Chapter 618 - Chapter 618: Chapter 618: The Grand Finale (3) - Turning the Tide_1 (1/2)

chapter 618: chapter 618: the grand finale (3) – turning the tide_1

in such a situation, several officials began to regret coming here with old master lu today.

some were filled with righteous indignation, harshly criticizing chu lan.

some were quietly observing the changes.

some even declared their loyalty to wei jinyi on the spot.

at this moment, human nature was vividly displayed in all its facets.

chu lan then addressed the officials in the hall, “the daxing emperor has long neglected state affairs, and the corruption of his ruling in-laws has become serious. the common people are living in hardship. although it was ruthless of me to kill him, it was also a necessary evil in order to save the common people from suffering. if you all understand my intentions and are willing to continue to pledge loyalty to me, to seek blessings for the common people and life for the citizens, i can forgive your transgressions today, and everything will remain as it was, as though nothing happened.”

after chu lan spoke these words, more officials knelt down, kowtowing to chu lan as a sign of their loyalty.

however, quite a few officials still stood in place without moving. among them were those who chose to support wei jinyi and those who chose to wait and see.

old master lu scolded chu lan, “indeed, the daxing emperor neglected state affairs in the previous years, which allowed the qi family to dominate the court. but in recent years, everyone has witnessed his diligence and love for his people. on the contrary, you have killed countless innocent people in the last two years in your bid for power. if you truly meant to plead for the common people, you shouldn’t have acted at this time! you are clearly acting for your personal desires, don’t paint it with such grand statements!”

“old general lu, you are getting old and should learn when to keep quiet. don’t say more when you shouldn’t.” chu lan replied.

“i’m old and have nothing to fear. i’ve spent my whole life in the military, so i’m not afraid of death. if you want to kill me today, feel free to do so, but if you want me to shut up, you’re going to have to kill me first,” retorted old master lu.

“old master lu, rest assured, after today, you will die of a sudden illness. your former students and acquaintances will mourn for you,” said chu lan.

“then do it!” old master lu raised his head, his eyes filled with contempt for chu lan.

even with a knife to his throat, he would never bow to those he despised.

chu heng snapped, “chu lan, you are plotting to usurp the throne, and you even want to force us into submission with force. you traitor, you won’t succeed!”

“what do you mean by a traitor? it has always been ‘the winner becomes king and the loser becomes a bandit.’ after today, nobody will know what happened here. the history books will simply record that kings rui and jing intended to rebel but failed.” chu lan said calmly.

“you…you’re mad! you won’t die a good death!” chu heng exclaimed in fury.

chu lan ignored chu heng and old general lu, turning his gaze towards wei ruo, “you shouldn’t have got involved. at least between us, we could have kept some dignity.”

wei ruo replied, “king jing, there was never any dignity between us. we had minimal contact from the start, you’ve been imagining too much. moreover, your opponent today isn’t me, it’s my husband and… our father.”

“imagining too much? hahaha, you’re right, it’s all my wishful thinking,” chu lan laughed mockingly.

“chu lan, you haven’t won yet.” wei ruo asserted.

as wei ruo finished speaking, han jin, who had originally stood beside chu lan, suddenly switched sides and walked towards wei jinyi.

“prince rui, be careful!” old master lu swiftly stepped in front of wei jinyi.

the next moment, han jin knelt towards wei jinyi and said, “your servant greets prince rui.”

everyone was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. even old master lu didn’t expect this development.

chu lan and chu heng were even more startled.

they had never heard of any previous interactions between han jin and prince rui. when did they conspire together?

wei ruo knew. she had previously seen wei jinyi, disguised as wang jin, meet with han jin privately, and had heard wei jinyi say that han jin was an old friend of his.