Zuo Wushang stared in astonishment at his long-lost daughter, his voice trembling, "What did you call me?"
"Father," Zhuo Xun called again, her voice soft, "Do you wish for your daughter to be without a birth father, and your grandchild without a grandfather..."
Zuo Wushang's tears finally stopped. He laughed, "Good, good! She calls me father. Hong Yu, our Xun'er, is willing to acknowledge me as her father..."
Only then did Liang Xiao speak, "Don't think you'll have an easy life from now on. Your life henceforth must be one of atonement. Until you make amends to Yue Lian, Xiao Xun, the fallen soldiers of Da Qian, and your fellow countrymen, you remain a sinner."
"Speak, I am listening..." Zuo Wushang simply nodded, gazing at Liang Xiao, his heart stirred.
"To have a son like Liang Xiao!"
"As a son-in-law, perhaps not bad either?"
He understood, of course, that Liang Xiao's harsh words hid a soft heart, wanting him to redeem himself.
"You must go all out, together with Shangguan Jiusi and the others, to protect these surrendered remnants of Da Heng, and simultaneously assist me in training a true special forces unit. I heard you are adept at this; the Twelve Savage Assassins were trained by you for the Left Worthy King."
Zuo Wushang nodded. "Continue. As long as you don't harm these compatriots, and as long as I can atone, I will agree! My personal assets can also be yours!"
Liang Xiao shook his head.
"That's not necessary. Of course, if you wish to cooperate with me in business, that's fine too. I want you to truthfully tell me all the information you have about your 'allies,' especially the Gongyang clan!"
Zuo Wushang pondered, then nodded. "My knowledge is limited, but I can provide you with some of the deployments of the Hui Chun Sect and the Gongyang clan. Moreover, the beauty Yan Jun from the Yan family is likely the sect leader 'Yan Jun' of the Hui Chun Sect, no doubt! But you cannot deal with her, for even I have no evidence to identify her!"
Hong Jie added, "The Marshal is correct on this point! Perhaps, once the Marshal's surrender is exposed, the Yan family will have countermeasures, such as faking Yan Jun's death and scattering her forces!"
Liang Xiao looked at Hong Jie. "Do you have any superior plans?"
He wanted to gauge the young man's performance, to see if he could wholeheartedly serve Da Qian while protecting his compatriots.
Hong Jie said, "I have already thought of a plan. Why doesn't His Majesty issue a decree announcing a general amnesty for the remnants of Da Heng? However, our surrender will remain a secret for the time being, especially for the Marshal, who could fake his death! We can announce it only after we have captured all the bases of the Hui Chun Sect and the Gongyang clan! That would be the opportune moment."
Zhuo Zifang stroked his beard and smiled, "This plan is excellent. Even if Yan Jun is suspicious, we will have at least seized the initiative. Simultaneously, after incorporating all the remnants of Da Heng, we can publicly declare Mr. Zuo dead, accept posthumous honors, and allow Mr. Zuo to go into hiding! The only trouble is the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry knowing about this, but rest assured, they are the direct descendants of the Marquis of Dingguo, all originating from the Marquis's mansion, and Liu Yun and the others will keep an eye on them."
"As expected of Zhuo Lingjun, thinking even further ahead..." Hong Jie marveled.
"I am merely supplementing. As long as you can let go of your grievances and serve the country, you will undoubtedly be a talent worthy of kingship and possess the disposition of a prime minister in the future!" Zhuo Zifang praised.
"I dare not! I only wish to protect my family and these wronged compatriots, and incidentally, seek revenge on the Hui Chun Sect..." Hong Jie said with a wry smile.
Zuo Wushang glanced at Hong Jie, his face filled with shame.
He finally understood; he realized Hong Jie was saving them all.
Facing the insurmountable forces of Xiao Qing and Liang Xiao, insisting on restoring their kingdom would only lead to more "compatriots" perishing tragically, and they would live their lives in constant fear, like rats in the street!
At this point, Liang Xiao could finally reveal the truth to Zuo Wushang, "The core disciples of the Hui Chun Sect are actually remnants of the Da Zhou Dynasty, along with some from the Western Tianri tribe, who now rule the Peacock Dynasty."
"As expected!" Zuo Wushang, Hong Jie, Shangguan Jiusi, and Hong Qu'er were all furious.
