The monthly wage was two dou of rice, and one dou of rice weighed eighteen jin, equivalent to thirty jin. In addition, low-priced sweet potatoes from Lu State were continuously transported to Huayin State by merchants from Huayin.
The people of Huayin tasted the sweet potatoes, and every household bought hundreds of kilograms, enough to get through at least a month.
The merchants of Huayin were a group that Si Xitong had specifically gathered through Ma Hong. She understood that to quickly improve people's livelihoods and stabilize the economy, she needed to leverage the power of merchants. Therefore, she personally issued IOUs to the Huayin merchants, allowing them to trade in the State of Lu. The ruler of Lu, Fu Linggang, was worried about the surplus of sweet potatoes in his country, secretly complaining that the new Tianjing and the Nine Jin regions would sell them free sweet potatoes for a profit. The Lu merchants then went on a buying spree, but they misjudged the situation, causing sweet potato prices to plummet. They even suffered losses.
Now, Huayin State is buying sweet potatoes from Lu State, and the ruler of Lu State is taking the opportunity to make a profit.
Having tasted the benefits of cooperating with their new master, the merchants of Huayin naturally began to quietly align themselves with their new masters. They were no longer willing to pander to the old Huayin nobles in their attempts to restore their kingdom.
Although merchants amassed considerable wealth at the end of the Jin Dynasty, without some influence over the government, it was impossible to conduct business, let alone cross-border trade. Furthermore, cross-border trade offered the protection of a ruler, providing a strong sense of security and guaranteed profits, which led the merchant class to completely align themselves with Si Xitong.
Si Xitong deliberately opened up channels for communication between the middle and lower classes, achieving great results in a short period of time. Afterwards, she appointed a large number of low-ranking officials who had pledged allegiance to her, and with a slight promotion, she gained the support of many people.
In Huayin, significant differences in interests began to emerge between the upper and lower classes. The Huayin gentry were secretly plotting against each other, but for the time being, they were not afraid.
Si Xitong also sent quite a few spies to Huayin Kingdom.
In just half a month, Huayin Kingdom did not suffer the same oppression as it did on the day the Huns entered the pass. On the contrary, it was even better off than usual.
Because the pressure of trade and transportation was borne by the State of Lu, the ruler of Lu wrote an account book for this and submitted it to Si Xitong.
Looking at the maintenance costs, which amounted to a million taels, Si Xitong couldn't help but sigh, "I need money."
Xie Lanzhi glanced at the young couple beside her from time to time. Apart from An Yi, who seemed a little melancholy but had no choice but to accept it, A Zi seemed to be able to take it all in stride.
“Money can never be earned enough, there’s no need to rush,” Xie Lanzhi said. “The large coal mines that have been discovered have all been mined, leaving only those that haven’t been developed yet, which is enough for us to develop for a while.”
Si Xitong nodded, then looked at An Yi, her head hanging low: "An Yi."
An Yi looked up at her with a complicated expression.
Si Xitong said, "Fifty percent of the coal mining rights of Huayin Kingdom will be returned to you, and the Northern Prefecture and the main palace will also be returned to you at the same time."
Faced with her generous behavior, An Yi couldn't help but say, "Sister, since you've already occupied Huayin Kingdom, wouldn't it be like letting a tiger return to the mountains if you asked me to go back?"
“Since you have confessed your true feelings to me, I will let you go back.” Si Xitong said, “From now on, you are no longer the king, but the Prince of An.”
"I possess the right to mine coal, and military power belongs to me."
An Yi paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No, since you have already occupied Huayin Kingdom, don't give those people any more hope."
As she spoke, she glanced at her beloved wife and held Azi's hand: "I once decided to govern the country well and protect Azi, but later I found that I couldn't control the gentry at all."
"So I gave up on that idea."
Si Xitong said, "If you're worried about that, I'll send someone to protect you."
"The Kingdom of Huayin needs someone to maintain order."
An Yi wanted to refuse again, feeling that since they had chosen to attack Huayin Kingdom in the first place, they shouldn't have done it again. Not only her, but even her sister's men might not agree to it.
Xie Lanzhi also began to persuade her: "Anyi, Huayin Kingdom needs to maintain order now, and the royal family must step in."
"If you are worried about being taken advantage of or being unable to control your subordinates, you don't need to worry about it."
As long as life is good, no one in Huayin will launch a large-scale rebellion. Moreover, the blame for the destruction of Huayin should not fall on Anyi; it is the fault of the deceased old king.
