Chapter 1135: Xunyang
Xue He was not so excited because Chen Changsheng had freed him from the bitter prison and reinstated him, but rather because he was grateful that Chen Changsheng had collected and buried his elder brother's remains, attended the memorial rites, taken good care of his sister-in-law and nephews and nieces, and preserved the entire city of Congzhou. Several years had passed, and the Congzhou Military Prefecture had already restored the glory of Xue Xingchuan's time, standing alongside Yonglan Pass and Yongxue Pass as the most important military prefectures of the Great Zhou, all thanks to the help of those old subordinates.
Chen Changsheng said, "No need for such formalities. Rise."
Xue He knew his temperament and gestured for his wife to take the children away.
Before leaving, Little Madam Xue glanced at him nervously, wondering if she should prepare a meal. Would the two saints be displeased?
Xue He didn't notice his wife's expression; his attention was entirely on the Fire Cloud Qilin that Chen Changsheng was leading.
"Someone asked me to bring this to you, hoping that in the near future, you will ride it into Snow Old City."
Chen Changsheng said, "On that day, I think General Xue Xingchuan will be very pleased."
Xue He took the reins and said, "Rest assured, I will take good care of it."
The Fire Cloud Qilin was extremely intelligent and recognized who he was. It lowered its head and gently touched his cheek.
Xue He was moved, thinking that the Fire Cloud Qilin must have been brought by His Majesty through the Pope, but he also felt a bit uneasy.
He said seriously to Chen Changsheng, "I only know that it was bestowed upon me by you."
This sentence had only one meaning: unwavering loyalty.
Having his family appear specifically to kowtow to Chen Changsheng was also meant to convey this.
Although it was the Emperor who had reinstated him as the Divine General of the Congzhou Military Prefecture, he was very clear about who the Xue family's true benefactor was.
The Xue family were Chen Changsheng's followers.
Whether it was the Xue family in Congzhou or the Xue family on Taiping Avenue in the capital.
As long as the Xue family existed, as long as he lived, the Congzhou Military Prefecture would only follow the orders of the Li Palace.
Even if conflict arose between the imperial court and the state religion in the future, he would not hesitate to stand behind Chen Changsheng with tens of thousands of troops.
Although it seemed now that the Emperor and the Pope shared a deep bond, like brothers closer than blood, making such a thing impossible… but who could say for sure about the future? When the Taizu Emperor led his troops out of Tianliang Commandery, could those young princes have imagined that decades later, so much blood would be spilled in the Hundred Grass Garden?
Chen Changsheng knew Xue He was mistaken and said, "This should be the intention of Luoyang."
After hearing these words, Xue He was silent for a long time.
The eastern capital of Luoyang had been silent for years, making no sound, yet many eyes were still fixed on it.
Why? Of course, because there was the Changchun Temple there.
Nowadays, when people mentioned Luoyang without further explanation, they referred to the Changchun Temple, to the old Daoist within.
If the Fire Cloud Qilin truly came from the Changchun Temple in Luoyang, the meaning was naturally very clear.
"Your subordinate dares not harbor any resentment."
When he said this, Xue He spoke slowly, but his tone was very serious.
Since he had made up his mind, he didn't want the Pope to think he still had reservations.
Even though saying this made him very uncomfortable, or rather, unwilling.
"What one thinks cannot be controlled; love and hate are the same. And you have reason to hate, so who has the right to make you not hate?"
Chen Changsheng said, "But before we attack Snow Old City, we might need to temporarily forget those things."
In this war, the Congzhou Military Prefecture led by Xue He would naturally be the absolute main force.
The one in Luoyang returned the Fire Cloud Qilin to Xue He without a single word, yet it carried deep meaning.
It was exactly what Chen Changsheng had said.
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As dusk deepened, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong did not stay for dinner at the General's residence and chose to leave directly.
Now the two of them had to ride the same crane.
This had happened many times before, and the white crane was already used to it, but it keenly sensed that something was different today.
The twilight was vast, the plains boundless.
Xu Yourong stared intently at the scenery, speaking only once for every four or five sentences Chen Changsheng said to her, appearing somewhat cold.
The white crane recalled Xiao Zhang's words and wondered if there really was a problem between these two.
No matter how slow Chen Changsheng was, he had long felt Xu Yourong's coldness and knew something was wrong.
