Huì Chūn Sect?
Hong Jie and the other two were shocked and furious.
Zuo Wushang, with a grim expression, explained, "We extracted some special poisons from the assassins' mouths, which are definitely from the Huì Chūn Sect! Had we not arrived in time, you might never have seen Hong Qu again."
Zuo Jing's face grew increasingly grim.
They were risking their lives to infiltrate Liang Xiao's side, and the Huì Chūn Sect not only stirred up trouble but dared to backstab the people of Dà Héng!
Looking at Hong Qu's injuries, it would take at least a month to fully recover, and Zuo Wushang would be short a capable subordinate for a while.
"Marshal, not a single one of these collaborators is reliable. They are clearly cooperating with us only for our wealth, and to use us as scapegoats and shields!" Shangguan Jiǔ Sī said indignantly.
Zuo Wushang was also very annoyed. He merely nodded, gazed at the river, and remained silent.
Hong Jie finally spoke, "Marshal, I have another proposal..."
"If it's about living as wealthy recluses in anonymity, then don't bother. If you want to disband, I won't force you. I will even give you enough wealth to live lavishly for generations. You can go your own way," Zuo Wushang said without hesitation.
Hong Jie shook his head, "I have no intention of retiring."
The others looked at Hong Jie in confusion.
Hong Jie gritted his teeth, "Instead of being in the same nest as these scoundrels, and with the Princess solely focused on Liang Xiao, why don't we cooperate with Liang Xiao, assist him in eradicating these rogues, and avenge our compatriots who were harmed in the past?"
Everyone was struck by lightning, and Zuo Wushang was also stunned.
"We're going to defect to Dà Gān? You're crazy!" Hong Qu jumped up instantly, aggravating his wounds and wincing in pain.
Zuo Jing looked dejected, while Shangguan Jiǔ Sī appeared thoughtful.
Hong Jie sighed, "Liang Xiao is righteous and loyal. He could slay Dugu Ling for the unknown Nan Ji Yun, rescue Nie Yuan, protect our Princess, and he might even be the Celestial General himself who saves Dà Gān. How could such a person disregard the common people and betray the sworn Dà Gān Emperor? Even if we bring the Princess out, what can we do? Are we to have the Princess live a life of constant anxiety with us?"
Everyone was speechless.
Hong Jie continued, "With this ruler and his minister, Dà Gān is destined to be favored by heaven! It's better to cooperate with Liang Xiao, let them feel our sincerity in never rebelling, gain the Emperor's promise, and then request Liang Xiao and the Emperor that one of the children the Princess has with Liang Xiao in the future be surnamed 'Chóu' to preserve the Chóu lineage, which would also be an explanation to the imperial family. As long as the Emperor does not object, he will surely agree."
Such astonishing words stunned everyone into silence.
After a long pause, Zuo Wushang took a sheathed dagger from his embrace.
"Marshal, don't get excited, he's just momentarily lost his mind!" Hong Qu quickly stood in front of Hong Jie, disregarding his pain.
Zuo Wushang simply threw the dagger at Hong Jie, closed his eyes, and said, "If you think this plan is feasible, then strike me down with this knife. I can then go and beg forgiveness from the late Emperor and your parents, and find release. Afterward, you can divide the property, take Qing Yi, Yi Rou, and the other compatriots, and defect to Liang Xiao. I will never blame you."
"Uncle?" Zuo Jing frowned deeply.
Hong Jie quickly said, "This is just a proposal. If the Marshal disagrees, we will continue to execute the original plan, but we need to change our approach. We can no longer try to force Liang Xiao, and making sure the Princess is brought out will be our top priority. I vaguely feel that Liang Xiao seems to have sensed something and intends to persuade us to give up. Since he is playing along, let us also go along with him, feign allegiance, and turn his plan to our advantage."
Seeing Hong Jie's determined gaze, Zuo Wushang finally nodded with relief.
The others merely sighed and gazed into the distance at the river, their hearts filled with complex emotions.
After a long while, Zuo Wushang fell into a memory and murmured to himself.
"There were actually two 'Number One Beauties of Jiangnan' back then. Twin sisters, Ye Hongyu and Ye Hongyun, from Suzhou, were exceptionally talented and beautiful. My younger brother and I disguised ourselves and changed our surnames to conduct business in Jiangnan. We met them separately. I was fortunate enough to marry the elder sister, Hongyu, and my younger brother married the younger sister, Hongyun."
