Now Lu Qing says that her death is at Niliupei.
After Si Xitong's fight with Artu, she began to avoid Niliupei. Although she didn't explicitly forbid her from going, Xie Lanzhi knew very well what Si Xitong was thinking.
Xie Lanzhi stared at her profile and took the initiative to speak: "If I'm not mistaken, Nilupo should be Xie Ying's final destination."
"And Xie Ying and I were already bound together."
“Artur deliberately targeted my fatal flaw, perhaps at Achina’s behest.”
Otherwise, nothing would make sense. How could Artur, a native of the late Jin Dynasty, possibly know what her future held?
Moreover, she was wearing a book, "The History of Empress Jin," something she had never told Little Phoenix before, much less that, to her, the real world in modern times was just a novel.
So, was Aqina also a fan of the history of Empress Jin?
Xie Lanzhi thought it unlikely. If Aqina were truly a fan of the Empress, his reaction would be the same as hers: he would support the Empress's ascension to the throne as soon as possible, rather than obstructing her and becoming her enemy, or even trying to replace her.
Aqina's ambition to make money by trafficking drugs and manufacturing firearms, and to go south to conquer overseas and usher in the era of maritime power, is not something that ordinary fans can have.
Xie Lanzhi still remembers that in the history of Empress Jin, the fans were divided into three groups: career-oriented fans, protagonist-oriented fans, and heart-wrenching fans.
Even though they are divided into three groups, everyone genuinely likes and feels sorry for the Empress. They are not like Aqina, who is suspected of usurping the throne.
Si Xitong saw that her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she wanted to lock herself away, and she remembered her invisible death chain.
To put Xie Lanzhi at ease, she took the initiative to say, "I promise to go to Niliubei."
Xie Lanzhi said, "Actually, I could have chosen not to go. If I hadn't gone, Niliupei would never have been able to kill me."
Lu Qing, who had been holding her daughter in the side room for a long time, interjected, "Marshal, I think you've misunderstood something. The reason why the inauspicious position and the calamity are called signs of impending doom is to tell you that you cannot escape."
If we really wanted to avoid this, we shouldn't have met with Artur in the first place. Now Artur is determined to have a major battle at Nilupo with ulterior motives, which is clearly intended to kill Marshal Xie there and eliminate a powerful enemy heading south.
Xie Lanzhi knew that she had triggered a certain plot point, and once the plot started, it wouldn't stop.
“I will go,” she said. “Now that things have come to this, I will no longer hide my true feelings. Actually, I am very scared.”
"I'm terrified of dying."
Perhaps she will return to the modern world after death, or perhaps she will return to the underworld. In any case, her fate with Little Phoenix has come to an end.
This is the lover she cannot part with.
She took Si Xitong's hand tightly with her left hand, and their fingers intertwined. At this moment, both of them felt very heavy-hearted.
The thought that her hand, which belonged to him, would be gone forever made them hold each other tightly, their fingers interlocking and binding them together.
"I'm sorry, little phoenix."
"Why are you bringing this up out of the blue?" Si Xitong's voice was a little hoarse as she suppressed her emotions and said, "I'm still here for you."
She forced a smile again: "Lanzhi, rely on me this time."
"Let me prove my abilities, so you can rest assured."
"What I said this morning was just a moment of impulse..." Xie Lanzhi knew it was too late to explain, and she was interrupted by Si Xitong before she could speak again.
Si Xitong said, "There's no need to mention it again. I'm not stupid."
“But you cried,” Xie Lanzhi said. Xie Shangguang, as the little tail, belonged not only to Si Xitong but also to Xie Lanzhi.
The fact that Si Xitong shed tears is still causing Xie Lanzhi a sharp pain in her heart.
Si Xitong said, "Since you know you owe me, you should listen to me even more this time."
This time, Xie Lanzhi complied with her. She agreed to everything she asked.
After taking the medicine, she felt sleepy again. So she leaned against the pillow and fell asleep.
Si Xitong wiped her forehead with a towel.
Lu Qing glanced furtively at the incense burner on the ground and saw it was lit again. No wonder the marshal fell asleep so quickly. The calming incense was more effective on the marshal than any sleeping pills or drugs.
After Si Xitong covered her with blankets, she and Lu Qing and her daughter came out of the side room. The two of them talked about how to avoid the calamity.
Qianqian is too young to come up with any solutions. Lu Qing is only half-baked; Si Xitong can barely manage to use her.
She decided, "I intend to send someone to Nilupo on the day of the duel."
