Zuo Wushang felt a surge of anger, almost bursting with rage on the spot.
Letting someone abduct the princess was one thing...
But him abducting your daughter too?!
Zuo Wushang had never eaten fly droppings, but he was sure the feeling would be much the same.
"If she were truly Xun'er, how could Emperor Wen of Great Qian have let her go, allowing her to become the third daughter of the Zhuo family?"
Calming himself down, Zuo Wushang was utterly bewildered.
At that time, the Imperial Guards of Great Qian had massacred hundreds of their compatriots, burning them all!
How could they have let the most important princess of the previous dynasty live?
Zuo Wushang was certain that this naive young girl knew nothing of the fire incident.
"If Hong Jie hadn't reminded me, I probably wouldn't have come personally to confirm... Immediately go to Suzhou and make further plans!"
Zuo Wushang suddenly remembered Hong Jie, sighed, and turned to leave.
The situation was unclear. He had no chance to approach Liang Xiao now, nor should he approach rashly without any clues!
Now he also understood why Liang Xiao was wary of Hong Jie and the other two. He just wanted to go to Suzhou as soon as possible to inform them of this matter!
Seeing Zhuo Xun pouting, Liang Xiao smiled and stroked her head.
This little girl couldn't resist the head pat either, blushing and turning back: "I forgive you~"
"Young Master just knows how to trick young girls," Yue Lian teased.
Liang Xiao looked back at Yue Lian in confusion, heartbroken: "Alas, you've learned bad from the Bodhisattva, and you've started slandering your young master."
Jian Qinwan just snorted and was about to retort when she met Liang Xiao's ambiguous gaze. Her heart was in a turmoil, and she dared not speak.
Liang Xiao just looked at Zhuo Xun and Christine, his head aching.
This destiny had come too unexpectedly...
As Zuo Wushang departed, the old butler accelerated the sale of farmland, and Liang Xiao successfully acquired the targeted three hundred thousand mu of land in Jiangnan.
The bookshop in Jinling that Liang Xiao owned was also an imperial bookshop. The workers worked desperately every day, proofreading, and books were printed continuously.
The Ouyang family was still waiting to receive the books and sell the land in Jiangnan, having no time for other matters.
The Gongyang clan was also selling farmland that had not been registered before, hoping to quickly get rid of these hot potatoes.
Undoubtedly, this land flowed into the hands of Liang Xiao and the merchants disguised as shadow guards!
The next morning, over four thousand students from all over Jiangnan gathered at Jinling Academy to take Liang Xiao's examination.
Gongyang He was pacing anxiously at home, utterly helpless against the rising star Liang Xiao. He could only place his hopes on the Southern King and the Huichun Sect for some assistance.
Naturally, Liang Xiao could not review all four thousand applications himself.
Liang Xiao set detailed scoring criteria and personally demonstrated how to grade a few papers for Zhuo Zifang and others.
Zhuo Zifang, leading the old scholars of the Zhuo family, assisted in grading, finding it quite enjoyable.
After all, they had never graded this type of paper before; they had only graded imperial examination papers previously.
Dozens of people worked all day. During this time, Liang Xiao occasionally re-examined the papers, confirming that everyone's grading was fine before returning to his courtyard to continue writing "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
During his time in Jiangnan, Liang Xiao had not stopped writing and had even asked the accompanying scholars from Liang Mansion to transcribe it to prevent the manuscript from being lost and his efforts wasted.
Finally, Liang Xiao selected three hundred and forty outstanding students, registered them, and awarded them an additional twenty taels of silver, allowing them to choose whether to stay or go.
Among them, twelve people scored over eighty points, and Liang Xiao personally reviewed and approved them.
These students had come for Liang Xiao, and more than half of them were from humble backgrounds. Hoping to achieve success with Liang Xiao, they chose to stay on the spot.
Liang Xiao immediately took these three hundred and forty people to see He Jingyun, the Prefect of Jinling, for various tests prepared by He Jingyun in advance, including handling emergencies and administrative matters, to see which official positions they could fill.
After these tests, Liang Xiao would send them to Gongsun Ye at the Jinling military camp to undergo military tests, in order to utilize their talents to the fullest and identify their most prominent strengths.
