The entire hall was petrified, and even the two guards behind Xiao Qing were stunned.
At this moment, Liang Qing felt like he was about to split in two!
It's over...
After venting his emotions, Liang Xiao chuckled, "Since the Eunuch and Zhuo Lingjun have vouched for me, you can't hold grudges against me anymore."
Zhuo Zifang opened his mouth, feeling a lump in his throat.
He had lived for over seventy years and had never encountered such a unique eccentric as Liang Xiao.
Xiao Qing came back to his senses, shook his head, and gave a wry smile, "You truly dare to speak your mind. Rest assured, His Majesty will not blame you, but... in your eyes, His Majesty is just a wet-behind-the-ears child?"
At this moment, Xiao Qing was filled with a sense of loss.
He was only sixteen years old and desperately wished that a young hermit like Liang Xiao would praise him and acknowledge him.
Liang Xiao shook his head and muttered to himself.
"He's only sixteen, still growing. I heard he's quite thin? No wonder. He has to handle everything himself and travel all the way from the capital to Yanzhou. It must be exhausting. But has he ever considered that if he tires himself to death and dies young, the royal lineage will be broken, and what will happen to the Great Qian Kingdom?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd, who had been experiencing mixed emotions, turned to astonishment.
Xiao Qing's pupils trembled slightly, and he turned his head away from Liang Xiao, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
So, on the surface, he was mocking me for being immature, but in reality, he was concerned and worried?
Since his ascension, everyone, from the high officials to the common folk, believed he would become a wise ruler and placed great expectations on him.
Because he was young, people assumed he had endless energy.
But the person who truly felt pity and concern for him was a notorious dissolute young man!
The softest part of Xiao Qing's heart was touched.
So, he wasn't that detestable. It was fine to let him mock. After all, he had a sharp tongue but a kind heart, didn't he?
Thinking of this, Xiao Qing forced himself to calm down and sighed, "His Majesty is not yet capable of having children..."
Liang Xiao's expression changed, "What? Is he... unable? Then we must find a renowned physician quickly and have him take more aphrodisiacs."
Hearing this, Xiao Qing, who had just been moved, almost wanted to jump up and kick Liang Xiao again.
After finally calming down, Xiao Qing asked again, "Since you pity His Majesty for working so hard, why don't you emerge and help His Majesty usher in an era of peace and prosperity?"
Liang Xiao pouted, "The opportune moment has not yet arrived. Before then, I only hope that people outside will stop bothering me. My health is poor."
"Poor health?" Xiao Qing was taken aback.
He suddenly realized that Liang Xiao indeed looked like a sickly person and felt a pang of guilt.
He felt sorry for me, so I should feel sorry for him, shouldn't I?
Liang Qing quickly explained, "Earlier, when the barbarians invaded, he fled back to Yanzhou and sustained serious injuries. He is still recovering."
Xiao Qing's heart leaped. Looking at Liang Xiao, who had started to yawn, he quickly told Liang Xiao to go back and rest.
After Liang Xiao had left, Xiao Qing picked up Liang Xiao's calligraphy and ordered, "Grand Elder Liang, from now on, unless it is a matter of great importance, do not allow unrelated individuals to disturb Liang Xiao, nor should you make things difficult for him. The three of you, wait here. I will return to the temporary palace, and an imperial decree will be issued shortly."
After sending Xiao Qing away, Liang Qing and the other two looked at each other.
Being old and experienced, they couldn't understand Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing anymore.
But they had no choice but to obey the emperor's orders.
Deep within the temporary palace, Xiao Qing looked at himself in the mirror, tears welling up.
"That poem was undoubtedly written by you as well."
Xiao Qing cried with deep emotion, unable to restrain himself, and buried his head on his desk, weeping.
After crying, Xiao Qing slowly calmed his emotions, his eyes flickering as he recalled Liang Xiao's appearance.
Handsome and elegant, unyielding, and yet... somewhat endearing?
Thinking of Liang Xiao imitating a baby's "goo goo ga ga," Xiao Qing covered his mouth and smiled, beginning to groom himself in front of the mirror.
