Zhuo Zifang exclaimed in shock, "They are determined to publicly execute this person, which means he absolutely holds information that makes them lose sleep! Will the Grand Tutor personally intervene?"
San Quan replied, "No, it will be the Grand Tutor's disciple, the son of the Minister of War, Dugu Xiao, who will convey the message! It is said that the nephew of the Minister of Revenue, Ouyang Sheng, will also be there!"
Zhuo Zifang frowned and immediately rushed to the yamen.
"This Dugu Xiao, in the end, is unworthy of his reputation as the foremost talent in the capital. As for Ouyang Sheng, he is but a mere youth, all show and no substance. Protect Nie Yuan, and we will settle matters once Liang Xiao arrives; he has the Emperor's Sword and Edict!"
Chen Shaoling entered the bridal chamber with Chen Xinyue. Liang Xiao merely offered a congratulatory speech and then went to a side hall to rest.
As the night grew deep and guests departed one by one, the Chen mansion returned to its usual tranquility, leaving behind dozens of messy tables.
Outside the Chen mansion, the group of masked figures still waited in the alley, hoping to infiltrate the Chen mansion under the cover of darkness.
However, after waiting for a full hour, the Chen mansion remained bustling, with guards patrolling back and forth.
"After I left the Chen mansion, I found their security to be exceptionally tight, even more so than before. It seems they still take Liang Xiao's safety seriously!" the leader of the masked figures said in a grim voice.
The masked figures also showed signs of anxiety.
"Leader, the back gate of the Chen mansion has very few guards. According to scout reports, Liang Xiao's side hall is also near the back gate!"
The leader rejoiced and immediately led his men around the Chen mansion, observing the back gate. Indeed, there were only two guards.
The two guards patrolled the surroundings a few times before closing the back gate.
After a quarter of an hour, a sharp arrow shot from a distance, lodging itself in a branch five zhang in front of the masked figures.
"They're here!"
The leader retrieved the letter tied to the arrow and opened it. He nodded slightly, "It's confirmed, there's no one in the backyard! We can take them by surprise!"
The group acted in unison, scaling the high backyard wall with grappling hooks and iron hands. They poked their heads over to observe the situation and saw Liang Xiao sitting alone in the courtyard, resting.
"A pincer movement, the opportunity has arrived!" the masked men rejoiced.
So, the group of masked men circled around again, climbing the wall near where Liang Xiao was, and discovered him practicing calligraphy.
"Attack!"
The leader of the masked men whispered his command. Everyone scaled the wall and charged towards Liang Xiao, simultaneously unsheathing their crossbows!
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Ten crossbow bolts shot towards Liang Xiao, whistling through the air!
At the critical moment, Liang Xiao kicked over the large round table in front of him, blocking the ten crossbow bolts.
The ten masked figures looked closely and realized that the tabletop of the round table was covered with a thick layer of iron!
"Kill him!" the leader, enraged, could only fight with all his might. The ten men charged towards Liang Xiao simultaneously.
Just then, a wire mesh descended from the sky, covering the ten masked figures.
Before the masked men could cut through the wire, a large number of Tianshan chivalrous warriors, armed with crossbows and swords, rushed out from the room behind Liang Xiao, exuding an imposing aura!
The masked men then realized they had fallen into Liang Xiao's encirclement long ago!
How did he discover us and predict we would come to the backyard?
With their hearts filled with questions, these masked men, facing the crossbow bolts of the Tianshan chivalrous warriors, had to consider a way to escape.
"Discard your weapons, reveal your faces, and there might still be a sliver of hope."
Liang Xiao's sharp voice echoed in the courtyard, sending a chill through everyone.
The masked men exchanged glances, dropped their weapons, and removed their masks. The leader revealed a familiar, bushy-bearded face.
"Yang Chen?!" Yu Qingchuan and the others exclaimed in shock and anger, "No wonder you left midway!"
This leader was none other than the great hero Yang Chen, who had led the martial arts experts to visit Liang Xiao that day!
And the nine people behind Yang Chen were all martial arts experts whom Liang Xiao had intended to hire!
Liang Xiao frowned, "Isn't it better to be a respected hero? Who instructed you to assassinate me?"
