Xie Lanzhi withdrew her hand. She thought of the flintlock gun and realized that her father-in-law was very wealthy, so the dowry he was giving his daughter must be quite substantial.
It was given to a man.
Xie Lanzhi's face darkened.
Si Xitong noticed her mood, so she washed her hands, dried them, and then took Xie Lanzhi's hand to wash it again.
Xie Lanzhi pulled her hand back, then suddenly lowered her head, picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks, and gnawed on it: "Why think so much? Isn't the meat delicious?"
Si Xitong paused, then reluctantly picked up her chopsticks. She didn't feed her any vegetables today.
Because she sensed that the person was in a bad mood.
The meal was quite enjoyable.
After the meal, Xie Lanzhi walked around, supporting her stomach, to help digestion.
Si Xitong wanted to stay with her, but found that Xie Lanzhi had already gone far away.
Si Xitong chased after her out of the hall, puzzled: "Are you angry?"
Xie Lanzhi was indeed a little jealous, but she thought that she had arrived early enough, it was just that others had arrived even earlier.
She should have paid attention in the Southern Region earlier. With all the calculation charts and the assistance of the Crown Prince of the Northern Region, she should have known that the Crown Prince of the Northern Region had a deep connection with her. Otherwise, why would he help her from both sides?
It just hadn't gotten to that point yet. Now, she realized that this was a bad romantic arrangement her father-in-law had arranged for the young girl.
The Crown Prince of the Northern Region—she remembered that he was already married in the original novel, and apart from the Hun invasion of the Northern Region, he had no other role. Could it be that the damned author forcibly brought him out in the second half of the book, making him a suitor for the young girl?
Xie Lanzhi began to feel irritable.
Although she changed many plot points, the general direction of the original book remains the same.
This so-called Crown Prince of the Northern Region is clearly an important figure.
If Xie Ying hadn't killed Yelü Lili's uncle, perhaps she would have had a chance to contact and observe him.
Xie Lanzhi kept walking around, and Wu Qiu happened to run into her while she was strolling around after entering the palace.
"marshal!"
Xie Lanzhi immediately stepped forward and asked, "Tell me quickly, what did Madam say to that Crown Prince?"
"That one?" Wu Qiu was taken aback. He didn't have time to analyze it carefully before saying, "The Duke's mansion almost made Young Master Xie late. The mistress arrived first and then had a pleasant conversation with Crown Prince Yelü. After that, the Fourth Prince stayed with him for a meal."
"What we talked about during that time..." Wu Qiu asked her to lower her head, and Xie Lanzhi lowered her head. Wu Qiu then told her everything.
Xie Lanzhi's face immediately turned cold: "To establish a friendly relationship with Jin?"
"yes."
"Him? Someone who couldn't even handle Yelü Wen?"
Wu Qiu analyzed logically: "Well... because his mother was from the Central Plains, the Crown Prince of the Northern Region has always admired the culture of the Central Plains. His reforms during the White Horse Rebellion were indeed unique. He can be considered a wise ruler."
Xie Lanzhi said, "These days, even a Tom, Dick, or Harry can be called a wise ruler. I am indeed at odds with the Northern Region. But compared to them, I have done so much and I am still considered a tyrant."
The circumstances surrounding her are somewhat unfair.
"When you see him, what do you think of him? How does he compare to me? Is he even remotely inferior?"
Wu Qiu said, "Of course, I cannot compare to the Marshal."
We're not discussing serious matters. Why is she suddenly comparing herself to the Crown Prince of the Northern Region?
This is unlike the marshal's usual style.
Xie Lanzhi added, "What do chaotic times need? They need a founding monarch."
Wu Qiu chimed in, "Of course, of course. Didn't the Marshal intend to make friends with you before? Perhaps we could use Her Highness the Princess to pave the way..."
Xie Lanzhi pursed her lips and stared at Wu Qiu. After weighing the options, it was indeed better to prioritize interests, but she still felt uneasy.
"Let me think about it." The little voices of reason and emotion began to fight in her heart.
The rational person: Anyway, he can't possibly be the male lead. That stupid author even said the Empress will never have a man in her life. No need to worry about this rotten romance.
Emotional troll: But the father-in-law entrusted such an important thing to the other party. This shows that he had the father-in-law's approval.
Reason plus emotion: I recall the young woman saying that the men her father-in-law had chosen for her didn't seem very good. If it weren't for her brother-in-law's interference, she probably would have married him. This proves the father-in-law has poor taste in choosing a son-in-law; this bad match needs to be guarded against, but we also need to fight for our interests. All of this is for their future.
After thinking it over, Xie Lanzhi casually picked up a hat, squeezed it, and then returned it. She muttered to herself, "Yes, that's the way to do it."
She then turned around and hurriedly returned to Lanzhang Palace.
Only Wu Qiu was left with his head drooping, trembling as he held the torn official hat in his hands: "This, this wasn't torn by me, I hope I won't get scolded if I go and get a replacement?"
The marshal's strength was also immense.
Xie Lanzhi turned back, and Si Xitong was making orange tea to help her digest.
