"If Zhang Feile dies."
Si Xitong finally fell silent. She stared at Xie Lanzhi for a long while, a dark undercurrent rising in her eyes. Her smile was full of decisiveness in her choices: "To die a worthy death is to die in the right place. And I will never forget anyone who has contributed to me."
"I also want to thank Lanzhi for finding my benefactor's remains and giving him a proper burial."
She not only remembered, but knew it all.
Xie Lanzhi finally took it seriously. At this moment, she had to admit that Little Phoenix was growing up faster than she had imagined.
"Go and call the archers," she ordered Wu Qiu. "Summon all the principal offenders and accomplices who besieged the Shenxing Division."
"Kill them without mercy!"
Wu Qiu quickly lifted the hem of his official robe and ran towards the Golden Palace to ask for help.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Imperial Prison, the jailers looked at their colleagues lying in pools of blood and were filled with grief and indignation.
Zhang Changle stood at the forefront, looking at his elder brother hiding behind him, and couldn't help but sneer, "Brother, do you know why you're not as good as me?"
Zhang Ju stared at him angrily, about to speak.
Zhang Changle immediately reminded him: "You'd better think carefully about your answer. If you don't answer well, you'll be letting down the brothers who died at your feet!"
Upon hearing this, the prison guards, who were already in the same boat, all looked at the text.
Zhang Ju stared at the pressure, knowing that the fault this time did not lie with the Shenxing Division or Zhang Changle, but with the group of unreasonable Xie family warriors outside.
If he were to answer at this point that it was all Zhang Changle's fault, he would be slapping the face of everyone in the Censorate and betraying his duty as their leader. If he survived, he would lose the support of the people; if he died, he would be branded as someone who caused internal strife.
Such meticulous and thoughtful methods almost blocked his path and forced him onto a pre-arranged route.
This extremely cunning plan was beyond Zhang Changle's comprehension.
He was just bait!
The mastermind behind driving people into a corner, leaving them with no choice but to obey, is none other than His Highness Feng Ning!
Chapter 89 She finally discovered that her lover was very beautiful
Xie Lanzhi received the specific reasons why the old Xie army besieged the Shenxing Division.
The reason the former guards of Xie Jun attacked Zhang Feile was because of a gossipy, lazy man from the Xie family. This lazy man was arrested by Zhang Feile and brought to Shuntian Prefecture for defaulting on a debt. Hai Yun then tried him, punished him with thirty strokes of the cane, and ordered him to pay the debt within ten days. After being punished, the lazy man dared not offend Hai Yun, because Hai Yun was backed by Marshal Xie, so he picked on the weakest link.
He heard that Zhang Changle had been demoted from deputy envoy to a lowly guard. The lazy man then decided to take the opportunity to get revenge.
It just so happens that the leader of the old guards is the lazy man's brother. With this instigation, they went to find Zhang Changle. Originally, Zhang Changle was not in Jianzhang Palace. He had fled to Jianzhang Palace because he was being chased by the old guards.
He then got into a fight with the new guards and was chased all the way to the Shenxing Division.
These people don't even respect the authority of Jianzhang Palace. They seem to be nothing but violent and belligerent people. They deserve to die.
She told Little Phoenix to go back first.
After Wu Qiu finished dealing with everything, he learned the whole story.
He couldn't help but say, "Marshal, Zhang Feile is arrogant and conceited, and not just anyone can suppress him. Yet now he is valued by His Highness."
Wu Qiu hesitated, knowing that the Marshal was grooming the mistress, but the mistress was in a real hurry.
"Your Highness's methods are somewhat extreme."
"Perhaps you should be more patient."
Xie Lanzhi's face darkened: "Does this general seem very anxious?"
Wu Qiu said, "You could actually start with the group that was incited, thereby undermining Her Highness's methods and making her..."
