"We are willing to surrender our wealth and honor, but we only ask that Commander Xie give the princess justice!"
"The Yellow Turban rebels have corrupted the rites and music. Since General Xie intends to restore the rites, it means that the direct descendants of the royal family are indispensable."
"Moreover, Her Highness the Princess is your wife, and her status and position must be commensurate with that of the Marshal."
"Her Highness the Princess is of noble birth and her husband, General Xie, is brave and skilled in martial arts. They are a match made in heaven."
The people of Tianjing knelt down and roared to the sky, their cries echoing everywhere.
Such unity, where even wailing and mourning could shake the situation, made Xie Meixiang and the other members of the Xie clan look at them with new respect.
Before responding, Xie Lanzhi looked helplessly at Yan Sixi Tong and said, "You've always been by my side. Except for that case when you left the palace, you haven't had any contact with them. So what kind of drug did you give them to make them support you so much?"
Si Xitong blinked, her expression slightly teasing, and said, "As I've said before, I'm good at setting up and placing moves in chess."
"Tell me now what you did?" Xie Lanzhi felt an itch in her heart, like being scratched by a cat, but the person in charge had no intention of relieving her itch at this moment.
Si Xitong poured her a full wine cup. The milky white wine had a faint aroma of rice wafting into her nose. The beautiful woman then took the initiative to pick up the wine cup and fawn over her, saying, "I'll tell you after I've taken this step."
"In this light, it seems more practical than me directly reinstating you and handing Xie Shangguang over to you. Tianjing is where you truly belong," Xie Lanzhi said. "Expanding your benefits from them is better than the Xie family restricting you at every turn. It's a good approach."
She then waved her hand at everyone, saying, "What are you doing? Get up quickly."
“Especially Duke Zheng, tonight is your birthday banquet, how can the birthday celebrant kneel down.”
"I beg Marshal Xie to grant my request, or I will kneel here and die." Having experienced death once, the Duke of Zheng had a clear understanding of the situation. Although pledging allegiance to Marshal Xie could bring wealth and honor, it was precarious, and the Xie clan officials under her command were extremely domineering.
Dealing with him only involves threatening him with death. It's better to take advantage of his meritorious surrender and the fact that his influence hasn't faded, and quickly express our stance to Commander Xie. Since Commander Xie dotes on the princess and intends to restore the Jin ceremony, his purpose is naturally to establish a connection between the Xie family and the royal family. In this way, the princess will still have value, so why not maximize her value!
He could not repeat the mistake he made when he was hiding in Bingzhou, hearing that Tianjing had fallen, and then hesitating to send troops three months after the city fell, only to have His Majesty die as a result.
We must prevent him from making the same mistake a third time.
Now, as long as he can assist the princess and win over Marshal Xie's favor once she is reinstated, Marshal Xie will surely protect the princess and make her a regional ruler. At that time, he only needs to become a subject under the princess to preserve the Duke's family's prosperity for six generations.
Even if Xie Shuai gets tired of the Eldest Princess in the future, he won't rush to break off relations because her royal status is what the Xie family needs to change their social standing.
It wasn't that Xie Shuai couldn't protect him, but the Duke of Zheng was wary of her being the head of the Xie clan. No one could guarantee that she wouldn't side with the Xie clan one day, so he couldn't gamble on even the slightest mishap. He could only choose the eldest princess.
"We urge Commander Xie to restore the royal rites and music for Her Highness the Princess, and to uphold the proper hierarchy within the royal family!"
Officials in Tianjing cried out, "We beg Commander Xie to rightfully place Her Highness the Princess in the rightful place!"
"Please, Commander Xie, grant Her Highness the proper place in the throne!"
This move was like a slap in the face to Si Lei, making him feel utterly ashamed.
Just then, when the clamor subsided for a moment, Si Xitong, who had taken the position, finally retorted forcefully: "Why do you all act this way? Si is a weak woman who has long accepted the fate of her father's death and her lowly status. If it weren't for General Xie's rescue, I, Xitong, would probably be dead long ago."
"Now you are making things difficult for the Si family's wives. How can the Si family face themselves? If you really value the Jin Dynasty's etiquette, you might as well choose another royal family to honor as soon as possible."
After saying that, Si Xitong gestured to Si Lei: "Fourth Uncle, I have always respected your integrity and uprightness, and I admire even more your revival of the Seven Jin. Under your governance, the people of the Seven Jin live in peace and prosperity."
She then said to the Duke of Zheng and the officials, "If you do not pursue such an enlightened ruler, why go to such lengths and involve the Si family?"
"Moreover, the Si family also has a younger brother."
Upon hearing this, Si Lei's eyes secretly lit up. Although he didn't know what his niece's purpose was, since she had started, he wouldn't be surprised if he went along with it. Besides, a mere woman had no power or influence to speak of and was not worth mentioning.
