Zuo Wuji remained silent from the moment he left the imperial palace, returning to the Zhenbei Marquis Manor alone.
Meanwhile, the Yan family also received news from the palace.
"The foolish emperor suddenly summoned Liang Xiao to his private chambers, even ordering the Xuan guards to maintain vigilance and allow no one to approach. What is his intention?" Yan Liu asked, his face grim, unable to fathom it.
Dong Chen, standing beside him, couldn't help but frown, "Private chambers? Could this foolish emperor have issues with his orientation, taking Liang Xiao and Qin Feng as male consorts for illicit affairs? This would be a great opportunity for us to attack Liang Xiao and Qin Feng!"
Everyone was stunned, their faces growing increasingly unpleasant. "If this is true, we must be careful in the future and reduce our audiences with the emperor, lest we also be..."
Yan Liu sighed, "It's a pity. Now the foolish emperor controls the newspapers and thus the entire public opinion of the Daliang Kingdom. Rumors have little effect, and the risks are considerable!"
The crowd felt dejected again.
The sense of pressure Liang Xiao exerted on them far surpassed that of Mu Cheng, who was at the height of his power. With Mu Cheng's support, they dared not act rashly.
Yet, it was this feeling that festered their resentment, vowing to take their revenge one day!
Dong Chen suddenly recalled something and reminded them, "I heard that Liang Xiao previously led the foolish emperor's Xuan guards to surround the Zhenbei Marquis Manor, and then the Grand Liang accompanied Liang Xiao and Qin Feng to see the foolish emperor, and they were bruised and swollen when they left? Prime Minister Yan, why not try to probe this person's intentions again to understand the situation? If the foolish emperor trusts Liang Xiao and helps Liang Xiao suppress the Grand Liang, it might be a good opportunity for us to win over the Grand Liang!"
Yan Liu heartily agreed and immediately declared, "First, I'll send my son to the Yue residence to inquire indirectly about his injuries!"
After Liang Xiao returned to his residence at the Honglu Temple, he spent time with his wives caring for their two children, his expression calm.
He did not want his wives to be troubled by red ideology for now, as they were born in this era. He could wait until the children grew up and find a suitable time to inform them all together.
Liang Xiao also understood Mu Cheng's unspoken meaning and his good intentions.
While aspirations should not be forgotten, they should not lead to the endangerment of his family. For now, he should cherish his loved ones and not let them be drawn into any whirlpool of conflict, at least not at present.
Even if the aristocratic clans were eliminated and other families supported the imperial power, the consequences would be unpredictable if they knew of this matter. However, it was foreseeable that the vast majority would never accept it.
Only with continuous development of productivity could new systems be gradually nurtured and naturally emerge, avoiding bloodshed for too many innocent commoners.
What Liang Xiao could do now was to work with his Shuang'er and many colleagues and friends to try and improve the lives of the common people.
And he must educate his descendants well. Even if they could not serve the country and its people, they must at least be learned, sensible, safe, and healthy, and absolutely not arrogant and tyrannical, preying on the common people.
"Daddy~"
Zuo Hucheng's milky voice pulled Liang Xiao's thoughts back to reality.
Liang Xiao smiled, picked up Zuo Hucheng, and pecked his little face, "Little Hu is becoming more and more obedient, and calling me more and more smoothly."
"Oh, Little Tian too..." Hearing Liang Tiancheng's equally insistent call, Liang Xiao doted on the child with another kiss, which made his wives laugh heartily.
Zuo Hucheng was ranked tenth among Liang Xiao's children. His parents called him Little Ten or Little Hu. Liang Tiancheng was ranked eleventh, so he was called Little Tian or Little Eleven.
"Look how much Little Ten and Little Eleven resemble you, my husband~" Luo Qingxue was overjoyed, pinching the children's chubby little faces.
Looking at his harmonious family, Liang Xiao felt as if he were in another world, his usually shameless demeanor absent.
Due to his swollen face from Zuo Wuji's slap, Zuo Wushang was embarrassed to interact with his two nephews and nieces. Instead, he went to drink with He Zizhang, Yue Qingtian, and others, and discuss the investigation into the Huichun Sect.
Zhuo Zifang sat aside, like a seventy-something-year-old child, pouting, feeling sour and full of regret.
