Little Phoenix should go back.
Xie Lanzhi returned to the Ziguang Palace, only to find the Northern Region envoy and a group of soldiers waiting outside. Upon seeing her, they immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Marshal."
"Marshal, having heard of your injury, the Crown Prince specifically instructed us to come and visit you."
Visiting? Scolding a little girl is pointless; a mere punishment would be of little use. But her brother's words made her eyes narrow, and she suddenly clutched her waist, saying, "Hey, if the Crown Prince wants to apologize, he needs to be sincere. Why don't you see him?"
She turned aside and brushed past him with a flick of her sleeve, her attitude of dismissing him quite obvious.
"Then we will report to the Crown Prince immediately." The envoy from the Northern Region was immediately embarrassed and had no choice but to leave with his men.
Xie Shangguang is still recuperating outside, so she specially summoned Xie Sheng, the general of the 2,000 Xie clan soldiers from Jiujin.
Xie Sheng arrived with five hundred men and asked, "What are your orders, Marshal?"
"Does the Xie family have any female generals in Jin?"
“There is a female captain. She is my younger sister!” Xie Sheng said, “Her name is Xie Tian.”
Xie Lanzhi said, "These next few days, let her take the Northern Princess to all the fun places in Jiu Jin. Without my order, she is not allowed to enter the palace."
"Yes!" Xie Sheng had someone pass on the message.
While still in the inner palace, Yelü Qiqi heard that a famous painter wanted to paint her portrait. She had been confined to her quarters for several days by her elder sister, the princess, and was quite bored. Now that she was in the mood, she naturally followed Xie Tian obediently.
No sooner had they left than Yelü Lili's men arrived to take Yelü Qiqi back to the mansion, only to find that they had failed to do so.
Li Li received the news and it seemed he had to personally make a trip to meet Xie Zhu in private!
Besides, she deliberately hid her sister so that he could meet with her.
Li Li found Si Qinian and told him about it. Si Qinian was surprised and said, "Brother Yelü, if you cannot satisfy the Marshal, I'm afraid you will have a hard time leaving Tianjing."
Upon reaching this conclusion, Yelü Lili's face darkened: "I repeatedly warned that child not to be bewitched by Xie Ying, why didn't she listen!"
Si Xinian knew that the matter seemed to have been let off the hook, but it was merely her leniency towards her immature little sister. After all, there was no point in targeting her sister further. It was her brother behind her who was in trouble.
Presumably, his brother-in-law had already secretly prepared a backup plan for Yelü. He simply sighed and said, "With my elder sister watching over her, nothing would have happened. However, after she went to Jiujin, too many things happened in Jiujin, making it impossible for her to take care of her."
“I don’t blame her. I know her difficulties. Although she is the ruler of Jiujin, there are certainly people who obey her and people who do not.” Yelü Lili knew very well that very few people could command the obedience of everyone. This was only human nature.
"But why didn't you go to Jiujin with them?"
Yelü Lili found it very strange. He should not stand idly by when his elder sister was in trouble, but now he was idly staying in Tianjing and not getting involved in politics at all.
Si Xinian remained silent.
He turned to the side and took out a jade flute, and even had the leisure to play a tune on his lips, a tune that revealed his true feelings.
Bored, patient, avoiding, leisurely yet restless.
Yelü Lili heard his thoughts.
He reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "A man who can bend and stretch can plan for the long term."
“So Si Xinian has to wait for arrangements. Otherwise, if I show my face now, not to mention the Xie family, just Xie Shuai alone…” Si Xinian paused, thought carefully before continuing, “I’m afraid that if I step out of the line she drew for me, my legs might be broken.”
“No matter how much my sister loves me then, she’ll think I’m being unreasonable. Instead, she’ll support Xie Shuai’s actions.” Si Xinian suddenly felt helpless and aggrieved, as if she were in a cold palace and had fallen out of favor.
"If I make a mistake and she catches me, she'll secretly rejoice, thinking that I'm a fool who has delivered myself to her doorstep, allowing her to take it to the madam for a scolding."
