"How can Your Highness cease to be Your Highness just because you married into the Xie family!"
"I see you harbor treacherous ambitions! You are now subjects of the later dynasty."
"Young Master Xie, your words are excessive! How can you claim that the imperial family of the former dynasty's capital still exists, or that the Eight Jin dynasties still exist, so how can there be any officials from the later dynasty!"
"Then you don't take Commander Xie seriously!"
"We are Marshal Xie's subjects, not members of the Xie family, and we have never disobeyed our lord!"
Just as the two sides were arguing fiercely, someone outside the Duke of Zheng's mansion announced: "The ruler of the Seven Jin Kingdoms—Prince Li—has arrived!"
Si Lei. Xie Lanzhi narrowed her eyes slightly. She noticed that the officials in Tianjing all looked excited, as if Si Lei was backing them up.
She couldn't help but shake her head.
Si Xitong picked up a piece of boneless fish and fed it to Xie Lanzhi, whispering, "Si Lei is someone I caused trouble for, I will handle it myself."
"But you shouldn't just keep reminding me that I need to eat something to fill my stomach."
Xie Lanzhi opened her mouth and ate it. After swallowing, she said, "Do whatever you want, but your fourth uncle has big ambitions."
“Fourth Uncle needs someone to create an opportunity for him, and I am merely fulfilling his wish.” Si Xitong put down her chopsticks, stood up, and showed Si Lei the proper etiquette of a junior.
"Greetings, Imperial Uncle."
Si Lei, dressed in a yellow robe, entered the mansion and saw his beautiful niece behaving intimately with Marshal Xie. He felt utterly disdainful.
She seduced her male patron to secure her future. Thinking of Si Xinian, I commented: "Truly, like father, like son."
He nodded calmly, as if it were an elder, and said, "It's been a long time."
Before he could finish speaking, the young man from the Xie family, who was sitting as a guest, deliberately reminded him: "Lord Si is Lady Si's fourth uncle."
Si Lei frowned slightly. Had he arrived at the wrong time?
He glanced at the familiar officials in Tianjing, all blushing with arguing, and at the Xie family and several young men who looked ready to roll up their sleeves and fight. Not one of them stepped forward to mediate.
The Xie family members believed that the officials in Tianjing dared to yell at them because they were backed by the marshal.
Officials in Tianjing believed that the Xie family members were all vulgar and rude.
Then there's Marshal Xie, who's in a higher position. She picked up her wine cup and drank, showing absolutely no intention of interfering.
Si Lei's eyelids suddenly twitched. Had he stepped into two traps?
Si Lei immediately bowed to Xie Lanzhi: "Greetings, Commander Xie."
Xie Lanzhi waved and said, "Seeing is believing. Since the King of Si is not only Fu Feng's uncle, but also my uncle, there is no need for formalities. Please take a seat."
His tone seemed normal.
The Tianjing officials then argued with Xie, but Xie was not stupid. She knew that if she really fought, even if she was in the right, she would be in the wrong. So she chose to argue with the Tianjing officials in public.
"Thank you for offering me a seat." Si Lei looked around and chose to sit on the Tianjing side.
The Xie family members immediately misunderstood, thinking that Si Lei was indeed on the side of the Duke of Zheng.
Duke Zheng happily poured him a full cup of wine, almost overflowing. Si Lei couldn't help but remind him, "Duke Zheng, are you drunk?"
Duke Zheng immediately put down his wine jug and patted his chest, saying, "I'm not drunk. How could I, Duke Zheng, be drunk?"
"Prince Li, you be the judge! Is this the previous dynasty or the new dynasty?!"
These words were full of traps, almost causing Si Lei to drop his wine cup. He pretended to be calm, took a sip of wine, and asked, "What does the Duke of Zheng mean?"
Taking the opportunity, Xie Meixiang, the young master of the Xie family, explained the whole story: "The Duke of Zheng and I were arguing about the title of Lady Si. I heard that the ruler of the Seven Jin states is a wise ruler. If he is a wise ruler, he should understand the great principles."