Si Lei did not refuse. He stood up, his face full of what seemed like emotion: "Qi Tong is so considerate of her elders, I feel ashamed. Your royal uncle hopes that you can live out the rest of your life in peace, because he is afraid that you will be used by others. It comes from the bottom of his heart. But today, I am not worthy of your praise."
Si Xitong said, "Uncle, how can you belittle yourself? Your reputation as the restorer of the Jin Dynasty has spread throughout the late Jin period. Anyone who mentions you can be called a renowned ruler."
The beautiful woman's soft, gentle words were like a spring drizzle, soothing and gentle. Her teeth were like melon seeds: "This is truly well-deserved."
Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she said, "The Emperor's rule is admired by all."
As if praising a hero, she stood like a female warrior, sword in hand, confident and radiant, triumphant at the birthday banquet. With just a few words, she controlled the proceedings, making every word perfectly chosen.
Xie Lanzhi was stunned.
The little girl's ability to deceive people has improved remarkably quickly.
After regaining her composure, she said at the opportune moment, "What you say is absolutely right, Madam. The restoration of the Seven Jin is indeed well-deserved. I suddenly remembered that on the day of the Tianjing Incident, I made a promise to the King of Si."
She blamed herself and slapped her forehead, saying, "It's my fault for being so busy in the capital that I forgot about this. I shouldn't have done it, I really shouldn't have!"
When Xie Lanzhi spoke, Xie Meixiang and the other disciples whispered among themselves. Finally, Xie Meixiang stood up and asked with concern, "Marshal, what exactly did you promise the King of Si?"
Xie Lanzhi declared, "I had hoped that the King of Si would personally go to Tianjing to persuade the Yellow traitor to surrender on my behalf. However, I never expected that the King of Si would be placed in a dangerous situation instead, which makes me feel guilty."
“I promised the King of Si that once we conquer Tianjing, he will become the King of Tianjing.”
Si Lei's promise to become the ruler of Tianjing instantly caused a sensation throughout the birthday banquet, like a tidal wave crashing against the shore.
Not only the Xie family members, but also the Duke of Zheng and others were dumbfounded, never expecting such a thing to happen.
Xie Lanzhi has already spoken.
Everyone is caught in a dilemma.
She recounted the events, explaining in the time it took to eat some snacks. Everyone's expressions turned sour after hearing her story, but Si Lei straightened his back, appearing humble and waiting to fulfill his promise.
Until Xie Lanzhi got to the point: "Gentlemen, I, the commander, will bestow upon Si Lei the title of ruler of Tianjing. What do you all think?"
"Absolutely not!" Duke Zheng quickly replied.
At this moment, even Xie Meixiang and his sons sided with the Duke of Zheng. In an instant, the quarreling factions were united in their hatred of the enemy and stood up, filling the banquet hall to capacity. Then came an overwhelming chorus of opposition.
"We request that the Marshal rescind his order!"
"We request that the Marshal rescind his order!"
"We request that the Marshal rescind his order!"
"Absolutely not! Si Lei is acceptable as the ruler of the First Jin Kingdom, but as the ruler of the Tianjing Kingdom, according to seniority, he should be ranked as the ruler of the Second or Third Jin Kingdom, which is not his place. Moreover, we still have a direct descendant in Tianjing."
"This act violates the proper order of things and goes against the natural order; it must not be done!"
"Since Marshal Xie intends to uphold the proper hierarchy and restore the rites and music, he must not betray his original intention!"
Everyone is against Si Lei becoming the ruler of Tianjing.
Li Ling, the Vice Minister of Rites, even rammed his body against a pillar on the spot, his head covered in blood. He lay prostrate on the ground, pleading for his life: "General Xie, you mustn't! Si Lei has overstepped his bounds and cannot do this!"
Xie Meixiang and his disciples were deeply moved by the spirit of these Tianjing officials who were willing to die to remonstrate with them, and they all put away their contempt for the Tianjing officials.
Seeing that Li Ling opposed him and even threatened suicide, Si Lei looked at Xie Lanzhi again. Her expression suddenly became solemn, clearly showing that she took Li Ling's actions very seriously. Her determination to appoint him as the ruler of Tianjing seemed to be wavering.
"You! You actually...you actually..." This was how you treated me. Si Lei felt a chill run through him. He scanned the officials of Tianjing, wondering why no one supported him. Was his reputation as the restorer of the dynasty unworthy of Tianjing?
What were these stupid civil servants thinking?!
Chapter 28 A Good Show: They Were on the Sidelines
All fingers were pointing at Si Lei.
Xie Lanzhi suddenly frowned and scolded, "What are you all doing! Quickly send Minister Li to be treated."
