The Crown Prince Xiao Feng was almost beside himself with rage.
Even the Emperor, for the sake of his reputation, would not force them to move out of their homes publicly. Yet Liang Xiao, a man who seemed to disregard all rules, seized every opportunity to push his agenda!
As members of the idle royal family, they dared not openly defy a high-ranking official like Liang Xiao, lest he find fault with them and cause further trouble.
Complaining to the Emperor was also useless. Emperor Xiao Qing would never reprimand Liang Xiao on their behalf.
It was even possible that Xiao Qing himself was behind this scheme!
"Zen Master Longyue!" Xiao Chang roared.
Longyue emerged from behind a screen, his face ashen. "King of the South, summon the Grand Tutor to mobilize the Confucian scholars throughout Jinling to protest. If that proves ineffective, then perhaps it's best to move..."
"Even you can't deal with him?" Xiao Chang looked disappointed.
Longyue sighed. "Throughout my life, I have orchestrated countless schemes, and even clever men like Liang Anguo could not escape my calculations. Only this scoundrel is utterly detestable. He reinforces his carriage with iron plates for protection, even when traveling. We can no longer approach him with conventional wisdom; we need to gather new intelligence and devise a fresh strategy!"
Xiao Chang was also at a loss.
Liang Xiao, this eccentric individual who charged forward aggressively and never gave his opponents a chance, who was unafraid of making enemies, was unprecedented in his experience.
Normally, great figures adhered to certain conventions, like Zhuo Zifang. But Liang Xiao didn't play by those rules!
At this moment, Liang Xiao's enemies did not realize that with the protection of the Liang Mansion guards, the Qingtian Guards, and the formidable Daqian Iron Guards from the northern military camps, Liang Xiao was now capable of protecting his loved ones, and had thus been able to act with greater freedom.
Just as Liang Xiao had killed Dugu Ling, he preferred to act rather than waste words; idle chatter only led to trouble!
News of Liang Xiao driving out the King of the South soon spread throughout Jinling, causing further astonishment across the city!
Upon hearing the news, Gongyang He was enraged and immediately mobilized the Confucian scholars to protest at the Zhuo Mansion.
However, a majority of the scholars who had previously supported the Gongyang clan chose to wait and see, or even advised their friends against joining the protest!
In just one day, the Gongyang clan managed to gather only over seven hundred scholars to protest Liang Xiao's abuse of power in front of the Zhuo Mansion.
Within the hour, more than four thousand scholars rushed from the academies and publicly denounced the initial seven hundred!
Ultimately, the seven hundred were defeated and dispersed shamefully, much to the fury of Gongyang He and Xiao Chang.
More than half of the scholars in Jinling chose to support Liang Xiao, whom they admired. After all, Xiao Chang had indeed violated the ironclad rules established by the founding emperor of Daqian.
"This Daqian Daily is full of hidden agendas!"
Returning home, the members of the Gongyang clan finally realized the problem.
The Daqian Daily contained special two-page spreads detailing the affairs of the King of the South and everything that had transpired since Liang Xiao arrived in Jiangnan!
Furthermore, Liang Xiao had hired numerous artists to create paintings of him, which were then disseminated, making the newspaper a vividly illustrated publication!
At this very moment, Gongyang He understood the astonishing propaganda power of the Daqian Daily!
It had virtually seized the public discourse that the Gongyang clan had previously controlled.
Gongyang He immediately summoned Ouyang Sheng and urgently asked, "Can your bookshops produce similar newspapers?"
Ouyang Sheng replied with a troubled expression, "Teacher, the carving of the printing plates and the printing itself require a significant amount of preparation time. Unless we can predict the future and prepare the content in advance to counter Liang Xiao's Daqian Daily! Otherwise, if the content is too outrageous, we might again give Liang Xiao an excuse to smash our bookshops!"
Gongyang He said helplessly, "Why is his Daqian Daily allowed? Is it because of that so-called 'movable type printing'?"
"We are also researching it, but we haven't made any progress yet..." Ouyang Sheng sighed.
Gongyang He and his followers were helpless, forced to watch as Liang Xiao controlled the situation in Jinling, and even the entire Jiangnan region.
Since the leader of the Rejuvenation Sect that Nie Yuan had seen was too ordinary, Li Jinyu could not paint a true likeness based on Nie Yuan's description. Thus, she began to teach Nie Yuan the techniques of portrait painting.
On the third day, the people from the King of the South's mansion moved out in humiliation, to the cheers of the public!