Even if history records this, the newly arrived army was not introduced by Anyi, but by the Hu and Xiongnu. The Hu and Xiongnu, along with the old ruler, were the real culprits.
On the contrary, the war of restoration fought by Anyi will be remembered in history, but unfortunately it lasted too short.
Anyi had no desire to sit in that position; her long-held ideal of becoming a diligent and capable ruler had long been shattered.
Because reality is always cruel; she was just lucky, but lacked the ability.
Azi said, "Sister, if Anyi doesn't want to, then so be it."
"Please rescind your order."
“Since Anyi is unwilling, then you can go to Jiujin. I will grant you Lincheng as a reward, so that you can become the lord of a city and maintain your current life.” Si Xitong did not try to keep Anyi any longer.
An Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she wanted to leave for Jiu Jin immediately and no longer want to stay in Huayin Kingdom and add to her sorrow, Huayin Kingdom needed her now, and she couldn't leave for the time being.
Since An Yi was unwilling to remain in the court, Si Xitong had to choose a puppet ruler from among An Yi's brothers and sisters.
This time, not a single coal mining right in Sixitong will be opened up.
Xie Lanzhi secretly speculated on the plot development of Little Phoenix. Huayin was nominally destroyed and taken over by Little Phoenix. The next step was to support a puppet regime to control Huayin.
It seems they have no intention of destroying the Huayin Kingdom; they must proceed step by step.
In the Hu-Xiongnu camp, Apochi was killed in battle. With the retreat from Anshan, Aqina will inevitably emerge from seclusion.
So the next step will likely be a continued tug-of-war between the Hu and Xiongnu.
Aqina will likely take action against the domestic situation first.
The storyline following Little Phoenix will definitely not involve a major war. The newly formed army has already made a name for itself, and although it is not as flamboyant as the Xie family, small countries certainly wouldn't dare to provoke it. Therefore, if there is another war, it will be a major war.
After waiting in the county government office for a while, An Yi suddenly said, "Sister, if there's nothing else, I'd like to take A Zi out for some fresh air."
Si Xitong nodded. She waited for the young couple to go out hand in hand.
Si Xitong walked up to Xie Lanzhi, wrapped his arms around her waist, and buried himself in her embrace.
Xie Lanzhi sensed her emotions. She asked, "Are you blaming yourself?"
“There’s no need for that,” Si Xitong said. “If you were in charge of Huayin Kingdom, I would do the same.”
Xie Lanzhi clearly sensed that she was being hypocritical. She clearly cared about the opinions of the women of Anyi. After all, Anyi was the royal family of Huayin. It was impossible for them not to feel some resentment when their country was suddenly destroyed.
An Yi just wanted to leave to calm down and didn't want to face the current situation of Huayin Kingdom anymore.
Xie Lanzhi patted her back to comfort her: "You'll have many more choices to make in the future."
"If I were the ruler of Huayin, I would choose to fight you to the death. What would you decide then? Would you conquer Huayin, capture me, and kill me?"
Upon hearing this, Si Xitong quickly looked up; even if it was just a hypothetical situation, she didn't want to hear it.
She quickly shook her head: "No, I can't."
"But you will still attack Huayin Kingdom, won't you?" Xie Lanzhi said, "Instead of spending time trying to please the Huayin gentry and getting them to side with you for their own benefit, they may not even be completely loyal to you."
"It would be better to shatter their foundations and destroy their beliefs. Then rebuild a new order, and I believe that the new order you build will be more considerate of the people."
"Fu Feng, if you want peace, you must first stop the fighting with force."
Peace is always the desire of the people, but in times of chaos, peace becomes a luxury, a mere wishful thinking. The common people become tools for those in power to sacrifice their lives for fame and gain. Since everyone is destined for the same fate, why not choose a benevolent ruler who can promise them a future?
"Little Phoenix".
Si Xitong stepped out of her arms, and her disappointed expression gradually faded. Seeing this, Xie Lanzhi smiled slightly.
Yes, that's it, little phoenix. Don't hesitate or feel any pity. You are an emperor, not just any emperor, but a martial emperor who has expanded the territory and re-established the nation.
You were not the first emperor to unify the world, but you were the most special and the most benevolent emperor.
Mercy should be reserved for your people.
