin, and another holding Madam Qian and Mrs. Qian. Behind them were a group of maids and servants, all with shackles on their hands, being driven forward by the officials.
At first, the people just followed the prisoner car with red eyes. Halfway through, someone knelt down and spoke, "The Qian family are all loyal ministers and generals who defended their country. They should not be beheaded. Please show mercy to your majesty and re-examine this case."
The people were incited and knelt on both sides of the prison van and the street, shouting, "Your Majesty, please show leniency and re-examine this case."
The unanimous shouts echoed throughout the entire street, and the kneeling common people were so densely packed that the entire street in the imperial city was blocked.
General Qian, who was covered in blood in the prison car, couldn't help but tear up when he saw this scene.
He remembered that when he was first captured, the common people regarded him as a traitor and wanted to kill him as soon as possible. He felt his heart was about to break when he was misunderstood by the people he was protecting.
Unexpectedly, the people now finally see clearly that Qian Jinzhong is a good general who cares for the people. He can die with peace of mind to be so supported and loved by the people.
He leaned on the railing of the prison car, and shouted to the people outside with a moving face, "I, Qian Jinzhong, have fought for Dayuan all my life, left my hometown, and nearly lost my life countless times. Now I have been framed by a villain. I originally wanted to die with regrets. But now seeing everyone's support and love for me, I know that everyone understands that our Qian family is not a traitor, but a good minister who is loyal to His Majesty and dedicated to the people of Dayuan. Even if I die this time, I will have no regrets."
When the common people heard General Qian's words, they became even more excited and shouted, "Your Majesty, please show mercy and release the entire Qian family."
The official in charge of escorting them was suddenly in a dilemma. They couldn't suppress all of these common people. Helplessly, the official had to quickly order the people around him to go to the palace to report to the emperor.
In the palace, His Majesty has regained consciousness thanks to the full treatment of Doctor Bai.
Qianhuan quickly presented the petition of the people to the emperor. In fact, the emperor had long known what Princess Jingrou had done, but he did not stop it, mainly because he felt that it was impossible to collect the signatures of 100,000 people in one day. He just didn't expect Qianhuan to actually do it.
He knew that the Qian family was indeed very angry after finding letters of treason. In addition, he had always wanted to take back the Qian family's military power, so he did not delve into the matter too deeply. He directly ordered the execution of the entire Qian family.
Now that he had been through the gates of hell, he thought about it carefully and felt that there were still many doubts about the matter. However, the world was at peace now and he still wanted to take back the military power. So when he saw Qianhuan took out the petition of the people, he was still a little hesitant.
At this time, the person sent by the official who was escorting the prisoner to deliver the message had already brought to Your Majesty's ears the news that the common people outside the palace had stopped the prison car and begged Your Majesty to show leniency.
Your Majesty is in a difficult situation. If he goes against the will of millions of ordinary people, he will be criticized as the emperor. So Emperor Jingxi made a prompt decision and immediately issued an imperial decree of pardon.
Qianhuan almost cried for joy when she received the imperial edict of pardon. After working so hard for so long, the Qian family could finally get rid of danger temporarily.
The prince quickly took Qianhuan out of the palace to stop it.
After they left, the emperor learned that he was suffering from chronic poisoning. He couldn't help but think of the pills he took every day. He quickly asked someone to take a pill and pay it to Doctor Bai, asking Doctor Bai to test whether the pill was poisonous. He wanted to see who wanted to kill him.
On the street, the officer escorting the prison van saw that the messenger had not returned yet, and he was afraid of missing the time, so he began to order the people to be driven away.
After all, the common people were unarmed and did not dare to confront the officers head-on. Finally, the road was cleared and the prison van began to move towards the execution ground.
Just when several people from the Qian family were taken to the guillotine and were about to be beheaded, the prince flew onto the execution ground from his horse, and at the same time, several hidden weapons in his hands shot out at the same time, and the butchers' knives were immediately knocked to the ground.
