Xie Lanzhi came to her senses and realized that bringing modern values into a chaotic world was a foolish act.
She is not Xie Ying, nor does she possess Xie Ying's ability to charge into battle. Just now, an archery attempt nearly exposed her identity.
This forced Xie Lanzhi to start reflecting on whether, if word got out that she couldn't shoot arrows, or if she didn't act as dictatorially as Xie Ying, it would shake the morale of the Xie family.
Can she, like Xie Ying, perfectly rule the Southern Region?
Xie Ying's achievements were earned on the battlefield, and every soldier admired her because of her bravery and skill in battle.
She felt that the role of Xie Ying was indeed difficult to play. When facing Huang Mang, the other party dared to point his finger at her and speak. If she were the real Xie Ying, she would have already torn Huang Mang to pieces and then conveniently taken over Tianjing.
It's nothing like me.
Thinking of this, the more serious her expression became, the more intense Xie Guang's gaze became.
Si Xitong took Xie Lanzhi's arm and whispered, "Marshal, I wish to confirm my benefactor's safety?"
"I will send someone myself. You stay by my side and don't leave for even a moment." Xie Lanzhi held her tightly; this place was too dangerous for a woman.
She was also a woman. Because of the Empress, she was prepared that if anything happened, she would immediately draw her sword and show no mercy.
In chaotic times, one has no choice but to conform in order to survive.
If possible, she hopes that the Southern Region can have more stability and peace, so that she can feel more comfortable.
Si Xitong could tell that she was preoccupied, so for now, she could only obediently stay by her side.
Xie Guang led his men to sweep through the wild villages. The villagers were already used to the soldiers coming to do evil, so they didn't even try to hide. Only the newly arrived villagers huddled in a corner, trembling with fear. Fortunately, Xie Guang wasn't there to kill people.
Instead, they came to find Madam Si's benefactor.
The group of people only went around once before finding the woodcutter's acquaintance, but unfortunately they received terrible news.
The woodcutter died, stabbed through the neck by a soldier, and his body was thrown off the cliff into Lean Dog Ridge to feed the jackals and tigers. Lean Dog Ridge was a notorious ghost forest, almost a place where one had to die at the slightest chance of survival. Only some soldiers were forced to flee there by cavalry pursuit, but even they were doomed to die there.
If we go looking for that woodcutter now, we might get lucky and find some remains, but if we're unlucky, we might lose the lives of the living as well.
In chaotic times, human life is cheap, and the people here seem numb to life and death. They are born into an abyss of despair, unable to change their fate, and know nothing of hope.
Whether the remains of that wandering soul can be recovered is now a question, and even if they are to be found, it will come at a great cost.
Xie Guang returned with the tragic news.
Si Xitong lowered her head, gently wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes, and remained silent.
Xie Lanzhi sensed the Empress's emotions and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her. She thought of the kind woodcutter's tragic death.
She asked regretfully, "What was that woodcutter's name?"
Xie Guang said, "It's strange, these savages actually have names, so they must be of noble birth. It's just that nowadays, nobles are everywhere, almost like weeds..." He dared not say the rest, after all, there was an even more miserable royal princess in front of him.
"What's your name?" she had just asked.
Si Xitong finally looked up and told her, "My benefactor is called Wu Zhoujun."
She seemed to be nothing more than a pitiful cannon fodder. She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, and then ordered Xie Guang, "From now on, Nomura will be renamed Wuzhou Village! It will be officially under the jurisdiction of the Xie family."
“Little Phoenix, let’s build a cenotaph for our benefactor. As for his remains, I will send someone to find them.”
Si Xitong knew that after a person dies, dust returns to dust, and there is no longer any need to worry about tomorrow. But the living are still alive, and there is still time to save them.
She shook her head and said, "Marshal, I am already content to repay my benefactor with a cenotaph. There is no need to send anyone into the ridge. There are too many ferocious beasts and birds of prey there. There is no need to risk our lives to go in."
"Yes, you don't need to worry. We'll be more comforted by the improvement of the world." Xie Lanzhi nodded. Although she was also a little regretful, now was indeed not the time to look for the remains. However, she would enclose and bury all the remains in the Shou Gou Ling area. It would be a way to comfort the lonely soul of that woodcutter.
"Then, when will things finally get better?" Si Xitong looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.
Xie Lanzhi was slightly taken aback, but she remained silent. In her heart, however, she had explained it dozens of times.
Because of you, everything will be alright.
"Grand Marshal..." Xie Guang received the order, his face clearly showing deep displeasure and a hint of resentment.
He tried to restrain himself several times, thinking that the Grand Marshal would control himself, but he watched as the Marshal gradually succumbed to doing things that were out of character.
He could no longer contain himself and suddenly knelt down before her, crying out in anguish, "Grand Marshal, this is inappropriate!!"
"Absolutely not! This is not something you should be doing!"
"You are Xie Ying, the renowned and powerful ruler of the Southern Region! The Xie family reveres you, and the Grand Marshal of the Army, feared by all in this chaotic world. How could you possibly be soft-hearted for a few dog lives!"
Xie Lanzhi was startled, sensing that Si Xitong's expression was slightly different from her emotional change. She realized that this action had exceeded Xie Ying's behavioral boundaries.
Who is Xie Ying?
The original novel described Xie Ying as a bloodthirsty eagle; when she soared, everyone had to submit and become flesh and blood under her vicious claws, at her mercy!
At the age of sixteen, she killed one person every ten steps. First, she killed all of Xie's cousins who were the same age as her, then her other cousins, and finally, she killed all the descendants of her own uncle on charges of treason.
Only a few sisters survived, which resulted in almost no male babies being born in the Xie family for one year.
