The Taiji Palace was at its most sweltering. Ice basins were placed at the four corners, the ice slowly melting, the drip-drip-drip of flowing water echoing through the vast hall.
For the first time, Li De fixed his gaze intently on Yaoying, his phoenix eyes slightly upturned, fine wrinkles forming at their corners.
Yaoying sensed his suspicion and wariness, yet her expression remained unchanged.
She knew Li De was a suspicious man and that she shouldn't speak these words to him, but matters had reached this point. She was about to marry far away and had nothing left to fear.
Before leaving, she had to make arrangements for Li Zhongqian and Xie Guifei.
"Father." Yaoying looked directly at the emperor, whose expression was gloomy before the Dragon Throne Desk. "Back then, you formed an alliance with the Xie family, promising that if you achieved greatness, you would share wealth and honor with them. The Xie family exhausted their entire clan's resources to recruit soldiers and buy horses for you, helping you recapture Wei Commandery. They united the great families—the Zheng, Cui, Xue, and Zhao—to support you as Grand General. This is the second account."
Li De remained silent.
Yaoying paused briefly, then said, "My maternal uncle Xie Wuliang is dead. The old, young, women, and children of the Xie family have taken poison and perished. No bloodline of the Xie family remains... the Xie clan elders who allied with you back then are all gone. But my mother is still alive. She is a daughter of the Xie family. My elder brother is a grandson of the Xie family, and I am a granddaughter of the Xie family."
Word by word, she declared, "I, Li Yaoying, as a granddaughter of the Xie family, demand that Li De of Wei Commandery fulfill the promise made back then."
Li De narrowed his eyes, his expression growing even more stern.
Yaoying continued, "Before his death, Uncle instructed my elder brother not to rely on past affections to ask anything of Your Majesty. Because he understood that Your Majesty had long intended to break the agreement. Forcing Your Majesty to honor the promise would only provoke your anger and make life more difficult for my mother and elder brother."
"Uncle was a gentleman. He cared for the world, with a heart to support the state. He always considered the bigger picture, never dwelling on his own gains and losses."
Yaoying halted, her cool gaze resting on Li De's face. "My uncle had a broad and generous heart, but that is no excuse for your breach of faith."
...
Xie Wuliang was skilled at judging character. Back then, after meeting Li De just once, he immediately recognized this down-and-out man as a formidable leader capable of breaking the fragmented pattern of the Central Plains and was willing to form an alliance with the Li family.
But he firmly opposed his younger sister Xie Manyuan marrying Li De.
The main line of the Xie family had few descendants. Xie Wuliang and his sister had relied on each other since childhood. Xie Manyuan had never set foot beyond Jingnan and was naive and innocent. She questioned her elder brother, "If you say Li De is a peerless hero, why won't you allow the clan elders to arrange the marriage? Don't you always lament that our family lacks sons skilled in leading troops and waging war?"
Xie Wuliang replied, "Little sister, Li De is skilled in warfare, strict in governing his army, adept at winning people's hearts, and bold in breaking barriers to promote men of humble origins. I am willing to follow and assist him. He will surely achieve great deeds in the future and become a clear-headed, cautious, and good ruler. However, that does not mean he would be a good husband. Besides, our Xie family has been passed down for a hundred years, guarding our region and protecting the people. We are already noble and esteemed to the utmost. There is no need to seek wealth and glory through the status of imperial relatives."
Xie Manyuan anxiously said, "How do you know Li De isn't a good husband? His first wife was of lowly birth and died in the chaos of war. He risked his life to avenge her. Everyone says he is a man who values sentiment and righteousness."
Xie Wuliang shook his head and sighed, "Little sister, you don't understand Li De. His sense of sentiment and righteousness is reserved only for his subordinates and his followers."Xie Manyuan did not understand Xie Wuliang's concerns, believing it was all an excuse for her elder brother to refuse the marriage, and she grew sullen and unhappy.
Seeing that his sister remained unconvinced, Xie Wuliang turned to persuade other clan members: "Li De comes from a powerful family. Since raising his army, he has only trusted those related to the Li family by marriage or generals of humble origins, while remaining wary of established noble families. If the Xie family assists him, we may attain great glory, but if we seek to advance further through marriage ties, it will only bring disaster."
"Second Sister can marry Li De's younger brother, or Li De's nephew—but she must not marry Li De himself!"
"Agreeing to marry Li De is like snatching chestnuts from the fire!"
The Xie clan members thought Xie Wuliang was being overly anxious. Since Li De had actively sought the marriage, how could it bring disaster? They insisted on forming an alliance with the Li family through marriage.
Xie Manyuan, young and in love, was infatuated with Li De. She refused to eat or drink, wasting away until she was barely recognizable.
