Every pore is sending a strong signal: I love her, I love her, I love her so much! I want to...
This woman definitely did it on purpose!!
She knew exactly what she was thinking, yet she still... she still caused such chaos and turmoil for him.
Xie Lanzhi was tormented by the conflicting emotions of heaven and earth. She reached out to push her away, but the woman's body was as smooth as a willow branch, and she used gentleness to overcome strength, deliberately tormenting her.
"Little Phoenix, if you continue like this, you'll regret it." Xie Lanzhi tried her best to control herself, she was almost gritting her teeth.
Si Xitong couldn't understand her at all. She had already made it so clear, so why was she still holding back? Was this person so oblivious after realizing their mutual needs? No, no, she wouldn't just... push her down.
Seeing that she preferred to endure rather than move, Si Xitong seized the opportunity to lightly nibble on her chin: "Lanzhi~ I wish~ to share a drink with you~"
Xie Lanzhi tilted her head back instantly, feeling a rush of blood to her nose, as if her whole body was about to explode. Si Xitong in her arms was like a hot potato, causing her repeated torment.
She...she's so unrestrained, who spoils her like this?!
"If you don't get up soon, something bad will happen."
Si Xitong was waiting for trouble to happen, but this person had extraordinary patience and restrained herself. This really annoyed her. Did she even want it? If she did, why was she holding back?!
What is she really thinking?
"Oh, I haven't even experienced how this happened yet?" Si Xitong reached behind her earlobe with his fingertips, pinched it, and began to play with it like a grape.
"You're playing with fire."
"Then why didn't it catch fire?"
Faced with a woman she couldn't reason with, Xie Lanzhi was baffled. Why should she restrain herself? They had been married for a year, sleeping together, cuddling, and kissing. What was there to be shy about? Logically, a newlywed couple separated for so long should indulge each other.
But why didn't she do that? Why didn't she do that? Two seemingly identical questions intertwined in Xie Lanzhi's mind, causing her usually quick-witted mind to suddenly become muddled.
They are lawfully married women, why can't they? They were caught reading pornographic books, so logically their marriage should be settled.
Why is this happening?
After thinking it over, the fire within her gradually calmed down and stopped burning her intensely. Once she calmed down a bit, she quickly regained her rationality.
Xie Lanzhi collapsed onto the bed. Her nose didn't bleed, but her emotions fluctuated wildly. After reaching a breaking point, she was finally forced to calm down.
Suddenly entering a state of enlightenment, she pondered why she hadn't directly consummated her marriage with Little Phoenix. Was there something wrong with her?
Si Xitong wanted to take the next step, but the other person deflated like a wilted eggplant.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she gradually began to doubt herself. Eventually, she calmed down and started to compare her appearance with her own.
Her looks should be fine, her figure should be fine too, so could it be... that her being too proactive dampened her enthusiasm? Does Lanzhi not like proactive women?
Both of them became engrossed in their own internal struggles, and as they immersed themselves in them, the atmosphere gradually cooled. The ambiguity remained, but it no longer held sway.
Si Xitong lay on Xie Lanzhi's body, raising her hand to touch her face, wondering if she was not charming enough.
Xie Lanzhi reflects on why she wants to be rational yet keeps reminding herself that she's not ready. What is her subconscious motivation?
Just as she was lost in thought, Si Xitong suddenly turned over and pressed his face against Xie Lanzhi's chest to check her heartbeat. It was a heartbeat she had heard countless times before.
"Thump thump~" It was still the same as before, her heart fluttering whenever she got close to her, and she would start drumming.
Looking at her beloved wife, who was nestled against her chest like a geologist, Xie Lanzhi's gaze softened, and four words suddenly popped into her mind: a proper marriage.
She suddenly realized something and grasped the root cause of the problem she couldn't understand.
"Oh, right, Little Phoenix."
Si Xitong looked listless; she began to doubt her own charm and had no interest in listening to her shouts.
We haven't had a wedding yet.
Wedding? Si Xitong heard the unfamiliar words, but half guessed the exact meaning. Lanzhi was talking about a wedding ceremony.
She lay on top of her and nodded, saying, "We are already husband and wife."
Xie Lanzhi's eyes shone brightly, sparkling like crystals under the lights: "But we both owe each other a wedding."
Chapter 93: Lovers Finally United
After a major case, the people of Tianjing avoided the Xie family, making them a fearsome and intimidating force.
The Xie family has never been as distressed as they are now. No matter how noble their status, as long as they say their surname is Xie, people will look at them as if they are about to be harmed, or as if they are wary of bad guys.
The Xie family has been much more well-behaved lately, but their tarnished reputation cannot be salvaged overnight.
Fortunately, as the head of the Xie family, he did not show favoritism and supported the Xiwei in handling the major case, thus giving the victims justice. The Xie family spent lavishly on compensation and distributed rice porridge to the people for half a month, barely managing to regain some goodwill.
Just then, in the Golden Palace, General Xie and Princess Feng Ning announced that they would be holding a belated wedding banquet. Their wedding ceremony took place.
