Xie Lanzhi began to realize how troublesome this matter was.
She asked, "You've known each other since childhood, you should understand each other, so why do you think he's that kind of weak man?"
Si Xinian's face darkened.
She didn't seem to use the word "weak," which was clearly used by her brother-in-law.
Yelü Qiqi's thought process seemed different from ordinary people. She pointed at Si Xinian and said, "I only know what kind of person he is because I've known him since we were little. He was always causing trouble when he was eight years old, and when he was twelve, he even broke his father's glass jade bottle. He also ran around with three thousand imperial guards and ended up falling into a hunter's trap, which made His Majesty the Emperor search for him for three days and three nights."
"The marshal said, 'How can such a childish prince be worthy of me?!'"
How could you possibly be worthy of me?!
"How could you be worthy of me?!" The voice echoed throughout the palace, and also reverberated in Si Xinian's ears.
It struck Si Xinian's soul directly, leaving him stunned.
Si Xitong looked away. She couldn't bear to see her younger brother so distraught. Qiqi was probably referring to that period when Qi Nian did it on purpose to get their father's attention.
Unexpectedly, this became an obstacle to his marriage.
Xie Lanzhi was puzzled. She looked left and right and realized that something was wrong.
Yelü Qiqi also refused with her own opinion: "Marshal, you don't need to worry about me. I prefer the burly men of the Northern Region."
"Qi Nian is too short, this princess wants someone nine feet tall!"
She even revealed her criteria for choosing a partner and her height.
Si Xinian suddenly lost all color in his body.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but look away. "You started this, so don't blame your brother-in-law."
"Since the princess doesn't like it, we can discuss it again later."
“There’s no room for discussion. I’ll just treat Qinian as my older brother who’s three months older than me.”
It was an invisible yet deafening, thunderous attack.
Soft and limp, childish, too short, only fit to be an older brother. This made Si Xinian take two steps back. He sat down directly in his seat, head down, making his expression unreadable. Zheng Yi next to him moved to the side, trying to make his presence as inconspicuous as possible.
Si Xitong took the initiative to ease the awkward atmosphere: "Since Qiqi is unwilling, then it is because Qi Nian is not fortunate enough to have her. Let's not mention this matter again."
"It just so happens that Jiu Jin is welcoming the spring tomorrow, and your elder brother is not feeling well. How about I take you to Jiu Jin to tour on his behalf?"
“Alright!” Yelü Qiqi readily agreed. “Although you are not my sister-in-law yet, I still respect you. Tomorrow I will go and see for my brother. I have heard that although Jiu Jin is poor, there are quite a few aloof and impoverished scholars.”
"Perhaps I'll meet a few famous painters, and I can bring back some calligraphy and paintings to the Northern Region to show my father how breathtaking the culture of the Central Plains is!"
These scholars had all come after falling on hard times, drawn by Si Xitong's household registration policy. In addition, the border prefecture already had a preliminary imperial examination, and the rumor that the God of Literature had descended to the border prefecture was widespread, attracting many scholars to gather there.
Si Xitong said to her younger sister in a tone that was as if she were speaking to her own sister, "Alright, I will grant your request."
"Thank you, sister!" Yelü Qiqi jumped up and down happily, like a little white rabbit in the grass, which made the men from the Northern Region around her smile unconsciously.
The most striking contrast was with Si Xinian. This guy was really heartbroken after his breakup.
Xie Lanzhi began to pay attention to this Princess Yelü. Since her brother was an important character, she should have a lot of screen time as well.
She should be careful.
Immediately, Xie Lanzhi picked up the wine cup again, but Si Xitong stopped her.
"If you want to drink more, you can turn your head and sleep in a different position tonight."
Xie Lanzhi immediately put down her wine bottle: "How could I get you drunk? You've always been used to me drinking."
"Habits can be changed." Si Xitong reminded her, "You have to come with me tomorrow."
Xie Lanzhi said, "I definitely want to go, but my sixth sense tells me that this princess from the Northern Region seems to be quite a problem. Are you really going to take her with you?"
“Li Jun is unwell. There is an official in the delegation who will record everything that happens around him,” Si Xitong said worriedly. “I fear that the Khan of the Northern Regions will find out about this and take action under the pretext of his health.”
At this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot allow the Nine Jin Alliance to fall through.
The Nine Jin must not be influenced by the Xie clan, nor by the Northern Regions. Therefore, Si Xitong must strike a balance and ensure that the Nine Jin maintains its superior Central Plains orthodoxy, standing out from the other two.
The presence of numerous down-on-their-luck literary masters is one of the distinctive features of Jin.
As long as there are seeds, they can take root and sprout.
Si Xitong's considerations were thorough, which put Xie Lanzhi at ease.
The banquet ended when Yelü Lili left due to illness, and Yelü Qiqi refused to agree to a marriage alliance.
The Guogong Mansion is currently bustling with activity.
When Yelü Lili heard that his sister had publicly rejected Si Qinian, causing him to lose face, he educated her, saying, "Qinian is older than you, and you should respect him. Besides, even if you don't care about him, you should at least consider your brother's feelings."
"I just can't understand why my brother speaks so highly of Si Xinian," Yelü Qiqi pouted. "He's just a troublemaker."
Yelü Lili didn't know how to reply. Finally, he could only instruct her, "Remember to apologize tomorrow, otherwise I won't take you with me on my next diplomatic mission to various countries!"
"That's the only way!" Yelü Qiqi said, "But I'm going to Jiujin with my sister tomorrow, and Lord Xie will be going with us."
