You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 95 The Truth Behind the Death of Duke Liang

"The other person is Huyan Chao, the main general of Xiliang."

"I remember that the battle ended with the withdrawal of the Xiliang troops. How did Huyan Chao benefit from it?"

"The leader of this elite force of ten thousand is named Shanyu, with the given name Ye. He is the eldest son of the Shanyu family of Xiliang and a young hero."

He had a private feud with Huyan Chao, and he had heard that the King of Xiliang intended to choose one of the two men to marry the Princess of Xiliang. Comparatively, Chanyu Ye had a greater chance of winning.

Liang Jiang suddenly realized: "Could it be that the route the Chanyu took during his night retreat was deliberately leaked to Tong Shouliang by Huyan Chao?"

Gu Xizhi nodded: "After Tong Shouliang killed someone to cover his tracks, Vice General He had nowhere to turn, so I sent someone to Xiliang and secretly contacted Shanyu Ye's family."

According to the family of Shanyu Ye, when Xiliang ambushed and killed Liangguo Gong, Huyan Chao was wounded, so he returned to Xiliang ahead of time, leaving Shanyu Ye to clean up the battlefield.

As a result, they were ambushed by Tong Shouliang halfway there and their entire army was wiped out. The credit for killing the Duke of Liang naturally fell solely on Huyan Chao. Therefore, Shanyu Ye's father had long suspected that Huyan Chao was using someone else to do his dirty work.

"His Highness intends to join forces with the Ye family of the Shanyu to thoroughly investigate the Battle of the Great Rift Valley from that year!"

"Fang Chengxu caused heavy losses to Xiliang this time. Since there was an inside accomplice in Xiliang, and this person's identity is not ordinary, it is easier to investigate him."

Based on the clues you provided and the suspicious points investigated by Deputy General He, Shan Yuye's family devised a plan and discovered that Tong Shouliang's inside man in Xiliang was a trusted confidant planted by Huyan Chao at the border.

Therefore, it can be basically confirmed that the Battle of the Great Rift Valley was actually a scheme orchestrated by Tong Shouliang and Huyan Chao in collusion.

The letter Zhou wrote to frame Duke Liang was indeed written by Huyan Chao. Tong Shouliang used this as an excuse to hoard troops and refuse to attack, which led to Duke Liang's tragic death in the Great Rift Valley and made Huyan Chao's military achievements possible.

In return, Huyan Chao handed over Shanyu Ye and his 10,000 elite troops to Tong Shouliang.

Liang Jiang clenched her fists. She had long known that her father was wrongly accused of treason, but she never expected that it was all Tong Shouliang's conspiracy.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for telling me the truth. My father has finally been exonerated."

Liang Jiang rose and said, "Please accept Liang Jiang's bow, Your Highness."

Gu Xizhi raised her hand and took Liang Jiang's hand in hers: "It's a bit too early to say thank you."

Liang Jiang was taken aback: "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"Although I know the truth about the battle in the Great Rift Valley, I still don't have any evidence."

“Xiliang…” Liang Jiang began to speak, but then suddenly realized, “The Emperor won’t believe the testimony of the people from Xiliang, will he?”

Moreover, if Tong Shouliang were to turn on them, Gu Xizhi would be suspected of colluding with Xiliang, forming cliques, and coveting military power.

This is a major taboo.

Gu Xizhi smiled bitterly: "After Shanyu Ye died, the family gradually declined and no longer had the strength to contend with Huyan Chao. How can this testimony be trusted if Huyan Chao doesn't fall?"

Baili Shouyue, who had been silent all along, smiled coldly upon hearing this: "Why bother with all this trouble? After nightfall, I will sneak into the general's mansion and kill Tong Shouliang to avenge my senior brother."

Gu Xizhi shook her head: "What we want is not only Tong Shouliang's life, but also to bring justice to Liangguo. That is the most important thing."

Liang Jiang looked at Gu Xizhi gratefully, not only for everything he had done for her father, but also for how well he understood her thoughts.

Baili Shouyue scoffed, "It's just an empty title."

Gu Xizhi earnestly corrected, "No, this is not an empty title, it is an honor."

Baili Shouyue sneered: "It's a good thing I didn't agree to your brother's offer of amnesty back then, so I wouldn't be burdened by empty fame."