The problem was, he didn't know what the problem was, where it came from, or even how to ask her about it.
The cold wind lashed against his face, not making him clearer-headed, but only more confused.
The white crane flew southwest and soon entered Tianliang Commandery.
Looking at the familiar wilderness scenery below and the familiar city ahead, Chen Changsheng recalled the time he had fled thousands of miles with Su Li, feeling a bit nostalgic.
Following his instructions, the white crane landed in a forest outside the city. During the descent, Chen Changsheng noticed that the largest mansion in the city was empty, its main gate tightly shut. He was puzzled, wondering if Liang Wangsun had left. Why was there no one in the prince's residence?
The white crane flew into the twilight, and Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong emerged from the dense forest beside the official road.
Xunyang City was an ancient city, but its southern gate looked somewhat new, or at least lacked any ancient feel.
"Back then, your teacher smashed open this gate. The Stargazer and Zhu Luo were beaten badly."
Thinking of those events, Chen Changsheng was still a bit excited, and also ashamed that he wasn't good at telling stories. He thought that if it were Tang Thirty-Six telling it, it would be much more exciting.
The story of Xunyang City's night of wind and rain had long spread across the entire continent. Xu Yourong already knew all the details; she didn't need Chen Changsheng to explain.
Looking at the city gate and thinking of her teacher, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Chen Changsheng felt relieved, thinking this arrangement was indeed correct.
Entering Xunyang City, they went directly to the Liang Prince's residence.
The main gate of the Liang Prince's residence was tightly shut.
They swept it with their divine sense and confirmed that there was indeed no one inside.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong exchanged a glance, puzzled, wondering what had happened that Liang Wangsun had dismissed all the servants in the residence.
Entering the prince's residence and seeing the famous large palanquin, they found a letter left by Liang Wangsun.
Liang Wangsun had a strong influence over the cultivation world and the common people in the north. The imperial court had issued several edicts inviting him to court, but he had refused them all.
As a descendant of the former imperial clan, he harbored a deep hatred for the Chen imperial clan. Why would he be willing to lend a hand?
They had come to Xunyang City to persuade him. Back then, when Liang Wangsun entered the capital to assist the Tianhai Empress with the Imperial Map, he should have had a good impression of Xu Yourong.
Who would have thought that after receiving news from the capital, Liang Wangsun directly took the old and young of his residence and left Xunyang City, refusing even to meet them.
However, Liang Wangsun made it very clear in his letter: helping the imperial court was impossible, but when he was truly needed, he would naturally appear.
That one sentence was enough, especially since there was also a name on the letter paper.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong left the prince's residence and came to the street.
Many soldiers hurried past, their faces filled with confusion.
The regional troops from various prefectures and commanderies were being redeployed and also undergoing training.
In theory, they wouldn't appear on the battlefield, but no one knew how many people would die this time.
Even the Imperial Guard responsible for guarding the palace was constantly preparing to march north, let alone them.
Death on the battlefield was inevitable, and "wave after wave" would be a frequently used term.
Chen Changsheng understood this was inevitable, but he still felt a sense of bewilderment.
For his ideas, tens of thousands of people would die.
Sometimes he thought it was fortunate that he was the Pope, not the Emperor; otherwise, those edicts and conscription orders would have to pass through his hands.
Then, he would feel that thinking this way was unfair to his senior brother.
He knew his senior brother would handle these things very well, but like him, his senior brother also disliked doing them very much.
The street behind the Liang Prince's residence was called Four Seasons Green. It was the straightest street in the western part of Xunyang City, with no shops on either side, only a row of bluestone walls.
The long street was quiet. From some courtyard, music drifted out, sounding like someone was singing opera.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong followed the sound, passed through a side alley, and arrived at a mansion's gate, looking at two rows of red lanterns.
The paper of the lanterns was extremely red, the color very heavy, as if wet. Illuminated by the ox-tallow candles inside, they looked like blood, somewhat dazzling.
Xu Yourong glanced at the lanterns, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, as if thinking of something.
The music came from inside the mansion. Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong walked in, but no one stopped them.
Entering the mansion, they saw a very large stone courtyard paved with large, unpolished bluestones, not at all refined. Combined with the torches burning around, it had a somewhat wild battlefield feel.
