As Xuanyuan Peng watched the soldiers kneel down and beg for their lives, he immediately thought of Su Renzhong and Mu Wenhai, who had died unjustly, and all the soldiers who had died in these two battles.
He glanced again at Consort Liang and her son, who only now realized their mistake, and finally said in a deep voice: "Grand Tutor Liang and Xuanyuan Zhi have colluded with the enemy, betrayed the country, framed loyal officials, and plotted to usurp the throne. They are to be imprisoned and executed together at noon tomorrow. Consort Liang has failed in her duty to raise her son; she is to be given a white silk noose!"
"emperor!"
"Father!"
Upon hearing Xuan Yuanpeng's pronouncement, Consort Liang and Xuan Yuanzhi immediately cried out in panic.
Xuanyuan Peng, however, seemed to have made up his mind and had no intention of listening to Consort Liang and Xuanyuan Zhi's shouts any longer. He gestured to the Imperial Guards, "Take them to the Heavenly Prison!"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward to escort Consort Liang and Xuanyuan Zhi away, while Grand Tutor Liang departed.
Xuanyuan Zhi was truly terrified. He desperately pushed aside the Imperial Guards and tried to rush up the jade steps, but was stopped by the eunuchs beside him.
"Father, I truly know I was wrong. I don't want to die, please spare my life!"
Not content with pleading with Xuan Yuanpeng, Xuan Yuanzhi then lunged at Xuan Yuanzhan: "Xuan Yuanzhan, it's all my fault. I framed you. I deliberately created the Northern Rong war to delay your return to the capital. It's all my fault. Please, be magnanimous, for the sake of our shared roots and the fact that we grew up together, please plead with my father for me. I will never compete with you for anything again. If you want the throne, you can have it. The Eastern Chu throne is yours now, and no one will compete with you anymore. As long as I can live, I don't want anything else!"
Xuan Yuanzhan frowned as he looked at Xuan Yuanzhi, his face also filled with disappointment: "The three of you have bullied me since childhood. I went from being powerless to fighting back to eventually beating you until you were howling in pain. But no matter how you schemed against me, I never really held a grudge against you. Even when the three of you fought together, I never killed you, simply because I thought of our shared bloodline and the Emperor's sake, and I always showed mercy. But what about you? When you sent the Imperial Guards to the North to kill me, did you ever consider our blood ties? When you accused me of treason, did you remember that we were brothers? When our armies clashed, did you ever think of the bond we shared growing up together!"
Xuanyuan Zhan ripped open his robe: "You can scheme against me like this, but the worst thing you could do was plot to betray the enemy. Do you know how many soldiers of Eastern Chu will die in a single battle, and how many civilians will be displaced and left with nowhere to live? You actually plotted all this for your own selfish desires and for the so-called struggle for imperial power! Not only do you not deserve to be a prince of Eastern Chu, but you are not even as good as an ordinary citizen!"
Xuan Yuanzhi was thoroughly scolded by Xuan Yuanzhan. He knelt on the ground, sobbing and crying, "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!"
He was wrong, he was really wrong!
He shouldn't have done that; he must have been bewitched to do such a ridiculous thing.
Seeing Xuan Yuanzhi weeping and full of regret, Xuan Yuanzhan frowned and turned to Xuan Yuanpeng: "Although Xuan Yuanzhi has done many wrong things, it is difficult to make up for his sins by letting him die like this. It would be better to exile him to the North and send him to dig canals and plant trees for the North. This can be considered as the North atoning for the sins of Dong Chu!"
When Xuan Yuanzhan said this, everyone was stunned.
Xuanyuan Peng, Xuanyuan Duo, Xuanyuan Zhi, Liang Fei, Su Xuening, and the others all turned to look at Xuanyuan Zhan.
The officials were also shocked. No one expected that the Holy King, who had just berated the Second Prince, would now plead for him.
Although it was exile to the north, it was still much better than being beheaded.
Xuan Yuanzhi looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected that Xuan Yuanzhan would actually plead for him and be willing to give him a way out.
Even his father, the Emperor, was about to execute him, but Xuanyuan Zhan pleaded for his life.
This wasn't acting; he genuinely wanted to spare his life!
It wasn't until Xuan Yuanzhan gave him a wink that Xuan Yuanzhi finally came to his senses. He couldn't care less about being stunned anymore and immediately kowtowed to Xuan Yuanpeng while crying: "Father, I am willing to go to the North to dig canals and plant trees. I will definitely go to the North to reform it properly. Please give me one last chance, Father."
Xuanyuan Peng raised an eyebrow slightly and stole a glance at Su Xuening.
Although Su Xuening did not want to let Xuan Yuanzhi off so easily, since Xuan Yuanzhan had spoken, she could not say anything more.
Anyway, Xuan Yuanzhi will be badly injured even if he doesn't die. Since Xuan Yuanzhan wants to spare his life, then let him live!
Seeing that Su Xuening did not object further, Xuan Yuanpeng silently breathed a sigh of relief: "Then let's do as the Holy King says. Xuan Yuanzhi will be removed from the family genealogy, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the north to dig irrigation canals and plant trees to atone for his sins of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country!"
Upon hearing the revised verdict, Xuan Yuanzhi was once again moved to tears and immediately kowtowed to Xuan Yuanpeng, saying, "Thank you, Father!"
After kowtowing, Xuan Yuanzhi turned to Xuan Yuanzhan and said, "Thank you!"
Xuanyuan Zhan frowned as he looked at him, and sighed silently: "Let's postpone the exile to the north for a few days."
He didn't have many days left, and he probably hoped that Xuanyuan Zhi could stay in Kyoto to see him off on his final journey.
Xuanyuan Peng and Xuanyuan Zhi both understood Xuanyuan Zhan's meaning, and the atmosphere suddenly became sorrowful again.
"Granted!" Xuan Yuanpeng then looked at Grand Tutor Liang and Consort Liang: "The original sentences for the rest remain unchanged. Drag them all away!"
The Imperial Guards seized Grand Tutor Liang, Consort Liang, and Xuanyuan Zhi, intending to drag them away.
With Xuanyuan Zhi spared the death penalty, Consort Liang was finally relieved; whether she herself lived or died was no longer important.
Grand Tutor Liang finally raised his head and looked at Xuan Yuanpeng pleadingly: "My family was unaware of what I did. I beg Your Majesty to spare their lives for the sake of our teacher-student relationship."
Xuanyuan Peng refused and gave the Imperial Guards a meaningful look.
The Imperial Guards immediately dragged the man away.
After Xuan Yuanzhi and the others were taken away, Xuan Yuanpeng looked at Xuan Yuanduo.
Xuanyuan Duo was instantly terrified. Before Xuanyuan Peng could ask any questions, Xuanyuan Duo confessed his guilt: "Your subject deserves to die. I followed the second and third princes to obstruct the Holy King's return to the capital! I even falsely accused the Holy King of treason. Your subject is guilty!"
Xuanyuan Peng looked at Xuanyuan Duo helplessly and said disappointedly, "Boss, are you confused!"
Of the three sons, the eldest was the most useless and the least noticeable.
He had never paid any attention to him before, nor had he disciplined him much, which led him to join the second and third brothers in their corrupt ways!
Xuanyuan Duo kowtowed to Xuanyuan Peng in shame: "It was your foolishness that I failed to live up to your teachings, Father. Please punish me!"
"It is the father's fault if his son is not taught well." Xuanyuan Peng also knew that he himself had an inescapable responsibility for the many wrongdoings his three sons had committed. He sighed and said, "Then let them be demoted to commoners."
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