But as soon as Xie Lanzhi came in, she scooped an apple out of the fruit plate and took a bite.
Si Xitong put down the teapot, and she went over and snatched the apple from her hand: "You ate something else right after you finished eating."
Normally, Xie Lanzhi would have obediently refused to eat, but this time, she simply buried her face in Si Xitong's hand, nibbling on the apple bit by bit like a hamster. It was as if she wouldn't have a chance to eat it tomorrow if she didn't eat it today.
Si Xitong was stunned by her persistence.
Si Xitong's eyes widened as she quickly nibbled the apple she was holding down, leaving only the core.
Si Xitong looked at the apple core she was holding in her hand and fell into deep thought: "Let's talk."
"Eat your fill and sleep soundly, you won't even get up if the gods come to invite you." Xie Lanzhi lay down on the bed, covered herself with the quilt, and started snoring.
Si Xitong: "......"
Xie Shangguang wanted to go in and drink orange tea again. He had heard that the mistress had brewed new tea today, and orange tea should taste very good.
However, when he entered the hall with a smile, he saw the following scene.
Si Xitong stood by the phoenix bed, pulling at something wrapped up in a ball on the bed: "Get up."
Frustrated, Xie Lanzhi pulled hard, and the quilt tore open like paper, with the quilt itself spilling out. Even so, she buried her head in the remaining quilt to hide.
Si Xitong laughed in exasperation: "You tore up the quilt, don't you want to sleep in here tonight?"
"It's not just my fault. If you hadn't torn it, it wouldn't have fallen apart. And why didn't I come in? This bed is half mine too." Xie Lanzhi's voice came through the quilt.
Si Xitong felt that she was acting strangely because something was on her mind. Didn't she know that her whole face was saying she was unhappy?
The expression was impossible to hide!
She raised an eyebrow and said, "Speak your mind directly, don't beat around the bush, that's not like you."
Xie Lanzhi snorted, "I have nothing to say. My princess, could you please bring a blanket? It's not spring yet."
"Spring?" Si Xitong suddenly remembered sweet potatoes. They were originally going to plant them, but after a few days, someone ate sweet potatoes instead of vegetables for every meal, and in just a few days, they ate most of the sweet potatoes.
Thinking of this incident, there were also the sweet potatoes that had been hidden and survived.
Her pretty face darkened: "You've almost eaten all the sweet potatoes!"
Xie Lanzhi retorted, "Aren't there still several baskets left? Didn't you eat any? You even said steamed ones taste better."
Xie Shangguang silently withdrew his foot.
I stopped asking for tea, and my desire for some roasted sweet potatoes also faded.
He pretended not to see what he saw today!
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:48:07 on December 4, 2021 and 11:21:46 on December 5, 2021!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Deep in Seven Five (3); Xiao Xian Kong and Qing Shan (1 each);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Xinxin (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 47 Her Taking the Blame and the Feud with the Northern Region
The royal banquet began, under a sky full of stars.
Xie Lanzhi carefully selected several capable individuals from the Xie family, and finally chose a few young men, including Xie Guang.
Although the Xie family had fewer people than the officials from Tianjing, their military strength made it difficult to suppress their aura.
After Xie Lanzhi took her seat, Si Xitong also arrived from another hall to take his seat.
Their eyes met simultaneously, and an awkward feeling welled up inside them. Since last night, they had started sleeping in the same bed but with separate blankets, resulting in neither of them getting a good night's sleep.
Si Xitong was alright; she used a little makeup to cover it up naturally.
Xie Lanzhi is rather rough, so she just applies some aloe vera juice, but her dark circles are still very obvious.
Seeing that Wu Qiu had brought wine over several times, he asked with concern, "Marshal, you haven't had any memorials to review lately, so why haven't you slept well?"
"Because of something else." Xie Lanzhi yawned and instructed, "We'll see how you perform later. The Xie family children are useless, and even if they try to learn, they won't do well. We might as well tell them to change their names and all of them to be different surnames from Xie."
She had heard that Yelü Lili, that barbarian, always looked down on the Xie family, thinking they were just some uncivilized people from the mountains. Although the Xie family were indeed from the countryside, it was not up to a barbarian to point fingers at them.
The Hu people, who still maintain the tradition of eating raw meat and blood, still laugh at cats and dogs.
Wu Qiu remembered her instructions: "Leave it to me."
Outside the palace, a voice announced: "The Crown Prince of the Northern Region has arrived!"
They've arrived.
Among the officials of Tianjing, Duke Zheng was ill, so only Marquis Yong'an, Zheng Yi, sat in the head official position.
Most of the officials in Tianjing were former officials of the Nine Jin dynasties, and they all took Zheng Yi as their leader, waiting for Si Xitong to secretly issue orders.
Si Xitong glanced at the people around him with a complicated look, and then gave a wink to the officials of Jiujin under his command.
In all matters, establishing an alliance should come first.
Xie Lanzhi glanced at the woman beside her with complicated emotions, then gave Xie Shi a meaningful look.
Help repair the alliance.
The young girl is about to encounter some unwanted suitors.