Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 464 My Pure Heart

Inside the Taiji Hall, everyone's gaze turned to Li Shuang once again.

Even Xiao Yan, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them at this moment.

Everyone saw Li Shuang laugh heartily, personally step forward, separate Xiao Gang and Xiao Zhengde, and have his men help them up.

"I hope that Your Highnesses will consider the well-being of the people and temporarily cease their fighting, and listen to what I have to say."

Xiao Gang and Xiao Zhengde were covered in scratches and their clothes were torn. They had both hit hard, clearly aiming to kill each other.

But now that Li Shuang has separated them, they have to suppress their urge to kill each other.

"Xiao Zhengde was the legitimate son of His Majesty before Crown Prince Zhaoming, and His Highness Xiao Gang is the Crown Prince of Liang after Crown Prince Zhaoming. As the saying goes, the position is determined early on, so His Highness Xiao Gang will be the Crown Prince of Liang."

After Li Shuang finished speaking, Xiao Gang was overjoyed, while Xiao Zhengde's face showed anger at being betrayed.

"King Qin!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"I have a piece of land in Bashu, which I will give to Your Highness Xiao Zhengde. Your Highness may establish a kingdom there and continue the imperial lineage. What do you say?"

Xiao Zhengde's face immediately fell.

Bashu is more than a thousand miles away from Jiankang; this is clearly an attempt to drive him away!
Moreover, Sichuan and Chongqing are in chaos right now!
Xiao Zhengde had no interest in any other place besides Chengdu, but Li Shuang would never give Chengdu to him!
Where else is there?
The several prefectures ceded by Tuyuhun, the Ba region occupied by the Di and Liao people, and the former Han territories of Zhuti and Yuexi south of the Yangtze River.
It's either the snowy plateau, or a barbarian land, or a desolate place that has been lost for over a hundred years and whose current state is unknown.

Li Shuang didn't just give him a piece of land; he clearly wanted him to start clearing wasteland!

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhengde was filled with uncontrollable rage.

"The King of Qin swore an oath with me, but now that I've entered this city, have I forgotten that oath?"

After Xiao Zhengde finished speaking, everyone's expression changed.

Clearly, Xiao Zhengde was determined to go all out.

Inside the Taiji Hall, the officials of Southern Liang looked at Li Shuang with unchanged expressions, but in their hearts they were all gloating.

Who is Xiao Zhengde?

One of the four notorious villains in Jiankang City.

The other three are Xiao Zhengze, the younger brother of Xiao Zhengde; Dong Xian, the son of Dong Dangmen; and Xiahou Hong, the eldest son of Xiahou Kui.

Xiao Zhengze was exiled to Lingnan and died for robbing and killing a monk. Dong Xian was killed for having an affair with the Princess of Yongyang. Xiahou Hong died while serving his sentence after being denounced by Xiahou Kui himself.

Now that the other three villains have all gone, only Xiao Zhengde remains as a unique individual in Jiankang City.

The reason Xiao Zhengde lived so long was not because his evil deeds were less serious than the other three, nor because he repented after seeing the three villains suffer retribution. In fact, Xiao Zhengde was more cunning and more difficult to deal with than the other three.

The officials and nobles of Jiankang were all afraid of being entangled with this fellow and avoided him at all costs.

Now that Xiao Zhengde is recklessly tearing apart the facade of loyalty that Li Shuang has painstakingly cultivated, it is extremely disadvantageous for Li Shuang.

One of the generals behind Li Shuang was about to draw his sword, but he stopped him.

"King of Linhe, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. You say we have a covenant, but what proof do you have?"

After listening, Xiao Zhengde pulled a letter out of his sleeve.

"This is a letter written by the King of Qin himself! In the letter, the King of Qin promised that as long as I help him enter Jiankang, he will help me ascend to the position of Crown Prince. The King of Qin will not forget this, will he?"

"it is good!"

