Zuo Wushang fell into a brief silence, his expression complex.
Hong Jie sighed, "Marshal, after all this, do we still have to oppose Liang Xiao?"
Zuo Wushang said in a deep voice, "The great cause of national restoration cannot be abandoned under any circumstances!"
Everyone was silent.
Their Marshal's two vital weaknesses were held by Liang Xiao, yet he refused to give up the cause of national restoration. What reason did they have not to strive?
Zuo Wushang's tone softened slightly, "As long as we can bring out the Princess, we still have hope. Even if my daughter is truly in his hands, given his character, he would never harm her, nor would he use her to threaten me. At the very least, he would provide her a good home..."
Everyone's hearts tightened, their expressions equally complicated: he had clearly acknowledged Liang Xiao's character.
Shangguan Jiusi said helplessly, "Marshal, even if we bring out the Princess, what then? Do you think the Princess will bear children with anyone other than Liang Xiao?"
The faces of the crowd grew even more somber.
Forcing Yue Lian to marry someone else might very well drive her to death!
But if Yue Lian left Liang Xiao and chose to live a solitary life, wouldn't the royal family of Great Heng be extinguished in the future? Would restoration still have meaning?
Zuo Wushang pondered for a moment and replied, "The Princess might change her mind. Besides, we could wait until the Princess gives birth to Liang Xiao's child and then take the child away!"
Everyone had to admire Zuo Wushang's perseverance.
Hong Jie said helplessly, "Understood. As long as the Marshal does not give up, we will not give up... Then let's continue to maintain our disguise."
"Then wouldn't you be walking into a trap, letting Liang Xiao have his way with you?" Hong Qu worried.
Hong Jie shook his head, "Liang Xiao has clearly discovered our intentions for some time but has delayed taking action, indicating he has a fondness for talented individuals. Since that's the case, let's use a stratagem within a stratagem. We will feign ignorance, continue to let him have his way, and gradually signal our desire to surrender, until finally, it becomes natural to feign allegiance."
Zuo Jing finally spoke with a cold expression, "Exactly! In his eyes, I should just be a pawn sent by my uncle and father... As long as I continue to appear harmless, I don't believe I can't deceive this scoundrel! I haven't lost; I was merely defeated by fate!"
Zuo Wushang hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Then let the plan continue! But prioritize your own safety; there's no need to fight him to the death..."
Hong Jie felt his scalp tingle, his face filled with helplessness. "That goes without saying! Marshal, I'll make this clear from the start: this is limited to bringing out the Princess or her offspring. If there are any other intentions, or if it involves harming him and his family, I will be the first to object! My true intention is simply not to make an enemy of this person anymore..."
Everyone nodded in tacit understanding.
Now, Zuo Wushang could only feel fortunate that a moment of indecision in the past prevented him from assassoning Luo Qingxue in Luo Mansion for the sake of Zuo Xianwang. Otherwise, everything would have been irrecoverable!
As the three hundred and forty scholars participated in the trials set by He Jingyun and Gongsun Ye, the two men began to form impressions of these scholars and arrange for them to replace personnel from families like Gongyang Shi and other aristocratic clans.
Gongyang Teng, the former head of the Jinling Yamen, had been ordered imprisoned by Liang Xiao. An official from the Li family was appointed as the new head. Gongyang He was so enraged that he cursed at home. A memorial had already been sent to the capital.
The memorial also mentioned Liang Xiao's selection of talent, implying ulterior motives.
However, Jinling was about two thousand li from the capital. The express post alone would take several days for a round trip.
The military power in Jiangnan was held by Gongsun Ye and Liang Xiao. Gongyang He, living in Jiangnan due to the Gongyang Qiu affair, was temporarily unable to do anything about Liang Xiao and the other.
The three hundred and forty selected talents gathered in the grand courtyard of Zhuo Mansion, listening to the teachings of Liang Xiao, Zhuo Zifang, and He Jingyun.
Behind Liang Xiao, the "Four Sentences of Hengqu" were prominently displayed: Establishing the heart for heaven and earth...
These individuals were high-spirited, their excitement palpable.
"Starting tomorrow, most of you will be assigned important positions throughout Jiangnan. I hope you will not forget your original intentions, serve the country and its people, and remember not to collude with Gongyang Shi, the Dugu family, the Ouyang family, the He family in the capital, and others." Liang Xiao declared loudly.
