More mulberry paper was wrapped around the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man's face.
Thump, thump, thump!
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man could no longer bear it, stamping his feet in terror!
Only then did Liang Xiao have the mulberry paper removed, staring at the other man with a cold sneer in his heart.
Had he surrendered so easily?
Perhaps it was a false confession!
But Liang Xiao had plenty of methods.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man trembled and said, "We are from the 'Tianri Clan' of the divine kingdom to the west..."
Tianri Clan?
Liang Xiao's memories of his homeland did not include such a people. The Great Qian Kingdom had traded with the Western Regions, and Western merchants had indeed mentioned the Tianri Clan, but only in passing.
This made him even more certain that the history and geography of this world differed from his homeland to a certain extent.
After a moment of thought, Liang Xiao said in a deep voice, "I will later go and interrogate your companions. If your confessions do not match, or if either of you confesses less than the other, then you will be treated to more than just the 'attaching officials' mercy!"
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man, who called himself Sers, confessed under Liang Xiao's interrogation.
They were all core disciples of the Hui Chun Sect, sent by the Sect Master to monitor Liang Xiao and Clistie.
They had thought they were hidden well enough, but they had not expected to be discovered by Liang Xiao.
Moreover, Clistie's appearance bore a striking resemblance to Lise, the consort of the 'Tianri King,' who had defected from the Tianri Clan in the past.
"That Lise was a witch pursued by our clan. I really don't know anything else!" Sers begged for mercy.
Liang Xiao had people watch Sers and the other two, then went to the basement and interrogated the other three in the same manner.
Another man, who called himself Pierre, corroborated Sers' confession but revealed additional information under Liang Xiao's questioning.
The Hui Chun Sect Master had secretly investigated Clistie's appearance!
Liang Xiao suddenly asked, "Were there people among those who came with you who looked very much like Clistie?"
Pierre choked on the spot and stammered, "I don't know..."
Liang Xiao prepared to begin another round of the 'attaching officials' torture. Pierre's mind was already in a panic, and he wailed, "I've never seen the Princess's true face! I only know she has blonde hair and blue eyes like us!!"
"Princess?"
The other man's involuntary confession caused Liang Xiao's expression to change. He ordered his men to guard Pierre and the other two, then returned to the secret room and beat Sers.
Sers finally begged for mercy and truthfully revealed, "We have never seen the true face of Her Highness the Princess. She is also the nominal Sect Master of our Hui Chun Sect, with blonde hair and blue eyes..."
No matter how much Liang Xiao interrogated them back and forth, Sers and Pierre could no longer answer. They only revealed their 'base,' which was in a residential house.
Liang Xiao could only imprison the six people. At the same time, he dispatched guards and the Heavenly Mountain Knights to find Liu Qingping, increasing their numbers to surround the residential house in the southwest of the city.
Clistie had followed Liang Xiao the entire time. Only after Liang Xiao finished did she ask, "Marquis An Guo, why did you suddenly ask them if anyone looked like me..." 138 Reading Network
Liang Xiao explained, "You were wearing a veil, not a mask that only revealed your eyes. Everyone could see you had blonde hair and blue eyes. But they were fixated on knowing your appearance, and then they silenced those two innocent civilians. This indicates that the other party might have a way to confirm your appearance, and those two knew something!"
There were no cameras or photographs in this world. The two people who were murdered in Jinling were ordinary people, not painters, and it was almost impossible for them to have painted Clistie's likeness.
"I see! The other party likely has men and women who resemble me, like my mother, or my biological father. Doesn't that mean..." Clistie's face gradually turned pale.
Liang Xiao suddenly remembered something and looked at Clistie, saying word for word, "Clistie, if they are enemies of the Great Qian Kingdom, could you truly stand against them, even kill them, for General Tian?"
Clistie's chin trembled slightly. After a few breaths, she trembled and said, "I will never betray Great Qian. I have already given my father's treasure map to His Majesty. But if you ask me to kill, I might not be able to..."
The answer, which was within his expectations, made Liang Xiao nod with satisfaction, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to kill anyone."
Clistie summoned her courage and said, "If General Tian is still alive and appears before me, I would even offer my life and virginity to him immediately, without regret!"
After speaking, Clistie stared at Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao was startled and sighed, "What if General Tian is an old man in his seventies or eighties?"
"No regrets!" Clistie said with finality.
Liang Xiao was utterly defeated and speechless. Jian Qinwan, standing nearby, tried hard to suppress a smile and acted as if nothing had happened.
Clistie then lowered her head in shame, not daring to meet Liang Xiao's gaze.
This was the third time she had verbally 'cuckolded' Liang Xiao.
Unless Liang Xiao personally proved to her that he was General Tian, she dared not speak openly now.
She knew very well that Liang Xiao was in Jiangnan on official business and did not want to cause him any further trouble because of her personal feelings.
Liang Xiao once again pleaded with Clistie, "If anyone approaches you, no matter who it is or for whatever reason, you must tell me, absolutely must!"
Clistie nodded and asked weakly, "In return, you will let me see General Tian again someday, even if it's just a spiritual manifestation, right?"
Liang Xiao nodded silently. Only then did Clistie return to her room, content.
"Bad boy~" Jian Qinwan finally couldn't help but pinch Liang Xiao's arm.
"How am I a bad boy?" Liang Xiao asked innocently.
"Your methods for dealing with bad people are those of a bad boy~" Jian Qinwan huffed.
"Then how did you fall in love with a bad boy?" Liang Xiao pouted.
Jian Qinwan blushed and chided, "This Rakshasa needs to be even worse than you to subdue you! You just wait~"
Liang Xiao merely stared at Jian Qinwan with a smile. The latter became uneasy under his gaze and found an excuse to accompany Clistie.
Counting the time, it was already early May. Including the travel time, Liang Xiao would probably return to the capital in July.
Thanks to the foresight of the Great Qian's High Ancestor and founding Prime Minister Zhuo Mingfeng, the Great Qian Kingdom had always encouraged horse breeding and road construction, thus its transportation was much more developed than other countries.
A regular carriage in the Great Qian Kingdom could travel more than fifty li a day, and the best carriages could travel about 150 li a day. Liang Xiao spared no expense, repeatedly changing to the best carriages at post stations along the way, increasing his daily travel distance to about 180 li.
After finishing his business in Qiantang, Liang Xiao would return to Jinling to preside over the overall situation, then go to the Taizhou military camp to meet with Gongsun Ye. Once the situation was settled, he could return to the capital from a location closest to it. Taizhou to the capital was over three thousand li, which would take about twenty days.
As for the Zither Saint Gongsun Jing, she had been keeping in touch with Jian Qinwan through letters and had promised that when Liang Xiao returned to the capital, she would also bring her daughter Gongsun Yu from Tianqin Mountain to attend Jian Qinwan and Liang Xiao's formal wedding in the capital, so Liang Xiao would not have to specially return to Tianqin Mountain to see her.
Jian Nanfeng had already gone to find Chen Shaoling and his wife. Liang Xiao estimated that they should have already gone to Tianqin Mountain by now. After Jian Nanfeng visited Gongsun Jing and her daughter, he would go to the Heavenly Mountain to find Mu Xueqin, and then wait in the capital for Liang Xiao's wedding.
In the residential house in the southwest district of Qiantang, the Sect Master of the Hui Chun Sect and a group of disciples were waiting for news. They were getting anxious like ants on a hot pan, as they had not received any word from the six disciples.
After a moment, a disciple reported in a panic, "Sect Master! The six brothers are missing! It's likely they have been captured by Liang Xiao!"