“But…” Xie Meixiang still wanted to say.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves rang out from the Prince Dun's mansion. They stopped at the gate, and Zhang Ju, carrying Xie Lanzhi's waist token, rushed in. None of the Xie soldiers in the mansion dared to stop him.
Normally, these people would be scolded even if they were just standing at the door.
Xie Guangying went over and saw a gray official's uniform with the character "慎" (shèn, meaning cautious) engraved on both the front and back, and the official was wearing a familiar waist tag.
His eyes darkened. Damn it, he wouldn't believe this had nothing to do with Xie Yan! Maybe Xie Yan hadn't even returned to the Southern Region.
The Censorate has investigated him.
Amidst the various rumors, news finally came from Fengxi Town that Xie Yongding's letter had reached Tianjing, and that a medicine bottle was tucked inside the letter.
Xie Lanzhi received the letter in person. It contained two sheets of paper, one in Xie Yongding's handwriting and the other clearly in someone else's handwriting.
"Grand Marshal, this is absolutely untrue. Please give the Xie family of Fengxi Town justice."
Another sign reads: "Half an antidote. If you dare to take the rest, lead five thousand men to Fengxi Town to collect it!"
Chapter 38 Her Past and Future
Extremely provocative.
Xie Lanzhi remained expressionless as she personally took the medicine bottle to the Imperial Hospital for examination by the physicians and poison masters.
The poison master quickly examined it and said, "Marshal, it is indeed Hua Shu's branch medicine, but only half a pill. At most, it can stabilize the poison, but it cannot neutralize it. Moreover, once taken, the complete antidote must be taken within ten days."
"Otherwise, it's better to refuse; at least half a month is five days more."
The physician said, "But if that's the case, once Her Highness's pulse becomes unstable, it may accelerate the onset of the poison. At that point, let alone five more days, I'm afraid she won't even have ten days left."
Upon hearing this, the Poison Master nodded to Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi slowly closed her eyes: "Go and administer the antidote."
In just three days, she returned to Lanzhang Palace. The hall was empty, and the little girl was no longer busy at the desk, nor was the tea table where she used to brew tea for her during her leisure time.
When she returned to the palace, no one would remove her heavy black armor, inquire about her affairs of state, or hold her in their arms while she talked about casting a net and putting on a good show for her.
I always worry that she won't eat vegetables.
On the sword rack, three swords lay neatly arranged: Eshi, Ebai, and Xixian.
They used to carry swords, and there were always empty spaces on the sword rack. Now that it's full, it feels strange.
Xie Lanzhi's smile had vanished. She took off the sword Eshi, stroking its grainy scabbard, her voice deep, cold, and slightly hoarse: "In this vast world, I am but a drop in the ocean, and I have found my place."
"I will no longer have to wander aimlessly every night, nor will I have to cater to outsiders."
"Because someone saw my sincerity, she saw it clearly, she accepted it readily, and she integrated herself into my life."
"I can't miss her. Because without realizing it, I've made her my only motivation to live."
Suddenly, her thoughts drifted back to the modern era, and Xie Lanzhi heard memories etched into her mind—memories of that past.
Her best friend's voice kept pestering her: "Lanzhi, is there anything else you like? My parents want to prepare an extra gift for you on my birthday."
She replied, "No need, I'll prepare a gift for you."
Besides, I don't like celebrating my birthday. My parents never come back to celebrate with me. I've gotten used to being alone for over twenty years.
Uncle and Aunt: "Xiao Zhi, from now on, will you... will you live with us?"
"Yes, yes, if it weren't for you, Aimin would have been kidnapped by human traffickers when she was a child. You are a benefactor to our family."
"Thank you, Auntie and Uncle." There's no need to force myself. I live alone in the big house my parents left me, and it's quite nice. I live freely, with no one to discipline me. Looking at her parents' photo, she closed her eyes: I can be quiet when I want... Even if I miss them, they'll never know.
"Actually, I don't know what you really want. I always feel like I want to get closer to you, but I'm blocked by an invisible barrier."
"You've been very good to me, and you're my best friend. Emin."
Ai Min: "I'll give you this book; it was written by my friend."
