Ein Bettler bereist die Welt

Kapitel 10

Understanding his meaning, Brother Xiu replied, "It's Xiao Xuan'er, a newly recruited cook. She comes from a poor family, and Brother Xiu, remembering her filial piety towards her parents, recruited her and assigned her to the cook camp."

"Xiao Xuan'er, kneel down," Ta Lie shouted to Xiao Xuan. He knew she was a woman and had no intention of making things difficult for her, but this was a military camp with strict orders, not a place for child's play. Moreover, there was a Han envoy present. Putting aside the fact that she had caused such trouble by burning people—which was truly despicable—even now, dressed as a cook, she was standing there so disrespectfully; wasn't that just a sign of poor manners? If the Han envoy were to spread this word, they might say how chaotic the Liao army's regulations were.

Xiao Xuan pondered for a moment, then knelt down and kowtowed to Yelü Talie, saying, "Xiao Xuan'er greets King Yelü."

Liu Jiye and the two Han generals behind him carefully examined the weak Liao soldier. Was he the new recruit who raided our Han territory and killed us?

"Hmph." Ta Lie snorted coldly and asked, "Now that you are in my camp, you should know the rules of my army. You are just a lowly cook and a new recruit. How dare you go out to forage for grass and injure people on your own? You are too bold! My army has not yet faced the enemy, and you have burned your own brothers and disrupted the morale of the army. What are your intentions? Give me an explanation at once!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan felt a surge of anger. She glared at the group of soldiers and Hu Du, whose body was charred black, and said, "I went out to forage for grass and injured people without permission? Your Majesty, I should thank you. If I hadn't come to this camp, I really wouldn't know what foraging for grass was, and I wouldn't have known that these soldiers would do such heinous things behind the scenes."

"Shut up!" Ta Lie roared. How dare she still try to argue! She had done something that angered everyone. It would have been reasonable for her to admit her mistake and ask for punishment. Instead, she had to say such hurtful things. She was truly vicious and sharp-tongued.

"Your Majesty! Listen to what he said! This young cook dares to speak to you like that! He has no respect for Your Majesty! Please punish him severely!"

The Liao soldiers began to shout and clamor, and Xiuge, seeing this, felt secretly anxious. In this situation, "Xiao Chuo's" words were indeed somewhat presumptuous. If he were to side with her and speak up for her now, it would likely cause Yelü Talie to lose face. This time, King Talie was commanding the entire army in battle; if he argued with him about this, and it got back to the army, the consequences would be dire. If the commander-in-chief's authority was damaged, he might not be able to command the soldiers effectively, and they would not be able to give their all. Thinking this, Xiuge swallowed the words he was about to say and silently sat aside to observe.

"Xiao Xuan'er!" Ta Lie shouted, "When I ask you a question, you only need to answer yes or no. There's no need for any other excuses. I'm asking you, did you leave the camp without permission to forage for grain?"

“Yes! But…” Xiao Xuan wanted to say that she did not know what “hitting the grass” meant, but thinking that Ta Lie only told her to say yes or no, she stopped talking and wanted to see how Yelü Ta Lie, the southwestern governor and southern king of Liao, would handle this matter.

"I will ask you again, did you set the fire that burned Hu Du?"

"Yes!" Xiaoxuan sighed as she looked at the charred Hu Du and said softly, "I was wrong. I hate him to death and I want him to be punished. But now, seeing him in this half-dead, half-alive state, I feel a little guilty. If I had killed him back then, I think I wouldn't feel this guilt."

"Bang!" Yelü Talie slammed his fist on the table, shattering it with the force of his blow. He was furious; this Xiao Chuo was far too arrogant. "I know the Xiao family's status in the Liao Dynasty, but this is a military camp, not a place for your Xiao family to act recklessly. You, a mere girl, have such a vicious heart, your words so sharp and aggressive!"

"Xiao Xuan'er, you never belonged to my army. If it weren't for Brother Xiu, you wouldn't even have the chance to stand here and speak to me! Now I'm granting you your wish, you filial son, to leave this place, to leave my camp!" Yelü Talie said angrily. Brother Xiu lied for you in front of the soldiers, saying you were a filial son from a poor family, and recruited you into the army. And now I'm here, pretending to question you, hoping you'll admit your mistake, accept punishment, and give the soldiers an explanation. Yet you're so heartless! Listen to what you've said! Get rid of her! In my army, you disregard military regulations and are so arrogant! Hmph! Well then, go back to where you came from. I'm not forcing you to leave; you're forcing me. Whether you live or die is none of my business! Your father, Xiao Siwen, won't be able to find a reason to blame me!

