Inside the imperial study, Zhuo Zifang and his son Zhuo Wulüe listened as Liang Xiao recounted the truth. Xiao Qing and the three great auxiliary ministers remained silent for the moment, their hearts filled with anticipation. When Xiao Qing first learned that the object entrusted by the late emperor was a "princess of the former dynasty" and that the recipient was Zhuo Zifang, she knew she could trust the elder without reservation. Unfortunately, he had already returned to Jiangnan.
The father and son were initially shocked, then grieved. After reading the three imperial edicts, Zhuo Zifang was overwhelmed with emotion, and then shame washed over his face. "This old subject failed to fulfill his duties!"
Zhuo Wulüe cast a peculiar glance at Liang Xiao, his feelings even more complex. This bargain son-in-law had actually managed to have the reigning empress share the imperial consort title with his daughters… Compared to Gu Hong and others, Zhuo Zifang and his son accepted the truth more readily, especially Zhuo Zifang, who had interacted most with the late emperor.
"Lord Zhuo is over seventy years old, but the needs of the state are paramount. I will compensate the Zhuo family…" Xiao Qing sighed.
Zhuo Zifang nodded solemnly. "This subject privately wished to retire and feels ashamed of the late emperor's trust. How dare I seek further compensation! Now, my son and I shall devote our utmost loyalty and wisdom, ensuring Your Majesty's safety. We only pray Your Majesty remains at ease while pregnant! After all, Your Majesty is the only one left in the royal family, and we are fortunate to have the驸马爷…"
Xiao Qing glanced at Liang Xiao with a blush and nodded.
At this juncture, Xiao Qing officially reinstated Zhuo Zifang as the Grand Minister of Works. Liang Xiao, as the Minister of the Left, would serve as his deputy, jointly managing the Six Ministries. Zhuo Wulüe, along with Zhuo Zifang, also became ministers with the privilege of entering the palace for audiences.
Dugu Qun, He Wanli, and the others fell into complete silence, offering no opposition or conspiracy. With the imperial authority firmly established, their three great aristocratic clans had been suppressed to this extent, unable to stir up any major trouble in the capital and thus daring not to act rashly.
After leaving the imperial palace, Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang shared a carriage.
"You brat, dragging me to the capital must have been your idea!" In the carriage, Zhuo Zifang, disregarding his dignity, grabbed Liang Xiao's collar and glared fiercely.
Liang Xiao pouted. "At worst, I can go to Daliang and bring your granddaughter back to Daqian."
Zhuo Zifang finally released his grip and sighed. "Daqian cannot do without you, Liang Xiao. If you can avoid it, don't go. Perhaps in a few more years, Xiao Yun will come to her senses on her own. I won't force her to marry."
"I must go. The Emperor of Daliang has been so humble towards me. If I don't visit, it will be a loss of face for Daqian and detrimental to good relations between the two countries. Besides, my woman is also in Daliang," Liang Xiao sighed.
"You've come to your senses and taken a liking to my Xiao Yun??" Zhuo Zifang's old eyes lit up.
Liang Xiao was stunned. Upon returning to the Zhuo manor with Zhuo Zifang, he truthfully recounted the matter of Zuo Jing. Zhuo Zifang and Zhuo Wulüe couldn't help but sigh, yet they couldn't refrain from offering a warning.
"Then you must prepare in advance and thoroughly understand the situation in Daliang. Daliang has many talented individuals, including quite a few peculiar ones. You must be wary of them. For example, there's a woman named 'Yue Wenxin.' She's usually very outspoken and curses incessantly, but once she's on the battlefield, she seems to transform into an entirely different person. Her martial arts are formidable, and she kills ruthlessly. It's truly strange…"
"Is that true?" Liang Xiao frowned.
"Absolutely! She is the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei in Daliang. This year, she has emerged prominently, and the people of Daliang believe she is possessed by a divine being. I confirmed this in Jiangnan two months ago," Zhuo Zifang said with a grave expression.
Liang Xiao mused, "I understand. It's likely a case of split personality." Zuo Jing had mentioned her family to him, but never that Yue Wenxin had such a peculiar condition. This clearly happened within the last year or two. After all, Zuo Jing had been in Daqian since the end of September last year.
