"Remnants of the Da Heng Kingdom?" Hong Jie and the other three were stunned.
Liang Xiao looked at "Yun Xiu Zhai Master," "Lin Er," "Yun Jiu," and "Yun Heng" before him, his expression grave.
"Remnants of the previous dynasty, the people of Da Gan have all heard of them, haven't they?"
Hong Jie nodded slightly and asked, "Why do you ask this?"
At this moment, Hong Jie and the other three stood two zhang in front of Liang Xiao.
Jian Qinwan and the Tianshan heroes guarding Liang Xiao's back were also on high alert, ready for any unforeseen events.
Liang Xiao finally spoke.
"Marshal Zuo Wushang of the Da Heng Kingdom remnants once came to me, hoping I would support their cause of restoring the kingdom, but I sternly refused. I also knew very well that he hadn't given up, but he had already restrained his subordinates to avoid harming innocent people."
"The remnants of the Da Heng Kingdom are, after all, an unstable factor. I discussed this matter with His Majesty, hoping to pacify them. If anyone among the Da Heng Kingdom remnants killed innocent civilians, confessing after pacification could lead to imprisonment and exemption from death, with leniency. If discovered due to concealment, they would be dealt with by law."
"His Majesty will pardon the rest of the people, even granting them official titles and nobility, to appease all the Da Heng Kingdom remnants, allowing them to live and work in peace as subjects of Da Gan, but they will be temporarily subject to supervision."
Hong Jie and the other three fell silent.
Liang Xiao sighed, "What I've said may sound ambiguous, but you should know my character, and you should also know what a benevolent ruler the current Son of Heaven is. Naturally, he would not mistreat the Da Heng Kingdom remnants who surrender. He will undoubtedly bestow ample favors."
"Indeed," Hong Jie did not deny it.
Liang Xiao glanced back at the crowd behind him, "Everyone behind me is my confidant, you don't need to worry about them leaking your identities."
Hong Jie and the other two simply looked at Liang Xiao, while Zuo Jing looked bewildered, "Brother, what is Brother Liang Xiao talking about..."
Hong Jie patted Zuo Jing's shoulder and comforted him, "Just pretend you didn't hear, alright?"
Zuo Jing then responded obediently, covered his ears, and then pretended to be unable to resist eavesdropping, making everyone laugh and cry.
Liang Xiao then met Hong Jie's gaze and said word for word, "Yun Xiu, you can rest assured, no matter what, I will not harm you for now. I only ask you one question: were you sent by Zuo Wushang, a remnant of the Da Heng Kingdom?"
The hearts of the four men pounded.
He had suspected them all along, and now he was confronting them!
But the four had been mentally prepared, so they were not overly nervous.
Zuo Jing said anxiously, "My brother is not a remnant of the Da Heng Kingdom!!"
Hong Jie was stunned, "What do you mean by that?"
Liang Xiao sighed, "I saw your inner conflict long ago, Yun Xiu. You and I should have been confidants in this life, but alas, we serve different masters. However, the national policies you gave me are all practical and feasible, and you didn't set any traps. This shows that you have already acknowledged my ideology in your heart. Whether it is Da Heng or Da Gan, since we all belong to this land, why not work together to create a truly peaceful and prosperous world for the people of this land?"
"The Da Heng Kingdom is an abandoned old era, why insist on going against the heavens? Will you do better than the current Da Gan after restoring the kingdom?"
The three men fell silent, but Zuo Jing was already crying, shouting, "Brother Liang Xiao is slandering Lin Er's brother!"
Hong Jie's heart stirred, he patted Zuo Jing's shoulder and sighed, "Lin Er, he is not slandering me..."
Zuo Jing "feigned great surprise."
"Brother, are you..."
Hong Jie did not respond, but looked at Liang Xiao, "Liang Xiao, Lin Er is innocent, can you let her go?"
Liang Xiao shook his head.
Everyone's hearts sank!