However, in his heart, Liang Xiao had also prepared to deal with some of these individuals potentially betraying them.
No one was absolutely unchanging. The larger the team, the more difficult it was to prevent someone from becoming a parasite of the nation.
Everyone nodded, pledging with conviction, "We will never fail to live up to the cultivation of Marquis Anguo!"
Zhuo Zifang looked at the spirited three hundred and forty individuals with full of hope.
These individuals were merely examples for the scholars of Jiangnan. In the future, Liang Xiao would also prepare examination questions and scoring standards for the Zhuo family, enabling them to continuously select talents and send them to the capital!
The officials of the Great Gan Dynasty numbered close to forty thousand. Half of them were either descendants of aristocratic clans or their disciples. This deeply entrenched malady could not be resolved overnight.
At present, Liang Xiao and He Jingyun retrieved the rosters of officials from various prefectures and cities in Jiangnan and began to assign official positions.
Gongsun Ye, though advanced in age, also had his military commander make arrangements, selecting personnel by dictation and preparing to send some talents into the army for training.
The military also required civil officials.
"What? Liang Xiao is sending these people to various places to replace our Gongyang Shi personnel?!"
The members of the Gongyang clan, upon receiving the news at home, were thunderously enraged.
These individuals were dispatched by Liang Xiao to key towns in Jiangnan such as Luzhou, Chuzhou, Jinling, Suzhou, Qiantang, and Taizhou, and the official positions they were appointed to, without exception, replaced Gongyang Shi personnel!
"This is too much! Outrageous!" Gongyang Long trembled with anger.
Gongyang Qiu, the eldest son of Grand Tutor, who had already returned home, also had a darkened complexion and said in a deep voice, "Father, is there truly nothing you can do about him?"
Gongyang He roared, "Isn't it all thanks to your good deeds, you rebellious son? The Gongyang clan cannot even set foot in the capital because of you! Now Liang Xiao holds the Son of Heaven's Sword and imperial decree, with the support of Gongsun Ye, He Jingyun, Li Xiuyun, Lin Ming, and others, firmly controlling the political power in various regions. What do you expect me to do?"
Gongyang Qiu was filled with shame and sighed, "I will serve the Peacock Dynasty. I only hope that Father can kill Li Jinyu soon and avenge me..."
Gongyang He merely nodded and immediately prepared a pile of memorials to be sent to the central government, and also notified the Dugu family to jointly pressure the Son of Heaven.
Even so, Gongyang He was still not appeased and sent people to Zhuo Mansion to demand an explanation from Liang Xiao publicly.
"Liang Xiao, you have oppressed my Gongyang clan time and time again, and arbitrarily replaced our personnel in various regions. What is your intention?"
A large crowd of onlookers had already gathered, eager to witness the spectacle.
Facing Gongyang He's questioning, Liang Xiao said coldly, "Grand Tutor, you hold an honorary position; just enjoy your retirement. Do not follow Gongyang Qiu's example and repeat his mistakes! This Marquis has been ordered to pacify the various regions of Jiangnan and has the authority to dismiss and appoint officials of the fifth rank and below. As for you, interfering with my official duties in public, what is your intention?"
With that, Liang Xiao also drew out the Son of Heaven's Sword, which he had hung on his waist beforehand, and said in a deep voice, "This Marquis respects you as Grand Tutor and takes your words as concern for state affairs. However, if you commit wicked deeds and incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people, this Marquis can still bring you to justice! If you rebel or sell out the country for glory, this Marquis can still execute you first and report later!"
Gongyang He was speechless, only gnashing his teeth, wishing he could devour Liang Xiao on the spot.
His confrontation with Liang Xiao today represented the clash between the old aristocratic clans and the emerging forces!
The onlookers were also dumbfounded.
No one dared to believe that Gongyang He, who had long been accustomed to being domineering in Jiangnan, would be rebuffed by Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao's highest official rank was merely a civil honorary official position like Guanglu Daifu!
Judging by the titles, the Prime Minister held more real power, but the Grand Tutor was the nominal head of all officials, his status above that of the Prime Minister!
He Jingyun, who had rushed to mediate, was also somewhat uneasy, constantly trying to smooth things over between the two.