[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan":3,"chapter-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-34":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Memoirs of the Heavenly Khagan",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2311752,4516,"Chapter 34: Is It My Fault That I","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>Si Prefecture City, Inspector’s Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao was escorted by Wei Qingbin’s men and forced to kneel in the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Er Zhu Zhao, do you know your crimes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these past days, Wei Qingbin had interrogated each member of the Er Zhu clan, convicting some and punishing others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao was the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just killed a few people, took a few women, seized a few acres of land, burned a few houses—they were all lowly peasants, what’s the big deal? Fine me some money if you must!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the northern frontier, martial spirit prevailed; all Hu tribes retained the barbaric customs from their southern invasion days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such customs were precisely what Han-influenced Xianbei like Wei Qingbin despised most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You barbarians are beyond redemption. I won’t waste words on this little beast. Yao He, you handle the case!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Vice Secretary Yao He, still with a cold face, accepted the task, took the ledger, and flipped to Er Zhu Zhao’s page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he flipped another dozen pages forward, his head aching from the reading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, your crimes are far more than mere fines can settle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared at Yao He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you implying? Trying to frame me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao He gave no reply, merely recited the charges from the ledger, one by one, emotionless and mechanical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, you secretly withheld imperial grain and coin, dismantled border fortresses without authorization, destroyed official records, concealed population, illegally purchased banned crossbows, and covertly drove refugees to raid…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Yao He finished, Er Zhu Zhao interrupted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible! I didn’t even know I did any of this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every charge is backed by solid evidence—witnesses and physical proof. No excuses will hold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao lost all his earlier bravado; sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of these crimes alone warranted execution, let alone all of them together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao finally panicked and begged Wei Qingbin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General, I’m innocent! I never committed these heinous acts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If not you, then who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao’s mind raced at these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—it’s Li Shuang! He committed all these crimes and framed me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the name Li Shuang, Wei Qingbin stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all these days, he’d finally found a clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am the witness—I can confront him face to face!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then step aside for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the Inspector’s Mansion, crowds surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of Si Prefecture watched as the convicted Er Zhu clan members stood at the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some wore wooden collars, others were tied to posts, some still received lashes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang stepped down from his carriage and saw from afar the chubby Er Zhu Tianguang limping out, clutching his buttocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Tianguang, you got in trouble too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Tianguang wore a simple, earnest expression, greeted him, then explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are you bruised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General told me to stop associating with my uncles, cousins, and nephews—they’d corrupt even good men. These five lashes were a warning to reform and abandon evil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This old Wei is utterly unreasonable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Tianguang quickly signaled silence, warning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Uncle, watch your tongue—Grand General has a terrible temper!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a personal guard stepped out of the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Li Shuang here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General wants you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Er Zhu Tianguang whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Uncle, be careful—don’t anger him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the hall, Er Zhu Zhao stood to the side, his face filled with hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Shuang had arrived, his heart leapt—but he saw Wei Qingbin’s gaze and suppressed his impulse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang, wait and see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Er Zhu Zhao was puzzled: as soon as Li Shuang entered the hall, Wei Qingbin, upon seeing his face, suddenly stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when Er Zhu Rong arrived, Wei Qingbin showed no courtesy. Yu Tianmu was outright refused entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang was also confused—this old man had been staring at him since he entered, with a lewd expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he have some perverse taste?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is your grandfather?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Qingbin demanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you live? Who is your master? Do you have siblings? Are you married?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang grew impatient and snapped:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you interrogating me or looking for a son-in-law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you speak to Grand General like that!” Er Zhu Zhao leapt out. “Grand General, this stubborn fool won’t confess unless he’s beaten!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Qingbin ignored Er Zhu Zhao entirely, his mind made up, muttering in wonder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No mistake—you’re a descendant of the Longxi Li clan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang stared blankly, baffled by this sudden turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Qingbin, however, looked as if he’d just solved a mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew it! Only a descendant of the King of Liang could have defeated Wolhu, brought order to this remote land, and won the loyalty of the Gao clan of Bohai and the Yang clan of Taishan as subordinates!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For men like Wei Qingbin, there was an internal logic: nobility must be born of noble blood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Liu Yu exterminated the Wang family of Taiyuan, killing over a dozen descendants, only one fourteen-year-old, Wang Huilong, escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Hao, of the Qinghe Cui clan, saw Wang Huilong at once and declared him a true Wang of Taiyuan, a noble bloodline, even arranging for his niece to marry him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later events proved it: though Wang Huilong’s lineage was disputed, he was indeed a genius who terrified the Southern courts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Hao had not been wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao He’s expression changed; he whispered a warning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General, this matter should be postponed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Longxi Li clan—true or false—was a minefield. Wei Qingbin’s bluntness invited scandal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Qingbin continued his murmurs:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since childhood I’ve admired Duke Dunhuang. As an adult, I helped County Marquis Qingyuan build Luoyangcheng. Such bearing, such countenance—only a Li could possess them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Dunhuang Li Bao and County Marquis Qingyuan Li Chong, father and son, were towering figures of the Longxi Li clan; the latter was pivotal in Northern Wei’s sinicization reforms, elevating the Longxi Li to parity with the Four Great Eastern Clans—Cui, Lu, Zheng, Wang—making them the Five Noble Houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Noble blood, even when fallen into the wilds, is no match for barbarians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General, this brat committed all these heinous crimes—aren’t you going to punish him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao’s words enraged Wei Qingbin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you! You commit your own vile deeds and blame others! Take him out and beat him a hundred strokes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang was escorted out of the Inspector’s Mansion with polite courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to Er Zhu Zhao’s agonized screams, Li Shuang shook his head, sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prejudice in men’s hearts is a mountain—no matter how hard you try, you cannot move it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang waved, summoning a nearby attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell Hou Jing: the new Inspector of Si Prefecture won’t need to die in the line of duty for another half-month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>",1149,"2026-06-20T12:30:56.711Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1a578977a383481b97c1da7a4e68e2bd3af57d0b1cc99c2b9d5ebeca97588e2e","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-35","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-33",211,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmemoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-cover.jpg"]