The Li family repeatedly approached Xie Wuliang, swearing oaths that if Xie Manyuan married into their family, she would be treated with utmost respect and never suffer the slightest grievance.
Xie Wuliang had only this one sister and could not bear to see her weeping day after day. Seeing the Li family's sincerity, he reluctantly agreed to let his sister marry into the family.
"Very well, as long as I am alive, I will protect you."
On the wedding day, Tang Shi and her son Li Xuanzhen suddenly appeared at the banquet. Xie Manyuan was stunned and did not know how to react.
Xie Wuliang took his sister aside and sighed deeply, advising her: "Sister, remember this—do not make things difficult for Lady Tang and her son. If you trouble them, Li De will not distance himself from you immediately, but he will remember every single incident until the day he can no longer endure it."
Xie Manyuan, her heart in turmoil, heeded her brother's advice. Although she occasionally quarreled with Tang Shi in the inner household, she never harmed the mother and son.
No one expected that Tang Shi would set herself on fire while pregnant.
After her death, Li De's hair turned white overnight, and he completely neglected Xie Manyuan.
Xie Manyuan's heart grew cold and disillusioned.
Xie Wuliang sought out his sister again, patiently advising her over and over: "Sister, do not mention the past alliance to the General. Remember, not a single word!"
Three years later, the frail and sickly Xie Wuliang, despite his weak health, defended Jingnan to the last.
When the city fell, he ordered his subordinates to behead him and offer his head to the enemy.
"Tell Second Sister not to grieve for me. A son of the Xie family should die this way!"
"Second Sister, your elder brother can no longer protect you. Take good care of yourself, take care of Hunu and Qiniang. Do not let Hunu pursue a military career, and do not mention the alliance to Li De."
"Your elder brother is leaving."
...
Eleven years have passed since the fall of the Xie family.
Yaoying understood why Xie Wuliang left such final words.
Because he knew Li De well.
With Tang Shi dead, the alliance between the Li and Xie families became a death warrant for Xie Guifei. Only by avoiding mention of it could the mother and her two children preserve their lives.
Xie Guifei did not speak of it, Li Zhongqian did not speak of it, and Li De would not reopen his own wounds.
It seemed they had all forgotten the promises of the past.
The Xie family's former allies and relatives at court, aware of Li De's sensitivities, tacitly avoided mentioning the Xie family.
Everyone had forgotten the Xie family.
Forgotten the generations of Xie sons who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield.
Forgotten the heroic souls buried in distant lands.
Forgotten the overgrown graves in the Xie family ancestral cemetery in Jingnan.
Forgotten Xie Wuliang, who, despite being frail and sickly since childhood, had exhausted himself working to stabilize the troubled world and traveled tirelessly for the cause.Yaoying had not forgotten.
Not only because she was a granddaughter of the Xie family, but also because she was born and raised in an era of chaos. At the age of five, she had been displaced and witnessed too many sudden separations of flesh and blood, partings in life and death.
The land lay in ruins, with lamentations rising all around.
Yaoying was also one of those struggling to survive in this turbulent era where human life was as cheap as grass. She admired the Zhu clan of the past who had turned the tide, revered the Xie family whose generations had sacrificed themselves for the nation, facing death unflinchingly, and respected her frail uncle Xie Wuliang, whose determination to restore the empire never wavered.
It was precisely because of the ancestral Zhu clan, the Xie family, and countless heroes who stood resolutely when the nation fell, shedding blood and laying down their lives to protect the people, that peace and stability were achieved, allowing ordinary citizens to live in tranquility.
Some revered the Xie family.
However, more people could not comprehend the Xie family's ancestral teachings. They mocked generation after generation of the Xies for their stubborn loyalty and foolish devotion, laughed at their inability to plan for themselves, knowing only how to lead troops into battle. This was why, after the main lineage and the hundred-thousand strong Xie army had all perished heroically, the family declined, forcing Xie Wuliang, a scion of nobility, to lower himself and associate with merchants, covered in the stench of copper.
Yaoying had once thought that if her uncle Xie Wuliang were still alive, she would urge him to protect himself, to plan more for the Xie family.
Because she was merely an ordinary person who wanted to live peacefully with her loved ones.
Xie Wuliang would not have heeded her advice. He would have simply smiled it off.
The sons of the Xie family were not ones to cling to life at the expense of honor.
To fight for home and country was to die a worthy death.
For the nation, for all living beings, for the common people—but never for themselves.
Such was the Xie family, now completely extinguished.
Like smoke dissipating, like clouds scattering.
Eleven years later, Yaoying stood before Li De in the spacious hall of Liangyi Palace and declared, word by word: "Your Majesty, I am not here as a daughter of the Li family begging for your pity, but as a granddaughter of the Xie family, demanding justice from the monarch to whom the Xies pledged their loyalty!"
