After accepting his punishment, Chang Sun Dechong stood aside silently.
At the same time, Yan Kai and his family, as well as those who had colluded with him and committed crimes together, were escorted by soldiers to Chu Fan. Yan Kai panicked when he saw his family being escorted up, and he began to look around, trying to find someone who could plead for his family.
However, Yan Kai looked around and found that only Changsun Dechong was his closest friend. So Yan Kai hurried to Changsun Dechong, plopped down on the ground, hugged Changsun Dechong's thighs tightly, and begged desperately, "Master Changsun, please help me! I have put in tremendous effort and hard work to build the three acropolises."
Chang Sun Dechong spread his hands and said, "I've given you many chances, but you don't seem to have grasped them. How many times have I told you to arrest those three dandies? Did you listen?"
"I reminded your nephew from the beginning that the person standing before you was the Emperor. But when your nephew told you this, did you truly listen? Deep down, didn't you still doubt that the Emperor would befriend a ragged child? Didn't you internally deny his identity, believing he couldn't possibly be the Emperor?"
"Besides, I am now in a difficult situation myself. I have already resigned from my position as Minister of War. I am now an ordinary person. What qualifications do I have to speak before His Majesty?"
Chang Sun Dechong's words were like a sharp dagger, piercing Yan Kai's heart and plunging him into the abyss of despair. He suddenly realized that he had no room to retreat, and all his hopes had been ruthlessly destroyed.
He realized he had no way out. Yan Kai knelt before Chu Fan again and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I have served the country with all my strength and blood. Your Majesty, you cannot kill me."
Yan Kai's family and accomplices also knelt on the ground, begging Chu Fan for forgiveness. However, Chu Fan's face was as cold as ice, and he showed no emotion at all.
Chu Fan deeply understood that the crimes of these people not only involved individuals, but also touched upon the security of the country and the majesty of the law. Their actions were actually tarnishing the reputation of the Wei court.
Chu Fan declared to Yan Kai in a resolute tone, "A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Your crimes have severely damaged the public image of Wei officials. As the ruler of a country, I must personally set an example and uphold the law. Today, you must accept the corresponding punishment as a warning."
Although you actively assisted the court in providing necessary aid to the affected people during the previous disaster relief operations, thus alleviating their plight, you have also received due rewards and honors. Not only that, you have also been specially approved to have privileges that ordinary people can hardly achieve.
Yet you have abused these powers, recklessly oppressing and crushing innocent people. This behavior is egregious and absolutely intolerable, and you will not be forgiven.”
The moment Chu Fan said this, everyone held their breath, nervously waiting for the final judgment that Chu Fan was about to make.
Chu Fan solemnly announced, "Yan Kai, Zheng Gang, and the other criminals will be sentenced to death, and their property will be confiscated. The rest will be exiled a thousand miles away and will not be allowed to leave their place of exile unless they receive a pardon."
After hearing Chu Fan's verdict, Yan Kai stood up and, with trembling fingers, accused him, "You tyrant, you foolish ruler! You killed your meritorious officials. Aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of all the ministers and the people?"
The soldiers were about to forcibly escort Yan Kai away, but Chu Fan signaled them to stop: "Let him continue speaking."
Yan Kai had no scruples at this point. Since his life was on the line, he said without hesitation: "You, a brat, are becoming emperor, yet you're actually friends with a little beggar. Don't you feel ashamed? And I made great contributions to the construction of these three Acropolis. Without me, it's unknown whether these three Acropolis could have been built.
I just made a trivial mistake, and you want to kill me? Don't you worry that my descendants will take ruthless revenge on you when they grow up?
Chu Fan watched Yan Kai's speech with intense interest. In his eyes, Yan Kai was an ordinary person who, thanks to the favor of a powerful figure, had gained a certain amount of power, thus becoming arrogant and as if he were extremely important. However, in reality, their contributions throughout the entire process were not significant, and could even be said to be insignificant.
As for how the three citadels were built, everyone, from the ministers of Wei to the people of the three citadels, knew the truth. If it weren't for Chu Fan's abundant supply of sweet potatoes and corn, if it weren't for Chu Fan's provision of the cement formula, if it weren't for Changsun Dechong and the city guards maintaining order, if it weren't for the concerted efforts of hundreds of thousands of people, the three citadels wouldn't have been completed so quickly. Yan Kai and others played a role in coordinating the disaster victims, but without the other prerequisites, Yan Kai wouldn't have been able to build such a majestic three citadels even if he had ten thousand years.
When Chu Fan heard that Yan Kai wanted his descendants to seek revenge on him, he didn't need to be polite.
Chu Fan spoke coldly, like a heartless machine: "Since you long for your descendants to seek revenge on me, then I can only change my ruling to prevent future troubles. I now declare that Yan Kai's family and all his clansmen will be sentenced to death, their property confiscated and their clan exterminated."
Yan Kai and his family were dumbfounded. How could they be exterminated? You are the emperor, how could you go back on your word and change your orders every day?
The Yan family members, in tears, knelt on the ground and begged Chu Fan to revoke his order. However, Chu Fan remained unmoved and announced to those around him, "Please, historians, be absolutely truthful in your records. I changed the verdict under the threat of Yan Kai. I did not change my decision arbitrarily."
All the ministers present witnessed this scene, and their hearts were filled with admiration for Yan Kai. His Majesty had already made the judgment, and Yan Kai dared to stand up and accuse His Majesty.
He even had the audacity to threaten that his descendants would definitely take revenge on His Majesty. Wasn't this simply forcing His Majesty to take more severe measures? Confiscating the property and exterminating the clan was something Yan Kai had earned himself. This was the first time they had seen such a reckless person.
For comparison, we can look at Zhangsun Dechong. Although he was the Minister of War, after realizing his mistakes, he took the initiative to apologize, showing an attitude of humility and admitting mistakes.
However, after His Majesty made the judgment, Yan Kai still dared to contradict His Majesty. This behavior was simply seeking death, as if he felt that his death was not near enough and his family's death was not complete enough.
Chu Fan said to the soldiers, "Press down."
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