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Kapitel 15

It was as expected; Yelü Jing had been murdered, and apart from Xiao Siwen, none of the accompanying ministers had noticed. Xiao Siwen heard Yelü Jing crying out for food, and after hearing him call out repeatedly, he felt bad about ignoring him completely. After thinking it over, he decided it would be better to go and say hello. So he went to Yelü Jing's tent and called out outside, but heard no sound. He assumed that His Majesty had granted him permission to enter the tent. Once inside, he found Yelü Jing lying in a pool of blood, already lifeless.

Although Xiao Siwen was inept at both warfare and governance, he was still a high-ranking official of the Liao Dynasty, having led troops in several battles and witnessed death. Therefore, upon seeing Yelü Jing's death, he was not panicked but instead considered his next move. Who should be informed first? After considering several candidates, one figure emerged in his mind: Yelü Xian. Yelü Xian was the second son of Emperor Shizong. Years ago, Emperor Shizong, at the request of Emperor Liu Chong of Han, led troops to attack the Later Zhou Dynasty, which aroused discontent among his subordinates. While encamped at Xianggu Mountain at night, he was killed by the usurper Chage and his associates, along with the Empress Dowager and others. Fortunately, a close attendant acted quickly, hiding the young Yelü Xian in a haystack, thus saving his life, but leaving him with severe injuries and aftereffects. Thinking of Yelü Xian, Xiao Siwen felt a surge of emotion; it was him. Yelü Xian recently formed a marriage alliance with my family, and we have a deep relationship. If he receives this message and comes to clean up the mess, then Zhuo'er's future life will be worry-free, and my Xiao family's status will become even more prominent. Thinking of this, Xiao Siwen remained calm and kept the news under wraps, saying that His Majesty was asleep and no one was allowed to disturb him. Secretly, however, he summoned a trusted confidant and ordered him to quickly send a message to Prince Yelü Xian, saying that His Majesty was in danger and requesting him to quickly bring elite troops to his rescue.

The trusted confidant received the order and rode off at breakneck speed. Xiao Siwen, however, remained awake all night, pacing back and forth in front of Yelü Jing's tent to prevent anyone from accidentally entering. As the sun rose on the horizon, Xiao Siwen's face was covered in sweat. Soon, the soldiers would be rising to receive orders, and the prince had not yet arrived. It seemed that the struggle for the throne would begin again.

Xiao Siwen was disheartened, realizing his plans had failed. Just as he was lamenting, he heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves. Looking around, he saw Yelü Xian had already arrived at Black Mountain with his troops. Upon hearing of Yelü Jing's predicament, Yelü Xian initially didn't want to get involved—he didn't care if Yelü Jing lived or died—but the messenger's message was puzzling: His Majesty in danger? Had someone usurped the throne? Bringing elite troops to rescue him was also strange. If it was about elite troops, the generals and the kings of the Southern and Northern Courts had plenty under their command; why specifically request elite troops from a mere prince? Perplexed, Yelü Xian asked the messenger again, "Lord Xiao, who else did you send a message to? How many messengers did you have?"

"No, the master only sent me to deliver a message to the prince, and he repeatedly told me not to tell anyone else. It seems that I am the only one assigned to deliver messages in the camp."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Xian no longer hesitated. It must be something important. He hurriedly summoned his trusted confidants Gao Xun and Nüli, and led a thousand armored soldiers to Black Mountain without stopping.

Upon seeing Yelü Xian, Xiao Siwen was so excited that she didn't know where to put her hands.

Everyone at the campsite was astonished to see Prince Yelü Xian arrive with several thousand elite troops, wondering what he meant. Yelü Xian, too, was puzzled by Xiao Siwen's strange expression before his tent. He immediately dismounted and walked towards Xiao Siwen. Xiao Siwen quickly went to meet him and whispered in his ear, "His Majesty was murdered last night." Yelü Xian was initially startled, but his expression quickly returned to normal, and he quietly asked, "Is the news true?"