"Your Majesty!" Xiuge cried out. He knew that Xiao Chuo's words had put Ta Lie in a very awkward position, but he hadn't expected him to tell her to leave. She was a woman, and this was Han Chinese soil; how could she survive? If they were in the Liao Dynasty, she could easily get some treatment by mentioning her father's name to anyone she met. This was unacceptable!

Xiuge looked at Ta Lie, pondering how to plead for Xiao Xuan without hurting her feelings, when he saw Xiao Xuan get up from the ground. She dusted herself off and looked at Ta Lie, saying, "As the saying goes, a strong general has no weak soldiers! Yelü Ta Lie, although I don't know how capable you are, judging from the wicked and reckless behavior of your soldiers, you are nothing special!" "Get out of here!" Yelü Ta Lie roared.

Xiao Xuan smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! I couldn't ask for more!"

This shout and response left everyone dumbfounded, sensing a different aura emanating from him. This Xiao Xuan'er was no ordinary person; dressed as a cook, he dared to speak so frankly to a high-ranking general, and even in his fury, Ta Lie had only driven him away. He was no ordinary man. The Liao soldiers kneeling on the ground couldn't understand why Yelü Ta Lie, the dignified Southern King of the Liao Dynasty, would so easily let go of this young cook who had defied them and violated military regulations. But Xiu Ge and the Han general Liu Jiye, sitting nearby, already knew the truth.

A sharp glint flashed in Liu Jiye's eyes. This young cook was definitely no ordinary person. He had repeatedly violated military regulations and spoken disrespectfully to his generals, yet Yelü Talie had only dismissed him. This young cook, however, spoke with great authority and his words were sharp and unforgiving; he was probably no ordinary individual either. "Hmph," Liu Jiye thought, "Yelü Talie must know who he is, which is why he didn't punish him but instead expelled him from the camp."

Xiao Xuan walked out of the house without looking back. In her heart, nothing could make her happier than Ta Lie driving her away. She had no intention of staying in this military camp anymore. She wanted to return to the Song Dynasty and have nothing to do with the Liao Dynasty from now on.

Seeing her turn to leave, Xiuge chased after her, shouting, "Stop!" Just as he was about to chase her out of the house, a command rang out behind him: "Stop General Yelü!"

Upon hearing this, Xiuge turned around and glared at Yelü Talie, his gaze as if he had never known Talie before.

"Yelü Xiuge, doesn't she understand, and don't you understand too? This is a military camp! We're here to fight. Don't you know what's most important for a soldier?"

Ta Lie's words pierced Xiu Ge's heart. Yes, now was not the time for impulsiveness. No matter what feelings he had for that girl, he couldn't forget his purpose in coming here. He couldn't forget what was more important to a soldier. At this moment, military orders were far more important than anything else. Watching that petite figure gradually disappear from his sight, his heart felt empty. "I'm a man. I brought you here, and I will definitely bring you back to the Great Liao! No matter where you go, after this battle, I will find you, bring you back to the Great Liao, and send you back to the Xiao family. Xiao Chuo, you must be safe and sound."

"You may leave!" Yelü Talie said to the kneeling Liao soldiers.

The Liao soldiers were secretly pleased and were about to get up and leave when they heard a deep, hoarse voice ask, "What, are you just letting them go like this? I remember that Emperor Taizong also listed raiding for provisions as one of the losses in a military campaign, and our dynasty also has a precedent against raiding for provisions. Hmph, once they leave our homeland and enter Han territory, does that rule no longer apply?"

Liu Jiye and his son, as well as Yelü Talie, were all shocked upon hearing this. What did Xiuge mean by saying this at this time? Weren't those who attacked the grass and injured people already driven away?

"General Yelü, what do you mean by that?" Ta Lie asked.

"These few kneeling before you, and Hu Du who was burned, all left the camp without permission to raid for grain," Xiu Ge said sternly.

