Yuan Shao turned on his heel, his tattered robes flowing behind him with a final, ghostly mimicry of his former grandeur. Flanked by the two silent armored guards, he marched out of the brightly lit hall and into the dark courtyard.
Zhang Xin stood still for a long moment, staring at the empty wine cup in his hand. The cryptic parting words of the Hebei overlord lingered in the cold air, but Zhang Xin merely shook his head to clear the thought. History was written by the victors, and he had no intention of letting Yuan Shao's ghost dictate his future.
A heavy, breathless silence fell over the grand assembly. Every eye was glued to the open doorway leading to the courtyard.
Moments later, a sharp, singular drumbeat echoed through the night, followed by the distant, unmistakable sound of a heavy blade slicing cleanly through bone and sinew.
A collective sigh parsed through the hall. Some of the older Jizhou officials looked down, their expressions deeply complex—after all, this was the end of the illustrious Runan Yuan bloodline's premier champion. But for men like General Geng Wu and Ju Shou, a visible weight lifted from their shoulders. The shadow that had threatened to swallow Hebei whole was finally gone.
---
### Dealing with the Remnants
Zhang Xin walked back up the steps and sat firmly in the principal seat of power. The atmosphere instantly shifted from a bizarre, comedic misunderstanding back into the grim reality of a political tribunal.
He looked down at the remaining captives still kneeling in the center of the aisle: **Yuan Tan, Pang Ji, Chunyu Qiong, Governor Shen, and Xin Pi.**
Yuan Tan was trembling violently, his face entirely pale, tears mixing with the grime on his cheeks. Seeing his legendary father marched out to a swift execution had completely shattered whatever noble pride the young man possessed.
"Wang Meng," Zhang Xin called out calmly.
"Your subordinate is here!" Wang Meng stepped forward, bowing.
"You have achieved a monumental merit today. To capture the entire core cabinet of the enemy without letting a single soul slip away—this is a feat worthy of the highest praise." Zhang Xin smiled warmly. "Once the immediate affairs of Jizhou are settled, I will formally petition the Imperial Court to grant you a noble title and commandery leadership. For now, you are awarded one thousand pieces of gold and ten jars of premium vintage."
Wang Meng's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands deeply. "Thank you, My Lord! Your subordinate will continue to pour out his life for your grand cause!"
Zhang Xin turned his attention back to the kneeling captives. His gaze first swept over **Chunyu Qiong**, who was glaring up at him with fierce, drunken defiance, and **Pang Ji**, whose eyes were narrowed in stubborn silence.
> **The Fates of the Follower Factions**
> * **The Die-Hard Loyalists:** Men like Pang Ji and Chunyu Qiong were too deeply intertwined with the Yuan family's core identity to ever truly serve a new master with sincerity.
> * **The Pragmatic Bureaucrats:** Figures like Xin Pi and Governor Shen were local Hebei gentry whose loyalties lay primarily with the stability of their ancestral lands, making them highly viable candidates for assimilation.
>
>
"Yuan Tan," Zhang Xin spoke up, his voice echoing coldly through the rafters.
The young man flinched, slamming his forehead against the stone floor. "Governor! Uncle! Please spare my meager life! My father was the one who orchestrated the rebellion, I... I was merely dragged along! I am willing to surrender all family properties, renounce my lineage, and live as a common peasant!"
Zhang Xin looked at the pathetic display and felt a faint wave of pity, but he knew leaving the eldest son of the Yuan family alive in Hebei was an invitation for future rebellion.
"Take Yuan Tan, Pang Ji, and Chunyu Qiong down to the dungeons," Zhang Xin ordered with ironclad finality. "Keep them under strict guard. We will decide their permanent sentences after the province is fully stabilized."
As the guards dragged the weeping Yuan Tan and the cursing Chunyu Qiong away, only **Xin Pi** and **Governor Shen** remained kneeling in the hall.
Zhang Xin leaned forward, his expression softening just a fraction. "Master Xin, Master Shen. You two are renowned talents of Hebei, and your lineages have resided in these lands for generations. Yuan Shao is dead, and the people of Jizhou desperately need capable hands to rebuild their homes. Are you two willing to assist me in restoring peace to this realm?"
Xin Pi and Governor Shen exchanged a quick, meaningful glance. The message was clear: Zhang Xin was offering them a lifeline, a chance to preserve their clans and continue their political careers under a rising star.
Slamming their hands together, the two officials bowed deeply until their foreheads touched the cold stone.
"We are willing to submit to the Governor's virtue, and pour out our meager talents to serve the Han Dynasty!"