Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 7

"According to your opinion, who would be suitable to send?"

Yelü Xian smiled slightly and said, "Naturally it is Brother Xiu. Since Brother Xiu went into battle, he has won every battle and has never been defeated. In my mind, Brother Xiu is undoubtedly the ideal candidate."

Yelü Jing remained silent upon hearing this, picked up the wine pouch, and took a few sips.

"Your Majesty, this matter should be addressed sooner rather than later."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Jing looked over and saw that it was Yelü Xianshi who had spoken. He slowly said, "I have heard that Liu Jun has died of illness, and the issue of succession in Han is currently in chaos. We are not familiar with the newly enthroned Han emperor, Liu Ji'en, and do not know his abilities or whether he can win the trust of his Han officials. The Song army must be taking advantage of the Han emperor's unstable position after his ascension to the throne to attack Han. I believe Your Highness's words are reasonable. Han is the shield of our Western Capital. If Han is lost, then our Great Liao's Nanjing and Western Capital will be exposed to the Song Dynasty. At present, the Song army is gaining momentum, and I think we cannot be careless about their attack on Han this time."

Yelü Jing put down his wine pouch, pondered for a long time, and said, "Brother Xiu, I order you to return to Xijing immediately and go to Taiyuan with Yelü Talie, the Southwest Commander and the Southern Court King, to relieve the crisis of Han. There must be no delay."

"Yes! Your subject Yelü Xiuge obeys." After Xiuge finished speaking, he stood up, glanced at Xiao Xuan who was still kneeling on the ground, and suddenly mustered up his courage and said, "Xiao Chuo, why don't you get up and come with me to Taiyuan? If you keep dawdling like this, when will we reach Xijing?"

Everyone looked surprised, but Yelü Xian smiled approvingly. "Brother Xiu, you are indeed a man of both wisdom and courage; you truly understand my intentions."

Xiao Xuan looked at Yelü Xiuge, who was roaring at her, slowly got up, and glanced at Yelü Jing. Seeing that he was glaring at her fiercely but didn't say anything, she quickly walked to Xiuge's side and followed him out of the camp, heading towards the horses that were tied up outside.

"Quickly!" Yelü Xiuge whispered, "Get on your horse and leave before he speaks."

Xiao Xuan understood, quickly mounted her little red horse, and followed Yelü Xiuge, disappearing into the distance.

Watching the two figures walk away, Yelü Jing's face remained icy. He could not go back on his word to his ministers. Now that Xiao Chuo was already Xiuge's prey, he could no longer interfere with Xiuge's meddling in her affairs; otherwise, he would lose face in front of the other ministers. Leaving that aside, the more important issue was the Song army's attack on Han. He was a man who deeply abhorred war. Although he enjoyed killing, he absolutely did not want to personally go to the battlefield, putting himself in danger and becoming a target of public criticism. He wanted to remain emperor for a few more years. If he truly ignored the Song army's attack on Han, and something went wrong, and Han fell to the Song army, the next step might be to take action against the Liao Dynasty, which would indeed pose a threat to the Liao. Fortunately, he had Yelü Xiuge and Yelü Talie, two fierce generals, invincible in battle and unconquerable in attack. Sending them there gave him peace of mind. As for that girl, hmph, let's just consider it giving that old man Xiao Siwen some face and not bothering with her this time. Thinking of this, Yelü Jing picked up the wine bag and drank heavily, suppressing the resentment he felt towards Xiao Xuan.

Knowing he was trying to exonerate her, Xiao Xuan felt incredibly grateful to Brother Xiu. At this moment, she was exceptionally excited. If she hadn't misheard, then the Song Dynasty was attacking the Han. Which Han? Could it be the Northern Han? She remembered that the capital of the Northern Han was Taiyuan; it couldn't be wrong. Zhao Kuangyin had sent people to attack Taiyuan! Excellent! My trip here wasn't in vain! Zhao Kuangyin, I must see you!

Several days later, the two arrived in Xijing. Xiuge relayed Yelü Jing's words to Yelü Talie, and after some discussion, the two gathered their troops to prepare for departure.

At night, Xiaoxuan sat at the table, propping her chin up with her elbow, lost in endless daydreams.

Zhao Kuangyin, oh Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, what did you actually look like? Ah, if only I had brought a digital camera, or even a DV camera, that would have been even better. Ah, if I could film this and take it back, it would certainly be considered living history, an ancient artifact, a priceless treasure.

