“You have never mentioned that you want to conquer the world. In the past, anyone who disobeyed you would be killed, even if it was just half a word of complaint.”
“I was worried that you were too ruthless and killed all the capable people. Later, your temperament changed drastically and you adopted a policy of appeasement. I was afraid that the ambitious Xie family would covet your position.”
“It seems there are always things to worry about. But now, I finally understand.” Xie Ji’s eyes were resolute. Although he had once been unconvinced by the woman before him, and had even wavered when her personality changed drastically, he now seemed to understand the great cause she was pursuing.
He used to look down on Xie Guang, thinking him foolish and only good at brute force to gain a position. He also didn't understand the marshal at all.
He was wrong. Xie Guang's position as Grand General was not solely due to the Marshal's protection; in fact, if he had worked harder to surpass Xie Guang, he would have naturally replaced him.
So why wasn't he replaced? The reason is simple: he didn't have Xie Guang's sense of entitlement. Xie Guang would risk his life to endure beatings to uphold the marshal's bottom line.
Each time, he promptly upheld the marshal's bottom line. This was to prevent her from falling from her sacred position as the Lord of Thanksgiving, to respect her as his master, and to acknowledge only her as his master.
"Your subordinate apologizes to you. Your subordinate should not have doubted you. You are just like Xie Yan and those fickle people in the Xie family."
Xie Lanzhi remained silent. The loyalty of the Right General before her was beyond doubt; she had repeatedly offered him guidance. It was all because his vision was too narrow.
Although Xie Guang was rough and straightforward, he would immediately change his ways and adapt to her whenever she spoke.
This is one of the reasons why Xie Lanzhi was so tolerant of Xie Guang. Because Xie Guang blindly worshipped her to the point of being completely obedient to her.
Now that Xie Ji has opened up to her, it means he has finally come to his senses.
Without making a sound, Xie Lanzhi suddenly punched Xie Ji, saying, "Since you want to apologize, then you'd better be prepared!"
As their fists collided, the force of the punch shook Xie Ji's hair. He immediately crossed his arms in a defensive stance, but the marshal's punch was so powerful that it made his arms tremble.
Xie Ji took several steps back before regaining his footing.
Xie Lanzhi withdrew her inner strength and did not feel that she had hit too hard; on the contrary, she even restrained her strength a bit.
"Let bygones be bygones for past infidelity." She stood with her back turned and hands behind her back: "This is a one-time exception."
Xie Ji clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"
Ten thousand Xie soldiers, led by Xie Ji, formed the vanguard to enter the Red River region.
It takes three days by boat to get there. Then, we go to make arrangements for everything at Jianhe Palace. When the second batch of Xie Bing arrives, it will be the day Xie Lanzhi personally visits Honghe.
On that day, she might have to part ways with Little Phoenix temporarily.
That night, Xie Lanzhi couldn't sleep.
When Si Xitong returned to the palace late at night, he found her staring intently at him, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him, with a lingering, reluctant expression.
She knew that this man was about to embark on a long journey and would be stationed abroad for an extended period, which was her mission as a military officer.
She had never left her side for a year, and now that they were parting, she felt a little reluctant to leave.
"Lanzhi, this temporary separation is for a long and happy life together in the future." Si Xitong's voice trembled slightly, clearly not as calm as she appeared.
"We bear a great responsibility and cannot afford to be careless in the slightest. If we make a mistake, we will be doomed."
"I won't, and you shouldn't think about being doomed." Xie Lanzhi quickly took her hand, her eyes filled with affection: "With me here, I won't let such a thing happen."
She had never agreed with Xie Ying's way of life as much as she did now.
The cruel world and powerful enemies forced her to change her previous way of doing things.
Xie Lanzhi assured her, "Don't worry, my compassion is only for the Southern Region and Tianjing. People from distant and remote places are not even within my consideration."
Whether in the past or the present, the Xiongnu will disappear from the history of the Central Plains.
It was the same in her past life, and it will be the same in this one, except this time it's her turn to destroy the Xiongnu.
