Looking at Qin Feng, who was earnest yet conflicted, Liang Xiao fell into thought.
He could tell that the Emperor of Dali must have some astonishing and unspeakable secret, one that he absolutely could not reveal to anyone but Liang Xiao, and perhaps not even to his most trusted confidant, Qin Feng.
Otherwise, to hold the entire nation hostage just to invite a high-ranking official from a neighboring country to visit Dali was an act of utter absurdity, incomprehensible to any sane person!
But Mu Cheng was a wise ruler, second only to the founding emperor of Dali. His ability to break free from the control of aristocratic families and expand his territory spoke volumes of his intelligence…
Even Liang Xiao began to wonder what unspeakable secret Mu Cheng harbored in his heart that he absolutely had to meet Liang Xiao?
As the son of Liang Anguo, Liang Xiao’s appearance strongly resembled that of Liang Anguo in his youth, so it was impossible for him to be Mu Cheng’s illegitimate son. The notions of a cuckolded emperor or a father’s entrustment were thus invalid.
And his motive for going to Dali was certainly not because he was moved by the Son of Heaven of Dali.
His woman, Zuo Jing, had already returned to Dali, as had Zhuo Yun, the granddaughter of Zhuo Zifang.
Before Xiao Qing could safely reveal her female identity to the world, Zhen Mi alone could not command respect as Consort Mi. At least one more would be needed.
If Ye Qingyi and Yi Rou were not from brothels, they would also be suitable candidates.
Suddenly, Liang Xiao asked, “Here, where heaven and earth know and you and I know, with no third person present. Does your Dali’s Consort Su show any abnormality?”
“Gentle and virtuous,” Qin Feng replied.
Liang Xiao then asked, “Is there any problem with her zither music?”
Qin Feng pondered for a moment and shook his head, “It is gentle and mellow, with no unusual sounds.”
Liang Xiao remained silent.
Qin Feng must have a good understanding of music, which meant Su Wanqing was hiding her true nature extremely well.
Under such circumstances, his desire to warn Mu Cheng and Qin Feng about Su Wanqing seemed somewhat…
“I hope that after you return to your country, you can discuss with your Son of Heaven of Dali about occasionally letting you hide behind the scenes to listen to her zither music played solely for the Emperor,” Liang Xiao earnestly advised.
Qin Feng was startled and suddenly recalled Su Wencheng’s counsel to Mu Cheng regarding the plot against Da Gan. He immediately agreed, then looked to Liang Xiao with a questioning gaze.
Liang Xiao sighed, “I will go, but I cannot set a date. You are serving your country and its people, so how can I act impulsively? The rebellion in Xichuan is by no means simple; it may require my personal intervention to quell it. I must ensure that Da Gan remains stable during my diplomatic mission to Dali.”
Qin Feng suddenly understood. He handed Liang Xiao a specially made insignia and said, “You set the time. Whenever you are able to come, use this as a token to send someone to inform His Majesty and me.”
Liang Xiao took the insignia and, upon reading the three lines of text, his heart leaped.
[Imperial Bestowal]
[Northern King]
[Eternally Unique]
It was the insignia of the Northern King of Dali!
“Why go through all this trouble,” Liang Xiao chuckled wryly.
Qin Feng finally voiced his inner question: “Our Emperor has shown all the sincerity he can. In fact, even I am confused. I only know that His Majesty has another agenda, but he harbors no ill will towards you, only admiration and longing.”
Liang Xiao merely nodded and smiled, “Before you return to Dali, please enjoy the refreshed scenery of the capital.”
The Son of Heaven of Dali had gone this far, thoroughly offending the aristocratic families. Whether he associated closely with Qin Feng or not was no longer important.
Qin Feng was finally relieved. He rose to express his gratitude, and the two no longer discussed state affairs.
Everything that needed to be discussed had already been discussed between them in years past. The grand scheme of the world was beyond compare…
With the atmosphere relaxed, Liang Xiao invited Qin Feng and his family to dine at his mansion.
Zhang Yang had already been appointed as the Minister of Works, holding a third-rank official position. It was inconvenient for him to continue living in the Liang mansion, so he moved to the official residence assigned to him by the court with his wife and children. Therefore, he could not attend the banquet in time.
