Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 421 A Pear Tree Overshadows a Crabapple
Inside the large tent, Liu Lingzhu lay sprawled out, completely unable to move under Liu Sixia's restraint.

He looked to Li Shuang for help, only to see the other pat Liu Sixia's shoulder. Liu Sixia then released her foot, allowing Liu Lingzhu to sit up.

Li Shuang took a blanket from the side and spread it on Liu Lingzhu, then sat down next to him.

"A-Zhu, how do you know that thing is in Goguryeo?"

Liu Lingzhu felt the warmth on her body and sneezed.

"The Anle Kingdom was established after Deng Ai and Zhong Hui destroyed Shu and Liu Shan's clan was relocated to Luoyang. It was destroyed during the Yongjia Rebellion. Liu Shan's son, the second Duke of Anle, Liu Xun, died in the war. It lasted for forty-seven years in Yuyang."

Seemingly catching a cold, Liu Lingzhu started sneezing repeatedly as soon as he finished speaking.

Li Shuang gestured to Liu Sixia, who reluctantly fetched a bowl of hot soup and handed it to Liu Lingzhu.

Liu Lingzhu held the bowl, took a sip, and the ginger flavor filled his mouth and nose. A warm feeling surged through his body, and he felt a little better.

“The Anle Kingdom was only a county-level fiefdom, and Liu Shan never went there. He stayed in Luoyang. Even when it was destroyed in the war during the Yongjia era, people at the time did not care.”

The more Liu Lingzhu spoke, the more serious his expression became, and the more subdued his voice grew.

"Later, when Fu Jian was defeated at the Fei River and the Fu Qin dynasty collapsed, it is said that when Murong Huang's son, Murong Chui, restored the Yan dynasty, someone unearthed a treasure from the Anle Kingdom. After Murong Chui destroyed the Western Yan, this treasure eventually fell into the hands of the Murong clan and was placed in Longcheng, the place where the Murong clan rose to power. Because it belonged to the Han dynasty, the Murong clan regarded it as a treasure and kept it in the inner palace."

"In the Battle of Canhebei, the Murong clan suffered a great loss of strength and was plagued by internal strife. The kingdom fell into the hands of Feng Ba, and this treasure ended up in Feng Ba's possession. Later, when the Northern Yan was destroyed, Feng Ba's younger brother, Feng Hong, fled to Goguryeo with his clan and wealth. He had a falling out with the Goguryeo royal family and attempted to defect to the Liu Song dynasty. However, his plans were exposed, and Feng Hong's entire clan was exterminated by the Goguryeo king. This treasure then fell into the hands of the Goguryeo king."

Li Shuang listened, stroked his beard, and asked:

"As you said, even if this treasure eventually fell into the hands of the Feng family of Changle, when the Northern Yan was destroyed, Feng Hong's sons scattered. How can you be sure that this treasure was definitely taken to Goguryeo by Feng Hong?"

Empress Dowager Wenming, the grandmother of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was the granddaughter of Feng Hong. Besides Empress Dowager Wenming's branch, another branch of Feng Hong's descendants traveled thousands of miles across the sea to the Liu Song Dynasty.

Logically speaking, this treasure could be anywhere.

In response to Li Shuang's questioning, Liu Lingzhu replied:

“I saw it with my own eyes; that treasure was hanging around the neck of the Lady of Liaodong City, the lord of Goguryeo.”

Li Shuang asked:

"What does that treasure look like?"

"It was a gold-inlaid jade pendant with dragon and phoenix patterns, the design of which was a constellation, quite ingenious. The Goguryeo people were unaware of its true nature, and only thought it was a great treasure, passed down through generations by the lord of Liaodong City."

After listening to this, Li Shuang asked:
"Then what is the inside story you're talking about?"

Even though Liu Lingzhu wanted to confess, he still hesitated at this point. But despite his hesitation, he had no choice but to confess.

