"The Liang family was once the bane of the great aristocratic families. General An Guo must have also feared implicating his family by saving Great Liang. Now that Marquis An Guo is renowned throughout the land, publicizing this matter is not an issue and can deepen the gratitude of our country's military and civilians towards this father and son. After all, General An Guo later held the line at Helan Mountain and died a martyr, proving his resolve..."
The civil and military officials murmured amongst themselves, their opinions unusually unified.
Liang Anguo's military rank in Great Qian was General An Guo, a position not low among the miscellaneous generals, but inferior to the Generals of the Four Pacifications, Four Tranquilities, Four Expeditions, and Four Directions.
Xiao Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It is gratifying that all my ministers can understand righteousness. It shows that our dynasty has cast off the influence of the aristocratic families and no longer engages in partisan discrimination."
"It is General An Guo and Marquis An Guo who have already convinced us. How could we bear to doubt the loyalty of these father and son to the country!" the officials earnestly replied.
Xiao Qing nodded slightly.
If Liang Anguo had been greedy for power, he could have remained in Great Liang as the King of the North. Great Qian, considering the relations between the two countries, would not have dared to do anything to the Liang mansion.
However, Liang Anguo's return to the country, no longer the King of the North of Great Liang, changed the situation.
At that time, how rampant were the aristocratic families? It was said that they dared to berate her father, the Emperor, face to face.
The prevailing atmosphere of favoring the civil over the military made these loyal and patriotic general families the thorns in the side of these aristocratic nobles.
If this matter were to spread, and the aristocratic families applied thunderous pressure on the Emperor, it was not impossible that the entire Liang mansion would be executed.
In the end, even if Emperor Wen intended to protect the Liang mansion, under pressure, he would have had to give these ministers an explanation, at the very least, all members of the Liang mansion would have been demoted to commoners.
Xiao Qing, as an emperor, had experienced the arrogance and tyranny of the aristocratic families in her first year of ascension, and could better understand Liang Anguo's predicament.
He deeply loved Great Qian, but he could not bear to see the suffering people of the then-afflicted Great Liang, so he stepped forward, leaving behind a legend, and retired with honor.
Her Brother Xiao, the Heavenly General of Great Qian, was it not also because he could not bear to see the common people suffer, that he turned the tide!
The civil and military officials, despite their differing political views on weekdays, would occasionally argue until their faces turned red, but this was limited to court debates.
For example, Gu Hong and He Jingyun, after arguing in court, could occasionally sit together for a drink, apologize to each other, stating that it was about the matter and not the person, and would not belittle the military officers.
This was the kind of civil and military officials Xiao Qing desired, those who only served the country and the people, and did not form factions.
The fact that everyone was of a rare, unanimous opinion today was certainly not to curry favor with Liang Xiao. After all, they would also question the details of policies left behind by Liang Xiao on weekdays, and even refute some of the content.
What Xiao Qing anticipated most now was the public's reaction after the truth about the Heavenly General was revealed to the world and the common people understood these legendary father and son.
The story of the King of the North of Great Liang began to spread widely throughout Great Qian.
People everywhere exclaimed in admiration: "A tiger father does not sire a dog!"
Liang Xiao was already deeply loved by the military and civilians of Great Qian, and he also had a father who died a martyr, and was the King of the North of Great Liang who had saved the people of the friendly neighbor, Great Liang!
Some people were even discussing: "Could Mr. Liang have done anonymous good deeds in his youth?"
When Liang Qing learned of the public's discussion, he looked at Luo Changfeng, who had a mischievous smile on his face, and his old face blushed.
He had only publicly spanked the girl who was now the Chess Saint of Great Liang, becoming a national laughingstock at the time. Apart from that, there were truly no earth-shattering achievements...
Furthermore, Liang Anguo's swordsmanship was not taught by him; he only taught his children spear techniques.
Liang Anguo's generation was not only Liang Anguo and Liang Dingguo brothers; there were also two younger brothers and a younger sister, all of whom died prematurely before reaching adulthood.
