Liang Xiao unfolded the letter and read it together with Gongsun Ye.
Qin Feng's letter mentioned Zhuo Yun and explained everything clearly to Liang Xiao.
The Great Liang emperor, Mu Cheng, had earnestly persuaded Zhuo Yun to return to Great Qian. Zhuo Yun, however, was determined not to yield, and he could not bear to force her.
Meanwhile, the aristocratic clans were strongly urging Mu Cheng to take Zhuo Yun into his harem, or to have another prince take Zhuo Yun as a concubine. Several princes had already approached Zhuo Yun.
Mu Cheng refused them all. He even specifically dispatched palace maids and imperial guards to look after and protect Zhuo Yun, strictly forbidding the princes from approaching her, and waiting for Zhuo Yun to change her mind or for someone from Great Qian to escort her back.
Qin Feng, also entrusted by Mu Cheng, inquired with Liang Xiao about the possibility of printing each issue of "Journey to the West" from his bookstore, following the example of the "Great Qian Daily" to entertain the populace. If the newspaper could generate revenue, he offered to give ten percent of the profits to Liang Xiao.
Simultaneously, he conveyed the invitation for Liang Xiao to be an envoy to Great Liang, but in a tactful manner, merely suggesting that Liang Xiao need not rush his decision and could consider it at his leisure once all arrangements were finalized.
There were only a few pleasantries exchanged.
"What does the Marshal think?" Liang Xiao asked.
"This Marquis of Zhenguo is indeed honorable!" Gongsun Ye praised, before falling into distress. "But this man is brilliant in both civil and military affairs and possesses great insight. With him and the Great Liang emperor alive, no matter how rampant and detrimental the aristocratic clans of Great Liang are, our Great Qian might not have an opportunity to unify Great Liang..."
Liang Xiao simply smiled, offering no denial.
Great Qian was currently surrounded by formidable enemies. Great Liang was the only country that could barely be a friend and ally. The nation was undergoing sweeping reforms and could not afford to make enemies carelessly.
Liang Xiao had reason to believe that without his presence, given another twenty years, and with Great Liang maintaining its current combination of ruler and minister, even if Mu Cheng abdicated and the new emperor was as wise as Mu Cheng and trusted Qin Feng, Great Liang could truly unify the world!
Gongsun Ye sighed, "We must guard against unforeseen circumstances. Great Qian currently lacks sufficient warships to ensure maritime security while also guarding against Great Liang potentially taking advantage of our difficulties. However, if we were to build a large number of warships, Great Liang would inevitably become suspicious, thinking we are preparing to cross the river en masse someday. This action would also be detrimental to maintaining friendly relations between the two countries."
"When I return to the capital, I will discuss naval reforms with the Ministry of Works," Liang Xiao nodded.
He did recall some improvements related to ships and sails, but mere recollection was insufficient for actual improvements; it would require research and collaboration with artisans in that field.
Gongsun Ye finally felt at ease, patting Liang Xiao's shoulder and lamenting, "I truly wish I had an outstanding son or grandson like you. I have many wives and concubines, yet I only have a disobedient daughter!"
Liang Xiao comforted him, "Do not be sad. When Xiao Yu grows up, find her a live-in son-in-law, have a few children, and raise them well."
Gongsun Ye finally lost his composure, "Why are you discussing my family matters in the military camp again?!"
Liang Xiao ultimately could not escape Gongsun Ye's playful entrapment and was again dragged into handling military affairs for a day.
While handling military duties, Gongsun Ye stole moments to drink his "One Drunk for a Hundred Years" and recount royal secrets to Liang Xiao.
It turned out that the Great Qian’s founding emperor was an orphan adopted by nomadic herders. His adoptive parents and their family had perished in war, and only he had escaped. He eventually joined the rebel army.
During that time, the Great Qian's founding emperor had only one legitimate wife, who later became Empress Gao.
When the Great Qian's founding emperor pacified Jiangnan, he was already over forty years old and lamented his lack of offspring. Empress Gao then took in her younger sister, cousin, and other female relatives as consorts for the founding emperor. In the end, only Empress Gao bore him a son; the other two children died in infancy.
For the past hundred years, the emperors of Great Qian had poor physiques, weak fertility, and their offspring mostly died before the age of three, leading to a precarious lineage.
The Nan Wang lineage had abandoned the founding emperor when he was young and his parents were gone. Later, to stabilize the populace, the founding emperor, burying the hatchet, enfeget his cousin, Nan Wang.
According to the imperial physician who served the founding emperor, the root cause was the hardship he endured in his youth, which affected his fertility.
During Emperor Wen's reign, he was blessed with children in his old age. At the age of fifty-two, his forty-two-year-old Empress gave birth to twins, Xiao Qing and Xiao Shuang.