Ta Lie's expression softened, and he said, "Brother Xiu, I have investigated this matter thoroughly. You were also deceived by Xiao Xuan'er and did not know the details. It was Xiao Xuan'er who committed the murder and harmed her own people, but they were trying to stop her. It seems that you believed Xiao Xuan'er's words and misunderstood them."

“That’s right! General Yelü was deceived by that cook!” The kneeling Liao soldier hurriedly echoed.

"Ha!" Hugh sneered. "We all saw her size and build. With her skills, does Your Majesty think she could easily kill a family of four? Even if she did, what were these people doing? Were they trying to stop her? So many people couldn't stop a young cook, whose size and build were far smaller than theirs, from committing murder, and even managing to kill three people, including a pregnant woman. Hu Du, you committed murder with ruthless cruelty, and you were burned to this state by Xiao Xuan'er. And yet, before the battle even started, they've already prepared their testimonies and framed an innocent person. I want to hear how Your Majesty Yelü will deal with them."

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter 18 Outside the City

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:57 Word Count: 3566

Upon hearing this, Ta Lie stared intently at Hugh and asked, "What did you say?"

"I'm telling you, these soldiers in front of you went out to forage for hay a moment ago! If I hadn't listened to the cook and chased after them, the man you just chased away would have been killed to silence him!" Xiu Ge finished speaking and glared angrily at the group of soldiers, saying, "If it weren't for the fact that killing our own men before even engaging in battle would damage our military prestige and morale, I would have slaughtered you all long ago. How dare you come here and frame innocent people? You have completely disgraced the soldiers of the Great Liao!"

"Is that really true?" Ta Lie asked.

The soldiers were surprised that Brother Xiu knew so much about this matter. They also heard him say that the cook was someone he had recruited, so they suspected they already knew him. If they continued to deny it, Brother Xiu would surely become enraged. So they quickly and softly protested, "It was just an accidental killing. Besides, it's no big deal if a mere Han Chinese dies."

Liu Jiye, sitting to the side, had an unusually gloomy face. The young general behind him was about to rush towards the Liao soldier who had spoken, but was pulled back hard by another general.

Ta Lie's facial muscles twitched slightly, but before he could speak, the Han official Liu Jiye had already stood up. Liu Jiye looked at Yelü Xiuge and said, "Hmph, no matter how cheap or worthless the lives of us Han people are, they are still lives. General, since you saw them injuring people, do you know which direction the dead are in? Please point them out to me. We are all Han people, so I should at least go and see for myself before I feel at ease."

"Go out from the northwest corner of the city and head north. You'll find it quickly if you're riding a horse."

After hearing Xiuge's words, Liu Jiye bowed to Talie and said, "General, as you just said, you know the route to Taiyuan, so there's no need for us to worry about this. I'll take my leave." "Guards, see General Liu off," Yelü Talie said calmly. He knew in his heart that this Han general must be very angry about this matter, but he had forgotten his identity and the purpose of the Liao soldiers' visit. He acted as if the Liao owed him something, completely forgetting that they had come all this way to help the Han people out of their predicament. Especially this Liu Jiye, from the moment he entered the room, he had a long face and a cold demeanor. The two Han generals behind him rolled their eyes at him from time to time. Hmph! I'd be happy if you wanted to leave early. Watching the guards escort the Han officials out, his mood improved somewhat. Looking at the Liao soldiers kneeling on the ground and the silent Xiuge beside him, Yelü Talie was thinking about how to punish these guys who had violated military orders.

Liu Jiye, accompanied by two generals, mounted his horse and rode out of the northwest corner of the city, galloping northwards. As he searched for the family where the incident had occurred, he heard a commotion behind him.

"Lord Zhou! Why did you stop me just now? You should have let me beat that barbarian to a pulp before I could vent my anger!" said the young general, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, standing tall and handsome. This young general, dressed in a crimson battle robe, was refined and elegant, clearly very agitated, his face flushed with anger. He was complaining to his father's subordinate, Zhou Yunqing, who was walking beside him. This young general was Liu Yanyu, the son of Liu Jiye.

"Yanyu, calm down. Our Han people are in trouble now. Even if we can't stand those barbarians, we have to endure it. They are here to help us fight the Song people. If we offend those barbarians because of our momentary pleasure and cause them to withdraw their troops, wouldn't Taiyuan be in danger?"