She refused without hesitation: "I don't like it. Instead of wasting money buying it for me, I'd rather buy clothes for my uncle and aunt."
Ai Min: "Hey, you know, this book is called 'The History of Empress Jin.' The female protagonist is tragic; she lost her parents, but she lived on very strongly. Oh, and she also had a troublesome younger brother. Although I only saw him in the extra chapters, he was really asking for trouble. Unfortunately, he was also the empress's most beloved younger brother, and he died in the end. A lonely, lonely woman—that's probably what they mean by this empress."
That concludes my recollection.
Xie Lanzhi drew her blade, its cold light flashing in her eyes, no longer able to conceal her intense killing intent.
Replying to her friend whom she would never see again: "Aimin, I've not only come to love the book you gave me, it's now my life."
"I used to think that liking a character in a book was a silly thing, something I was ashamed to mention, and even more ashamed to let you see. But looking back, I am now a character in the book. It's hard to stop myself now."
“Emin, when I first met the little girl, her heroic figure wielding a sword was just as described in the original work. She was aloof from the world and fearless in the face of a meeting full of enemies. But this time is different. I rescued her before she began to suffer.”
"But I won't regret it."
Never.
Xie Lanzhi took out a military helmet with a square shape and red tail tassels from the wardrobe in Lanzhang Palace. A piece of square jade with a broken corner was inlaid on the forehead, and the character "Ying" was engraved on the jade.
He wore a black battle robe and carried a long halberd with a golden handle.
When Zhang Ju rushed into the palace to report, he was utterly astonished. The Lord Xie was already fully prepared, clad in black armor, and wielding a six-foot-long halberd in one hand.
"marshal!"
More intelligence. The Censorate is indeed efficient; they were instrumental in capturing Huang Mang last time.
Xie Lanzhi put on the horned scale helmet and then hung the Eshi pendant around her waist.
Then he asked, "What information did you find out?"
"His Highness the Fourth Prince is heading to Fengxi Town, and my men were unable to stop him," Zhang Ju said. "General Xie also has no information about Xie Yan."
"But news from Fengxi Town has been circulating."
"What are you spreading?" Xie Lanzhi's eyes darted around. "Suppose Xie Yan is in Fengxi Town?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ju exclaimed in astonishment, "Marshal, you already know?"
Xie Lanzhi said, "How could I not know? A letter came from Fengxi Town, and it contained the handwriting of two people. One letter clarified that the poisoning of the mistress had nothing to do with the Xie family of Fengxi Town, while the other letter told me that if I wanted the remaining antidote, I should go to Fengxi Town in person."
"This..." Zhang Ju couldn't interfere; it sounded like a family matter of the Xie family, and as an outsider, he dared not meddle.
Xie Lanzhi had a stool brought over, and she sat at the palace gate, her long halberd handle standing upright on the ground. She said, "Zhang Ju, give me the truth of your investigation. It's not difficult, actually. The mastermind behind it all didn't bother to hide and openly informed me that they were dissatisfied with me."
Zhang Ju has indeed investigated the matter quite thoroughly. In fact, the Fourth Prince has also investigated the matter to some extent, otherwise he would not have personally gone to Fengxi Town.
He said, "The matter of Princess's poisoning can be traced back to the medicine. That Xie traitor deliberately smeared some flower petals on the rim of the bowl. It had already been sent to the palace and was drunk in front of the palace servants. But strangely, the Fourth Prince was fine. When the imperial guard saw this, he added some flower petals to the milk. He drank it and was still as if nothing had happened."
"But when the bowl was sent down, the poison of the flower could not be washed off with water. But after the bowl was washed, it was stacked with a new bowl, rim to rim, and naturally it was contaminated with the flower."
"Then the kitchen staff used the bowl that had accidentally bumped into Hua Shu to deliver milk to Her Highness the princess..."
The various unexpected and strange occurrences described are actually a series of coincidences.
The reason Si Xinian was not poisoned was because he had been poisoned by Huang Ze before. Although the poison in his body had been cleared, the remaining poison still needed time to be expelled. He happened to drink that bowl of Hua Shu, and the two poisons neutralized each other.
After listening, Xie Lanzhi said, "So, Madam, this is an undeserved disaster."
