During this period of returning to Da Liang to train, whenever Zuo Jing closed her eyes, she would think of that shamelessly thick face smiling at her, saying, "Lin'er is so amazing."
Zuo Jing was pondering another question.
Why had he felt pity for "Lao Niang" back then?
Was it because "Lao Niang" had some beauty?
But Zuo Jing quickly dismissed her own thought.
Ye Qingyi, Yi Rou, and so many beauties from Jiangnan had not become his women, and now she saw that he disliked sacrificing women. These women were the people in his heart, and at that time, she was also...
Therefore, his pity for "Lao Niang" was just ordinary, nothing special...
Zuo Jing felt a bit stifled in her heart, and soon noticed a group of exceptionally beautiful and talented women gathered in the distance, gazing at Liang Xiao with infatuated eyes.
Seeing this, Zuo Jing began to retreat.
Should she not disturb him? But why had her father asked her to spy on his intelligence...
The scene was bustling with noise. Liang Xiao simply made a few brief remarks to the crowd, and the convoy finally set off for Yanzhou.
Watching the departing convoy, Zuo Jing remained silent. She led the Cloud Heaven Guards back to their civilian residences, and everyone began to disguise themselves.
Before long, Zuo Jing, disguised as a peasant woman in a linen dress carrying a vegetable basket, and the other Cloud Heaven Guards transformed into hawkers and porters, their gazes even appearing ordinary. Forged household registration documents were also prepared.
"To Yanzhou!" Zuo Jing gave the order. As everyone was about to depart, a Heaven-tier Cloud Heaven Guard spoke.
"Leader, we found a few people in the crowd just now who were constantly observing Liang Xiao. Their eyes were fierce, giving a distinct impression of the Hui Chun Cult!"
Zuo Jing narrowed her eyes, stood up, and said, "First, investigate the origin of this group. If they are cultists of the Hui Chun Cult, capture them for interrogation!"
The Cloud Heaven Guards all agreed.
They had already learned that the Hui Chun Cult had been long betraying the remnants of the Da Heng Kingdom. Upon hearing this, Zuo Wuji had become furious.
The mastermind behind the fire incident back then was Gong Yang He, and perhaps the Hui Chun Cult was also involved in the betrayal!
Inside the carriage, Christie sat on Liang Xiao's lap, her face flushed. Yue Lian and Zhuo Xun chatted and laughed, and she didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Her sister, Sophia, was still emotionally unstable and was also being taken to Yanzhou by Liang Xiao.
Before this, Christie, accompanied by Bu Ti and Liang Mingyu, would visit Sophia at the Honglu Temple daily. She also discovered that as long as her sister was present, Sophia could regain her composure, as if she felt a sense of security.
As her biological sister, Christie naturally could not ignore this.
However, Liang Xiao, to avoid her and Sophia traveling in the same carriage, found an excuse to hold her all the way, just like now.
In fact, Liang Xiao was also puzzled.
Using his astonishing hearing and eyesight, he had tried to eavesdrop, but Sophia showed no abnormalities, fitting a normal situation.
"Am I just being overly suspicious?"
Liang Xiao harbored doubts, but considering the possibility of foul play in the Jiangnan murder cases and having captured a fair-skinned, blue-eyed individual from the Hui Chun Cult, he had no intention of lowering his guard.
Christie had given him her everything and become his wife. Liang Xiao would absolutely not allow her to suffer any harm or be schemed against.
Liang Xiao's convoy sped along the official road towards Yanzhou, stopping in nearby towns for rest in the morning, noon, and evening.
In the woods bordering the official road, led by Zuo Jing, nine Cloud Heaven Guards, armed with crossbows and daggers and wearing soft armor, were engaged in a hunt for seven civilians wielding daggers.
The nine Cloud Heaven Guards, with three strong men as the main force, Zuo Jing and two female Cloud Heaven Guards responsible for precise archery, and the remaining four flanking the attack.
Screams echoed through the woods. In a blink of an eye, five of the opponents were cut down. The two survivors had their arms dislocated and their jaws held, rendering them unable to resist.