"How did Marquis Anguo determine we would come here?" Yang Chen asked, unwillingly.
"It was your younger brother, Yang Wenfeng," Liang Xiao replied casually, not in a hurry to act.
Yang Chen's expression changed, "My younger brother is also exposed by you?"
"He was the only one in the entire assembly who was absent-minded, his gaze flickering, looking around, even coming to the backyard to find me. Moreover, you left midway, so I had to be vigilant," Liang Xiao replied.
"How could a prominent figure like you care about such minor details..." Yang Chen said incredulously.
Liang Xiao smiled without a word.
Such a ploy might have succeeded against others, but in his eyes, it was no different from a low-level joke!
"I was solely responsible for this matter. Please spare my younger brother, Marquis Anguo!" Yang Chen knelt and begged.
"You still haven't answered my question: who sent you to assassinate me?" Liang Xiao asked coldly.
Before Yang Chen could reply, his companions drew short knives from their chests and lunged at Yang Chen!
The Tianshan chivalrous warriors were quick. They stepped forward to parry the weapons, chopping off one hand of each assailant, and firmly controlled the assassins.
In an instant, all the assassins’ lips bled dark blood, their eyes rolled back, and they died on the spot!
Yu Qingchuan frowned, examined them, and said, "Marquis Anguo, these people may have had specially made poison hidden in their mouths. They bit down and committed suicide!"
"They were all death warriors," Liang Xiao nodded.
Yang Chen sighed, "My parents are controlled by the Nanwang. If you leave Chuzhou alive, my parents will surely die, and we will not escape the Nanwang's pursuit!"
Liang Xiao sneered, "Do you think you can escape unscathed after killing me, and your parents will live?"
Yang Chen fell silent.
"Marquis Anguo, do not lightly believe his one-sided words!" Yu Qingchuan reminded him.
Liang Xiao merely nodded.
Yang Chen lowered his head in shame, "I am willing to die. I only beg Marquis Anguo to spare my younger brother; he was also coerced!"
"Yang Wenfeng is not a qualified assassin. He could have achieved great success. It's a shame," Liang Xiao shook his head helplessly and asked, "Then do you know where your parents are being held?"
"They are at our home. My younger brother and I are both unmarried. They made their move when we were away!" Yang Wenfeng replied.
Liang Xiao immediately said to Yu Qingchuan, "You first take your men to observe Yang Wenfeng's residence. Remember not to alert them."
Yu Qingchuan understood and, with half of the Tianshan chivalrous warriors, hurried away.
Yang Chen was tightly bound and controlled.
Meanwhile, Yang Wenfeng was also bound by the Liang mansion guards.
The chief guard ran back to hand Liang Xiao the recorded confession of Yang Wenfeng.
"The testimonies are consistent, but it's also possible they arranged this as a fallback," Liang Xiao nodded slightly.
Yang Chen dared not breathe, waiting quietly.
Half an hour later, the Tianshan chivalrous warriors returned to the backyard with a pair of elders and the bodies of two death warriors.
"Father! Mother!"
Yang Chen was both surprised and delighted. The strong man shed tears and kowtowed to Liang Xiao, "Since Marquis Anguo has saved my parents, I am willing to die. I implore Marquis Anguo to spare my younger brother; he is truly innocent!"
Yu Qingchuan said, "Marquis Anguo, we asked the neighbors, and they are indeed the parents of these two brothers!"
"Then how did you rescue them?" Liang Xiao asked curiously.
He had only tried it as a long shot, never expecting Yu Qingchuan to actually rescue them!
Yu Qingchuan scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "We observed from afar for a long time and found only two people guarding the elders. So, we pretended that the assassination was successful, lured them out, struck them down in one blow, and were so happy!"
Yang Chen and his parents also looked bewildered.
Liang Xiao pondered.
The enemy was confident that two people could guard the elders, as after all, there were nine death warriors accompanying Yang Chen, and Yang Chen would not seek help from Liang Xiao.
But they had calculated everything except for Liang Xiao's prior vigilance!
Liang Xiao did not untie Yang Chen but said sternly, "I am not saving your parents out of benevolence. Tell me about your accomplices, and I will interrogate Yang Wenfeng in the same way later. If the confessions do not match, you will bear the consequences."