Li Shuang chuckled, her voice rising several decibels higher than Xiao Zhengde's.

"Your Majesty and your ministers are here, and my loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. If Your Majesty truly believes what the Prince of Linhe said, I am willing to apologize before the people of Jiankang." Xiao Zhengde looked at Li Shuang and sneered inwardly.

Ohno Sou, you forced me to do this.

Xiao Zhengde looked at Li Shuang and pulled out the letter from the envelope. Unexpectedly, Hou Jing, who had just helped Xiao Zhengde up, snatched the letter and swallowed it in one gulp.

The officials of Southern Liang had originally wanted to watch the spectacle, but they were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Damn, you can even do that!

What surprised them even more was Li Shuang's performance.

"You wretched child, what are you doing!"

Hou Jing immediately knelt down and said:

"Your Majesty, since I began guarding Danyang City, I have discovered that Xiao Zhengde has committed numerous evils. He has even imprisoned his own sister, Princess Chang Le, in his mansion, calling her 'Lady Liu' to deceive others. I have also heard that Xiao Zhengde is skilled at forgery."

As he spoke, Hou Jing straightened up, tears welling in his eyes, and said:
"Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous, with a heart that yearns for the light, and has always acted with integrity, so you are naturally fearless. But if a villain like Xiao Zhengde were to use this forged letter to deceive the public, and if it were to be discovered and spread among the unsuspecting people, it would damage Your Majesty's reputation. How could we, your subjects, be at peace with ourselves!"

After listening, Li Shuang looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, put his hands behind his back, and said:
"Wan Jing, you are right, but your recklessness makes it impossible for me to prove my innocence. What should I do?"

At that moment, Gao Huan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty's conduct is upright and honest, known throughout the land. Why should you need to prove your innocence? How can a firefly compare to the light of the sun? If Your Majesty is troubled by a petty villain like Xiao Zhengde, wouldn't that be our fault?"

As he spoke, Gao Huan wiped away his tears and began to sob softly.

Yuwen Tai and Dugu Xin watched from the sidelines, inwardly grumbling.

These Huai Shuo people are shameless!
Despite his inner turmoil, Yuwen Tai had no choice but to step forward. However, unlike Gao Huan and Hou Jing, he didn't mince words, speaking directly:
"To set the record straight, I request that Xiao Zhengde be executed!"

After Yuwen Tai finished speaking, the dozens of generals behind Li Shuang bowed in unison and said:
"Your Majesty, I request that Xiao Zhengde be executed!"

Xiao Gang also realized what was happening and gave a wink to his subordinates in the Crown Prince's residence. Many of the officials from the Eastern Palace stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, I request that Xiao Zhengde be executed!"

"Your Majesty, I request that Xiao Zhengde be executed!"

……

The loud shouts finally frightened Xiao Zhengde.

Immediately, Xiao Zhengde looked at Xiao Yan on the throne. The Liang emperor, who could forgive him for anything, had his eyes closed and remained motionless.

In despair, Xiao Zhengde knelt down and kowtowed, saying:
"King Qin, I was wrong!"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Gonghe, now that you've admitted your mistake, tell me, is this letter genuine or fake?"

After listening, Xiao Zhengde gritted his teeth and said:
"I forged it."

After saying this, Li Shuang ignored Xiao Zhengde and looked directly at Xiao Yan, saying:
"Your Majesty, Xiao Zhengde has committed numerous evils and has now confessed. We request Your Majesty to deal with him accordingly!"

Xiao Zhengde looked at Xiao Yan on the throne again, his eyes filled with pleading.

However, when the emperor of Liang spoke again, Xiao Zhengde did not hear the words of forgiveness he wanted.

Xiao Yan coldly uttered only one word.

"kill!"

After hearing this, many of the officials of Southern Liang felt a pang of sorrow.

Unfortunately, the word "kill" came more than ten years too late; otherwise, the Great Liang would not be in this state today!
……

(End of this chapter)