Si Xitong nodded and addressed the crowd: "We appreciate your kindness. But when you made this decision, did you consult your elders? Did you weigh the pros and cons?"
It seems the lady is trying to teach me something.
Xie Meixiang took the initiative to speak up: "We fools dare to ask the mistress for advice."
The question has been asked, and it is time to answer it; so we go back and forth like this.
Si Xitong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his expression was dignified, and his aura was imposing.
Seeing that she was about to go on stage herself, Xie Lanzhi knew that the play was nearing its end, so she took the initiative to say, "You must listen carefully to what Madam is about to say."
"Yes!" Xie Meixiang and the others replied.
Duke Zheng and the others hurriedly echoed, but they were already in a daze. What was the eldest princess going to do? Could a few words really convince this group of Xie clan members?
Besides, since they've all gone to the point where they absolutely need her, she could simply agree and be reinstated without any further trouble.
Little did he know that these words were not only addressed to the Xie family members, but also to the entire Xie clan, and even... to the whole world.
Si Xitong's voice rose from a low tone to a high one: "In December of the second year of the Jin Dynasty, the Tianjing Incident occurred. The Shi Kingdom, together with the Northern Region, attempted to attack the Xie family of the Southern Region. The two Jin rulers were trapped in Tianjing and coerced by the Yellow Rebels."
"The interaction of hundreds of thousands of troops frightened away the Stone Sheep and the Northern Regions."
"And then, less than a month later, Tianjing changed hands and the Xie family took over."
"Mistress, why repeat the past?" Xie Meixiang asked, puzzled. "Besides, what does it have to do with your reinstatement?"
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but rub her forehead. The Xie family really wasn't good at teaching children. Even with a little girl personally instructing them, they still looked stupid. It was indeed because the Xie family hadn't paid much attention to education when they were in the Southern Region.
Si Xitong patiently told him, "Have you ever thought about what happened in the Northern Region after the Southern Region conquered Tianjing? At that time, the Xie family in the Southern Region might have been the most prominent benefactor, but has anyone considered that the same thing happened in the Northern Region, which is far to the west? It's just that the Southern Region was more powerful and overshadowed the Northern Region."
Xie Meixiang was immediately embarrassed. He really didn't know the situation outside, only that their marshal was the biggest overlord in the south and central south.
“Madam, we were so ignorant, please continue.”
Si Xitong said: "The Northern Region has occupied the middle reaches of the Red River and is close to the Hu Xiongnu regime. It has absorbed a lot of advantages from the Central Plains and started to reform, change the military system, and follow the example of our Si clan's Taizu and Baima Congyi. Now, only the Northern Region's Crown Prince is seen, and no one from the Hu Xiongnu dares to invade the Northern Region."
Si Xitong's ancestors once organized an elite cavalry, all riding white horses and wearing white battle robes, and with only 8,000 men, they defeated the 30,000-strong grassland army of the Xiongnu ancestors and ancestors two hundred years ago.
This history has been passed down to this day. It is the glorious history of the former Jin Dynasty, but unfortunately, it is now in a state of utter desolation.
Si Lei's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly understood Si Xitong's purpose. He remained silent, regretting that he had arrived too late. It turned out that Si Xitong had planned this all along.
Xie Meixiang had also read this part of the Jin Dynasty history and felt that Emperor Taizong of Jin was very powerful, far surpassing the descendants of Emperor Xicheng.
Si Xitong said, "How could a mere 50,000 troops resist an army of 200,000 Hu and Xiongnu? I ask you, how many of you here can recount the situation of the Hu and Xiongnu in the north?"
Duke Zheng chimed in, “The Hu and Xiongnu are the hegemons of the north, with an army of 800,000, making them the strongest in the north. They have not moved south in recent years, firstly because the Hu and Xiongnu look down on the southern regimes, and secondly because the Hu and Xiongnu have been busy with internal strife for more than ten years, while the Xie and Shi clans in the south have risen one after another. If the Hu and Xiongnu want to move south and unify the country again, they will have to exert their military strength and be hindered.”
"Now, the powerful forces of the Northern Region, with only 50,000 men, are able to withstand the 200,000-strong army of the Hu and Xiongnu. This sounds terrifying, but it is because the Northern Region occupies the middle reaches of the Red River and can cut off the water and supply lines of the Hu and Xiongnu army downstream at any time, thus being restricted by the Northern Region. Moreover, the Northern Region has the advantage of steep and dangerous peaks. As the military strategy says, when the right time, the right place, and the right people are all in place, victory can be achieved without fighting. Therefore, the 200,000-strong army of the Hu and Xiongnu dare not make any rash moves."
The Duke of Zheng was very familiar with the situation of the entire chaotic world.
