"Young General?" everyone looked at Liang Xiao in confusion.
Liang Xiao's father, Liang Anguo, had indeed been a general in the Great Qian dynasty in his lifetime, bestowed with the title "General Anguo" by the late Emperor, holding a rank of fourth grade.
Liang Xiao's grandfather was even a Left General who had retired to his hometown.
However, the former Liang Xiao was a veritable dandy, so calling him "Young General" felt a bit far-fetched.
Instead, Zhuo Zifang's old eyes lit up: "Liang Xiao, you and Xiu Yun, come with this old man!"
Only then did everyone recall that Zhuo Zifang was an old comrade-in-arms of Liang Qing and a superior to Liang Anguo; he should recognize them.
Liang Xiao left Li Jinyu and the girls behind and followed Zhuo Zifang. They arrived in the courtyard with the others.
They saw an old man dressed in tattered green robes, with disheveled hair and an anxious expression.
"Second Young Master, as per your instructions, if any suspicious individuals seek you, bring them in first..." a guard whispered.
Before Liang Xiao could respond, Zhuo Zifang exclaimed, "Tie Che, it really is you!"
Liang Xiao's expression changed, memories flooding back.
Liang Tieche, one of the former household guards of the Liang Mansion, who had fought alongside Liang Anguo and achieved merit, rising to the rank of Auxiliary General, had also died heroically in the battle of Helan Mountain!
In this world, the children of wealthy families often adopted their master's surname and were even granted names by their master. They could choose whether to revert to their original names after retirement.
Since Zhuo Zifang knew Liang Tieche and bore no ill will towards him, and Liang Tieche's family was being supported by the Liang Mansion, Liang Xiao believed the man's identity.
"Commander Zhuo, I trust you are well..."
Liang Tieche's voice was hoarse. A hint of a smile finally appeared on his gaunt, withered face. He then sized up Liang Xiao, his expression agitated, tears welling up in his eyes.
"You look so much alike!"
Liang Xiao naturally understood that Liang Tieche was referring to how much he resembled his father, Liang Anguo. He quickly said, "Old sir, please go and compose yourself first, and have a good meal."
Liang Tieche nervously scanned his surroundings, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Liang Xiao understood and dismissed the guards, leaving only Chen Shaoling and the others.
Liang Tieche said anxiously, "Luzhou may be taken by the rebels of the Rejuvenation Sect. Have you reinforced the city defenses!"
"The city walls have already been strengthened in advance, and the garrison has been rotated!" Zhuo Zifang nodded solemnly.
Liang Tieche was finally relieved. After bathing, he clasped his hands to Zhuo Zifang, saying, "Please explain on my behalf, Commander Zhuo. This subordinate will report on the current situation later!"
Chen Shaoling took Liang Tieche to wash and eat, while Zhuo Zifang sat down with Liang Xiao to explain Liang Tieche's matter.
"During the Battle of Helan Mountain, your father and his men covered the retreat, but they unexpectedly discovered that there were members of the Rejuvenation Sect lurking among the rebel forces. They even captured a Buddhist bead from the rebel leader! The situation was urgent, so your father ordered Tie Che to break through, carrying the Buddhist bead, General Anguo's military seal, and a seven-character letter stating 'Liang Tieche's words are trustworthy,' to find me and the Cavalry General..."
As he spoke, Zhuo Zifang's expression became sorrowful, and he continued, "The Cavalry General and I ordered people to secretly examine the Buddhist bead and discovered that it was made of a rare jade. It was likely a token given by the mastermind to the rebel leader! At that time, there were many followers of the Rejuvenation Sect in the Jiangnan region who killed monks, occupied temples, and took their place."
"I have kept that Buddhist bead. Tie Che volunteered to investigate Jiangnan, so the Cavalry General included him in the list of the fallen, allowing him to operate in secret and continue investigating the Rejuvenation Sect... This investigation has lasted for ten years! During this time, Tie Che has only visited me and the Cavalry General a few times to report on his progress."
"Rejuvenation Sect?" Liang Xiao's right hand clenched the armrest of his chair tightly.
"Crack!" With a sound, the armrest of the chair was directly snapped by Liang Xiao!
Li Xiu Yun and Zhuo Zifang were startled and quickly urged, "Liang Xiao, calm down first!"