The next day, Zhuo Zifang, finally able to relax, read the first ten chapters of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" given by Liang Xiao and praised them highly.
"Who would have thought there was such a story that would make people clap their hands in admiration! The scholars of Great Qian will surely be amazed!"
Jian Nanfeng and the Tian Shan heroes also received the news and rushed over. After reading the chapters, they exclaimed in wonder!
"A great story! The world's great trends, after division, will unite; after union, will divide..."
Liang Xiao quickly reminded them: "You can read it first. These will also be printed in the Great Qian Daily, and later they can be published as books."
Zhuo Zifang nodded repeatedly, then asked in confusion: "Hmm? Why is the author on the cover 'Luo Guanzhong'?"
Liang Xiao pouted: "It's a pen name, it's enough for the world to know that Luo Guanzhong wrote it."
"Don't tell me you were sleepwalking in the divine realm again..." Zhuo Zifang narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You could say that!" Liang Xiao seized the opportunity.
The others didn't probe further, simply enjoying the reading.
Under the setting sun, Liang Xiao, Zhuo Zifang, Gongsun Ye, Jian Nanfeng, Liang Xiao's girls, the Tian Shan heroes, the female soldiers of Dingguo Marquis Mansion, all the people from Zhuo Mansion, and the three hundred and forty talented individuals selected by Liang Xiao gathered by the river to enjoy the scenery.
Having figured things out, Jian Nanfeng no longer cared about being low-key and came to attend the gathering before leaving.
After a moment, Li Jinyu also arrived with his adopted son Shi Liuyun and Nie Yuan to join them.
The He, Liu, and Li families also sent representatives.
Ye Qingyi, following Gu Hai and Gu Pingting, father and daughter, and He Jingyun, father and daughter, gazed at Liang Xiao's back by the river, her heart filled with complex emotions.
She did not have the courage to approach this young man, nor did she want to trouble him and incur the displeasure of him and his beauties...
They were from two different worlds, and it was Zuo Wushang who had forcefully arranged for her to approach Liang Xiao with a honey trap.
But in the end, she herself was won over by Liang Xiao.
The spring gathering by the river was harmonious and picturesque.
Gongsun Ye, caught up in the mood, boomed: "Liang Xiao! You are the protagonist of today's spring gathering! Such a beautiful night, won't you sing a song?"
"Sing a song!" everyone echoed.
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded: "Alright!"
He had someone bring him the Four Treasures of the Study, and in front of everyone, he wielded his brush on the Xuan paper hung on a wooden board.
A poem, "Lin Jiang Xian"!
Rolling Yangtze River eastward flows,
Waves wash away heroes of old.
Right and wrong, success and failure, turn to dust.
Green hills remain,
How many sunsets have glowed.
White-haired fisherman on the riverbank,
Accustomed to autumn moon and spring breeze.
A pot of rough wine, a joyous reunion.
So much history,
All in a jest.
Everyone gazed at the lyrics, and cries of amazement and applause erupted incessantly.
"Every line is a gem, how marvelous!" Zhuo Zifang held back tears.
He loved it so much!
Everyone repeatedly recited each line, feeling their hearts surge.
Liang Xiao publicly presented "Lin Jiang Xian" to Zhuo Zifang, who was so excited his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
If not for the crowd, he would have revealed a demeanor that could jeopardize his reputation!
"Tricking the old man again~" Jian Qinwan muttered softly, her beautiful eyes never leaving Liang Xiao.
"Lord Zhuo is Young Master's biggest fan and confidant," Yue Lian said with pride.
"Of course, he's my grandpa!" Zhuo Xun also said proudly.
The two most talented people in the world today were her man and her grandfather!
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian were stunned but just nodded with a smile, secretly feeling sorry for Zhuo Xun.
The four girls sat at the table closest to Liang Xiao, well-protected by the female soldiers and heroines.
After the spring gathering ended, Gu Hai, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, along with He Jingyun, rushed to find Liang Xiao without delay.
Gu Hai placed the files on the table and said with a solemn expression: "Marquis Anguo, several murder cases have occurred recently, and they are determined to be related to the Huichun Sect, and they involve that princess from the Western Regions!"