At this time, because Xie Qi could be sentenced to death just by speaking, the other ministers were terrified and did not dare to step forward to plead on behalf of the general, for fear that they would also be sentenced to death by the emperor.
General Zhou Lan was kneeling on the ground at this moment, his hands clenched into fists, and he was furious in his heart. A cowardly emperor dared to embarrass him. Wasn't he afraid of the soldiers under his command?
Zhou Lan took a deep breath and stood up. "Your Majesty! I refuse to obey. I am loyal and serve my country. My request is very small. Why won't you grant it?"
He was so emotional that the veins in his neck were visible as he spoke: "I have 300,000 soldiers under my command. If anything happens to me, I'm afraid I won't be able to return to my loyalty!"
Xie Qi: "Are you threatening me?"
Zhou Lan: "I dare not. I just don't know what mistake I made."
Xie Qi: "Don't know? Then I'll tell you. First, the man you're seeking is a First-Rank Palace Grand Secretary. Marrying him to your wife is an insult and shows no moral integrity. Second, if I don't grant you the marriage, you're not willing to fight? This is dereliction of duty and unworthy of being a general. Third, I'm the Emperor. All your troops belong to me. When did they become yours? Do you want to rebel?!"
Xie Qi's voice was cold and majestic, piercing Zhou Lan's heart. Zhou Lan was so frightened that he immediately knelt down again: "I dare not!"
His head was lowered deeply, but there was a hint of malice flashing in his eyes, like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
He had never imagined that the emperor, whom he had once considered foolish, could actually see through so many things. This made him feel an unprecedented fear.
Xie Qi: "You don't dare? Then, who is colluding with the foreign enemy? I heard that the general is secretly collaborating with the barbarians and intends to rebel."
Zhou Lan's face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. This secret could never be leaked. But now, the emperor revealed it as if he knew everything. How could he not be horrified?
He knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he cried out, "Your Majesty! I am innocent. Please understand..."
However, before he could finish his words, Xie Qi took out a dagger from somewhere, swung his arm, and the dagger flew out like lightning and pierced Zhou Lan's throat.
The speed was so fast that it caught everyone off guard. Zhou Lan didn't even have time to scream before he was clutching his bloody throat, staring at Xie Qi with resentment, and finally slowly collapsed in a pool of blood.
As for the generals who were kept in the dark and knew nothing about Zhou Lan's rebellion, seeing their general being killed by the emperor in an instant, the frustration and shock in their hearts surged like a raging wave.
They stared at the scene with wide eyes in disbelief, but because of their awe of the imperial power, they dared not resist in the slightest.
At this moment, Xie Qi's voice rang out again, cold and majestic: "General Zhou Lan is plotting rebellion. His crimes are extremely heinous and he deserves to be executed along with his entire clan. Come, drag him away!"
This scene terrified everyone in the court. They looked at each other, their faces pale as paper. Especially the two officials who had pleaded for Zhou Lan, their legs went weak with fear and they sat down on the ground.
"Your Majesty! Spare my life!" One of the officials cried out in despair, his voice filled with fear and despair.
"Your Majesty! I was also deceived by General Zhou!" Another official quickly echoed, with cold sweat on his forehead.
Xie Qi's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes as cold as ice. He stared at the two officials intently and said sternly, "You two are colluding for personal gain and are accomplices in treason. You shall be put to death together!"
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, making the two men dizzy. They couldn't figure out how the emperor discovered their crime.
Did someone denounce them? Or did the Emperor already have a grudge against them and was just taking advantage of this opportunity to attack them?
The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, and their trembling became more violent.
Suddenly, they remembered that the emperor was angry because the general wanted to grant them a marriage, so they turned around at the same time, knelt on their knees, and begged for mercy towards Zhan Ze, who had been silent all the time.
"Master Zhan! Please, Your Majesty, we don't mean to harm you!" They pleaded in tears.
Zhan Ze looked at the two of them. Although he didn't want to speak for them, they were court officials after all. If they were executed by the emperor just because he didn't want them to be granted marriage, I'm afraid other ministers would be even more certain that he was a demon master.
Moreover, he did not want the emperor to be branded as someone who killed innocent people in a fit of rage. After all, he had promised that person to assist the emperor and not let him become a tyrant.
So, Zhan Ze took a deep breath, walked out of the crowd with his head held high, and bowed to Xie Qi, saying, "Your Majesty..."
However, before he could finish his words, Xie Qi suddenly interrupted him and said coldly: "Do you also think that I am killing innocent people indiscriminately? Or do you think that I would kill innocent people for a civil servant like you? You think too highly of yourself. If you were not so capable, do you think I would keep you in the palace? Understand your own position and don't overstep it."
After hearing Xie Qi's words, Zhan Ze frowned slightly and said quickly, "I understand."
At this moment, no one expected that the emperor would even be angry about Zhan Ze. Could they have guessed wrong? Did the emperor not favor her much? Was he really angry not because of the marriage, but because of treason?
Xie Qi knew that Zhan Ze now hated him as the emperor, and after he killed the general who was spying on the male protagonist today, Zhan Ze might have a deeper misunderstanding of him.
Even the male protagonist would think that he is a lustful person and a tyrant who kills the pillars of the country without thinking.
The ministers in the court will also think that they became tyrants because they were reluctant to let the male protagonist be granted marriage, and the male protagonist's situation will become even more difficult.
Therefore, in order to change the male protagonist Zhan Ze's impression of him and to make the ministers dispel their prejudice against the male protagonist, Xie Qi must pretend that he has no love for the male protagonist and that he only has the courtesy between the monarch and his ministers.
Xie Qi snorted coldly and continued, "I wouldn't say anything like that without evidence. General Zhou Lan is guilty of treason. This is an absolute fact. I'm not lying. I'll show you the evidence. As for you two, as long as we search your homes, we'll find evidence of treason."
Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other, wondering in their hearts: Although they were shocked by General Zhou Lan's treasonous behavior, since the emperor was so sure, he must have solid evidence.
Then, the ministers knelt down and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"
The two ministers named by Xie Qi were so frightened that they fainted when they heard that their property would be confiscated. They didn't even have time to plan a response before they were faced with the disaster of extermination.
The atmosphere in the court eased slightly only after the guards took Zhou Lan's body and the two ministers away.
Xie Qi sat upright on the dragon throne, his face gloomy. He swept his gaze over the ministers again and asked slowly, "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to report?"
However, at this moment, no one dared to speak out and offend the emperor. Although the generals were angry and irritated, they dared not say anything.
Seeing this, Xie Qi waved his hand and left the court.
When the ministers saw the emperor leaving, they all knelt down and shouted in unison: "Farewell, Your Majesty."
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