Xie Lanzhi gently placed a kiss on her forehead, and as she moved away, she said with lingering affection, "I still remember the days I spent with you at Chenxiang Mansion. Although you were still wary of me then, the trust you showed me in the carriage is still vivid in my mind."
Who could have imagined that the little phoenix, once as anxious and timid as a startled bird, would actually be able to spread its wings and soar high? And the height it flew far exceeded her imagination.
She thought that if she had begun to handle government affairs and was already showing signs of independence in Lanzhang Palace, then she would have already completed her training in Jinghua Prefecture.
"No one in the world can put my mind at ease more than you," Xie Lanzhi said. "I also need a peaceful and prosperous world. I don't want to spend my whole life running around on the battlefield."
The loss of her internal energy once filled her with panic.
Her panic subtly affected her little phoenix.
She would find it hard to believe that Little Phoenix didn't intend to demonstrate her strength in this battle to destroy Huayin.
The little phoenix was eager to demonstrate her strength because she wanted to tell her that it didn't matter if she didn't fight, she could still rely on her. This time, she was capable of standing on her own and protecting herself.
Si Xitong puffed out her cheeks and gently pouted, "Then can I already be considered an adult in your eyes?"
"Is it just about being an adult?" Xie Lanzhi realized that she was only doing so much to show her adult side in front of her.
She said with some emotion, "Little Phoenix is already an extremely outstanding ruler of a country."
"Even if I don't admit it, go ask people outside, they will definitely say you are good."
"No. I just want you to say I'm good." Si Xitong immediately said, "I don't care what others think, I just want you to say good, very good, excellent."
"No matter how good it is, I just want to hear it from you."
Xie Lanzhi patted her back again and said, "Okay, okay. Shall I say it a few more times?"
She held her in her arms, kissed her gently, and said, "My Fu Feng has grown into a capable adult. She has not only grown up, but she is also a benevolent ruler in the eyes of millions of people."
"She learned how to make money, how to produce goods, and how to infiltrate enemy countries and seize power. If anyone under her concealed anything, her Western Guard would not let them off the hook."
"She single-handedly rallied talented individuals from across the land to dedicate themselves to rebuilding their homeland amidst the chaos of war, and she worked tirelessly. Countless people eagerly awaited her return."
Si Xitong listened quietly to her sweet words, her eyes growing deeper and more affectionate, until finally transforming into a profound obsession. Her hands gripped the woman's black robe sash tightly, as if trying to meld her into her own heart. To keep her inside, never to let her go again. To make her goodness belong only to herself.
No one in this world deserves to enjoy Lan Zhi's kindness. Everything she has belongs to Si Xitong.
An Yi and A Zi walked hand in hand aimlessly, followed by a group of newly recruited soldiers. When she stopped, the group stopped three meters behind her.
An Yi told them to leave, but they couldn't get them to do anything.
It wasn't until Azi spoke up: "This general asks you to pass on a message to my sister."
The word "sister" was emphasized very heavily, clearly reminding them that even in their misfortune, they still shared a deep sisterly bond with their mistress, a bond that subordinates could not match.
As expected, the newly recruited troops all retreated.
An Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Anyway, it makes no difference; I'll be followed wherever I go."
Azi said, "I know you are unwilling, and you also know your own strength. It's better to let go sooner rather than later."
"Do you think you're young and can still develop your abilities?"
An Yi seemed a little guilty after being hit on the head. She touched her head and said, "I do have this thought. I'm wondering if I can govern Huayin Kingdom well?"
"Perhaps I can ask my sister for advice and have her teach me. I don't trust the Huayin gentry."
"But my sister's actions made me see the situation in Huayin Kingdom clearly. Even if we defeat the Hun people, there are still a bunch of ambitious wolves left who are desperately trying to seize power."
As she spoke, her face was filled with dejection: "Even if I suppress them temporarily, I cannot fight against a group of people on my own. They can lull me into a false sense of security and then feign compliance while secretly disobeying me."
The Huayin gentry were like that when the Huns were still around; it was just that having multiple external enemies made them united against a common foe. Now that there are no external enemies, they are naturally all like wolves and tigers, eager to replace the Huns and exercise power. Whether she is the ruler or not will make no difference. Moreover, her sister told her that the Huayin gentry do not recognize Azi.
Thinking of this, Anyi held Azi's hand tightly and said affectionately, "After thinking so much, I was once blinded by the glory of restoring the country and thought that I was the chosen one of heaven, so even heaven was helping me."
"But now I'm clear-headed and have rediscovered my true self."