Chapter 452
In the sixth year of Zhaode in the Northern Qi Dynasty, on the seventh day of March, Chen Ba was the emperor before Lingnan.

On March [-]th, Du Kan, who defected from Jiangzhou, was sent to deliver a quilt to the abdicated Xiao Yuanzhao.

Du Kan was ordered to suffocate Xiao Yuanzhao, and received a certificate of honor.

The rest of Xiao Ji's sons were also killed.

When the news of the nephews' death reached Jiankang, Xiao Gang was restless. Compared with Xiao Lun's family living a pampered life in Northern Qi, the fate of Xiao Ji and his son was really bleak.

"Father! Today's civil servants and military generals are vying to flatter Lord Qi. The sky is irreversible. Why don't you follow the example of Jingnan and present a surrender to Luoyang."

Crown Prince Xiao Daqi said dejectedly, obviously Xiao Ji's family was killed by Chen Ba first, which gave him a great shock, and he didn't want such an experience to happen to his family.

Xiao Gang was not surprised or angry at such rebellious words, he said with a wry smile:

"As the father, the son of heaven, he can't even submit the form of surrender. He needs to wait for Luoyang to come and give instructions."

Previously, Wei Can was framed by the courtiers unanimously and expelled from Beijing, which has already taken away Xiao Gang's last fig leaf.

Xiao Daqi pondered for a while, and came up with an idea for his father:

"In that case, why don't you go to the title of emperor first and ask Lord Qi to be canonized as king."

Xiao Gang suddenly changed his expression, and reprimanded him on the spot:
"Being persecuted by others, giving way to the world is justifiable. If you bow your knees and flatter your country in order to survive, how will you face the former emperor under the nine springs!"

Xiao Daqi felt ashamed and couldn't be right.

When Xiao Gang was training his son, an eunuch came to report that Liu Jin, a regular servant on Sanqi, died of illness in the mansion.

It turned out that ever since Liu Zhongli disobeyed the order and his rebellion became apparent, Liu Jin's persuasive persuasion was fruitless, and he became sick from worry, and his body soon collapsed.

Also sent to Miyagi along with Liujin's self-proclaimed before his death, the whole story is full of regrets for his incompetence in teaching and shame for the country.

Xiao Gang wept upon hearing this, and bestowed upon Liu Jin the posthumous honor, personally attending to his funeral.

As for Liu Zhongli, who was presiding over the investigation of the hidden households and properties of the gentry, even when he heard the news of his father's death, he didn't let go of what he was doing and went back to Jiankang to take a look.

On April 26, Liu Zhongli, who learned from Wu Mingche and used force to suppress the resistance of the gentry, sent a memorial to Luoyang, which recorded the results of the investigation in detail.

The memorial is clean and tidy, but full of blood.

Luoyang Palace City, Mingguang Palace.

Gao Cheng closed the imperial edict sent by Liu Zhongli, and said to Wei Xiaokuan:
"It's time, the abbot will act according to the previous arrangement."

Wei Xiaokuan bowed to his orders.

Xiao Liang should have perished a long time ago. If Gao Cheng didn't want to be this villain, he needed to use the name of their Xiao family to deal with the nobles. When the Xiao family brothers were in civil war, he would have been able to annex Jingnan, Jiangzhou, and Jiangdong in one go. .

Following Gao Cheng's determination to annex Jiangdong, countless secret letters were sent from Luoyang to Jiangnan.

"The day has finally come."

Wu Mingche muttered to himself while holding Gao Cheng's secret letter.

At the end of May, rumors began to arise among the people in the south of the Yangtze River, claiming that the world should be home to virtuous people, and the Xiao brothers fought against each other and killed each other, causing the people to suffer from military disasters and be unworthy of being the lord of the world.Now that the Xiao family has lost its morality, there are kings in the north, and everyone should return to righteousness for themselves and the people.

In the beginning, this kind of rumor was only spread in a small area, but later it was found that no one investigated and dealt with it, and it turned out to be a public discussion.

Over the years, the Xiao family's reputation has long been rotten in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River.

The suppressed gentry did not dare to resent Gao Cheng, the mastermind behind it, and abused the Xiao family one after another.

Not to mention ordinary people, Xiao Yan treated the nobles preferentially for 50 years, and the people at the bottom were struggling to survive.

