I ate two bowls of cold noodles this morning.
Si Xitong couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Eating cold noodles for breakfast?
Without much thought, she got up. Her slender waist was draped with flowing black hair, which concealed her exquisite and shapely body. Her small, pearl-like toes were curled up. The palace maids marveled at how much more beautiful the princess had become, with delicate, jade-like features and every inch of her skin as pink and lovely as a porcelain doll. Before, the palace maids thought the princess was very lucky, but now they thought the marshal was the truly lucky one.
The palace maid helped her put on embroidered shoes.
After Si Xitong finished washing up, she sat at the table. As usual, Granny Xie served her a bowl of milky white milk, which she had gotten used to drinking during this time.
The milk that Lan Zhi prepared for her, she didn't really like the taste at first, but later she somehow managed to mask the taste she didn't like, leaving only the pure, fragrant milk flavor.
She then fell completely in love with milk.
After Si Xitong finished drinking the milk, she didn't forget to have someone prepare a bowl to send to Lanzhi.
The old woman surnamed Xie whispered, "Your Highness, the Marshal just threw a tantrum in the Golden Palace."
"What happened?" Si Xitong put down her bowl, her expression worried.
The Xie family matriarch reported that Xie soldiers had caused trouble at a brothel, complaining about the lack of fresh girls and resorting to abducting respectable women and boys from outside Tianjing to satisfy their lust. This was reported by a scholar, leading to the uncovering of over a dozen cases of human trafficking involving tens of thousands of taels of silver. Furthermore, many within the Xie family were secretly embezzling tribute money for personal gain. When Hai Yun of the Shuntian Prefecture received the case and reported it to the Grand Council, the Xie family within the Grand Council dared to cover it up, completely disregarding the case. Moreover, the Grand Council was composed mostly of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank or above, holding important positions in the country. Now, it had become a haven for corrupt officials.
The reputation of the Military Affairs Bureau was also ruined. The fire that the Military Affairs Bureau stirred up also spread to Xie Lanzhi.
In short, the brilliant marshal was dragged down by his own clansmen who held him back.
Upon hearing this, Si Xitong was furious. She slammed her long, slender hand down, causing the dishes on the table to move. Her beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp light, as cold as a blade hidden in the wind. The old women and palace maids rarely saw their mistress angry. In their hearts, their mistress was usually kind and gentle, a person of gentle grace and kindness.
Now that their master was angry, they were all astonished, feeling that their master exuded the familiar authority of a superior.
The Golden Palace.
Xie Lanzhi looked at the stacks of legal documents; the cases were intricate and involved numerous powerful figures. It seemed impossible to unravel the tangled mess. No wonder no one dared to take them on—either it exceeded their authority or they feared offending someone. And then there was the Xie family's collusion among officials. This was no longer a simple sex scandal or kidnapping case; it was a major issue concerning the entire dynasty!
Even Haiyun couldn't handle it, because it was beyond his authority.
Previously, she had the Censorate and Haiyun under her command, and could delegate criminal and civil cases from Tianjing and Jiujin—the entire southern center—to them, streamlining the process from the local level. Now it seems the number of officials is insufficient. Interdepartmental involvement in cases, coupled with cumbersome procedures, could easily lead to wrongful convictions if further delays continue.
At this critical juncture, Xie's criminal profit chain has been exposed once again.
The emergence of various real-world problems urgently told her that she needed a department that could share the burden for her in the community.
Xie Lanzhi tore up Xie's letter of apology and scattered it all over the hall. Near the Cloud Ascension Ladder, pieces of paper fell like snowflakes.
Seeing this, Xie Guang's expression turned serious. He refused to let his clansmen push him in front to block the way again. If he were to be used as a punching bag again, he would definitely die!
Early that morning, he had noticed that the marshal had dark circles under his eyes, looked preoccupied, and had a burning anger in his eyes, clearly needing to vent. The marshal had managed to suppress his anger, and things remained peaceful until, unfortunately, someone brought up that case. This wasn't intentional; it was meant to add fuel to the fire, but it provoked the marshal's fury.
This time, he absolutely cannot get involved in the clan's mess again.
Xie Changwang tried to wink at Xie Guang, hoping he would step forward and speak up.
Xie Guang sneered repeatedly. He grabbed Xie Changwang, pushed him to the front, and shouted, "Marshal, Xie Changwang has something important to report?"
