Chapter 4: Why Should I Not Take This Empire for Myself?

"Young Mistress... no, Miss Situ, it is not what you think!"

Ningyan was flushed with embarrassment and anxiety. She hurriedly broke free from Liang Xiao's embrace, but feeling dizzy and unsteady, she struggled to find her footing. She had kept watch all night and, exhausted, had fallen asleep. When exactly had Liang Xiao gathered her into his arms?

Liang Xiao steadied Ningyan, then looked at Situ Luoyue and said with a mocking smile, "Am I the one pestering you?"

Situ Luoyue retorted angrily, "Can we not just part on good terms? I even went to the trouble of having Brother Lingyun put in a good word for you before His Majesty, and this is how you treat me?"

Liang Xiao’s face turned cold. He pulled the imperial decree from his robes and handed it to her. "I went to see the Emperor precisely to ensure we could part on good terms."

"What?" After reading the decree, Situ Luoyue was stunned. A moment later, she flared up, "You! What kind of lies did you tell the Emperor about me again?"

Liang Xiao frowned. "In your eyes, am I really such a despicable, petty person?"

Situ Luoyue was left speechless. Liang Xiao had always been reasonable and upright toward her family. Yet, today, she felt he was somehow different.

Liang Xiao articulated each word clearly: "Situ Luoyue, since the engagement is dissolved, the Liang residence is no longer your home. Go pack your things and return to General Sima’s manor."

Being ordered to leave to her face, Situ Luoyue grew even more indignant. She looked at Ningyan and laughed in fury, "No wonder you showed me no affection; you were already tangled up with this commoner!"

"Situ Luoyue!"

Before Ningyan could explain, Liang Xiao’s face darkened, and he rebuked her coldly. "Since your heart has changed, there is no need to rack your brains trying to slander me! Now that we are going our separate ways, who I choose to be with is none of your business—you are an outsider!"

"Ningyan is not the 'commoner' you claim her to be. She has been my family since childhood; in my eyes, you are not worth even a single strand of her hair!"

Situ Luoyue had never seen Liang Xiao in such a rage; she stood frozen, dumbfounded.

"Since you insist on being difficult, I will have my accountant tally every expense your family has incurred while living in my house. We shall let the people of the capital judge who is in the right, for justice resides in the hearts of the people."

"You..." Situ Luoyue finally paled. The money Liang Xiao had spent on her family amounted to at least ten thousand taels. Had she married him, these expenses would have been a family matter. But now that she had broken the engagement, no matter how she argued, she could not escape the gossip. By then, not only would her status in the Sima family be damaged, but she feared they might even turn her away.

"I will apologize!" Situ Luoyue gritted her teeth, finally relenting.

Liang Xiao pointed at Ningyan. "Name her specifically and apologize to Ningyan."

"I am sorry, Ningyan! I will leave the Liang residence with my family now!"

As she turned to leave, a hatred unlike any she had ever felt ignited in Situ Luoyue’s eyes. She had never imagined she would suffer such humiliation. How could she ever swallow this insult?

Liang Xiao comforted Ningyan softly, "Go back to your room and rest. I am going to wait for Zifang; he will return to the capital today."

"Young Master, be careful of their retaliation..." Knowing her own humble standing, Ningyan gave a gentle warning before dragging her exhausted body back to her room.

Liang Xiao went to the main hall, summoned his steward and guards, and gave stern instructions. "If Situ Luoyue does not know her place, drive her entire family out of the Liang residence. Do not let them take so much as a single thread that belongs to this house!"

By noon that day, Situ Luoyue, along with her mother and brother, packed their luggage and left the Liang residence, their faces burning with shame. The Liang household finally enjoyed an unprecedented sense of peace.

At the South Gate of the capital, Liang Xiao waited expectantly.

Zhuo Zifang was his friend through life and death, as close as a brother. Possessed of world-shaking talent, he had been a child prodigy. Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era and his talents went unrecognized.

On the distant official road, a dilapidated ox cart wobbled toward the South Gate. The young man on the cart wore hempen clothes; his face was handsome, yet carried a tenacity that belied his youth.

