Palace Coup 18

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“You lowlifes…” Cao Youxin tried to rise but couldn’t. He raised his hand high, trembling as he pointed at the villagers. Under Xie Miaoxuan’s relentless pressure, he swallowed back the word “outcast” on his tongue and said, “My son is innocent. He can read and write and will become a high official someday. If you have any grievances, come at me.”

As long as his son’s line continued, Cao Youxin would have successors.

Xie Miaoxuan sneered coldly. “Cao Village Head, what foolish dreams are you talking about? Even on the brink of death, you still think your son will become a great official. Yet you never once cared for your old wife.”

His heart was vicious and absurd.

Looking at so many villagers who had suffered greatly, hearing their endless complaints about Cao Youxin’s nearly twenty years of tyranny as village head, a faint flame kindled in Xie Miaoxuan’s heart even as something else slowly died away.

Cao Youxin’s dying struggles were soon drowned out by the crowd.

An elderly villager, bent with age, pushed through the crowd when the speaking had mostly ended and approached Xie Miaoxuan. “Miss, may I ask Cao Youxin a few questions?”

Xie Miaoxuan nodded. “Please.”

The old villager tried to squat down to meet Cao Youxin’s gaze but his legs were stiff, and it took a long time to bend just slightly. He trembled as if about to fall backward, but Xie Miaoxuan stepped forward and supported him, helping him squat down.

The old man fixed his cloudy eyes on Cao Youxin and called him by his childhood nickname. “Goudan, do you still remember why everyone elected you as village head back then?

“You inherited your father’s good reputation. He was honest and trustworthy. After he died, we all believed in him and recommended you as village head. You were only nineteen at the time. You vowed you wouldn’t betray our trust and promised to lead us diligently, sharing both hardships and joys. Surely you have forgotten that by now. Do you even remember your father’s final instructions to you? After all these years, what have you done?”

Cao Youxin was stunned. In that instant, his thoughts were pulled back to the past, flashing images of his father still alive—the hands tightly clasped before death, the earnest admonitions to be a good man.

Once, he had been proud and ambitious, dreaming of becoming a man of great depth.

But when exactly had he changed?

He began to treat kindness and righteousness like dog dung beneath his feet.

The cruelty on Cao Youxin’s face solidified at that moment as he looked at the old man’s aged face. This was his third uncle—ha! His third uncle, the one who used to save the best food for him when they were children.

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Yet, a cold glint flashed through his eyes. He had sold off all the disobedient members of his third uncle’s family to forced labor. Now, only this lonely old man survived, barely clinging to life.

And now this old man had the nerve to speak up for him?

“Third Uncle, Third Uncle, I was wrong. I truly was wrong. Didn’t you always tell me when I was young that recognizing mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue? Please, plead for me with the lady. Spare me this once. I promise, next time… no! From now on, I won’t do such wicked things again.”

Cao De, his third uncle, patted his shoulder with hands marked by age spots and wiped away his tears. “It’s too late, Goudan. You’ve done too many wrong things and caused too many deaths. If you think just one promise to turn over a new leaf will absolve you, how will you answer those who died unjustly because of you?!”

Xie Miaoxuan helped him shakily to his feet. Cao De had lived many years and saw through Cao Youxin’s seemingly sincere confession—it was only a plea for mercy. He tightly grasped Xie Miaoxuan’s hand and said, “Miss, you have mercy. This old man dares to ask for one favor: please grant him a quick end.”

Xie Miaoxuan nodded in agreement.

Cao Youxin’s wailing had gradually ceased, his heart filled with hatred. This old man, half buried in the earth, was still trying to drag him down.

“Third Uncle! If you won’t plead for me, then leave me to die! The Cao family now only has my branch left. Are you really going to watch the Cao family line die out? How can you face our ancestors like this?”

“If you don’t want to plead for me, then stop pretending.”

Cao De sighed, shook his head at Cao Youxin, and his frail figure slowly walked away.

In this generation, there were only him and Cao Youxin’s father left. His own sons and grandsons were dead. Cao Jian was both foolish and vicious, and now Cao Youxin was doomed.

The family was cursed.

But all of this was just what Cao Youxin deserved. Cao De was only clinging to life to witness his downfall. Heaven’s justice is vast and slow.

Seeing Cao De leave like this, Cao Youxin’s face twisted in fury. Xie Miaoxuan saw it all clearly and blocked his resentful gaze, steering the conversation back.

“Cao Youxin, today not only will you die, but so will your wife and son. Don’t claim they’re innocent—they are the beneficiaries of your decades of evil. They have lived off the people’s blood and sweat. How can you call them innocent? You wear five taels of silver brocade, and your son wears gold-embroidered silks. The inkstone in your study is finer than the magistrate’s office. How many lives have been lost by your hand? Yan’er is a living example. And now, you shamelessly claim innocence!”

“The people’s anger has reached this point. I won’t waste time with you. Your crimes are undeniable. You deserve death.” She threw a dagger at his feet. “End it yourself. As for your wife and child, I will ensure their bodies remain whole.”

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Cao Youxin was shocked. He had expected at most a whipping, never that Xie Miaoxuan intended to kill him. Remembering how she swiftly ended the wild dog’s life earlier, he realized her demand was perfectly in line with her nature.

But he did not want to die.

Suddenly, grasping at what he thought was a lifeline, he shouted, “I am a law-abiding citizen, officially registered in the yellow registry. You cannot treat me like a family slave and kill me at will. I broke family rules, yes, but according to those rules, you can only send me to the authorities for trial. Otherwise, you would be violating the law. My nephew is the county clerk!”

His nephew was the clerk. Today, if his wife could be taken away safely, free from oppression, soon the whole family could regain freedom at the county office.

Hatred flared within him. If he left, the estate would remain unmoved. Then… if the water supply were poisoned, Xie Miaoxuan’s life would be ended quietly and without a trace.

And so would the lives of these lowly villagers!

Some of the older villagers in the crowd knew Cao Youxin’s nephew was the county clerk and wanted to warn Xie Miaoxuan that if Cao Youxin was taken to the county office, the officials would protect him and he would never be punished.

Xie Miaoxuan noticed and shook her head slightly toward them.

Nowadays, people were either household servants, slaves, or of low status. Only those who had the master’s favor or whose ancestors were law-abiding citizens were registered in the yellow registry, marking them as free. If anything happened to them, the authorities would investigate.

It was true that in these turbulent times, it was unwise to confront the government.

But she never intended to let him live.

Today, Cao Youxin must die!

A cold curve lifted at her lips. “If you hadn’t spoken, I might have forgotten—your status as a law-abiding citizen is a favor granted by my father. Everyone knows to be grateful, but you, you’ve been ungrateful—a true villain. Since you refuse to die willingly…”

Xie Miaoxuan’s expression darkened, then suddenly she smiled mysteriously. Cao Youxin’s heart pounded as he waited for what she would say next.