An unexpected turn

The School of Diplomacy is a very interesting school of thought.

When this school of thought was at its peak, it was incredibly prestigious. Su Qin of the Vertical School and Zhang Yi of the Horizontal School were renowned throughout the world, and their swordsmanship was extraordinary.

However, this school of thought rose and fell quickly, producing very few outstanding figures over the course of more than a century.

Zou Yang was a key figure in the School of Diplomacy in this generation, but he concealed his identity so well that people almost thought the School of Diplomacy had become extinct.

Zou Yang recognized the little-known Gongsun Hong, and Gongsun Hong also recognized the man who had fallen from grace and was now living in Liangyuan, a place associated with the School of Diplomacy.

"Zou Yang welcomes Mr. Gongsun to Liang Garden!"

Upon seeing Gongsun Hong, Zou Yang appeared quite pleased, his expression becoming more radiant.

"I apologize for the intrusion in staying at Liang Garden; I hope I have caused you great disturbance!"

Gongsun Hong returned the greeting politely.

He recognized Zou Yang, but he had no connection with Zou Yang and couldn't get along with the School of Diplomacy, a school that focused on swordsmanship.

Of course, the main reason was that Gongsun Hong was only staying at Liangyuan for one night, and he had to head north the next day, so he didn't have much time to chat with Zou Yang.

Being polite meant refusing to leave, and Gongsun Hong's attitude surprised Zou Yang a little, but Zou Yang still maintained excellent manners and even extended a very friendly invitation.

"I will definitely pay Mr. Zou Yang a visit next time I meet him," Gongsun Hong said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Mr. Gongsun is always welcome!"

Zou Yang repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, his enthusiasm surprising even Gongsun Hong.

He returned the greetings repeatedly and then jogged to catch up with Zhang Xuezhou.

Gongsun Hong could occasionally see some windows in the side rooms being opened, and several people bowing to him very politely.

This welcoming treatment made Gongsun Hong somewhat uncomfortable.

Are the people in Liang Garden always this polite?

Gongsun Hong caught up with Zhang Xuezhou and couldn't help but ask a question in a low voice.

"You're all very polite!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about his life in Liangyuan and finally felt that there was nothing to think about. He had just moved in and then that dead King Liang took him to the tomb and almost buried him.

While Liang Yuan was polite, the King of Liang showed no mercy when it came to killing people; he only cared about whether they were worth it.

This is certainly not Zhang Xuezhou's paradise, and even if he stays here temporarily, it won't be for very long.

However, Zhang Xuezhou had to admit that Liangyuan's free services were excellent. Even though they arrived at dusk, after giving a few instructions, food, drinks, clean clothes, and other items were all brought over.

Even Gongsun Hong was slightly distracted, feeling that "fine clothes and delicacies corrupt people's hearts".

Compared to the free meals and drinks at Xuanhua Tower, Liangyuan was on a completely different level; it was an absolute annihilation.

Xuanhualou's four dishes represent a comfortable life, while Liangyuan's twelve dishes are all grand feasts.

Upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou mention that the dishes served in Liang Garden were different every day, Gongsun Hong couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh of relief, almost considering giving up his pride to spend his remaining years in Liang Garden.

He had heard of Liangyuan before and knew that many scholars and monks had entered Liangyuan. Gongsun Hong considered that some of these people were not upright enough.

However, after witnessing the extravagance of Liangyuan for the first time, Gongsun Hong felt that currying favor with the powerful and wealthy was not entirely unacceptable.

Without Yao Yuanguang's guidance in physiognomy, Gongsun Hong believed that his inner convictions might have wavered.

"It's all about timing and fate!"

He murmured something to himself and joined this lavish dinner, a sight rarely seen in ordinary times.

But he stayed true to himself; this trip was just about eating and drinking with Zhang Xuezhou, and he would leave Liangyuan early the next morning without any lingering attachment.

"You two are really enjoying your meal! Would you like one too?"

While he was eating, Gongsun Hong heard a knock on the door, and a familiar voice came in.

"The door isn't locked, please come in!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded, and the door was pushed open. Yao Yuanguang stepped in, holding a Liangyuan token.

"Are you also a guest of Liang Garden?" Gongsun Hong rose to greet him respectfully.

"It's just a sign for entering and exiting," Yao Yuanguang said dismissively.

He slipped the Liangyuan token into his sleeve.

