Xie Lanzhi's eyes turned cold, and Xie Guang immediately shut his mouth. He obediently followed Xie Bing out to receive his punishment.
Among the civil officials, Xie Changwang was filled with terror. Fortunately, Xie Lanzhi did not pursue the matter.
The Xie family dared not mention the marriage alliance again.
Jingchen sensed something was amiss and acted swiftly, with Zheng Yi and Wang Mian, an official from the Ministry of Personnel, stepping forward.
"Your Excellency, it has been over since you arrived in Tianjing. Under your diligent governance, Tianjing has become stable and prosperous, which we have all witnessed with our own eyes."
"We are all completely impressed by the Marshal's wisdom."
"Marshal Xie is the commander of a million-strong army and has a far-reaching reputation. He is already a supreme ruler in this region. We dare to request that you, Marshal, decide to declare yourself king this year, so that Tianjing may truly belong to your wise ruler as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Jingchen appeared far more astute and insightful than Xie, demonstrating his ability to understand people and share the emperor's burdens.
On the contrary, the Xie family members turned green with rage, becoming mere clowns to highlight Jing Chen's ugliness.
Xie Guang even came in from outside the hall, covering his buttocks with both hands, and shuffled into the ranks like an oddball, because just now he was supposed to be carried away, but the marshal actually let him continue to court despite his injury.
As soon as Xie Guang entered, several people helped him up.
Xie Lanzhi covered her mouth with her fist and coughed lightly: "You all are very kind. However, the time is not yet auspicious for me to declare myself king in this turbulent situation, so let's postpone this matter!"
Wu Qiu stepped forward again and said, "What you gentlemen say makes sense. You shouldn't refuse. Is it also because of the Eight Jin?"
These words caused a stir among the officials in the capital. What was wrong with Lord Wu today? Whether it was the Xie family's marriage alliance or his claim to the throne, the Eight Jin states stood in the way. What had the Eight Jin states done to offend him?
Jingchen originally disagreed, thinking that as long as the Xie family lord was a little domineering, he could easily become king. Why did he seem so indecisive now, completely unlike the Xie family lord's personality?
She wasn't so indecisive when she eliminated the traitor Xie Yan in Fengxi Town.
Upon closer reflection, Xie Zhu had already demonstrated immense sincerity by adhering to the Jin rites, for example, by restoring Princess Fengning's rank and the Nine Jin titles, giving the officials in the capital a lord to rely on. Because of Si Xitong's reinstatement, the officials in the capital also gained legitimacy in their submission, making them worlds apart from the other officials outside. Therefore, they stood tall with confidence.
The fact that Xie Zhu is hesitant now could well be due to the matter of Jin Li.
And before them stood Xie Lanzhi, who was secretly giving Wu Qiu a thumbs-up under the imperial table, her hands lowered.
This person has once again set a big flag for the Eight Jin.
Although Li Jin is an old-fashioned man, he has always been clear about the importance of adhering to etiquette.
Li Jin then stepped forward and said, “General Xie, what Lord Wu said is absolutely right. Since you have already announced to the world that you will abide by the Jin etiquette, if you were to declare yourself king now, and Tianjing is the capital of the late Jin dynasty, it would indeed be against the rules of etiquette for you to become king.”
But now, it wouldn't be in accordance with etiquette for the general to enter the capital. Li Jin was very tactful and didn't bring it up. It was precisely because he was nameless that he needed to establish a name, and because he was impolite that he needed to establish etiquette.
Emperor Xie's arrival in the capital not only refrained from causing bloodshed, but also mediated relations between the Xie clan and the officials in the capital, bringing stability to Tianjing within six months and a slight recovery in the lives of ordinary people. At least they could barely make ends meet, returning to the state of life five years before the last emperor's death.
Xie Lanzhi then rubbed her forehead and said, "Lord Li, I have no choice but to abide by the etiquette of Jin. To you, I am merely an outsider. It is already a great comfort that you have come to acknowledge me as your master."
"The matter of declaring myself king is currently inconvenient for me. I have also treated the Eight Jin tribes with courtesy because they are a branch of the royal family."
Lord Xie treated the Si clan well, providing them with good food and drink, and not only did he not expel them, he also allowed them to associate with the Xie clan, which was already a great act of leniency. Therefore, it is understandable that Lord Xie restricted intermarriage between the two clans, because Lord Xie adhered to the etiquette of Jin and therefore had to treat the clan of the superior with respect. Their social status made intermarriage between the two clans impossible.
Therefore, Xie Zhu's decision not to allow the marriage was not only for the good of the Xie family, but also for the sake of the Si family's reputation.
