Liang Xiao frowned and stepped in front of Luo Qingxue.
Lu Changhe’s brow twitched, and he quickly shook his head.
"No, no, no! I already have a wife, and we are deeply in love!"
Everyone grew more confused.
Luo Qingxue pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "General Lu, could it be... you've taken a liking to Liang Xiao?"
The crowd nearly collapsed.
Liang Xiao quickly turned to look at Luo Qingxue, a mix of amusement and helplessness on his face, "What on earth do you think about me all day?"
Lu Changhe gasped and shook his head, "I am not one for the ways of the 'cut sleeve'! Please don't misunderstand! But regardless, you cannot get married too soon..."
"Give me an explanation," Liang Xiao said, his expression displeased.
"Xiao'er! Do not be rude!" Liang Qing quickly reminded him.
Xiao Qing meant for him not to pressure Liang Xiao, but Lu Changhe before him was of royal blood and, to some extent, represented Liang Qing's position as well!
Lu Changhe, having prepared himself, said, "In your current state, if you indulge in wine and women, you might truly die young."
"That makes sense, but do I necessarily have to consummate the marriage immediately after getting married?" Liang Xiao shot Lu Changhe a look.
This fellow was meddling too much.
"If you have no children for years after marriage, will the outside world not gossip?" Lu Changhe asked sternly.
Liang Xiao was taken aback.
Luo Qingxue and Yue Lian looked at Lu Changhe with strange expressions, "Could it be that General Lu really fancies Liang Xiao..."
Liang Xiao turned around and whispered fiercely to Luo Qingxue, "If you're mischievous again, I'll marry you tomorrow and... take care of you!"
Luo Qingxue, who had been feeling rather smug, was so embarrassed she wished she could burrow into the ground and dared not utter another word.
Lu Changhe gave a wry smile, "I truly do not have the 'cut sleeve' affliction!"
Liang Xiao pouted, "Then I shall thank General Lu for your concern. When spring returns and the flowers bloom, I will go see the Medical Saint. Perhaps I can recover soon."
Given the situation, Lu Changhe was worried about revealing too much and couldn't say more. He took his leave hastily.
Inside the carriage, Lu Changhe’s expression was grave.
"Could he be General Tian? And is he in this state because of severe injuries sustained in that battle?"
"But if he is General Tian, why doesn't he show himself and rally the nation?"
The more Lu Changhe thought, the less he understood, and he sighed inwardly.
"Even Sister Shuang never mentioned this to me. If he truly is General Tian, then he must have some unspeakable difficulties... In any case, I should respect General Tian's choice."
Lu Changhe finally came to a decision, planning to observe for a while longer. The immediate priority was to return and explain the misunderstanding to the White Robe soldiers.
Liang Xiao's threat was effective. For a full two quarters of an hour, Luo Qingxue dared not speak to Liang Xiao, her face flushed, her head lowered, as she listened to Liang Xiao converse with Yue Lian and Zhen Mi.
Even in her simplicity, she understood what Liang Xiao meant by "take care of you."
Initially, she had also considered working hard with Liang Xiao to conceive after marriage, so as to prevent him from dying young and leaving no heir.
But after hearing Lu Changhe's words, she began to worry about becoming a femme fatale and causing Liang Xiao's death.
"Mi'er is truly amazing, she has a photographic memory!" Liang Xiao exclaimed in admiration.
He hadn't expected this young girl's memory to be even better than his own; she could recall things she had only read once.
A genius!
Zhen Mi happily thanked him and redoubled her efforts in studying.
Nothing pleased her more than receiving praise from Brother Xiao.
Liang Xiao closed his eyes to rest, listening to the clear voices of Zhen Mi and Yue Lian reciting, a contented smile on his face.
Luo Qingxue gazed at Liang Xiao intently, her heart captivated.
Only now did she realize how handsome this young man truly was!
But the thought of Liang Xiao's injuries brought a fresh wave of worry.
"I heard from Teacher that he sent Liang Xiao's calligraphy of 'Man Jiang Hong' to Tianshan..."