Li Ling kowtowed repeatedly, the blood on his face still wet, fresh blood added: "This old minister is incompetent, I humbly beg General Xie to rescind the order."
“Li Wang is already a ruler of a region. To appoint him as the ruler of Tianjing again would be an act of usurpation. Moreover, his contributions to Tianjing are far less than those of a minor officer who was posthumously granted the title of Pacification Commissioner. This is truly unacceptable to us.”
Seeing that the old man was about to faint, Xie Lanzhi frowned and said, "I have my own considerations. Go and treat your injuries quickly. Don't let a small thing cause a big loss. The Ministry of Rites will still need you to manage it in the future. How can you leave first?"
"Thank you, Commander!!!" Li Ling was about to kowtow again.
Several members of the Xie family quickly stopped him, helped him up, and took him away. As he left, Li Ling continued to wail in pain: "Si Lei, you are unworthy of your position! You are unfit to be the ruler of Tianjing!"
"It would be better to choose a virtuous person like this than to choose a close relative like the Xie family!"
The scene was chaotic. Li Linggang had just been taken away, and some people wanted to follow suit and ram him into their homes to protest to the death.
Xie Lanzhi immediately ordered her soldiers to stop these people.
Duke Zheng said, "Thank you, Commander. We are prepared to die."
"Outrageous! You dare to threaten me with your life!" Xie Lanzhi rebuked him. "Since I entered Tianjing, I have never encountered such an obstacle. As your subject, how can I let my lord be put in such a dilemma?"
The Duke of Zheng firmly declared, "A subject should risk death to remonstrate!"
His words immediately garnered support from the civil officials of Tianjing and stirred the emotions of the Xie family's sons. They had originally thought these civil officials were cowards, but they never expected them to be so principled on such an important matter.
The marshal's breach of contract is a breach of trust. The head of the Xie family cannot bear this responsibility.
Therefore, Xie Meixiang and his followers petitioned, saying, "Grand Marshal, your word is as good as gold, truly embodying the virtues of a monarch. The entire Xie family is utterly convinced of your authority, but there are always exceptions."
"What you gentlemen say is not unreasonable. Although the ruler of the state has made contributions, he has also failed in his moral conduct."
"As you just saw, the ministers who are not related to the emperor are all united in their efforts to restore the principal wife, while only the close relatives advise the wife to stay at home. Although there is some truth to this, it is too cold-hearted to be a benevolent ruler."
"I request that the Grand Marshal rescind the order."
Xie Lanzhi slammed her hand on the table, scanned the crowd, and demanded, "How dare you cause this commander to break his promise to his subject!"
Duke Zheng said, "We dare not, but it concerns the fate of the nation and the legitimacy of the capital. We urge you to reconsider!"
"The ruler of Tianjing must be a virtuous and capable person."
The group repeatedly asked for instructions.
Xie Lanzhi shifted her gaze to Si Lei and asked, "King Si, why do you have nothing to say?"
Si Lei felt he had nothing to say; everyone was against it, so what could he possibly say? He might even draw more criticism if he opened his mouth. Even if he did speak, he had to decline: "Your Majesty is incompetent and cannot be the ruler of Tianjing. Moreover, Your Majesty is already the ruler of the Seven Jin states; to also rule Tianjing would be to create a situation where one cannot be both ruler and ruler of the same state anywhere in the world."
"Even I, the King, am not capable of setting such a precedent."
"Why not?" Xie Lanzhi scanned everyone, her stern voice echoing throughout the banquet: "With me backing you up, how can it not be?"
Si Lei was immediately taken aback. What did Xie Shuai mean by this? Did he genuinely want him to make the decision, or was he just using him to intimidate others?
Xie Lanzhi asked again, "Lord Si, do you think I am an incompetent person?"
"Of course I wouldn't dare!" Si Lei quickly replied, "Commander Xie's fame resounds throughout the world; everyone knows him."
Xie Lanzhi said, "Then hurry up and step forward to receive the title!"
Si Lei hesitated for a moment, and just as he took a step, an official rushed out, grabbed his leg, and shouted angrily, "How dare you! How dare you violate the ancestral rules!"
Si Lei was immediately enraged: "This is Commander Xie's imperial order, how dare this sovereign disobey it!"
"So what if you accept? None of us will acknowledge you as our master, and no one in Tianjing will recognize you! Any orders you give will be meaningless from now on. Rather than being a ruler in name only, you should preserve some dignity as an elder, and feel less ashamed before the late Emperor, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Wenzong, Emperor Wuzong, and even the other ancestors! Reinstating your lineage immediately will at least earn you the reputation of being of the same bloodline!"
Si Lei recognized the man—it was Shi Li! He trembled with anger; he had only come to confirm whether Xie Shuai would keep his promise. If he did, he could also gain some benefits in return.