She would not allow the Xiongnu to run rampant in the Central Plains, even if the Xiongnu were farsighted enough to first gather the elites of the Mohist school and develop naval power. But let's not forget, this is the Central Plains. Even in the age of sea power, the vast territory and the advantages and foundation built up over thousands of years make the Central Plains an insurmountable obstacle for sea power to destroy a nation and its people in a short time! Therefore, developing firearms to protect national sovereignty is of paramount importance!
"That's good then." Si Xitong has recently become a workaholic; she carries official documents with her at all times and keeps track of her schedule—it's become a habit. Saying goodbye to her loved one, she didn't hesitate to pull out her notebook and tell her what she had to say.
"Lanzhi, I have investigated the Hu Xiongnu, and I obtained this information from Jiu Jin."
“Jiujin has taken in Mohist disciples who fled from the Hu and Xiongnu. Although they were failed candidates, they knew some useful information. I had Zhang Ju find out all the information.”
A failed candidate? In other words, a Mohist disciple rejected by the Hu and Xiongnu? How bad was he to flee back to a land that didn't value Mohist traditions?
Xie Lanzhi suddenly became curious about the students who failed the exam.
"I want to see him."
Si Xitong hesitated for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to speak to this person.
"What's wrong with Little Phoenix? Is this person too despicable?" Xie Lanzhi had seen many bad students and all sorts of hypocrites, so Little Phoenix's reaction made her even more curious.
Si Xitong clearly avoided this person: "Well, how should I put it? She's a woman."
"Isn't the girl just right? What's wrong?" Xie Lanzhi felt a little itchy inside, wondering why the little phoenix was avoiding her.
Si Xitong had no choice but to give up her hesitation. She told her, "This person is a womanizer. I met her once before, and she..."
With a sharp crack, Xie Lanzhi clenched her fist, her knuckles popping. She smiled kindly, "She flirted with my woman?"
Si Xitong covered her mouth and coughed lightly: "She doesn't know my identity. I've already had Zhang Ju teach her a lesson."
No wonder they used Zhang Ju to bring back the failed candidate. Zhang Ju is notoriously ruthless and will stop at nothing to complete his master's mission. The fact that they used Zhang Ju shows that the person is so despicable and filthy that he needs someone to intimidate him.
Xie Lanzhi took Eshi out to see who dared to flirt with her little phoenix.
When Si Xitong saw that she had even taken Eshi, she stood up and stopped her: "Are you really going to chop her up?"
Xie Lanzhi raised an eyebrow: "Those who defy their superiors should always be taught a lesson."
She walked past the little phoenix and headed straight for the Censorate. Located behind the Shuntian Prefecture in a relatively remote area, the Censorate wielded considerable private power and was an imperial department, so no one dared to underestimate its status. In fact, they avoided it altogether.
Zhang Ju obeyed the marshal's order to bring out the students who had failed the exam.
"Marshal, this is the woman! How dare she hug His Highness!!" As soon as Zhang finished speaking, he lifted a girl who was eating a candied hawthorn with his right hand, like lifting a chick.
Xie Lanzhi was about to glare when she saw a girl of about seven years old staring at her with innocent, wide eyes. Then she stuck out her little tongue and licked a candied hawthorn.
Xie Lanzhi: "Is she the culprit who harassed my wife?"
A woman? Is this an adult woman?
Seven years old...and not all of his teeth had grown in yet. He drooled as soon as he smiled.
Zhang Ju had a naturally serious face, and his emotionless, serious words were: "This woman is shameless. She treats Your Highness like her mother and burrows into Your Highness's arms as soon as they meet."
"His Highness was displeased and handed the woman over to me."
The Ministry of Justice never lies, nor does it withhold information; Xie Lanzhi believed the texts.
She raised her fist, about to strike, when a jailer rushed out from inside the Censorate and shouted, "Boss Zhang, you've brought the wrong person! This isn't the woman who defied her superiors!"
“This is yet another minor offense that offended Your Highness.”
The mother and daughter were both teasing her little phoenix?
Xie Lanzhi's face darkened. His protective instincts towards his wife erupted.