The executioner saw this and shouted, "Who is so bold as to rob the execution ground? Hurry and arrest him."
The guards drew their swords and stepped forward, ready to capture the man flying in the air as soon as he landed.
Who knew that after everyone stood on the stage, the official saw clearly that the person in front of him was actually the prince. He hurriedly walked down and shouted to his men, "Everyone, step down, step down."
The official stepped forward and said in a somewhat flattering manner, "My Lord, why is it you?"
The prince took out the imperial edict and shouted, "The imperial edict has arrived."
The official and everyone else knelt immediately. The prince unfolded the imperial edict and read, "In compliance with the will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: There are still many doubts about the case of Qian Fu's treason and collusion with the enemy, so I hereby issue an imperial decree to temporarily pardon the Qian family from the crime of execution. All prisoners will be detained in the Ministry of Justice first, and the case will be sent to the Dali Temple for retrial before a decision is made."
When the people heard the imperial decree of pardon, they all shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and holy. Long live Your Majesty!"
General Qian, who was kneeling on the execution platform, didn't know that it was Qian Huan's credit that they were pardoned. He thought that the emperor had finally realized the loyalty of the Qian family and changed his mind. He knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the palace with a grateful look on his face, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your wisdom. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your wisdom!"
"General Qian, you should also thank County Lady Jingrou. The reason why your Qian family was pardoned is due to the contribution of County Lady Jingrou."
General Qian was still a little confused, but Qian Bolin immediately noticed something unusual. He was just wondering how His Majesty could change his mind and pardon their family. It seemed that Qianhuan saved their family.
Qian Bolin looked at Qianhuan and said gratefully, "Thank you, Qianhuan. Our Qian family owes you a great favor."
Qian Huan said indifferently, "Commander Qian Shao, you are too kind. You have saved me so many times before. This time we are even."
General Qian and Madam Qian also hurried forward to express their gratitude, but Madam Qian was the only one who stared blankly at Qian Huan with a dazed look on her face.
Qian Bolin noticed his mother's abnormality and asked, "Mom, why are you staring at Qianhuan like that?"
Madam Qian walked forward and stretched out her hand as if she wanted to touch Qianhuan's cheek, but perhaps she realized that she was being rude and quickly retracted her hand.
She stared at Qianhuan and murmured, "Is her name Qianhuan? Is her last name Qian too?"
General Qian, Madam Qian, the Young Master, and Qianhuan were all frightened by Madam Qian's crazy look.
Qian Bolin quickly explained, "Mother, this is the Princess Jingrou who was personally appointed by the Emperor. Her surname is not Qian, but Liang, and her name is Liang Qianhuan."
Madam Qian continued to ask, "Your surname is Liang. I wonder how old the girl is this year?"
"I'll be 15 soon, and I'll be coming of age soon."
When Madam Qian heard Qianhuan say that she was 15 years old, she became even more excited, "Miss Qianhuan, are you also from the capital? Are your parents still alive?"
Qianhuan looked at Madam Qian, who, even though she was wearing prison clothes and had messy hair, still couldn't hide her peerless elegance. She really couldn't understand why Madam Qian looked at her like that.
But she still patiently replied, "Madam, Qianhua is not from the capital. I was born and raised in Jiangnan, and my family lives in Qingxi County, Lingzhou City. My parents are still alive, and they now live in the capital with me and my brother."
Madam Qian looked disappointed. She said to herself, "Jiangnan is so far away. My parents are still alive. That shouldn't be the case."
Then, Madam Qian returned to her normal state, "Thank you Miss Qianhua for saving our family. I felt very friendly to you the first time I saw you, as if we had met before. I was impolite and asked a few more questions. Please forgive me."
"Madam, you don't have to be so polite. It's Qianhuan's honor to be liked by you."
At this time, someone from the Ministry of Justice came over and urged, "General Qian, your family is still a suspect. Please follow us back to the prison."
In this way, the people of the Qian family were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice again.