Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 194 You Didn't Use to Call Me That
Yuanzhou.

Li's Fortified Village

Because of Li Chong, the Li family of Longxi, along with the four major families of Guandong (Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang), became one of the five families.

The most prestigious family in the land possesses terrifying power not only because its members hold high positions in Luoyang and its disciples and former officials are spread throughout the court and the country, but also because its branches are numerous and its influence extends to all parts of the land.

The Li family of Longxi has branches in Pingliang, Guzang, and Dunhuang, all within Longxi itself. Locally, their settlements are interconnected, and they have numerous tenant farmers.

Moreover, because it is located in the crucial Hexi Corridor, it is vulnerable to invasions from barbarians and cannot act as a good-natured person; instead, it is a powerful force.

Li Xian's lineage also claims to be from the Longxi Li clan, though their lineage is somewhat distant. This lineage claims to be descendants of Li Ling from the Han Dynasty, who later migrated south with the Xianbei people and served in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

It's hard to say whether it's true or not.

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, powerful clans have risen to prominence, and the practice of currying favor with the powerful has become widespread.

Whether or not they are truly descendants of a prominent family, there are always people who want to associate themselves with a prestigious clan name so that they can have something to say when they are out in the world.

This is most serious among the Gao clan of Bohai.

"Brother, has Second Brother sent a letter from Luoyang?"

Li Xian's younger brother, Li Mu, watched his elder brother standing on the wall, staring blankly at the flag in the distance. He found it strange, but he still focused his attention on the letter from his second brother, Li Yuan.

"coming!"

Li Mu was somewhat excited and asked:

"Did Second Brother say when he'll be back?"

Li Xian sighed.

He said the situation in Luoyang was bad recently, with the court in chaos and fearing a major upheaval was imminent!

Li Xian's lineage still has deep roots in Yuanzhou.

When Hu Chen and Mo Zhe Nian started their rebellion, Li Xian's second younger brother, Li Yuan, defended Yuanzhou City, resisting the rebels and waiting for the imperial court's assistance.

Their family sided with the Northern Wei court, but they never received any reinforcements from the court.

The rebels breached the city walls and killed most of Li Yuan's followers.

The brothers escaped with the help of the villagers.

After that, Li Yuan went to Luoyang to request reinforcements from the court. The court naturally could not send reinforcements, but it greatly praised Li Yuan's loyalty to the court, first appointing him as a Wuqi Changshi (a military officer), and later as a Biejiang (another general), and bestowing upon him a thousand bolts of brocade.

Li Xian then led his clansmen and surviving generals to retreat to the fortified village.

Upon hearing this, Li Mu's expression changed, and he became somewhat worried.

"In that case, why don't we bring my second brother back?"

"Even in the chaos of Luoyang, martial artists still have a way to survive. But here, things are a bit more complicated."

Not long ago, Li Shuang defeated Wanqi Chounu and captured Binzhou, Jingzhou and Gaoping Town.

The military force caused a stir in the Guanzhong Plain.

But more often than not, it was the infamy spoken of by the Hu people.

“Brother is worried about the Duke of Tang. If that’s the case, just ignore him.”

Li Xian shook his head at Li Mu's words.

"I, your brother, wish to pledge my allegiance to him!"

Li Mu's expression changed, and he became somewhat worried.

"But he has a bad reputation. If we do this, won't we be making enemies of the nearby Hu tribes?"

Li Xian laughed and pointed to the flag he had been staring at!
Black Three Stars Flag!
That banner representing the Duke of Tang!

"What use is fame in this world!"

Li Xian suffered a great loss because of this. It was precisely because they were loyal to the court that they suffered heavy losses under the siege of the rebel army.

In the years that followed, Li Xian retired to a fortified village, having long since come to terms with the situation.

“We are descendants of the Right Commander King, yet some people still say we are imposters. In this world, reputation is not important; strength is what matters most. Li Shuang has set up a military government in Guanzhong and is driving out the Hu people. What can those usually fierce Hu people do? They can only talk the talk!”