"Knock knock knock," just as I was thinking, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in, the door's unlocked!" Xiaoxuan shouted.

The door was pushed open, and standing outside were the young Hugh and a burly middle-aged man.

After a moment's hesitation, the middle-aged man followed Brother Xiu into Xiao Xuan's room.

"Miss Xiao, let me introduce you. This is Yelü Talie, the Southern King and Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Region of the Great Liao Dynasty. Your Majesty, this is Miss Xiao, the third daughter of Lord Xiao's family."

The middle-aged man smiled slightly at Xiaoxuan, then turned to Brother Xiu and said, "Brother Xiu, we're all family here, no need to be so polite. Just call me by my name from now on."

"Brother Xiu wouldn't dare." After saying that, he looked at Xiao Xuan and said, "Quickly greet the King."

"Xiao Chuo greets Your Majesty." Xiao Xuan hurriedly bowed to the person before her, putting on a respectful demeanor.

"Miss Xiao, no need for formalities," Yelü Talie said with a slight smile. "Your father and I served in the same court and are quite familiar with each other, so there's no need for such formalities." Despite these words, Yelü Talie didn't think highly of Xiao Siwen. In his eyes, Xiao Siwen was just a pretty face with no substance, all show and no substance. Over the years, aside from annoyingly agreeing with others during discussions, she hadn't won a single battle on the battlefield. If it weren't for his special status, she probably wouldn't have been able to stay in the court long ago.

“Miss Xiao, I just discussed it with the King, and we will set off first thing tomorrow morning. You can stay in Xijing with peace of mind. After we finish the war, I will come back here to take you back to Shangjing and send you home.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity while Xiu Ge and Xiao Xuan were talking, Yelü Talie carefully observed the third young lady of the Xiao family.

"Is it her? So young, yet she drove Xiao Gu to the brink of despair with just a few words, even daring to insult His Majesty. It's truly astonishing that she's still standing here unscathed." Yelü Talie shook his head slightly, pondering: "These girls from the Xiao family are truly something else; each one is stronger than Xiao Siwen. The eldest, Xiao Hulian, is said to be quick-witted and possesses the air of a great general, often enjoying riding and watching military drills. The second, Xiao Yangan, has supported Prince Zhao Xiyin's rebellion since marrying him. Now that Xiyin is imprisoned, she remains calm and composed, neither crying nor making a fuss. Confined to the Prince Zhao's residence, she remains carefree and leisurely—such composure is beyond the reach of ordinary women. This third young lady, Xiao Chuo, seems to be a person of strong character, not inherently bad, but she's not as capable as her two elder sisters. She's too impulsive, offending the Emperor over a slave. There are so many slaves in our Great Liao; how many can you possibly save?"

Just as they were pondering this, they heard "Xiao Chuo" say, "I want to go too. I don't want to stay here. I want to go to Taiyuan with you."

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Twelve: Disappearance

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:56 Word Count: 3552

"Nonsense!" Hugh scolded softly. "We're going to war. What are you, a girl, doing there?"

“Miss Xiao, on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; it’s a matter of life and death, how can it be treated like child’s play?” Yelü Talie said, quite displeased.

"Oh. I understand," Xiaoxuan replied. Looking at the serious expressions of the two men in front of her, she knew that anything she said would be considered nonsense. Hmph, as the saying goes, there's always a way out. I have legs, I can go wherever I want. Do you think you can stop me?

Zhao Kuangyin, Brother Zhao, wait for me, I'm coming! At least give me an autograph or something. With your autograph, one day when I go back to the modern world, I can sell it and become a little rich woman, hahaha. Wait, now that we don't have DV cameras or digital cameras, only autographs are reliable. Since I need autographs, I'll get a few more people to sign. First, I'll find Brother Zhao and Jingniang, collect their autographs, and call that the couple's autograph or the lover's autograph. Brother Zhao's solo autograph will be called the emperor's autograph. Hmm, Yelü Jing was also an emperor, but he was too wicked, killing without blinking an eye. Whether or not I need his name doesn't matter. So, who else is famous? I can't remember! Sigh, Zhong Xuan, why doesn't your brain work at crucial moments?!

