Palace Coup 20

Since the blood debt had been repaid, Xie Miaoxuan pondered for a moment and said, "The Xie family's annual tax is two-tenths of the harvest, and that will remain unchanged from now on. Everyone, line up and come to me one by one to register. Report all the excess taxes you have paid over the years. My men will verify everything, and once confirmed, we will compensate for those deficits. I guarantee that before the autumn harvest arrives, you will have surplus grain to eat well every day, with enough in your bellies."

Xie Miaoxuan spoke rapidly and clearly, each word falling precisely into the ears of the gathered crowd.

Her decisive and swift manner had already left a deep impression on them, so when she spoke, no one doubted her; instead, the joyous news stunned them into silence.

The atmosphere in the gathering burst into excitement.

The gloom that had weighed on the villagers’ hearts was completely dissipated.

Some widened their eyes in disbelief, while elderly women and young girls embraced each other, weeping softly.

That entire afternoon passed busily, with people registering and dispatching others to Cao Youxin’s house to retrieve the confiscated goods. Only by sunset did the work conclude.

Xie Miaoxuan, her face flushed red like everyone else’s, looked upon their beaming faces and sighed deeply with relief.

As a wave of contentment swept over her, she suddenly recalled the villagers mentioning that the autumn chrysanthemums were blooming profusely on the back mountain—a perfect sight for flower viewing.

A surge of interest arose within her, and so she took her big ox and headed toward the back mountain.

After Xie Miaoxuan left, the villagers, who had been holding back their excitement, gradually grew noisy.

“If only the lady could stay here forever, she truly has a kind heart.”

“Erwa, I don’t think so. The lady is decisive and ruthless. Did you see how she slit the wild dog’s throat without even a blink?”

“Exactly. At first, I thought she softened when she spared Cao Youxin’s life after whipping him, but she whipped him to death in the end. Saying she spared him was just a way to say she left one breath—if you ask me, the lady is pretty ruthless...” The last words faded into a whisper, almost inaudible.

“Silence, you brats,” an old villager, puffing on a dry tobacco pipe, tapped the stem on their heads. “What do you know? The lady is a leader. If she were only soft, those who follow her would suffer. Clear rewards and punishments, swift action—that’s what a leader must do.”

The old villager took another puff, “Besides, the lady has a compassionate heart for the people. You all will be blessed.”

Uncertain if she had taken the wrong path, when Xie Miaoxuan climbed to the mountaintop, she saw no chrysanthemums but instead a vast field of pink muhly grass.

The pink flower plumes sprouted like strands of silk from the base, stretching into the sky. Their delicate, smoky appearance was dreamlike, sparkling beautifully under the sunlight, almost glowing.

From this vantage point, the grand architecture of the capital also came into view.

She thought she saw several riders galloping down the official road in this direction, though from afar they were mere black dots.

As she wandered through this rustic scenery, unknowingly venturing farther, she suddenly stopped. A sweet, metallic scent hung in the air.

Her big ox also caught the scent and guarded her cautiously as they slowly approached the source of the smell.

Pushing aside the thicket, the scent grew stronger. Several bloodstains marked the ground, and a body lay there.

The ox stepped forward and flipped the corpse over, bringing its nose close. “Lady, not dead yet.”

Xie Miaoxuan did not approach but stood back to observe carefully. The figure was a young man in black, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old.

Amid the decayed branches and fallen leaves, his face was pale as paper. A long eyebrow slanted elegantly into his temple, and his narrow eyes were tightly shut. Even with his pale complexion, the surrounding debris made him appear like a blooming flower.

Dressed in tightly fitted black clothing, his limbs looked long and slender. Bloodstains marked his exposed skin on his wrists and neck, making his pale skin appear even more translucent.

That face shone with a splendor like a fading but magnificent blossom.

His wrists and ankles were tightly bound with cloth strips, and his right hand clutched a long knife.

He looked like a failed assassin about to meet a violent end.

Xie Miaoxuan clicked her tongue, noting he was quite handsome.

Yet her gaze lingered not on him but on the knife, scrutinizing it with keen interest. She crouched down and examined the blade closely: four fingers wide, four feet long, the tip curved at a quarter length, with a subtly crafted blood groove—exquisitely beautiful.

She tried to pry the knife from the youth’s grip.

His hand was clenched too tightly; she couldn’t budge it. “Big Ox, break his finger joints and give me the knife.”

Without asking why, the ox obeyed her command.

With several cracking sounds, the joints holding the knife were broken.

Once the knife was in her hand, she felt its weight—heavy but still manageable.

With a casual swing, she sliced through a tree branch the thickness of a wrist as if cutting through melon.

“Fine blade!” Xie Miaoxuan praised, stroking the blade tenderly without looking back at the youth on the ground. “Big Ox, let’s go.”

The ox scratched his head, “Lady, what about that person?”

“What business is it of ours? Don’t be fooled by his simple clothes—if sold, they’d fetch ten gold coins. Besides, he looks like a big troublemaker. Why bring trouble upon ourselves? Such trouble... I’ll tell you, it usually costs lives in the end. I don’t know him, can’t risk my life for him, and definitely not yours. Better safe than sorry, got it?”

“Hehe.” The ox smiled sheepishly, pleased that the lady cared for her men and amazed at how much he had learned in just two days by her side.

Xie Miaoxuan tossed a gold coin as payment for the knife and turned away with the ox, leaving with flair.

In her old world, she had seen countless stories where a heroine picks up a stranger halfway through the journey—none escaped trouble, many ended in torment and death.

Just the thought made her scalp tingle.

No matter how handsome or enchanting this youth was, he was none of her concern. She neither wanted a relationship with him nor desired trouble.

To spontaneously develop a savior complex for a stranger without considering consequences was impossible.

“Lady, this blade is sharp and without a sheath. It’s dangerous for you to carry it. Let me take it back for you.”

Xie Miaoxuan was not afraid of the blade’s edge but admitted, “It is a bit heavy...”

Still, she hesitated to hand it over to the ox because she had decided to learn swordsmanship. If so, she needed to adapt now.

After the chaos, heroes would rise and wars would rage. To maintain peace in one’s domain, one must master martial skills.

The whip was only suitable for daily use.

The sword was a gentleman’s weapon—too slender and soft for killing.

The spear demanded too much strength and would exhaust her quickly in combat.