"That's good. The more he thinks, the more reliable he'll be," Xie Lanzhi said. "It's just a bit expensive."
The two were well aware of who had started this evil trend—it was the other eight Jin states, those who claimed to be members of the Si royal family. They were now using Si Xinian's identity as a target, and he himself had no choice but to act in accordance with this trend.
Si Xitong's eyes darkened: "I will earn it back many times over from other places."
Xie Lanzhi then asked curiously, "Where do you plan to start from?"
“Naturally, it’s a long-term investment, preferably in existing assets.” Si Xitong used a new term. She had learned a lot of modern words from Xie Lanzhi these days, and they sounded fresh to Xie Lanzhi.
It's like encountering a modern-day Little Phoenix, yet she still exudes the aura of a strong woman.
Si Xinian heard that someone had sent his detailed account book to Jiu Jin. He was worried that his elder sister would blame him, but she didn't react. He could guess what his brother-in-law was thinking.
As long as she gets things done, she'll only say a few words about these material possessions and then leave it at that.
This can be seen from the fact that Xie added gold and goods to his storeroom.
Si Xinian became even more extravagant. Those who fawned over him, with their pockets bulging, began to plot to sell official positions.
The Xie family turned a blind eye and opened up some nominal positions for them, then earned a kickback.
Because the purchase of official positions was so easy, the news spread throughout Shanxi. The gentry in various parts of Shanxi despised this practice and the mediocre and incompetent nature of the Fourth Prince, Si Xinian.
Some took advantage of the situation to try and buy their way into official positions, while also testing Xie Zhu's limits.
Since Xie Zhu destroyed Xie Yan, the limits of tolerance have been set in Tianjing. As long as one does not rebel against her, many things are permissible until a new decree is issued. Therefore, many people are taking advantage of this loophole to make a profit.
Si Xinian dared to act recklessly because of his sister's favor. Others watched from the sidelines, wanting to see how much Xie Shi could tolerate Si Xinian.
Si Xinian felt it was a waste to give the land to the incompetent ministers, so he directly acquired some remote farmland in Tianjing.
The fertile fields of Tianjing all belonged to the Xie family. As long as the Xie family's property remained untouched, they didn't interfere. Therefore, Si Xinian expanded his estate very easily, focusing on expanding from his former officials. After completing the expansion, he even had a seal made and stamped it on.
The practice of forging seals, indulging in extravagance, and colluding with the old faction to engage in various outrageous acts are strikingly similar to those of the incompetent rulers who caused the Tianjing Incident.
Every word of this matter reached the Seven Jin and the ears of Si Bogong. Since Si Qi Nian woke up, Si Bogong had been summoned back to the Seven Jin by Si Lei and detained there. Now he heard that the child was a scoundrel with no sense of propriety at heart.
Si Bogong was furious, and Si Lei even specially ordered an investigation, which confirmed that it was indeed as rumored. However, having been fooled before by Xie Zhu and Si Xitong, he naturally did not believe that Si Xinian was truly as described.
Even if it is now, the outcome is not.
After the legitimate wife and the Xie family mingled together, they had long since lost the dignity of the Jin dynasty.
But the other officials believed it. This was because they did not understand Si Xinian, Si Xitong, or Xie Lanzhi.
During the late Jin Dynasty, people from the first, second, and third Jin dynasties sent envoys to Si Xinian to arrange for the construction of bridges and roads, and the preparation of grain, in exchange for jade artifacts inherited from the Si family. In the turbulent years at the end of the Jin Dynasty, jade artifacts were neither edible nor usable; they were practically just decorations. Yet now they wanted to exchange them for precious grain.
None of the Xie family members agreed, and they even looked down on jade artifacts.
Si Xinian readily agreed, personally purchasing a thousand shi of grain and delivering it to the three Jin states. Seeing that he could afford to contribute grain, even a small amount was still a contribution, and the other Jin states began to covet it.
Si Xinian bought another 500 shi (a unit of dry measure) and sent them out, but this time they were robbed by bandits on the way.
He bought another three thousand shi of grain, just like a sucker, and insisted on sending it to his relative, the Imperial Uncle. The news of this three thousand shi of grain reached Xie Lanzhi's ears.
Xie immediately ordered his soldiers, who were relatively close to the first, second, third, and fourth Jin states, to disguise themselves as mountain bandits and rob them.
They raided the area every time they came, controlled grain exports, and in the end, the total amount was only two thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) to four Jin states. The four Jin states even fought each other to divide the grain.
