As she was deeply hurt, the beauty lowered her eyes and couldn't help but smile, saying, "But I know that if it weren't for the ease of using force, you would have to think about how to achieve your goal. Although your methods have changed, the result is the same, so there's no need for you to reflect on it."
"only...."
only?!
Xie Lanzhi unconsciously straightened her back and listened attentively to the little girl's words.
Si Xitong continued, "It's just that you act more in accordance with the Xie family, but the world doesn't submit to you or allow you to control it like the Xie family does."
"The world. The Nine Provinces Garden." Xie Lanzhi said, "Little Phoenix is more like a ruler with the world in his heart than I am."
“And I,” Xie Lanzhi gently grasped her soft hand, “have a very small heart.”
"It's okay, as long as you can hide me."
Both of them were taken aback. Si Xitong's eyes were filled with complex emotions, and she took the initiative to hold her hand in return.
Righteousness and justice reside in the hearts of the people. But the hearts of the people do not turn to the Xie family.
In this vast world, everyone praises the Lord for his violent replacement of violence, for his wolfish ambitions, and for his utter extermination.
During her five-year reign, she did not wage war for two of those years, and captured Tianjing again before the following year.
Internally, war was a means for Xie Jun to maintain his position.
Lord Xie is the benefactor of the South. He is supreme in martial arts and can overpower all heroes. Whether it is taking a piece of land or killing tens of thousands of people, it is all in a moment's thought.
In times of chaos, those who live in peace and tranquility universally agree with the practice of stopping killing with killing, and engaging in mass killings.
What is peace? In the twenty years since the Great Jin Dynasty was divided into nine states and overthrown, it has already left people bewildered.
Everyone becomes violent, everyone reveres martial arts, abandons morality, lives only for the present, and disregards tomorrow. This is the mentality of a desperate fugitive.
If things continue like this, people will no longer know life but only death, and in the end, they will be trapped in endless cycles of reincarnation, and humanity will perish. To be human but not live like a human being—that would be the true cataclysm.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Xie Lanzhi broke the ice: "You seized power from the Duke of Zheng in Jiujin? Have you thought about what to do next?"
“I’ve thought it through. With each thought, I feel your hardship more and more.” Si Xitong’s expression was inscrutable. “But I’m prepared. I’ll follow your path from here on out.”
Xie Lanzhi was slightly taken aback, and she couldn't help but tease, "Am I perhaps becoming your guiding light?"
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Si Xitong was very calm at the moment, and she was also ambiguous. She was no less capable than Xie Lanzhi, and because she had no martial arts skills, her thoughts were even more complicated.
Si Xitong was never anyone's confidante. Rather than becoming a palace woman praised for her chastity and virtue, she wanted to become someone unprecedented and unparalleled in history. That was the path she chose to take.
For her, the most powerful weapon is her wisdom, which makes her a beautiful woman.
Xie Lanzhi didn't need to tell Si Xitong everything; her tolerance towards Si Xitong seemed incomprehensible to outsiders. How could she allow her husband to compete for power with her?
But the struggle for power and profit was not in Xie Lanzhi's hands, but in the hands of the world. What she wanted to fight for was "the waters that flow for thousands of miles, and wherever they spread, they become the king's land."
Xie Lanzhi's expression was complex. The young girl, still in her prime, wasn't thinking about cosmetics or handsome young men, but about power. She was exactly as described in the original story, she was... it's just that I rescued her prematurely, but her ideals haven't changed.
"Lanzhi".
Xie Lanzhi stared at her absentmindedly, and Si Xitong gently waved her hand in front of her: "You're daydreaming again."
"I've been spacing out a lot lately, but I'll get used to it." Maybe this will be her norm from now on.
Remembering her business, Xie Lanzhi had a basket of sweet potatoes brought up and asked the kitchen to steam and roast some. She hadn't immediately told the young girl about the sweet potatoes since the girl had been busy preparing nutritious meals for her after her injury. She didn't want her to overwork herself.
Now is the perfect time.
A basket of washed sweet potatoes, some yellow and some red, with red veins like fat and yellow skin like gold. When cut, they release milky juice. They are soft and delicious when cooked, and even sweeter when roasted.
The two of them sat on the high threshold, holding sweet potatoes, and said as they ate them, "Roasted ones taste better than steamed ones."
"Lanzhi, the steamed dish is also quite good."
"I'll try it."
The old woman inside the hall turned her head, trying several times to remind the two masters to be mindful of their manners.
Xiao Xiu also had tears in her eyes: Your Highness, I know you regard the Marshal as a role model, but you really don't need to learn to sit on the doorstep and eat sweet potatoes.
Xiao Xiu even saw the princess cross her legs because the sweet potatoes were so delicious. The marshal also childishly hooked the princess's leg with his own, causing her to lose her balance and then trip over her leg.
Si Xitong exclaimed, "Don't do this!"
Xie Lanzhi took advantage of the situation and hooked her arm around her: "What are you afraid of? I'll support you."
"childish!"
Xie Lanzhi kicked her, and Si Xitong pushed her foot back, but couldn't budge it. So she poked Xie Lanzhi's thigh with her hand, which tickled Xie Lanzhi and made her shiver. Then Si Xitong took the opportunity to push her foot back.
"I won."
"Little Phoenix's competitive spirit is truly multifaceted."
"Hmph... Don't provoke her again." Xie Lanzhi shoved the sweet potato in her hand into her mouth.
Si Xitong looked at the sweet potato she had peeled, which tasted like chestnuts, but had a large bite missing from it, leaving only the stalk in her hand.