Ahead was a stage. On it burned ox-tallow candles as thick as an arm, the flames illuminating a back wall pasted with white paper, blazing white as if it were daylight.
A man was singing opera, wearing a red skirt, his makeup extremely vivid.
He didn't use a high collar to deliberately cover his throat, nor did he deliberately flatten his voice. He sang melodiously, his voice slightly hoarse yet very delicate, quite moving.
Without warning, the music abruptly stopped.
The man looked back at Chen Changsheng and said, "What do you think of my performance?"
There weren't many people listening to the opera tonight, only about a dozen, sitting scattered in front of the stage. Judging by their dress and demeanor, they should be the leading figures of Xunyang City. Hearing the man on stage speak, they turned to look and saw Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, somewhat startled.
Liang Hongzhuang was performing opera in his residence today for his own amusement. He had hired the best troupe from Lanling City, performing the famous "Spring Night Song," playing the charming and lovely bride. He was just getting into the swing of it, his brows dancing and eyes soft, when he suddenly noticed the young couple walking in from outside the mansion. He thought, *Finally, they've arrived.*
"I haven't heard much opera, but I think it's very good."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and added, "It seems a bit different from the opera in the capital."
"When I was young, I went to Luling Prefecture to learn opera. Their singing style is a bit strange, but it sounds good."
Liang Hongzhuang said, "I heard it's a singing method that came from the Great Western Continent. I don't know if it's true."
Those present were all the leading figures of Xunyang City. Looking at Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, especially the latter, they quickly guessed their identities.
Tea tables fell, chairs toppled.
Led by the city prefect of Xunyang and the chief bishop, the crowd bowed respectfully.
Chen Changsheng waved his hand, signaling them to rise, but he didn't intend to speak with them, so they could only stand respectfully to the side, not daring to make a sound.
"It was just over ten years ago. The Liang residence was filled with countless dead. My father died too, and my eldest brother ran away from home. I had a very hard time during those days. The imperial court didn't like our family, so naturally, no one liked me. With no elders to protect me, who would be polite to me? At my worst, I had nothing to eat. I thought I needed to find a way to support myself. My father liked listening to opera, and so did I. I was familiar with the trade, so I took this path. At that time, I had no choice. Did you just go to the prince's residence? Back then, even the prince's residence was occupied…"
Hearing Liang Hongzhuang's words, the faces of those Xunyang City bigwigs changed slightly, wondering if something was going to happen tonight.
Then Liang Hongzhuang was silent for a long time.
He had originally had a lot more to say.
When the incident happened, the people who had seized the power and wealth of the Liang Prince's residence were right in front of him—these very leading figures of Xunyang City.
If it weren't for Liang Wangsun's exceptional talent, becoming a strong figure on the Carefree List at a young age, and establishing connections with the palace, would these people have bowed their heads and admitted defeat? Even so, relying on the imperial court's vigilance against the Liang Prince's residence and the power of the Tianhai family, they had suppressed the Liang Prince's residence, preventing any retaliation.
The ones who truly occupied the Liang Prince's residence weren't these people; for the bigwigs, that would have been too unsightly.
Thinking of the chaotic state of the residence when he returned three years later, Liang Hongzhuang sighed.
He took a box from his sleeve and threw it to Chen Changsheng.
Inside the box was half of the Liang Prince's residence's wealth, which could be used as military funds.
"I want to drink."
Liang Hongzhuang suddenly said.
A moment later, a woman hurriedly brought a bowl of wine onto the stage.
Liang Hongzhuang took the bowl and drained it in one gulp, then threw the bowl to the ground. With a *crack*, it shattered into pieces.
He glanced slantwise at the sky, with indescribable contempt and sorrow, stepped down from the stage, kicked off his cloud boots, threw away his headscarf, and walked into the night.
The woman shouted anxiously, "Third Young Master, where are you going?"
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(I apologize to everyone, for causing you trouble, for making you feel bad. I admit my mistake, I admit defeat, I'm willing to be punished. I just ask you to please go to Weibo for criticism and education. After all, the book review section is a place to discuss the book. Sorry, and thank you. There is a story between Liang Hongzhuang and that woman, somewhat similar to Fan Xian and Dong'er, except the former is a tragedy. Many of the words describing Liang Hongzhuang in this chapter were directly copied from his first appearance. I really like the description in that chapter.)