With the newspapers publicizing the King of the South's affairs, Xiao Chang was now perceived by the populace as a villain with malicious intentions and a disregard for rules. No one, except the Gongyang clan, dared to speak up for him.
The ironclad rule of the founding emperor of Daqian was directly used by Liang Xiao as a title, printed at the top of one of the pages in the latest issue of the Daqian Daily!
On the imperial road, Xiao Chang looked back at Jinling, filled with indignation and grievance. "One day, I will return to this place, ascend to the capital, tear you limb from limb, and annihilate your entire clan!"
Suppressing his anger, Xiao Chang whispered to Xiao Chan beside him, "Chan'er, contact your father, the Emperor, and discuss the Peacock Dynasty's plan to enter the Central Plains."
Xiao Chan nodded solemnly. "Yes! Godfather!"
Outsiders did not know that the second son of the King of the South was merely the adopted son of King of the South Xiao Chang!
Ding Wuyi arrived upon hearing the news, received the treasure map provided by Liang Xiao, and also learned about the matter concerning Yu Zao. He was both surprised and delighted. Before departing, he cast a flirtatious glance at Liang Xiao that startled Zhuo Zifang: "Young Master Liang Er, return to the capital soon. His Majesty awaits your arrival with great anticipation!"
Upon learning that the King of the South's mansion had indeed relocated, the scholars of Jinling Academy all clapped and cheered.
Liang Xiao once again established his authority through this action. Various wavering officials and neutral families in Jinling city began to lean towards Liang Xiao.
The situation began to stabilize!
Liang Xiao finally had the leisure to prepare for his trip to Suzhou, and also to enjoy the scenic beauty there.
"The Great Demon doesn't want to take me..."
Learning that Liang Xiao wanted her to stay at the Zhuo Mansion, Zhuo Xun felt disappointed.
She had promised Liang Xiao that she would be obedient, but not seeing him for a long time was enough to make her unhappy.
Liang Xiao pondered.
If Zhuo Xun went to Suzhou, she would inevitably encounter the three masters of Yunxiu Zhai. If they saw her true appearance, the situation would be rather awkward.
Yue Lian took Zhuo Xun's hand and said gently, "I'll stay with you at the Zhuo Mansion. Young Master just wants to protect us well."
Only then did Zhuo Xun's face light up with a smile. "Sister Yue Lian is the best, and the Great Demon is the worst~"
Liang Xiao was touched and kissed Yue Lian on the forehead.
Yue Lian was regarded as a princess by the remnants of the Daheng Kingdom. If the master of Yunxiu Zhai was indeed a remnant of Daheng, he might also have designs on her. Clearly, she did not want to cause him trouble and was simultaneously comforting Zhuo Xun.
Kristi looked at Liang Xiao, hesitating to speak.
Liang Xiao noticed this and said, "You can come with me too."
Kristi thanked him with joy.
Only by following Liang Xiao did she have any hope of seeing her Sky General!
Yu Qingchuan remained to accompany Yu Zao and, along with Qin Xin and others, to protect Yue Lian and the other woman.
Liang Xiao, accompanied by his subordinates and letters from Zhuo Zifang and He Jingyun, boarded a carriage and set off for Suzhou.
Zuo Wushang had already returned to Jinling from Suzhou. Every night, he gazed with longing from that tall building, observing Zhuo Xun.
Upon learning that Liang Xiao had left Jinling, Zuo Wushang felt a great sense of relief. "With him gone, I have more opportunities to approach Xun'er! She is destined to be my Xun'er, and the princess has also been left behind by him..."
After carefully investigating the heavy protection around the Zhuo Mansion, Zuo Wushang had to abandon his plan to abduct the two women, and could only observe them each night.
For the current Zuo Wushang, the night had become the most anticipated and joyful time!
Inside the carriage, Liang Xiao sat on the far left, Jian Qinwan in the middle.
Kristi sat upright on the far right, looking at the iron plates lining the carriage with a bewildered expression.
To be precise, these were all made of bin iron, which Liang Xiao had used to reinforce the carriage!
Arrows were certainly unable to penetrate, and it was likely that even a hammer could not break through, thus maximizing the protection for the targets inside the carriage...
"Who exactly is he..." Kristi was utterly confused, finding Liang Xiao increasingly inscrutable.
Could the invincible and forthright Sky General on the battlefield be so cautious?
With Kristi present, Jian Qinwan felt it inappropriate to be too intimate with Liang Xiao, but she still leaned into his embrace and secretly pinched his thigh.
Two days later, Liang Xiao's convoy finally arrived in Suzhou.