After Qin Feng returned to the Court of Diplomatic Missions, prominent families in the capital also sent their descendants to visit, though not with the same fervor as before.
On a high tower, Zhi Rou held Qin Feng’s hand, sighing along with him.
They also had no idea what their father, the Emperor, truly intended.
In the imperial palace, Liang Xiao, when he had free time, spent it perusing six hundred ancient books daily.
Fortunately, the content of each book was less than half of that in the Four Books and Five Classics, so Liang Xiao read them quickly.
As he turned to the "Chronicle of Princes and Lords" from the Great Zhou Dynasty, Liang Xiao’s gaze fell upon an inconspicuous line of text, and his expression changed.
[The line of Prince Heng, until Liang Che, his title was usurped, and his son Liang Mou disappeared without a trace.]
Prince Heng was the title of that Great Zhou Martial Saint.
And the ancestor recorded in his Liang family genealogy was Liang Che, and below Liang Che was Liang Mou…
Upon learning this information, Xiao Qing was also surprised: “So, the Xiao family is also considered a branch of the Great Zhou royal family, lost among the common people.”
“It’s already a distant connection, but this history of the Great Zhou needs to be amended and passed down. It seems I should discuss with my grandfather about revising my family genealogy, removing the names of these two ancestors, to prevent them from being exploited by those with ulterior motives in the future,” Liang Xiao sighed.
Thus, Liang Xiao returned home that night to inform Liang Qing. Liang Qing was also startled. Considering that historical records could not be altered, he could only offer sacrifices to his ancestors and give them new names.
The capital was in an uproar due to Qin Feng’s arrival.
Qin Feng looked at the latest issue of the Da Gan Daily and then at the middle and upper volumes of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" on his table, sighing with emotion, “Truly a divine being!”
After a month of arduous travel, Zuo Jing and eight Yun Tian guards finally returned to Dali and reported to Zuo Wuji.
In a secret chamber, Zuo Wuji looked at the movable-type printing technique provided by Liang Xiao, and was greatly astonished: “He defeated Ouyang Bookstore with this simple new technology?!”
After receiving an affirmative answer, Zuo Wuji’s eyes gleamed, but he quickly calmed down.
“This movable-type printing technique, if provided to the Emperor of Dali, will surely make him see me in a new light, and it is sufficient to demonstrate my loyalty to Dali. However, it will undoubtedly offend the bookstores owned by those aristocratic families.”
Zuo Jing said, “He said that you, Father, can secretly give it to the Emperor of Dali, as long as the aristocratic families in the country do not know about it…”
Zuo Wuji thought about it and agreed, nodding with joy, “The Son of Heaven of Dali has been trying to establish libraries, but the Yan family’s woodblock printing techniques are unwilling to be shared. With such technology, why worry about not being able to achieve merit?”
Only then did Zuo Jing breathe a sigh of relief.
Just then, Zuo Wuji’s face darkened again. He stared coldly at Zuo Jing and said word by word, “I heard from the Yun Tian guards that you have already lost your virginity to Liang Xiao?”
Zuo Jing’s delicate body trembled slightly, and she nodded.
“Your father put so much effort into raising you, yet you allowed an enemy who made your father sleepless to take your virginity?” Zuo Wuji gritted his teeth.
“He has no intention of being your enemy, Father…” Zuo Jing said nervously.
“So you asked the eight Yun Tian guards to become hostages for Zuo Wushang, just to give your body to him, and then flee back to Da Gan in disgrace? Why didn’t you just stay in Da Gan?” Zuo Wuji’s tone gradually returned to calm.
“Daughter dare not forget Father’s upbringing…”
Before Zuo Jing could finish speaking, Zuo Wuji raised his hand and slapped her.
“Slap!”
“Foolish!!”
Zuo Jing covered her left cheek, which was already red under her veil, and lowered her head in shame.
Just as Zuo Wuji was about to unleash his anger, Zuo Jing suddenly covered her mouth, feeling nauseous.
“Ugh…”
Looking at Zuo Jing, who turned away and gagged, Zuo Wuji’s pupils contracted. He grabbed Zuo Jing’s hand and felt her pulse.
After a long while, Zuo Wuji’s sinister and sharp laughter echoed through the hall.