"May I ask if Madam Si is the matriarch of my Xie family, or a princess of the previous dynasty?"
This statement is extremely boring and unreasonable.
Si Lei didn't even bother to answer, but he felt it would be impolite not to reply when asked.
He said, "Our sovereign believes that there is no previous dynasty yet, and even though the world is in turmoil, all places refer to the end of the Jin Dynasty as the year."
"As for the niece of this lord, now that she is married, she is naturally the mistress of the Xie family. There is no conflict."
This answer greatly pleased the Xie family members. It also made Si Lei start to have his own plans; he now needed to prevent his legitimate wife from being used by the Xie family.
Everyone at the birthday banquet had their own agenda.
Upon hearing this, the Tianjing official immediately retorted with displeasure: "What do you mean, Your Highness? You are Prince Li, and therefore a prince of this dynasty. The Eldest Princess and the Fourth Prince are still alive. How can the elders not vindicate Your Highness!"
"You are really disregarding your reputation for being courteous and respectful to scholars."
"What a muddle-headed person."
Si Lei was berated by the people from Tianjing. His face darkened.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Duke of Zheng petitioned the ruler: "Marshal, now that the princess has returned to the capital, why not take this opportunity to express your support for Jin!"
When Xie Lanzhi ordered Xie Shi to dismount at the Emperor's Gate and then entered the Emperor's Gate in the same carriage as the princess, she had already made her stance clear.
The Xie family also needed to climb the social ladder by associating with the imperial family.
After hearing this, the Xie family members, aside from those who were conflicted about the form of address, didn't have much of an opinion about Si Xitong personally. This excludes those within the clan who were already dissatisfied with their matriarch.
In reality, most members of the Xie clan were conflicted. They desperately needed to establish connections with the imperial family, yet they were also extremely wary of the Duke of Zheng using his name to restore the old dynasty, which would only marginalize the Xie clan. All their efforts would be in vain. This was something the Xie clan did not want to see.
The Xie family is not afraid of the Duke of Zheng, but they are afraid of General Xie.
Therefore, the only thing that caused the conflict was a dispute over how to address each other, and as long as no fight broke out, it was harmless.
When Si Lei heard Duke Zheng express his desire to restore Si Xitong's position, alarm bells immediately went off, and officials in Tianjing also rushed out to petition.
What should have been a birthday banquet turned into a grand celebration of legitimizing one's status.
"We implore the Grand Marshal to restore the title of the legitimate princess of the Great Jin Dynasty!"
"We implore the Grand Marshal to restore the title of the legitimate princess of the Great Jin Dynasty!"
The Xie family members suddenly fell silent.
Just then, Si Lei stepped forward and bowed to Xie Lanzhi, saying, "Commander Xie!"
Duke Zheng immediately whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, now is a good opportunity to restore the legitimate wife's status. You are the princess's fourth uncle, why not lend us a hand..."
Before he could finish speaking, Si Lei stepped forward and said to Xie Lanzhi, "Since the Jin family is the royal family, we must abide by the proper etiquette. I hope the Marshal will treat the royal daughters well."
He then advised Si Xitong, "Xitong, you are a perfect match for a man like me, a man who will follow in the footsteps of a dragon!"
This is clear! He objects!
The officials, led by the Duke of Zheng, all glared fiercely. This man had utterly disrespect for his own wife!
The Xie family members watched from the sidelines.
Chapter 27 The Struggle Between the Eldest Daughter and the Seven Jin
No one expected that, as her uncle, he would not only fail to stand up for her when her identity as his niece was controversial, but would also advise her to accept reality.
Becoming the matriarch of the Xie family, second only to the emperor, is the dream of many women.
Moreover, Marshal Xie's marriage was already a public announcement; he was fond of women.
Any beautiful woman has a chance to enter her household. Rather than pursuing the elusive position of the eldest princess, it's more practical to secure her position as the matriarch of the Xie family first.
