Zhao Douan scolded, "Speak up! Have you gone mute!?"
The old official, his face weathered by time, finally spoke with a sigh,
"Since Your Excellency has already discerned everything, what more can I say? Should I beg for mercy?"
Zhao Douan said,
"When Ma Yan captured Iron Ruler Pass, he was willing to give him a chance to explain himself, but he didn't cherish it. I can give you one too."
Zhu Kui shook his head, as if resigned to his fate, and suddenly let out a low laugh,
"Actually, I had anticipated this day coming, just a few days earlier or a few days later. In fact, over the last month alone, I have already been on the brink of death three times."
"Once was when the magician from Kuangfu Society nearly killed you.
That was unexpected, and indeed an accident. At the time, I thought if you died, I wouldn't be able to escape involvement either. I was thinking if you didn't wake up, I would just run away. But you woke up."