When Xie Lanzhi agreed to fight Si Xinian, she said, "If one day your elder sister goes blind from crying for you, I will kill you so badly that you won't even be able to think."
This is the boundary she drew for him.
Upon hearing this, Yelü Lili became even more cautious, wondering what excessive demands this Xie Zhu might be making on him by taking advantage of his sister.
"Thanks for the tip. I will appreciate Qiqi's tolerance towards the child, but if she's angry, she can take it out on me."
Seeing that he looked like he was going to pay a heavy price for this, Si Xinian was slightly surprised: "Well, there's no need for that."
Does he really see his brother-in-law as a wolf or tiger?
Wait...it seems like she is.
The clerks of the Jin government office kept records of any unfavorable remarks made by offending scholars. Once a record was established, the future of these scholars was essentially sealed.
Although Si Xitong did not directly target the literati, she took the opportunity to withdraw the new order after Xie Lanzhi had rested, but then introduced a new order: to keep a record of the case.
Any writer involved in spreading false rumors that affect hundreds of people will be recorded.
Although they are not prohibited from taking exams and taking positions, it may affect their future prospects.
Then, those intellectuals who use the banner of "respecting the emperor" to gain fame will become the scapegoats. This will prevent the emperor's commands from being shouted out as casually as before.
Fame and fortune are no longer something they could easily obtain with just words. Those who have no real achievements but only empty titles are still recorded.
What a clever move! Shoot the nail that sticks out. Scholars aren't afraid of not having an official position, not having a teacher, or having nothing to do but indulge in romance; what they fear most is achieving nothing. And their future prospects are undoubtedly their greatest pursuit in life.
Si Xitong's move perfectly silenced the rumors and gossip attacking her.
Li Jin and his men visited various places to record information, which had already intimidated many scholars.
After Li Jin finished registering, his momentum seemed to vanish overnight. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Highness's move was brilliant!"
"It perfectly filters out the bad apples and makes those who are wary automatically distance themselves from it, so that they are no longer influenced by treacherous and wicked people."
Si Xitong adopted an inclusive attitude towards how ordinary people discussed politics, as long as they spoke the truth and did not exaggerate or smear. The same applied to intellectuals, except that ordinary people in officialdom didn't care about their future; they just wanted to vent their frustrations. But intellectuals paid a price for their venting.
Xie Lanzhi praised this when she learned of it.
She prepared a target and a hundred arrows at the training ground and began tentative practice. With a bow and arrow, there was no need for throwing knives, and the range was longer, requiring higher accuracy.
She didn't know if she could use it, but when she drew the bow, she subconsciously used her internal energy. Although she didn't hit the target, the target plate shattered when she hit the edge.
Xie Bing, who went up to check, initially thought the marshal's archery skills had declined, but when he saw the cracks in the target plate, he was so frightened that he swallowed his words back.
The marshal's arrows were clearly more powerful than before; even if the aim was off, a hit would still be fatal, or cause serious injury. Therefore, for a moment, Xie Bing was at a loss for how to report the target.
Xie Lanzhi was getting impatient waiting over there.
She raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you mute?"
Xie Bing then stammered, "Okay!!"
Well, there's still time to practice anyway, so Xie Lanzhi didn't blame Xiaobing. She figured she should just keep her aim under control.
When Si Xitong returned in her palanquin, she saw someone practicing archery. She knew that this person never acted on a whim, and archery was not something one could practice whenever they wanted. Otherwise, she would practice in her spare time as well.
She ordered the palanquin to be put down and walked over to her, asking, "Why are you making such a last-minute attempt to cram for something?"
Xie Lanzhi froze. She couldn't hide it from Little Phoenix after all: "I'll have Li Li come to see me and apologize to me in person."
“In that case, the arrow wasn’t shot like that.” Si Xitong stood behind her, standing on tiptoe to barely get her gaze from her shoulder to the target.
