Si Xitong ordered the palace servants to move the items back to the storeroom.
As soon as Xie Lanzhi returned to Lanzhang Palace, she saw the palace servants running around busily, and gifts were being delivered in carts.
It seems that quite a few people have given her gifts.
As soon as she got to her side, she couldn't help but tease her, "It seems that Madam is highly praised for her impartial and incorruptible judgments, just like Bao Gong. Otherwise, why would she receive so many gifts?"
Xie Lanzhi inquired in the streets of Tianjing and learned that the people remembered her as the eldest princess because Si Xitong had solved the case for Haiyun, and even adapted Si Xitong's case into a play that was performed in the streets and alleys.
The women of the Tianjing officialdom all praised her for upholding justice for women.
There were also some people in the Xie family who didn't think much of Xie Yongxin.
Si Xitong glanced at her helplessly and said, "Lanzhi, this is what you wanted to see."
"What have I done? Fu Feng, don't underestimate yourself." Xie Lanzhi pretended to be confused. With her hands behind her back, the two of them standing close together added a pleasing sight to the palace.
Si Xitong's eyes held a faint light as she replied firmly, "I won't, and you shouldn't either."
"Lanzhi, I've been thinking a lot these days."
What are you thinking about?
"I don't want to harm your interests to build my own skyscraper." Si Xitong spoke solemnly at this moment. She was serious.
Xie Lanzhi stopped teasing and looked at the serious-faced girl. She suddenly raised her hand to touch her face, seemingly narcissistic and self-deprecating, and said, "Fu Feng, has my face always been somewhat deceptive to you? It's strange. In the eyes of outsiders, I am clearly a demon, but in your eyes, I seem like a kind-hearted person."
Which of these two personas is my true self?
"If a person has two faces, one is outward, and the other is in their heart." Si Xitong Subai gently took Xie Lanzhi's right arm with both hands and led her into the hall, waiting for the palace servants to be dismissed.
Only the two of them remained.
Si Xitong lowered her eyes, her voice as deep and resonant as a stone falling from a spring: "Lanzhi, I hope I can achieve great things."
"Then I also hope that Laneige can safeguard its great cause."
Her words were filled with expectation: "You and I have never had a conflict, not in the past, and not in the future."
"If you want my lamps to shine brightly, you must avoid my sharp edge. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? To me, you are a friend in need, a benefactor, and even more so..."
Her mood gradually darkened and she hesitated: "Then what am I to you?"
She didn't answer the question; she just stared at her intently. Her face was both fierce and handsome, with a pair of gentle eyes fixed on her, patiently waiting for her to finish speaking.
"It's really worrying that a young girl thinks so much at this age." Xie Lanzhi gently touched the tip of her nose with her fingertip. Seeing that the tip of her nose was red from being rubbed, she quickly withdrew her hand behind her back.
The strength of this body can sometimes be quite rough if you're not careful.
She told her, "I used to think that I was born with a great mission and that any difficulty was an obstacle I had to overcome. But when I met you, I changed my mind."
"If it would allow you to sit in that position without any worries, it wouldn't be so bad."
What predetermined destiny, what predetermined mission?
All she wanted was a happy ending, one where she could fulfill her great mission of saving the world without sacrificing her own happiness. A perfect solution.
Si Xitong's nose was red, and she gently rested her forehead against her chest, her head lowered so that her expression could not be seen: "Thank you for letting me hear your true thoughts."
I will follow in your footsteps. But you must not stop either.
Xie Lanzhi looked at her intently and said, "Are you telling me all this suddenly to reassure me?"
This is the age when a young girl's competitive spirit is at its peak. She has her own opinions, and we should be happy about that.
But for some reason, I feel empty inside. She wants to be independent; I should celebrate that.
But... Xie Lanzhi suddenly realized that her heart could no longer treat her simply as the empress from the original story.
At this moment, Si Xitong raised his head and gazed intently at her, saying, "Lanzhi, I have set a net, and it's almost time to reel it in."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:26:46 on November 24, 2021 and 12:37:09 on November 25, 2021!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: the adorable little fox Xiuyi and Mi50 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 26 The Orthodox Lineage of the Si Clan at the Birthday Banquet
Xie Lanzhi pressed her hand to her chest; it was only after leaving Lanzhang Palace that her heartbeat calmed down.
She didn't go back to Lanzhang Palace to sleep that night; instead, she chose to rest at Jianzhang Palace.
She needed time to think about her relationship with Si Xitong. Before, to save her, she had given her the title of "lady" and become her wife. But what about now?
Without realizing it, she had become inseparable from her.
The news that Xie Lanzhi did not rest at Lanzhang Palace reached the ears of Xie's general.
They were all taken aback. The Marshal doted on Madam Si the most. In the past, she would always return to Chenxiang Mansion no matter how late it was. Why was she at Jianzhang Palace tonight?
