Liang Xiao suddenly remembered something, and said with embarrassment, "If my father-in-law comes tomorrow..."
Jian Qinwan quickly replied, "My father is naturally open-minded and won't bother with such trivial matters. You just focus on your official duties. At worst, he can wait for you. Consider it my punishment for him! Hmph~"
The thought of her father proudly "leaking secrets" to Liu Yunzi filled Jian Qinwan with resentment. As for the little joy in her heart, she would never admit it!
Yu Qingchuan reminded him, "My master dislikes outsiders knowing he is the Sword Saint. Lord An Guo..."
Liang Xiao understood, nodded with a smile, "Understood, I won't reveal his identity."
In fact, he was also eager to meet this father-in-law who had achieved sainthood through his sword!
Because of Jian Qinwan, the Three Saints of Da Gan had been very caring towards him.
After Yu Qingchuan left, Jian Qinwan playfully hit Liang Xiao's lecherous hand, chiding, "Annoying! From now on, you're only allowed to do this in our room..."
Their room?
Liang Xiao laughed heartily, realizing that this female Bodhisattva had completely gotten used to sleeping in the same bed as him.
After Zhuo Zifang returned to his mansion, he found Liang Xiao and reminded him, "Rest well for these two days. Lord Dingguo should arrive the day after tomorrow. I just received a tip from an insider that someone saw the Crown Prince of Nan in a brothel in the city. It seems the King of Nan hasn't left Jinling!"
Liang Xiao sneered, "The hatred between fathers and sons is irreconcilable. It's good that he's staying in Jinling. Perhaps he'll reveal his true colors!"
Zhuo Zifang nodded, "I will also keep an eye out. However, the top priority is to leverage your influence at the Jiangnan Spring Banquet to actively select talent. At least half of the officials in Jiangnan are loyal to the Grand Tutor. Even if they don't have military power, they are a great threat and must be replaced!"
After Zhuo Zifang left, Liang Xiao took out the jade prayer bead from his treasure bag, his gaze sharp.
It was unrealistic to investigate the relationship between the King of Nan and the Huichun Sect in such a short time, but it was not impossible to follow the clues and find this monk!
In the deep of the night, a figure stealthily crept into the monks' camp at Bailong Temple to meet the white-browed monk.
"Greetings, Crown Prince!" the white-browed monk respectfully bowed to the person.
Only then did the newcomer remove his mask.
It was Xiao Feng, the Crown Prince of Nan!
"Master Longyue, how is my second brother's condition?" Xiao Feng asked.
Longyue replied, "Replying to the Crown Prince, the Young Master's left arm cannot be reattached, but his life has been saved..."
One was the Crown Prince, and the other was the Young Master...
Xiao Feng was enraged, "General Tian must be alive! Perhaps only Liang Xiao knows who General Tian truly is. This child is a major threat to my father's plans. If he truly forms an 'Imperial Twin' with General Tian, the threat would be immeasurable. He must be eliminated!"
Longyue nodded, "The Grand Tutor also sent someone to notify me just now, telling me to capture and kill Liang Xiao at all costs, otherwise Jiangnan will never have peace."
Xiao Feng then smiled broadly, "How dare he snatch my Shuang'er and make enemies everywhere! This child deserves to die here! Arrange your men. No matter how many people are sacrificed, my father only wants Liang Xiao dead quickly! Once Liang Xiao is dead, no one will be able to protect the Liang manor. Then we can capture Liang Xiao's family as well, eliminating all future trouble!"
The next morning, Liang Xiao set off with Jian Qinwan.
Considering the special identities of Yue Lian and Zhuo Xun, Liang Xiao left the two girls at the Zhuo manor, with Qin Xin and female soldiers from the Dingguo Marquis's mansion to protect them.
Yu Qingchuan led twenty Tian Shan knights in plain clothes to accompany Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao's carriage soon passed the camp of Bailong Temple. All the monks looked over, either intentionally or unintentionally.
After Liang Xiao's convoy had driven far away, a monk immediately ran back to report to the white-browed monk Longyue, "Liang Xiao has gone out!"
