The Xie family may one day disappear, but history will remember this great family.
Si Xitong nodded, and she laboriously touched Xie Lanzhi's face, stroking her skin again and again to feel her presence.
Now she can rest easy.
Lanzhi will no longer be rejected by this world. She no longer needs to live in fear of being abandoned. She can also live openly and proudly as Xie Lanzhi.
"Lanzhi, my wife."
"Hmm..." the person next to me responded as if in a dream.
In the north, the Xiongnu chieftain Aqina was suffering, clutching his head in agony.
The national shaman, who had rushed back a month earlier, saw the sudden situation and guessed that perhaps the main figure had been punished by heaven and had his life taken prematurely.
The shaman foresaw that Xie Guang would launch an invasion, and Heaven would hold Xie Ying responsible for this, thus incurring divine punishment.
I thought Xie Ying was dead. But it turns out that because her natal chart was close to the Ziwei star, she was protected by the Ziwei star and survived.
The royal sorcerer looked at the king, who was in great pain on the bed, and secretly lamented, "It's all fate and destiny."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:32:35 on January 18, 2022 and 19:52:12 on January 19, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Mo Xiaonie (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Tong (13 bottles); Lianghuan and Hongyan (5 bottles each); Moxiaonie (4 bottles); Ye (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 156 Establishment of the Capital Guard
When the news that the master of Lanzhang Palace had woken up reached the high-ranking officials, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Qiu was the first to come and visit. He saw that Xie Lanzhi's complexion had recovered well and that she was practicing with her new long halberd on the training ground.
Xie Lanzhi has a stable lower body. She seems to focus more on her footwork and movements. She is strong and agile, so she is quite capable in combat.
After Xie Lanzhi finished practicing the Xie family sword technique, she was covered in sweat, and the guards next to her immediately handed her a towel.
She grabbed a towel to wipe her forehead and neck, then handed the long spear to the imperial guards.
She asked, "Wu Qiu, how is the clan doing lately?"
Recently, her attention has been focused on the Xie family, not only because of the 30,000 wronged souls, but also because the Xie family is about to leave, and she must give them a satisfactory ending.
Wu Qiu's wife was also a member of the Xie clan.
Wu Qiu naturally cared about the Xie family. He said, "Marshal, the Xie family is relatively stable. Apart from the 100,000 people who abandoned their military status and became civilians, the remaining 50,000 and 500 direct descendants of the clan are still in Tianjing awaiting your instructions."
"In addition, the General has resigned from his post and moved out of the Xie family's main residence. He is currently in the suburbs."
When Xie Lanzhi heard that Xie Guang had been stripped of his generalship and his entire family had moved to the suburbs, she guessed it was due to pressure from within the clan. His recklessness had caused significant military losses, and among the fallen Xie soldiers were members of the upper, middle, and lower classes of the Xie clan. Therefore, the clan no longer supported Xie Guang; they might even have hated him.
Seeing that the Grand Marshal still intended to appoint a general, Wu Qiu couldn't help but remind him, "Marshal, the stability of the people's hearts must be the top priority."
"You also think Xie Guang is unfit to be a general." Xie Lanzhi couldn't talk to Wu Qiu about such mysterious things. In their eyes, Xie Guang was just reckless and caused the deaths of 30,000 people.
Only she and Little Phoenix knew that this was all a scheme by the unsettlers, and also an arrangement of fate.
Xie Guangzhong was devoted to her, and because of her, he acted without authorization.
Wu Qiu, as a civil official, never expressed his thoughts directly, but this time he was very frank: "Xie Guang has lost the hearts of the people and should not be employed again."
"If you really want to choose a general, General Xie Ji of the Right can take your place."
Xie Lanzhi waved her hand to interrupt. She didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"Send word to demote Xie Guang to the Nine Provinces and have him guard the gates of the Purple Light Palace!"
Wu Qiu immediately went to relay the order.
Those who received the notification felt relieved, while others felt the punishment was too mild.
However, everyone accepted this punishment.
In a small tile-roofed house in the suburbs, Xie Guang received a notice that he would take Wang Shi to Jiu Jin to report for duty that same day.
Because her father was ostracized by the military, Xie Ying, in a fit of anger, decided to fight Xie Ji. Xie Shi forbade her from leaving the camp and even banished her to Jiu Jin.
Upon hearing this, Si Xitong asked Xie Ying to join the newly recruited army, but she would have to start as a lowly commander.
Xie Guang's family fell from power, and only Xie Cuicui escaped unscathed. Fortunately, Lu Ping and Si Maogong did not despise her and continued their marriage. Meanwhile, Si Maogong, thanks to a bountiful harvest and good public order, gained the support of the people in the former Jin territory. He achieved considerable political success.
For this, he was promoted from Duke to Marquis of Luping, and granted the authority of a thousand personal guards. He did not receive this privilege when he was Duke of Luping, and the surrounding territories were all under the control of Xie Jun.
Now that Xie Jun has withdrawn some of his men, Si Xitong has just promoted him to fill the vacancy.
Upon hearing this, the people of Tianjing were all shocked and saddened that Xie Jun's million-strong army had disbanded so easily. Initially, they worried that without these powerful men, no one would protect them. Later, however, the newly appointed army performed admirably, and the people regained their sense of security. They stopped mentioning Xie Jun. Aside from the good deeds Xie Jun had done, which were frequently mentioned, the people were also very forgiving of any mistreatment he had caused them.
Xie Jun's past grievances seem to have been wiped clean.
Xie Lanzhi has only been issuing orders these past few days; she hasn't personally gone to see everyone.
