He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He didn't dare to act rashly, so he had to ask Zhu Lan in a low voice what to do.

"Master Zhongcheng, why don't we just follow his instructions and prepare the carriage..."

Zhu Lan did not answer Yan Zheng's words. Her face was as gloomy as water. After thinking for a moment, she slowly walked towards Ma Yan.

"Back off, back off!" Ma Yan shouted again.

Zhu Lan stopped but did not retreat.

Just by standing there, the majesty he exuded was enough to suppress Ma Yan's momentum by three points.

Her voice was not loud and her speech was slow, enough for Ma Yan to hear every word.

"Ma Yan, do you think you can rest easy after you kidnap the emperor and escape from the capital?

All under heaven belongs to the king. Even if you escape, you will still live in fear for the rest of your life, worrying about being hunted by soldiers day and night.

What's the point of living in a precarious situation?"

A trace of panic flashed in Ma Yan's eyes.

Zhu Lan was right, but he had no choice now.

Zhu Lan continued:

"I can give you a choice. Just ask the emperor to issue an imperial decree to pardon your crime today and seal it with the imperial seal.

Later you can take the emperor and the imperial edict out of the city. This imperial edict will be your life-saving talisman, and the government troops will not embarrass you anymore.

If the emperor goes back on his word, it is equivalent to telling the people of the world that he is an untrustworthy monarch.

You should know that as a king, I will not give up the support of the people for a small person like you."

Ma Yan didn't say anything and his expression began to struggle.

Zhu Lan took another step forward, and this time Ma Yan did not stop her.

Zhu Lan knew that Ma Yan was already seriously considering his suggestion, so he struck while the iron was hot and raised his voice:

"Later, when Your Majesty has prepared the imperial edict, I can, as the Chief Censor, read the edict in front of all the military officials, letting everyone know that Your Majesty has pardoned you.

We will also ask Commander Yan to provide a carriage as per your request so that you can leave the city safely.

As long as you don't hurt His Majesty, no one will bother you for the rest of your life. How about it?"

"Central Prime Minister Zhu, this..." Yan Zheng was shocked when he heard this, and didn't understand why Zhu Lan promised Ma Yan so many benefits.

Zhu Lan raised his hand to interrupt Yan Zheng and his eyes stayed on Ma Yan's face.

Ma Yan thought for a moment and felt that what Zhu Lan said made sense.

"Okay, then I'll do as you say. Go find some paper and pen and write the edict!"

Zhu Lan ordered someone to bring paper and pen, placed them on an open space a few feet away from Ma Yan, and then he stepped forward, rolled up his sleeves and started writing.

She wrote very quickly, and when she finished, she gently put down her pen and said to Ma Yanyu:

"I have drafted two documents. One is the imperial edict to pardon you, which needs to be sealed with the imperial seal.

The other is your confession accusing Li Mao and Li Zhengqing of crimes. There are still some parts that need to be filled in by you, and finally put your fingerprints on it. "

Ma Yan shouted: "I just want that imperial edict!"

Zhu Lan smiled, his tone casual.

"If you don't identify Li Mao and the other two, how can you be considered to have made meritorious contributions while serving your sentence, and what reason does His Majesty have to pardon you?

The reasons in the imperial edict are untenable, and the Li brothers may still try to overturn the verdict in the future, which would be disadvantageous to you."

This sentence put Ma Yan in a dilemma.

He looked around at the guards who might pounce on him at any time, and knew that if he let his guard down for a moment, the archers alone would be able to shoot him into a hedgehog.

But he had to get the pardon decree.

Ma Yan glanced around and landed on a side hall that appeared not far away.

He had an idea, and said to Zhu Lan fiercely:

"You, take your things and go in there with me.

No one is allowed to follow me, or I will die with the emperor!"

"Zhu Zhongcheng, it's too dangerous, you can't go!" Yan Zheng said anxiously.

It was obvious that this Zhu Zhongcheng had no martial arts skills. If Ma Yan got ruthless, she, a weak woman, would not be able to handle it at all.

Zhu Lan smiled faintly and said to Ma Yanyu:

"Okay, I'll go with you."

She then showed her hands so that Ma Yan could see clearly that she had no weapons in her hands. Then she picked up two books and slowly retreated with Ma Yan towards the side hall.

When passing by Qin Yuwei, Qin Yuwei couldn't help but grab her wrist, with deep worry in her eyes.

“Lanlan…”

Zhu Lan winked at her, indicating that everything was under control.

That's right, she went through a long process, just to make Ma Yan ask to enter the side hall himself.

There, there was a surprise she had carefully prepared.