"Therefore, regarding the duties of the Grand Chancellor, the Minister of Works, and the General of the East, I will consider letting the Prime Minister and others share the responsibilities. All of you ministers need not worry. I also thank all of you on behalf of my imperial sister for your concern!"
Xiao Qing's words finally put Gu Hong and others at ease.
If Liang Xiao were truly stripped of his power, they would indeed lack the confidence to contend with these families before the grand political reshuffling in the Great Qian Dynasty.
He Wanli was left speechless.
Xiao Qing's statement not only gave Liang Xiao an out but also provided him with a legitimate reason to be a figurehead. This, in turn, left them no opportunity to impeach Liang Xiao for being negligent in his duties and merely seeking a carefree life!
"Furthermore, the Son of Heaven of Great Liang trusts his consort, Qin Feng, the Marquis of Zhenguo. Can I, as the Son of Heaven of the Central Kingdom, be inferior to the Son of Heaven of Great Liang?" Xiao Qing's expression turned to one of obvious displeasure.
Only then did everyone recall Qin Feng, the Marquis of Zhenguo of Great Liang. He was currently the Minister of War in Great Liang and had been conferred the title of Grand Tutor the year before last!
Now, He Wanli had even less reason to object. He could only smile in support and shower Liang Xiao with effusive praise for a considerable time.
Liang Xiao was both moved and gratified: his little Shuangzi, his Shuang'er, was so intelligent and caring!
Amidst his emotions, after everyone had quieted down, Liang Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Perhaps, this Marquis could squeeze a bit more water out of his industries, and you esteemed officials could accompany this Marquis in donating again?"
"No, no!" He Wanli and the others, terrified, waved their hands in a hurry, their faces etched with bitterness.
The He family had already invested at least three million taels to support the Ouyang family's bookstore. Moreover, family elders had been pressured by Liang Xiao to donate hundreds of thousands of taels, which was not a crippling blow, but at least a severe one!
"He is bringing ruin upon himself. Let him donate, it will only accelerate the bankruptcy of the bookstore!" Dugu Qun said with a laugh of anger. He continued, "However, the nationwide conscription cannot be stopped. Send people to quickly notify those officials. Prepare defenses and ideally, act sooner rather than later!"
Xiao Qing naturally wouldn't let Liang Xiao donate alone. She allocated one hundred thousand taels of gold from her personal coffers to be considered as Liang Xiao's donation, which was then deposited into the national treasury.
The national treasury was managed by the Ministry of Revenue, but with her and Wang Canghai specifically overseeing it, the Ouyang family dared not embezzle any funds.
Xiao Qing then summoned Gu Hong and others and informed them in person: "In the future, if Lord Liang proposes that you all donate together, you may agree with peace of mind. I will not let you truly contribute even half a copper coin!"
The ministers did not quite understand Xiao Qing's intention, but out of trust in the Emperor, they solemnly agreed.
They vaguely understood that the Emperor would find a way to cover this expenditure for them!
Returning to the West Palace Villa, Xiao Qing happily kissed Liang Xiao, as an initial reward for extorting one point five million taels from Dugu Qun and the others.
"Brother Xiao should also prepare for his wedding with Sister Qingxue and the others..." Xiao Qing nestled in Liang Xiao's embrace, her expression filled with reluctance.
Her Brother Xiao marrying those sisters meant...
Liang Xiao laughed heartily, "It's still early. We haven't even been married for seven days!"
"Shuang'er doesn't want to monopolize Brother Xiao. After all, Brother Xiao's Liang family cannot be without an heir, and we still need to strive to ensure the Luo family, the Zuo family, the Chou clan, and the Sword clan also do not die out..." Xiao Qing could barely finish speaking by the end.
This was because most of Liang Xiao's fiancées were only daughters. Liang Xiao also could not bear to see their families die out. He had made corresponding promises: as long as the Liang family had offspring, at least one of the subsequent children could take the mother's surname.
A heavy responsibility lay ahead!
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment, then his true nature was revealed again, "What? You are allowed to crave your Brother Xiao's body these days, but I, as your husband, am not allowed to crave your body?"
Xiao Qing's face instantly flushed red, and she hid in Liang Xiao's embrace, afraid to be seen, "Granny Ning and the others are here..."
