Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 241 (Final Chapter)

"General Shen, you have won this round, but you always take risky moves. Isn't overconfidence a form of arrogance? People like you are unlikely to win in the end."

Whether I can win in the end remains to be seen, but for me, Kuang Gong, today I am destined to stop here.

When Lu Zhen appeared unharmed, the outcome of this hasty coup was already sealed. The sounds of weapons clattering to the ground echoed as the Imperial Guards who had been confronting Lu's army at the foot of the long steps dropped their weapons.

Kuang Jie's private soldiers hesitated for a moment on the altar, then put down their weapons. Without Shen Qing's order, the Lu family army below, no longer obstructed, immediately grabbed their weapons and ran up the long steps to arrest the former Anguo official who had just defected.

Unlike An Huai and the others, Kuang Jie, standing on the high platform, did not either collapse to the ground begging for mercy or curse angrily.

The saying "the victor is king, the loser is villain" has always held true. Having made this decision, he was already prepared for the worst. Kuang Ji had nothing he couldn't accept about this outcome. He just looked up at the sky and slowly let out a long sigh, still feeling regretful.

Shen Qing stopped the soldiers who were about to use violence against Kuang Ji, and let him leave with the other detained officials, thus preserving his dignity in the end.

"Lord Kuang." Shen Qing couldn't help but call out to Kuang Ji, who had already taken a few steps away. He had read the archives that recorded Kuang Ji's life and admired his political style.

"Actually, you also know that Anguo's fate is sealed, and there is little chance of success in this uprising, right?"

Kuang Jie paused, his eyelids lowered, and did not answer immediately. Shen Qing continued:

"Judging from your past, you are not someone who covets power and position. Moreover, with your reputation, you will not lose any honor by joining Xuan State. You may even be able to go further and achieve the revenge you did not have in An State. Why do something that will not bring you any benefit?"

Kuang Jie turned around and looked up at Shen Qing, "The late emperor entrusted the country and his descendants to me, and I will repay him with my life."

The late emperor he referred to was not Ji Si, but Gaozu, who co-founded the state of An with him.

"General Shen is a prodigy, but he is still young and doesn't know the meaning of 'a scholar is a confidant'."

Shen Qing didn't understand, but respected, and raised her hand in a gesture of invitation.

After Kuang Jie and the others were taken away and arrested, Yang Xuan and Cai Yong, though showing reluctance, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The palace servants, who had recently experienced a palace coup, quickly came out to clean up the area and promptly replaced the red carpet. In less than a quarter of an hour, the altar was once again clean and solemn, as if nothing had happened.

Shen You jumped out and commanded, "Let the music begin, and let the ceremony continue."

"..."

Jiang Se felt as if she and her entourage had come here merely as feng shui ornaments. She accepted the manuscript that had been picked up by the palace servants and resignedly continued reading it.

Looking at the banners with the character "Xuan" fluttering in the wind, Shen Qing knew that after today, Anguo would be officially removed from the list of the Sixteen Kingdoms. As long as the Xuanguo regime remained stable, Anzhou would not experience any major trouble.

………………

After the ceremony, a number of unstable forces were purged. However, this led to a lot of trouble, and the prisons were almost overflowing. There was a lot of cleanup work to be done.

Shen Qing was processing documents in the tent when he instructed, "Go and investigate how they learned about the imperial envoy's purpose and my father's illness. Interrogate them separately, and don't be polite!"

"Respect!"

When Lu Yuan entered the tent, he happened to see a soldier leaving, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"General Shen."

"But has something happened to Father?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that the commander-in-chief ordered me to search the residences of corrupt officials. I've heard that those families are incredibly wealthy and have countless rare treasures. Would you like to come along and take a look?"

This is quite subtle. Shen Qing said solemnly, "How could I be such a person!"