If he had treated Zhuo Yun more gently back then, and introduced her to Liang Xiao when the time was right, perhaps Zhuo Yun, after witnessing Liang Xiao's chess skills, might have had a chance... Now, it was impossible.
Zhuo Zifang had been deeply reflecting these past few days.
Zhuo Ying, Zhuo Xiong, and Zhuo Xun all had offspring. Zhuo Yun was single, and that was fine, as no one dared to bother her outside.
As for the gossip about women not marrying... Gu Pingting, He Qiushui, Ye Qingyi, Yi Rou, so many talented women were also single.
Regarding anything related to Liang Xiao, the common people were unusually tolerant, instead praising Liang Xiao's immense charm and commending these women for being sensible and kind, unwilling to disturb Liang Xiao.
Ye Qingyi and Yi Rou, under Zuo Wushang's guidance, had each adopted a baby girl as their heir.
In the Daqian Kingdom, the main focus of continuing the family line was naturally men. However, in some special circumstances, women could also take charge. This was a law specifically established by Emperor Gaozu of Daqian, Xiao Ping'an, at the beginning of the founding of the dynasty, granting women a certain degree of tolerance.
Just as Liang Xiao was enjoying family bliss, He Zizhang arrived with a report: "Great Hero Ling has entrusted a junior brother to seek an audience with the Marquis of Anguo!"
Liang Xiao immediately rushed to the great courtyard. The Tianshan swordsman was talking with Ren Changfeng and Du Pingling, his expression grave.
"Marquis of Anguo, the situation is as follows..."
After a period of understanding, Liang Xiao seemed to gain some insight.
It turned out that while Ling Jianxing and the Tianshan swordsmen were traveling in Daliang, they had occasional encounters with the Huichun Sect and accidentally came into contact with a core disciple of the Huichun Sect, who called himself the "Undercover Gentleman."
This Undercover Gentleman always provided Ling Jianxing with crucial information at opportune moments, such as the location of a small Huichun Sect base, but instructed him not to inform the authorities.
Ling Jianxing, of course, dared not trust the person without reservation, so he requested the Sword Master's assistance, leading a large number of Daliang swordsmen to attempt encirclement and capture, which they succeeded in multiple times!
According to the Tianshan swordsman's description, the appearance of the Undercover Gentleman resembled Qin Xun.
Liang Xiao dared not be careless and immediately sent someone to the Zhenguo Marquis Manor to inquire about Qin Feng, to see if there was a portrait of Qin Xun in the manor.
Earlier, Qin Feng had secretly informed him that Qin Xun was indeed a double agent and had now returned to the Huichun Sect, and Qin Feng had lost contact with him.
An hour later, Du Pingling returned to the courtyard with Qin Xun's portrait provided by Qin Feng.
"It's him!!" The Tianshan swordsman exclaimed with surprise and joy. "But why wouldn't he tell us he was Qin Xun, the attendant of the Marquis of Zhenguo?"
"Presumably, he was closely watched by members of the Huichun Sect, fearing that you would alert them and allow the Huichun Sect's informants to discover anything suspicious. I heard he only had a little freedom when he left the capital," Liang Xiao explained.
The Tianshan swordsman was kept by Liang Xiao, with Du Pingling specifically responsible for his hospitality.
Firstly, Liang Xiao had to ensure that Qin Xun's double agent identity was absolutely not leaked. Secondly, this senior brother had indeed traveled tirelessly, and it was only natural to host him.
After making suitable arrangements, Liang Xiao then instructed Yue Qingtian, "You and Third Senior Brother will take the Tianshan swordsman to meet Second Senior Brother, to prevent him and his group from encountering danger."
At the Zhenbei Marquis Manor, Zuo Wuji stared at Yan Ming, the young master of the Yan family, and sneered, "The injury on my face was indeed inflicted by Liang Xiao! What does Prime Minister Yan mean by sending a junior like you? He personally visited me earlier, tirelessly. Does he now look down on me, or does he treat me as a junior?"
Yan Ming hastily smiled and tried to probe indirectly. Finally, unable to bear Zuo Wuji's evasiveness, he declared, "This junior will return immediately and ask my father to have a good talk with you again."
After Yan Ming left, Zuo Wuji turned and went into the secret room. He fetched a jar of "Yi Zui Bai Nian" and a wine pot, his eyes glinting menacingly. He opened the lid of the wine pot and poured a packet of powder into it.