The Xie family of Tianjing harbored resentment towards Si Xitong for not wearing her hair up. Many people in Xie Yongxin's case knew the inside story, but they all chose to remain silent and wait for the matter to pass.
But to everyone's surprise, Xie Yongxin failed this time.
He fell victim to his wife's actions and paid the ultimate price.
This was the first time Xie had witnessed the terrifying power of public opinion, which could shake the entire capital. It was completely unlike the people of the Southern Region who listened to him in every way.
Now, even people from all walks of life can influence a leader's intentions.
Si Xitong, as the mistress of the house, handled the case fairly, and while most people openly supported her, many others secretly harbored resentment.
Those people objected to Si Xitong continuing to clean up the Xie family's affairs as the head mistress, citing her failure to tie her hair up and her upright family traditions.
These discussions spread far and wide, proving that public opinion can be a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Xie's attention gradually shifted from Xie Yongxin's case to the fact that Madam Si had not tied up her hair.
The Xie family was extremely united, and unprecedentedly submitted a memorial questioning why the lady had not tied her hair up. Even the older generation pointed fingers and made accusations, claiming that Si Xitong had bewitched their benefactor and wanted to restore the country.
This argument shocked the gentry of Tianjing, including the Duke of Zheng.
They were furious because Commander Xie hadn't explicitly stated that a princess couldn't be a princess! They were angry that the princess's un-tied hair was being used to attack the officials of Tianjing. Although the current status of the eldest princess was indeed... somewhat controversial.
Si Bogong even wanted to step forward to protect Si Xitong.
Unfortunately, Si Xinian is still in a coma, and he needs to take care of him and cannot get away. He is also afraid that if he sees Qi Tong, he will be asked where his younger brother is, and he will not know how to answer!
If he lies, she will definitely see through it.
At this critical juncture, he should avoid showing up and causing unnecessary trouble for Qi Tong.
"Old Zheng, I am truly useless!" Si Bo Gong mocked himself in front of the Duke of Zheng.
Duke Zheng advised, "We cannot make our stance clear now and offend the Xie family, but we must still show our stance privately. Lord Sibo!"
Si Bo Gong suddenly realized that the Duke of Zheng's ambitions were not limited to this, and he frowned: "What do you mean?"
"I am ashamed that the late Emperor temporarily surrendered to the Yellow rebels to protect his family and Bingzhou. I have no face to meet him in the afterlife. While I still have some troops at my disposal," said the Duke of Zheng, his gaze unusually firm as he looked towards the palace, his voice resounding, "I must clear the name of the Princess!"
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Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 25 Her Little Girl Has Become Independent
A sudden wave of doubts about Si Xitong swept through Tianjing, not on a whim, but premeditated.
The choice made by the Duke of Zheng determined the loyalty of the Tianjing forces to the imperial family.
They began sending private messages to Si Xitong to express their loyalty.
Si Xitong did not accept the letters and returned them all.
She ignored him. She was unpredictable. Those within the Xie family who opposed Si Xitong wanted to seize the opportunity to find fault with her, but they stopped at the point of sending a letter. These people had no evidence, and at most, they would only escalate the situation to the Duke of Zheng.
The political situation is constantly changing, and no one can predict what will happen tomorrow, just like the change of power in Tianjing in half a month.
At this moment, Xie Lanzhi was working in the Golden Palace. Before the officials lined up on the cloud-ascending ladder, she had set up a yellow lacquered table for her office.
Her restoration of the rites was also about extracting the essence and discarding the dross.
She looked at the empty spot left by the Duke of Zheng, and then at the Xie family, who had joined the ranks, adding one more person: Xie Yan, the seventh uncle of the Xie family.
She turned her gaze away and asked the crowd, "What matters are to be reported today?"
The Xie family official stepped forward: "Reporting to the Marshal, the construction of the Emperor's Altar has collapsed. Is the Xie family able to undertake repairs to this project?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi smiled faintly, her cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. Xie Guang, who was at the head of the line, felt a chill run down his spine and quickly lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes.
Everyone knew that Xie's family tradition was autocracy and tyranny, but this also made Xie stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice.
With just one gesture, everyone abandoned their thoughts.
The civil official also retreated in embarrassment.
After dismissing the people, Xie Lanzhi asked, "Why didn't Duke Zheng come?"
Marquis Yong'an, Zheng Yi, said: "The Duke caught a cold last night and is bedridden. I'm afraid he won't be able to attend court for the next few days."
Is he sick at this time? It's probably not as simple as just being sick.
Xie Lanzhi said, "Then let the Imperial Hospital diagnose it. Also, send a hundred pieces of Southern Red Ginseng and tell Duke Zheng to focus on recuperating. I still need to learn from Duke Zheng's experience in handling affairs."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi bowed his head, deeply moved, and said, "On behalf of my father, I thank the Grand Marshal for his great favor!"
The attitude of the people in the Golden Palace towards Xie Lanzhi has taken a new turn; it seems that Xie is going to support Duke Zheng.
Everyone knows that the Xie family was the ones who suppressed the Duke of Zheng. Of course, the Xie family was only responsible for half of it; the other half was caused by the Duke of Zheng himself forcibly taking the lead.
