Zhang Delv fell to his knees with a thud, slamming his head against the ground. Trembling, he stammered, "Your Majesty! This man is my nephew. He wandered about for over a decade in his youth before coming to me for help. He has only been in Qingyang County for five years. I never imagined he would do something so beastly.
I swear to you, Your Majesty, I have no treasonous intentions!
I... I..."
He trailed off, unable to continue.
His words stopped.
But his head didn't.
He repeatedly slammed it into the floor.
He had to admit, he'd been far too arrogant. He'd thought the heavens were high and the Emperor far away. The position of Prefect of the Northern Three Prefectures was difficult to replace, so he believed that as long as he didn't cross a major line, the Emperor would let him be.
While that was generally true, this incident had blown up far too much.
