In the capital, there were three renowned talented women: Luo Qingxue, Mu Wanjun, and Gu Xiaoxiao, with Luo Qingxue being the foremost.
There were also three distinguished scholars: Dugu Xiao, Mu Hong, and Gu Shaoyan, with Dugu Xiao leading the group. All three held the rank of Juren.
Mu Hong and Gu Shaoyan were, respectively, the elder brothers of Mu Wanjun and Gu Xiaoxiao. The two brothers shared a close friendship and maintained a low profile at the Imperial Academy, disliking frequent outings.
Mu Wanjun admired Dugu Xiao, while Gu Shaoyan was pursuing Mu Wanjun.
Upon seeing Gu Shaoyan, Liang Feng felt a headache coming on. He considered himself a mere martial man, not adept at arguments, and yet two of the three great scholars had appeared.
"Brother Gu..." Luo Qingxue offered a slight bow to Gu Shaoyan.
Gu Shaoyan smiled faintly and looked at Liang Feng, "And who is this?"
"He is Liang Feng, the elder brother of Luo Qingxue's wastrel fiancé, Liang Xiao," Dugu Xiao prompted.
Hearing the surrounding snickers, Liang Feng felt indignant, but considering Gu Shaoyan had no animosity towards him, he still clasped his hands in greeting.
Gu Shaoyan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is your younger brother, Liang Xiao, present?"
Liang Feng shook his head.
"Brother Gu, Brother Liang needs to speak with my grandfather. I must take my leave now," Luo Qingxue interjected.
Gu Shaoyan smiled and asked, "Indeed. Is Liang Xiao at home now, or at your Luo manor?"
"At our Liang manor," Liang Feng replied.
Gu Shaoyan pondered for a moment and said, "I intend to pay a visit."
"Brother Shaoyan is also interested in Liang Xiao?" Dugu Xiao chuckled lightly.
Gu Shaoyan nodded, "Very much so. I emerged from my seclusion yesterday and heard someone say that he publicly rebuked Wanjun, quoting, 'A merchant's daughter knows not the sorrow of a fallen nation; across the river, she still sings of the 'Rear Courtyard Flower'.' "
"A good poem!" Dugu Xiao exclaimed involuntarily, but quickly realized his slip and changed tack, "However, using this phrase for a talented woman of the capital is utterly excessive!"
Luo Qingxue's heart sank.
Liang Feng said sternly, "My second brother is indisposed to receive guests. If you have any grievances, direct them at me!"
"No, no, you misunderstand. I merely have something I wish to discuss with Liang Xiao," Gu Shaoyan quickly responded.
Dugu Xiao chimed in mockingly, "Liang Feng, do you know why you cannot be promoted? It's because you take yourself too seriously. How can the nation entrust high office to a brute like you! Brother Shaoyan wishes to speak with Liang Xiao, so he speaks with Liang Xiao. Only a fool would needlessly involve himself."
"You are pushing your luck!" Liang Feng trembled with rage. He had never imagined that Dugu Xiao would seize such an opportunity to drag the imperial bureaucracy into it.
Luo Qingxue, equally indignant, was about to reprimand him when a voice called out from a distance.
"Looking for me?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Luo Qingxue gasped, "Liang Xiao!"
It was indeed Liang Xiao and Yue Lian, accompanied by guards.
Liang Xiao ignored the gazes of the crowd and walked directly to Liang Feng's side, beckoning to a servant behind Liang Feng, "What happened? Tell me."
The astute servant understood Liang Xiao's intent and approached him, whispering an account of the recent events.
Dugu Xiao narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on Liang Xiao, his heart burning with jealousy. "Liang Xiao..."
Finally, they met. He considered himself a man of worldly charm, yet this so-called fiancé of Luo Qingxue made him wish for his utter annihilation. The reason he had rushed back to the capital was precisely because he had received news of Liang Xiao's arrival.
After understanding the situation, Liang Xiao patted Liang Feng's shoulder. "Big brother, you don't need to say anything more."
"What do you mean?" Liang Feng asked, displeased.
Liang Xiao stared at Dugu Xiao and said in a low voice, "A man stands by his deeds. Are you Dugu Xiao? If you have any issues with me, speak freely. I won't change my ways anyway."