The wedding banquet of the two masters in Tianjing was a grand celebration for the entire nation, a continuous feast lasting seven days and seven nights, with everyone enjoying themselves.
In the past two years, tax revenue in Tianjing has returned to a stable level. Although the national treasury is empty, the Xie family's private treasury is fuller than the national treasury. The money spent was Xie family's own, and it was also Marshal Xie's wedding banquet.
The general public and students still have a high opinion of Xie Lanzhi.
Regarding the legends surrounding Xie Lanzhi, half of the folklore portrays her as almost deified, claiming that she single-handedly conquered Fengxi Town, fought against ten thousand people, and wiped them all out.
There were also rumors of her being a demon from the southern regions, said to be someone who drank blood and ate children. She was once a figure used to scare unruly children in the countryside.
In short, everyone knew Xie Lanzhi's reputation from outsiders. This wedding banquet lasted seven days and seven nights, and extra grain, rice, and sweet potatoes were distributed to the people. With these tangible benefits in hand, the people were overjoyed. They spontaneously helped the government decorate the streets and alleys, and even hung red lanterns and red characters on their doors to express their happiness, making it even more lively than the Lunar New Year.
Thank you, Lord, for spreading clouds and rain, and opening up granaries and cloth.
His Highness Feng Ning even exempted the land tax for a year and provided free fertilizer for crops for a year. Among the five departments established by the Ministry of Works, a farmer's son invented a lime fertilizer that could help increase production. After testing, it was found that rice production increased from 3 shi per mu to 5 shi, which is equivalent to 600 jin of grain.
The claim of 600 jin of grain per mu caused a sensation in the south. The Southern Region even used it before harvesting the summer rice. The Southern Region itself produces two rice harvests a year, and in some places even three, making it the most fertile land in the entire south. Even without fertilizer, the fertile land in the Southern Region can yield four shi of grain per mu; the success depends on how much grain can be harvested during the busy farming season after using fertilizer.
The Ministry of Works' harvest greatly boosted agricultural production, and Xie Lanzhi felt the investment had been worthwhile. However, there was still no news regarding weaponry, which worried her greatly. She wondered if it was due to the plot that her talents couldn't produce good items.
After all, she was playing a major villain, someone who specifically tormented the Empress in the original story, her lifelong nemesis. Fortunately, the Ministry of Works and the Treasury had also invented something. She knew how to prepare gunpowder and distributed it for people to experiment with, but the materials were too outdated, and they couldn't find suitable substitutes after several attempts. The [unspecified material] wasn't moisture-proof either. The only saving grace was the significant improvement in ignition.
Furthermore, agriculture is developing faster than other sectors, fully leveraging the advantages of Jin as a major agricultural power. It is believed that in three years, the south will no longer fear food shortages. Civilians and soldiers alike will be well-fed, and perhaps even occasionally have meat to eat.
The news of increased grain production, coupled with the grand wedding ceremony of Xie Zhu and Prince Feng Ning, made for a truly joyous occasion. And just as the weather had been unbearably hot lately, a light drizzle followed the announcement of the wedding ceremony, providing welcome relief from the heat.
The rain is about to fall, and the good news of girls getting married is coming in waves.
It benefits all three aspects: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
This brought back the peaceful and prosperous atmosphere to the region that had been ravaged by the chaos of the late Jin Dynasty. Students wrote poems to celebrate the two new emperors of Tianjing, and the Xie family bought them up in large quantities, paying them in silver. When ordinary people passed by and offered their blessings, the Xie family would give them red envelopes containing copper coins. The people were delighted to receive these red envelopes.
Whether it was genuine or not, everyone was happy today.
At this moment, the newlyweds were busy in their respective places, with all the palace maids selecting clothing and phoenix crowns for them. Guards were carrying things, and the older ones were preparing to announce the wedding rites.
Xie Lanzhi was still picking and choosing in the Golden Palace. The officials of the capital surrounded her and recommended that she wear this. However, Xie felt that she should still follow the Xie family rules.
For a time, a disagreement arose between Jingchen and the Xie family. This disagreement between the Xie family and Jingchen was not new; the Xie family believed that their lord, being a member of the Xie clan, should naturally wear the Xie family's hunting attire.
The officials in the capital believed that the Marshal was the ruler of Tianjing, and although she had not yet been crowned a king, she was already one, so they insisted that she wear the red python robe of a prince for the wedding.
Xie Lanzhi looked left and right, admiring the black crown and red dragon robe with four claws, the hunting hat and long gown, and the half-armor-style red robe, as well as several boxes of jade pendants and thumb rings, boots and waist ornaments, and headdresses and necklaces. She was overwhelmed by the choices.
Ancient items were made of gold, silver, or high-quality jade; they had to be selected from all of them, each one priceless, and wearing them was like walking a moving gold mine.
On the contrary, things were much easier for Si Xitong. The bride's dress and jewelry were all prepared, the most eye-catching being the silver phoenix white crown that resembled a tree flower, dazzling and radiant, like moonlight hanging around her.
Xie Lanzhi originally wanted to wear the bride's dress, but Xie told her that since she was a female general of the Xie family or the Xie lord, she should naturally dress as a husband.