Jingchen and Xie were both astonished, clearly not expecting that Master Xie would personally attend to every matter and consider such details.
Li Jin was even more excited and praised Xie Lanzhi highly: "Marshal, your filial piety towards Jinli is as clear as heaven and earth and as bright as the sun and moon."
Jingchen has now drawn a new line for his approach to Jinli regarding Xie Lanzhi, defining the boundaries and making his management strategy for her even clearer.
The officials in the capital were indeed all experienced in governance.
Wang Mian further stated, "Marshal, you uphold the rites of Jin, but in today's world, those rites are upheld by those in power. You are now the master of the rites of Yao and Shun."
"But the Eight Jin are your subordinates. For the sake of survival, they have degraded themselves to the status of royalty and disgraced the imperial family for decades. They are no longer qualified to be regarded as a superior clan by the Marshal!"
Xie Lanzhi said, "You mustn't be rude. Lord Wang, where do you place the Si family of Tianjing?"
Wang Mian said with some fear, "But what I said is the truth. The royal family is not only judged by bloodline, but also by their conduct. Not to mention that the Eight Jin nowadays have long lost the style of the Great Jin royal family. How dare they let you call them the clan of the Supreme Ruler?"
This statement also clearly defines the current status and boundaries of the Eight Jin states.
The officials in the capital all echoed, "What Lord Wang says is absolutely right. We are not flattering the emperor, but we believe that the Eight Jin are not worthy of being a superior clan. The true surviving emperor is your wife."
"It is His Highness Feng Ning."
"And the fourth prince is planting sweet potatoes."
Pfft. Xie Guang was instantly amused by the prince planting sweet potatoes. He moved his waist, and his buttocks hurt even more. His face was contorted with a mixture of joy and amusement.
Jing Chen made it clear that the Eight Jin states possessed considerable strength and status, and that the Xie clan, with its current power and position, had no need to treat ordinary people with courtesy. Moreover, the extravagant lifestyle fostered by the Si clan members upon entering the capital had also alienated many Jing Chen and the people of Tianjing.
Thus, time and again, the Si clan and the Eight Jin were directly pushed into the limelight by the officials of the capital.
Xie Lanzhi and Jing Chen yielded to each other and postponed the declaration of kingship.
The more politely she declined, the more vehemently the officials in the capital pleaded. For example, if Xie Lanzhi didn't agree today, some officials would even risk their lives to beg her.
Seeing that the imperial court was united against external threats and that the Xie family and the officials in the capital were gradually coming together to establish common interests, Wu Qiu couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at Xie Lanzhi in private: "Marshal's move to divert trouble eastward and kill multiple birds with one stone is truly excellent!"
Chapter 59 Peanuts and Powder
The marriage alliance with the Xie family was temporarily shelved, while the matter of Xie Zhu declaring himself king was formally put on the agenda and became a topic of discussion throughout Tianjing.
On the same day, Si Bogong arrived in Tianjing. As the Imperial Envoy, he was arranged by Xie Lanzhi to live in the Prince Dun's Mansion.
Both Xie and Jingchen were surprised by the Marshal's high regard for Sibo Gong.
Xie Lanzhi specially chose to receive Si Bogong at Lanzhang Palace.
Si Xitong was also there.
When Sibo Gong entered the palace, he specially brought seeds given to him by merchants from overseas trade in the Seven Jin states.
The fruit is plump with a golden peel. Each peel contains two or three berries. It is sweet when eaten raw, and can be enjoyed with two bowls of wine when cooked or stir-fried.
This is peanut.
Xie Lanzhi was slightly taken aback: "Peanuts?"
"The merchant called it the longevity fruit." Si Bogong also felt that the name peanut was appropriate, as it has many seeds and is born from flowers, which is similar to the pomegranate. However, this thing belongs to the legume family, and its flowers grow on the ground, and its fruit also grows on the ground.
It belongs to the pomegranate family of beans. He once named himself Liusheng (榴生).
Seeing the two discussing the name of the bean fruit, Si Xitong peeled one and ate it. It was indeed plump and juicy, just like the one she had seen in the *Qimin Yaodian*. The yield of this fruit could replace the mountain fruit of the Great Jin Dynasty, and it could also be pressed into soybean oil.
Taking the opportunity, Si Bogong said, "Since the Marshal has named this thing, let's call it peanut. I, Qi Tong, have asked this humble servant to ask overseas merchants to search for this fruit."
Xie Lanzhi was unaware of this matter. She hadn't expected Little Phoenix to act so quickly. Now that they had both sweet potatoes and peanuts, it meant that the Great Jin Dynasty had an additional crop to generate income for the people.
