At the critical moment, Nie Yuan somersaulted and rolled behind the bed, narrowly dodging six flying darts!
The six men, seeing their darts miss, did not panic. Instead, they immediately drew their precious sabers from their waists and cut through the iron chains of the prison door, intending to force their way in and assassinate him.
The three prison guards in the distance finally snapped back to attention, shouting, "How dare you!"
The prison door was pushed open. As the six assassins were about to charge in, the prison guard who had been silently standing by the door suddenly drew his saber and decapitated one of them with a single stroke!
The remaining five were finally shocked and lost their color, hastily engaging in combat. In a flash, they were all cut down by this prison guard!
"Damn it, they really dared to try an assassination?"
The prison guard, cursing under his breath, removed his cap, revealing a head of white hair and a stern face, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.
It was General Shi Liuyun of the Great Gan Kingdom's Army Against Rebellion!
Nie Yuan then put down the iron bar he had casually picked up and sat back on the bed, laughing heartily, "Good, good. General Shi Liuyun himself is here to protect me. What great honor!"
Shi Liuyun instructed the prison guards to properly secure the cell. After the guards had moved away, he chuckled, "What does this tell you? The leader whose true face you saw is a big fish. They absolutely cannot let you identify him. Even if he denies it to his death, it won't matter, but they will suffer losses!"
"He was a scholarly man, just a bit ordinary in appearance," Nie Yuan said.
"It is the Marquis who is vigilant, having predicted that the enemy would resort to such a tactic!" Shi Liuyun said with pride.
Nie Yuan looked dejected, "Could you not have left even one alive to ask about the mastermind?"
"Anyone who dares to assassinate you here is definitely a death warrior who will commit suicide by poison whether they succeed or fail. What's the point of keeping them alive?" Shi Liuyun said helplessly.
Nie Yuan laughed heartily, "Then I must not let them have their way!"
Shi Liuyun advised, "Take good care of yourself. Once your name is cleared, go and seek refuge with the Marquis of An Guo. He is a favored official of His Majesty and can protect you, and will certainly provide you with opportunities to fulfill your ambitions!"
Nie Yuan nodded, a look of anticipation on his face, "I have also heard of the deeds of this Marquis of An Guo. Let's wait until my innocence is proven. The Gongyang clan is powerful, and this place is far from the capital. I fear I may spend the rest of my life in prison."
Meanwhile, Liang Xiao, who was staying at the Zhuo family's residence, received the news of Nie Yuan's assassination attempt and was surprised.
Zhuo Zifang quickly explained, "The enemy was unsuccessful. The Marquis of Dingguo had the prison environment modified in advance, and with the protection of the General Against Rebellion in secret, there was no risk!"
Liang Xiao was relieved. "I hope Nie Yuan can still remember the enemy's appearance and that the Fairy Painter can teach him to draw people sooner."
Zhuo Zifang's old face flushed, and he said in a low voice, "Put in a good word for me, don't let her always be so angry."
Liang Xiao couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Are you treating me as an emotional mediator?"
Zhuo Zifang smiled wryly, "I have failed her too much in this life. My wife also hopes that I can give her a proper status, but she definitely doesn't care about that..."
"We'll see. In fact, this matter might not require my intervention. It will happen naturally. If she had no feelings for you, she wouldn't have followed us to your home," Liang Xiao said nonchalantly.
Zhuo Zifang was relieved and said no more.
If Li Jinyu had been willing to make a scene, he, a great scholar, would not have been ruined but at least would have been stained. However, Li Jinyu did not do so. Instead, after a period of despair, she quietly left, disappearing from his life forever!
Now, Zhuo Zifang treated Liang Xiao as an equal, not as a grandson, and did not expect Liang Xiao to address him differently even after marrying Zhuo Xun.
The old man and the young man had many similarities. Liang Xiao was overtly charming, while he was subtly so.
"Father, your daughter met a person named Lü Changhe by the Qinhuai River a few days ago. This person not only betrayed Sister Qingyi but also spoke boastfully, claiming to be the number one scholar in the Northern Territory!"
At night, in the He family mansion, the old prefect He Jingyun, after a day's hard work, encountered his daughter He Qiushui coming to complain as soon as he returned home.
He Jingyun was surprised. "Lü Changhe? I met him once before. He was a straightforward young man, how did he become like this? He is the eldest son of the General of Cavalry!"
"Huh? Could it be that this person is impersonating someone else, trying to frame someone?" He Qiushui was shocked and angry. "Sister Qingyi refuses to say anything and forbids us from looking for him again. Perhaps Sister Qingyi has already been defiled and threatened by him! It's all that shameless scoundrel's fault!"
"Defiled?"
He Jingyun was startled and quickly said, "He claims to be the number one scholar in the Northern Territory, so he might appear at the Jiangnan Spring Banquet. I will help you see what kind of monster this person is then."
"Beat him up! Beat him to death! Preferably exile him to the border to do hard labor, to avenge Sister Qingyi!" He Qiushui said haughtily.
Gu Pingting, who was also indignant, smiled gleefully. "However, Qiushui, you should also pay attention to your image. Don't get too excited then. I heard that the Marquis of An Guo has already arrived in Chuzhou and might also appear at the Jiangnan Spring Banquet. It wouldn't be good for him to see you angry."
"I am filled with righteous indignation! If the Marquis of An Guo is present, he will also uphold justice and severely punish such a shameless rogue!" He Qiushui snorted.
"What, isn't he supposed to be the Ghost King Liang Xiao? Why the sudden change of attitude?" He Jingyun teased.
"It was just Zhuo Xun's farce, it's already been clarified..." Both of them blushed simultaneously.
Seeing their nervousness, He Jingyun shook his head helplessly. "As for the Marquis of An Guo, it's fine to admire him, but don't think too much about it. The women around him are either princesses or zither immortals, and he comes from a military family..."
The two nodded dejectedly and said in unison, "Oh!"
In the Northern Territory military camp, Lü Yi held the first letter from home and frowned. "Changhe, news from home says many people in Jiangnan have been calling you thick-skinned lately."
Since the subsequent letters had not yet arrived, Lü Yi had only received the firsthand information about Liang Xiao impersonating Lü Changhe in Luzhou.
Lü Changhe was taken aback. "What? Have they finally discovered my shining qualities?"
Lü Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Are you sick?"
In Jiangnan, within the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Dugu Xiao and Ouyang Sheng, who had been missing for a long time, gathered there, their faces filled with anger.
A red-robed old man sat on the main seat, his gaze sharp and imposing.
It was Grand Tutor Gongyang He!
Out of consideration for Ouyang Ji and Ouyang Hong, Gongyang He accepted Ouyang Sheng as his disciple and sent a memorial to the capital to intercede for him.
Xiao Qing did not revoke the punishment for Ouyang Sheng but temporarily shelved his memorial, allowing the punishment to remain in effect. This greatly displeased Gongyang He.
In the past, even the late emperor would have hesitated to disregard his words!
Gongyang He looked at the intelligence on the table and sneered, "That Liang Xiao has probably already reached Jinling, and might even be colluding with Zhuo Zifang. That Fairy Painter might have also sought refuge with Liang Xiao for protection. Killing her would be as difficult as reaching the heavens."
As Ouyang Sheng and Dugu Xiao were about to respond, a death warrior from outside reported, "Master, that esteemed person has come to visit!"