She could have easily targeted Xie Bing, who had been incited, but she didn't, because that would have only made things snowball. She might have been able to suppress her temporarily, but that would only prolong the struggle. She couldn't push her too hard. Pushing her too hard would only make her more impatient to catch up.
Xie Lanzhi began to reflect on herself: "She is still young and needs to use various means to build up her strength."
"But you're right, she's prone to taking extreme measures." So she needs to vent her anger.
Resentment? Suddenly realizing this, Xie Lanzhi paused, then suddenly remembered something Lu Qing had said: "Your Highness, she has grown up."
Is Little Phoenix going through a rebellious phase right now?
All these characteristics are very similar to those of adolescence.
The current Little Phoenix is showing sharpness, completely unlike its strategic and tactful nature in Jiujin.
It wasn't that she lost her sense of proportion; if she intended to use this as a starting point to accomplish something.
Could it be...? Xie Lanzhi shook her head, somewhat incredulous. Little Phoenix was only eighteen; those bloody methods were things she wouldn't use until she was in her twenties. It was unlikely to happen so early.
But when she thought of Lu Qing, she dared not make a conclusion. Lu Qing was not a character in the first half of the story, and even the Mo family focused their attention on the Emperor of Xicheng in the first half.
She had guessed that the author would increase the difficulty of ascending to the throne in order to boost the popularity of the second half of the book, and the Mo family segment was one of the parts she predicted.
Lu Qing's appearance means that she is a character connected to the Mo family in the second half of the story.
So why did the character who was supposed to appear that evening appear earlier? Was it because she changed the plot, causing the time slot to be moved forward?
Xie Lanzhi's expression grew increasingly serious. If that was the case, she had to determine what Little Phoenix intended to do next. Everything Little Phoenix did from now on would revolve around the main plot.
She needs to keep a close eye on Little Phoenix and try to predict the direction of the second half of the story based on her.
"Wu Qiu, keep a close eye on the movements in Tianjing recently."
"Yes!" Wu Qiu dared not let his guard down. Both the Xie family and Tianjing depended on Marshal Xie for leadership. Without Marshal Xie as a pillar of support, Tianjing and even the entire south would surely descend into chaos.
Wu Qiu then reported on the recent gathering of unfamiliar faces in Tianjing.
Furthermore, the Mohist school's presence at the grassroots level became increasingly strong because of the five major gates of the Ministry of Works. Many people claimed to be Mohist disciples in order to gain access to these gates.
Xie Lanzhi thought to herself, "The current plot, with so many clues, all originate from the Mohist school. And the Mohist disciples are currently focused on the Hu Xiongnu, so the Hu Xiongnu won't make any moves so quickly. This means that the major explosion hasn't happened yet, and Little Phoenix is in such a hurry to get ahead."
Besides the rebellious phase, are there other reasons?
She had no parents growing up, so she never acted spoiled or rebellious. She also never had the opportunity to do so, so naturally she never went through a rebellious phase.
It seems I need to learn from people with children and experience.
She instructed, "Wu Qiu, find a woman from the clan who has children. I want to meet her personally."
Wu Qiu said, "Your subject obeys!"
The rest of the matter was left to Wu Qiu to handle. As for Zhang Changle, Xie Lanzhi did not deal with him but punished him for fighting and causing trouble. Zhang Ju was passively retaliating, so he was not punished.
Her actions once again vindicated the Department of Penalties.
This proves that the Censorate was Xie Lanzhi's confidant.
In the past, whenever the Censorate arrested a prison official who had offended someone, Xie would never let him get away with it if he dared to cause trouble or retaliate.
This incident has served as a wake-up call for many. The Censorate is not just a figurehead; it is genuinely ordered by the Marshal to arrest those who break the law and violate discipline.
Many people in the Xie family don't understand why the Marshal needed so many officials. Did he think the national treasury was too full?
Since Xie Lanzhi reformed the division of salt and grain taxes within the Xie family, effectively eliminating the monopoly held by a small group, it directly generated 30 million in tax revenue for the Xie family's treasury, greatly enriching Xie Lanzhi.