If Zhang Xuezhou could get the Liangyuan Order, it wouldn't be difficult for Yao Yuanguang to get one too.

The interview with Liang Yuanke posed no problem for Yao Yuanguang, and he could have done the same by impersonating someone else.

For Yao Yuanguang, with his vast knowledge of information, he has never lacked a status.

"Oh dear, there seems to be someone impersonating someone here..."

"Don't mess with me! If you yell like that, I'll yell too. I can run away, but you might not be able to!"

When Zhang Xuezhou guessed the truth, Yao Yuanguang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"I'm not afraid of being investigated," Zhang Xuezhou sighed. "I not only became a guest at the Liang Garden under the former King of Liang, but his five sons have also met me. They can't find anything about me!"

"Five... now only three are left, and two of them are in trouble," Yao Yuanguang shrugged. "Looks like your information network hasn't been very good lately!"

"What?" Zhang Xuezhou, slightly taken aback.

"The two kings, Liu Ding, Prince of Shanyang, and Liu Bushi, Prince of Jiyin, either died young or were still alive," Yao Yuanguang whispered. "The King of Liang, Liu Mai, and the King of Jichuan, Liu Ming, killed the Grand Tutor of their own vassal king's court!"

"Died young? How did they die young? Weren't they perfectly healthy just a few months ago?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

When the new emperor went to Fengxize to pay homage to his ancestors, the new Liang King and others came to greet him.

Although Zhang Xuezhou did not speak with these kings, he observed them from a distance and found that they did not appear to be ill, nor did they seem to be people suffering from a sudden illness.

Death between the ages of eight and fifteen is called premature death, while death between the ages of twenty and fifty is called death. The term "early death" is also sometimes used to indicate a certain age range.

These two kings clearly died rather unexpectedly, without even having to use the 'collapse' technique.

"How would I know how I died?" Yao Yuanguang waved his hand and said.

Is it any of your business?

"Nonsense! You can't just say things like that!"

Yao Yuanguang waved his hands repeatedly.

Although Liang Garden still sees people coming and going during the day, it is far less prosperous than before. Especially after the death of the former King of Liang, many of Liang Garden's guests have left, and it is rare to see new guests.

The killing of the Grand Tutor by Liu Mai, the King of Liang, in Suiyang City caused a huge uproar.

No one knows why he killed the Grand Tutor of State of Liang.

The fact that Liu Ming, the King of Jichuan, also killed the Grand Tutor in the Jichuan Kingdom further complicated matters.

Each royal court was a small imperial court, and it also established the system of Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, only the ranks were a notch lower than those in Chang'an City.

The fact that someone of the rank of Grand Tutor of a vassal state, equivalent to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers, could be killed so easily is tantamount to the execution of two high-ranking officials of the same rank in Chang'an City.

"You must know something?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, frowning.

"You tell me what's going on, and I'll tell you what's in return," Yao Yuanguang said with a smile. "Isn't this a wonderful exchange?"

"But this does nothing but satisfy my curiosity," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Your information might not be that important," Yao Yuanguang said, shaking his head.

"Since my information isn't important, why did you want to exchange it?" Zhang Xuezhou replied casually.

The conversation between the two reached an impasse, and Gongsun Hong frowned slightly.

He had previously seen Zhang Xuezhou and Yao Yuanguang whispering to each other, but he had maintained his gentlemanly conduct by not eavesdropping. Now, however, the two were exchanging sharp words.

Gongsun Hong felt that there was an extremely complicated relationship between Zhang Xuezhou and this fortune teller. Yao Yuanguang had obviously tracked their whereabouts and even used the Liangyuan Order. Now it was time for the two to reach a conclusion.

This piqued Gongsun Hong's curiosity, completely unaware of what information the old fortune teller had taken a liking to Zhang Xuezhou.

"Could it be something to do with the Dragon King?"

He pondered for a few seconds, then felt that it was better to ask him than Yao Yuanguang to ask Zhang Xuezhou. Although he didn't know much, Gongsun Hong felt it was a good idea to return the favor and was happy to share.

This caused Gongsun Hong to cough twice.

He interjected to mediate the situation, and also steered the conversation towards the dragon.

This made Yao Yuanguang frown repeatedly.

Clearly, Yao Yuanguang gained nothing from Ao Li and was quite disappointed with the Dragon King.