Li Mu nodded after hearing his brother's words. "Then I'll go in my brother's place!"

"No, I'll go myself!"

Li Xian's gaze was resolute; he believed this would be the opportunity for his family to prosper once again.
-
After the previous conversation, Liu Sixia acted as if nothing had happened the next day, resuming her usual demeanor and meticulously throwing herself into her work.

Qizhou is the location of Zhouyuan. The so-called phoenix sings on Qishan Mountain. The Zhou people rose to prominence from here, entered Guanzhong, and eventually overthrew the Shang Dynasty, establishing the Great Zhou Dynasty that lasted for eight hundred years.

However, at this time, there are very few traces of the Zhou people in Zhouyuan. Only in the traditional customs left by some ancient tribes in the area, there are still traces of the Zhou people.

Liu Sixia, along with Yu Jiulü Qingyu, returned after collecting some local medicinal herbs and ran into Li Shuang.

"Where have you been?"

Yu Jiulu Qingyu still harbored resentment towards Li Shuang, but Liu Sixia, the person directly involved, acted as if nothing had happened.

"Qingyu and I went to a local village to collect medicinal herbs."

Li Shuang nodded and gave the instructions:

"We're about to return to Chang'an, so you should get ready!"

Liu Sixia bowed, and Li Shuang left with his men.

Yu Jiulu Qingyu muttered a complaint from behind.

“Aru is right. That bastard didn’t even apologize for offending you. He acts like nothing happened.”

Liu Sixia turned around, looked at Li Shuang's back, brushed aside the strands of hair that had been ruffled by the breeze, and smiled:

"Perhaps he simply doesn't care about a woman like me!"

……

The atmosphere inside the room was very oppressive.

Xiao Zan was injured and his face was pale, but at this moment, he was filled with anger.

"No need to say anything more, I'm not going back!"

"Your Highness, His Majesty has shown great mercy, pardoning the crimes you committed in Xuzhou, and even Consort Wu and Marquis Yongxin have been treated with exceptional kindness. When has His Majesty ever wronged you?"

Wu Shuyuan and Yongxin Hou were Xiao Zan's mother and son. After Xiao Zan's betrayal, Xiao Yan was furious and removed them from the official register. However, they were reinstated shortly afterward.

"Xiao Yan is nothing but a hypocrite, treating everyone like playthings! Others may not know, but I certainly do!"

"Your Highness, your prejudice against His Majesty runs too deep."

Emperor Xiao Yan's envoy has arrived!
The envoy was of a rather high rank; he was Zhu Yi, a favorite minister of Emperor Xiao Yan!
Zhu Yi came all the way from Jiankang to persuade Xiao Zan to return to Jiankang.

Li Shuang walked in at the opportune moment, interrupting the conversation.

Li Shuang and Zhu Yi exchanged greetings. Zhu Yi said:
"Duke of Tang, His Majesty sent me here to persuade Your Highness to return to Liang."

Li Shuang didn't believe that this was a trap set by Xiao Yan to lure Xiao Zan back so that he could be killed.

In fact, Xiao Yan was very tolerant of his relatives, even to the point of being indulgent.

One example is Xiao Zhengde, Xiao Yan's adopted son. He also resented Xiao Yan and went north to join the Wei Kingdom, but later returned to the Liang Kingdom. Xiao Yan still treated him with great favor and restored his title.

Zhu Yi wanted to complete the task entrusted to him by Xiao Yan, knowing it was of great importance to Xiao Yan. However, Xiao Zan's attitude frustrated Zhu Yi, so he set his sights on Li Shuang.

Clearly, Li Shuang is in charge here. If he agrees, Zhu Yibang can also tie Xiao Zan up and take him back.

"This matter still depends on Your Highness!"

Xiao Zan suddenly stood up, looking at Li Shuang with some resentment.

"Duke, you used to call me Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yi was somewhat bewildered, but then he heard Xiao Zan say:

"Even if I die, I will never return to Liang!"

With that, he left without looking back.

……

(End of this chapter)