"Does Little Phoenix have any clues?"
Xie Lanzhi served her tea.
Si Xitong's gaze lingered on her lips with a complex expression as he asked, "Are you that thirsty?"
There was clearly a hidden meaning in her words. Xie Lanzhi wasn't stupid; she needed to think carefully before answering to avoid further angering Little Phoenix.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand why the little girl was angry with her. Was it because she almost fell off a cliff?
Thinking of how the little girl almost fell off the cliff, she immediately pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly: "It's my fault, I made you worry and almost fall off the cliff."
Si Xitong said, "No, although the coachman was moving closer to the cliff, he deliberately slowed down and kept a steady pace, giving me a chance to kill him. Moreover, I will not fall off the cliff, because the coachman's family depends on me to survive. And you can also reach me if you are fast enough, so the possibility of falling off the cliff is low."
"I just don't understand why the coachman would do that?"
"Someone you trusted suddenly betrayed you at a crucial moment." Xie Lanzhi suddenly said in a deep voice, "It seems there are still many people you can't trust."
Si Xitong was taken aback, and she suddenly stared at her. After a while, she took the initiative to get out of her arms, and reason made her say something: "Who I trust is up to me. Lanzhi doesn't need to worry, and I won't lose my trust in others because of the betrayal of those around me."
"Right now, I need to have someone investigate this thoroughly."
“I’m at ease with Jiu Jin having your people. It’s just that you can’t do everything yourself.”
She does everything herself. Even when rescuing someone, she personally kissed them. Si Xitong's expression hardened, and she instantly turned around and said, "Mind your own business."
Xie Lanzhi: "What did I do now?"
"By the way, you've been acting strangely since the beginning. Why did you suddenly become so cold towards me?" Xie Lanzhi stepped forward and pulled the little girl in front of her again, but Si Xitong pushed her away.
Undeterred, Xie Lanzhi wrapped her arm around her waist again and drew closer to her.
"release!"
"I won't let go until you explain clearly." Then the beauty twisted the soft flesh on her waist with two fingers, twisting quickly and loosening just as quickly.
The pain made Xie Lanzhi clutch her waist and back away, her eyes wide with disbelief: "Little Phoenix."
Si Xitong's fingertips stiffened. She clenched her fist and turned around: "Think carefully, you really haven't done anything else?"
"What other..." She paused, and even Xie Lanzhi, who was slow to realize what was going on, finally understood.
The problem lies with the little princess!
After much deliberation, Xie Lanzhi realized that ever since she rescued the little princess and put her in the carriage, her little phoenix had been acting strangely.
Is he jealous?
Xie Lanzhi's eyes suddenly lit up, so bright they were almost blinding: "Little Phoenix."
Si Xitong was momentarily blinded by her intense gaze, then looked away and asked, "Have you thought it through?"
“I will definitely save her. This little princess is a crucial step for Jiujin and for you.” Xie Lanzhi stopped clinging to her and instead put her hands behind her back and walked around to Si Xitong’s front. She said seriously, “So for me, because of you, Yelü Qiqi must not be allowed to get into trouble.”
It was all for her sake, which is why... he breathed on her.
Si Xitong's gaze fell on Xie Lanzhi's lips, glistening slightly from the tea. She suddenly pressed her index finger against Xie Lanzhi's lips; the touch... was very elastic.
Xie Lanzhi was stunned. She was forced to kiss the little girl's fingertips, which were a little cold.
"Hmm, little phoenix."
Si Xitong lowered her voice, trying to compose herself: "I know very well that you were not taking advantage of someone in distress. You were just trying to save someone, and you didn't have any ulterior motives."
"I understand, I know everything."
It's like telling her something is also a way of convincing myself.
Whether she knew Xie Lanzhi or not, she didn't know; but she herself didn't know now.
Could it be that the young girl thought she had made a lewd move towards Yelü Qiqi?!