Zhang Ju shook the little girl in his hand in confusion. The little girl finally realized what was happening and cried out at the top of her lungs, "Mama—ah!"
Zhang Ju, a grown man, was suddenly flustered. How could he have made such a mistake? Wait, he clearly pulled that woman just now, how could he have made a mistake? His head, his head was suddenly a little dizzy.
Xie Lanzhi was also curious as to how there could be a child in the Censorate.
As soon as the jailer drove a disheveled woman out of the Shenxing Division, the little girl immediately struggled out of Zhangju's grasp and threw herself into the woman's arms.
The woman seemed to be still half asleep; she caught her daughter in one hand and yawned with the other, looking like she hadn't had enough sleep.
The little girl rushed into her arms and laughed happily. The mother and daughter smiled at each other again. A strange fragrance emanated from nearby. Xie Lanzhi immediately held her breath. Zhang Ju and the jailer beside her collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The mother and daughter worked in perfect harmony and were about to leave when Xie Lanzhi, completely unaware, lightly touched the ground behind them with her toes and leaped forward, raising her fist and striking the woman on the head with a "thud."
The woman, clutching her head in pain, rolled on the ground, screaming, "Ahhh, my head's going to explode! My head's going to explode!"
"Mother, this person wasn't drugged by your magic potion!" The little girl was terrified as she witnessed her mother's failure for the first time.
The woman got up from the ground, clutching her head, and found a large, swollen bump that couldn't be covered by her hair. It looked like a small hill on her head.
She looked at Xie Lanzhi in utter horror: "Wow, what incredible brute strength!"
And her magic water works even if you only smell a little bit or get it on your nose, so why doesn't it work on this woman with such a scary face?
Xie Lanzhi raised her fist again and approached.
The woman, terrified, raised her hands high: "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong! Don't kill me! I'm very useful, I'm the only female disciple of the Mohist school!!"
Chapter 79 Female Disciple vs. Empress
Xie Lanzhi had never encountered a female hooligan with a child before.
She wanted to punch him again, and he raised his hands in surrender. An ordinary person would have knelt down and begged for mercy first, but the female thug, even though she was afraid, didn't kneel down. She probably didn't have the habit of kneeling and therefore didn't react instinctively.
After all, the Mohist school advocated the principles of universal love and non-aggression, which were ahead of their time in the feudal era.
This person's lack of adherence to Confucian etiquette aligns with the characteristics of a Mohist disciple. However, his unconventional behavior does not necessarily indicate strict adherence to Mohist discipline.
She remembered that the Mohist school was so strict that they didn't even recognize their own family members.
Little Phoenix said this person failed the exam, so naturally their studies are not good.
Now that she has traveled south from the north, it shows that Little Phoenix's intelligence was very accurate.
The female hooligan certainly exuded intelligence-related characteristics in every way.
The little girl, who had fallen to the ground, seemed unwilling to give up and was still reaching into her clothes for bottles and jars in an attempt to retaliate.
Xie Lanzhi glanced at her, her eyes narrowing slightly, a dangerous aura emanating from her.
The female disciple of the Mo family immediately pressed down on her daughter's hand and shook her head at her.
The little girl was completely confused and oblivious to the danger: "Mother?"
"This person is different from those we've dealt with before, don't make any rash moves," the female disciple whispered. Because of her disheveled hair and her proximity to the fair-skinned little girl, she looked just like a slave trader trying to lure a child.
Xie Lanzhi had been holding her breath for almost three minutes. The Shenxing Division was located in a remote area, with alleys leading in all directions. A gust of wind instantly dispersed the lingering fragrance.
Xie Lanzhi took another breath and pointed to the verses on the ground, commanding, "Wake them up."
The female disciple dared not disobey. She could sense the malevolent aura emanating from the person before her, a chilling ruthlessness. Even if her eyes appeared innocent, the composure she displayed after killing wouldn't lie. Moreover, her internal energy... was very strange.
She had her daughter take out a gray bottle and pour it on Zhang Ju, and Zhang Ju and the others quickly showed signs of movement.
A group of people groggily got up, disoriented and seemingly still not fully recovered.