For a century, women from the Xie family who were engaged in martial arts have always married into the family, with very few precedents of them marrying into other families, just as it is rare for men to marry into their wives' families.
Xie Lanzhi herself had a rather heroic appearance, and was a formidable woman; the mere thought of her in a bridal gown was enough to frighten many. Therefore, Jingchen and Xie shared the same opinion on marrying a woman according to the proper rites for a husband.
Since it was her first marriage, she naturally wanted to take it seriously and therefore wanted experienced court officials to make the decision.
Finally, she donned the red dragon four-clawed python robe, adorned with white tassels, and donned the Xie clan's battle armor, barely managing to achieve a combination of Xie clan and Jin style. The armor draped her slender figure, making her appear even more robust. She then looked at herself in the newly crafted silver mirror from the Ministry of Works; the entire armored warrior looked less like she was going to a wedding and more like she was heading to battle.
In response, Ms. Wang jokingly remarked, "Marriage is inherently a war."
Xie Guang, on the other hand, had red and swollen eyes, and was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.
Xie Lanzhi asked speechlessly, "Xie Guang, why are you crying?"
"No, this humble general, this humble general is just suddenly feeling a little sad. The marshal has finally settled down and started a family. Back in Chenxiang Mansion, I always felt that your relationship with the mistress was somewhat improper, but I kept it to myself. Now, now that I see the marshal finally settling down with someone else, I just want to cry."
"It's like seeing my dog Ying get married too."
Xie Lanzhi patted his shoulder, a rare occurrence for her, and said with great satisfaction, "You're the first person who feels that I'm the one who's married off."
And his daughter, Xie Ying, is another story. Even her own father calls her a "dog daughter," which shows that in her father's eyes, she's as arrogant as a stray dog.
Lanzhang Palace.
As the younger brother, Si Xinian will carry his sister from Lanzhang Palace to the Golden Palace to get married.
In the silver mirror, the elder sister's lips, red with rouge, were full and plump like pomegranate seeds. Her exquisite features, even with heavy makeup, could not conceal her beauty. A silver phoenix crown adorned her head, with beads hanging down like a curtain, partially obscuring her beautiful face, like a pipa half-concealing its veil.
Si Xinian had dreamt many times of her elder sister marrying a man she didn't love, or of her sitting in a bridal sedan chair, weeping, on her way to a foreign land for an arranged marriage. Or perhaps, she met someone willing to be her slave. It seemed her life would pass by uneventfully like this.
Now, everything was a path he had never imagined. His eldest sister had embarked on the most difficult one, and was fortunate enough to meet a lover willing to give her heart. This man was far more impressive than he had imagined his brother-in-law to be, and he cherished his eldest sister dearly. His eldest sister was even willing to give her life for him.
Her appearance brought the most dazzling moment to her elder sister's life.
Perhaps even the Emperor himself didn't expect that his sister's future husband would be neither Li Li, whom he had chosen, nor any former ruler of any country, but rather Lord Xie of the Southern Region.
His eyes reddened, and he quietly wiped away his tears. Through the reflection in the mirror, Si Xitong saw her younger brother secretly shedding tears.
She stared at her younger brother in the silver mirror and said, "Today is the day my elder sister is getting married. Aren't you happy for me?"
"I'm happy, I'm very happy." Si Xinian tried hard to stop his tears, but for some reason, he just couldn't control them today.
"Yes, it's just that I have an indescribable feeling in my heart. My royal sister."
“I know, my elder sister knows, because in your mind, no matter who I marry, I will not be happy, so you have always been afraid that I will be let down.” Si Xitong explained for him, her red lips gently smiling, showing composure and confidence that could not be shaken by wind and rain: “But the person I am going to marry this time is far more unconventional than you, far more unorthodox than what the world imagines. Since ancient times, the union of yin and yang has been in accordance with the law, how can the world see the phoenix and the dragon as reversed?
“But have you ever thought that if I go against the natural order, then Heaven will stop me from marrying her no matter what? Love between women may just be a prejudice of the world. The world just doesn’t understand, but that doesn’t mean that my marriage to Lanzhi is a mistake.”
"Now you are my only family member left. If even you don't support me, then all under heaven, across the eight wastelands, will only be me and Lanzhi facing the controversial gaze of the world."
On such an important day, Si Xinian dared not let his elder sister think wildly. He kept shaking his head like a rattle drum and anxiously explained, "No, I didn't think that way. Ever since she slaughtered the entire Fengxi Town for you, I should have understood that in this world, besides me, only she cherishes you like her own life."
"Marshal Xie was no ordinary woman. In the chaos of the times, she was constantly on the move, and many people could not find a place to live. I think no man could surpass her. From all her past actions, I could see a kind of vitality and a kind of strength in her."
"Perhaps she will be the one to quell the chaos in the future. No, it must be her! My sister and I will support her. Regardless of victory or defeat, our family will live and die together!"
The younger brother's face, which was filled with a mixture of youthful innocence and maturity, showed that he had grown up overnight, just as the impetuous boy he once was.