Chapter 900 Will he betray the Great Zhou Kingdom in the future?
Xiao Yu turned and entered a narrow alley. Jiang Fenghua was in a carriage, so she didn't follow.
She watched helplessly as Xiao Shang, disguised, followed her into the alley.
She said to Ao Xue, "Have the guards follow him to protect Minister Xiao's safety."
Ao Xue also looked over and saw that Minister Xiao's figure was no longer in their sight. He seemed to know that someone was following him and deliberately walked into the alley.
After walking for a while, Xiao Yu noticed something strange behind him. The faster he walked, the faster the other person walked; the slower he walked, the slower the other person walked. When he turned two streets, he suddenly stopped and hid, and the other person also found a dark place to hide.
Xiao Yu suddenly spoke up: "You must be tired after following me all this way!"
A soft laugh came from the depths of the alley, and a tall figure slowly walked out. "Greetings, Lord Xiao!"
Xiao Yu felt utterly speechless. "Prince Xiao, you've been following me all this way just to say hello, haven't you?!"
Although Xiao Shang had disguised himself, he did not hide his voice. He said, "Of course not. I came to see Lord Xiao because I wanted to catch up with an old friend."
Xiao Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his right hand had already quietly pressed against the hidden weapon at his waist, which was the signal device given to him by the emperor to communicate with his secret guards.
He said, "Your Highness is probably mistaken. I am the Vice Minister of Rites of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I do not know the Crown Prince of the Northern Xiao Kingdom. How can you say that we are old friends?"
Xiao Shang took a step forward. “The Xiao family of the Great Zhou Dynasty was originally a branch of the royal family of my Northern Xiao Kingdom. A hundred years ago, they migrated south due to internal strife. According to seniority, you and I should address each other as cousins.”
Xiao Yu clenched his fist, then suddenly laughed. The laugh didn't reach his eyes, but it made him seem unfathomable. "The story the eldest prince wrote is indeed very interesting, but unfortunately it's a bit outrageous."
Xiao Shang was stunned: "Lord Xiao doesn't believe me? You think I'm making up a story? Aren't you surprised that you share the same surname as me, Xiao? You were originally a prince of the Northern Xiao Kingdom, and your status was originally very noble."
Xiao Yu said calmly, "Prince Xiao probably doesn't know much about the history of the Northern Xiao Kingdom. The Northern Xiao Kingdom has only been established for a hundred years, while my Xiao family's genealogy can be traced back to five hundred years ago. So to be precise, it's not that my Xiao family originated from the royal family of the Northern Xiao Kingdom, but rather that your royal family of the Northern Xiao Kingdom may have my Xiao blood flowing in their veins. Of course, all of this is possible. After all, there are many people with the surname Xiao in the world, and I haven't even counted them. I don't know which branch of the Xiao clan your royal family of the Northern Xiao Kingdom belongs to."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shang felt his pupils suddenly contract, his eyes filled with gloom, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched and twisted as he angrily retorted, "Nonsense!"
Xiao Yu had investigated the history of the Northern Xiao Kingdom. Seeing that he was angry, he continued to add insult to injury: "More than two hundred years ago, the Central Plains were engulfed in war. Among them, a branch of the Xiao family defected to the Central Plains. At that time, only a few dozen people escaped."
Although I don't know the specific connection between the Xiao family and the royal family, if we trace the Xiao family back hundreds of years, they were not surnamed Xiao, but Helian. The Xiao surname was bestowed by the royal family. Some of their ancestors had served as General Zhenbei and were very famous. As for why the Xiao family fell into decline, I guess it was because of the involvement of a collateral branch.
I heard that a branch of the Xiao family later fled to the northern desert and formed a small caravan. That place is extremely cold and harsh. Unexpectedly, after a century, the branch has prospered. It's impossible for them to rejoin the family line; they were long ago expelled from the genealogy. To ensure future generations remember this event, the name of that Xiao family traitor has been copied down to this day. It seems his name was Helian Ming, later changed to Xiao Ming. If he claimed royalty, he should be King Xiao Ming.
