Chapter 6: The Great Crime of Treason

  Liáng Xīn let out a cry of surprise and asked: "How did you know?"

  "Gaunt and bony, with a deer-like head and mouse-like eyes, timid and afraid of trouble, always nodding in agreement." Xiaobai Lian coldly said: "With such a large patch of gold on his face, it's hard not to recognize him." As early as when they were still outside the mountain, Xiaobai Lian had not only recognized Feng Xi Xi but also seen that Liang Xin was the master of the little ghost.

  Xiaobai didn't wait for others to continue asking questions, and directly said: "Apart from having a golden money mark on his forehead, Feng Xixi wasn't anything special, there are countless little ghosts like him in the world. However, this Feng Xixi has another identity, 300 years ago, he was the ghost servant of Lord Liang Yier. Now he is serving you as his master, and you have the surname Liang, and are also a prisoner, haha, how could I not guess that you are the descendant of Lord Liang?"

  "Ah!"

  Liang Xin hadn't spoken yet, but the green-robed Liu Yi beside him suddenly exclaimed and asked in a series of questions: "Liang Yier? The Lord Liang who helped the Taizu Emperor conquer the world back then? The Lord Liang who single-handedly created the Jiulongsi? The Lord Liang who was finally executed by being sawed into two for the crime of treason?"

  Each word from Liu Yi was like a thunderclap, heavily reverberating in Liang Xin's ears. He had previously learned from Feng Xi Xi that his own ancestors were high-ranking officials, but he had never imagined that Liang Yier's ancestors were actually founding ministers of the country.

  "Not bad, it's our first commander of the Jiulong Temple, Lord Liang!" The small white face's expression was solemn, and he nodded: "In those days, my ancestor from the Qu family also followed Lord Liang through thick and thin, deeply grateful for his great kindness... But later on, when the world became peaceful, this Lord Liang's heart turned black! Do you know what the first case that Liang Yili handled after establishing the Jiulong Temple was?"

  His words became more and more unpleasant, and neither Liang Xin nor Liu Yu dared to respond.

  The young man's mouth curled up in a cold, mocking smile: "After the establishment of the Jiǔ Lóng Sī, the first batch of cases they handled were to investigate all of Liáng Yī èr's former subordinates! These people were all from military backgrounds, and for decades had been involved in battles, killing and plundering, how could their families possibly be clean? Upon investigation, everyone was found guilty! They were all stripped of their official positions and sent back to the countryside to farm, heh heh, my family's ancestors were especially guilty, and were thrown into the Jiǔ Lóng Sī's great prison! From then on, our ancestors made a poisonous vow, to definitely kill Liáng Yī èr."

  Liáng Xīn was completely stunned, his eyes darting around the corners, looking for a way to escape...

  Liu Yi's face changed slightly. He was a member of the Jiulong Temple, and he knew that the great prison in his yamen was many times more terrifying than an ordinary jail.

  Xiaobai's expression didn't change, and he continued to say: "A few years later, Liang Yier's rebellion was exposed, and he was executed. My ancestor was also able to clear his name and resume his original position. From then on, our Qu family has been smooth sailing, all the way until today."

  Liu also swallowed a mouthful of saliva and softly replied: "Congratulations, sir..."

  The young man suddenly burst out laughing: "However, the one with the surname Qu is not a fool! When Lord Liang was beheaded, my ancestors had an epiphany! After the establishment of the Jiulong Temple, Liang Yier must have been plotting something earth-shattering. If it failed, everyone connected to him would likely be implicated, so he first found an excuse to drive away all his old subordinates. This bitter trick deceived everyone! At that time, my ancestors vowed to devote their lives and fortunes to clearing Lord Liang's name and repaying his kindness!"

  Liang Xin finally let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: "This ancestor of the Qu family seems to be quite fond of making poisonous oaths. What was he plotting? Was it really treason? And why would he want to rebel?"