Zhang Ju said, "Yes, Your Highness is the mistress of the Xie family. I think no one would dare to lay a hand on her, because doing so would be tantamount to provoking Lord Xie and the entire Xie family, and the Xie family would not let it go easily."
"Such an act that would incur the wrath of the masses would not be dared even by a highly respected member of the Xie family."
Xie Lanzhi said, "So the antidote is irrelevant to them. Accidental poisoning is one thing, but now the letter that provokes me is another."
Thus, Xie Yongding's letter explained that it was true. But the second letter...
Xie Lanzhi narrowed her eyes: "Let me go to Fengxi Town myself."
Zhang Ju immediately advised, "Absolutely not. My men have investigated Fengxi Town. Since three days ago, Xie Yongding, the garrison commander of Fengxi Town, has been receiving scattered troops from the Southern Region who have come to surrender. In addition, there are 10,000 soldiers stationed there, so the number is probably more than that."
Xie Lanzhi remained unmoved: "This is Xie's family matter, and Zhang Ju's investigation ends here. I believe the antidote will be delivered soon, but I may have to personally go to Fengxi Town to get the antidote sooner."
"But," Zhang Ju still tried to persuade him.
Xie Lanzhi had already carried her long spear out of the palace, and the Xie soldiers in the training ground lined up to follow her out of the palace.
Five thousand men were temporarily transferred from Xie Jun's main camp in Tianjing to accompany Xie Jun to Fengxi Town.
This news spread throughout the Xie family, and everyone in the Xie family sent people to confirm Xie Lanzhi's attitude.
Xie Guang and Xie Ji are prime examples of this.
Xie Lanzhi mustered 5,000 troops and hastily formed an attack squad. Judging from the situation, she intended to personally lead the battle.
A group of soldiers followed her to the city gate.
Xie Guang rushed to the city gate and stopped her: "Marshal, I heard that you are going to Fengxi Town in person. May I ask what brings you there?"
Xie Lanzhi swung her long halberd, bringing it right in front of Xie Guang's nose, causing Xie Guang to unconsciously distance himself. But Xie Guang needed to figure out what the marshal was doing in Fengxi Town with five thousand men.
He didn't think it was as simple as going on official business. Besides, Fengxi Town was an important town for receiving the Xie family from the Southern Region, and many of the Xie family's relatives stayed in Fengxi Town. If... if a war broke out there, it would definitely cause the Xie family to suffer a great loss of strength.
Xie Guang probably guessed it, and he quickly knelt down and pleaded, "Marshal, please reconsider. Fengxi Town is not far away, only three hours away. Before that, I hope you can calm down."
"Calm down?" Xie Lanzhi said with amusement, "Back in the Southern Region, I pardoned Nomura once, and you said I was too soft-hearted. Why are you stopping me now?"
Xie Guang said, "In the past, Marshal Xie was decisive and efficient. He never left any room for maneuver in any of his decisions, so I thought that was how you should be. But these days, you have led the Xie family to the capital and opened up a wider world for the Xie family. I and the Xie family have all changed our opinion of you."
"We believe that Xie should make a choice based on the circumstances. Everything you have done is for the Xie family, and everyone in the Xie family is grateful. Just as the mistress said, the Xie family should not be confined to one corner, but should look to the whole country."
"You also said that the Xie family should not only be good at charging into battle and knowing death but not life. The Xie family should also be able to write in the court."
All of this is the result of Xie's complete acceptance after entering the capital, and nothing will be changed.
Now, the marshal is choosing to charge into battle again, which frightens Xie Guang, who is afraid of losing her.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi's smile, which had been absent for many days, finally returned to the corners of her lips, revealing a faint emotion: "Xie Guang, you have made progress."
With just a simple compliment, she spurred her black horse on: "Giddy up!!!"
"Giddy up!!!" The five thousand cavalrymen behind her spurred their horses with great momentum, charging toward Fengxi Town with Xie Lanzhi's murderous aura.
The ground trembled slightly, and the city defense soldiers felt the walls shaking as if a thunderbolt were striking the earth.
"Marshal!!" Xie Guang exclaimed in disbelief.