Liang Xiao sighed, "I said I wouldn't harm you. If you want to leave, I will let you go immediately, and I won't send anyone to pursue you. From now on, we will go our separate ways. But right now, there is an opportunity for all of you to see the light of day again, to live with your heads held high, and to no longer live in fear."
The expressions of the three men were complicated.
Liang Xiao then took out Gongyang He's memorial and said, "Since you are indeed remnants of the Da Heng Kingdom, I will be frank. Seventeen years ago, the one who exposed and sent troops to encircle the fire was Grand Tutor Gongyang He."
Upon hearing this, the pupils of Hong Jie and the other two constricted!
Only Zuo Jing suppressed the anger in his heart, maintaining an expression of ignorant bewilderment, crying in anxiety.
Liang Xiao said in a deep voice, "Gongyang He's memorial at that time is here, and there are records from seventeen years ago in the palace. Later, I also learned that Zuo Wushang disguised his daughter, Zuo Xun, as a princess, left her at the fire scene, and used a substitution to take away the real princess."
"But in fact, when the late Emperor Wen arrived with the Shadow Guards, he rescued the surviving Zuo Xun and indeed mistook her for the former dynasty's princess. Thus, Emperor Wen entrusted her to Zhuo Lingjun, hoping only that she could live a life free from conflict. Coincidentally, Zhuo Lingjun also gave her the name Xun. She is the third Miss Zhuo, Zhuo Xun, the Painting Immortal of Jinling."
Although they had already guessed the answer, Hong Jie and the other two could not help but be shocked and pale!
Zuo Jing was still wiping away tears, maintaining an expression of ignorance.
"She was protected very well by Zhuo Lingjun, so well that she was completely naive about the world. She is more intelligent than a man in his twenties, but her disposition is like that of a seven or eight-year-old girl, because she has hardly experienced the warmth and cold of human relationships and the dangers of the world... Now, she is also a woman that I, Liang Xiao, must protect."
Hong Jie and the other two fell into silence, their faces ashen.
For the cause of restoring their kingdom, they had been striving relentlessly.
But in the end, the ones who could truly protect Yue Lian and Zhuo Xun were the enemies they found most despairing.
Liang Xiao!
"Yun Xiu, why cling to the old era? A man who lives between heaven and earth, whom should he be loyal to? The Emperor? The noble families?"
"No! He should be loyal to the people!! I, Liang Xiao, serve as an official because the current sage is wise and cares about the people. Even if he and I had no prior acquaintance and no sworn brotherhood, in order to create a stable environment for my homeland, I would still choose to wait for the right moment, step forward eventually, or at worst, retreat with dignity, or at worst, return to seclusion after being rebuffed!"
"Subsequent developments also proved my decision was correct. The Spring Return Cult harmed my father and my uncle, and naturally, they would not let my Liang family go. My family was also under the oppression of the noble families, so how could I remain aloof?"
Hong Jie stared blankly at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao's words were very direct, very blunt, and could even be impeached as treasonous by the noble families!
Since ancient times, imperial power had been supreme. Even if the Emperor was controlled by the noble families and became their spokesperson, the pretense of imperial power was maintained.
But Liang Xiao said that a man should be loyal to the people!
"Loyal to the people..." Hong Jie said with a bitter smile.
How could he not understand Liang Xiao's reasoning? It was just that he came from a family of the Da Heng Kingdom's elite guards, who had served the royal family for generations. This loyalty did not allow him to question or betray it.
Liang Xiao let out a long sigh and advised, "Yun Xiu, I don't expect to make you surrender to Da Gan with just a few words, but I still hope you can understand that even if you are unwilling to surrender, you should give up. With me, Liang Xiao, here, you have no hope. And don't think about inciting me to defect."
Hong Jie smiled bitterly and nodded, "I understood long ago..."
Liang Xiao then said, "Then, what is your real name? Can I meet your Marshal Zuo Wushang?"