“He has already died in his tent,” Xiao Siwen replied softly.

Yelü Xian seemed uneasy. He walked to Yelü Jing's tent, gently lifted the curtain, and looked inside. Sure enough, he saw Yelü Jing with several knife wounds, blood flowing all over the ground. Lowering the curtain, Yelü Xian walked to Xiao Siwen's side and whispered, "Announce it."

Xiao Siwen immediately shouted, "His Majesty has been assassinated! His Majesty has been assassinated!"

The people in the camp were already astonished, wondering what Yelü Xian's purpose was in bringing troops without an imperial edict. Now, hearing Xiao Siwen shout that the emperor had been assassinated, they were even more panicked, exchanging bewildered glances. Yelü Xian, who had just emerged from his tent, glanced at Yelü Xian who had brought the troops, then at Xiao Siwen, cursing inwardly: "You old fox! Last night, when the emperor screamed, he was probably killed. Yet you knew but didn't report it, secretly informing Yelü Xian. Hmph, your move was brilliant. I'm afraid you'll propose that Yelü Xian ascend the throne soon. There are only a few people in the camp; who dares to say no? Aren't the thousands of elite soldiers he brought just to prepare for his own throne?"

Just as Yelü Xian was pondering this, he heard his confidant Gao Xun shout, "His Majesty is dead, and the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Your Highness is the son of Emperor Shizong, so the throne should naturally be inherited by Your Highness."

"That's right, that's right, is anyone disagreeing?" The women chimed in.

Looking at the dark mass of armored soldiers, who in the camp would dare to object?

“Since everyone has no objections, please have Your Highness swear an oath before His Majesty to ascend the throne,” Xiao Siwen then said.

The camp remained quiet. Xiao Siwen ordered his men to carry Yelü Jing's body out of the tent, and Yelü Xian swore an oath to ascend the throne in front of all the generals and soldiers.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Roars echoed through the Black Mountain as Yelü Xian ascended the throne.

Looking at Yelü Xian, who was being honored as king, Yelü Xian smiled. Perhaps he would be a better king than that cruel fellow. Who knows?

After Yelü Xian proclaimed himself king, he led a large army to Shangjing overnight to prepare to announce the news to the Liao Dynasty. Meanwhile, Xiuge, carrying Yelü Jing's orders, was still searching for Xiao Chuo. He pondered her words, wondering if she had gone to the Song capital, Bianjing, or was wandering within Han territory. With these doubts in mind, Xiuge continued his journey, determined to travel to Han lands again to inquire about her whereabouts.

Xiao Xuan, galloping across the Han territory, was unusually carefree. She didn't know Yelü Jing had been killed, nor did she know the current Liao emperor was Yelü Xian, and she was even more unaware that she had been betrothed to him. Clutching a pearl, wearing a gold hairpin, and riding Achi, she was pondering what to do upon returning to Xijing when she heard the sound of hooves behind her. Turning around quickly, she saw a horse slowly come to a stop in the distance. The rider was none other than the dark-skinned, stout man who had spoken to the beautiful woman at the temple gate that day.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Pursuit

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:58 Word Count: 3598

Upon seeing Xiaoxuan, he smiled, his dark face beaming, and said, "You're quite fast! I almost lost you!"

"Who are you? Do you need something from me?" Xiao Xuan had seen him before and knew that he was a Song Dynasty man and a subordinate of the man who gave her the pearls at the nunnery. She couldn't help but wonder if the man who gave her the pearls had something to ask her, which was why this fat, dark-skinned man had chased after her. But when she saw the fat, dark-skinned man's unfriendly expression, she dismissed her own thoughts.

"Who am I? My surname is Zhao!" the fat, dark-skinned man sneered.

"Surname Zhao? There are plenty of people with the surname Zhao! Who knows who you are! Speak up if you have something to say, or I'm leaving." Xiao Xuan disliked this dark-skinned, fat guy more and more, always feeling that his eyes were very sinister.

"You can leave, but answer me first!" the fat, dark-skinned man asked.