Xiao Yu spoke with such conviction that it seemed as if there was really such a thing.
Xiao Shang had never heard of these things before, nor did he know if they were true. Even after he became the King of Beishang and occupied the Central Plains, he still hadn't heard of them. Now that he was speaking about them in such a detailed and convincing manner, he became quite interested.
After he conquered the Central Plains and stormed the palace of the Great Zhou Kingdom, he did indeed consider expanding the genealogy of the Xiao clan and finding members of the Xiao family like Xiao Yu to serve him.
Hearing Xiao Yu keep referring to "collateral branches," he felt increasingly uncomfortable. He said, "If the ancestors of the Northern Xiao Kingdom were members of the Xiao clan who defected from the Central Plains, it would be quite an honor for them to have achieved such a self-established kingdom. The Xiao clan that remained in the Central Plains were mediocre and incompetent."
"Your father is currently only a prefectural governor; compared to the high-ranking officials in Shengjing, the Xiao family should be described as impoverished!"
Xiao Shang thought of Xiao Yu, who had also become a traitor to the Great Zhou Kingdom in his previous life. He sneered, "Minister Xiao, you look down on Prince Xiao Ming in your words. Do you know that one day in the future, you may also become a traitor like him, defect from the Great Zhou Kingdom, and submit to the Northern Xiao Kingdom?"
Xiao Yu frowned, when suddenly a sound of tiles shattering came from the depths of the alley. But at that moment, the two were facing off and neither of them turned around.
Seeing his expression change, Xiao Shang continued, "So the Xiao family's ancestral hall still houses the genealogy of Xiao Ming's lineage. It seems that the Xiao family's ancestors knew about Xiao Ming's future achievements. Haha, with this proof alone, I can make the Xiao family a royal family. I am willing to share future glory and wealth with the Xiao family."
He extended an olive branch, assuming that Xiao Yu had betrayed the Great Zhou Kingdom for wealth and glory.
Xiao Yu disdained the throne of Bei Xiao Kingdom and said, "Doesn't Prince Xiao understand? The Xiao family continues to exist so that future generations will not forget that they were traitors who defected, a disgrace. That's why they were specially preserved."
He said in a deep voice, "The Xiao family has an impeccable reputation. All the descendants of the Xiao family consider themselves subjects of the Great Zhou. There will never be any traitors among the descendants of the Xiao family..."
Before he could finish speaking, the communication weapon in Xiao Yu's hand streaked across the sky like lightning.
A chilling glint flashed in Xiao Shang's eyes. "Minister Xiao, you certainly have a silver tongue. But I wonder what the Emperor of Great Zhou would think if he knew that his trusted general was actually related to the royal family of Northern Xiao, and that the Xiao family's ancestral hall even housed the genealogy of the founders of Northern Xiao? And what about those ministers in your Great Zhou court who see you as a thorn in their side? If they knew your identity, would you still be able to stay in the Great Zhou's officialdom? Your father is a prefect, isn't he? Your Xiao family are known for their incorruptibility, aren't they? If they knew…"
Just then, several arrows shot from the depths of the alley toward Xiao Shang, interrupting his threat.
Xiao Shang glanced at the direction the arrow had come from and sneered, "The arrow was barely shot out and your people have already found us. You've come pretty fast."
He seemed completely unconcerned, glancing discreetly into the shadows. Suddenly, a transparent ice wall appeared before him. Before the guards could get close, he leaped and vanished into the alleyway, leaving only his voice: "Xiao Yu, you will regret this. I just wanted you to think things through in advance, so you wouldn't have to wait until decades later, when you're old and gray, to submit to the Northern Owl Kingdom."
As Xiao Yu watched the ice wall gradually disappear, he felt a sense of unease, wondering what secrets the Northern Owl Kingdom held.
And what did he mean by those words? Will he betray the Great Zhou Kingdom in the future?
What he wanted to protect was Miss Jiang's position as Empress. Without the Great Zhou, how could she be a good Empress? How could he possibly betray the Great Zhou?
Xiao Shang would fabricate anything to achieve his goal.
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