Wu Qiu nodded secretly. Madam Si's move was to shift everyone's focus from the inside out, to persuade everyone to put pressure on the outside rather than on internal strife, so as to avoid following in the footsteps of the Hun internal strife.
This strategic vision is beyond what an ordinary woman possesses.
Now that the Hu and Xiongnu have lost their chance to unify and advance south, and with the Xie clan in the south becoming powerful, and the Hu and Xiongnu facing a newly powerful enemy in the north, they are naturally unable to spare any resources.
Xie Meixiang immediately understood; among the other disciples, he was the quickest to react. It wasn't that everyone in the Xie family was unaware of the clan, but those in high positions were mostly arrogant, their vision limited to their own small territory—no matter how powerful, they were still just a local tribe.
Meanwhile, the Xie family members who were aware of the impending chaos were not given important positions. Xie Meixiang and his relatives were all members of the Xie family with high status, born into hereditary privilege, living in luxury and unable to possibly understand the cruelty of that chaotic world. Their luxurious and peaceful lives seemed unlike anything they had ever experienced in turbulent times.
Xie Meixiang said, "Mistress, if this is the case, then after my Xie family enters Tianjing, it will not be a time of glory and wealth, but rather a time of struggle for supremacy at the end of the Jin Dynasty."
Si Xitong said, "Tianjing is located in the southern part of the Hu and Xiongnu, in the western part of the northern region, and in the southern region there is the old enemy, Shiguofu. It can be said that it is surrounded by dangers on all sides. Sooner or later, the Xie family will come into contact with these powerful regimes, and once they do, war will break out everywhere."
"If you can still live a life of debauchery in Tianjing, talking about who is in charge and who is not in charge, this is also the advantage and disadvantage that the Si family mentioned."
Chapter 30 Si Xitong Officially Reinstated
This serves as a warning to everyone that, besides the Xie family, there are other tyrannical rulers in the world, such as the Hun and Shi Kingdom in the Northern Regions.
Xie Meixiang and his disciples were well aware of this, but they all thought it was far removed from them. Even if it were close, with the Grand Marshal leading the charge, it was naturally not their turn.
Now it seems that the war is only a window away from them.
Duke Zheng was overjoyed, feeling that he had made the right gamble at the birthday banquet. As long as he opened the door, he would be the greatest contributor to the princess's restoration, and the stain of his allegiance to the traitor Huang could be erased.
Thinking of this, he said with great emotion: "When the late emperor was alive, he often said that there are internal and external troubles, and enemies everywhere."
Upon hearing this, Si Xitong glanced at Duke Zheng with a sharp look, and then said to Xie Meixiang and the others, "When you study in the future, you must not be oblivious to what is happening outside the window. You must learn and apply what you have learned, that is the right way."
"Thank you for your guidance, Madam," Xie Meixiang said.
Then the matter of resetting the head of the household came up again.
Si Xitong openly declined, saying, "Please be patient. Now that Si Xitong has been reinstated as the matriarch of the Xie family, does that mean I am no longer Si Xitong?"
"Please don't mention it again."
Everyone was stunned. What was wrong with the princess? Everyone wanted her to be reinstated, but she was backing down.
Duke Zheng was even more puzzled, but he couldn't let Si Xitong get away with it; otherwise, wouldn't his gamble have failed? This absolutely had to be prevented.
“Your Highness, even if you don’t think of yourself, you must think of the late Emperor, and even more so of your younger brother.” Duke Zheng suddenly knelt down and said with great emotion, “Two years after the late Emperor’s death, the country is no longer a country. The Nine Jin states exist in name only, and only the Eight Jin states remain.”
"But if you remain in Jiujin, the rule of the nine princes enfeoffed by the Emperor Tai will be restored. If you are reinstated, it will also help Marshal Xie restore the rites and laws. It is a win-win situation that is in accordance with the will of Heaven, so why oppose it?"
Si Xitong said, "Duke Zheng, the Si family has made up their minds. As Lanzhi's wife, she shall abide by her rules."
"Your Highness!" Duke Zheng exclaimed anxiously.
Xie Meixiang and his disciples suddenly couldn't figure out their mistress.
The officials of Tianjing all shook their heads in regret, thinking that the princess probably had no intention of following their path. Unfortunately, everyone has their own ambitions, and they could not force her.
Seeing this development, Si Lei wasn't optimistic either. He also couldn't help but take a closer look at his niece.
Perhaps she is very cunning.
Xie Lanzhi had been letting them develop their relationship, but now that things had reached their climax, it was time to wrap things up.
She said, "All of you, step back."
Xie Meixiang and Duke Zheng had no choice but to return to their seats. But judging from Duke Zheng's unwilling expression, it was clear he wouldn't give up.
Xie Lanzhi didn't care what they thought; it was just time for the show to end.