Xiuge looked at Xiaoxuan, noticing her ever-changing expressions, unsure of her thoughts. He felt uneasy, but then heard Yelü Talie say, "Miss Xiao, it's getting late, and we must depart early tomorrow morning, so we won't disturb you any longer." "Your Majesty, please wait," Xiaoxuan said, "Xiao Chuo has always loved room furnishings. Your Majesty is a high-ranking official of our Great Liao, so your residence must be very magnificent. May Xiao Chuo go and have a look?"

"High-ranking official?" Yelü Talie looked at Xiu Ge with a questioning gaze. Seeing the same confusion on Xiu Ge's face, he looked at Xiao Xuan and asked, "Miss, what does 'high-ranking official' mean?"

"High-ranking official... Well, this 'high-ranking official' means you are a top expert in the Great Liao Dynasty, a master among masters, a strongman among strongmen, capable of anything, that's what 'high-ranking official' means. With your might and bravery, your house must be very impressive."

“Hehe, Miss, you jest. Yelü Talie is of a very plain nature and dislikes extravagance. This humble abode of yours has nothing to offer.” “Your Majesty, you are too kind,” Xiao Xuan said. “Even if it is a humble abode, we must go and see it. As the saying goes, a person's house reflects their character. Your Majesty is of imposing stature, so your house must be extraordinary. Xiao Chuo is also very interested in feng shui, so please, Your Majesty, grant my request.”

Yelü Talie frowned. Although he was extremely unwilling, he couldn't refuse again since "Xiao Chuo" had spoken twice. He could only say, "Since Miss is so interested, please come back to the manor with me."

Xiu Ge hadn't expected Xiao Xuan to make such a request. He immediately left the room with Yelü Talie, Xiao Xuan, and the others, accompanying them all the way to Yelü Talie's residence before taking his leave. After returning to his own quarters, Xiu Ge went back to his room to wash up, prepared the armor he would wear for the next morning's campaign, and then lay on the bed lost in thought.

A thousand miles to escort Jingniang... Zhao Kuangyin... Zhao Jingniang...

Hugh's mind was filled with the names of Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Jingniang. He had little impression of the Song people; he was a military general who had followed the court officials on campaigns since childhood, witnessing the clash of swords and hearing the neighing of warhorses. This was the first time he had heard such a wonderful story.

That man must be Zhao Kuangyin. The emperor of the Song Dynasty was also a warrior, said to be highly skilled in martial arts. I never imagined such a man would have such a moving legend. Recalling the story Xiaoxuan had told him, Xiu Ge couldn't sleep a wink that night.

Before dawn, Hugh got up to pack his things, when he heard a loud knocking on the door.

Hugh walked to the door, opened it, and saw that standing outside was an enraged Yelü Talie.

"Your Majesty, there's still some time before we set off. You're preparing way too early." "That Xiao Chuo swindled fifty taels of gold from my residence yesterday and has vanished without a trace. I wonder if Brother Xiu has seen her?" Yelü Talie said with displeasure.

“Your Majesty, Hugh didn’t see her. She cheated you out of your gold. What’s going on?” Hugh asked.

"Last night I was exhausted and afraid of delaying our departure this morning, so I went to sleep after returning home. Before going to sleep, I instructed the servants to let her play by herself. This morning, the maids in the manor told me that she pretended to be acting on my orders last night and asked the maids to take fifty taels of gold from the manor to buy some new items for the manor. The maids are simple-minded and couldn't understand what she was saying. Since I was already asleep, they didn't dare to disturb me, so they simply took fifty taels of gold from the manor and gave it to Xiao Chuo. Brother Xiu, if you see her or know where she is now, please inform me, Yelü Talie, so that I can find out what's going on."

Upon hearing Yelü Talie's words, Xiu Ge felt a surge of panic. He had been uneasy ever since Xiao Chuo proposed going to Taiyuan yesterday. Remembering her earlier statement about infiltrating the Song Dynasty to gather military intelligence, he feared she might act recklessly, which was why he had rebuked her. He hadn't expected her to actually cause trouble. Judging from Yelü Talie's words, it seemed she had vanished without a trace. What should he do?

“Your Majesty, please don’t be angry. Before we came here, the Third Miss said that she wanted to go to the Song Dynasty alone to gather military intelligence. Yesterday I told her to stay in Xijing, but she insisted on refusing. Although she reluctantly agreed later, I’m afraid it was just to fool us. Last night she also swindled fifty taels of gold from Your Majesty’s mansion. She must be using it for travel expenses or other purposes. I will send someone to find her right away,” Xiu Ge explained.