The Xie family was once terrified that they had given birth to a son, and then Xie Ying snatched him away and drowned him.
Perhaps it was divine mercy, but the Xie family, whose pregnant women were born, almost always had a chance of survival – they had female infants.
Xie Ying was seventeen years old when the Xie family dared to resume having a son. That year, Xie Ying, for the sake of a fictitious half-brother, killed all the women connected to the old marshal and warned the entire Xie family that she was Xie Ying, the old marshal's only heir. She even dragged the old marshal's favorite concubine to the Fengyu Mansion and stabbed her to death in front of everyone.
This was just the tip of the iceberg. In her quest for power, Xie Ying even went so far as to massacre the old marshal's entire strategist battalion on charges of treason, causing the old marshal to be so enraged that he was hospitalized. If she weren't his only son, the old marshal might have replaced her long ago.
Xie Ying was able to maintain her position by physically eliminating her father's mistresses and influence.
When Xie Ying was twenty-three, she had a high fever and was then dressed up by Xie Lanzhi.
Perhaps sensing that something was wrong, Si Xitong began to worry about her.
This thought flashed through her mind, and she fell into confusion again. Was she worried about the domineering and arrogant Xie Ying, or Xie Lanzhi in front of her?
"It seems you're teaching me how to do things." Xie Lanzhi realized she couldn't avoid the persona she was playing, so she first pulled the worried Si Xitong behind her.
When facing Xie Guang, her eyes were filled with hidden turmoil. After a moment of calm, the fierce look of Xie Ying gradually emerged. The cavalrymen around her had no idea what had happened between the Grand Marshal and the General.
It was astonishing that the Grand General himself knelt down to oppose the Grand Marshal's actions.
This was truly unheard of. The two hundred cavalrymen all knelt down, not daring to utter a sound.
And so this scene unfolded: several villagers, looking at the Xie family men, knelt before the female general in her scarlet robe with expressions of fear.
The female general in the scarlet robe exuded a cold and fierce aura. She seemingly casually drew the white sword from her waist, and then, with an extremely domineering expression, she drew her sword swiftly, the blade chilling to the bone, making people's skulls tremble with fear.
With a clang, the general's helmet was shattered.
Xie Guang knelt on the ground, his hair instantly becoming disheveled and looking utterly pathetic.
"Marshal, calm down!!" The cavalrymen realized that the Grand Marshal was serious and immediately tried to persuade him.
When the Grand Marshal drew her sword, she didn't even give any instructions before directly cleaving the General in two for the head. It was truly horrifying.
Xie Guang hadn't expected the Grand Marshal to draw his sword at him so directly, and the speed at which he drew the sword and the chilling killing intent made him feel the same way the Grand Marshal did.
When he was afraid, he showed more excitement: "Thank you, Marshal, for sparing my life!"
Xie Lanzhi withdrew her rebuke. She thought this man was truly despicable! Or did all the members of the Xie family think that being pointed at with a sword by her was an honor?
She has to admit, she finally witnessed it today.
Xie Guang was so fanatically devoted to the man who had beheaded him.
She barely glanced at him again, leaped onto her horse, and then, holding Si Xitong in her arms, rode straight back to her residence.
As the cavalrymen watched the Grand Marshal leave with Lady Si, they all helped Xie Guang up, saying, "General, why did you provoke the Marshal for no reason? Are you out of your mind?"
Xie Guang kept saying with relief, "I'm fine, thank goodness, the Grand Marshal is still the same Grand Marshal!!"
"She hasn't changed!"
She did not lose her inherent sharpness because of the allure of a gentle life!
On the way back, Xie Lanzhi's hands, gripping the reins, trembled slightly. This was the first time she had ever wielded a sword to kill someone. If she missed, Xie Guang would truly die innocently at her hands.
She was sweating bullets for what she had just done, but soon she felt her hands being held tightly in her arms. The Empress's hands were not as long as hers, but they were firmly clasped between her fingers, calming her heart and giving her a sense of security.
Xie Lanzhi was startled to feel the person in her arms. Her silent comfort and unique tenderness warmed her heart.
Little Phoenix is indeed a kind and understanding girl.
Perhaps sensing her emotions, Si Xitong gently said to her, "Marshal, I have always kept your heroic demeanor at the welcoming ceremony in my heart."
"I will never forget Xie Lanzhi's kindness in saving me."
It wasn't that Xie Ying, nor was it the infamous Southern Region Demon God, revered by the entire Xie family!
It was the woman leaning against her.
Xie Lanzhi rested her forehead on Si Xitong's shoulder, burying her face in her hair, and whispered, "Little Phoenix, thank you."
Feeling that the person behind her had finally let go of their heavy emotions, Si Xitong felt a complex mix of emotions.
Xie Ying
Xie...Lan...Zhi.
Is it really the same person?
Chapter 11 She is the ruler, he is the subject
The next day.
She arrived at the Imperial Palace before.
As Si Xitong was tying her hair and adjusting her belt, she specifically said to her, "This concubine believes that there is nothing wrong with the Marshal drawing his sword."
"You are the ruler, and the general is the subject. The relationship between ruler and subject should not be overstepped."
"Thank you, little phoenix." Xie Lanzhi gently patted her head.
This proves that her decision to draw her sword in an emergency was correct.
Xie Ying was an unquestionable figure. She was arrogant and domineering, and she rarely changed, or even ever changed, any orders she gave.
Now that the Empress has reminded her, it seems she should take action.
Xie Lanzhi looked at the pile of memorials on her desk, which was almost higher than her shoulders. She thought to herself, "So much military work has accumulated in just half a month."
Indeed, without a unified emperor, the concept of "memorials" had declined, and even local governments dared to use them to issue official documents.