"Split personality?" Zhuo Zifang was taken aback. Even after Liang Xiao's explanation, he still found it hard to believe. However, Zhuo Zifang had always kept his distance from matters of ghosts and spirits, especially after witnessing the truth about the Heavenly General. He didn't believe in any sort of demonic possession.
"That ancient Xiongnu King's treasure, however, is truly astonishing," Zhuo Wulüe sighed. "Perhaps the final portion of the treasure was also gold plundered by the ancient Xiongnu King from this land. If it can be recovered, it would be immensely beneficial to Your Majesty and the nation. But in the depths of the desert, it's a miracle if one doesn't get lost…"
Only now did they understand why Xiao Qing dared to repurchase land across the country and why Zhuo Zifang was needed back in the capital to assist Wang Canghai in managing affairs. Those lands were almost entirely owned by landlords and wealthy gentry. The promotion of new crops would make it easier to feed the entire populace. Coupled with the impending nationwide implementation of "攤丁入畝" (a tax reform), the people would no longer fear starvation or exploitation from corvée labor. How could they bear to sell the land passed down through generations? Once the land repurchase was complete, these landlords and gentry would find land prices soaring, and the common people would be unwilling to sell their land to them, preventing them from hoarding commodities and potentially leading to furious backlash.
While Xiao Qing was "treating leprosy," if rebels within the country seized the opportunity to rise, it would pose a significant threat. Therefore, after defeating the barbarians, Daqian was not in a hurry to campaign abroad but needed a large military force to assist in defending various regions and suppressing rebellions at any time. The sudden appearance of peasant unrest in Xichuan was undoubtedly related to the agricultural settlements. Xichuan was a relatively remote area with some warlord separatism, making it difficult for the central plains to manage. However, the court's increased share for the settlers and concessions to the people had severely harmed the interests of the local landlords and gentry in Xichuan!
"We must find it! That is the wealth belonging to this land," Liang Xiao said with a smile. "According to my estimations, there will be tornados appearing annually, at which point we can roughly determine the treasure's location."
The father and son nodded with joy and looked at Liang Xiao, filled with emotion. "Truly heaven-sent for Daqian." If this young man had not stepped forward, Yan Prefecture would inevitably have fallen. Coupled with the fact that it was a year of disaster, if the long-standing issues of land annexation and aristocratic clans from the former dynasty had erupted simultaneously, the consequences were imaginable! Subsequently, he would mount his horse to break enemies and dismount to govern the country… In comparison, they could understand and see that Xiao Qing had shared the imperial consort title with his sisters for her. Xiao Qing wished to rule the country with Liang Xiao, but Liang Xiao only desired national stability and was indifferent to power, let alone imperial authority? If Liang Xiao had intended to usurp power, he could have cultivated and won over major factions in the court and maintained close ties with them, rather than handling all public affairs impartially.
The people of the capital heard that Xiao Qing had contracted leprosy, and every household offered incense and prayed day and night for their emperor's swift recovery. The common people actually didn't care who was emperor. But if someone treated them well and allowed them to live better lives, they would naturally support them wholeheartedly. Whether it was the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors or the recent Grand Founder of Daqian, in the hearts of the people, they were not as tangible as Xiao Qing. Daqian had spent over five million taels of silver in total to promote smallpox prevention nationwide, saving countless people from the threat of smallpox. The number of smallpox cases was less than one-thousandth of previous years! Although Liang Xiao had made significant contributions, the emperor who fully supported Liang Xiao was equally meritorious in the hearts of the people.
The capital was more peaceful than usual. The common people feared causing trouble for the ailing Xiao Qing and dared not even bicker with others. Meanwhile, in the depths of the desert, north of Yin Mountain, dust and sand swirled. A cavalry troop of ten thousand men, led by five hundred Shadow Guards, searched everywhere.
"We still haven't seen the 'tornado' mentioned by the Marquis of Anguo. Could we have been looking in the wrong place?" The five Shadow Guard captains appeared grim and anxious. They had accompanied Liang Xiao and Ding Wuyi to search for the treasure at Fierce Tiger River and knew the treasure's importance, eager to find the final portion for their master as soon as possible. However, they had been searching for nearly half a year with no success. Just as the five captains were distraught, a fierce wind raged in the distance, kicking up sand and stones. The ground's atmospheric pressure plummeted, the wind speed rapidly increased, and finally, a violent rotating funnel cloud descended from the cumulonimbus cloud…