Wu Qiu and Xie Guang gave a brief report on recent events and official business that needed to be handled, and Xie Lanzhi approved everything that she felt was acceptable.
However, as they ascended the ladder, one rolled down from the left and the other rolled down from the right.
The officials in the capital immediately avoided Xie Guang, feeling that General Xie's misfortune had implicated Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu also began to avoid Xie Guang.
Xie Guang looked aggrieved. Lately, everyone has been avoiding him like the plague.
After the morning court session, Wu Qiu originally wanted to talk to Xie Lanzhi privately, but seeing that Xie Guang was eager to speak, he quickly backed down and decided to postpone the report.
When only she and Xie Guang remained in the Golden Palace.
Xie Guang stared at Xie Lanzhi with deep resentment: "Marshal."
Xie Lanzhi coughed lightly; "Thank you for your hard work."
Take the blame for me.
Xie Guang said, "This humble general is not tired, but I am afraid that you, Marshal, will be upset. I have heard about what happened with the Grandmother."
"It was the vengeful spirit of the old marshal that disturbed the Xie family's fortune. Now that we see you are alright, we can all rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi immediately understood that the head matriarch had deliberately concealed the core information and had not fully told Xie Guang and the others. In other words, only the head matriarch knew about her affairs.
It seems the matriarch is quite cautious.
She comforted him, saying, "I'm just having a bit of bad luck. When I saw Xie Feng yesterday, he was also having a bad day, so I thought it was just some minor, harmless things."
"I never want to see floods, capsized boats, or lightning strikes happen again."
The Xie family still caused the deaths of thousands of people.
Now that the Xie family's fortunes have declined, and they cannot afford to hinder Little Phoenix's progress any further, she feels it is necessary for the entire Xie clan to adopt a new strategy.
"Xie Guang, if the future fate of our Xie family is to be decided by me, do you have any other opinions?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Guang quickly replied, "Marshal, you brought the Xie family to the capital. Whatever you decide, no one will disobey."
"It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality." Xie Lanzhi sighed, "If I were to take these things away, I'm afraid no one would agree."
Xie Guang, in particular, was staring at her with a sharp gaze. This made Xie Guang lower his head, wondering if he had done something wrong recently.
Xie Lanzhi gave him face by not pointing it out. Instead, she reminded him, "As the general, you should take the lead."
Xie Guang quickly looked up and understood Xie Lanzhi's meaning.
His eyes widened immediately: "Marshal, you're not going to make me the villain again?"
“If you don’t set an example, who will respect you?” Xie Lanzhi said, “If I were to say that this auspicious place, Tianjing, is no longer of any use to the Xie family.”
"They even ostracize the Xie family, do you believe that?"
Now that Little Phoenix's imperial destiny has arrived, Tianjing is bound to change hands. If the Xie family does not voluntarily relinquish control, Little Phoenix's storyline will definitely trigger a major battle, driving the Xie family back.
The 50,000 troops in the Nine Jin region are just the beginning. These people do not obey the Xie family, but they have an innate sense of obedience to the little phoenix they have never met. Even though the little phoenix has not yet returned to the capital, they obediently wait in the Nine Jin region.
These were all troops who came to assist Little Phoenix. They held a feudal, lower-class reverence for Little Phoenix's royal status, a reverence bordering on blind faith.
Just as the Xie family revered her.
In fact, Xie Lanzhi felt that the Xie family had made contributions to the world and maintained a certain order, and therefore deserved the status and treatment they were entitled to.
Unfortunately, Xie was too reckless and had a villainous character. Once her luck ran out, even the strongest army couldn't withstand the changing times.
While luck is important, it is the circumstances that ultimately drive people forward.
"Xie Guang." Xie Lanzhi stood up and walked to Xie Guang, who was taller than her but bowed his head like a quail. She said, "To protect the descendants of the Xie family, we have no choice but to sacrifice our own interests."
Xie Guang never expected that the aftereffects left by the old marshal would be so severe.
He looked at him with disbelief: "The Grandmother isn't protecting your fortune anymore. You're no longer in the old marshal's lineage, so there's no reason for her to still be bothering you."
Xie Lanzhi did not explain the reason, but assumed that it was Xie Ying's father who was causing trouble.