Unexpectedly, Xie Lanzhi pressed down on the bow and arrow and spun around, going behind Si Xitong. She placed her left hand on Si Xitong's slender waist and breathed into her left ear: "Does Madam want to teach me how to stand behind me?"
What if I step on you?
The warmth of her breath swirled around her ears, causing Si Xitong's ears to flush slightly. Her eyes sparkled, but her hands expertly rested on Xie Lanzhi's, who was drawing the bow. She said, "Unlike in the Southern Region, I won't help you shoot this time. You need to hit the bullseye yourself."
"Okay!" Xie Lanzhi agreed happily. She tilted her head back, adjusted her posture according to the little phoenix's instructions, steadied her arms, and then pulled sharply. With a whoosh, the arrow hit the bullseye.
Xie Bing immediately shouted as if granted a pardon: "Red Heart!!"
Even if the target isn't cracked, a single arrow to the center can still cause a fatal wound.
Xie Binggang thought so.
Boom! Suddenly, the sound of a target being knocked over came from beside him, and the dull thud of the target being hit echoed in his ears. Xie Bing turned around and saw that this time the target had not only been hit in the bullseye, but... it had also been pierced through.
Xie Bing swallowed hard and exclaimed in terror, "Second, Second Middle School!!"
Is this something that can be shot by human power?! Even with internal energy enhancement, it wouldn't be this exaggerated, it's even more exaggerated than before!
Xie Lanzhi shot her third arrow at the new target, which instantly became a disposable item. The target shattered, scattering wood chips everywhere.
Upon seeing this, Si Xitong fell into deep thought. Others' internal strength was not as domineering as Lan Zhi's, and Lan Zhi's internal strength seemed somewhat unusual.
How can one describe that unusual force? It was like... like something beyond human power, simply defying all logic.
"Has Lanzhi already mastered the internal energy cultivation method?"
Si Xitong suddenly asked. Xie Lanzhi was taken aback and said, "Internal strength also has a mental cultivation method? Is a mental cultivation method something like a mantra?"
Si Xitong sighed and said, "Perhaps, I mean perhaps your internal strength is extraordinary, one in a million, so you don't need any mental cultivation methods. Or perhaps you've already mastered it without a teacher, but you just don't remember it."
Xie Lanzhi commented, "As long as it works, and works well, that's fine."
Chapter 53 Her decision will not change
She was about to fire a fourth arrow when Si Xitong suddenly stepped out of her arms. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she fired a feint, but still managed to shatter the target, making it impossible to tell if she had hit it.
After five rounds, she was covered in sweat, then secretly dispersed her internal energy and stopped using it.
"It looks like it took a lot of effort." Si Xitong took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
Xie Lanzhi nodded: "I still need to explore this internal energy. Little Phoenix, you're right. The internal energy in my body is indeed very strange. Unlike others, no matter how they fight, there won't be such an exaggerated impact."
Or did Xie Ying practice some strange martial art to protect her body?
It's possible that Xie Ying, as the main villain, is at his peak, and his fighting prowess and the plot should be at their peak.
The two were on the training ground.
Xie Sheng rushed from the palace gate to report: "Marshal, the Crown Prince of the Northern Region has arrived! He is currently in the palace hall."
"I understand." Xie Lanzhi put down her bow and arrow.
She gestured to Si Xitong.
Si Xitong said, "I'm not going, you go."
"If, I mean if I were to say something to your friend..." Xie Lanzhi's eyes darted around, her expression full of calculating intent.
Si Xitong turned around and stood with her hand to the side: "There are never any small matters between countries. Even the most insignificant things can cause irreparable damage."
"If Lanzhi is worried about me, she might as well not have started planning in the first place."
This sounds familiar.
Xie Lanzhi smiled and said, "Little Phoenix really understands me."
After speaking, she led her people to the main hall. Si Xitong was still in the training ground. She bent down to pick up the bow and arrows, ordered Xie Bing to change the target, and also wanted to practice archery.