After he finished speaking, the officials in the hall, who had been keeping their heads down and not daring to look at each other, all turned to look at Xie Changwang.
Good heavens, finally someone has the guts to come out and die.
"Speak!" A solemn and dignified voice rang out from above the palace, like dark clouds shrouding the city, and the sound of thunder and rain giving people an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Xie Changwang's legs went weak. He knelt down, trembling all over. Everyone knew how serious the Chun Yuan case was, but there were still some people who couldn't think straight and wanted to take a gamble.
He began to decline the petitions that had been prepared within the clan, completely forgetting about them. He dared not speak up for the clan again; being the mouthpiece was no easy task now. Because the one who had brought the case to the Marshal's attention was none other than a scholar from the lower rungs of the Xie clan. It was a shocking case exposed by someone from within the Xie clan themselves!
No one expected the Xie family to be so unpopular in Tianjing's literary circles. No one dared to associate with them, yet a student from the lower rungs of the Xie family managed to get involved with Tianjing's literary circles. And they even stirred up trouble in their own family's territory. It was utterly ungrateful.
The young members of the Xie family have somehow become so accustomed to following the rules in everything they do, leaving the older generation to clean up their messes.
Xie Changwang forgot his lines, so he could only bite the bullet and say to Liu Han, "The Xie family...the Xie family case should be thoroughly investigated."
After saying that, he dared not say another word, for fear of missing something.
"Does anyone else have a comment?"
The person in the palace asked again.
"Is this how you handled the case?!"
Wu Qiu didn't dare to speak, and the others also kept their mouths shut, waiting for his reply. The Xie family also fell silent because Xie Guang wouldn't step forward to take the blame.
Finally, with a sigh from the palace, seemingly having calmed down, she said in a flat voice, "Since there is nothing more to say, then I, the commander, will handle this personally."
"Dismiss the court."
Xie Lanzhi was so calm that she walked down the ladder with her hands behind her back, passed through the officials, and left the Golden Palace through the main gate.
The heavy atmosphere in the Golden Palace dissipated, and the officials surrounded Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu was so annoyed by them that he wanted to curse them. Xie Guang was also surrounded by military officers who asked him why he hadn't spoken up earlier.
Annoyed to the point of exasperation, Xie Guang punched the military officer in the head until it burst open, finally silencing the questioning.
At this moment, Wu Qiu envied the simple and brutal nature of the military generals. Unfortunately, he was too weak to even kill a chicken, and his blows wouldn't hurt much. He might even break his own hand first.
Because Si Xitong was worried about Xie Lanzhi, she wanted to go to the Golden Palace to find her. Today was a day off from court, so she could sleep later than usual. But she did not expect that such a serious case would occur in the court after only one day of absence.
It has now caused a sensation throughout Tianjing.
One person was worried about Xie Lanzhi and was on their way, while the other, preoccupied with his own thoughts, turned back and they happened to meet near the Gongyue Bridge.
When Xie Lanzhi saw her beloved wife come out, her beautiful eyes were filled with worry as she looked at her. Today, she saw that her wife was wearing a strapless white cloud palace dress, with a snow-white mound at the soft part of her body, revealing a white ditch. It was an open Tang-style palace dress.
Xie Lanzhi swayed involuntarily, feeling the lingering heat in her chest pressing even harder against her heart.
She already knew that the palace dresses of the Great Jin Dynasty were diverse, retaining styles from various eras of previous dynasties, and that the palace servants in each department wore palace dresses according to the preferences and characteristics of their masters.
"Is Lanzhi feeling unwell?" Si Xitong was even more worried about her. She was clearly showing signs of discomfort. Her eyes would stare at her for a moment, then look away, then gaze elsewhere with a fierce and angry expression, as if someone had stepped on her tail.
It was as if he still harbored a grudge.
Unexpectedly, the Xie family brothel case had such a significant impact on her.
She had completely forgotten that a while ago, in order to pique someone's interest, she had secretly asked the embroidery workshop to make a Tang-style palace dress. She had just put it on this morning and finished drinking milk when Granny Xie told her about it.
She was so worried that Lanzhi would be furious that she rushed to find her, and naturally there was no time to change.
Laneige seems to be getting even more irritated now.
Si Xitong moved closer to her, took her hands and held them to his chest, his face full of concern: "Lanzhi, don't be angry."
A word of concern from his beloved wife was almost as sweet as any words of love. Xie Lanzhi's heart softened. She held her wife's hands in return and looked at her directly, but her gaze unconsciously fell on a certain place.