When Si Lei learned of this, he remained skeptical, but Si Xinian's access to the Xie family's granary forced him to reconsider his position.
Is he truly not valued by the Lord?
Was it a miscalculation on his part, or did Xie Zhu genuinely extend his affection for Si Xitong to Si Xi Nian?
Si Lei watched the other princes fight amongst themselves, but as these princes gained more and more, the poor princes from the other princely branches began to flock to Tianjing and seek refuge with Si Xinian.
Si Xinian generously accepted these so-called relatives and settled them in their respective courtyards. This was another considerable sum of money.
The seven imperial relatives of Jin benefited and unanimously praised Si Xinian's reputation.
Si Xinian was also pleased to allocate some of his close relatives to the Lanqi Palace to secure a position, truly a case of having distant relatives even in remote mountains. More and more members of the royal family from the Seven Divisions of Jin wanted to come and seek refuge, and Si Xinian accepted them all.
Inside Tianjing City, one luxurious sedan chair after another carried former dignitaries back to the capital, creating a lively scene.
The common people were all watching the spectacle, and rumors were spreading throughout the streets and alleys: "Have you heard? The prince who remained in Tianjing is the younger brother of Prince Fengning."
"Oh dear, what a spendthrift! All of this is Marshal Xie's money."
"Marshal Xie dotes on Princess Feng Ning, and even her younger brother is very fond of him."
"If all these expenses are spent, they should be enough to build a mountain of gold, right?"
"Bah! What dissolute prince? It's because of these parasites that Tianjing was breached and changed hands. What prince? He's nothing but a spoiled brat living under someone else's roof!"
"Exactly, exactly. His escaped royal relatives have come back. It's disgusting."
The people of Tianjing were disgusted by this trend, as if recalling that before Tianjing fell, it was also a place of extravagance and debauchery. Even though the Emperor of Xicheng ordered frugality and prohibited extravagance, the imperial relatives still defied the order, and the officials below were even more corrupt, with the upper beam leading the lower beam.
After Huang Mang arrived, people died every day in Tianjing. After Xie Zhu arrived, Tianjing became more stable. Now, only half a year has passed, and it is beginning to show signs of revival.
Now that the downward trend is showing signs of slowing down, many people feel increasingly desperate.
Especially for ordinary people at the bottom of society, who have finally found a way to support their families, their lives are now in grave danger.
The Xie family created many jobs for laborers transporting grain by water and land. Now, the Xie family is deliberately reducing the number of grain transport ships, causing many laborers to lose the opportunity to move goods. This affects their livelihoods, and some are even going hungry.
Afterwards, someone spread a rumor that the reduction in grain ships was due to the Fourth Prince, who had too many relatives. The Xie family dared not interfere with the Xie Prince's brother-in-law and could only restrict the entry of grain into the capital to avoid losses.
These laborers were a mixed bag, from all walks of life, and some of them were skilled in martial arts. On a dark and stormy night, they assassinated Si Xinian, who was passing by on the street.
Si Xinian wasn't drunk, but the sedan chair suddenly landed. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he gripped the sword at his waist, drawing it swiftly. Just then, a sharpened carrying pole pierced into the sedan chair. He slashed the pole in half with his sword, leaping out of the sedan chair, where he saw a dozen or so martial arts practitioners surrounded by short-sleeved shirts.
"It seems the situation in Tianjing is more complicated than I thought."
"However, this was all expected, since Tianjing is still relatively stable."
My brother-in-law has only been in Beijing for six months, but he has too many things to manage. Balancing the relationships between superiors and subordinates takes a lot of energy, and he also had to take time out to kill a traitor to establish his authority. It's already a remarkable achievement that he's managed to stabilize Tianjing in just six months. But as the saying goes, "In a large forest, there are all kinds of birds."
For example, this group of skilled fighters must be retired warriors from some old feudal lord.
The leader was a man with a scarred face. He didn't directly order them to take action, but instead said, "Your Highness, please come with us."
“You little minions? You’re not little minions at all, daring to stop me.” Si Xinian said, and then took the initiative to attack.
The martial arts practitioners didn't expect him to be so fearless as to charge forward, so they all started to fight back with their carrying poles. The group fought in circles, injuring five people, one of whom was seriously injured.
Seeing this, Scarface had no choice but to lead his men to retreat first, while he held off Si Qinian's attacks for a while. Unexpectedly, Si Qinian deliberately retreated and fought him for a few more rounds.
