Zhu Yun and the others took a deep breath and then spoke:
"I will have someone investigate the facts. If it is indeed due to coercion, then there is extenuating circumstances, and I will naturally handle the matter accordingly. If not, then I will add the crime of deceiving the emperor to the list."
Lady Shexiang immediately spoke up: "Your Highness, please investigate the truth. We do not ask the court for much leniency, but only that the court understand the helplessness of us chieftains. However, we are still willing to face the punishment we deserve."
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Lady Shexiang with some surprise.
He hadn't expected that the woman before him would have such a broad perspective; instead of simply begging for mercy, she was willing to take responsibility.
Despite being willing to take responsibility, he still demanded that Zhu Yunwen find out the truth of the matter, which shows his clear sense of right and wrong.
Zhu Yunwen did not dwell on the matter further. If his men found out that these families had indeed been threatened by the Yang family of Bozhou to some extent, then given that they had surrendered in time, they could be treated leniently.
If they lied, Zhu Yunwen would only punish them more severely.
These chieftains were imprisoned, and then Zhu Yunwen said to Lan Yu and Feng Sheng:
"You two each take your troops and keep a close watch on the surrendered soldiers. It would be best to persuade them to return to their own homes and disband the army."
From then on, the southwestern region was directly and entirely under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, and was no longer a special area.
Therefore, there was no need for the soldiers of some of the chieftain families in the southwest region. The army sent to quell the rebellion was stationed directly in the southwest region.
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