"What!" Upon hearing Xiu Ge's words, Yelü Talie's face changed color. He had assumed that Xiao Chuo, born into a prestigious family, had offended the Emperor and been brought to Xijing by Xiu Ge. He thought she was alone and penniless in Xijing, and that's why she had come to his residence to swindle money for her own pleasure. But hearing Xiu Ge's explanation, he felt ashamed. He hadn't realized that such a young girl harbored such ambitions. He hurriedly said, "Xiu Ge, quickly send someone to find the Third Miss. The Song army is conquering cities and territories, and their momentum is strong. What use is fifty taels of gold to her, all alone? Such childish thoughts! What if something bad happens to her? Hopefully, we'll be lucky and find her before the army sets off."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, you may go and make arrangements for the soldiers who are about to go to war. Leave the matter of finding the Third Miss to me."

Yelü Talie nodded, and he and Xiuge left the room one after the other to make their own arrangements. Xiuge summoned soldiers and ordered a city-wide search for Xiao Xuan. However, in the vast city, they couldn't find even a trace of her. They searched almost the entire western capital, but still couldn't find "Xiao Chuo."

As the sun slowly rose, Hugh arrived in front of the troops who were preparing to depart and found Yelü Talie.

"Brother Xiu, have you found her?" Yelü Talie asked.

"Your Majesty, we haven't found her. We've searched almost the entire city, but we haven't seen a trace of her. We asked the soldiers guarding the city gates, and they said that no one left the city gates from last night until this morning."

"What! What are we going to do?" Yelü Talie sighed, looking at the throng of soldiers behind him. So many people were about to depart, yet there was still no news of her. What were they going to do?

"Your Majesty, Brother Xiu has an idea, but I don't know if it's right."

“Go on.” “Hugh is thinking, since she’s nowhere to be found, could she be hiding in the army?”

Yelü Talie stared wide-eyed, seemingly in disbelief or perhaps extreme surprise, and said, "If she really is hiding in here, how are we going to find her? If there were enough time, that would be fine, but the troops are about to set off, so how can we possibly have time to look for her?"

"Your Majesty, since time is running out, let's send out our troops first. We can't let her delay the important matter of the expedition. If she's really hiding in the army, we'll find her sooner or later along the way," Xiuge advised. He was also anxious. He had brought her here, and if anything happened to her, he would offend Xiao Siwen and Han Derang, and his good intention of escaping Yelü Jing's clutches would be ruined. Good intentions turned into malice; the thought of this made Xiuge very agitated. He had to ensure she returned to Shangjing and her home unharmed. But right now, sending troops to aid Han was more important. Military orders could not be disobeyed. "Xiao Chuo, if you are really hiding in this army, I must find you before the troops reach Taiyuan."

Leaving aside the matter of Xijing sending troops to aid Han, after hunting, Liao King Yelü Jing led his entourage back to Nanjing and stayed for a few days.

That day, Xiao Siwen could no longer sit still. After much deliberation, he decided to find Han Derang and his son, who were stationed in Nanjing, to discuss the marriage between Xiao Chuo and Han Derang.

Chuo'er traveled all the way from the capital to Nanjing just for Han Derang. Well, I'll hurry up and arrange your marriage. Set a date for your wedding, and that will put my mind at ease.

With Xiuge's help, his daughter had gone to Xijing to escape the Emperor. Recalling the hunting scene, Xiao Siwen's legs went weak. He couldn't forget the ruthless Yelü Jing, the wolf-like man who wanted to take his daughter Chuo'er's life. He couldn't forget it. He quickly arranged Chuo'er's marriage, letting her live in Nanjing with Han Derang, which would help them avoid the Emperor residing in Shangjing—a feasible solution. After lunch, having learned that the Emperor was drunk and asleep, Xiao Siwen went to Han Kuangsi's residence, met Han Kuangsi and his son Han Derang, and explained his purpose.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Thirteen: Marriage

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:56 Word Count: 3575

"Lord Han, I've come about the marriage of my two children. Derang and Zhuo'er are both getting on in years, so I think we should set a date and get them married," Xiao Siwen said bluntly, stating his purpose. Upon hearing this, Han Derang was overjoyed, his face beaming with excitement.