Ning Xuejun and Ding Wuyi stared blankly at Liang Xiao, their breathing ceasing.
Although they could understand that Liang Xiao's deeper meaning was actually concern for the continuation of the royal lineage, they couldn't help but wonder how this person's shamelessness could always break new boundaries...
Liang Xiao remained calm, ignoring the strange gazes of the two shadow guard commanders. Holding Xiao Qing, he felt a sense of emotion.
He knew, of course, that he should exercise restraint in the future, to avoid "exhausting himself in service to the nation."
At the Honglu Temple, within a luxurious detached residence, the foreign girl "Solanya," who had fled to the capital, knelt on the ground, covering her face and issuing a desperate plea.
"Don't kill me, don't burn me..."
The guards and palace maids at the door watched, their hearts aching. "What a beautiful girl, to be harmed like this..."
For days, Solanya had been emotionally agitated and unable to control herself. The palace maids only dared to approach her when her emotions had stabilized.
After a long while, Solanya calmed down, stood up, and bowed deeply to everyone at the door, her face filled with apology. "Solanya has caused everyone trouble..."
"No trouble, no trouble!" Everyone said with great respect and trepidation.
A palace maid sighed, "You and Klisti look so alike. Perhaps you are long-lost relatives. His Majesty will protect you!"
"Princess Klisti?" Solanya's exquisitely beautiful face was filled with bewilderment. "Solanya only has a mother she lost when she was young. Is she Solanya's mother...?"
The palace maid was startled, then shook her head, responding vaguely, "This servant does not know. She only knows that you two look very much alike..."
The palace maid behind her immediately reported the new information to the shadow guards.
After the holiday, Xiao Qing had no time to continue her disguise as Princess Ning Shuang. During the day, she went to Liang Manor with Liang Xiao and immediately sent someone to notify Liang Xiao.
After receiving the news about Solanya, Liang Xiao pondered for a moment and replied to the shadow guard, "Please tell His Majesty to temporarily appease this woman's emotions. There is no need to rush to meet her!"
After the shadow guard left, General of Cavalry, Lü Yi, visited, patting Liang Xiao's shoulder with great expectation.
"Nephew, I am returning to the northern border and will leave my son, Changhe, behind. Your father-in-law, Zhuo, will return to the capital to attend your wedding. In the future, Great Qian will rely on you to assist His Majesty and establish eternal peace!"
Since witnessing the truth about the Heavenly General, Lü Yi's attitude towards Liang Xiao had undergone another shift, and he chose to fully support him.
After all, Liang Xiao truly understood military strategy and could even lead charges, capture generals, and seize flags. Furthermore, he had pledged his life to Xiao Qing.
After seeing Lü Yi off, Liang Xiao looked at the excited Lü Changhe beside him.
Back in the courtyard, Lü Changhe's eyes were red. He was about to kneel before Liang Xiao, but Liang Xiao stopped him. Lü Changhe then looked at Liang Xiao with deep emotion.
The girls behind Liang Xiao had peculiar expressions.
They were now genuinely concerned that they might have to compete with Lü Changhe for a man in the future.
"General... ah, Marquis Anguo!" Lü Changhe finally spoke, his voice choked with emotion.
He had rarely cried since he could remember, only shedding tears for fallen comrades.
The youth before him was indeed the Heavenly General he had revered as a god!!
He was truly still alive!
At this moment, Lü Changhe felt an immense sense of relief.
The military soul of our Great Qian would indeed awe all nations!
"We understand each other," Liang Xiao whispered.
"We understand each other..." The girls behind them watched the two, unable to help but murmur, and then began to "tsk tsk."
Liang Xiao's expression changed, and he cast an ambiguous glance at them. The girls finally quieted down.
Were these little vixens becoming more and more… flirtatious?
"Understood!" Lü Changhe nodded excitedly and then asked, "General... hmm, what does Marquis Anguo need this subordinate to do? This subordinate will brave fire and water, and die without regret!"
Under the watchful, peculiar gazes of the girls, Liang Xiao patted Lü Changhe on the shoulder and pointed to the corner of the wall, "There's no need to be so heroic. Do you see that sack over there?"