"Lord Zhou, since the Song army has already retreated, it doesn't matter if the barbarians withdraw their troops."

“What if this is a trick by the Song people? We must think things through carefully and consider things carefully before acting impulsively,” Zhou Yunqing reminded the hot-blooded Liu Yanyu.

"Okay," Liu Yanyu replied listlessly.

As the two were talking, Liu Jiye dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and looked at the house next to the tree.

Yan Yu and Zhou Yunqing quickly dismounted, tied their horses up, and followed closely behind Liu Jiye towards the house. This must be the house where the accident happened. Wisps of faint black smoke were rising from in front of the house, and a blurry figure could be vaguely seen. Judging from the disarray of the house, it seemed to be the unfortunate family, but they didn't know who the figure was. They would go over and find out.

The three men entered the hut and saw a petite Han woman digging in the ground with a hoe, having already dug a small pit at her feet. Not far behind her lay three corpses, with some burnt debris beside them. It was likely the woman was digging a burial site for the bodies. Seeing that among the corpses was the body of a young child, Liu Jiye and his son's faces paled. They suppressed their anger and clenched their fists.

The Han woman dug at the ground while muttering, "Go quietly. If there is a next life, be sure to be reborn into a wealthy family so that you won't be in this danger. I'll burn all the things you used for you. You'll be happy to see your own things, won't you? If you need anything, I'll burn some gold for you later."

Hearing her sobbing, Liu Jiye felt even heavier. He gently called out, "Miss."

The woman digging in the ground seemed surprised by anyone's arrival. She was talking to herself when someone called her from behind. Startled, she turned around. Her turn stunned Liu and his son, as well as Zhou Yunqing. This woman's face was a perfect replica of that Liaodong soldier's cook!

Xiao Xuan, who had been expelled from the army camp, packed her belongings at the cook's before leaving, mounted Achi, and left Xin County. Without direction or purpose, she initially intended to continue along the road to Taiyuan, but suddenly remembered the Han family who had been murdered. Thinking of the woman and child, her heart ached. Fearing their bodies would be exposed to the scorching sun and devoured by birds, Xiao Xuan decided to return to the family and properly dispose of their remains.

With Achi's help, she returned to the small house. Usually terrified of the dead and horror movies, she didn't know where she got the courage today; she wasn't afraid at all. Entering the house, she first found a set of Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) to change into, then carefully examined every corner of the house: the broken bowls and chopsticks on the stove, the children's toys on the table... Before the incident, this must have been a harmonious home.

A dull ache lingered in her heart as she searched the vicinity of the house for the three bodies. Finally, in a secluded corner behind the house, she found the three corpses carelessly piled up and discarded, covered with a clump of weeds to prevent them from being discovered. She dragged them to the front of the house and laid them down. Xiaoxuan picked up a hoe and began digging a hole in the ground. As she dug, tears streamed down her face. This family had been perfectly fine, and now, for no reason, they had suffered this calamity. This damned war! This damned war!

She cursed inwardly and muttered something to herself when she heard a soft call behind her. The call startled Xiao Xuan so much that her whole body went weak, and she almost felt her soul leave her body. Could it be a zombie coming back to life...? Xiao Xuan's legs went weak, and her arms were too weak to swing the hoe. She turned around and saw that although it wasn't a zombie, she had collapsed to the ground.

It's them! Seriously, why did they suddenly appear so quietly? Don't they know that scaring people can be deadly? Staring at the three people who appeared in front of her, Xiao Xuan didn't understand why they were here.

Liu Jiye coldly sized up Xiao Xuan, who had already changed into Hanfu. She was a woman; no wonder the Liao general treated her so differently. For a large army to set out, a woman was hidden within the ranks—truly, all sorts of sordid things were possible. No wonder she wasn't afraid of even the commander-in-chief and dared to talk back. Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that she stood up for these Han people, he would have already used her as a sacrifice to the dead Han civilians in this desolate place.

With a cold snort, Liu Jiye turned to his son and his generals and said, "Let's go!"

"Leave? Father, that woman is a Khitan! She's a barbarian! Father, they're killing us Han people, are we just going to let them off so easily?" Liu Yanyu said angrily.

