Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 8

Xiao Siwen quickly replied with a smile, "Very good, very good."

Upon hearing this, Han Kuangsi quickly chimed in, "This is a joyous occasion! I extend my congratulations to Your Highness and Lord Xiao. When the auspicious day arrives, I will certainly come to ask for a cup of celebratory wine."

Yelü Xian smiled, stood up, and said, "I'm a little tired. Now that we've finished talking, I'll head back to my residence. Lord Xiao, the day I marry the Third Miss will be when spring arrives and the flowers bloom. We've agreed on that." Xiao Siwen and Han Kuangsi, who had been all smiles, froze upon hearing this.

"Did I hear that right? The prince said he was going to marry Zhuo'er, not Nian'er!" Xiao Siwen, fearing she had misheard, hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, you said you're going to marry...?"

“Xiao Chuo, the third young lady of the Xiao family.” Yelü Xian said with a warm yet faint smile, “Lord Xiao, the one I’m marrying is Yan Yan, don’t get it wrong. Alright, I’m leaving.” After saying this, Yelü Xian ignored the two people in the room and strode towards the door. But when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at Han Kuangsi, saying, “By the way, Lord Han, De Rang is not young anymore, you should hurry up and arrange his marriage.” After saying this, Yelü Xian turned and left the room.

Xiao Siwen was stunned for a moment, then recovered and said to Han Kuangsi, "Lord Han, I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." After saying that, he quickly walked out of the room and chased after Yelü Xian.

Han Kuangsi stood there dumbfounded, unable to believe his ears.

The prince clearly knew that Derang and Xiao Chuo were already engaged, so why did he say such things? He walked to a chair and slumped down. He was a smart man, not stupid; Yelü Xian must have come prepared. His words today were directed at Xiao Siwen, but also at himself. Especially the words he uttered at the door before leaving the house—they were clearly a reminder to immediately arrange Derang's marriage. Why was that? It must be because the prince feared that Derang and Xiao Chuo might have some further involvement, which was why he reminded him to hurry up and arrange Derang's marriage.

As Han Kuangsi was pondering this, Han Derang entered the house carrying a pheasant. After glancing at the empty room, Han Derang said, "Father, have the Prince and Lord Xiao already left? I specially found this plump goose for them to see, and I was planning to have it cooked so they could have a taste."

Looking at Han Derang, Han Kuangsi said coldly, "You're not getting any younger, it's time for you to settle down. I'll arrange your marriage in the next few days."

"Father, have you and Lord Xiao already reached an agreement?" Han Derang asked with a look of joy.

Han Kuangsi stood up, looked at Han Derang, sighed, and said, "Remember, you and the third young lady of the Xiao family are no longer engaged. From now on, you are you, and she is her." "Father, why do you say that?" Han Derang's heart sank, and he asked anxiously.

"Because just now, the prince proposed to the Xiao family, wanting to marry that third young lady."

With a "plop," the goose Han Derang was holding fell to the ground. His eyes were lifeless as he looked at Han Kuangsi and said, "Father! Didn't you tell the Prince that Yan Yan was betrothed to me since childhood?"

“You’re usually so clever, why are you being so stupid today? Do I even need to explain? How could the Prince not know about your engagement to Xiao Chuo? If he really didn’t know, why would he send you out of the house and leave only me and Xiao Siwen? The Prince didn’t ask anyone else to witness his marriage, but chose only your father, me. Don’t you understand what that means?”

"This is clearly a forced marriage!" Han Derang exclaimed angrily.

"You and Xiao Chuo are not yet married, so this doesn't count as kidnapping. Besides, even if it were kidnapping, what could you do? Remember, on Liao territory, all we Han people can do is obey the Khitans." Han Kuangsi said to Han Derang, his face ashen, inwardly furious. The prince's move had put him in a very awkward position. He had just postponed his son's marriage to Xiao Chuo, and now the prince had specifically asked for Xiao Chuo. Xiao Siwen was probably overjoyed. Hmph! He had thought the prince wanted his eldest daughter, Xiao Hulian, but it turned out to be Xiao Chuo, who had been betrothed to the Han family since childhood. This was truly...!

