Chapter 154 The Journey to the Western Cold 3
They finally understood why Xie Sangning had said that Jiangnan was not worth mentioning.
Not worth mentioning!
Jiangnan?
Beneath that facade of charming bridges, flowing water, white walls, black tiles, and exquisite luxury lies an exorbitant entrance fee of fifty coins, shady inns that overcharge tourists at a hundred taels per table, a plight of people burdened by heavy taxes and gloom, and corrupt officials and their daughters who ride horses recklessly through the streets, treating human life as worthless! It is a rotten, deeply entrenched system that sucks the marrow from the people!
And look at this Western Cold before me!
It was the genuine respect and love that the people of the city held in their eyes!
It is heartfelt gratitude!
This cohesion, this spirit, how can those numb people in Jiangnan compare?
In every aspect, Jiangnan was utterly defeated by Xihan! Completely humiliated!
Magistrate Qu was so excited that he looked like a young boy. His face was flushed, and he ran forward a few steps, personally extending his hand to respectfully help Xie Sangning out of the carriage.
The sedan curtain was lifted, and Xie Sangning's figure appeared before everyone's eyes.
Magistrate Qu took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the trembling in his voice. He lifted the hem of his official robe and was about to perform a grand salute when he said in a loud voice, "Your subject, Qu Zhinian, Magistrate of Xihan County, pays respects to Princess Jianing!"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"I hope you are well, young lady!"
The sound of worship rang out, and the people knelt down one after another, like wheat fields swaying in the wind.
Xie Sangning raised her hand, making a gesture of help: "Please get up. It's been many days since we last met. Have you all been doing well?"
An elderly woman with a loud voice, who was at the very front of the crowd, shouted excitedly before Magistrate Qu could answer: "Great! Absolutely wonderful! Princess Jianing! This is better than anything we've seen in decades! Better than we ever dreamed of!"
Xie Sangning's gaze fell on the old woman, as if he were trying to identify her: "Aunt Zhang? Your daughter-in-law, judging by the dates, should have given birth? Is the child healthy?"
Aunt Zhang never expected that the young lady of the county magistrate's family, who was so busy with affairs of state, would still remember such a trivial matter!
Her face flushed even more with excitement, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears. She hurriedly and carefully took a swaddled baby from the arms of a young woman behind her, held it high, and spoke with a sob in her voice and immense pride.
"Thanks to the County Princess! She gave birth! She gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy! He's healthy and chubby! It's all thanks to the clinic you built and the good doctors you sent! It's all thanks to you for making sure we have enough to eat and wear! If it weren't for you, this child and his mother probably... probably wouldn't have made it!"
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion, "This child... this child's father was illiterate, so he specially asked the teacher at the school to name him Zhang Enning! He wanted the child to remember for the rest of his life that it was the kindness of the Princess of Jianing that allowed him to live and have what he has today!"
The baby in the swaddling clothes seemed to be startled by the sound; its little mouth moved and it made a soft humming sound.
The Lin family members, especially the women, were all moved to tears as they witnessed this touching scene. Their eyes were already red, and tears were almost falling. My God! This is not cruelty; this is clearly the heart of a true bodhisattva!
This heartfelt affection is more proof of the people's will than any gold, silver, jewels, power, or status!
Once they return to the capital, if anyone dares to gossip about Xie Sangning in front of them or say anything bad about her, they will be the first to rush up and slap them in the face!
Xie Sangning nodded slightly to the baby in the swaddling clothes: "It's good that he's healthy."
She exchanged a few more words with the other people who had squeezed in, and then Xie Sangning led the Lin family back to her residence in Xihan, escorted by the gazes of the people. After days of travel and mental strain, everyone was indeed exhausted. After settling into their lodgings, they all rested.
The following day, in the main hall of the mansion.
Sunlight streamed in through the large window panes, and even the smell of the sunlight was different from that in Nanjing.
The exquisite breakfast was cleared away, and the maidservant served tea before leaving the room. Only Xie Sangning and the Lin family members remained in the room, sitting together. Everyone's eyes seemed to be glued to Xie Sangning.
Lin Ziyuan couldn't hold back any longer. He looked at Xie Sangning with the same adoration he would give a Buddha statue in a temple: "Cousin! You...you are truly a great philanthropist! A living Bodhisattva! A savior from suffering!"
"They're gods!"
Lin Wantang, standing next to her, immediately added with a serious and unwavering expression, nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice.
In her simple and pure world, what else could her cousin be but a goddess, who could save so many people, enable so many people to live a good life, and be loved by everyone like a goddess?
The rest of the Lin family, including several elders, didn't speak, but their eyes conveyed similar emotions. This morning, they had heard from the people outside that they wanted to hold a grand banquet for her! What kind of influence does she have!
Putting everything else aside, everything changed the moment Xie Sangning forcefully intervened in the Lin family's affairs!
The huge amount of family wealth that had been swindled away was recovered, and Xie Sangning even provided a considerable amount of compensation, giving the Lin family a chance to start operating and develop again. The great-grandfather Lin Zhu was in high spirits and took the helm again, sweeping away the Lin family's decadence and bringing them back to life!
For the Lin family, Xie Sangning was nothing short of a lucky star and benefactor who had fallen from the sky and turned the tide.
The scene yesterday, in particular, elevated Xie Sangning's image in their hearts to an almost perfect saintly level.
However, a cold laugh broke the atmosphere.
"Oh."
The one who laughed was Xie Sangning himself, whom everyone regarded as a bodhisattva or a deity.
She put down her teacup, and the entire hall fell silent instantly.
She raised her eyes and scanned the bewildered faces.
"A virtuous person? A bodhisattva? A deity?"
She repeated those words, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "It seems you haven't learned your lesson enough, you're too naive, and you can't see through the truth."
The Lin family was stunned!
Xie Sangning leaned back slightly in her chair, her posture relaxed.
"Where did these benevolent people, bodhisattvas, and immortals come from? They're just people who have some use to them."
"Give them enough to eat, provide them with medical care, teach them to read, and help them live a good life... These are not acts of charity without a reason. Of course, it cannot be denied that what I did was indeed a good deed, that it saved their lives and changed their lives. I have a clear conscience."
Her gaze swept across the window, as if she could penetrate the walls and see outside: "The Western Cold is vast and sparsely populated, with a harsh environment. What can one rely on to establish a foothold, take root, and develop here?"
She scoffed, “It depends on people. Enough people, healthy enough people, loyal enough people, and capable enough people! The better they live, the stronger they are, the sharper their minds, the more land they can cultivate, the harder the iron they can forge, the stronger the cities they can build, and the sharper the arrows they can create! They will be grateful and willing to serve me, to risk their lives for me, to become the most powerful tools in my hands. That is the key.”
She withdrew her gaze and turned it back to the pale-faced, dazed Lin family members:
"I, Xie Sangning, never do anything that loses money. Every investment must yield a tenfold or even a hundredfold return. Popular support is a valuable asset and the most precious weapon. Throughout history, those who win the hearts of the people have won the world. Although I do not want the world, Xihan is the foundation of my development, and I need to win them over. Protecting them is protecting my own foundation of rule and interests in Xihan. This has nothing to do with good or evil; it is simply a calculation and an investment."
She paused, looked at her relatives whose values were shattered by her words, and chuckled softly:
"Yesterday's scene, none of you found it absurd or exaggerated, and some were even moved to tears. Have you been reading too many storybooks? Do you know... their reaction is actually abnormal."
“A truly virtuous person cannot inspire such fervor in the people; such fervor is the result of domestication.”
"It's no different from training a dog."
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