She said, "Sometimes, letting go is for the sake of gaining longer-term benefits."
"I once taught you to integrate with Tianjing, and you voluntarily integrated to achieve your current position. Now, if I ask you to leave Tianjing, what will you choose?"
Xie Guang fell silent. The sacrifice this time was too great, so much so that he dared not easily take the blame. In the past, he had always been willing to be a punching bag for the marshal and the clan, buffering internal conflicts.
Now the Marshal wants to eradicate the Xie family from Tianjing.
He was actually...reluctant to part with it.
"Marshal, is there really no other way?" Xie Guang said, "If all else fails, we can go back to the Southern Region! The Southern Region is our home, and they won't reject us like this."
Xie Lanzhi paused for a moment, then told him the cruel reality: "Xie Guang, there's no going back."
"None of us can go back."
The Xie family was destined to be swallowed up by the dust of history; it is already a great fortune that they have managed to preserve their roots. They should not ask for anything more.
"Once you've enjoyed happiness, it's time to rediscover your true self."
"Don't you think the Xie family is a bit too disorganized these days?" Xie Lanzhi said in a strong voice, "Our Xie family's martial spirit drives us to fight in the north and south, bringing honor to the entire Xie family, making us known and feared by the world."
While the current stability is a good thing, it is also a honey pot, immersing many members of the Xie family in it, causing them to lose their will, become hedonistic, or even cowardly.
Xie Guangdao: "Is there really no... other way?"
"Yes," Xie Lanzhi said. "Unless I die, the Xie family may still have a glimmer of hope."
Upon hearing this, Xie Guang's gaze suddenly went blank as he stared at her. Faced with the marshal openly telling him that the way to save the Xie clan's fate was to kill her, he couldn't help but take a step back, his head buzzing from the words "unless I die."
He knew very well that no one in the world could ever lead the Xie family again. No one in the Xie family could ever recreate its current glory.
With the marshal gone, the Xie family completely lost any hope of rising again.
"I...I understand." Xie Guang swallowed hard, suppressing his unease. He added, "Please don't say such things again. Your safety is of utmost importance to the Xie family."
"With you, the Xie family has hope."
Xie Guang gave a final salute, then turned and dragged his heavy steps out of the Golden Palace. No one expected that instead of receiving this devastating news, everyone who had pinned their hopes on the Marshal's return to save them would receive such a heartbreaking message.
The Xie clan retreated to the south gate, leaving the most important east, north, and west gates, and even the vital positions near the emperor's palace, to the newly formed army.
Chapter 154 Thank You, Master of the Past and Present
After Xie Guang relayed the order, he voluntarily withdrew 30,000 troops, vacating the area around the East Gate. His troops left the East Gate with doubts, leaving it deserted. The arrival of the newly formed army shocked the people coming and going, a situation that would resonate for a century.
Ordinary people were used to Xie Jun groping them and asking for a copper coin or two when they entered or left the city. Now that the old men were gone, a group of young men they had never seen before had taken their place. And they weren't even charging tolls.
Not only the East Gate, but also the North and West Gates, all had different appearances. The Xie family was changing guards as if they were withdrawing from Tianjing, causing many people to forget about their work and creating widespread panic.
There are also rumors that the Huns are going to attack, and the Xie family is about to go to war.
The people were filled with fear and unease when they heard about the war, but the person who spread the rumors was quickly arrested by the Xiwei people, and the turmoil was quelled.
The Xie family still had troops that hadn't finished withdrawing, and they remained at their posts, refusing to obey Xie Guang's orders. Even when Xie Guang personally led men to the west gate, this army of ten thousand refused to retreat an inch.
Even the Xie army guarding the palace were filled with unease, thinking that another traitor had emerged within the Xie clan and was plotting internal strife.
Until Xie Lanzhi herself made her appearance.
She took Eshi with her and went directly to the West Gate, where she saw that the commander was none other than Xie Song, the nephew of the Grand Mistress.
Xie Lanzhi became a member of the Xie Lan lineage, so Xie Song was naturally her nominal relative. They were, in a sense, direct relatives.
When Xie Song saw the marshal arrive, he was overjoyed, as if he had seen a savior. He was about to ask Xie Lanzhi to make a decision for him.
