Liang Xiao, prepared, smiled and said, "Because I once wandered in the divine realm and was taught and guided by divine beings, who instructed me to protect my home and country."
"Only this explains it!" Zhuo Zifang couldn't help but sigh.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Scholars do not speak of strange spirits and gods, but Liang Xiao's transformation was difficult to explain by common sense.
"At least my young master has fulfilled his duty of protecting the country and has not let down the divine guidance!" Yue Lian said happily.
Everyone agreed deeply.
Liang Xiao merely smiled and affectionately patted Yue Lian's head.
In fact, he was not talking nonsense.
Zhuang Zhou dreaming of butterflies, was it Zhuang Zhou dreaming of butterflies or butterflies dreaming of Zhuang Zhou?
He was truly both Liang Xiao, the second son of the Liang family of Yanzhou, and Liang Xiao, the tragically sacrificed special forces soldier, the same person.
Even he himself could not be sure whether the special forces soldier had accidentally transmigrated to become the second young master Liang, or whether the second young master Liang had accidentally gained the memories of that special forces soldier.
The memories influenced each other; the second young master Liang gained the memories and wisdom of the special forces soldier, while the special forces soldier gained the innate divine power and shamelessness of the second young master Liang…
Each complementing the other!
The crowd did not delve deeper into the matter, and Li Jinyu, whose beloved disciple had been abducted, could only "accept his fate."
Zhuo Xun, confident that Liang Xiao did not resent her for causing trouble, was secretly delighted and acted even more obediently.
Thinking of the roasted duck and side dishes Liang Xiao made, Zhuo Xun's mouth watered.
At least until Liang Xiao took her back to the capital, she was determined to be obedient!
Both the maiden's heart and stomach were captivated by Liang Xiao.
"I shall accompany Xiu Yun to arrange the examinations for the scholars of Luzhou!" Zhuo Zifang said, becoming happier as he spoke, and strode away briskly.
In Luzhou city, a group of guards surrounded a black-clothed man with half his face covered, returning to a mansion with a grim expression.
The other half of this man's face was sinister, and killing intent was evident.
"Li Jinyu, that old bastard, brought me to this state, and he still dares to show his face?" the black-clothed man gritted his teeth.
This man was none other than Gongyang Qiu, the former prefect of Luzhou!
Due to embezzlement, indiscriminate killing, and colluding with bandits, Gongyang Qiu was later apprehended by Imperial Guards sent by the court and sent to the capital for sentencing.
Even though he narrowly escaped death, he was flogged one hundred times and branded with ink!
This was a corporal punishment that had not been used in the Great Gan Dynasty for a hundred years, a complete humiliation!
And the one who exposed him, Gongyang Qiu, was the female painter Li Jinyu. This incident had caused a sensation throughout the country!
The Gongyang clan, which had once held sway in court, was forced to withdraw from the central government and return to Jiangnan due to this incident.
"That woman comes from the Li family of Jinling and has been too well protected; otherwise, she would have been ground to dust long ago!" a guard said coldly.
Gongyang Qiu calmed down and sighed, "This is now her nephew Li Xiuyun's territory, and it's guarded by Old Ghost Gongsun's troops. Assassination here is likely impossible. Go, immediately inform those desperate fellows that once the soldiers are sufficient, they are to prepare to strike at any time!"
"All useless!"
Less than a quarter of an hour after sitting down, Gongyang Qiu tore up all the intelligence on the table.
"You can't even get detailed information within Luzhou city now?"
Facing Gongyang Qiu's questioning, the guard trembled and said, "Y-Young Master! It's not that we are incompetent, but those officials we planted in Luzhou have all been replaced by Li Xiuyun!"
"How were they replaced?" Gongyang Qiu asked, his face dark.
"It is said that Marquis Dingguo, Gongsun Ye, and Zhuo Zifang jointly submitted a memorial to the Emperor, and later Marquis Anguo, Liang Xiao, also made a similar suggestion, stating that Li Xiuyun should be given sufficient power and space to display his talents, thereby showing the students of Jiangnan the Emperor's appreciation for talent…"
"Beast!" Gongyang Qiu slapped the guard and roared, "Regardless of the cost, find out the city's defenses immediately! I want to ensure there are no mistakes and have Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang buried here! As for me, I will personally humiliate Li Jinyu to death, and then grind her to dust!"
