Chapter 722: The Execution
historical
Whenever she tried to close her eyes, the scene from yesterday where the servant was about to pour the bowl of poison down her throat would appear.
The horrors of the day would not let her eyes and heart find some peaceful time. In the end, the whole night she spent wondering how Zhao Wang Lei got to know that it was she who had tried to kill Yi Jie.
In her eyes, the problems for her started at that point only. Neither would have he found out nor would he have tried to find out why she attempted to do this.
In the end, he found out that she knew something that he didn't want anyone to know and hence he did all this.
However, Qin Wenya was left confused.
She couldn't find the answers to her questions. The maid she had asked to collect the poison was very loyal to her. Qin Wenya was sure that she would not have opened her mouth and she had been sent away by her back to her village with a lot of money.
Then how did Zhao Wang Lei find out?! The doubt should not have gone to her at all unless he investigated her specifically ..as if he had doubted her from the beginning.
In the latter case, it was possible to find out since the maid had used her own name to collect the poison and she was working under her hence the investigation results were direct. However, at that time, she had no choice other than this.
The plan to poison Yi Jie was made in hurry and they had to show documents to collect the poison. The maid had to show documents to prove that she was providing her real name and since they were in hurry she didn't get the chance to make some fake documents.
However, even though the maid belonged to her, Zhao Wang Lei would have to prove from the maid's mouth itself that it was she who had ordered her to do this. And that's where the maid's loyalty to her would have come in handy.
After thinking for a few moments silently, Qin Wenya finally realized something.
She suddenly understood why Zhao Wang Lei didn't use this matter to punish her. Because he couldn't prove it.
She was actually very right in what she thought. Just that..it was Xi Ying who did all this instead of Zhao Wang Lei.
He knew that Qin Wenya was very confident about not being found out about the matter of Yi Jie being poisoned. That's why he planned something more vicious to frame her and finally punish her.
It was just that Qin Wenya had never expected something like this to occur. She had thought that she was powerful in front of Zhao Wang Lei just like before. And after knowing her secret, she was more powerful. However, in all this, she touched Xi Ying's bottom line, and hence she was going to face the consequences.
When the old Momo stepped inside the room and asked Qin Wenya if she needed to get ready as she was to go outside today, Qin Wenya was delighted.
She thought that she was perhaps given the chance to prove herself innocent like every other victim.
She also came to think that perhaps her words from yesterday had scared Zhao Wang Lei and that's why he had ordered the servant not to give her the poison. And now finally today, he was helpless and had no choice but ask her to come out.
Delighted Qin Wenya with her own assumptions, got ready in hurry.
She had never gotten ready in so less time in the past and hence the old Momo was surprised when she saw her all ready to go out soon.
Looking at the mighty woman who didn't know anything, the old Momo couldn't even look at her for a long time. She avoided looking at her very much.
She had served the Empress for many years and had never thought that the Empress could do something so terrible.
Still, she felt some pity thinking about how the mighty Empress will fall in front of so many people today.
The Emperor had ordered her not to tell the Empress anything and hence she couldn't say anything.
When Qin Wenya crossed the corridors and stepped out in open she frowned seeing the old Momo stop walking. However, soon her eyes fell on the carriage a few steps away.
When she heard the old Momo say
"Your Majesty, please step inside."
Qin Wenya's eyes went deathly cold and sharp.
"Bengong is ought to sit in this carriage."
This was a special kind of carriage, according to what Qin Wenya knew. In the Xin Empire, the criminals who have committed a very huge sin were brought to prison or for a hearing in the Imperial Court in these carriages in case they were brought from far away.
How could she sit inside it?
However, when the old Momo simply stood there with her head bowed, Qin Wenya sighed exasperatedly and silently walked to the carriage.
She will make sure that Zhao Wang Lei will face utter humiliation for whatever he was doing to her.
The carriage was completely locked from all sides. One closed from the outside, it could not be opened unless opened from the outside again which meant only a person from inside could never open it. It was made in this way so that the criminal would not have a chance to run away. Usually, the people from noble families who were criminals were brought in them.
It was humiliating for Qin Wenya because, in her eyes, the carriages were provided to her because she was being doubted for escaping the Imperial Palace.
A few minutes but the carriage didn't stop. Inside the carriage, Qin Wenya frowned deeply.
The hearing would be done in the Imperial Palace only so it should not have taken this much time. Qin Wenya's eyes widened suddenly and she couldn't help but think whether Zhao Wang Lei wanted to kill her secretly.
She quickly knocked on the door of carriage, however, it was of no use as no one opened the door.
She was helpless and could only wait until the door opened from outside by someone. It was almost half a shichen later when she was starting to doubt that she will go crazy that the door opened.
Qin Wenya instantly jumped out of the carriage without even letting the old Momo help her.
She frowned when she saw that she was standing in the center of a large crowd.
However, her stiff shoulders relaxed somewhat. If there were so many people, Zhao Wang Lei couldn't do anything wrong to her, or that was what she thought.
"Your Majesty, this way please."
Qin Wenya composed her expression when the old Momo said this and with a majestic expression, she followed the old Momo.
She could hear people's whispers but she stayed calm ..only until she saw the thing using which people were usually beheaded.
Qin Wenya no longer followed the old Momo. She stood there looking at the thing in front of her with blank eyes.
The old Momo seemed to realize this and turned around to look at her.
"Your Majesty, please follow me."
However, Qin Wenya looked at the old Momo with rage-filled eyes and asked coldly
"What have you brought Bengong here for?"
The old Momo who didn't know whether she should answer the Empress' question or not lowered her head silently. However, Qin Wenya seemed to have found her answer in this silence.
Her lips and chin trembled and she turned around to leave.
This was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!
When she turned around she saw the large shed a few steps away on a huge chair Zhao Wang Lei was seated.
Not only he but Zhao Zhuang Chen and Zhao Zhang Wei were also seated on his every side. However, Qin Wenya's attention was solely on Zhao Wang Lei.
The fire burning inside her chest burnt more rapidly and in her anger, she strode towards the shed and shouted almost like a shrew
"Zhao Wang Lei, How dare you!"
The crowd's whispers went silent at Qin Wenya's words. They were shocked by the way Qin Wenya spoke Zhao Wang Lei's name.
How could she speak to Emperor like this!
They now immensely trusted whatever has been declared in the public. So the Empress had really threatened their Emperor years ago and had also killed Noble Consort Shu back then.
Qin Wenya couldn't reach the shed. She was caught by two maids instantly. Two Imperial Guards stood beside the maids to do anything if the maids couldn't handle the matter.
Sitting under the shed, Zhao Wang Lei hid the satisfaction he felt on seeing Qin Wenya struggling like this.
In his deep and majestic voice, he announced
"The Empress of Xin, Qin Wenya killed Noble Consort Shu and an Imperial Physician. Not only she did do this but she also threaten Xin's safety using Qin. For such sins, today she will be beheaded publicly."
Qin Wenya thought that she couldn't feel any more shocked by whatever was happening. She could no longer compose herself. And hence she started to shout hysterically as she struggled wildly
"You are a sinner. You are a dirty man..dirtier than dirt. I shall tell everyone your secrets. It is you who deserved to be beheaded publicly, Zhao Wang Lei."