Zhou Yunqing looked at Xiaoxuan's clothes, then at the hole she had dug, and stood silently to the side.

"Let's go!" Liu Jiye said coldly. "We Han people don't take our anger out on women. Let's go back to Taiyuan."

"Wait!" Liu Jiye had barely finished speaking when he heard the girl's voice.

"You think you can just come and leave? You're making things difficult for yourselves!" Xiao Xuan said sharply. "Can't you see your compatriots here? They died right here, their bodies haven't even been buried yet. Can you really bear to see them lying here like this?"

"Hmph, aren't you here too? Aren't you digging their graves?" Liu Yanyu sneered. "You killed them, shouldn't you be the ones burying them?"

"You!" Xiao Xuan glared fiercely at Liu Yanyu. This boy was about the same age as her, but he looked fierce and menacing, as if she were his enemy.

"Yes! That's right, they were killed by Liao soldiers. It doesn't matter who buries them now. Humph, if you want to leave, then leave. There's no show for you to watch!" Xiao Xuan said through gritted teeth. She was exhausted, having persevered all this time, and hadn't expected anyone to help her. Rather than arguing with them, she was more concerned with burying these poor souls. With that thought, she ignored the three men and turned back to digging the hole.

Liu Jiye looked at her coldly, then suddenly walked to her side and said, "Give me the hoe!"

Xiaoxuan stopped waving her tired arms, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her slightly trembling hand, and said, "Why! Why should I give it to you just because you say so?"

“Because I am a Han Chinese, and because what you are holding is of Han Chinese descent,” Liu Jiye said coldly.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Nineteen: Sleeping in the Open

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:57 Word Count: 3594

Xiao Xuan stared at Liu Jiye with her big eyes, tears still wet on her face. She looked at Liu Jiye, then at the other two. There were many of them, and she was alone. If she really angered them, she would be the one to suffer. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. She'd do what she wanted after they left. With that thought, Xiao Xuan threw the hoe on the ground, snorted coldly, and turned to leave. After a few steps, she heard digging behind her. Turning around, she saw the middle-aged man swinging his hoe, digging a hole.

"Father!" Liu Yanyu called out.

"Come here! Let the Han people do the Han people's work!" Liu Jiye shouted to his son and his generals. After shouting, he stopped talking and continued digging the pit.

Liu Yanyu glared at Xiaoxuan, then walked to her father's side and said, "Dad, you rest, I'll do it." "Go find the tools!" Liu Jiye said without looking up, but his digging continued without pause.

Liu Yanyu pursed his lips, feeling somewhat uneasy. He glanced around, found a suitable tool, and went to help his father. Seeing the three men, who had been so fierce just moments before, now silently digging at the grave, Xiao Xuan felt a surge of emotion. Looking at the three corpses, she seemed to remember something, went inside and began rummaging through the house. A moment later, Xiao Xuan emerged with several sets of clean clothes.

Walking to the bodies, she exhaled, her mind clear, and prepared to change the blood-stained clothes on the three of them.

Liu Jiye, who was digging the grave, glanced at the scene and said to his son Yanyu, "Go help her." Yanyu looked at Xiaoxuan, and although he was unwilling, he had no choice but to put down his tools and go to Xiaoxuan's side because of his father's order. Seeing that Xiaoxuan had already stripped the boy of his blood-stained clothes and was wiping the blood off his body, carefully dressing the boy in clean clothes, he felt a slight pang in his heart. From the clean clothes, he pulled out the men's clothes and said, "I'll do this." Hearing his unfriendly tone, as if she were a sinner, Xiaoxuan felt very sad. She wanted to yell at him, to tell him that she didn't want this either, that she didn't want them to die, but the tragic scene kept flashing through her mind. When the three of them died, she was right beside them, but she couldn't help them at all. Now that they were dead, what was there to say?

The two turned their backs and changed the man and woman into clean clothes, respectively.

Looking at the woman on the ground who had already changed her clothes, Liu Yanyu seemed to remember something and asked, "She has a child?" Xiao Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then heard Liu Yanyu's cold snort, which made Xiao Xuan feel even more uncomfortable.

After the pits were dug, Liu Yanyu and Zhou Yunqing moved the bodies into the pits.

Just as Yan Yu was about to cover the soil, Xiao Xuan called out, "Wait a minute."