"After Hongyu gave birth to Xun'er for me, she passed away. On her deathbed, she instructed me to take care of Xun'er. But half a month later, I swapped Xun'er's swaddling clothes with those of the Princess and left her in the inferno..."
The others heard an unprecedented sorrow in Zuo Wushang's words and felt a strange sadness.
Their Marshal, for the sake of restoring the country, had already lost everything.
Even Zuo Jing lowered her head, showing a rare trace of grief.
Her birth mother had also passed away. When they retreated back then, to avoid implicating her husband, Zuo Wuji, she had drawn her own sword and committed suicide before everyone's eyes!
This was also one of the reasons why the brothers Zuo Wushang and Zuo Wuji parted ways.
The cause of restoring the country had, after all, bound everyone together.
Whether it was the Zuo family, the Hong family, or the Shangguan family, they were all families of loyal retainers who had once sworn eternal allegiance to the imperial family of Dà Héng.
Hong Jie suddenly thought of something and frowned, "Marshal, Xiao Jing's disguise is excellent, yet Liang Xiao is still wary. Earlier, people from the Zhuo residence suddenly called Xiao Jing 'Third Miss,' even though Xiao Jing was wearing a veil..."
"What do you want to say?" Zuo Wushang looked at Hong Jie with confusion.
"Your daughter, Zuo Xun, is it possible she is still alive?" Hong Jie asked.
Zuo Wushang's expression changed, "The enemy knew that the former dynasty's Princess was inside. How could they have let her go? Besides, that young lady is merely the Third Miss of the Zhuo family, and her name is the same as Xun'er's. How can there be so many coincidences!"
Zuo Jing remained silent, veins bulging on her forehead.
She had clearly disguised herself perfectly, to the point of deceiving herself, so why was it only Liang Xiao who wasn't falling for it?
Hong Jie was uneasy, "Just in case, we should send someone to investigate again. We have never seen the true face of this 'Golden Ling Painter Immortal,' and she also wears a veil for Liang Xiao. Perhaps this Golden Ling Painter Immortal is the root of Liang Xiao's inexplicable wariness towards us..."
"The plan comes first!" Zuo Wushang said sternly. After a moment of thought, he amended, "But this can also be considered part of the plan. You wait for Liang Xiao in Suzhou, and I will personally go to Jinling to investigate!"
At the Zhuo residence, Liang Xiao was discussing confidential matters with Gu Shao Yan and Zhuo Zifang.
Upon learning that Yue Lian was a former dynasty's princess, Gongsun Ye was greatly surprised. However, after calming down, he merely instructed Liang Xiao to protect Yue Lian well, and that Qin Xin and the female soldiers from the Ding Guo Marquis's mansion would also assist in her protection.
Zhuo Zifang sighed, "Liang Xiao, that Lin'er wears a veil, and I have never seen her true face. I also feel it would be impolite to ask her to remove it... But after your reminder, her veiled appearance indeed resembles Xun'er's features!"
Liang Xiao said seriously, "It's not just the eyes, but also her lips, ears, and face shape are similar. However, Xun'er bore some resemblance to Zuo Wushang, while this Lin'er looks very much like Xun'er, yet bears no resemblance to Zuo Wushang at all!"
"What is the reason?" The two elders looked confused.
Liang Xiao said solemnly, "According to the intelligence provided to me by the Chen family, I learned that the remnants of Dà Héng have a Vice Marshal named Zuo Wuji, who should be Zuo Wushang's brother. I suspect that perhaps these two brothers married a pair of twins, and then..."
Zhuo Zifang suddenly realized, "The two children resemble their respective parents, and because the two mothers were similar twin sisters, therefore...?"
Liang Xiao nodded, pouting, "The moment I saw Lin'er's true face, I made this deduction. Perhaps Zuo Wushang and the others sent Lin'er to me because they didn't expect Xun'er to be alive? And this Yun Xiu Zhai Master is also keeping me at arm's length. Therefore, I remain doubly vigilant towards these three."
The two elders felt a chill run down their spines.
"Then how do you plan to deal with them?"