Outside Luzhou city, on a place called Bai Niu Mountain, bandits had been rampant recently, and a large number of them had gathered here, numbering over ten thousand.
The bandit leader of Bai Niu Mountain, Lu Ma'er, who was nine feet tall and had a powerful physique, was currently examining a chest of gold and silver placed on the ground with several of his lieutenants.
"Great Leader! This is a deposit of thirty thousand taels. That lord asked us to have some of our brothers wear the distinctive armor and clothing of their Great Heng Kingdom. They will give another seventy thousand taels, and there will be generous rewards once the uprising in Luzhou is successful!" one of the lieutenants said excitedly.
Lu Ma'er chuckled, "What about the other mountain strongholds?"
"We don't know yet, perhaps they've also been bought over by the remnants of the Great Heng Kingdom!"
Lu Ma'er pondered for a moment and nodded, "We have a just cause. If the Great Heng Kingdom is restored one day, we might even get to be generals!"
"Great Leader, are they perhaps using us?" another lieutenant asked worriedly.
Lu Ma'er laughed heartily, "What is this about using or not using? It's just wearing clothes. We are all targets to be wiped out by the imperial court anyway, so whose clothes do we wear? Don't you want free money? Besides, if we storm Luzhou city, we can have any women we want and take any money we please. Isn't that good?"
"The Great Leader's lesson is well taken!"
Other more distant mountain strongholds also received corresponding gold and silver.
In a secret chamber, Zuo Wushang smiled and said, "Hongjie, things are going smoother than you expected. We've only spent twenty thousand taels as a deposit!"
If the "insurgents" failed, they would have only spent twenty thousand taels. If they succeeded, they would pay the remaining thirty thousand taels.
Hongjie gazed at the candlelight, pondering. After a moment, he said, "Marshal, send more people to gather information. If the rebels gathered by the Huichun Sect do not exceed three hundred thousand, we will have our other compatriots leave Luzhou and go to Jinling!"
Zuo Wushang nodded thoughtfully.
"Why?" Hong Qu asked, perplexed.
Zuo Wushang's tone was serious as he explained, "The Huichun Sect has always liked to bluff. The city walls of Luzhou are strong, and the defenders are battle-hardened elites. Even with fewer men, it would be impossible to take it without at least sixty thousand troops. However, exaggerating the numbers is not necessarily good… If Yan Jun's reported numbers are less than three hundred thousand, it means the rebel force is less than sixty thousand, and they won't be able to easily take Luzhou. Then, both sides will likely engage in street fighting!"
Hong Qu suddenly understood, "Marshal and my younger brother are indeed thoughtful. Our compatriots must avoid being caught in the crossfire! But what about the princess?"
"I will observe personally, and Hongjie and I will work together, one openly and one secretly, to seize this opportunity to take the princess away!" Zuo Wushang gritted his teeth.
Hongjie took out the medicine box handed to him by Zuo Wushang from his sleeve and examined it, "Xuanming powder. Perhaps it can be used on Liang Xiao in the chaos."
Zuo Wushang nodded, "Then we'll kidnap Liang Xiao too! But it still depends on how cautious Liang Xiao is. You might not be able to get close to him. Moreover, you cannot appear in Luzhou coincidentally as the master of Yunxiu Zhai, as that would arouse his suspicion. Change your appearance first. Remember, do not harm innocent people indiscriminately until absolute success is ensured. Leave some room for maneuver, lest Liang Xiao take drastic measures against our compatriots."
An hour later, Yan Jun, with a cold expression, stared at Hong Qu and Hong Jie, "What is the meaning of asking me how many troops I can rally? Last time in Yanzhou, some of our disciples were harmed. Someone must have leaked information. Could it be that your Great Heng Kingdom intends to surrender and betray us?"