Back at Lanzhang Palace, I saw that Little Phoenix had left court earlier than usual today.
Just as she was about to ask, Little Phoenix came over with a folded document and handed it to her: "Lanzhi, I've thought it over. Xie Jun's power is still there. We can't eliminate them just because we're afraid of fate."
"On the contrary, we need to take remedial measures."
"How can we remedy this?" Xie Lanzhi opened the memorial at the right time. The contents were all requests to reorganize the army. The memorials were submitted by Ma Hong, Li Ling, and Xie Xia.
Xie Xia? Isn't he in Weidu? Why is he getting involved in this?
Xie Lanzhi always sought out Xie Xia, a talented individual, and since most of his soldiers were good swimmers, they were well-suited to forming a naval force in the future.
"If it's useful, then go ahead and do it." Xie Lanzhi completely adopted a hands-off attitude, as if she really didn't care.
Si Xitong frowned slightly, sensing that Lan Zhi was intentionally leaving the stage.
She didn't say it explicitly. She only said, "Since that's the case, then I won't ask for your opinion on the next steps."
"I'll do it myself."
"What's next?" Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but ask.
Si Xitong didn't tell her. She also adopted an attitude of "if you don't care, don't ask," yet she precisely grasped Xie Lanzhi's indecisive and trouble-ridden state of mind.
Xie Lanzhi was outmaneuvered by her.
She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped. Si Xitong turned and went into the inner chamber to change into a dark gray phoenix robe, and then she went out again.
Recently, during the handover of military power, Si Xitong has been extremely busy.
Xie Lanzhi's current situation is like that of a concubine neglected by a heartless man.
Although she had brought this situation upon herself, Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but pinch her brow. It wasn't that she didn't want to get involved; it was just that the timing was wrong.
Jianzhang Palace is now the second office of the court officials.
Previously, only the newly promoted army and the nine Jin officials would come, but the Xie family would not.
Now, almost every prominent figure in the Xie family is represented here, and everyone is pinning their hopes on this nominal matriarch to consolidate the Xie family's power. Privately, many members of the Xie family don't expect an outsider to do anything for them, but there are always those who are shameless enough to try, even if there's only a 10% chance of success.
Unexpectedly, Si Xitong's first task was to arrange the placement of Xie Shi.
She said, "Everyone, as the matriarch of the Xie family, it is my responsibility to guide you."
"Please listen carefully."
The Xie family, led by Xie Changwang, all bowed their heads and listened respectfully.
Si Xitong told everyone her plan to integrate Xie Jun and the newly formed army to form the Capital Guard Army. Rather than a plan, it was already a done deal. Whether Xie Shi agreed or not, they had no choice but to follow her lead.
Xie Changwang stepped forward despite the pressure and asked, "I wonder who Your Highness will appoint as the Grand General of the Capital Guard?"
Instantly, a subtle power struggle brewed among everyone present. Ma Hong was the first to object to the Xie family occupying the position, arguing that it would make no difference between the Capital Guard and the Xie Army; the Capital Guard must be led by His Highness's trusted confidants.
Si Xitong said, "The army will be directly commanded by me."
These words dispelled the doubts of both sides.
Xie Changwang had never dared to dream of the position of Grand General, but he was still unwilling to let an outsider take it so easily. Now that His Highness had personally guaranteed it, he could finally rest assured.
In chaotic times, most rulers combined military and political power, concentrating it in the emperor's own hands in order to consolidate imperial authority. Therefore, when Si Xitong announced that he would take over the army, no one objected.
Because everyone does it this way, even the deposed Si Lei once held the power of 50,000 soldiers.
The order to the Imperial Guard was issued by Si Xitong, and they began to be quickly integrated. In addition to their own sons and brothers, the Xie family had also recruited many people from other families.
There are 200,000 people with the surname Guangwai.
Ma Hong and Xie Changwang, as representatives of their respective armies, began to cooperate in forming a new army.
The positions that should be kept and the positions that should be replaced are all clearly marked.
When Xie Lanzhi learned of the new policy, while everyone outside was busy with preparations, she stayed in Lanzhang Palace, drinking tea, eating snacks, lying in a rattan chair basking in the sun, and then going to sleep. She was enjoying her retirement life ahead of schedule.
It seems he really doesn't care about politics at all.
When Xie Shangguang returned to his post, he saw the Grand Marshal eating and drinking like a retired old man, completely unconcerned about the changes outside.
He wore an expression of pity and concern. The marshal had indeed damaged his foundation when he killed General Wang last time, so he could only publicly claim to be relinquishing power. In reality, she was no longer capable.
Unfortunately, Xie Lanzhi saw it.
Xie Shangguang said, "Marshal, you don't need to worry. Even if you're not here, everyone can pull themselves together."
Suddenly, she was being worried about by a junior colleague.
Xie Lanzhi finally lost her composure. She quickly stood up, looking slightly embarrassed: "This general is just taking a few days off."
“Marshal can rest all the time.” Xie Shangguang suddenly encouraged her, clenching his fist with great enthusiasm: “The boy will grow up quickly and become a great general to help the Marshal restore the Xie family.”
"Marshal, you should just have fun!"
"If all else fails, there's still that arrogant prince. I heard he confiscated the property of the Duke of Zheng, and now Bingzhou is his territory. I can't fall behind him."
Xie Lanzhi: ......
What should I do? The young men in the clan and my brother-in-law are all working hard outside, while I'm just lazing around here. Is that a bit inappropriate?
Xie Lanzhi originally wanted to lay low for a while, but the situation was changing too fast. If she remained indifferent, she would probably become the empress when the little phoenix ascended the throne.