The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 650

Saidhan was already in poor health, and after several days of long-distance travel, his condition worsened, and he coughed incessantly.

Emperor Jiajing did not want Said Khan to die so soon, so he asked Feixiazi to give him a proper treatment. Although it was not completely cured, he improved a lot.

For the Ming Dynasty and the Jiajing Emperor, a living Said Khan was far more useful than a dead one.

If Said Khan were alive and surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty's rule over the Yarkand Khanate would be legitimate. However, if Said Khan were killed by the Jiajing Emperor, then countless people in the Yarkand Khanate would rise up and rebel under the guise of avenging Said Khan.

When Said Khan ruled Yarkand, they may not have been convinced of his authority or particularly loyal to him. But once Said Khan died, they had a reason to rebel, and their call to arms was met with widespread support.

Just like when the Tang Dynasty was first established, Li Shimin persuaded Dou Jiande to surrender, and Dou Jiande did surrender. Li Yuan insisted on killing Dou Jiande, and Li Shimin's opposition was in vain. In the end, those people in Hebei were always dedicated to rebelling against the Tang Dynasty.

It's not necessarily true that those people were truly loyal to Dou Jiande. After all, Dou Jiande's rebellion lasted only three or four years from his uprising to his death. It's unrealistic to expect the entire Hebei province to be loyal to him in such a short time. It was simply that ambitious individuals used Dou Jiande's name to rally support and launch a rebellion.

Originally, Said Khan was dismissive of Jiajing and Zhou Chu's attempts to persuade him to surrender. Given his own health condition, he knew he wouldn't live much longer, so why should he live a life of ignominy? He'd rather be killed by the Ming emperor and leave them with a mess.

Said Khan understood this principle.

“Saidehan, if you die, how many of your children do you think will survive? Also, Master Feixiazi can help you treat your illness. You can live for another ten years or so without any problem. Although you don’t have much freedom in the capital, being a wealthy man is not bad.”

Emperor Jiajing ordered Zhou Chu to persuade Said Khan to surrender. Zhou Chu only said two sentences, and each sentence struck Said Khan's heart.

If there was anyone Said Khan was most worried about at this moment, it would undoubtedly be his children. He knew very well that if he died, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't even need to lift a finger; his original subordinates would hunt down his children.

As for the second condition, it was even more tempting for Said Khan. No one wants to die if they can live. After so many years as the Khan of Yarkand, living a life of luxury, Said Khan's ambition had long been worn down. The reason he was so tough before was simply because he felt he wouldn't live much longer.

Saidhan had long heard of the superb medical skills of the doctors from the Central Plains. Not to mention, Feixiazi had given him acupuncture once before, and he felt much better immediately, which was quite remarkable.

"I am willing to submit to the Great Ming."

As Saidhan spoke, he knelt on one knee before Zhou Chu, signifying his submission.

The attempts to persuade Said Khan to surrender were all carried out before Mengji's funeral.

At Meng Ji's funeral, before Meng Ji was buried, Saidhan was brought up and knelt before Meng Ji's coffin.

“I, Wang, am blind to your greatness and have offended the majesty of the Ming Dynasty. I deserve to die.”

As Saidhan spoke words of repentance, he began slapping himself repeatedly, one hand on each side, until both cheeks were swollen.

Said Khan was very clever. Once he had a way out, he put on a great show to please Jiajing, fearing that his repentance was not sincere enough and would anger the Ming Dynasty's officials and Meng Ji's family.

If that time really comes, the Ming emperor might kill himself to quell the anger of these people.

Therefore, Said Khan showed no mercy to himself.

The officials behind Jiajing, those who were close by, watched as Said Khan slapped himself, their eyelids twitching as they thought to themselves, "This man is really ruthless to me."