Liang Jiang gritted her teeth: "Then what can I do? Please tell me, Your Highness."

"Wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wait for news from Xiliang. The Chanyu Ye family will definitely not let Huyan Chao off the hook. We just need to wait for the outcome of the battle between the two tigers. As long as the King of Xiliang confirms Huyan Chao's crimes and reveals the truth about the Battle of the Great Rift Valley, Tong Shouliang will naturally not escape punishment as well."

"As soon as there is news from Xiliang, I will inform you immediately, to avenge the innocent soldiers who died unjustly, for the sake of justice for the country."

Liang Jiang nodded: "But after the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, will Your Highness return to your fiefdom in Weixi?"

Gu Xizhi nodded slightly: "That's right, they shouldn't stay for too long. So, I will do my best to help things unfold in Xiliang and see the outcome soon."

"Then Your Highness, please accept Liangjiang's bow once more to express your gratitude for Your Highness's help. Please forgive Liangjiang for not recognizing you tomorrow."

After speaking, she gracefully knelt down on the ground.

Gu Xizhi understood what she meant. She was avoiding suspicion and didn't want to be implicated in the Duke's Mansion's affairs. She wanted to stay out of it.

She was overly cautious.

Liang Jiang then toasted Baili Shouyue with wine, expressing her gratitude for his willingness to go to great lengths for her.

With the case of her father's injustice finally being resolved and her long-awaited reunion with Baili Shouyue, she was overjoyed. The two reminisced and drank a few cups of wine together.

Gu Xizhi, who neither drinks nor leaves, sits to the side, drinking tea instead of wine, until the moon rises above the willow branches.

Liang Jiang, having drunk too much, became quite excited and liked to talk, especially in front of Baili Shouyue. When he mentioned the days he spent at Yuhua Mountain, he chattered away with great enthusiasm.

Gu Xizhi turned slightly to the side and lowered her voice to ask Baili Shouyue, "Was she this noisy when she was at Yuhua Mountain?"

Baili Shouyue said casually, "She's always been like this. What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Gu Xizhi paused for a moment: "Very different."

In my memory, she was like a hedgehog, always on high alert, wary of the harm that the outside world might cause her.

Instead of being carefree like this now, like... a little hen that keeps clucking.

Baili Shouyue downed the wine in his cup in one gulp: "This is a place that can drive good people crazy. How could she dare to be as unrestrained as she was on Yuhua Mountain?"

Liang Jiang, with her sharp ears, asked, "Are you talking badly about me?"

Baili Shouyue nodded: "I remember when you were on Yuhua Mountain, your two masters doted on you and almost always listened to your every word."

I still remember those junior disciples, trying every means to please you, bringing you loads of delicious food every time they came down the mountain, hoping that when you made a mistake and were punished, you would plead for your life because of the food.

Liang Jiang was somewhat displeased: "Junior Uncle, your words are truly hurtful. I always thought that I was likable, which is why they were so kind to me. That's why I couldn't bear to see Grandmaster punish them. This reversal of cause and effect is simply unpleasant to hear."

Baili Shouyue chuckled: "When I was on the mountain, I never bought you any food, and I was even quite impatient and a bit fierce with you. Why did you still plead with my master for me?"

Liang Jiang rested her chin on her hand and said, "How come I have absolutely no recollection of ever pleading for you?"

Baili Shouyue curled his lips: "You were still young then. Everyone thought I deserved to die, but you were the only one who pleaded for me. Otherwise, Master would have killed me to rid the people of this scourge."

Liang Jiang thought about it carefully, but still couldn't remember why she had pleaded for him back then.

"So that's why you came up the mountain every year to bring me those nice things?"

Baili Shouyue shrugged: "I said, as long as you're happy, my master will be happy. Giving it to you is the same."

Gu Xizhi finally understood why Baili Shouyue was giving Liang Jiang so much face. It turned out that she was willing to hand over the Golden Longevity Star to him with just a word from her. It turned out that he had saved her life.

He could imagine how bright and cheerful Liang Jiang was before the changes in the Duke's mansion, a pearl cherished and protected by so many people.

The hardships of life and the harassment from the Fang family later on must have made her lose her unrestrained and carefree attitude and grow thorns all over her body.

If the two had met earlier, no, it should be said that they hadn't missed each other, perhaps everything would have been different.

(End of this chapter)