Scarface didn't want to linger in the fight, and every time he tried to run away, Si Xinian relentlessly pursued him. He had no choice but to resort to more spear techniques. Upon using his spear skills, Si Xinian immediately recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the Ma family army?!"
"Descendants of General Ma Jing, military officers of the Ma family, five generations of loyal martyrs!"
Scarface was instantly enraged: "That useless prince has no right to mention us!"
Chapter 56 Si Xitong's Punishment
Si Xinian immediately stepped back a few steps to make way for him to escape, but the scarred man was so angry that he forgot about escaping and stabbed him directly in the forehead.
His marksmanship was outstanding. No matter whether Si Xinian looked down or up, his carrying pole could still strike Si Xinian's head in a continuous, spinning motion. Si Xinian blocked one blow, quickly retreated, and made way, but the scarred man still couldn't escape.
The sound of horses' hooves nearby, followed by a long arrow striking the scarred man in the shoulder, finally stopped him.
Seeing Xie Bing returning to defend, Scarface immediately leaped onto the rooftop, scaling walls and leaping across the eaves.
Xie Guang put down his bow and arrows, slung his long sword over his shoulder, leaped onto the roof using his saddle, and was about to give chase.
Suddenly, Si Xinian let out a scream.
Xie Guang immediately gave up the chase, jumped off the roof again, and found Si Xinian.
"Is the Fourth Prince alright?"
Si Xinian clutched his wrist, feigning pain, and said, "It seems like I twisted it."
Xie Guang had to check on him personally to confirm that he was indeed injured. He then took the initiative to set the wound and reminded Si Xinian, "Fourth Prince, don't make things difficult for this general. The Marshal specifically asked me to protect you before he went to Jiujin."
“But you’ve really offended some people lately, so it’s best to lay low for a while.” Xie Guang said thoughtfully, “The Xie family won’t do anything to you anymore, but that doesn’t mean Tianjing won’t. After all, there are more people living in Tianjing than just the Xie family.”
That big man's marksmanship was clearly battlefield skill; he must have been a general, or at least a former regular commander.
Si Xinian's eyes darkened. He knew very well that there were always trade-offs. The Si clan wouldn't care about his reputation, but his actions would only make more people despise him. But he had to do it.
He said, “General, starting tomorrow, I will no longer travel, but when my clansmen enter the capital, we must make every effort to welcome them.”
Xie Guangzheng wanted to persuade him, but seeing the prince's determined face, he knew that the prince was stubborn and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
He could only say, "I will help you, just don't come out."
"Thank you very much, General." Si Xinian clasped his hands in thanks.
He was then obediently escorted back to the palace by the cavalry.
This scene caught the eye of Scarface, and he suddenly had an idea: Jing Ke assassinating the King of Qin.
The following day, the Si clan members gathered in ever-growing numbers, filling the inns to capacity. Inns were rarely so crowded, and restaurants were packed to capacity. Money flowed like water into restaurants throughout Tianjing; for some, joy was accompanied by sorrow, and behind the prosperity lay a microcosm of widespread poverty.
When Si Xinian met with his clansmen at Lanqi Hall, someone unexpectedly infiltrated the group to assassinate him. Fortunately, he was only injured in the arm, and the assassin was personally beheaded by Xie Guang.
In the Purple Light Hall of Jiu Jin, Si Xitong had almost suppressed the public opinion surrounding Jiu Jin, and she thought it was time to return to the capital.
Xie Lanzhi received news that Si Xinian had been attacked and injured.
Her brother-in-law has cast such a wide net for her; she can't afford to drain the pond to catch all the fish.
"Little Phoenix, pack your things, we're heading back to Beijing right away."
"That's exactly what I was thinking. My heart has been in turmoil all day."
Xie Lanzhi hid the letter and did not tell Si Xitong about her brother-in-law's attack.
Waiting for her to return to Beijing is the best way to protect Si Xinian.
The two packed their luggage. Due to the situation, Xie Lanzhi asked Xie Sheng to send people to protect Yelü Qiqi and deliver her to Yelü Lili so that Lili could take her back.
The three horses spurred on and hurried to Tianjing.
The journey took three hours, and they arrived on the same day.
Xie Bing began beating drums and gongs at the front to disperse the pedestrians on the street so that the carriage could move quickly. Because the procession was so large, many people gathered to watch.
Some people started speculating, "Has Marshal Xie returned?"
"Who noticed the Fourth Prince's outrageous behavior?"