Shared the same bed? Talking in bed?
Not only Xiao Qing was flustered, but Ding Wuyi and Ning Xuejun were also startled.
Xiao Qing retreated two steps, watching Liang Xiao nervously.
Liang Xiao looked puzzled, re-examining the young eunuch in front of him.
A flash of inspiration struck Xiao Qing, who asked suspiciously, "Big Brother, do you have a penchant for men?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Xiao burst into laughter, "How is that possible! I'm just very happy and don't want you to leave."
He thought of himself and Xiao Shuangzi as sworn brothers, like Liu, Guan, and Zhang in the Peach Garden Oath. However, it seemed that such customs were rare in Da Qian, and even sworn brotherhood was uncommon.
Only then did Xiao Qing heave a sigh of relief and insist on returning to the palace.
Liang Xiao naturally felt embarrassed to keep him any longer and got up to see him out.
Arriving in the courtyard, Xiao Qing looked at the bright moon in the sky, hesitated for a moment, then turned to Liang Xiao and pointed at the poem in Ning Xuejun's hand.
"Big Brother, this poem belongs to Xiao Shuangzi, and you are not allowed to write it for anyone else."
Liang Xiao was stunned, smiled, and nodded.
Xiao Qing finally left the large courtyard with satisfaction, looking back at every three steps. Seeing Liang Xiao's eyes following her, she felt a sweetness in her heart.
The matter of brotherhood was unexpected, but also a pleasant surprise!
She could finally add another item to Liang Xiao's tab: daring to attempt to be her Big Brother!
Returning to the palace, Xiao Qing carefully placed Liang Xiao's poem on the desk, gazing at it with rapt attention.
Ning Xuejun and Ding Wuyi dared not disturb her and simply stood by, removing their masks to reveal two weathered faces.
Ding Wuyi was handsome and dignified, while Ning Xuejun's beauty had faded with time, but it was still evident that she must have been a stunning beauty in her youth.
The two trusted ministers gazed at their sovereign with doting eyes, their noses prickling with emotion.
Their sovereign had been trained in the ways of emperors since childhood, studying diligently and practicing hard, with no interest in leisure.
After ascending the throne, she was even more diligent in state affairs, often with a solemn expression, possessing the profoundness of a thirty-year-old at the age of sixteen.
Since meeting Liang Xiao, she had finally become more cheerful, even drinking half a bowl of the blood Liang Xiao had drunk.
This was something Ning Xuejun and Ding Wuyi had never dared to imagine.
Tears shimmered in Ning Xuejun's eyes, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
This was the last surviving bloodline of the late emperor, born to him in his old age!
However, even Xiao Qing did not know that Ning Xuejun had once been a shadow guard deeply in love with the late emperor.
Because she could not bear children for the late emperor, Ning Xuejun poured all her love into Xiao Qing, treating her as her own and hoping Xiao Qing would be happy.
Ning Xuejun stepped forward, wanting to beautifully mount the calligraphy for Xiao Qing, but was politely refused.
"He personally wrote and mounted it, so this is the best way to treasure it."
Under the candlelight, Xiao Qing's gaze was hazy, as she spoke to herself, occasionally chuckling.
This "Big Brother" she had taken in was not only handsome and talented but also possessed a deep concern for the nation and its people. His smile was like a spring breeze, making her forget all her worries.
The next day, in the Imperial Study.
Xiao Qing frowned as she read the memorials.
The Minister of Personnel had taken the lead in impeaching General Zuo, Liang Qing, accusing Liang Xiao of insulting the imperial students at the poetry competition and blaming Liang Qing for poor discipline.
The memorial vividly described the events of the poetry competition, portraying Liang Xiao as a wicked and shameless prodigal. It completely omitted the fact that the talented scholars and literati had denied the Heavenly General's merits.
Ning Xuejun's eyes sharpened as she read the memorial.
If they hadn't encountered Liang Xiao, she and Xiao Qing would have believed it!
But soon, Xiao Qing found another memorial from Prime Minister Wang Canghai, and her eyes lit up.
Wang Canghai's memorial truthfully recounted the events, and even the lyrics Liang Xiao had sung were recorded word for word!
"With aspirations to feed on the flesh of the barbarians when hungry, and to drink the blood of the Xiongnu in jest, how many remember the original name of the desolate lands... Indeed, he is the one who understands and respects the Heavenly General the most."
Xiao Qing exclaimed with delight, tears welling up in her eyes.