But at least Jiangnan is relatively peaceful, and there are no large-scale riots.

Never thought that once Bodhisattva Xiao died, the four sons would fight each other, the people would be displaced, and the people would be full of grievances.

Now that they can be discussed openly, the resentment of these years seems to have found an outlet, and the finger is unanimously directed at Xiao Gang in Jiankangtai City.

On the third day of June, under pressure, Xiao Gang issued an imperial edict, but he still couldn't stop the crowd.

On the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, all the ministers entered the table one after another, asking Xiao Gang to follow the heavens and go to Luoyang to plead guilty. The first two memorials were Wu Mingche and Liu Zhongli.

The next day, Xiao Gang wept over the ancestral temple, left the Crown Prince Xiao Daqi to supervise the country, and crossed the river with his surrender form.

In the first ten days of July, outside the city of Luoyang in early autumn, Gao Cheng, the leader of the Northern Qi Dynasty, rarely went out of the city to welcome guests.

"Why do you insist on humiliating my father like this?"

Standing beside Gao Cheng, Princess Xiao Miao of Liyang asked with a cold face.

Gao Cheng didn't turn his head back, he still looked ahead and said:
"At least I won't kill him."

Xiao Miaochen was not convinced:
"Such humiliation is no different from killing!"

Only then did Gao Cheng turn sideways and look directly at Xiao Miao, saying:

"Life or death, the choice is in your father's hands. If he values ​​integrity over life and death, he should follow your seventh uncle (Xiao Yi) and sacrifice his life for righteousness; if he is willing to endure humiliation and steal life, he can also learn from your sixth uncle (Xiao Lun). Enjoy his old age in Luoyang, not for you to decide for him."

"I just hope you save some face for your father."

Xiao Miaochun's tone softened.

Gao Cheng said sternly:

"I can keep him only if he is spurned by all the people in Jiangnan. If there are still people who think of him and try to recover, they will really harm your father and brother."

After all, he slowed down again, and comforted:
"Since I made a promise, as long as they don't have any expectations and abide by the law, they should let your father and brother live in Luoyang for the rest of their lives."

While Gao Cheng and Xiao Miao were looking forward to it, Xiao Gang came with his upper body naked, carrying a thorn and leading a sheep.

Although there was an imperial guard outside the city, it was also crowded with Luoyang people, all of whom came to watch the excitement.

In the crowd, Xiao Lun looked at the third brother with white beard and hair and a haggard look, and suddenly laughed at himself to the second son Xiao Que beside him:
"Tell me what we have been arguing about all these years. The seventh brother set himself on fire, the eighth brother was murdered, and I was sent to Luoyang. Now the third brother is going to end up like this."

Xiao Que was silent, yes, the civil war in the Xiao family was actually caused by his father Xiao Lun, but the root of the disaster was planted as early as when his grandfather Xiao Yan was in power, and the blame cannot be entirely blamed on the father alone.

But Xiao Lun sighed again:
"There are eight brothers, now only he and I are left, and we will be neighbors with him in the future, and I don't know if he will still quarrel with me."

The mansion that Gao Cheng arranged for Xiao Gang's family was next door to Xiao Lun, also for the convenience of surveillance.

He even prepared a yard for Yuwentai, but if he wanted to come to Yuwentai, he would definitely not want to be arrested and come to Luoyang.

Naturally, the thorns on Xiao Gang's back couldn't have been carried on his back in Jiankang. This outfit of leading the sheep naked and pleading guilty to the thorns was changed at the post station today.

Enduring the humiliation under countless curious gazes, Xiao Gang led the sheep to Gao Cheng, knelt down on the ground, and offered him a surrender form.

Gao Cheng hurriedly helped Xiao Gang up, untied the thorns on his back for him, and said with emotion:
"Xiao Gong is my father-in-law, why bother to perform such a great gift."

"This ceremony is performed on behalf of the billions of people living in the south of the Yangtze River. Please also ask your Majesty to take the people of the world as your own, regardless of north and south, and caress them with love."

Xiao Gang's words were sincere, as if they came from the heart.

Gao Cheng didn't bother Xiao Gang any more, and he accepted the surrender very neatly.

 There is only a small chapter today, and the red envelopes should be sent out in a few days, and I will notify you in advance.

  
 
(End of this chapter)

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