Once Zhuo Zifang climbed down, Liang Xiao ignored his resistance and pulled him into a bear hug. They returned to the inner courtyard of the Liang residence, where Ningyan had already prepared tea, wine, and side dishes.

Zhuo Zifang took a sip of tea, sighed deeply, and after recounting his journey, said with a voice full of sorrow, "Liang Xiao, the northern provinces are littered with the starving. Within three years, the heavens will change!"

Hearing this, Liang Xiao’s eyes burned with intensity.

Zhuo Zifang suddenly remembered something. "By the way, you should be getting married next year, right?"

Liang Xiao then recounted the entire affair with Situ Luoyue.

"Outrageous!" The usually calm Zhuo Zifang erupted in anger, slamming his hand on the table. "Did you not tell her who it was that rode alone into the enemy camp to take the head of the Left Wise King?"

Liang Xiao sighed, "Zifang, there are plenty of fish in the sea."

Zhuo Zifang finally calmed down. "If you had shown your true strength back then, people like Sima Lingyun wouldn't be running rampant today. A hero buried, while a scoundrel makes a name for himself!"

Zhuo Zifang scrutinized Liang Xiao. "However, you were once completely bewitched by Situ Luoyue, yet now you can cut ties so decisively. Do you really have no temper at all?"

Liang Xiao’s gaze sharpened, and he let out a long, heavy sigh.

"She said her husband ought to be a hero of letters and martial arts, someone to defend the nation. I originally promised my mother to abandon the sword for the brush, all to live a quiet life. Since she is ungrateful, I no longer need to be bound by convention. From now on, I will achieve great things and leave a legacy that lasts for ages."

"Looking at the world today, the northern barbarians are locked in civil war, and the south is rotting away. Only by unifying the land and driving out the northern tribes can this country be saved."

Zhuo Zifang said with pleasant surprise, "You finally see it!"

Liang Xiao stared at Zhuo Zifang. "Zifang, you possess world-shaking talent and will surely reach the highest office. Are you willing to assist me?"

"Of course!" Zhuo Zifang replied without hesitation. "What does a man need a wife for? To achieve glory, defend the nation, leave a mark in history, and reach the pinnacle of power—this is the true nature of men like us! I believe you will do even better than Sima Lingyun!"

Liang Xiao only smiled and shook his head, still gazing at Zhuo Zifang.

"Zifang, you misunderstood me."

Zhuo Zifang paused. "Do you mean to say that after achieving glory, you intend to retire to avoid being discarded like a worn-out bow?"

Liang Xiao shook his head again.

Zhuo Zifang was confused. "Then what do you mean?"

"Zifang, when we first met, looking at the world, I thought heroes were plentiful and that there would be countless others like you."

"Later, when we looked at the world again, it was filled with vermin!"

Zhuo Zifang’s chopsticks froze in mid-air as he stared at Liang Xiao, entranced.

Liang Xiao lifted his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and rose abruptly to look out at the vast sky.

"On our way to the capital, we saw it: the gates of the wealthy reek of wine and meat, while the roads are strewn with the frozen dead. The Wu Dynasty only seeks to hold onto its small corner, refusing to progress. It will inevitably crumble and fall into the hands of competing warlords."

Under Zhuo Zifang’s astonished gaze, Liang Xiao turned back to look at him and smiled.

"Born between heaven and earth, how can a man be content to live long under the shadow of others?"

"Instead of watching this world fall into the hands of vermin, why should I not take it for myself?"

As the words left his lips, the winds surged in the horizon, followed by a rumble of winter thunder.

Zhuo Zifang’s chopsticks clattered to the floor, and he gasped, "Liang Xiao, do you realize what kind of path you are choosing? One wrong step, and you will be beyond redemption!"

Liang Xiao nodded slightly and asked in return, "Then, do you dare to walk this path with me, to change the dynasty for this land?"

Zhuo Zifang regained his composure, set his chopsticks down, rose to his feet, and said, "Where are we going next?"