Pledging Loyalty
Alexander Hayes nodded and said, "You all claim you have been wronged, so tell me: how did your names end up in these letters of accusation? If you can prove you're not traitors, I will spare your lives. But if you cannot, you will be treated as traitors and executed immediately."
When Alexander Hayes finished speaking, he made a gesture. Sean Hayes took five letters and handed them to Zachary Yan and Edward Yu.
"These five letters of accusation bear both your names. Explain yourselves." Sean Hayes said, his voice sharp and direct.
Zachary Yan and Edward Yu stared at the letters as if seeing their mortal enemies, eyes blazing red. They hurriedly tore open the letters to read the contents inside.
Meanwhile, several people in the crowd wore expressions that screamed, "This is serious trouble now!" Faces tightened, eyes darted nervously, and whispers rippled through the gathering as anxiety spread like wildfire.
Because once Zachary Yan and Edward Yu saw the handwriting in those letters, they would surely know who had falsely accused them!
As expected, after reading the letters, Zachary Yan and Edward Yu were fuming with rage, wishing they could skin their accusers alive. They glared fiercely at them—there was no turning back now; the feud was set.
Zachary Yan quickly pleaded, "Your Majesty, the accusations in these letters are pure fabrication! My brother and I sought to compete for the position of clan leader, but our rivals set us up and falsely accused us. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth!"
"Falsely accused?" Alexander Hayes raised an eyebrow, pointing at the letter writers. "Zachary Yan claims you falsely accused the brothers and that these letters are lies. Are you saying you have deceived your King and tried to mislead me? That is the crime of deceiving the King!"
The letter writers immediately knelt and kowtowed. When they wrote those letters, they hadn't thought it through—they just wanted to use Alexander Hayes as a weapon to eliminate their rivals. They never imagined they'd be charged with the crime of deceiving the King!
Now, admitting the letters were false accusations was absolutely out of the question!
"No, we did not falsely accuse anyone! Zachary Yan and Edward Yu are traitors!"
"That's right, Your Majesty, we would never dare deceive you!"
Both sides stubbornly insisted on their version, neither able to provide evidence. The tension crackled as everyone waited for the King's judgment.
Alexander Hayes swept his gaze over the flushed, shouting members of the Zhao clan and said, "Since none of you have proof, I do have a way to test your loyalty to me and determine whether you are traitors."
"What method does Your Majesty propose?" several people cried out anxiously. With their lives hanging by a thread, even if Alexander Hayes demanded they eat dirt to prove their loyalty, they'd fight to be first in line.
"Well, here's the situation: my two hundred thousand Qin soldiers have just arrived in Ancheng, and we're facing a serious grain shortage... I'm troubled by this matter. If you can help me solve it, then you will have proven yourselves loyal subjects." Alexander Hayes said.
Upon hearing this, Zachary Yan immediately said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate five hundred thousand shi* of grain to ease your worries!"
*Note: 'Shi' is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters or about 2.8 bushels.
Edward Yu quickly added, "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate four hundred thousand shi* of grain!"
*Note: 'Shi' is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters or about 2.8 bushels.
Seeing that the brothers had already pledged nine hundred thousand shi* together, the others couldn't fall behind. Donating grain was painful, but if they were branded traitors and lost their heads, what good would that do?
*Note: 'Shi' is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters or about 2.8 bushels.
"Your Majesty, I will donate one hundred thousand shi* of grain!"
*Note: 'Shi' is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters or about 2.8 bushels.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate two hundred thousand shi* of grain!"
*Note: 'Shi' is a traditional Chinese unit of measure for grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters or about 2.8 bushels.
...
All those involved clamored to announce their grain donations, voices overlapping in a desperate chorus as each tried to outdo the other in loyalty. The air buzzed with tension and competitive fervor.
Nearby, civil officials who had prepared ink and paper in advance carefully recorded each person's pledged donation.
After everyone finished, Alexander Hayes nodded and said, "Seeing how eager you all are to help me solve this problem, I believe the likelihood of you being traitors is low... However, it's not entirely impossible... unless you..."