Upon hearing this, Yelü Lili's gaze darkened, and he remained silent for a long while.
Finally, he said, "I will avoid you, Master Xie, and you should not be deceived by her."
"What?" Yelü Qiqi said speechlessly, "I think Xie Zhu is quite fair. At least she won't force me to be with others, which is good."
Yelü Lili didn't want to argue with her quirky younger sister anymore: "Forget it, you're still young and can't see the complexity of people."
Finally, he emphasized again, "And don't make things difficult for her."
"I understand, sister." Yelü Qiqi waved her hand, then turned and went back to her room, with two tall Hu girls guarding her behind her.
Yelü Qiqi returned to her room and tossed and turned on the bed, thinking about her brother's situation and his regrets. She was heartbroken.
"Brother, you're about to get married, and you're still thinking about other women's women."
Thinking back to Princess Si Xitong, the majesty with which she presided over the Nine Jin Cultivation Alliance and discussed matters with everyone seemed to be the true princess!
Yelü Qiqi rolled around on the bed with envy.
"My sister is so amazing! I must ask her for advice more often tomorrow." After saying that, she quickly fell asleep.
Lanzhang Palace was very noisy. Xie Lanzhi kept rinsing her mouth and then went to the adjacent bathhouse to take a bath. When she returned, she saw two quilts on the bed.
She pulled up a blanket, only to be reminded by the beauty on the couch, "It's cold today, aren't you going to use a blanket?"
Xie Lanzhi raised an eyebrow: "I think you're just pretending to be stupid."
She tossed the blanket onto the tea table next to her and then crawled under it.
Si Xitong habitually turned to the side, her back to her, and continued reading with the scroll in her right hand.
"You've been a bit too busy today, you should rest." Xie Lanzhi pulled her left hand out from under the quilt, and with a sweep of her palm, a gust of wind extinguished the candles in the hall, and darkness fell. Si Xitong reluctantly put down her book and snuggled into Lanzhi's arms to fall asleep.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:46:30 on December 5, 2021 and 10:32:45 on December 6, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Xiaoye (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 56258927, 53931246 (20 bottles); RC (3 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 49 The assassination attempt in Jiujin was impatient.
Tianjing is not far from Jiujinli; it only takes two hours to get there.
Xie Lanzhi rode a horse, while Si Xitong and Yelü Qiqi sat in a carriage, with Xie Shangguang guarding the right side.
This trip brought one hundred people, and fifty people from the Northern Region.
Xie Jun now guards all the important crossroads of Jiu Jin, and his mere two thousand men are enough to suppress the five thousand Jin soldiers of Jiu Jin.
On the very first day of spring, sweet potatoes were already being planted in the fields of Jiujin. Each household planted one or two acres as an experiment. Due to the experimental period, Si Xitong specially exempted the local area from three taxes for three years: land tax, household tax, and poll tax.
Si Xitong was still reading a book in the carriage, while Yelü Qiqi, who was bored beside her, took the initiative to ask, "Sister, what book are you reading?"
"Agricultural affairs." Si Xitong held books that were not widely available in the market. Recently, she had been compiling agricultural books from each dynasty, trying to summarize them and then distribute them to the people.
This is no small project.
Yelü Qiqi was filled with admiration: "My sister and brother are both wise rulers who serve the country and its people."
“Unlike my father and uncles, who only think about keeping slaves and going hunting all day long.”
Slave ownership involved purchasing slaves and concentrating them in one place. Hunting grounds involved herding slaves like cattle and sheep into designated hunting areas for nobles to hunt. The more slaves a noble killed, the higher the stakes.
Si Xitong frowned slightly. She disliked these things and didn't ask.
Yelü Qiqi, observing the situation, said, "The people of the Central Plains are indeed much gentler than us Hu people. It's just that during the wars at the end of the Jin Dynasty, it was often the people of the Central Plains who suffered the most."
Because most of the slaves came from the people of various parts of the Central Plains.
Si Xitong immediately closed the book. She pinched the bridge of her nose, intentionally testing Yelü Qiqi's attitude, implying that everything was due to her imperial grandfather's restoration of the feudal system, which had turned the Jin Kingdom into such a devastated place. The exile of the Jin people was all the fault of the royal family.
She said, "Qiqi, now that things have come to this, I will not defend our ancestors. Their mistakes will be made up by their descendants."
"As long as I am alive, I will never abandon any of my subjects."
The atmosphere inside the carriage suddenly became heavy.
Upon hearing this, Yelü Qiqi cupped her face in her hands and looked at Si Xitong with starry eyes: "Sister, you are indeed amazing! Brother said you are a person of your word."
"I went a bit too far just now, please forgive me, sister."
“It’s alright. What you said is true.” Si Xitong said, “As for Lord Li, he has always been very protective of you. Right now you are in Jiu Jin, not in the Northern Region. There is still turmoil in Jiu Jin, so you must not run around recklessly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the horses neighed a few times.
Xie Shangguang's anxious voice came through: "Marshal!"
Si Xitong's heart tightened. She lifted the carriage curtain, just as an arrow was flying towards the carriage. As the arrowhead enlarged and shot towards her, a sword suddenly appeared beside her and deflected the arrow.
Xie Lanzhi drew her sword and gently blocked the arrow, which flew to the ground like a toothpick.
"Go in." Xie Lanzhi blocked her way.
She told Xie Shangguang to stay in the carriage and not leave for even a moment, while she rode ahead for a while and discovered that the arrows were aimed at her.