Finally, Xiao Qing decided to have He Zizhang take the jade ware to Yanzhou, and send an urgent message to Liang Xiao to ask for his opinion.
In the imperial court of Great Liang, winds and clouds were brewing.
It was hot in Great Liang, and the bodies were difficult to preserve.
Mu Cheng was buried with only the blood-stained cloth of the Twelve Righteous Warriors he had kept, a letter from Liang Anguo, and the two sentences Liang Xiao had written for him as burial objects.
An old steed in the stable still harbors the ambition of traversing a thousand miles. A hero in his twilight years still cherishes his unyielding aspirations.
The day after the funeral, civil and military officials jointly pressured Regent Qin Feng to hand over military power, and the Yan family even demanded the enthronement of the Third Prince.
Only Prime Minister Cheng Qing remained silent.
Qin Feng, usually amiable and refined, acted uncharacteristically, forcefully deterring the civil and military officials and drawing his sword in court.
"The First Prince has not returned, anyone who dares to speak out will be executed!"
Faced with Qin Feng, who held military power, and Ye Chengxiu, the commander of the Xuan Guard, who firmly supported Qin Feng, everyone could only retreat and await Mu Qing's return to the country.
In a secret chamber, the great aristocratic families, led by the Yan family, and the followers of the Spring Return Sect were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
The poisoning of Iris and Duan Hong was a greater blow to the Spring Return Sect than the loss of Zen Master Longyue.
The Spring Return Sect still had a few sect leaders to guard the teachings, but the dispersion of believers was becoming increasingly serious, and they had to wait for the "Holy Sect Headquarters" of the Peacock Dynasty to appoint a new leader.
"Qin Feng has not coerced us into defecting to Great Qian, which shows that this person still wants to preserve the empire of Great Liang! However, although the First Prince believes in our sect, his faith is not firm. I fear he will be misled by Qin Feng. We should make plans early..." Dong Chen, the head of the Dong family, said with a somber face.
"The First Prince was secretly supported by your Dong family. You deal with it!" Yan Ming said in a deep voice.
Dong Chen nodded slightly, his eyes darting around.
A day later, Liang Xiao, who was resting in his old home in Yanzhou, finally received the tragic news of Mu Cheng's death. He sat in his room, weeping silently.
His wives, upon hearing the news, rushed to his side to comfort him.
Liang Xiao, holding Luo Qingxue in his arms, sighed several times. After calming himself, he went to see Yue Hongxiu and Zuo Wuji.
Zuo Wuji and Yue Wenxin were devastated. Yue Hongxiu trembled and said, "Before you left, did he tell you anything?"
At this point, Liang Xiao could no longer hide anything from Yue Hongxiu. He spoke to her alone and revealed the "vision" of Liang Anguo and Mu Cheng.
"He must have been worried that I would return to Great Liang without hesitation..." Yue Hongxiu's tears dried up, and she almost fainted.
Liang Xiao nodded silently.
Yue Hongxiu grabbed Liang Xiao's sleeve and pleaded, "You will fulfill their vision, won't you?"
Liang Xiao replied solemnly, "Perhaps I won't be able to achieve it in my lifetime, but my descendants will strive for it."
Yue Hongxiu just nodded tearfully, and said no more.
Liang Xiao, in his old home in Yanzhou, beside the graves of Liang Anguo and his wife, also erected cenotaphs for Mu Cheng, Li Pin, and Li Xun.
Before returning to Great Liang, Liang Xiao had made this proposal, and Mu Cheng readily agreed, handing over the clothes and personal belongings of Li Pin and Li Xin, as well as his own personal sword and a dragon robe, to Liang Xiao.
"From now on, the three of them can accompany my parents to watch the snow in Yanzhou," Liang Xiao murmured to himself.
Mu Cheng had requested before his death that if he received bad news, they should not grieve for him but smile for him.
However, no one could bring themselves to smile, and they could only quietly alleviate their grief.
"Your Highness, Regent Qin Feng of Great Liang has requested the return of the First Prince, but the officials of Great Liang wish to welcome back all the princes. Therefore, Great Liang has sent two delegations, and they are on their way. Your Lordship wishes to hear your opinion!"
Looking at the anxious shadow guard, Liang Xiao immediately wrote a letter, attached an elegy, and sent it back to the capital by special urgent courier.
Xiao Qing, who received the secret letter, announced Great Qian's intentions at the court.
