>>716361530The scenario comes off as illogical, but the war with the elves had just come to an end recently historically, and the civil war caused by Ulfric was being used as a cudgel against the empire legally by the Aldmeri, obviously as a political scapegoat. Being that the Empire is on its backfoot, put in a corner it has no way out of, in an era where the last great Septim died a hundred years prior, to defend itself and prevent total collapse, it sought to snuff out opposition in every capacity, and the lengths at which they went would bypass morals for the sake of the Empire's survival.
They basically said "you were caught with Ulfric, and from the outside that looks suspicious, we'll just kill you to tie up any would be loose ends". Dead men tell no tales, etc.