At this moment, they finally confirmed their suspicions and understood why the Hui Chun Sect had always secretly betrayed and harmed their compatriots.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
To the remnants of the Da Zhou Dynasty, the remnants of Da Heng were also enemies.
"We must avenge our compatriots!" Shangguan Jiusi gritted his teeth.
From the moment Da Heng fell, their ancestors had strived to deal with Da Qian, and these allies had always been backstabbing them!
Zuo Wushang nodded. "We must have revenge! I will assist you in training!"
Liang Xiao, satisfied, patted Zuo Wushang's shoulder and untied his bonds. "Father-in-law, I will call you that for now. But from this day forward, you will use the name 'Liang Ke,' my household general, and disguise yourself when acting. Outside, you will call me Marquis, and I will call you Liang Ke. I will discuss with His Majesty, according to the regulations of the Grand Ancestor, to secretly grant you official positions and noble ranks, with the specifications for surrendered generals of the previous dynasty."
Zuo Wushang said with a wry smile, "I am not worthy of such honors! You promised me that your offspring with... Princess Xi Yue, and at least one of your descendants will carry the surname 'Chou,' as long as your Liang family has heirs."
Yue Lian shyly lowered her head, not daring to look at Liang Xiao.
She had only used this to persuade Zuo Wushang to surrender, but publicly mentioning having children with her young master made her want to disappear into the ground!
"I will try my best... of course, there is also your Zuo family. But you must show sincerity by never rebelling and ensuring the heart for restoration never reignites," Liang Xiao reminded.
This time, Zhuo Xun also lowered her head.
Zuo Wushang smiled and nodded, finally reaching an understanding with Liang Xiao. He asked, "Before surrendering, I wish to find time to return home and pay respects to the past emperors and ancestors..."
"That is certainly permissible, but from now on, you may not offer sacrifices with imperial rites, lest it put His Majesty in a difficult position," Zhuo Zifang reminded him.
Zuo Wushang then bowed deeply to Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang, expressing his gratitude for their kindness.
Zhuo Zifang and Zhuo Xun remained to recount Zhuo Xun's years to Zuo Wushang.
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief, embracing Liang Xiao happily on either side.
The Hui Chun Sect attackers at the Zhuo Mansion were annihilated by the hastily dispatched Jiangnan Iron Cavalry. The Zhuo Mansion lost over a dozen loyal guards, their families were compensated, and stability was restored.
"Marquis," Hong Jie approached Liang Xiao with a pillow.
"Just call me Liang Xiao," Liang Xiao said with a stern face.
Hong Jie shook his head. "It's troublesome! Calling you Liang Xiao outside would be insubordination. It's better to have a unified address. Titles are merely for propriety. I understand your intentions; you and I are friends, and that is enough."
Liang Xiao was finally satisfied. He took the pillow and saw a crooked line of text written by Zuo Jing on it: "Lin'er likes Brother Liang Xiao."
"This might be just an act, but there's something else inside the pillow..." Hong Jie cautioned.
Liang Xiao inspected the pillow and discovered a note tucked inside.
"Lin'er really likes Brother Liang Xiao. Thank you, Brother Liang Xiao, for caring for Lin'er."
This line of writing was still not neat, but Liang Xiao could see that Zuo Jing had written it with great care.
Hong Jie glanced at Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian behind Liang Xiao, and finally suppressed the words in his heart.
Jian Qinwan sighed softly. "If, back then, you had been a bit more shameless and written her down too, perhaps she might have been granted a princess title and stayed?"
Liang Xiao could only chuckle in amusement.
At the time, he had merely felt sympathy for Zuo Jing, who was being used as a pawn. She had appeared so harmless, yet her true personality was so tempestuous.
Hong Jie remained silent.
In fact, before Zuo Jing left, he had asked a similar question. Zuo Jing had not answered, merely turning away with a look of dejection and running off.
Stone City was draped in a thin veil. Jinling, under the moonlight, was as beautiful and radiant as ever.
On a tall building, nine figures stood gazing at the Zhuo Mansion, a hundred zhang away.
Eight Cloud Sky Guards stood behind Zuo Jing, only her beautiful eyes visible, and they spoke in unison, "Leader! Why don't you return to the Zhuo Mansion?"