She said, "There are also countries overseas that are similar to the Great Jin Dynasty. Lord Sibo truly lives up to his reputation as a friend to all corners of the world."
When Si Bogong received the praise, he cupped his hands and said, "How dare I? As long as the Weidu watership exists, anyone can find this item, but few people will notice it."
Now that Si Xitong has noticed this, it means that a new wave of planting is about to sweep across this land, which is the rudimentary form of the restoration of production and the establishment of a new dynasty.
Although Xie Lanzhi did not read the second half of the original novel, judging from the timeline, she suffered from hardship from the age of sixteen to twenty-four before she began to build her power.
Xie Lanzhi's appearance saved Si Xitong seven years of hardship and allowed him to establish his power in Jiujin seven years earlier. Si Xitong had Li Ling and his son Li Jin under his command, both of whom were civil officials, but he had no military officials yet.
Xie Lanzhi deduced that if the plot was not delayed, then Xiao Fenghuang's Wu Chen would appear soon.
She was curious about who it could be.
Xie Lanzhi looked at Si Bogong, who was discussing peanut planting and methods with Si Xitong. They heard that planting peanuts with tents would make the peanuts grow better.
Si Xitong's eyes shone brightly, like pearls in the night.
Someone came in from outside the hall to announce the news.
Xie Lanzhi specifically asked people to keep their voices down as she left the palace to meet Xie Ji.
Xie Ji, as the Right General, had been guarding the South Gate of Tianjing. Now that the duty shift had been changed to Xie Xia, he finally had time to complete the tasks assigned by the Marshal.
He took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Xie Lanzhi: "Marshal, this is a newly refined gunpowder from the fire storage. Unfortunately, its performance is unstable and it is extremely prone to dampness."
"Huoku wondered if there was something like kraft paper to keep out moisture and waterproof the fire medicine."
Xie Lanzhi pinched a handful of gunpowder with her fingers. It felt granular, and the color was dark and a bit damp as soon as she opened it. Was it not waterproof?
Spring has arrived in Tianjing, but the air is still humid.
She wondered, "If the ratio is wrong, it's difficult to prevent moisture. Is there too much carbon powder?"
"We did indeed mix it according to the proportions you gave us, but we just couldn't achieve the effect the Marshal described." Xie Ji himself had even tried it out, using the flintlock pistol the Marshal had given him. Flintlock pistols were precious, so they didn't dare to use inferior gunpowder to test it. They adjusted it to the best possible level, but the power was still insufficient.
They couldn't match the power of the fireballs from the Western City Emperor at all.
Xie Lanzhi thought for a moment. She had never seen an effective fire-seed medicine before, so she couldn't imagine that it would require actual combat to work. Remembering that she still had two fire-seeds, she handed them to Xie Ji: "Take these, open them up and analyze the ingredients inside."
Xie Ji heard that one firecracker was worth three thousand gold pieces, and two firecrackers were equivalent to half of his family fortune.
Xie Ji immediately felt a pang of heartache: "Marshal, you're really willing to do that?"
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub." Xie Lanzhi was also heartbroken.
As the two were talking, Si Bogong came out and saw them whispering to each other. In particular, the marshal's expression of delight was just like that of a niece receiving peanuts.
For a moment, Si Bogong was in a daze, seeing similar shadows on the two people.
"Master Si, are you finished talking?" Xie Lanzhi greeted him.
Si Bogong said, "The basic details have been explained. Next, I will go to the Si family residence."
"I'll take my leave now."
Xie Lanzhi escorted him for a while, then turned back and instructed Xie Ji to do something: "You've worked for me at the fire warehouse for so long, you've worked hard. Now many in the tribe are lax, so go back and do what you're supposed to do."
"Don't delay in the slightest."
Xie Ji's eyes flashed, and he bowed his head, saying, "Your subordinate obeys."
His task was simple: to do what he wanted to do, which was also what the marshal needed.
Now that Xie Guang, a martial artist, has risen to prominence, most of the troublesome matters are pushed onto him, leaving the rest to Xie Ji to handle effortlessly.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Wu Qiucheng was a close associate of the marshal. Although he held the position of Vice Minister of War, he was in fact the marshal's strategist.
Xie Ji regrets losing Wu Qiu.
After Xie Ji left, the Xie family was in an uproar even before the day was over.
Because Xie Ji was gathering his clansmen and taking a hard line to push Xie Zhu to become king, he even invited Jing Chen to the Xie clan hall to discuss the matter together, hoping to get Jing Chen's help.