The Cloud Heaven Guards quickly retrieved a small golden packet of medicine from the two individuals.
"The opponents are core disciples of the Hui Chun Cult!" Qing said.
Zuo Jing's eyes sharpened. She glanced north and said coldly, "Bring them back to be interrogated first!"
Liang Xiao returned to Yanzhou, where the citizens had been waiting for a long time, lining the streets to welcome him with pride.
To avoid wasting the people's labor and money, Liang Xiao simply expressed his gratitude to the citizens and then entered the Liang Mansion in Yanzhou City.
Liang Xiao was now the pride of Yanzhou. In the center of Yanzhou City stood his bronze statue, back-to-back with the statue of the mysterious Heavenly General, symbolizing the combined efforts of civil and military powers.
The two bronze statues were specifically placed outside the Liang Mansion.
Jian Qin Wan and others alighted from their carriages. Upon seeing the two bronze statues, they wore wry smiles.
"Not bad, the Heavenly General is protecting him!" Jian Qin Wan said coquettishly.
"With the Heavenly General protecting Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao is very safe!" Zhen Mi nodded.
Looking at the serious Zhen Mi, Liang Xiao silently held a grudge against Jian Qin Wan for one more count and let out a dry laugh, leading the group into the mansion.
The head steward, Liang Wen, and the Cavalry Marshal, Liu Fan, had been waiting for a long time and reported the situation with beaming faces.
Almost all the arable land that could be purchased in Yanzhou had been acquired by Liang Xiao.
With the conscription in the northern territories, the safety of the land in the Yanzhou region had greatly increased, and prices had steadily risen.
The landlords and gentry who had sold their land to Liang Xiao at that time regretted not making more profit.
Some commoners, taking advantage of the rising land prices, came to the Liang Mansion to beg to sell their land, but were refused by the Liang Mansion.
However, the Liang Mansion did not let them despair. After understanding the situations of these commoners' families, they allowed them to mortgage their land temporarily, providing money at the land's price without interest, as a temporary loan for emergencies.
These commoners were deeply grateful, but essentially considered their land sold to Liang Xiao.
"Second Young Master, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn have been planted on a large scale, and fifty thousand catties of each have been set aside as reserves," Liang Wen said excitedly.
He had gone to inspect the farmland being tended by his men. Planted and transplanted from March to May, and ripe from July to September, the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes exceeded two thousand catties per mu!
Corn, counting only the weight of the kernels, had a yield of nearly six hundred catties per mu, far exceeding ordinary grains!
As soon as Liu Fan heard about the three crops, his eyes lit up, and his face was full of smiles.
As a scholar, even he couldn't help but consider the three new crops brought by his Marquis as "divine objects."
For ordinary grains, a yield of two hundred catties per mu was considered fortunate...
And these crops were much more resilient than ordinary grains, and they could even mature in a place like Yanzhou!
"Excellent!" Liang Xiao, unusually, was also full of excitement.
The fact that potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn could survive and produce meant that Da Qian Kingdom could have more reserves of other grains!
Xiao Qing had accepted his proposal to prepare granaries across the country, and grain would be purchased in each prefecture and county and stored to cope with lean years.
Furthermore, millet was cheaper than polished rice and more durable for storage...
The common people didn't understand so much; they just wanted to live well. If they couldn't live, they would naturally rise up in rebellion.
In modern times, many foreigners and "spiritual foreigners" mocked the Chinese for always being docile subjects, attempting to occupy the high ground of public opinion and undermine national confidence, but ultimately humiliating themselves.
This is because, as long as people have time to consult the local gazettes and prefectural histories, almost every one of them records peasant uprisings and rebellions that occurred in various places in different years and months. Even during the reigns of Wen and Jing or the reign of Zhen Guan, there were still people who rose up in rebellion. This nation is precisely the one that fears no tyranny.
After Liang Xiao arranged for Luo Qingxue to have everyone settled, he took Liu Fan and headed to the Northern Army camp to understand the situation.
It was rumored that the barbarians had stationed troops three hundred li away and had even sent a challenge to the Northern Territory by arrow. This matter had become quite serious.