Based on reality, Si Lei's words seem to make a lot of sense.
"Qi Tong, let bygones be bygones. Living well in the future is the most important thing." Si Lei respectfully asked Xie Lanzhi, "My niece has been clever and quick-witted since she was a child. If she has ever offended you in any way, please forgive her, Marshal Xie."
Xie Lanzhi's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of light flashing in them. She picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, replying, "The teachings of the Si family elders are absolutely correct."
Si Lei received a reply, and the Tianjing officials dared not speak out in anger. Xie Shuai's response was reasonable, but Li Wang was really taking advantage of their vulnerability.
How could he disregard the legitimate line of the legitimate wife!
Li Ling, a rigid and old-fashioned official in Tianjing, held the position of Vice Minister of Rites and had once been in charge of compiling the Si family genealogy.
He was the first to stand up and oppose Si Lei: "For the Si family to have someone like the Prince who disrespects the legitimate heir and disregards rank is an utter disgrace to the royal family!"
Si Lei was surprised that an old man dared to challenge him. He immediately flung his sleeves and said, "My lord has come here to offer birthday wishes, not to listen to the useless arguments of former officials. If any of you were of any use, you should have stood up like my lord before the Tianjing Incident, instead of aiding and abetting evil!"
These words were clearly a deliberate reference to the officials of Tianjing present, led by the Duke of Zheng, who had once betrayed their masters for personal gain. They were no different now.
This left the civil officials of Tianjing embarrassed. The Xie family members not only watched from the sidelines but also fanned the flames: "What the Lord of Si said is absolutely right. Righteousness is often found among the lowly butchers, while ungratefulness is often found among the scholars."
The officials of Tianjing immediately turned pale with anger: "How dare you speak ill of the scholars of the realm?"
“As the ruler of a country, Prince Li’s words are all reasonable.” The young master Xie who stepped forward was Xie Meixiang.
"What kind of etiquette is this? Every word you utter disrespects the existence of the legitimate wife. Does your Xie family dare to bully the legitimate wife of the Xie family?" Duke Zheng said harshly.
A hush fell over the room, and Xie Meixiang slunk back to her seat in a huff. Everyone watched the expression on the face of the person in the upper seat.
Xie Lanzhi was not angry at all. Instead, she drank another cup of rice wine, and the lady next to her added another piece of meat to her bowl.
The crowd outside the venue continued to argue, but the person involved was not affected.
Si Xitong even asked with a faint smile, "How many drinks do you want?"
Xie Lanzhi hesitated, unsure whether to put the wine cup down or not. She could only obediently eat the snacks with the wine, and then said, "The rice wine isn't very strong; this general could easily drink a whole jar."
After saying that, she glanced at the people who had suddenly fallen silent: "And with a show to watch, it's natural to be in high spirits to drink."
"Marshal, this is no child's play. All the officials and the younger generation of the Xie family are discussing this very seriously. Please take it seriously." Si Xitong then told the servants not to bring any more wine. There was only half a pot left on the table, so Xie Lanzhi could only drink it slowly.
You?! Xie Lanzhi finally put down her wine cup this time.
With such an obvious hint, she shouldn't provoke the young girl.
Xie Lanzhi then addressed the group, saying, "I am delighted to see that you are all having such a pleasant conversation. Please continue."
How could anyone dare to do that? Didn't they understand that it was a sarcastic remark?
Duke Zheng seemed determined. He knelt down directly. It is taboo for the birthday celebrant to kneel, especially since it was his birthday.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to relinquish my official position and ten thousand troops in exchange for the restoration of our dynasty's eldest princess."
The sheer scale of the gesture startled Marquis Zheng Yi of Yong'an, who jumped up from his seat in surprise: "Father!"
The officials of Tianjing were all deeply moved by the Duke of Zheng's spirit of protecting his lord.
"The Duke of Zheng is the true hero who restored the rites and music of the Jin dynasty!"