"Everyone believes that the Imperial Seal of the State that Sun Jian obtained after conquering Luoyang was genuine when Dong Zhuo burned it down. However, some say that the real Imperial Seal of the State was hidden by the Han Dynasty long ago, and the one Sun Jian obtained was fake. This relic of the Anle Kingdom is related to the real Imperial Seal of the State. As for how it is related, I don't know."

"Are you done?"

Liu Lingzhu nodded and was about to take another sip of hot soup when Li Shuang snatched it away and ripped off the blanket covering him.

"Someone is coming!"

Liu Lingzhu's expression changed drastically, and he knelt down, pleading:

"Your Majesty, you said you would spare my life."

"I didn't say I was going to kill you!"

The armored soldiers outside the tent entered. Li Shuang looked at Liu Lingzhu and smiled:
“Take him to the hay shed and look after the livestock.”

"promise!"

After Liu Lingzhu left, sobbing, Li Shuang looked at Liu Sixia, who was deep in thought, and said:

"Whether what he said is true or not, I will have someone investigate." Liu Sixia smiled, a look of relief on her face, and said:
"Whether it's true or false, after all these years, we've finally taken a big step forward."

Seeing this, Li Shuang couldn't help but ask:
"What is the use of that jade pendant?"

Liu Sixia didn't hide anything and said:

"According to our tradition, after Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian to Xuchang, he became arrogant and domineering, killing loyal officials. Emperor Xian, fearing that the Han Dynasty would eventually be usurped by the Cao family, entrusted this treasure to Liu Bei, the imperial uncle who came to Xuchang. With this treasure, one can find the underground tomb built by the Han Dynasty. It is said that the real Imperial Seal of the State, along with Emperor Xian's relics, is hidden there."

As she spoke, Liu Sixia took out the sun-shaped jade pendant she always wore from her sleeve and said:

“The gold-inlaid jade that Aru and I wear, day and month, is the key to unlocking this hidden tomb.”

Seeing Li Shuang's calm demeanor, Liu Sixia couldn't help but ask:

"He who obtains the seal will receive the mandate of heaven. Why do you look like this?"

The atmosphere of today's era is different from that of later generations. From the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the present, a key symbol for the Northern and Southern Dynasties to declare themselves the legitimate rulers was the possession of the Imperial Seal.

The saying goes, "He who obtains the seal obtains the mandate of heaven."

However, precisely because of this, many imperial seals have appeared, with different styles and patterns, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake ones.

Today, the few traceable and universally recognized imperial seals are all in the hands of Emperor Xiao Yan of the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Li Shuang didn't care about this and said:
"Whether it's real or fake doesn't matter. Whether the Imperial Seal of the State is still the one passed down from the Qin Dynasty doesn't matter either. If the world believes it's real, then it is real. Even if the one in the Hidden Tomb is real, if you take it out, others will still think it's fake."

Li Shuang's words seemed to deflate Liu Sixia's spirits.

The secret that the remnants of the Han dynasty had been holding onto for hundreds of years, despite their turbulent lives, became meaningless in Li Shuang's words.

Her years of searching seem to have become a joke.

Importantly, Liu Sixia suddenly realized that he was right.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Li Shuang was startled to see Liu Sixia becoming somewhat agitated.

Liu Sixia snorted and said:
I'm angry!

"What are you going to do?"

Without a word, Liu Sixia walked over and bit Li Shuang's shoulder, trying to vent her frustration. However, she ended up sitting on the ground in pain, covering her mouth and looking at Li Shuang with resentment.

Li Shuang stepped forward to comfort her, saying:

"Tell me, why did you bite me when I was wearing inner armor?"

Liu Sixia couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

Li Shuang was also surprised that Liu Sixia, who was always emotionally stable, had suddenly become like this.

"Don't cry, don't cry. If outsiders hear you, they'll think I did something to you."

"You're bullying me!"

Liu Sixia patted Li Shuang's chest, looking as aggrieved as if she were about to cry. Li Shuang took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.

Having shed all responsibilities, let down her guard, and been free of the burdens of the past, Liu Sixia felt an unprecedented sense of ease as Li Shuang embraced her.

Silent all night.

……

(End of this chapter)