Luo Qingxue pondered secretly, then suddenly recalled a short poem Liang Xiao had written for her.
Deep within the bamboo forest of Tianshan, behind a screen, a lady plays the zither, at ease.
"Miss, Zhuo Lingjun has sent someone with a letter and a piece of calligraphy."
The projection from the screen showed a maid presenting the calligraphy.
Moments later, Jian Qinwan's ethereal voice echoed from within.
"Thirty years of fame are but dust and soil, eight thousand li on horseback under the moon and clouds..."
"When the time comes, we shall rebuild our shattered mountains and rivers, and pay homage to the Emperor!"
"Passionate and inspiring! Excellent. Send this poem to my mother as well. It's truly a pity, all thanks to my father and my master, that my mother has come to hate him so much. If Liang Xiao truly dies, the Emperor himself might not spare my mother."
"But this person is ultimately a scholar. With only talent and no martial prowess, he is merely strong on the outside. He cannot be considered a hero, and my mother still dislikes him."
A maid's voice of admiration was heard from within, "Young Master Liang the Second possesses such talent, his words filled with concern for the nation and its people. It is truly regrettable that he is in such a frail state."
Jian Qinwan's laughter rang out again, the sound of the zither continuing.
"The Great Gan Dynasty has always favored scholars over warriors. Are warriors not to be pitied? Since ancient times, scholars and warriors have been at odds. You know how hateful scholars can be. So many soldiers have died on the frontiers, the Wuding River banks are filled with their mass graves, and how many scholars care?"
"The merit of his poem lies in its empathy for the soldiers and the people, which is why I am willing to give him a chance to persuade my mother in person. After all, my mother cannot come to the capital to treat him anymore, and he should be coming to Tianshan. I am also very curious, what kind of capabilities does this person possess to warrant such high praise from the Emperor and Zhuo Lingjun?"
The maid nodded, sighing incessantly.
"Yao'er, Xun'er, have you been won over by his poetry?" Jian Qinwan asked with a smile.
"We merely admire this person's spirit, and harbor no improper thoughts..." the two replied nervously.
"'The faithless are often scholars.' I hope you remember this saying! No matter how spirited he is, he is still a scholar. Even if his poetry and prose are brilliant, and he speaks words of sages, he cannot truly empathize with warriors." Jian Qinwan reminded them.
"Miss is right..." the two maids replied in unison.
At this moment, another maid entered from outside, carrying a book.
"Miss, the Emperor has sent another book. The title is 'Refutation of the Spring Return Sect,' and he hopes that you and Madam will read it..."
The zither music finally stopped, and Jian Qinwan's voice was heard from within.
"Spring Return Sect? Could it be that Liang Xiao has written some evil text? Do scholars always remain true to their nature?"
The maid quickly explained, "It is not an evil text, but a righteous one. It is said that His Majesty is promoting this book to refute the doctrines of the Spring Return Sect and to prevent it from poisoning the populace. It also mentions General Tian."
"What does General Tian have to do with this... Bring it here for me to see."
In the Liang residence, Luo Qingxue was reluctant to leave, often gazing at the resting Liang Xiao.
"Second Brother!"
Liang Feng's voice was heard from outside.
Liang Xiao finally rose and led everyone out to greet him.
"Sister-in-law?" Seeing the woman behind Liang Feng, Liang Xiao's expression changed.
This woman was exceptionally beautiful, yet cold as ice.
She was Liang Feng's wife, the daughter of Yang Huan, the commandant of the Imperial Guards, Yang Xuejing!
Seeing the three girls following Liang Xiao, Yang Xuejing sneered and shook her head.
"He's already so ill, yet he still has the energy to keep young girls around. Second Brother, you truly are incorrigibly dissolute!"
Liang Feng said sternly, "Xuejing, please don't misunderstand. I heard from someone that Mi'er was rescued by Second Brother from a refugee camp."
Yang Xuejing said indifferently, "Does it make any difference? Are you envious? Look at your second and third brothers, one is more useless than the other. Now the entire Liang family depends on you to carry the burden, yet you insist on going to Yanzhou to court death?"