"The late emperor passed away at sixty-seven, already the longest-lived after the founding emperor. I am truly worried for His Majesty..." Gongsun Ye sighed.
Liang Xiao could no longer resist and stopped the brush he was using to review official documents, asking, "Princess Ning Shuang and His Majesty, did you see them both at the same time?"
Gongsun Ye chuckled, "I visited the capital ten years ago, of course I saw them! Including Zhuo Lingjun, all the civil and military officials must have seen them. The late emperor brought the princess and the crown prince on an inspection tour of the capital back then... Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing," Liang Xiao replied vaguely, his heart filled with confusion.
The Xiao family, being the imperial clan, had such easily deceased offspring throughout the generations?
Died in infancy...
Recalling the strangeness of Xiao Shuangzi and Shuang'er in the past, and also remembering that Xiao Shuangzi had no Adam's apple, a strange thought that he had suppressed earlier resurfaced in Liang Xiao's mind.
Upon first meeting, he had mistaken Xiao Shuangzi for a eunuch, merely thinking he was a particularly clean one.
Later, he attributed Xiao Shuangzi's lack of an Adam's apple to late development.
Even later, the clothes Xiao Shuangzi usually wore could cover his Adam's apple...
But soon, this thought was replaced by a deep sorrow.
"Xiao Shuangzi, I truly hope you live a long life!"
The more he pondered, the more confused and worried he became. Liang Xiao suddenly felt that days in Jiangnan were like years, and he longed to fly back to the capital to see Xiao Shuangzi and Shuang'er.
Could it be that...
Liang Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Your age, it seems to be older than the late emperor?"
"If we consider the relationship between the Marquis of Dingguo and the founding emperor being of the same age and generation, then according to the clan registry, I am of the same generation as Emperor Zhao," Gongsun Ye replied.
"Then, at what age did Emperor Wen develop his Adam's apple when he was young?" Liang Xiao asked indirectly.
Gongsun Ye frowned, "Why do you concern yourself with such trivial matters? However, I recall Emperor Wen only developed an Adam's apple at seventeen. According to the imperial physicians, he was a late developer, and was even mistaken for a princess because of it..."
"That's right! The imperial historians also recorded that Emperor Zhao developed his Adam's apple at sixteen or seventeen. At that time, Emperor Zhao was still the Crown Prince, and all the officials were very worried," Gongsun Ye added.
Liang Xiao pouted, his expression one of utter disinterest.
Emperor Zhao was Emperor Wen's father, Xiao Shuangzi's grandfather.
Perhaps Xiao Shuangzi was just a late developer?
Liang Xiao's current mood was quite complex. In the end, he hoped his guess would not come true.
Suppressing his urgency, Liang Xiao sighed, "After the talent selection here concludes, I plan to return to the capital immediately. I will leave the matters in Jiangnan to you."
Gongsun Ye then gave Liang Xiao a bear hug, "Go back and continue to deal with those families in the capital, and bring true peace and prosperity back to Great Qian! If you need money, just tell me, or tell my disobedient daughter!"
Liang Xiao was deeply touched.
It seemed he was not truly the King of Stinginess; he was quite generous when it came to important matters.
The deep-rooted problems in Great Qian were fortunate to have military power in the hands of those who supported imperial authority; otherwise, reforms would have been infinitely more difficult.
Upon his return, Liang Xiao also handed a letter to the Great Liang envoy, expressing his gratitude to the Great Liang emperor while agreeing to Qin Feng's request.
As for the profits, Liang Xiao did not expect much from such a small sum. He did not even believe that the Great Liang newspaper could be profitable, unless they possessed movable type printing to reduce costs or could sell at a higher price.
After Liang Xiao brought down the Gongyang family, he inspired awe throughout Jiangnan. Talented scholars from the Taizhou region eagerly participated in the examinations.
Among them were over a dozen students from Qiantang who had specifically traveled to Taizhou to take the second examination, hoping for improvement after their previous failure.
Finally, Liang Xiao selected thirty-seven individuals, a number close to the students selected from the East Sea scholars. Two of them had performed poorly in Qiantang last time, but this time they had adjusted their mindset and achieved a score of seventy on the new questions.
This was also why Liang Xiao did not object to students from various regions retaking the exam. Firstly, their willingness to brave the journey back and forth demonstrated their sincerity. Secondly, it was indeed possible that they had simply performed poorly the first time.
The situation in Taizhou stabilized. From various parts of Jiangnan, Zhuo Zifang, Li Xiuyun, Liu Qingping, and others also sent encouraging news.
The Great Liang emperor had also promised to protect Zhuo Yun and forbid anyone from forcing her.
Liang Xiao was finally at ease to head north.
Upon hearing that the common people were planning to hold a farewell ceremony for him, Liang Xiao immediately reminded Gongsun Ye not to waste the people's resources and quietly led his troops away from Taizhou, returning to the capital.