Chapter 780: Chapter 311: Expulsion and Unease, Xia Chuan’s Extreme Measures
"Second Uncle, since Leader Xia is going to marry the fourth, why must we be driven to extinction by the Li Family? Our wives and children, so many clansmen, they are all your descendants, aren’t they? Are we really going to watch them all be executed by the Great Xia? Second Uncle, please plead with him? Or let the fourth plead with him, surely... cough cough..."
Stepping out of the great hall and entering the cell arranged by the Great Xia, Li Xuanyan had just sat down on a chair when he couldn’t help but speak to Li Tiancheng.
His injuries were so severe that speaking so many words at once caused him to lose his breath, and he couldn’t help but cough repeatedly, unable to finish what he wanted to say.
"Sigh..."
Seeing him cough so severely, Li Tiancheng sighed slightly.
Beside him, Li Xuandu looked at Li Xuanyan and said softly, "Elder Brother, don’t you understand what Xia Hong said in the hall? It’s not just the Great Xia that hopes for the downfall of the Li Family, but also the vast majority of people inside Longshan Camp. If the Li Family is not destroyed, he won’t be able to account for it to the people of Great Xia, and will go against the people’s will in Longshan. Whether it’s the fourth or second uncle pleading, it’s useless!"
Despite seeing things clearly, Li Xuandu’s voice still carried a heavy sense of unwillingness, after all, his wife and children were also among those to be executed.
Li Xuanyan still refused to give up, speaking with anger, "Are we really just going to watch my Li Family be annihilated by Xia Hong?"
"Who said he’s going to annihilate us?"
Li Tiancheng suddenly spoke, continuing with a faint expression, "Aren’t you all still alive? Xuantian has a son named Li Hu, and the old man’s grandson Yang Zhong, both of whom made great contributions in the attack on Long Mountain and will definitely be valued by Xia Hong in the future.
We also have Meng Ying, Jiang Ping, Sun Yan, Song Kang, Yue Qian, and others at the Cold Resistance Level, along with a large number of die-hard loyalists from the Earth-digging Realm. With the help of the old man and Xuanling, as leader Lady, there will certainly be a place for the Li Family in Great Xia in the future. When Xuanling gives birth to offspring to inherit the great position, won’t it still have half of Li Family’s bloodline?"
"Li Hu, Yang Zhong, those two traitors..."
"Shut up!"
Li Tiancheng directly interrupted Li Xuanyan, coldly saying, "Things have come to this, with the unification of Longyou by Great Xia already a foregone conclusion, no matter what they did, they can’t erase the Li Family mark on them. Li Hu and Yang Zhong are wise people, they surely understand that if they want a place in Great Xia in the future, they will ultimately rely on us, rely on Xuanling, and as long as this is the case, it will be enough!"
Li Xuanyan opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
Li Xuandu, however, keenly realized that Li Tiancheng did not mention himself and his elder brother, and quietly asked, "Second Uncle, will my elder brother and I be exiled from Longyou, right?"
Li Tiancheng turned to look at this clever third nephew, feeling a mix of appreciation and sadness at the Li Family’s inevitable downfall.
"That’s right, you and Xuanyan, once healed, must leave, and are not allowed to return to Longyou within ten years."
Upon hearing this, Li Xuanyan clenched his fists, his eyes full of hatred;
Li Xuandu, on the other hand, showed little reaction, clearly having anticipated this.
"I guessed as much, sigh..."
Xia Hong eradicated the Li Family and married Li Xuanling, the core reason being to minimize the cost of integrating Long Mountain’s more than ten thousand people into Great Xia.
Eradicating the Li Family conformed to public opinion, simultaneously appeasing those in Long Mountain who opposed Li Family’s rule and preventing the Li Family from rising again; marrying Li Xuanling was to help Meng Ying, Jiang Ping, and other loyalists of the Li Family assimilate more quickly into Great Xia. Li Xuanling, as Lady of the House, would henceforth be their support in Great Xia, instilling a natural sense of belonging.
Given that, to prevent them from nurturing inappropriate thoughts, Xia Hong would not allow him and Li Xuanyan, key figures of the Li Family’s Cold Resistance Level, to remain in Great Xia, let alone Longyou.
Exile from Longyou, not allowed to return within ten years.
It’s not complete annihilation, and that’s acceptable.
"Focus on recovery, don’t overthink it. The old man is already eighty-eight and doesn’t have many years left. From now on in Great Xia, I’ll be there to ensure Xuanling isn’t left without support, and also to protect the bloodline of Xuantian. As for you two outside, whether it’s a blessing or a curse, it all depends on yourselves."
"Second Uncle..."
Li Xuandu and Li Xuanyan looked up at Li Tiancheng, their eyes immediately reddening.
The lifespan at Cold Resistance Level is said to be one hundred, but no one can guarantee it. Their exile from Longyou this time is most likely a final farewell to Li Tiancheng.
.........
While the three of them conversed, in another quiet room on the same floor, Meng Ying, Jiang Ping, and Sun Yan also met with their families.
"Father, Uncle Ping, Uncle Yan!"
"Dear, you’re finally back."
"Thank goodness you’re okay. I’ve been worried sick these past few days."
"Father."
"Father."
......
All three of Meng Ying, Jiang Ping, and Sun Yan are over fifty, naturally with many family members. As soon as they entered, over forty people in the room all stood up in joy and rushed to their sides.
"The Great Xia didn’t give you a hard time?"
Upon entering the room, Meng Ying immediately noticed that his two wives and six children bore no scars, their clothes clean, and the table filled with lots of untouched food, with no signs of confinement.
Not just on his side, but the family members of Jiang Ping and Sun Yan were the same.
Meng Ying’s eldest son, the thirty-two-year-old Meng Tian, stood up. Being the eldest among the three families’ children, he clearly had the most information. He approached his father and said, "Not only did they not give us a hard time, but they were quite good to us. Whatever we needed, they would have someone specifically deliver it, with the only requirement being that we couldn’t leave this room."