There was more to the story of Duke Zheng's cold than met the eye. One night, on his way home from a social engagement, he was ambushed, kidnapped, and thrown into a lake by a group of men. There were usually patrols, but strangely, the entire patrol was absent that night. If the night watchman hadn't happened to pass by and found Duke Zheng struggling in the lake, he might already be a floating corpse.
Xie Lanzhi narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in them. She ordered Xie Guang: "All patrol teams absent that night shall be dismissed and the government shall not recall them. Anyone who attacks an official of the imperial court shall be executed on the spot, regardless of who they are."
To execute them on the spot with a nonchalant air.
And he sent his most ruthless general. Xie Shi, inside the Golden Palace, was immediately filled with apprehension.
Is the Grand Marshal making an example of someone to scare others?!
Xie Yan, the seventh uncle of the Xie family, stepped forward and, relying on his seniority, said to Xie Lanzhi, "Marshal, why do you doubt your own people? Don't forget who are your own people and who are outsiders!"
When outsiders pointed at the officials of Tianjing, the civil officials on the left all looked displeased. Even though they were afraid of the Xie family, they were still surrendered officials. Logically, even if they were not treated as equals, they should at least be given some basic respect. However, this person openly divided them into factions, clearly showing that he did not take them seriously.
Such an arrogant attitude leaves people angry but unable to speak out.
This seventh uncle of the Xie family was used to swaggering around and always acted as if he feared nothing.
Xie respected him out of respect due to his seniority.
No amount of elders could influence Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi raised an eyebrow and dismissed them, saying, "Who brought these nobodies to the Golden Palace? Drag them all out!"
Without hesitation, Xie Guang grabbed Xie's seventh uncle and dragged him a few steps away.
Xie Yan couldn't believe he was being treated like this. He exclaimed in shock, "Commander Xie, I'm your cousin! How could you treat an elder like this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the civil officials of the capital city in the Golden Palace began to scrutinize the man who claimed to be their benefactor and elder.
He secretly sized up Xie Shuai.
She said coldly and unequivocally, "Xie Yan, you should be glad you're not my uncle."
The conversation shifted, and Xie Lanzhi's eyes flashed with a dark undercurrent: "Or perhaps, you want to be my family?"
No one dared to utter a sound.
Xie Yan was speechless for a moment.
Everyone present knew Xie Shuai's rise to power. She killed her own relatives with a knife and angered the old marshal to death before she ascended to the position of Xie Shuai.
At the same time, she was also the one who killed herself and became all alone.
For the Xie family, Marshal Xie was a close relative they could but dared not approach, because he was a forbidden zone; stepping into it would result in either death or serious injury.
Xie Guang dragged Xie Yan out of the East Gate, which was tantamount to him being driven out of the palace.
After dealing with that lowly henchman...
Xie Lanzhi then stepped into the topic at the right moment: "The Six Ministries are currently in dire need of talent. After the court session, each of you should compile a list or recommend talents from various regions, and then report to the Grand Council and forward it to me."
"I will assign tasks as appropriate."
"We obey your command," the civil officials said with delight.
This is their specialty, and Xie Shuai's move is clearly intended to support them.
It seems they cannot afford to miss the signal triggered by the near-drowning of the Duke of Zheng.
At present, the Great Jin Dynasty does not have the imperial examination system, but instead uses the recommendation system to discover talents. Most of them are from official families or are their protégés. These official resources are almost entirely occupied by their own people.
To outsiders, Xie Lanzhi's move to delegate all local authority to civil servants is clearly irrational.
Xie believed it would be better to hand it over to his own people.
The civil officials in Tianjing were also eager to replace their own people with their own.
Only Xie Lanzhi herself knew that the list was just a list, and the final decision was in her hands.
After the hall was closed, the civil officials of Tianjing left the Golden Palace in high spirits.
Xie left dejectedly.
After leaving the palace, Xie Lanzhi did not rush back to Lanzhang Palace, but instead called Xie Ji and his advisor Wu Qiu to chat.
When the imperial guards went to deliver the order, Xie Guang and Xie Xia witnessed Xie Ji and his staff being taken away, and the two brothers were extremely envious.
“If you continue like this, Xie Ji will really replace you. You are not valued by the Marshal at all now.”
Xie Guang had been feeling down lately, and after Xie Xia said that, he got so angry that he punched the red main beam next to him.
He was unwilling to accept this: "How could I not know? But what can I do if the marshal doesn't need me?"
"The Marshal's thoughts are constantly changing. Originally, the Xie family didn't need any strategists at all. Now everyone is recruiting retainers and advisors, all just trying to guess the Marshal's intentions. As a general, I have always been restricted in recruiting advisors. Who can give me advice?"
Xie Xia said, "Why don't we just go along with the Marshal's wishes, at least so that she won't dislike you?"
"How should I curry favor with the Marshal?" Xie Guang asked, puzzled.
Xie Xia leaned over and whispered an idea in his ear.
After listening, Xie Guang looked doubtful: "Just pleasing a woman can make Marshal Xie happy?"
"Everyone does it this way now. Even though some people in the Xie family are making a big fuss, there are still many people giving gifts to the mistress."
After Lan Zhang Palace solved the case, the number of gifts sent from outside increased. Sometimes a cartload a day, sometimes a horse-drawn cartload every three days. They were said to be gifts of greeting, but in fact, the list of gift senders was written neatly.