A moment later, he had transformed into Princess Ning Shuang, Xiao Shuang, dressed in a red gown, a breathtaking beauty!
Looking at himself in the mirror, Xiao Shuang smiled playfully, her face full of pride.
"Even if you could foresee that 'Eunuch Qin' is the current emperor, you would never guess that the current emperor is actually a woman!"
"'The opportune moment has not arrived,' is it? You want me to eat aphrodisiacs? Hmph! Let's see just how capable you truly are. If you genuinely possess the ability to govern the nation, I will use all means, fair or foul, to bring you into officialdom!"
The masked female guard walked in and reported, "Your Highness, Miss Luo has been brought here and is waiting outside."
"Thank you, Elder Ning. Please bring her in quickly." Xiao Shuang said gratefully.
After Elder Ning brought Luo Qingxue in, she quickly departed, vanishing without a trace.
Luo Qingxue, unable to contain her impatience, stepped forward, took Xiao Shuang's arm, and asked, "Sister Shuang, how did it go?"
"Imperial brother is in disguise and went to see Liang Xiao..."
At that moment, Xiao Shuang recounted the events at Liang Mansion to Luo Qingxue in a narrative tone.
Luo Qingxue looked at the poem written by Liang Xiao and sighed, "Even your Imperial brother thinks he is hiding his true abilities? It's too unbelievable! It's just a poem and a sentence!"
In Luo Qingxue's heart, this Emperor no longer seemed so wise.
Xiao Shuang chuckled, "You still believe that Liang Xiao learned these things from some miscellaneous books and is merely pretending to be cultured?"
"With his character, he couldn't possibly have such broad-mindedness, otherwise, why would he look down on the Heavenly General!" Luo Qingxue said indignantly.
Xiao Shuang was speechless.
Luo Qingxue had no reason to lie to her, yet she felt that something was amiss.
"As you said, he is unwilling to serve as an official. So, no matter what, I must break off this marriage. I don't want to marry such a selfish coward and ungrateful wretch! Sister Shuang, you must help me!" Luo Qingxue pleaded.
Xiao Shuang was taken aback and sighed, "Sister Qingxue, no matter what, you truly do not wish to marry Liang Xiao?"
Luo Qingxue nodded seriously, "Whoever wants to marry him can go ahead!"
Xiao Shuang fell silent.
Luo Qingxue then began to cajole and plead.
Xiao Shuang reluctantly agreed, "I will do my best..."
...
In the afternoon, Liang Xiao was practicing calligraphy in his room, still using his left hand.
From now on, he had to try to avoid writing with his right hand, lest the old man spread rumors again.
A pile of essays written by Liang Xiao lay on the table. Once the ink dried, Liang Xiao would put them away for safekeeping.
These essays were densely packed with words.
During this month of recuperation, Liang Xiao had not been truly idle.
On the contrary, he was constantly recalling content and preparing for the future!
Military command, governance, craftsmanship... these were all things that would be useful in the future!
Especially craftsmanship.
Brewing, smelting, planting, salt production, details of commerce...
The barbarian invasion had left him with no choice but to think beyond a life of ease.
With the current leisure, he wished he could write down all the useful information without omission!
Now, Liang Xiao could only be grateful that he had learned all these miscellaneous pieces of knowledge in the past to adapt to various identities.
The prosperity of the Great Qian Kingdom was merely a facade. Outside, foreign tribes were eyeing it covetously, and within, corrupt officials were corroding the court.
The prevailing trend of favoring civil over military affairs had given scholars the power of discourse, leading to weakness in foreign policy, with a sole focus on appeasement and peace talks.
He was transforming this knowledge into something suitable for the Great Qian Kingdom's national conditions.
"This young emperor and young princess, although they like to cause trouble, they are indeed dedicated. In short, I'll help them occasionally."
Liang Xiao muttered to himself, his mood complex.
Just then, Yue Lian's voice came from outside, "Young Master, the Old Master is here. It's urgent."