What an astonishing piece of news, General Tian himself!
Dugu Xiao and Ouyang Sheng trembled all over!
So, we've been opposing General Tian himself all along??
The dying guard who came to deliver the message nodded, "This is what those lords said, but they themselves are not entirely sure. They just said it's better for you to be wary!"
Gongyang He sat down, clenching his fist, "How is that possible? He's only nineteen years old. Where would he find the time to study and practice martial arts, to be unrivaled in both literature and martial arts throughout history?"
"It must have been General Tian's divine intervention..." Gongyang Long stammered.
They would rather believe in divine intervention than believe that Liang Xiao was General Tian himself. The matter was too preposterous!
"If he is General Tian himself, then the foolish emperor has made a grand plan. Is that possible..." Dugu Xiao shook his head.
Liang Xiao had nearly ruined his reputation, but he still believed he was not much inferior to Liang Xiao, after all, he was ranked sixth in the selection of state officials.
But if Liang Xiao was General Tian... that would make him a living martial god, and possibly a devastating blow to them!
"The situation is unclear. Just be wary of this possibility. Do not spread rumors casually. If it backfires and makes the foolish emperor and the people of Da Gan even more trusting of Liang Xiao, we will be finished!" Gongyang He said solemnly.
Everyone agreed wholeheartedly but also felt as if thorns were pricking their backs.
With the reputation of being protected by General Tian, their assassins could no longer do anything to Liang Xiao!
The failure of the elite assassins of the Spring Revival Sect to assassinate Liang Xiao was a living lesson!
As everyone was talking, the dying guard brought Gongyang Lu Feng to report.
"Cousin, you must uphold justice for your brother!" Gongyang Lu Feng wailed, complaining about Liang Xiao's excessive bullying.
Gongyang He's face darkened, "He dares to slap a court official with the Emperor's Sword and Imperial Edict?? I must unite with the Ministry of Personnel to impeach him!"
After a moment, another dying guard arrived, "Master! Marquis Anguo, Liang Xiao, requests an audience!"
Everyone looked astonished.
Gongyang He sneered, "Let him in!"
"He said he wants you to come out..." the dying guard replied weakly.
Gongyang He's face twitched, and he frowned, "This is my home. Why should I go out? Is this person ill?"
"He has the imperial decree..." the dying guard said awkwardly.
Everyone was speechless.
When Gongyang He walked out the door, he discovered that it was already crowded with people!
Gongyang He was startled and retreated a few steps, angrily saying, "Why have you brought so many people to see me?!"
Liang Xiao looked innocent, "They are just passing by. Upon hearing that this Marquis was going to visit the Grand Tutor, they specifically came to pay their respects to the Grand Tutor's demeanor. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
The surrounding people chimed in, "We've come to see Marquis Anguo!"
The faces of the people in the Grand Tutor's mansion grew increasingly unpleasant.
What exactly was this scoundrel Liang Xiao trying to do?
Liang Xiao picked up the imperial decree and pouted, "Grand Tutor, since I'm making a trip to Jiangnan, I should read the imperial decree in public, to avoid any further misunderstandings. What are the etiquette for receiving an imperial decree, hmm..."
Gongyang He narrowed his eyes, staring at Liang Xiao, filled with anger.
This was forcing him to kneel!
"My health is not good, and I am the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty. Is it possible..."
Before Gongyang He could finish, Liang Xiao interrupted him, "The Grand Tutor is old. It's not easy to enjoy one's twilight years. How could I, a junior, dare to trouble you casually? You don't need to kneel."
Gongyang He breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile, "Marquis Anguo is still considerate..."
However, Liang Xiao glared at the people behind Gongyang He and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Are you the Grand Tutor? All of you, kneel properly!"
Dugu Xiao and the others turned pale, then flushed, and reluctantly knelt to receive the imperial decree.
The commoners also began to kneel, but Liang Xiao stopped them, "Everyone, you don't need to kneel. I am only having them receive the decree."
Everyone expressed their thanks, while Dugu Xiao and the others cursed Liang Xiao's ancestors in their hearts.
After searching through history books, they had never encountered anyone as shameless and rule-breaking as Liang Xiao!
Liang Xiao maintained a serious expression, finished reading the imperial decree, and then casually put it away, his face breaking into a smile.
Gongyang He's face was ashen, staring at Liang Xiao.
He suddenly realized that he might have been tricked.