Xie Lanzhi then informed him: "Withdraw!"
Xie Song stood there stunned and asked, "Why? Why, Marshal?!"
He voiced the sentiments of everyone in the Xie family. Although only ten thousand dared to stand up, Xie Song and his ilk represented the thoughts of the others who had temporarily compromised. Everyone was waiting for an acceptable answer.
Xie Lanzhi could not give them to them. She revealed her sword, the cold blade in her hand, and approached Xie Song step by step.
“In the past, I was always patient with everything, listened to your opinions, and gave you opportunities to perform.”
"Now it seems that it won't necessarily produce a positive reaction," Xie Lanzhi said. "You've all been spoiled rotten by me."
"So much so that you've forgotten how I, the great commander, ruled over you bunch of little brats!!"
Xie Lanzhi drew her sword and stabbed Xie Song through the skin. Xie Song stared wide-eyed as he took the blow. The blade of the sword was pulled out, and blood splattered like beads on Xie Lanzhi's face, and even on Xie Guang's face.
Xie Song collapsed to the ground and instantly lost consciousness.
When Xie Song, the commander of Ximen, fell, his troops surged forward. Some tried to step forward, but Xie Lanzhi slashed them with her sword. One, two, three, until those who stood in front of them fell. The others finally lowered their heads and dared not resist any longer.
The 10,000 men in Ximen were finally evacuated.
Xie Lanzhi looked at the corpse on the ground, her eyes filled with dark emotions. When she sheathed her sword, Xie Guang specially wiped it for her.
"Marshal, no one understands you now," Xie Guang said. "Even if you use force to subdue them, they will not be convinced in their hearts."
Xie Lanzhi waited for him to polish Eshi until it was spotless, then she sheathed the sword and told him, "When I first rose to power, did I ever command the respect of others?"
Once she accepted Xie Ying's past, she became decisive in matters of life and death.
Yes, not everyone can understand her good intentions. Even if she tells the truth, some people will still harbor wishful thinking. Once someone holds onto this mentality, it will spread like wildfire and become uncontrollable. Therefore, such people must be cut down by her sword.
The news that Xie Song and his close associates had been executed by the Marshal at Ximenxia for questioning his decisions shocked everyone in the Xie clan. Even the people of Tianjing were astonished; no one could understand why the Marshal would suddenly withdraw those arrogant men.
And have those old men been living too comfortably, to the point that they've forgotten the Marshal's past ruthlessness?
Xie Lanzhi's execution of Xie Song at the West Gate completely shocked the Xie clan. At the same time, it gradually awakened in the Xie clan members their cruel assessment of the Marshal: a man who had committed patricide and fratricide.
She is still Xie Ying, even though she may appear kind on the surface, she will not change at heart.
The Xie clan members' relaxed hearts finally tightened. It turned out that the marshal was still the same marshal as before, and he wouldn't refrain from killing them just because he was kind to them! The supreme power of the Xie clan leader was still there, and the power of life and death over everyone in the Xie clan was in her hands. Regardless of whether they had done anything wrong, if she wanted to kill, she wouldn't even have any reason to take their lives.
Especially the lineage of the Grand Master, who were initially worried that because they had established a direct relationship with the Marshal, they might repeat the same mistakes as the old Marshal!
Xie Guang also began to stay indoors, refusing to see anyone who came to visit. Wang Shi, similarly, dared not go out to face the Xie family ladies.
Even Xie Xia's arrival was of no use. He could only station 150,000 troops in the mountainous areas to the south as a new base.
Not long after, a letter arrived from Weidu, ordering Xie Xia to return. Xie Xia had no choice but to go back. Once Xie Xia left, not a single member of the Xie family dared to step forward and demand an explanation.
Seeing her father's preoccupied state, Xie Ying could more or less guess what he was thinking.
In truth, no one wanted to relinquish their power, but the marshal's word was law; anyone who dared disobey would be killed. Perhaps the Xie family should have united to resist this decision, but no one would have done so.
The Xie Clan's personal guard, as the name suggests, was the army personally commanded by the Xie clan's leader. These guards were composed of individuals destined to become high-ranking generals.