"Does Your Highness believe that sending someone else will avert the calamity?" Lu Qing believed that the calamity could not be avoided, only resolved. However, the Marshal was bound by the Soul-Binding Chains of the Black and White Envoys, making it impossible for her to avoid or resolve it.
The marshal will be severely weakened by this mission, and even if he manages to survive, he will not last more than a few years.
Lu Qing couldn't bear to tell His Highness the result.
She said, "If you want to try, I support you. But Artur is not someone that ordinary people can deal with. Even if he is injured, a monster is still a monster."
Si Xitong said, "I have my own arrangements."
She noticed Lu Qing's hesitant expression and knew without asking what she would say. It was better not to ask.
The challenge, personally initiated by Si Xitong, was set directly at Niliubei.
In a courtyard in the Northern Prefecture, Artur was reclining in a wicker chair reading a letter. After finishing it, he couldn't help but burst into excited laughter: "Xie Lanzhi, you are indeed straightforward."
"I thought it would take several months before she agreed."
After all, there was another woman by Xie Lanzhi's side who was worth noting. If she obstructed her, it was uncertain whether Xie Lanzhi could even come.
Just as the king had said, the women around Xie Lanzhi wished she were dead.
How did two people who were initially at odds end up together?
Artur wasn't interested; he was only excited that Xie Lanzhi had agreed to the challenge, only the time had changed to the end of November, the last day.
No matter how many days it takes, as long as it doesn't exceed November, he can complete his mission.
When Anshan heard that Xie Ying had agreed to the meeting, he was very puzzled. Artur was even smiling so happily. Lu State was close to Xin Tianjing, which was Xie's territory. If anything happened, Xin Tianjing could easily use Lu State as a route to encircle Artur. Whether Artur could even return then would be questionable.
He couldn't help but remind him: "Lu is a vassal state of the new Tianjing. Aren't you afraid they'll send people to surround you?"
“Anshan-kun, you don’t understand. How could you possibly understand?” Artur smiled without saying a word, not intending to explain himself.
"That's Xie Lanzhi!"
Anshan stopped asking and didn't want to correct Xie Ying's real name. No matter what her name was, once he went to Nilubei, he was determined to make Xie Ying pay with her life.
Artur's decision to face her in a one-on-one duel doesn't mean he'll agree to it.
Similarly, Huayin South.
Ma Hong was transferred to Si Xitong's service. Si Xitong was to send him to Nilubei and instruct him to take all the firearms with him, just in case. Fortunately, the abandoned canals in Huayin South and Xin Tianjing made transportation between the two places easy, and the Ministry of Works specially transported the newly made mortars to Huayin South.
This batch of shells, combined with Xie Lanzhi's previous double-barreled firing, shows that Wei Zhao's eldest disciple, Wei Gong, is a genius at combining techniques, possessing exceptional talent in small details.
However, the cannon barrel was larger than a water tank and three meters long, with a range of only 150 meters. It was not as useful as a ballista or catapult. But it was lightweight and the barrel was durable. After use, simply disassembling the important supporting parts at the bottom could prevent the enemy from stealing the technology.
Si Xitong had a bucket brought over; she wanted to see the power of the new firecracker with her own eyes.
Ma Hong chose a mountain peak he had long disliked—a place of towering mountains and steep ridges, impossible to climb up and down, unsuitable for planting anything, and blocking the view. It was practically a wasteland.
There is no land in the world that the people of the Central Plains cannot cultivate. If there is any land that is in the way, then we will learn from the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains!
Ma Hong had someone bring over a three-meter-long iron cylinder, which two people could easily lift. Once lifted, the artilleryman, wearing a square-cornered cap, began marking the approximate direction. This cap-based aiming method represented the Ministry of Works' rough estimation of the firing range. The breech-loading cannon wasn't a firearm; its small, pointed propellant required a high degree of precision and range. The breech-loading cannon only needed a rough distance; simply throwing it allowed for large-scale bombardment.
The artillerymen adjusted their positions to about an inch below the bend at the foot of the mountain. "Fire!" Ma Hong shouted.
A bundle of firecrackers, bound with burlap rope, flew towards the mountain peak in an instant, only traveling about 120 meters due to the wind direction. Bang! A deafening roar! Several boulders instantly shattered from the mountain peak, and birds scattered from the nearby forest. It was as if the heavens and earth had been shaken by a thunderous crash.
Ma Hong looked at the new type of cannon with astonishment; it was far superior to the old one. Within 150 meters, it was practically an explosive weapon.