Xie Ji, however, sensed an opportunity. He believed it was just a minor squabble between husband and wife, and that he and his wife were no different.
This shows that the two have a very good relationship.
Xie Ji said, "Wu Qiu, let's also send a generous gift to Madam Si tomorrow!"
Wu Qiu agreed.
The news of Xie Ji sending gifts caused a sensation among the Xie family of Tianjing.
Some people wanted to learn how to give gifts, while others directly criticized him for being a bootlicker. Opinions about Si Xitong among the Xie family members were polarized.
Xie Ji never expected that simply giving a gift would lead to such targeting. The next day at court, he was doused with excrement by a rain of manure falling from the sky at the street corner. He requested leave and did not attend court that day.
Xie Lanzhi's mind was entirely on Lanzhang Palace.
Si Xitong is a rather reserved girl. The most direct and proactive thing she did was when she hugged her and asked her on the day she entered the palace.
After that, they treated each other with the same respect as the people of the Southern Region.
But now, as the girl confesses her plans to him, she has begun to actively reveal her thoughts to him.
Xie Lanzhi tightened her grip on the memorial. In front of the assembled officials, she had always been a diligent and dictatorial ruler, but at this moment she was lost in thought.
Some officials had already submitted to Xie Lanzhi. If it weren't for Xie Lanzhi maintaining order, the court wouldn't have been able to operate so quickly, and the officials and people wouldn't have had such a peaceful period.
Winter was drawing to a close, the war in the south had ended, but fighting continued elsewhere.
After early spring, it's time for farming to begin in Tianjing.
"Reporting to the Marshal." An assistant officer stood up from the table.
Xie Lanzhi snapped out of her daze: "What is it?"
The assistant official said, "The selection list you requested has been prepared by the adults."
Xie Lanzhi said, "Bring it here, let me take a look."
The assistant official held the memorial high above his head, knelt on the ground, and presented it to Xie Lanzhi. Xie Lanzhi looked at his standard feudal kneeling posture, sighed helplessly, and accepted the memorial.
She glanced at the memorial and found that 70% of the people on the list were related to the Xie family, leaving only 30% headed by the Duke of Zheng.
It is almost monopolized by two parties.
She dismissed the others and then summoned Xie Guang: "How did things go?"
Xie Guang clasped his hands and said, "This humble general has already executed the criminal who attempted to murder the Duke of Zheng."
Who is it?
"This..." Xie Guang dared not say it in front of others. After all, family scandals should not be aired in public.
Xie Lanzhi told him to leave, guessing that he was sent by the Xie family.
Xie Guang left the palace dejectedly, feeling like a lowly soldier dismissed at the mere mention of his name by the marshal.
Just as he was feeling down, a strong voice called out to him from near the palace gate: "General, please wait!"
Call him? Xie Guang turned his head and saw the energetic Duke of Zheng beckoning to him.
The Duke of Zheng walked over to him and asked with concern, "Why is the General so dejected?"
"It's just a little trouble, nothing to worry about," Xie Guang said.
Duke Zheng said, "If it is related to Marshal Xie, you might as well hear what I have to say."
Then Duke Zheng told him that General Xie preferred to have people who got things done by his side, like himself.
He was then given another invitation to his birthday banquet.
Xie Guang agreed: "Duke of Zheng, I wish you a long and healthy birthday!"
"Thank you for your kind words, Grand Marshal," said Duke Zheng, clasping his hands in greeting.
The two passed each other by; one went into the palace, and the other went out. Their pleasant conversation was witnessed by others.
Xie began to pay attention to the wind direction.
It was gradually discovered that the anti-Tianjing forces, though started by the Xie family, seemed to be cleverly using this momentum to control the situation.
Moreover, the public opinion surrounding the Si family seems to be slipping out of the Xie family's control.
Even Xie Xia noticed this, and he specifically asked Jiang Jinshi: "This general feels that the atmosphere in Tianjing is strange. I have never felt this way before in the Southern Region, but recently I feel more and more that Tianjing is no longer under the Xie family's control."
Even if they move in with a large number of people, this sense of unease will still remain.
Jiang Jinshi described it for him: "It was the uncontrollable situation that made the general feel a sense of crisis."
Xie Xia nodded.
Before Xie Lanzhi returned to the palace, Si Xitong ordered the palace servants not to accept any more gifts.
She didn't go back to the palace to sleep for three days in a row.
These days, Si Xitong would always jump out of the east-facing window to admire the sunrise during her meals. She would gaze at the sky, remaining silent.
The palace servants assumed that their master simply enjoyed watching the sunrise.
Only the palace maid Xiaoxiu knew who her mistress was missing. Perhaps it was His Majesty or the Empress, or the Fourth Prince who was still away, or perhaps... someone else entirely.
Xiao Xiu didn't know what had happened between her mistress and the marshal, but she guessed that her mistress was in a bad mood from the fact that His Highness's appetite had started to decrease.