King Alexander, Spare Me
That wave of terror made Justin Zhao forget all his usual arrogance. He scrambled and crawled to kneel on the ground, prostrating himself and stammering, "Your humble servant, Justin Zhao, greets King Alexander..."
Beside him, Nina Zhao (Concubine) had long lost her usual swagger. She was so frightened she sat on the ground, forgetting even to pay her respects.
"Tsk, Justin Zhao, what a piece of work you are." Alexander Hayes sneered, lifting Justin Zhao's chin with the long scabbard of his sword. Forced to meet Alexander's gaze, Justin Zhao was stunned by his piercing, blade-like eyes, unable to speak and trembling even harder.
"Magistrate Zhao, you truly know how to wield your power. My Queen arrives in Anchester, and not only do you fail to greet her in person, you put on airs and try to intimidate her. You even ordered people to dump sewage into the river near her fleet under the cover of night. Tsk, Magistrate Zhao, your courage is impressive—I've never seen someone so... unafraid of death!" Alexander's voice was icy and commanding, the sword's scabbard pressing against Justin Zhao's throat, as if he could pierce it at any moment.
Justin Zhao dared not move, sweat pouring from his forehead like rain as he frantically begged for mercy: "Spare me, King Alexander! Spare me! I was momentarily confused and offended the Queen—I won't dare again! I swear I'll never do it again! It was all this woman's idea—if you must punish someone, punish her! She came up with the sewage scheme!"
Justin Zhao began to shift the blame, selling out Nina Zhao (Concubine).
Nina Zhao (Concubine) was so terrified she was completely lost. Suddenly, hearing Justin Zhao betray her, she looked up at the war-god-like man and felt a chill around her neck, as if her head might roll at any moment.
Nina Zhao (Concubine) was on the verge of wetting herself in fear. She quickly knelt and kowtowed, crying out, "No, no, King Alexander, you are wise! This has nothing to do with me! I'm just a lowly concubine—how could I have such power? It was all Magistrate Zhao's idea! He said you were coming to Anchester to take his power, and he was upset, so he took it out on the Queen and tried to drive you out of Anchester! It was all Magistrate Zhao's doing, nothing to do with me!"
"Shut up, you wretched woman!" Justin Zhao, seeing Nina Zhao spill everything, glared at her in fear and anger. But with Alexander Hayes's sword scabbard pressed against his neck, he dared not move, so he could only glare at her, wishing he could silence her.
Trying to escape punishment, Nina Zhao blurted out all of Justin Zhao's resentment toward King Alexander's rule over Anchester.
Alexander Hayes listened, expressionless, as if everything was unfolding just as he expected.
After Nina Zhao finished speaking, she was so terrified she was crying and sniffling, "Your Majesty, I've confessed everything—please spare me!"
Alexander Hayes glanced at Nina Zhao: "You were the one who came up with the idea to dump sewage into the river, weren't you?"
"Th-this... I..." Nina Zhao was instantly speechless, nearly biting her tongue in fear, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Alexander Hayes paid no attention to Nina Zhao's excuses. To him, a woman like her was transparent—he could immediately tell what was true and what was false.
"Do you think someone as noble as my Queen could be sullied by the likes of you?" Alexander Hayes swept a cold glance at Nina Zhao. "Since you love sewage so much, you can keep it company! Guards, drag this woman out and throw her into the cesspit. Let her soak there for seven days and nights before letting her out."