"The two countries are to be at peace. The Emperor of Great Liang has passed away, and I will send an envoy to offer condolences. Great Liang intends to enthrone the First Prince Mu Qing as the new emperor and welcome back the other princes. However, the Emperor of Great Liang had previously stated that without the permission of himself and Regent Qin Feng, no prince can return to the country. Now that Great Liang is in mourning, how can I be heartless?"
"Let the Third Prince Mu Xuan remain for the time being. The other princes will be escorted back to Great Liang by the Great Qian envoy."
Mu Xuan, upon receiving the news, fainted on the spot.
At this moment, he finally understood that he was paying the price for his impulsive words that day.
"Quick, let my cousin save me!!"
Now Mu Xuan could only pin his hopes on Yan Ming of the Yan family, the Left Prime Minister of Great Liang.
In the Honglu Temple of Great Qian, he dared not even discuss matters with Gong's father and daughter, for fear of being overheard.
Since he had been held hostage in Great Qian, he had lost count of the times he had vomited and had diarrhea, and he had become as thin as a bamboo pole.
He Zizhang had brought the jade ware, five pieces of which were burial objects for Liang Anguo and his wife, and Mu Cheng and his wife.
Considering the preciousness of the jade ware, to avoid encouraging extravagant burials and to prevent grave robbing in the future, Liang Xiao eventually returned these burial objects.
The news that Liang Xiao had erected a cenotaph for Mu Cheng was not widely spread.
At this time, the people of Yanzhou were jubilant, no less than when the soldiers of Great Qian captured the Three Mountains and sealed the Wolf's Howl Mountain. Liang Xiao did not want them to be affected by his own emotions.
"Marshal An Guo Hou has completed the inspection. Shang Shuling Zhuo Zifang, on the order of Our Emperor, is returning the Nine Cauldrons to the capital!"
Led by Zhuo Zifang, the officials from the capital, with excited and nervous hearts, escorted the Nine Cauldrons back to the capital.
After Liang Xiao had recovered, he knelt with Yue Hongxiu before Mu Cheng's grave. The two, according to Mu Cheng's dying wish, tried to smile and offered sacrifices.
After Mu Cheng's funeral, Liang Xiao returned to the military camp, seizing the opportunity to supervise training and assessments.
The war between Great Qian and the Tianri tribe would likely last for decades, even centuries.
Gongsun Ye was over seventy, and Lü Yi was over sixty. He had to cultivate more military talents to prevent a break in the lineage of Great Qian's famous generals.
Nan Jiyun, Lü Changhe, Nie Yuan, Zhuo Ying, and Yue Yun were all loyal and righteous individuals, along with countless generals who had participated in the war against the barbarians and pacified Xichuan. They could temporarily bear the responsibility of this generation.
As Liang Xiao trained his troops, the Xianbei people finally received definite news about the Nine Cauldrons.
"How is this possible?! The Nine Cauldrons were transported from the desert region??"
The ruler of the Xianbei was shocked and disbelieving.
But the news was indeed true, and it had even reached Liaodong of Great Qian!
Walentin's pupils contracted, and he trembled, "It's true! It must be!"
At this moment, Walentin's face was filled with madness. He grabbed the collar of the Xianbei ruler and said urgently.
"Ruler of Xianbei! Immediately return your troops to the capital and go to the southern desert to intercept the Great Qian army! The treasure of the ancient Xiongnu King Herov is at least tens of millions of taels of gold. Great Qian must have found it too!!"
The ruler of the Xianbei's expression changed drastically. Combining it with Walentin's words, he instantly understood the cause and effect.
"Are you saying that when the Great Zhou Dynasty collapsed, the Nine Cauldrons might have been obtained by Herov and brought back to the desert?"
Walentin shook his head, "Each of the Nine Cauldrons weighs twenty thousand catties. How could the ancient Xiongnu King have brought them back to the desert without being discovered?"
The ruler of Xianbei was stunned, "I forgot about this. How could such a shocking matter not have even a single record?"
To force the Xianbei ruler to send troops, Walentin sighed for a moment and had to confess.
"This secret, with the extensive destruction of the historical records of the Great Zhou and the Great Heng, perhaps only my tribe knows it now. The Nine Cauldrons were once captured by my tribe and transported to the depths of the desert. The Martial Saint of the Great Zhou pursued our defeated army and finally recaptured the Nine Cauldrons..."