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Calmness is essential. I simply can't believe that the people who caused the deaths of my father and my uncle were not only barbarians but also followers of the Rejuvenation Sect. It was truly fitting to write that book, 'Refuting the Rejuvenation Sect'!"
"You actually wrote it?" Li Xiu Yun exclaimed in surprise.
The book was incisive, thoroughly refuting the perverse theories of the Rejuvenation Sect. The people of Luzhou, influenced by its propaganda, had gradually abandoned their faith in the Rejuvenation Sect!
Liang Xiao nodded and waited for Liang Tieche's news with everyone.
Liang Tieche changed into clean plain clothes and came to the main hall, bowing deeply to Liang Xiao.
"The Young General has not disappointed the General's expectations. Your achievements today are enough to comfort the General's spirit in heaven!"
Liang Xiao helped Liang Tieche up, looked at his weathered face, and invited him to take a seat and have some tea.
He remembered that he was only seven or eight years old back then and had little impression of the Liang Mansion's household guards.
"You were in a hurry to find me, old sir, did you discover any clues?"
Liang Tieche had no appetite for tea. He merely nodded and took out a thumb-sized Buddhist bead from his怀, handing it to Zhuo Zifang.
"Another one!" Zhuo Zifang gasped.
Liang Tieche sighed, "This Buddhist bead was stolen by this subordinate from the room of a black-robed monk while I infiltrated the mansion of Prince Nan, Xiao Chang. However, this monk was actually a follower of the Rejuvenation Sect who had shaved his head and disguised himself..."
Liang Xiao, Zhuo Zifang, and Li Xiu Yun's faces all darkened simultaneously.
Prince Nan, Xiao Chang!
This man was not a direct descendant of the royal family. His ancestor was a clansman of the founding emperor. Because the founding emperor's lineage was sparse, he was enfeoffed with a powerless princedom.
However, the Prince Nan family, seeing the royal family's dwindling numbers and the possibility of extinction, had quietly developed and become immensely wealthy.
Yet, due to pressure from the imperial court and public opinion, the Prince Nan lineage had never dared to raise an army. But they had forged connections with noble clans on a regular basis.
The noble clans in the capital, led by the Dugu family, and those in Jiangnan, led by the Gongyang clan, had frequently been seen exchanging pleasantries with Prince Nan, even marrying into his family, under the pretext of "continuing the royal bloodline."
It was precisely because of this that Liang Xiao could understand why Princess Ningshuang had stooped to sacrificing herself to him, her "Brother Xiao."
The royal family was left with only a brother and sister. If Xiao Qing were to die unexpectedly, and Princess Ningshuang were to have offspring, she could legitimately ascend the throne and become the empress of the Great Qian dynasty, which was permitted by the laws of the Great Qian established by the founding emperor.
If only Princess Ningshuang remained without offspring, it would be quite problematic!
In other countries without Shadow Guards, the noble clans would have certainly supported Prince Nan's ascension to the throne!
Even with Shadow Guards, if the noble clans incited public opinion, the Shadow Guards might not be able to protect Princess Ningshuang.
"So, besides the Rejuvenation Sect, the person who caused my father's death was Prince Nan?" Liang Xiao gritted his teeth, inexplicably smiling.
He had initially only been hostile and wary of Prince Nan, a stranger, because of the little brother and sister, Shuang Zi. But now it was different; there was also a grudge!
Without the betrayal of the rebel army, Liang Xiao's father and uncle might have been able to break through and at most face punishment for the defeat.
If the brothers had not died, Liang Xiao's mother and aunt would not have been overcome with grief and fallen ill, eventually dying of sorrow!
"Young General, please calm down first..." Liang Tieche quickly urged, "Your current achievements are unprecedented. Prince Nan and the Rejuvenation Sect will definitely not let you go. You must not act impulsively! To avenge the General and the soldiers, this subordinate has endured for ten years before finally achieving some results!"
Seeing Liang Xiao smile and nod, Liang Tieche finally relaxed and said, "This subordinate also overheard some news in Prince Nan's mansion. One piece of it is that the Rejuvenation Sect has gathered its followers in the Luzhou area, disguised as bandits to conceal their tracks. In reality, their numbers have exceeded fifty thousand. They are preparing to launch a swift attack on Luzhou within half a month, beheading the Prefect of Luzhou, Li Xiuyun, and then using Luzhou as a stepping stone to incite rebellion throughout the Jiangnan region!"