"What did you say?" Xiaoxuan asked, puzzled.

"What did you, Hua Rui, and my elder brother say that night in that nunnery?" the dark-skinned, fat man asked.

Xiaoxuan frowned and said, "What we say is none of your business. You came to me just to ask about this?"

The chubby, dark-skinned man laughed, "This is Han territory. What are you doing here? You must be a spy. Hahaha, do you think anyone would know if you died here?"

Xiao Xuan's heart tightened, and she immediately asked, "Why should I die? If you're so capable, tell me your name?"

"My name? Why do you need to ask my name? Do you want to go back and tell my brother? Hahaha, even if you know my name, so what? Do you think you can leave here alive? Girl, remember my name, I'm Zhao Guangyi! If you want to leave here alive, honestly tell me who you are, who sent you, and what you want with my brother. My brother was willing to give you that priceless pearl, so the information you gave him must be very valuable. Hmph, if you explain yourself clearly, you'll be rewarded. If you refuse to speak, then this will be your burial ground."

Zhao Guangyi? That name sounds familiar, but I just can't remember it.

So that's what he was after that conversation from that night. I didn't say anything to his older brother and sister-in-law that day, why would he do this? Watching the dark-skinned, fat man Zhao Guangyi draw his sword from his waist, Xiao Xuan felt a chill run down her spine. She was afraid he wasn't joking; he really did want to kill her.

"Whether I tell you or not, you won't let me leave here alive!" Xiao Xuan said. "You could have killed me when I left the Song territory. This place is far from the border, and you planned to kill me here long ago. I'm sure you didn't want anyone to know you were going to kill me, so you deliberately made me go further and further away from the border. By killing me in this remote Han territory, you don't have to worry about the Song people seeing me. If someone does find out I'm dead, you can frame the people of this Han land. Am I right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangyi's eyes flashed with a fierce light. This girl's mind was too quick. Indeed, he hadn't intended for her to live, and now, hearing her words, he was even less inclined to let her leave alive. There must be someone behind this girl instructing her, otherwise she wouldn't have said such things. He currently enjoyed his elder brother's trust, and if, at this critical juncture, some meritorious old fellow or disobedient soldier, in order to curry favor with his elder brother, spread rumors about his private connections with important officials, his elder brother would likely become suspicious. He had also secretly investigated Xiao Xuan's background; she had only arrived in Dongjing City a few days ago, and the people in the city had unclear information about her. The more Zhao Guangyi thought about it, the more panicked he became. Her origins were unknown, yet she received the precious pearl. Regardless of what she had said to his elder brother, those words were extremely important to him. Involving Hua Rui was likely just a smokescreen.

“Tell me what happened in the nunnery that night, and I will spare your life,” Zhao Guangyi said.

"We're burning incense and praying to Buddha!" Xiaoxuan said.

"Ha!" Zhao Guangyi picked up the bow and arrows hanging on the saddle and said, "Fine, if you won't talk, let's see how long your life lasts! Let's see how many arrows you can withstand."

Seeing Zhao Guangyi with his bow in hand, Xiao Xuan panicked and quickly kicked Achi in the stomach, shouting, "Achi, run!"

Upon hearing its master's command, the little red horse galloped away into the distance, while Zhao Guangyi already had his bow drawn.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Zhao Guangyi sneered, aimed an arrow at Xiao Xuan, and shot it at her.

"Ah!" Xiao Xuan screamed, a burning pain shooting through her neck. An arrow had grazed her neck, whistling past. It had narrowly missed piercing her throat, instead of just grazing her neck. The rapidly moving arrowhead had caused a chafing wound to her neck, and blood slowly seeped through her skin.

The first time she was hit by a weapon, although she wasn't actually struck, the burning sensation felt incredibly real. Living in modern times, Xiao Xuan was experiencing this for the first time. In her panic and fear, she actually fell off A Chi. Zhao Guangyi looked at Xiao Xuan, who had fallen from her horse, sneered, and rode towards her.

