Chapter 536: The Lion Opens His Mouth, and the Aristocratic Family Bleeds
Xiao Yan's voice was not loud, and there was no sharpness in his words, but those words made Liang Guangyi's face tremble.
"Although I was young back then, I have witnessed the splendor of the He family, with their mansions lavishly decorated with gold and jade, and their palaces filled with luxurious goods. Even the Liang family wasn't even half as wealthy as the He family back then."
"Everyone knows the He family's heritage, and how prominent it was when my grandfather was alive. We can't let it fall into my hands and become a mere facade, relying on the handouts from Grand Tutor Liang to survive. If that's the case, let it be. Otherwise, when I die in the future, I won't be ashamed to see the He family's ancestors."
“…”
Liang Guangyi's face was stiff.
He wants money, why bother to belittle him for anything? !
His mouth is like poison, yet he still hopes to die peacefully of old age. But he is afraid that he will die on the street one day!
Liang Guangyi felt so angry that his chest was suffocated, but he had to silently comfort himself that he came to seek peace and not to look at Xiao Yan's face.
Before he set out today, he already knew that this trip would be bloody. Don't bother with his words. As long as he can appease this biting "mad dog" and keep the family safe, it doesn't matter if he holds back his anger for a while.
Liang Guangyi forced a smile and said, "Master Xiao, you're joking. How can the Liang family compare to the He family? But as noble families, the other families naturally can't bear to see the He family wither."
He took out a book from his sleeve, placed it on the table and pushed it across the table.
"Back then, we had many misunderstandings with the He family. We were confused for a moment and believed the words of a villain, so we didn't help the He family. But after all, we have been friends for many years, and I can't bear to see the He family's things fall into the hands of others. This old man and the other families will each take some."
"Originally, I wanted to keep it as a souvenir, but now that I know the He family still has bloodlines left, and what happened back then was unjust, I and others are naturally willing to return it."
Seeing Xiao Yan raise his eyebrows with a smile, Cao Dejiang also looked at him.
Liang Guangyi felt a little embarrassed. He knew that what he said was shameless and humiliating, but he couldn't just say that the He family was massacred and they couldn't wait to divide up the He family's belongings. Although the facts were clear to both parties, he still had to put on a fig leaf.
Liang Guangyi didn't meet their gazes, but continued, "Most of these things belonged to the He family back then, and are now returned to their original owners. The others are gifts from me and others to congratulate Governor Xiao on his succession to the title."
Xiao Yan took the booklet and took a look at it, first glancing at the 100,000 gold at the beginning, and then continued reading.
There were indeed quite a few things in that booklet, including porcelain treasures, gold and jade items, ancient paintings and jewelry. Among them was a golden nanmu carving that was passed down from the ancestors of the He family. It had been placed in the study of the head of the He family and was my grandfather's favorite thing back then.
All of these are treasures, and one can indeed see the sincerity of the noble family. Liang Guangyi has indeed come to seek peace.
only……
Xiao Yan slammed the book shut. "Grand Tutor Liang, are you trying to humiliate me?"
Liang Guangyi frowned: "Master Xiao..."
"No one knows better than you how much wealth the He family had back then. The money that flowed through the He family's fingers was enough to support half of the capital. Your families' wealth increased dramatically because of the He family's possessions. And now you think you can get rid of me with just this little thing?"
Xiao Yan threw the booklet onto the table, and it landed on the table with a hint of hostliness.
"One hundred thousand gold... ha!"
Liang Guangyi pursed his lips and said, "One hundred thousand gold is not enough to cover the He family's wealth, but Governor Xiao should understand that after the He family was confiscated, more than half of their wealth was taken away by His Majesty and the Lu family. Although our families took some, it was not the bulk..."
"So what?"
Xiao Yan's face was filled with indifference. "The Lu family was confiscated, and their property was confiscated into the national treasury. I cannot take it. I will ask for your Majesty's share later. Your families are safe now only because I know you were not the mastermind behind the incident and I do not want to start a war. But this does not mean that you are innocent."
Liang Guangyi said anxiously: "This old man has never harmed the He family..."
"Then do you dare to swear on the ancestors of the Liang family and all their descendants that you were unaware when Lu Chongyuan was plotting to murder my grandfather? When the He family was convicted, you and the other families did not add fuel to the flames, but turned a blind eye to the He family's innocence. After the He family was exterminated, you pounced on the thousands of He family corpses like mosquitoes and flies, sucking their blood and marrow?"
Xiao Yan's words made Liang Guangyi's face turn pale.
"You certainly didn't get as much as the Lu family and Emperor An, but after the He family was gone, you knew how much benefit you gained."
"You think you can just settle the matter and get rid of me with this little money? Do you think I'm a beggar?"
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and didn't bother to look at Liang Guangyi anymore.
"Canglang, send Grand Tutor Liang out!"
"Lord Xiao!"
When Canglang came in, Liang Guangyi quickly said, "This old man sincerely wants to make peace with you."
"I don't see any sincerity at all."
Xiao Yan said coldly, "Grand Tutor Liang may have forgotten that it is you who is asking me for help, not me asking you."
"You don't need to use the same tactics you used against Cao Gong and the others to threaten me. I don't care what happens to the court or the Wei Dynasty. You don't need to expect someone who crawled out of a pile of corpses to care about justice."
There was frost on his brow and a terrifying murderous look in his eyes, and the words "crawling out from the pile of dead bodies" made people feel even colder in their hearts.
Liang Guangyi's original belief that Xiao Yan gave in for the sake of the overall situation began to waver. He suddenly remembered that no matter whether Xiao Yan was a member of the He family or..., he had experienced the destruction of his family and witnessed the unjust deaths of his relatives.
He survived a near-death experience, and climbed to his current position step by step by using all means necessary over the years. Even when he was the head of the eunuchs, he was not a good person. Would he really give in for the safety of the Wei court, for those greater righteousness and considerations?
Canglang stood beside Liang Guangyi with a cold face and said, "Master Liang, please come in."
"Lord Xiao!"
Seeing that Xiao Yan really intended to let him leave, and was clearly angry, Liang Guangyi frowned and quickly looked at Cao Dejiang: "Lord Cao."
Cao Dejiang looked unhappy: "Grandmaster Liang, if you want to make peace, you shouldn't keep testing me."
After saying this, he calmed down a bit and looked at Xiao Yan. "Lord Xiao, I know you don't care about the court, but Princess Xiangning, under the guidance of Grand Tutor Rong, has always hoped for peace in the world. She also told me that she hopes to live a stable life with you after the He family is cleared of all charges."
"If the Wei court is unstable, the eggs will fall apart. You certainly don't care about this, but you don't want to take Princess Xiangning with you on this journey. Or do you want the Rong family to follow the He family and be branded as a traitor?"
"You don't need to use Tang Ning to threaten me!" Xiao Yan's face was full of anger.
Cao Dejiang's voice slowed down slightly. "This is not a threat, but a negotiation. I don't want to see you and the noble families fight to the death, the Great Wei Dynasty overthrown, and the people displaced."
Xiao Yan's eyes changed, as if he was hesitant because of Cao Dejiang's words. After a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Those things of the He family that cannot be found do not need to be replaced, but this governor requires 800,000 gold. In addition, each of you must take half of your library and deposit it in Rongsheng Academy. You may keep copies in the mansion."
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