"My mother is the last remaining bloodline of the Xie family in this world. My uncle asked for nothing else, only that you treat my mother well. You once swore to care for her, Your Majesty. Have you kept that promise?"
Each word was spoken with blood and tears, firm and resounding.
Li De remained silent, watching Yaoying calmly.
The suanni incense burner continued to emit wisps of light fragrance.
Yaoying, her strength failing, trembled slightly but steadied herself and continued: "The third debt I seek to settle is for my elder brother."
She curled her lips: "Father, back when the Li clansmen supported establishing my brother as heir, Empress Tang contended with my mother over this. I want to ask you one question."
Li De's face remained as dark as water, but the scrutiny in his phoenix eyes gradually faded, replaced by surprise and something else: "What does Qiniang wish to ask?"
Yaoying's expression was calm: "Father, from beginning to end, did you never once truly consider appointing my brother as heir?"
Li De was taken aback, his expression growing even more astonished.
Yaoying sneered: "Just as I thought."
Her face full of scorn: "Father, you are skilled in calculation. From the moment you learned that Empress Tang and your eldest son were still alive, you determined that your eldest son would be your successor. But at that time, you had not yet recovered your strength. You needed to rely on the Xie family. You feared they would harm Empress Tang, so you deliberately neglected her, making my mother believe you cared for her."
This was one of the reasons why Xie Guifei later lost her mind: she had thought Li De had loved her."Later, when Father gained full power and no longer needed to fear the Xie family, you had already secured the support of noble clans. Conflicts constantly arose between the common officials who flocked to you and the established families. Since my elder brother's maternal grandfather was from the Xie family, you deliberately pretended to struggle in choosing between my brother and the eldest prince, using this to lull the noble clans into complacency and maintain balance between them and the common officials."
Every action Li De took was calculated with far-reaching considerations. For the greater good, he could sacrifice everything, even dragging the young Li Zhongqian and adolescent Li Xuanzhen into the muddy waters of the succession dispute.
Yaoying closed her eyes briefly. "How pitiful that my brother always believed Father had genuinely placed high hopes in him. To earn a single word of praise from Father, he studied classics diligently day after day and practiced martial arts relentlessly... Only to discover he had borne an empty reputation all along..."
Li Zhongqian had always believed his rivalry with Li Xuanzhen for the heir position caused Tang Shi's death, leading Li De to resent him and Xie Guifei. In his youth, he sank into despair over this, never realizing it was all part of Li De's scheme!
The machinations of an emperor's heart could be this ruthless.
The previous Zhu dynasty had fallen by the hands of noble clans. Li Xuanzhen had always been wary of these families, never truly trusting them. To suppress their influence, he even made pawns of Tang Shi and Li Xuanzhen himself.
In his entire life, he had only loved one woman - Tang Shi. He loved her, respected her, and also used her.
Even that low-born Rong Fei in the rear palace was merely one of Li De's chess pieces. Most of his consorts came from noble families, and someone like Rong Fei served to maintain balance in the harem.
Yaoying stood before the Dragon Throne Desk, her gaze settling on Li De's graying temples.
"Li De, being your children is the greatest sorrow of this lifetime for me and my brother."
Li De smiled faintly, appearing both self-mocking and indifferent.
Yaoying paid no mind to his reaction. "A ruler may be cold and ruthless, may stop at nothing, may be shameless, may use brutal means to achieve his ends. So long as he can earn the people's trust, maintain lasting stability, and ensure those under his rule are well-fed and clothed, he need not fear being overthrown."
"The previous Zhu dynasty, in its urgency to shake off the noble clans' restraint, attempted to suppress them through bureaucratic reforms, promoting common officials, and vigorously implementing the imperial examination system. Instead, they became puppets of the noble families. The last emperor was a tyrant who intensified conflicts and provoked wars, causing widespread suffering and constant uprisings across the land. But what truly destroyed the Zhu dynasty were the rebelling noble clans."
Had various powerful noble families not risen in rebellion everywhere, how would the last emperor have been forced to flee south, ultimately dying at the hands of treacherous ministers?
Yaoying looked steadily at Li De. "Father, the moment you formed an alliance with the Xie family, you had already planned how to suppress them. Even without Empress Tang, my mother would still have been neglected by you, and my brother was destined never to earn your affection."
Li De set aside his ambiguous smile and remained silent for a long while.
Yaoying met his inscrutable, profound gaze, her own eyes calm as still water. "Your Majesty, how do you intend to repay these debts?"
A brilliant beam of light streamed through the lattice window, falling into the dim hall and enveloping Yaoying.
Like a tranquil night deep and serene, with floating light in misty hues, as if a full tree of pear blossoms bloomed under the melting moonlight.
Between heaven and earth, silver radiance permeated everything.
Li De looked at Yaoying and suddenly remembered someone.
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