Xie Lanzhi immediately grabbed her fingertips and explained, "I have absolutely no improper thoughts about Yelü Qiqi, so don't be jealous!"
"I understand. I accidentally hit you with the book. Do you still feel pain?" Si Xitong's anger instantly subsided after Xie Lanzhi said this.
She wasn't the kind of woman who would make a scene or cause trouble. Before understanding the whole story, she wouldn't do anything foolish like crying, making a scene, or threatening suicide.
Because it's too stupid.
"It's alright, you wouldn't bear to hit me." Xie Lanzhi almost burst into tears of grievance, but thankfully the young girl was no ordinary woman, and it was good that she could understand her.
A cooing sound accompanied by flapping wings came from the yellow tiles of the Ziguang Hall, and a pigeon suddenly flew in from under the eaves into the palace.
Si Xitong immediately lifted her skirt and entered the palace, took down the pigeon, and took out the note from its leg.
The contents are as follows: The groom's family of four has been located; his wife and daughter have been kidnapped and taken hostage, leading to the groom's betrayal of his master. The mastermind behind this is Yang Gao, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The remaining soldiers are also composed of Imperial Guards.
The assassin who killed Lanzhi was none other than the commander of the Emperor's Imperial Guard!
Si Xitong's gaze was icy cold. She tore up the letter and immediately issued the order: "The remnants of the Imperial Guards will not be recruited out of old favors. Kill!"
When Xie Lanzhi saw the string of orders behind her, she was not surprised. Instead, she appreciated the air of authority that the young girl exuded at that moment.
The more assertive she was, the more at ease Xie Lanzhi felt. A smile played on Xie Lanzhi's lips.
Si Xitong said, "The investigation is almost complete, but there's one more thing I think you need to know."
Xie Lanzhi said, "Jiujin is your territory, but those who have pledged allegiance to you are all mixed-race people. They all dared to attack me when I was escorting you, and some even dared to take advantage of the chaos to try to assault you."
"These two are probably not the same group of people."
Her eyes were icy cold.
"I'll deal with the people who attacked you; you deal with the people who attacked me." Ever since Xie Lanzhi killed the traitor Xie Yan, she had come to understand that in chaotic times, using force to stop war was more beneficial than harmful.
Si Xitong had this intention.
The night in Jiujin is not peaceful tonight.
In an unnamed slum in a border town, a group of former soldiers gathered. They had lost more than a dozen men and now only had more than twenty left.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard is still planning a second wave of assassinations against Xie Ying!
However, the tranquil slum was soon shattered by Xie's cavalry. A hundred cavalrymen, carrying torches, illuminated a corner of the slum, and then set it ablaze. Like smoking out rat holes, everyone inside ran out of their houses and was shot dead by the cavalrymen.
General Yang Gao of the Imperial Guard was shot through the throat with an arrow, and his body was tied with rope and dragged away by a horse.
Meanwhile, in another government office, the former Right Chancellor was still discussing his so-called grand plan to restore the country.
The Nine Jin personal guards stormed into the yamen and, without saying a word, began to kill indiscriminately. The Right Chancellor was even hanged.
The government offices gathered their forces, and not a single person survived.
In the border town of Jiujin, there was a school set up in Xie Lanzhi's name. Originally, no students wanted to go in, and they disliked Xie's usual practices.
Scholars have always been known for their aloofness; they viewed not only the northern foreign enemies but also the Xie family and the Huang rebels as traitors and rebels. The Xie family's attempt to restore the rites of the Jin dynasty did not gain the approval of this group of scholars.
In their eyes, everything Xie Ying did was for the sake of the Jin state, and the poor Princess Fengning was just being used by Xie Ying!
Princess Fengning, as the ruler of Jiujin, was incapable of fully controlling Jiujin and was merely a figurehead. This fact had been circulating in Jiujin in private for a long time. Only the people of Jiujin unanimously recognized Princess Fengning. The people knew how the emperor viewed them, but they were just commoners. Whoever treated them well, they would serve as their master.