The memorial stated that Liang Xiao had sung this poem to rebuke Ouyang Sheng and others for the Heavenly General and the soldiers on the front lines.
What a stirring and heroic poem!
Unfortunately, it had no title?
Xiao Qing wiped away her tears, and a hint of petulance emerged, "So, you've written another one behind my back..."
This fellow, can't keep a secret, can he?
Xiao Qing flipped through several more memorials, combined with Liang Xiao's descriptions, and finally reached a conclusion, issuing decrees accordingly.
These memorials were divided into two factions: Prime Minister Wang Canghai and Minister of Personnel He Wanli.
"Imperial decree: Ouyang Sheng has shown disrespect to the merits of the Heavenly General. Henceforth, he shall not be employed or participate in examinations without the Emperor's permission! All other attendees shall be thoroughly investigated. If any are accomplices, they shall receive a severe demerit and shall not be employed for three years without the Emperor's permission!"
When the edict was issued, He Wanli and others waiting outside the palace were shocked and dismayed.
His Majesty not only did not protect Ouyang Sheng and the scholars but also imposed such severe punishment?
It was over!
"My hair stands on end, leaning against the railing, the rain stops with a sigh..." Xiao Qing's clear voice rang out from the Imperial Study.
News of the poetry competition last night had already spread through half the capital.
Liang Xiao's denouncement of the scholars and his composition of a peerless poem had already astonished the entire academic circle of the capital!
Everyone was curious about Liang Xiao: Wasn't this person a notorious prodigal? Didn't even his fiancée Luo Qingxue despise him?
Outside the entrance of the Imperial Academy, there was now a sea of people. There were talented scholars and literati, as well as ordinary citizens.
Hearing that Liang Xiao was at the Imperial Academy, everyone wanted to come and find out.
And the protagonist of the incident, Liang Xiao, was currently sleeping in the study of Zhuo Zifang's residence!
Yue Lian sat by the table, gazing at Liang Xiao's calligraphy, her eyes welling up with tears several times.
Because she was happy.
She learned that Liang Xiao and Eunuch Qin had become sworn brothers, and finally, he had found a kindred spirit!
Eunuch Qin seemed to be highly esteemed by His Majesty, and perhaps he could even look after her young master in the future!
What made her happiest was that Liang Xiao, seeing her lingering fondness for that poem, had unhesitatingly written it out for her, even including the tune's name.
Man Jiang Hong!
She had personally witnessed Liang Xiao's swift and powerful brushstrokes; his running script was simply mesmerizing!
A moment later, Liang Xiao suddenly woke up.
Yue Lian was startled and quickly got up to ask, "Young Master, did I wake you up..."
Liang Xiao shook his head, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and laughed, "I just dreamed that Xiao Shuangzi opened his mouth wide and swallowed me."
Hearing this, Yue Lian covered her mouth and giggled, "Eunuch Qin is so slender and scholarly-looking. I think it's more likely that you swallowed him!"
Liang Xiao smiled, then asked suspiciously, "Why didn't Zhuo Lingjun come today?"
As per their agreement, Liang Xiao was not required to listen to Zhuo Zifang's lectures on the Four Books and Five Classics these days, but Zhuo Zifang still came daily for a routine visit.
At this moment, Zhuo Zifang had closed his doors to visitors and was staying in his room, lost in thought, gazing at the poem on the table, his eyes filled with tears.
The handwriting was Zhuo Zifang's own, and it contained the content of Liang Xiao's Man Jiang Hong.
"This life of mine, striving and toiling, earning the respect of all under heaven, yet I cannot write such a stirring and heroic poem!"
Zhuo Zifang muttered to himself, still wiping his tears with the back of his sleeve.
The world only saw the glory of him, Luo Changfeng, and Liang Qing, but they didn't know how many of their comrades had died on the battlefield!
"A general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers," Liang Xiao had also written, and Zhuo Zifang firmly believed this.
"I must maintain the demeanor of an elder; I absolutely cannot let Liang Xiao laugh at me."
Now, Zhuo Zifang simply wanted to calm himself at home so that he could meet Liang Xiao in the best state and discuss that poem with him.
An hour later, Zhuo Zifang finally regained his usual elegant and calm demeanor and hurried to the study.
As soon as he entered the study, Zhuo Zifang's gaze fell on the "Man Jiang Hong" on the table, his pupils constricting. "So it's called Man Jiang Hong??"
Zhuo Zifang could no longer listen to Liang Xiao's greetings. With a predatory pounce, he rushed to the desk and snatched "Man Jiang Hong"!