"I, Xu Tianran, am guilty. From now on, I will spare no effort and devote myself to the empire! I must also trouble you, elder, to work hard and assist me in strengthening the empire!" Seated in his wheelchair, Xu Tianran leaned forward slightly and slowly helped the old man up.
"This old man will do everything in his power!"
As the old man spoke, he wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. Having lived to such an age, he had no desire to end up with his head parted from his body at the very end.
Before carrying out the operation, Xu Tianran had not informed the civil officials living within Ming Capital. Just how ruthless was that? Ruthless enough to disregard even the lives of his own empire's ministers!
And Xu Tianran's purpose in doing so was to avoid being troubled by these civil officials who only knew how to play with words and ink.
Now that the operation had failed and caused such a great disaster, whether it was truly Xu Tianran's fault or not no longer mattered. There had to be many people hidden in the shadows who refused to submit to him. Among the Soul Engineers, those treasures of the empire, its true wealth, certain rumors would inevitably spread as well. A great purge was unavoidable.
Whether it was the ministers and Soul Engineers who only remained in the imperial palace, the guardian Soul Engineers outside the city, or the generals and commanders far away at the borders guarding the various defensive lines, all of them would be dragged into this great purge as news from here spread.
And the old man choosing this moment to state his stance had to be said to be the best possible timing—before Xu Tianran had been