"Lanzhi!"
Xie Shangguang smelled the sweet potato and peeked in, only to find two big shots at the threshold, munching on sweet potatoes bigger than their faces, seemingly enjoying them immensely.
He mumbled, "I want to eat."
Si Xitong naturally noticed him and knew he was a gluttonous boy, so she picked out a sweet potato from the basket and said to him, "Shang Guang, come here."
Xie Shangguang immediately ran over with his mouth watering, took the sweet potato and said sweetly, "Thank you for the reward, Mistress."
Then he took a bite; it was raw and crunchy, delicious, and satisfying to chew, but... but... Xie Shangguang watched the mistress and the marshal, who were holding steaming sweet potatoes and eating them with great relish.
He looked at the one in his hand: "Why is mine raw?"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:39:06 and 18:21:46 on December 4, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Da Sima Huo Qubing, 5 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 45 Another Legacy from My Father-in-Law
The arrival of Yelü Lili, the Crown Prince of the Northern Region, with his sister in Tianjing has attracted unprecedented attention.
Xie Lanzhi sent Wu Qiu and Xie Meixiang, a scholar from the Xie family, to receive the marshal. Although Xie Meixiang appeared to be the representative of the Xie family, everyone knew that the marshal's representative was Si Xitong.
The marshal also needs to avoid contact because he killed three generals. It is common knowledge that the Northern Region's overlord and the Southern Region's benefactor are at odds.
Only Si Xitong, the ruler of Jiu Jin, and the Crown Prince of the Northern Region still have a chance to forge an alliance. If Jiu Jin can act as a mediator, then the Southern and Northern Regions still have a chance to achieve peace.
Moreover, Yelü Lili sent the Xie family 30,000 sheep, a generous gift that the Xie family naturally had to give them face in return.
Wu Qiu brought Yelü Lili and his sister to the State Mansion.
When Xie Lanzhi learned of this, Si Xitong had already taken Si Xinian to visit their old friend Yelü Lili.
It was inconvenient for her to go.
Si Xitong, dressed in a yellow satin palace gown with a high collar and a belt buckle at his waist, was escorted to the Duke's residence by Xie's personal guards in a palanquin.
The Guogong Mansion had by then dispersed the Jin soldiers and was guarded by the barbarian soldiers.
The barbarian soldiers, dressed in nomadic attire, wore round woolen hats and carried curved swords at their waists. They were all tall and strong, each about nine feet tall. Indeed, they were the physiques of nomadic peoples who grew up on milk and meat; they were formidable warriors.
Not to mention this is a first-rate soldier.
Crown Prince Yelü Lili of the Northern Region personally received Princess Fengning of the Ninth Jin at the State Palace.
The palanquin landed, and Si Xitong disembarked.
Yelü Lili stepped forward. He did not resemble a non-Han Chinese; rather, he looked very much like a Central Plains person. He had a square face and a refined demeanor, like a clear stream amidst the wildness of the Northern Regions. He wore a noble non-Han Chinese robe with white cloud patterns.
"Princess Fengning, it's been a long time since we last met. Li Li greets you." Yelü Li Li bowed slightly with his hands clasped. Normally, as the crown prince, he wouldn't need to bow, but seeing that the person was Si Xitong, the last direct descendant of the Great Jin Dynasty, whose status was noble, he still deserved to bow.
Si Xitong also gave a slight bow: "Li Jun, how have you been?"
“It’s been almost three years since we last met. Three years ago, you were still Princess Fengning, but you didn’t care about anything. Now…” Yelü Lili’s eyes were filled with complex emotions as he saw her dressed in a feminine robe, her body now adorned with martial prowess.
He said, "I have done what you asked me to do in the past."
I am the Crown Prince of the Northern Region.
"I heard that Qi Nian is also in Tianjing. I'm glad he's still alive." As for the reason, Yelü Lili didn't want to say more, for fear of touching her sad memories and reminding herself of her own, as well as some regrets.
Si Xitong knew that the person he was avoiding was her marshal.
She said, "Let's go inside and talk."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Qiu arrived. He realized that he was a step behind his mistress, so he hurriedly went up to pay his respects. Seeing that his mistress and the Crown Prince of the Northern Region got along well, he began to worry about his mistress.
According to the etiquette of the Jin Dynasty, men and women must avoid using certain words or phrases.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Princess; greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Northern Region."
Yelü Lili clearly changed his attitude: "This is Lord Wu."
"It is indeed I, Wu Qiu," Wu Qiu explained. "Soon another young master Xie will come to greet you and express his gratitude for the generous gifts."
“Just some sheep, nothing to worry about. But…” Yelü Lili paused deliberately, then changed the subject, saying, “Princess Fengning, come with me to the mansion to discuss this matter in detail.”
Si Xitong nodded and turned to walk into the mansion.
Wu Qiu was still waiting for Xie Meixiang at the door when Xie Meixiang almost arrived late. Wu Qiu couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he saw that even the most promising scholar in the Xie family was behaving this way.
If he weren't a marshal, then all these "Young Master Xie" types would just be nobodies or young masters.
"Lord Wu, I'm not late, thank goodness," Xie Meixiang said, panting.
Wu Qiu said helplessly, "Young master can come over after lunch."
Xie Meixiang was unfamiliar with the rules of Tianjing, and he thought it was acceptable: "Come at noon? Then this young master can go back now?"
Wu Qiu couldn't help but lightly slap herself: "..."
The two entered the mansion. Xie Meixiang wanted to go in, but Wu Qiu stopped her.
Why not go inside?