Her initial bravado and confidence vanished instantly.
This feeling is as uncomfortable as losing internal energy; the dantian feels empty and makes one feel weak.
Xie Lanzhi was angry, but she felt that one of her problems had become more serious.
This is clearly the time to investigate a case, yet she's still thinking about that. She really is a pervert.
A note from the author:
If any of you lovely angels notice anything awkward, please let me know. I've been too busy lately and haven't been able to catch all the bugs properly.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:52:53 on December 21, 2021 and 19:17:21 on December 22, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Hexi (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Wuyou (Aotu) 70 bottles; Joey Wang 36 bottles; Hongyan 7 bottles; Sujiu and Qingming 5 bottles; Xinxin 2 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 91 A Bloodbath Caused by a Yellow Book
"Little Phoenix, I'm fine, let me calm down." Xie Lanzhi reluctantly let go of her hand, her right hand on her chest, and she walked past Si Xitong back to Lanzhang Palace.
Si Xitong thought to herself that it was indeed the Xie family's brothel case that had caused her mistress's worried face.
Thinking of this, her eyes turned frosty and filled with a chilling intent.
"It seems that the Western Guard must be established immediately."
After Xie Lanzhi returned to the palace, she was restless and anxious, unable to sit or stand still. The thought of Xiao Fenghuang's imminent return made her even more uneasy, as if she wanted to avoid her and find a place to hide. She seemed particularly guilty.
Xiao Xiu was also completely confused. The Marshal had been acting strangely these past two days, avoiding His Highness like the plague. Had their feelings faded, or something else?
But it wasn't quite like that either. The marshal was still the same marshal. Every morning, he would give His Highness a good morning kiss by the bedside, and then tiptoe out of the palace, giving this and that instructions, just so His Highness could sleep longer and more comfortably.
The marshal's caring words and concern were truly heartwarming. But now, the marshal seems to be on fire.
No, it's like my whole body is on fire.
Xiao Xiu secretly pulled Xie Shi's hand and whispered, "Grandma, what's wrong with the Marshal?"
Granny Xie stood there, her eyes fixed straight ahead, never glancing around, just like a deceased statue.
"eventful."
Xiao Xiu gave up asking any more questions.
Subsequently, a certain prince indeed returned to the palace. She did not approach Xie Lanzhi. When Xie Lanzhi got up, she glanced at her and sat back on the couch. Then she simply put her head in her hands and stared at the ground, looking preoccupied.
She felt like she was going crazy.
Si Xitong looked at her with heartache. She had never seen her so helpless, but she wouldn't tell her. Was it because she couldn't think of a way to handle the case? Or was she unwilling to lower herself and afraid of losing face in front of her?
It doesn't really matter. If her Lanzhi has something she's not good at, she'll fill in the gaps and never let her image be tarnished.
Then she thought of the Xie clan members who were holding Lanzhi back.
Her gaze turned icy: "Lanzhi, I need to go out first. You can rest in the palace."
"Where to?" Xie Lanzhi asked, her head lowered. She felt that the restlessness within her body wasn't just about wanting to do *that*, but also seemed to involve activating her internal energy. No matter how she tried to suppress this internal energy, it seemed to fluctuate with her desires, as if deliberately trying to trigger a volcanic eruption.
Thinking about her internal energy used to deal with Xie Yan more closely, it seems that it was also triggered by her strong will to survive.
She thought that only those nearing death would experience this uncontrollable feeling, but she never expected... that it would also be triggered when she thought of Little Phoenix. To the point that she couldn't quite control her emotions, her eyes constantly fixed on the brightest white glimpse of Little Phoenix.
Xie Lanzhi was immediately caught in a dilemma: I really am a... silver... demon.
The rational person: Knowing you're attracted to beauty and young women is a perfectly normal and natural phenomenon. It's just that your physiological needs have been amplified by your internal energy. This kind of thing is like an aphrodisiac; you're already doing well to have endured it this far. Don't blame yourself; you should relax, and it might even reduce some mental stress.
Emotional troll: Just admit you're a beast. You want a woman, your eyes are always fixed on a certain part of her, your mind is filled with that shapely figure, and that woman's name is...
"Ugh—!" Xie Lanzhi kept scratching her scalp with both hands.
Granny Xie and Xiao Xiu were startled. Was this case so thorny that even the Marshal was helpless?