In particular, a small sweet potato vine has earned the nickname "lifesaving vine" in Jiu Jin, all thanks to Prince Feng Ning's efforts to secure this lifesaving vine for them. As a result, the 200,000 people of Jiu Jin universally regard Prince Feng Ning as their wise ruler.
For them, it didn't matter whether the monarch was male or female; as long as the monarch loved his people like his own children, he was a messenger sent by Heaven.
On the contrary, scholars who consider themselves disciples of Confucius and Mencius are the most stubborn in upholding propriety.
The Jin Dynasty was in ruins and still recovering, yet someone was already trying to assassinate the wise ruler.
The news spread throughout the border town the next day, and the bodies of Yang Gao and the Right Chancellor, who had been killed the previous night, were displayed with signs hanging at the entrance of the market. The people of the border town pointed at them and denounced them, saying, "These officials never wish us any good."
"Her Highness has governed Jiujin well, yet these scholars gather in the government office all day long and are plotting a rebellion."
"I think they are the real traitors and rebels!"
"We will never forgive the traitor who betrayed His Highness!"
"Never forgive!!"
Most of the people of Jin were illiterate, but they understood the principles of life without books. They knew what loyalty meant and could see who provided them with stability. However, anyone who tried to disrupt that stability was their enemy.
This anger instantly spread to the scholars of the border town.
Most of the scholars in the border town had heard a little about the Right Chancellor organizing a book club in the government office. They assumed it was to discuss important national affairs, since the former Right Chancellor was a pillar of the country.
Unexpectedly, the Right Chancellor plotted a rebellion, and Yang Gao, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was even more audacious in attempting to assassinate the emperor.
This put the scholars in an awkward position. They knew about the matter but failed to report it, and in principle, they should have been guilty as well. However, Prince Fengning, the ruler of Jiujin, did not hold them accountable.
Some scholars felt ashamed and apologized to Si Xitong, some even resigning from their posts.
Si Xitong kept those who had a change of heart, while those who remained silent, thinking they could escape, were all arrested the next day and sent to the fields to help. (Not for immediate employment.)
at the same time.
After resting and recovering for a few days, Yelü Qiqi from the Prince Palace took the initiative to approach Xie Shangguang.
Xie Shangguang blushed and stammered, "Yay...Princess!"
"It's not Princess Ye, it's Princess Yelü." Yelü Qiqi raised an eyebrow and said, "Even the young general of your Xie clan has a stutter?"
"No, no, no, that's not how I usually am." Xie Shangguang's face turned even redder.
Yelü Qiqi disliked people with speech impediments the most, but she couldn't help being polite to him because his surname was Xie and he was the attendant of her savior.
Yelü Qiqi handed Xie Shangguang a sheepskin bag with gold thread trim, her ears turning slightly red: "Um, could you please give this gift to the Marshal?"
"Just say it's because I, the princess, am repaying her for saving my life."
After saying that, she covered her face shyly and ran away.
Xie Shangguang was left completely stunned.
"I thought the princess had discovered that I was the one who saved her." Xie Shangguang was somewhat disappointed.
He wanted to say that he was the one who saved her, but as a man, he might tarnish the princess's reputation by saving her from the flood.
Xie Shangguang had witnessed firsthand a girl being rescued from the water when she was young. The next day, the girl's family made that man marry her to ensure her chastity. The girl had a lover, but she was forced to marry a man she didn't love because of her reputation.
He... he could actually take responsibility, but the arrogant prince likes the little princess, and the little princess isn't the type to compromise herself. She's also afraid of affecting the matriarch's alliance, so he didn't dare reveal a thing after weighing the options.
It's just... it's just that the Marshal has been wronged.
Xie Shangguang suddenly burst into tears and said remorsefully, "I'm sorry, Marshal. I dare not say this to your face, so I can only apologize to you here."
"Don't blame me."