She said to Si Lei, "I read the memorial the other day, which said that the water conservancy in Qi Jin was in disrepair and that the river embankment had collapsed. If the water had not been frozen in winter, it would have flooded Jinshan Temple soon."
"Thank you for your concern, Commander. The water conservancy project is massive and cannot be supported by the strength of our kingdom alone," Si Lei said.
Xie Lanzhi said, "Then I will take the liberty of sending 10,000 gold coins and 5,000 shi of grain to support the Seven Jin."
Si Lei said, "Thank you for your grace, Lord."
Ten thousand gold coins could barely cover the repairs of the irrigation canal, but five thousand bushels of grain was a considerable sum. This could be considered compensation from the Lord.
After Xie Lanzhi finished giving the tips, she stood up and said, "It's late, and I'm tired. Everyone should go back to their residences and rest early!"
"Respectfully seeing off the Marshal!" Everyone stood up.
Xie Lanzhi led Si Xitong out of the Duke's mansion. The two got into a luxurious carriage, and she lay down on the carriage couch, seemingly exhausted.
Si Xitong wiped her face with a towel and rested her head on his lap. "You drank a lot tonight."
“The rice wine is fine,” Xie Lanzhi said. “The alcohol content here is very low, unlike what I used to drink.”
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up. "As for tonight's matter, if you hadn't been with me every day, I would have thought you and the Duke of Zheng had already discussed it."
"You're talking about casting a net. The net you've caught is that big fish, the Duke of Zheng. Can you tell me how you caught him?"
Seeing her curious expression, Si Xitong told her, "It's not some clever trick. When the Emperor was alive, the Duke of Zheng was selfish and greedy, and he seized Bingzhou as his own territory."
"When Huang Zei came, he regarded Huang Zei as his master. Now that you have come, he will regard you as his master. He has changed masters many times. His reputation in private is like being in the eye of the storm."
"How could he ignore his own reputation? So he set his sights on me. He saw that I was favored and could make decisions for the Xie family. Clearly, I was the best candidate for him to get rid of his tarnished reputation."
When Duke Zheng corresponded with Lan Zhanggong, Si Xitong knew that he was once again keen on profiting from the situation. So she took the opportunity to cast a net and cater to him; now, simply casting the net and not reeling it in was enough to keep Duke Zheng entangled.
She forced the Duke of Zheng to passively follow her lead, preventing him from taking the initiative.
Xie Lanzhi admired her greatly. Just as the Duke of Zheng had walked right into her trap, she quickly wove another layer of netting to confuse him.
"You really don't plan to revert to your original position?"
She said, "It only takes one word from me, but you insist on taking a different approach."
Si Xitong looked at her intently and said, "A forced relationship won't be happy. I'm very grateful for your help."
At that time, neither Duke Zheng nor Lady Xie would submit to her. They might outwardly comply for Lanzhi's sake, but it would undoubtedly be difficult to actually order them to do anything.
She didn't need empty gestures. Nor could she rely on Lanzhi, who only added to her resentment within the Xie family.
“Saying thank you every day will make us distant,” Xie Lanzhi said helplessly.
"Then, in the Marshal's opinion, if I don't say thank you, what should I say? Or what should I do to make amends to the Marshal?" Si Xitong suddenly moved closer to her. Tonight, her makeup was already exquisite, and her lips were even more alluring. She hadn't drunk any alcohol, but her breath was intoxicating.
Suddenly, he approached Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi had already been drinking, and now her heart was racing. She realized that her emotions were gradually rising, so she licked her lips and felt her mouth was dry.
Si Xitong was still getting closer, seemingly doing so on purpose.
Xie Lanzhi's eyes misted slightly. She leaned down and brought her face close to hers. Their breaths mingled, and they could feel each other's breathing getting heavier. When Si Xitong was nervous, she liked to grab onto something. She used her nails to tug at Xie Lanzhi's clothes.
They could both feel their lips were so close, just an inch closer.
Si Xitong gasped slightly, her ears turning bright red. Fortunately, the carriage lights were dim, preventing Xie Lanzhi from seeing clearly.
She said, "Lanzhi, you've drunk too much."
"You won't even let me drink." Her tone was slightly resentful. In the original story, she loved alcohol. In fact, she was known as the "Alcohol Demon."
In an instant, Xie Lanzhi suddenly woke up. She pressed her hand against her forehead, pushed her away, and then turned to the car window to desperately breathe in the outside air, suppressing her emotions and calming herself down.
The Empress—no, the young girl isn't the Empress yet; she's only seventeen, a future Empress who hasn't reached adulthood.
In modern times, this would be considered a high school student, a minor. Modern high school students are not allowed to have early romantic relationships even under adult supervision!
When Si Xitong saw her sticking her head out, he assumed she was drunk and wanted to vomit.
She patted her back and said, "Drink less next time."