  Xiaobai's eyes narrowed slightly: "If he really rebels, what else can we investigate? With Mr. Liang's martial arts and strategic thinking, if he wants to be the emperor, he will not wait until the Da Hong dynasty is stable before taking action!"

  Liang Xin didn't quite understand, but he could grasp the meaning of Qian Hu's words: "You said that Feng Xi Xi's skills are very high, and you also said that his power is great. If it's really a miscarriage of justice, even if we can't win, can't we escape?"

  The young man slowly shook his head and said, "These things are truly royal secrets. The files from that year have long been destroyed. The crime was treason, but what exactly they did wrong, no one knows."

  The Qu family had been investigating Liang Yier's case in secret for generations, and they also had connections in the imperial court. Their family had produced officials for generations, serving successively in the Censorate, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Punishment, the Nine Dragons Temple, and even the Imperial Academy. One of their ancestors, Qu Taigong, had even castrated himself after falling ill and entered the palace to become a eunuch... but they couldn't find out anything at all.

  Qu Zhong said, Liang Xin took a step forward, straightened his upper body and knelt down sincerely, but before he could speak, he was picked up by the other party like a small chicken, and laughed: "In those years, our ancestors were sincere to each other, now we don't have to make these vulgar rituals, to be honest, in recent years, people with the surname Qu have been struggling, but they haven't accomplished anything great."

  Qu Qianhu put Liang Xin by his side: "My name is Qu Qingshi, from now on you and I will be brothers!" Then he hesitated for a moment, and said to Liu Yixiao: "When it's just us, don't call me Master Qianhu anymore."

  Liang Xin and Liu Yi exchanged a glance, both of them overjoyed in their own way.

  "Also, there's something else I need to clarify with you." Qu Qing Shi seemed to have some regrets again and before the two could shout "Brother Qing Shi", he changed the subject: "Over these years, my family has been investigating cases generation after generation, but we haven't really taken care of Mr. Liang's descendants, do you know why?"

  Liang Xin sighed: "Because paying attention is useless, the crime of the Liang family is too great. Now being an ordinary prisoner is already the best result. Except for overturning the case, there is no other way to exonerate us. If you pay too much attention to my family, it will attract the attention of the imperial court. At that time, not only will we be in danger, but also our family will be implicated."

  On the side, Liu nodded and smiled: "The descendants of Liang Zhihui's family will always have a few points of cleverness!"

  "Ha ha, not bad! However, it's not that I didn't pay attention, but my family had left a descendant in Changping City 300 years ago. Although we didn't interfere with major events, we would take care of minor matters. In these 300 years, when finding wives for the descendants of the Liang family, we would specifically choose women who are good at giving birth and have auspicious physiognomy for their children, thus preserving the bloodline of the Liang family..."

  Liang Xin blinked her eyes, somewhat at a loss for words.

  "Of course, those things are not my responsibility, and I don't know much about them either." Qu Qing Shi added another sentence: "I didn't know your identity at first, but after seeing Feng Xi Xi and checking your household registration, everything became clear."

  "Adult... big brother... or adult, this matter is still suspicious!" Liu Yi pondered and said: "The law of the guilty family is harsh, but it's only for those who commit murder, robbery, banditry and other civilian crimes. Mr. Liang's identity, experience and power are all clear, if you want to punish him, you should eradicate him completely, why would you still want to leave his descendants?"

  Qu Qing Shi hummed: "Lord Liang has a high reputation in the court and the countryside, and is also one of the founding meritorious officials. The imperial court wants to keep his bloodline, first to show the heaven's kindness and generosity; secondly, to comfort people's hearts!"

  The cave fell silent for a moment. Qu Qing Shi patted Liang Xin's shoulder: "You're thinking too much now, first think of a way to get out alive!"

  His words were not yet finished, the oil lamps that had just been lit in the mine suddenly went out with a "bang", and Liang Xin and Liu Yi simultaneously stomped their feet, saying: "Here we go again!"

  The two of them were quite self-aware and jumped behind the curve of Qing stone, one on the left and one on the right, without needing to be told.