She didn't squander her money or have a habit of tipping, so she saved a lot of money.
In addition, regarding the distribution within the palace, she also made clear the rules, leaving some room for people to profit through legitimate channels.
Earning more through legitimate channels and avoiding a lot of trouble will naturally attract supporters.
Those below knew that Xie Lanzhi hated pests and speculators, so they set aside a thousand taels for informants to provide information. Many people reported speculators to the Grand Council, which then sent people to investigate. None of the reports were verified, but they did uncover and round up a number of people who engaged in illicit activities. A portion of the recovered money was then distributed as a reward to the informants.
It's developing quite well.
Xie Lanzhi also discovered that the Shenxing Division's case-handling scope was too broad, ranging from criminal to civil matters, including those under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, and even those under the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue.
It's not a good thing that the power of the Censorate is too concentrated.
Xie Lanzhi did not forget the drawbacks of the supervisory system.
Xie Lanzhi was in the Golden Palace pondering which dynasty's system would be appropriate for the current situation when an official from the Xie army came to report from outside.
"Reporting to the Marshal, His Highness Feng Ning of Lanzhang Palace has submitted another copy!"
Is Little Phoenix's plan finally reaching its climax?
Xie Lanzhi said, "Bring it here."
Xie Jun handed her a yellow-covered document. She even glanced at this Xie Jun, who seemed to be the new Xie Jun from Jianzhang Palace.
They've started using their own people to deliver memorials.
Xie Lanzhi was impressed by Xiao Fenghuang's methods; she could even mobilize people from the Xie family. She never expected that using the Censorate as a trump card could achieve so many goals. Xiao Fenghuang was somewhat like her.
And most importantly...
Xie Lanzhi suddenly asked Xie Jun, "What position did you hold in the clan? What about your parents and brothers?"
Xie Jun lowered his head and said, "I am just a squad leader. My parents and brothers... are all in the Southern Region. They are not qualified to come to the capital."
Within the Xie clan, those who could reside in Tianjing were basically at the level of a hundred households or above. A hundred households could bring their families to Tianjing, while those below that level needed to perform meritorious service to be transferred to Tianjing, but their families generally could not share in this good fortune.
Xie Lanzhi has allocated clan resources to benefit the lower classes as much as possible. In the southern region, because too many Xie clan members have been relocated, the remaining Xie clan members naturally have to guard the farmland. The Xie clan members who went to Tianjing cannot be managed in time, so they will also sneak some benefits to the lower-class Xie clan members.
However, with such a large population in the Xie family, not everyone can enjoy this benefit.
This is the wealth gap within the Xie family.
Little Phoenix, on the other hand, takes the mass line.
The original group of people at Jianzhang Palace died, which created vacancies for this group.
The Xie family's system of job allocation was always very strict; once someone was appointed, it was for life, until they died. Those below them who wanted to replace them could only leave it to fate.
Those at the bottom will not give up the opportunity to rise up once they see hope.
"Is that so? I see." Xie Lanzhi said calmly, "The work at Jianzhang Palace is not easy."
Xie Jun didn't dare to say more, only saying, "It's already very good."
At least their parents, sister, and brother can eat their fill. Otherwise, they would be begging for food in the Southern Region.
This is the current situation of the Xie family at the bottom level, which is no different from that of ordinary people in the region. The only difference is that they are surnamed Xie. Because of their surname Xie, they must be given priority in enlisting in the army every time they are conscripted.
Normally, they never received any benefits within the clan, but in war, they were treated like cattle, sent to their deaths. If they were lucky, they could earn a small contribution and become a centurion; if they were unlucky, they would die on the battlefield. Or their credit would be stolen by the Xie clan, who held higher positions within the clan. This was commonplace.
Those at the bottom... have become accustomed to being oppressed. Most have no chance of promotion.