"Your Highness, the new cannon is extremely powerful!"
Si Xitong asked, "How many are there in total?"
Ma Hong was immediately embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "The Ministry of Works sent me with ten to test their power, and I've only used one so far."
I estimate that even the Ministry of Industry doesn't have that many in stock.
Si Xitong said, "Pass down the order to Wei Zhao to mass-produce thirty 'nest cannons' within a month."
Ma Hong immediately wrote a letter to inform them, but he felt that thirty coins a month was really too much to ask. Sure enough, even if the Ministry of Works was rich, it didn't take money for nothing. Because these jobs were not easy to do.
Wei Zhao, the Minister of Works of the new Tianjing, was pleased that he could produce fifteen cannons every month, which would amount to 180 a year, year after year, and 1,000 in ten years. He thought that by then, they would have no worries about not recovering the north and unifying the Central Plains!
However, when His Highness ordered him to increase production to thirty pieces per month, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed.
"Thirty, thirty! Her Highness might as well just rob a bank!"
Xie Lanzhi wasn't causing any trouble outside; all she knew was that Xie Shangguang was watching her every day, completely turning her into a little phoenix's tail, wagging it wherever he pointed.
Every day at noon, Little Phoenix would come back right on time to feed her, and in the evening she would bathe her. Although she was very pleased to have her beloved wife serving her, Little Phoenix's expression had become more imposing after she went out each day recently. Gradually, her eyebrows and eyes became dignified without anger, her figure was elegant, and with a flick of her finger, she could punish whomever she wanted.
I heard that she punished Ma Hong yesterday. It was because Ma Hong hadn't met her quota for figuring out the terrain of southern Huayin. As a result, Ma Hong didn't come home all night, spending the entire evening walking back and forth along all the roads in southern Huayin, including knowing how many cliff edges there were.
Xie Jun's group was all laughing at Ma Hong, and it would be their turn next. Si Xitong had always been polite to Xie Jun but never considered him one of their own; now, seeing them mocking her team...
All five hundred men were taken to morning exercise and to learn the mountain paths from Ma Hong. If they failed to complete the task, Ma Hong could punish them according to military law.
Ma Hong was willing to complete the quota, but because the road was too difficult to travel, many of his soldiers suffered from acclimatization problems and privately complained that His Highness was becoming increasingly strict with them.
Now that Xie Bing has been added to the team, he is performing worse than them. With a benchmark to compare himself to, the newly recruited soldiers suddenly don't feel tired anymore.
Xie Jun was naturally dissatisfied to be outdone by the newly promoted army, so he led his men out early in the morning to scout the way.
The two armies patrolled the hills south of Huayin step by step, so much so that even the mountain bandits of Huayin were too frightened to show their faces.
Xie Lanzhi was both amused and exasperated. She went to the county government office with her cane and happened to run into Lu Qing and her daughter. The two of them were still peeking into the government office but dared not go in.
She walked behind the two and peeked out, discovering that Si Xitong was angrily rebuking Li Fuyi for abusing his power for personal gain. Li Fuyi was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. He had only embezzled some of the grain that His Highness had distributed to the people, substituting taro for rice, but after being discovered, he was subjected to a severe scolding.
Logically speaking, thirty catties of rice is not much, and it should usually be overlooked. However, in His Highness's eyes, it became an unforgivable matter.
However, Si Xitong did not remove Li Fuyi from his post. Instead, he allowed him to redeem himself through meritorious service, increasing manpower to open a land route to the State of Lu. Huayin was adjacent to the State of Lu to the south, and it would only take five days by fast horse to travel three hundred li.
Li Fuyi left dejectedly, and for a while he dared not covet the rice again. Before leaving, he saw the injured Marshal Xie, which made him even more uneasy. He hastily bowed and left.
Qianqian pointed at his back and said, "This uncle has a dark and gloomy aura; he's going to have bad luck lately."
Lu Qing pressed down on her daughter's finger: "Don't say that. It's all because of your princess sister causing him trouble. How could he not be unlucky?"
The mother and daughter were still at the door.
It wasn't until Xie Lanzhi greeted her, "Why aren't you going in?"
Lu Qing immediately picked up her daughter and made way for her, saying, "Marshal, it would be better if you didn't go in. His Highness has been in a bad mood lately."
"It's not just because of your matter. The affairs of Huayin South are complicated. Many officials in various places have failed to keep up with the policies and have taken the opportunity to embezzle, which made His Highness execute seven people in a fit of anger."