From ancient times to the present, infant mortality was not uncommon. Even the imperial family, with the best conditions, could not avoid it, let alone a mere general's family, which had to rely on having more children to ensure the continuation of the bloodline.
The night before the grand banquet, Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang stayed up late, chatting about the stories of the King of the North of Great Liang collected by the shadow guards from the common people of the capital of Great Liang.
Liang Xiao did not find any traces of the Rebirth Cult in them, but he judged that it was definitely related to the Rebirth Cult.
The rebellion of the powerful minister Xiu Ping and the Xiu family, and the southern barbarians' ability to reach the capital, were not coincidences.
Great Qian also suffered the defeat at Helan Mountain, and there were elements of the Rebirth Cult causing trouble, otherwise, Liang Xiao's father and uncle might not have been able to break through successfully.
However, the immediate task was to find the lineage of Liu Yunzi's younger brother, Chen Changqiu, and protect them in time, preferably bringing them back to Great Qian for peace of mind.
But the shadow guards also reported today that the deep mountain stronghold of Chen Changqiu, provided by Chen Feng, was uninhabited, with only a few markers left at the scene.
According to the signal content previously delivered by Chen Feng, these markers represented Chen Changqiu leading his descendants to retreat eastward.
Zhuo Zifang also expressed deep suspicion about the events of thirty years ago.
Why would Xiu Ping, a powerful minister, suddenly want to be an emperor?
"My old brother Liu Yunzi said that there are many members of the Great Zhou royal family in the Rebirth Cult. Could the Xiu family also be a hidden lineage among them?" Liang Xiao suddenly said.
Zhuo Zifang was startled: "This possibility, when connecting the events, everything makes sense!"
As they were talking, Qin Feng came to visit again, informing them of the details of the grand banquet.
Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang readily agreed, stating that they would definitely attend.
Seeing Qin Feng's troubled expression, Liang Xiao asked, "Could Yan Liu and the others be causing trouble?"
Qin Feng shook his head: "I still feel ashamed and uneasy. The new crops you gave me are all good varieties, and some of these good varieties may have already been transplanted to the Peacock Dynasty, posing a great threat to both countries..."
Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang were stunned, then exchanged a knowing smile.
"Don't worry, the yield in the Peacock Dynasty may not be as high as in Great Qian and Great Liang!" Liang Xiao comforted him.
"What makes you say that?" Qin Feng was puzzled.
Liang Xiao then explained.
"The content involved is not something that can be explained in a few words. In short, you are not at fault. By the time the enemy country promotes planting, Great Qian and Great Liang will have already had a harvest for more than a year. Moreover, the yield of these potatoes is likely to decrease year by year. Therefore, only sweet potatoes and corn can pose a threat, but these new crops have already been promoted and planted in Great Qian and cannot be hidden. Whether your side leaks them or not has little impact on this."
Qin Feng was finally relieved, thanked them, and returned to prepare with peace of mind.
Liang Xiao did not explain the degeneration of potatoes to Qin Feng, as the matter involved microscopic knowledge such as potato viruses, which Qin Feng would not understand.
The potatoes in the south, due to reasons such as potato viruses, will have decreasing yields and require new transplantation and seed collection from the north.
In bed, Jian Qinwan leaned in Liang Xiao's arms, her face gentle.
"That Sword Master is also a top-tier swordsmanship master, said to be amiable and not fond of fighting. My father received his guidance in swordsmanship when he was young."
"Perhaps my father's swordsmanship also received his guidance, or perhaps he was even his disciple?" Liang Xiao mused.
Jian Qinwan said softly, "After the grand banquet, I, along with my good sister and Xiao Xun, will go to see the second daughter of the Zhuo family. At least we must let her understand your sincerity and reassure her to return to Great Liang, okay?"
"You have truly worked hard, but you must not be wronged because of this. If the people at the chess academy make things difficult for you, I will personally intervene," Liang Xiao sighed.
The next morning, outside the Zi Qing Terrace to the east of the capital, the place was crowded with people.