At this moment, Xie Qi’s constant talk of ordering executions had left the other officials terrified. No one dared to step forward to plead for the Great General, fearing they, too, might be sentenced to death by the Emperor.
General Zhou Lan, kneeling on the floor, gripped his hands into tight fists. A fierce rage burned within him: how dare a cowardly Emperor humiliate him? Was the Emperor truly not afraid of the troops under his command?
Zhou Lan took a deep breath and stood up abruptly. "Your Majesty! I do not accept this! My loyalty is absolute, and I have served the country with all my might. My request was but a trifle; why will you not grant it?"
Chapter 425