He was using the imperial decree given to him by the emperor in this way?
But it was still an imperial decree, and there was nothing wrong with him reading it in public. Even if they didn't kneel, it wouldn't matter, as they were not the intended recipients of the decree!
However, Liang Xiao forcing them to kneel also had no flaws, as he was indeed going to read the imperial decree!
Another loss suffered without any recourse!
Dugu Xiao and the others stared at Liang Xiao, trembling with anger: This person is incredibly detestable!!
After Liang Xiao put away the imperial decree, he put on a serious face again and said, "Grand Tutor, your clansman Gongyang Lu Feng has abused his power and sought personal revenge. I have already administered a slight punishment for you, to prevent him from corrupting the Gongyang clan's reputation!"
Gongyang Lu Feng behind Gongyang He's teeth were almost ground to dust, and he wanted to cry but had no tears.
Gongyang He looked at Liang Xiao in shock, and even Yu Qingchuan and the others were dumbfounded.
Good heavens, he beat up someone from their clan, dismissed him from his post, and then came to their mansion to say he was doing it for their own good...
Shamelessness was no longer sufficient to describe him!
Gongyang He laughed in anger, "Then I should really thank you!"
Originally, he had wanted to use Gongyang Lu Feng's matter to publicly question Liang Xiao's conduct.
But this scoundrel, with a few casual words, had turned it into him rectifying his own family's reputation and dragging Gongyang Lu Feng out for 'public execution'!
The key was that Liang Xiao held the moral high ground, leaving him powerless to retaliate, only able to swallow his anger and pain!
He was truly both despicable and vicious!
Liang Xiao then explained the entire sequence of events to the public, which immediately ignited the crowd's indignation.
"What is Gongyang Lu Feng? He is corrupt and bends the law for personal gain!" "Marquis Anguo did a great job!"...
Gongyang Lu Feng, who was originally enraged and embarrassed, turned deathly pale and lowered his head, not daring to speak.
"I will punish him further when I return. If Marquis Anguo has nothing else, please leave..." Gongyang He was overwhelmed and just wanted to get rid of Liang Xiao, this harbinger of misfortune, as soon as possible.
"There is something! There is something!" Liang Xiao said eagerly.
"You..." Gongyang He almost cursed aloud but quickly calmed down and sneered, "What else do you have?"
He realized he had almost fallen for it. Liang Xiao seemed to be deliberately trying to provoke him!
Having taught eight hundred scholars, he was considered a great scholar of his time and had to maintain his image to avoid gossip.
Although half of these eight hundred scholars had 'defected' because of Liang Xiao...
"As the Grand Tutor knows, my bookshop in Jinling has actually been operating at a loss. But for the sake of His Majesty, for the people of Da Gan, I will persevere even if it means losing money!" Liang Xiao said resolutely, as if he were calmly facing death.
Jian Qinwan found that she could no longer suppress her laughter, so she closed her eyes, trying hard to hold it back.
Losing money? This flower-picking thief was too shameless!
The surrounding people cheered, and the more sensitive young girls began to shed tears.
This Marquis Anguo was truly good!
People already knew about the competition between Liang Xiao and Ouyang family's bookshops. They all believed that Liang Xiao was trying to suppress Ouyang's book prices so that common people could afford books!
Gongyang He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "What does this have to do with me?"
"Of course, it has something to do with the Grand Tutor!"
As Liang Xiao spoke, he gave a signal to his guards, and a plaque was brought over.
"My bookshop in Jinling was established by imperial decree, solely for the benefit of the nation and its people. However, the plaque for this bookshop should naturally be inscribed by the Grand Tutor, who is highly respected and skilled in calligraphy." Liang Xiao said with sincerity.
Gongyang He frowned, "What should be inscribed?"
At this moment, the people in the Grand Tutor's mansion were almost driven to despair by Liang Xiao: This scoundrel, he had excellent calligraphy himself, and beside him was Zhuo Zifang, who was skilled in calligraphy and painting, yet he didn't ask them, but came to the Grand Tutor?
Liang Xiao looked at the plaque and said righteously, "This bookshop must be loyal to His Majesty and the people of Da Gan. Therefore, I ask the Grand Tutor to set an example in public and inscribe four characters: 'Forever Loyal to Da Gan'!"
The surrounding crowd cheered, and Gongyang He's heart clenched, making him almost unable to breathe.
Killing with a single stroke!