“Well, I understand Lord Xiao’s feelings, but the war is urgent right now. Derang and I are stationed in Nanjing day and night, working tirelessly. I’m afraid our marriage will have to be postponed again,” Han Kuangsi said.

Upon hearing Han Kuangsi's words, both Xiao Siwen and Han Derang's expressions changed drastically. Xiao Chuo was already sixteen years old. Girls could get married at fifteen, and she was already sixteen. If it came to arranging a marriage, it was just a matter of choosing a date. Why did Han Kuangsi say such a thing?

It turned out that Han Kuangsi wasn't stupid; he had his own calculations. Hearing that Xiao Siwen's third daughter, Xiao Chuo, had offended the Emperor, how could he dare marry such a daughter-in-law? What if that sleeping prince got angry one day and caused trouble for the Han family? The Xiao family was a powerful clan, so the Emperor wouldn't make things too difficult for them, but the Han family were Han Chinese; how could they possibly catch Yelü Jing's eye? This marriage could be delayed if possible, but if it couldn't be delayed, it didn't matter if the marriage didn't happen. At least he had to think about the safety of his entire Han family.

While Han Kuangsi was scheming in his heart, Xiao Siwen was very dissatisfied when she heard that he wanted to postpone the wedding. "Given the status and position of my Xiao family, to be related to you as a relative is already an honor, yet you're pushing and shoving like this. I wonder what you're up to." The atmosphere in the room was tense when a servant rushed in and said, "Master, the Prince has arrived."

The three hurriedly got up to greet him, and saw Yelü Xian, who exuded an air of elegance and nobility, already smiling as he walked into the room.

"Greetings, Your Highness." "You're too kind," Yelü Xian replied. He glanced at the three people in the room and said, "I came to see General Han, but I didn't expect Lord Xiao to be here too. Heh, I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

"Your Highness, what are you saying? Please take a seat." Han Kuangsi hurriedly made the arrangements.

Seeing this, Xiao Siwen quickly and tactfully tried to take his leave, but Yelü Xian stopped him, saying, "It's quite a coincidence that Lord Xiao is here. It saves me from making another trip. Why don't we sit down and have a chat?" After saying that, he said to Han Derang, "By the way, Derang, I brought some wild game for your father. It's still in the front yard. Go and get it and clean it up."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Han Kuangsi said to Han Derang. After Han Derang finished speaking, he bowed to Yelü Xian, his father, and Xiao Siwen, then walked out of the room and headed towards the front yard.

Yelü Xian glanced at Han Kuangsi and Xiao Siwen with his handsome eyes and said, "I don't come here without a reason. Actually, I heard that Lord Xiao was here, so I came here specifically to find him. Since Lord Han is also here, I would like to ask Lord Han to be my witness."

Han Kuangsi quickly stood up and bowed to Yelü Xian, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. I wonder if you need me to do anything as a witness?"

"I wish to arrange a marriage between my family and Lord Xiao's, but I've been unwell for some time, so it's been delayed. This time, I happened to be accompanying His Majesty on his inspection tour of Nanjing with Lord Xiao and others. In my spare time, I thought of this matter and wanted to set a date with Lord Xiao. I originally intended to come to Lord Han's residence first and invite him to come along to witness my marriage. It's truly a fortunate coincidence that Lord Xiao is here as well," Yelü Xian said.

Upon hearing that Yelü Xian had come to see him about the engagement, Xiao Siwen nodded slightly. Nian'er was getting on in years and it was time for her to marry, but waiting for the prince to propose had delayed her marriage. As a grown man, he had always found it inconvenient to bring it up with the prince, but now Yelü Xian had taken the initiative and even asked Han Kuangsi to be a witness; it seemed that Nian'er's wedding day was not far off.

After listening to Yelü Xian's words, Han Kuangsi chuckled softly, "Your Highness is too kind. This is a joyous occasion. It is a great blessing for me to be a witness to this marriage."

Yelü Xian smiled but did not answer. He looked at Xiao Siwen beside him.

"Since Your Highness has spoken, then let Your Highness choose an auspicious day," Xiao Siwen said respectfully.

Yelü Xian first tilted his head slightly, as if thinking about something, and then said, "The weather is cold now, and there is war. Why don't we postpone the wedding for a while, and wait until spring is warm and the flowers are in bloom, then I will go to the Xiao residence to fetch the bride?"