Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 513 The Evil One
Ganquan Palace.

The cold wind howls, and even the most beautiful fields become desolate at this time of desolation.

"His Majesty seems to have changed!"

"The King of Qin seems to have lost weight too!"

Two people stood in front of Xiao Bing's grave.

The two were not close friends and did not get along.

However, at this moment, everyone stopped because of one person.

Li Shuang looked at Xiao Yan, who now had white hair and beard and no longer possessed the vigor and spirit he once had.

"I never expected him to save me!"

Xiao Yan suddenly spoke, saying that even now, thinking of that night's scene, his heart was still filled with unease.

"At that time, he could have done nothing and watched his enemy die under the assassin's blade."

In the distance, armored soldiers stood guard, their presence imposing and solemn.

Nearby, the old monk lowered his eyes, his face full of compassion.

“I know he didn’t do it to save me. Even as he closed his eyes, he was still hating me.”

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang looked at the old monk before him. At this moment, he no longer seemed to be the emperor who had single-handedly established the Xiao Liang dynasty.

"What should Your Majesty do?"

"It remains as it was!"

"Doesn't Your Majesty want to know who instigated this?"

Xiao Yan clasped his hands together. As intelligent as he was, how could he not have guessed what was going on? But he no longer had the will to pursue the matter further.

"What difference does it make who instigated it? It's not important to me anymore."

Li Shuang nodded and turned to leave, but Xiao Yan called out to him from behind.

"Now that the King of Qin has recovered Liaodong, is he going to take action against the Liang Kingdom upon his return to Luoyang?"

Li Shuang smiled and asked in return:
"Didn't His Majesty say it wasn't important anymore?"

"The troubles in the south arose because of me. If the King of Qin gives any orders, I will assist him to settle this matter!"

……

Li Shuang took a few steps forward, distancing himself from Xiao Yan, while Hou Jing approached.

"Your Majesty, is the old monk's appearance real or fake?"

Li Shuang looked at Hou Jing and questioned him:

"What do you think?"

"I believe..."

Hou Jing's eyes darted around, and he chuckled.

"I am not familiar with these people surnamed Xiao, and I would appreciate Your Majesty's guidance."

"Whether it's true or false, it doesn't matter anymore."

Li Shuang quickened his pace, and as he passed by, he saw Yuan Ji standing to the side, her face haggard.

"Your Majesty, she is pregnant..."

Li Shuang glanced at Hou Jing, but the other party did not continue speaking.

"Let's go!"

……

East Palace.

"Yuan Zan, why did you replace my Eastern Palace guards?"

Yuan Qin looked at Yuan Zan, who had a serious expression and was very sparing with his words.

"Your Majesty, I am acting on His Majesty's orders to urge Your Highness to reflect on your actions within the palace!"

Yuan Qin was furious after hearing this and said:
"What do I have to reflect on!"

"This is a matter for the imperial family; it is not something a subject should speak of recklessly!"

After Yuan Zan finished speaking, he returned to his statue-like appearance, only thinking about completing the mission and not wanting to get involved in anything else.

Yuan Qin watched helplessly as all the people he knew were replaced, but there was nothing he could do. He could only return to the palace and vent his anger.

Yuan Lie, the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, hurried over. He was also on the list of personnel to be replaced, but replacing him was not as simple as replacing guards or palace maids.

"His Majesty has instructed Your Highness to reflect on your actions within the palace. Your Highness must not show any dissatisfaction. If Ohno Sō finds out, it may cause trouble."

"How can I swallow this insult!" Yuan Qin looked at Yuan Lie. "Didn't you say there was something that would make Da Yeshuang lose face?"

Yes, that's true!

"Then get on it right away!"

Seeing Yuan Qin's anxious state, Yuan Lie knew that he wanted to take revenge immediately.

"promise!"
-
Jinyong City. "How is the King?"

"I went to Ganquan Palace this morning, but I still don't look well when I came back."

Zu Ting asked the maid beside him, and then nodded.

Li Shuang sat by the window, gazing at the scenery outside, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
Zu Ting quietly walked over, stood beside Li Shuang, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Your Majesty, there is something I am unsure whether I should say."

"If you fart, let it go!"

"Today, one of the king's palace servants was caught having an affair with the king's guard."

"That's all there is to it!"

Zu Ting felt somewhat embarrassed after hearing Li Shuang's words.

"The rumors outside are getting increasingly bizarre. Some even say that this palace maid is the king's favorite concubine who couldn't bear the cold and hardship of the palace and had an affair. I've thought it over and over, and if we let this go unchecked, who knows how far the rumors will spread?"

"Have you found out who did it?"

"I have made some progress, but the person behind this is somewhat troublesome, as he is connected to the Crown Prince."

Zu Ting glanced at Li Shuang, and then heard him say:
"Find a pretext to transfer all the Crown Prince's subordinates to Liaodong."

"What about the prince?"

"Since His Majesty has taken care of it, let's leave it at that for now!"

"promise!"

Zu Ting was somewhat disappointed, as he had thought Li Shuang would use this as an excuse to depose the crown prince.

After all, not only Zu Ting, but many people in Luoyang and Chang'an hoped that Li Shuang could immediately emulate the deeds of Yao and Shun.

Zu Ting suddenly thought:

"What should we do with that adulterous couple?"

Without thinking, Li Shuang said:

“Transfer Jinmu to Xuzhou as a military commander, give Xiaojing some money, release him from the palace, and let him reunite with Jinmu.”

Zu Ting was shocked. So Li Shuang knew who this couple was?

"promise!"

Zu Ting turned to leave, but Li Shuang called him back.

"and many more!"

Zu Ting thought to himself, "Is Li Shuang dissatisfied and planning to deal with them?"
"The nation is in dire straits, and the treasury is empty; frugality is the proper measure. After some thought, I've decided not to give them the money; simply release them from the palace!"

"..."

……

Pyongyang.

Gao Baoyan, holding an imperial edict, stormed back to his bedchamber and threw it on the ground.

Just then, Madam Xiqun walked in from outside. Seeing Gao Baoyan's appearance, she couldn't help but ask:

"Your Majesty, what is the matter? Is the war at the front going poorly?"

"What could I possibly want? Why do you need to ask what that Ohno Sou wants?"

Xiqun looked puzzled, but then saw Gao Baoyan sitting on the throne, pointing to the edict on the ground.

"I don't know what got into Da Yeshuang, but after returning to Luoyang, he sent an envoy to scold me, saying that I did not cultivate virtue, did not rectify officialdom, and was corrupt in my management, and that I was ashamed of the country and the people. He belittled me to the point of being worthless."

Upon hearing this, Lady Xiqun took a few steps forward, picked up the imperial edict from the ground, glanced at it, and said:
"It was written by the King of Qin himself."

Gao Baoyan listened with some doubt and asked:

How did you know?

"I have heard a little about the King of Qin's handwriting."

Xiqun realized he had misspoke, so he laughed it off and brushed it off.

"Your Majesty, the King of Qin personally wrote this edict. Is there any deeper meaning behind it?"

"How would I know!"

Gao Baoyan said angrily:
"He seized my Liaodong; anyone who didn't know better would think he had suffered some great injustice."

……

Before Gao Baoyan could finish speaking, another announcement came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, a report has arrived from the front lines: another envoy from the King of Qin has come to the Central Plains!"

Gao Baoyan completely erupted.

What is he going to do?!

……

(End of this chapter)