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd.
Dugu Xiao's face fell. "As expected, the whole family are brutes! But looking at you, this sickly fellow, you're not even as good as your elder brother!"
"What do you mean!" Liang Feng finally roared.
Gu Shaoyan quickly stepped forward to mediate between the two, repeatedly urging, "Harmony brings wealth!" He then turned to Liang Xiao, "Liang Xiao, regarding the poetry competition rumors..."
Liang Xiao replied without hesitation, "That's right, I did say to Mu Wanjun, 'A merchant's daughter knows not the sorrow of a fallen nation'."
Dugu Xiao's heart leaped with joy. He stared at Liang Xiao with a fake smile, thinking, "This brute clearly doesn't realize that Gu Shaoyan has been pursuing Mu Wanjun!"
"Ah, regarding this matter, Gu has no right to comment..." Gu Shaoyan said with a wry smile.
Dugu Xiao looked at Gu Shaoyan in confusion.
Gu Shaoyan produced a piece of paper and spread it out, filled with writing. "I wanted to ask, did you truly write this ci?"
Liang Xiao glanced at it and saw it was "Man Jiang Hong." He nodded immediately, "Indeed!"
"What ci? Brother Shaoyan, let me see," Dugu Xiao said, even more surprised.
Gu Shaoyan turned and handed the ci to Dugu Xiao.
Upon reading it, Dugu Xiao felt as if struck by lightning!
"He wrote this??"
Gu Shaoyan nodded repeatedly, "Indeed! I couldn't find Liang Xiao at the Imperial Academy, so I dared to ask Zhuo Lingjun, and learned the name of this ci is 'Man Jiang Hong'. 'Anger fills my chest, I lean on the railing...' "
At the end, Gu Shaoyan couldn't help but recite it, and the surrounding crowd applauded.
But soon, some people looked at Liang Xiao in shock and exclaimed, "Did Liang Xiao really write this ci?"
Most people in the capital found it hard to believe, dismissing it as rumor or even believing the ci was written by Zhuo Zifang or Dugu Xiao...
Dugu Xiao's hand, holding the paper, trembled slightly. He opened his mouth but felt a lump in his throat, his face flushing red.
Gu Shaoyan exclaimed on the spot, "Young Master Liang the Second is truly a prodigy! It seems the rumors of him being a wastrel and incompetent are false! Even if I were to ponder for a hundred years, I could not create a work to rival this ci!"
Hearing Gu Shaoyan praise Liang Xiao, Luo Qingxue's feelings became more complex. Since Liang Xiao's arrival, he hadn't even glanced at her. Thinking this, Luo Qingxue felt unhappy.
"Does he think I'm helping Dugu Xiao badger his elder brother..."
Only Liang Xiao, with a placid expression, said, "You flatter me."
Dugu Xiao recovered himself and reminded Gu Shaoyan, "Brother Shaoyan, he insulted Wanjun..."
Gu Shaoyan shook his head. "You are unaware, Wanjun asked me to come and apologize to him."
"What! Brother Shaoyan, you mustn't speak nonsense..." Dugu Xiao couldn't believe it. Mu Wanjun, the most arrogant among the three talented women, had actually commissioned Gu Shaoyan to apologize to Liang Xiao after being publicly "insulted" by him?
Gu Shaoyan immediately took out another letter and handed it to Liang Xiao, sighing, "Wanjun's letter, please peruse it."
Liang Xiao opened the envelope suspiciously and read it. It turned out that Mu Wanjun had expressed her regret, apologized to Liang Xiao, and conveyed her admiration. She also reflected that she should not have looked down on the Heavenly General. Furthermore, she hoped that if Liang Xiao forgave her, he would apologize to his fiancée, Luo Qingxue, on her behalf.
"It's no big deal, I won't hold it against him."
Liang Xiao said this and handed the letter to Luo Qingxue.
Upon reading it, Luo Qingxue's eyes lit up, and a radiant smile spread across her face. The surrounding onlookers were captivated. However, Luo Qingxue soon saw the concluding sentence, "You and Qingxue are indeed a match made in heaven," and her face flushed crimson. She turned her head away, unable to meet Liang Xiao's gaze.