Following the address left by Yun Xiu Zhaizhu, Liang Xiao soon found an old, dilapidated house in the east of the city.
After Yu Qingchuan knocked, Shangguan Jiusi's response came from within, and then the door opened.
Hong Jie and the other two came out and met Liang Xiao, inviting him into the courtyard.
"Your Excellency has truly come as promised..." Hong Jie said in surprise.
This showed that Liang Xiao truly valued him!
But when they realized Yue Lian had not accompanied him, they couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"I am here for the sake of the common people," Liang Xiao said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Hong Jie and the other two were taken aback.
"With Your Excellency in Da Gan, it is truly a great fortune. As for myself, I am practically insignificant," Hong Jie sighed.
"Your Excellency is too modest!" Liang Xiao said seriously, "Da Gan has sixty million registered citizens and soldiers, not counting those without household registration. How can sixty million people be managed by one or two individuals? I know you have no intention of entering officialdom, but if you can provide some good suggestions for the country, it would also be a great merit."
Specialization is key. Liang Xiao's individual strength was ultimately insufficient.
And the identity of this Yun Xiu Zhaizhu, even if it was as he imagined, might not be impossible to recruit, it would just take time.
Having been a spy for so long, Liang Xiao had interacted with too many people. At the very least, he was sure that Yun Xiu Zhaizhu was not inherently bad, unless he was the best actor.
As for Lin'er...
Hong Jie's response interrupted Liang Xiao's thoughts.
"The word 'people' is too heavy, and I truly cannot bear it. But to show my respect for Your Excellency, I can offer a humble attempt."
With that, Hong Jie turned and retrieved several written national policies from the room, handing them to Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao opened them and nodded with joy, "Wonderful!"
These national policies, concerning water conservancy and officialdom in the Jiangnan region, contained unique insights and practical suggestions.
And in Yun Xiu Zhaizhu's previous answer sheet, specific measures for water conservancy were mentioned.
"Compared to Your Excellency's national policies, these are not worth mentioning. You may simply consider and select them," Hong Jie said calmly, his mood even more complicated.
He shouldn't have served Da Gan, but he had to gain Liang Xiao's trust.
Liang Xiao put down Hong Jie's national policies and said, "Let's stop addressing each other as 'Your Excellency'. You call me Liang Xiao, and I call you Yun Xiu, how about it?"
"As you wish," Hong Jie nodded.
Zuo Jing and Shangguan Jiusi, standing by, were overjoyed.
After so much effort and walking on thin ice, they finally found a glimmer of hope for success!
It was at this moment that Shangguan Jiusi completely submitted to Hong Jie.
Compared to those fools who came to deliver themselves to Liang Xiao at every turn, and even the envoys from the Chu Yun Kingdom who brazenly tried to seduce Liang Xiao, Hong Jie was clearly more patient and understood how to truly appeal to Liang Xiao's preferences!
"Yun Xiu, I can see that the reason you are unwilling to take office is not because you wish to be a free spirit," Liang Xiao suddenly said.
The three of them felt their hearts sink.
Then Liang Xiao continued, "You must have very complex thoughts and a past that I will not inquire about. But in fact, I once wanted to quietly live as a rich man."
"Then why did you become an official? I want to hear your true answer, not just some promise to the current emperor," Hong Jie said solemnly.
Liang Xiao slowly stood up, one hand behind his back, gazing into the distance, and sighed, "Because the invasion of the barbarians caused the deaths of countless people in our Yan Prefecture."
Everyone was stunned.
Although the answer seemed irrelevant, the implication was clear!
Liang Xiao looked at the swallow's nest under the eaves and said with a bitter smile, "Look at the swallows."
Everyone followed Liang Xiao's gaze. In the swallow's nest, swallows were feeding their young.
Liang Xiao's tone was unusually sad and heavy, "North of Yan Prefecture city, there were tens of thousands of households living there before. Swallows returning to their nests was a common sight. But this year, the spring swallows returning to Yan Prefecture from the south can only build their nests in the trees."
Everyone was confused by his meaning, but Hong Jie's hands trembled slightly.