Ignoring the pain from falling off the horse, Xiao Xuan clutched her neck, feeling a burning pain. When she looked down, her hand was covered in blood. Xiao Xuan was terrified; her mind went blank as she watched Zhao Guangyi slowly approach her.

"Speak! What did you all say in the nunnery that night?"

"You bastard! I won't tell you anything!" Xiaoxuan hated him to death. This man was the first person to hurt her in this land.

"Oh? Still being stubborn? Fine, let's see how long you can keep it up!" After saying that, Zhao Guangyi drew his bow and shot an arrow again. This time the arrow was close in distance, and with a whistling cold wind, it hit Xiaoxuan's front shoulder.

"Ah!" Xiao Xuan screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face. It hurt so much! Looking at the arrow lodged in her shoulder, Xiao Xuan cursed, "You bastard! I'd rather die than tell you!"

Zhao Guangyi snorted coldly and was about to nock another arrow when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves. Turning around, he saw a burly man riding a horse, wielding a strangely shaped broadsword, galloping towards him. He quickly spurred his horse to dodge, taking the opportunity to draw his broadsword and engage the approaching man in battle.

This burly man possessed immense strength and superb martial arts skills. He wielded his longsword with incredible power and precision, each strike aimed precisely at Zhao Guangyi's vital points. Zhao Guangyi's martial arts were already inferior to this man's, and now, caught off guard, he was at a further disadvantage. Glaring hatefully at Xiao Xuan on the ground, Zhao Guangyi forcefully parried the man's longsword and said to Xiao Xuan, "Girl, you got off easy today!" With that, he spurred his horse and rode away.

Watching Zhao Guangyi escape, Xiao Xuan mustered all her strength and cried out, her whole body trembling, "Zhao Guangyi! You just wait! Don't let me see you again!" Taking a deep breath, Xiao Xuan continued to cry out, "Wait for me! Wait until I'm powerful enough to make you pay! You shot me with one arrow today, and I'll shoot you with a hundred arrows one day! I'll turn you into a hedgehog! You just wait!"

The reason Xiaoxuan was full of strength and could shout so loudly was because she saw that the burly man who came to save her was Yelü Xiuge.

Hugh initially intended to chase after the man, but after glancing at Xiaoxuan, he changed his mind. She had been shot in the shoulder and her neck was covered in blood; he didn't know the extent of her injuries. Hugh looked at the man who had already run far away and sighed heavily.

Zhao Guangyi! I'll remember your name.

He hurriedly jumped off his horse, walked towards Xiaoxuan, held her shoulder, and carefully examined her injuries.

With snot and tears streaming down her face, Xiao Xuan looked at Brother Xiu in a daze. Was he here to help her? Was he? Grabbing Brother Xiu's hand, Xiao Xuan cried out, "Go after him! Go after him! Kill that bad guy!" Looking at her tear-streaked face, Brother Xiu said coldly, "We'll talk about revenge later. Your injuries are more important."

"I don't care, I don't care!" When Xiaoxuan heard that Brother Xiu was unwilling to chase after Zhao Guangyi, she angrily pounded on Brother Xiu's broad chest. Seeing that the blood was flowing more violently from her shoulder under her force, Brother Xiu hurriedly said, "Stop it, you'll lose blood."

"I don't care, I don't care! Go kill him!" Xiao Xuan cried and screamed, pounding on Xiu Ge's hands, but she didn't slow down at all. Seeing her agitated state and the blood flowing continuously, Xiu Ge felt a chill run down his spine. If this continued, her life might be in danger. So, he raised his hand and gently struck Xiao Xuan's nape. Whether he was afraid of hurting her with too much force or trying to knock her unconscious, Xiu Ge, nervous because he had never treated a woman like this before, didn't knock her out with this blow. She stopped crying, her tear-streaked face showing a hint of fear.

"You hit me?" Xiao Xuan, who had just been crying and shouting, asked weakly.

Her big, red eyes, red from crying, stared at Hugh. She couldn't believe this man would hit her, but he had indeed struck her, and her neck still ached. Xiaoxuan touched the back of her neck, looking at Hugh with disbelief, and said sorrowfully, "You won't help me get revenge, and you even hit me." She then stood up and backed away step by step.

Hugh, who had cursed himself countless times in his heart, saw Xiaoxuan's terrified look and hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean to hit you, don't be afraid, I didn't mean to, I... I didn't want to hurt you."

Xiao Xuan ignored him completely and kept backing away. Seeing the bloodstains on her collar and the blood-stained shoulders of her clothes, Xiu strode over and grabbed Xiao Xuan, who was at a loss for what to do.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Twenty-Nine: Emotions

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:58 Word Count: 3439

"Listen to me, don't get agitated, let's treat the wound first."

Xiao Xuan looked at the towering Hugh in front of her and dared not move, letting him examine her injuries carefully.

With a face full of apology, Brother Xiu carefully examined Xiao Xuan's neck injury and said, "The cut on your neck isn't deep; it was just the arrow tip that grazed the skin." Then he looked at the arrow stuck in Xiao Xuan's shoulder. The two looked at each other, and then Xiao Xuan shouted, "Don't even think about it!"

Hugh blushed and said, "Let's find a place to rest first before making any plans. I'll break the arrow for you first." After saying that, he grabbed the arrow shaft that was stuck in Xiaoxuan's shoulder, took a breath, and snapped the shaft in two with his hand.

After leading the horse over, Xiu Ge walked to Xiao Xuan's side and said, "I'll carry you up."

"No need, I'll ride my own horse," Xiaoxuan said. She was still filled with hatred, hating Brother Xiu, not for not pursuing Zhao Guangyi, but for beating her for no reason.

"Idiot, you're injured, how can you still ride a horse by yourself! Do you think you're made of iron? If you lose too much blood, there won't be any hope of recovery!" Hugh scolded.

Hearing how serious his words were, and not understanding the extent of her injuries, Xiao Xuan only knew that her shoulder hurt terribly, and she wanted to live. With that thought in mind, Xiu Ge lifted her onto the horse.

Hugh helped her sit properly before leaping onto his horse. It seemed as if the two were back to the days when they rode together on the same horse.

"You can lean against me, it'll be more comfortable that way. I'll find a place to rest as soon as possible and clean your wounds first," Hugh said softly. He couldn't help it; perhaps he owed her something. He was angry with her but couldn't bear to hurt her. He only hoped that his gentle words could dispel her misunderstanding of him and reduce her fear of him.

The wound on her shoulder hurt a lot. After thinking for a moment, Xiaoxuan leaned against Xiu Ge's broad chest to relax her body.

"Tell me, is Han Derang amazing or not?" Xiao Xuan asked.

Hugh was taken aback, wondering why she asked that. "He's not powerful, but he's very kind to people."

“That’s not what I’m asking!” Xiaoxuan said. “I’m asking if he knows kung fu, martial arts, and if he can win a fight against others.”

“Oh, he knows martial arts, and he’s quite good at it,” Hugh replied.

"Yelü Xiuge, listen to me carefully," Xiao Xuan said fiercely. "If you hit me, I won't let you get away with it. Let me tell you, if you dare to bully me again on this journey, you'd better watch out. I am Han Derang's future wife. If you dare to touch me again, I'll have my future husband deal with you!"

The horse stopped, and Hugh reined it in. His gaze was indifferent as he looked ahead. Suddenly, he grabbed Xiaoxuan by the waist and threw her off the horse. After glancing at her lying on the ground, Hugh spurred his horse away.

"Bastard!" Xiao Xuan cursed as she watched Xiu Ge's departing figure, tears welling up in her eyes again. What was going on today? She was bullied by men! First, that Zhao guy chased her, and now even this Yelü Xiu Ge is bullying her. "Hmph, I won't let you get away with this! When I marry Han Derang, I'll make him a high-ranking official and get justice for me!"