"I'll arrange another marriage for you right away." Han Kuangsi finished speaking and was about to walk out the door. Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from inside the room. "I don't want to! I'm going to find the Prince! Yan Yan is mine!" "If you dare go, I'll break your legs!" Han Kuangsi said. "You don't want to live anymore, don't drag the rest of my Han family down with you! You're so anxious over a woman, are you even a member of the Han family? My Han family doesn't have a spineless man like you!"

After finishing his tirade, Han Kuangsi strode out of the room, summoned several of his personal guards to a secluded spot, and said, "Keep a close eye on Derang. I will arrange his wedding in the next few days. Before he enters the bridal chamber, he is not allowed to leave his room! If he does, I will hold you all accountable."

"yes!"

Only after hearing the guards' reply did Han Kuangsi feel relieved enough to leave.

Standing alone in the room, Han Derang slowly picked up the goose from beside his feet. Looking at the goose in his hand, he felt like he was being played. "Ah!" Han Derang roared and tore the goose in his hand in two.

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Fourteen: Grass and Valley

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:56 Word Count: 3612

Xiao Siwen jogged out of the mansion and finally saw Yelü Xian, who was about to get into the carriage. He hurriedly called out, "Your Highness, please wait."

Yelü Xian turned to look at Xiao Siwen and said, "If Lord Xiao has something to say, please get in the carriage with me and we can talk."

Xiao Siwen sighed inwardly, got into the carriage, and looked at Yelü Xian, saying, "Your Highness, about the marriage you just proposed..." Before she could finish speaking, Yelü Xian interrupted her.

"Yan Yan is quite nice, I like her very much, so this marriage is settled. If she marries me, even if His Majesty has any dissatisfaction with her, he should still give me some face. What do you say, Lord Xiao?"

Xiao Siwen was taken aback, thinking to himself: Yelü Xian is right. Zhuo'er has offended Yelü Jing. If she could marry Yelü Xian, he would certainly not make things difficult for her again out of respect for Yelü Xian. As for the marriage with the Han family, it's fine if it doesn't happen. Putting aside the fact that this is the Prince's will, if you, Han Kuangsi, hadn't been so hesitant and reluctant about this marriage, humph! This marriage would have been arranged long ago. Now, don't blame me for breaking my promise.

Xiao Siwen nodded and said, "We will do as Your Highness wishes."

Yelü Xian smiled faintly and said, "That's good. She should be in Xijing now. Brother Xiu must have left her there." After saying that, he leaned back and looked out of the carriage, saying nothing more.

Xiao Siwen knew he was not in good health and must be tired from the long journey, so she closed her eyes to rest, and the carriage was quiet.

Three days later, Prince Yelü Jing of Liao returned to Shangjing with his entourage, while the Han family was filled with joy. Han Derang, the fourth son of General Han Kuangsi of the Eryi Palace, was getting married on this day. The crackling of firecrackers announced that the wedding was underway. Unlike the joyful faces of the guests, the groom remained expressionless.

As night fell, the guests who had come to offer their congratulations had not yet left, creating two distinct worlds inside and outside the bridal chamber. Outside, there was joy and celebration; inside, however, it was cold and quiet.

The bride waited anxiously for the groom to lift her veil, but he didn't make a move. Unable to bear it any longer, she lifted a corner of the veil and saw the groom sitting alone at the table, drinking alone in silence.

"My husband!" After thinking for a long time, the bride couldn't help but call out softly.

“You are you, and I am me. We each live our own lives.” After saying this, Han Derang downed the entire pot of wine. A moment later, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.

Through the slightly lifted corner, watching him pass out drunk, the bride lifted her red veil. Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom and the moon was full; inside, the newlyweds' clothes were soaked with tears.

You are you, and I am I. Aren't we husband and wife? We've entered this bridal chamber, aren't we supposed to share joys and sorrows? Why would you say such heartless and cruel words?

A joyous occasion was being held in Nanjing, with laughter and tears, while the soldiers who had set off from Xijing were filled with sorrow, worry, and extreme anxiety.

Led by Yelü Talie, the Southern King and Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest, the Liao army crossed Yanmen Pass and marched south. Along the way, Yelü Xiuge remained vigilant, constantly on the lookout. Although he had guessed her whereabouts, he couldn't find her anywhere, which puzzled him. Logically, it would be inconvenient for a girl to hide among men in an army full of men; she would inevitably give herself away sooner or later. How could she have concealed herself so perfectly? If it weren't for her little horse, Achi, accompanying the army, he would have truly doubted whether he was mistaken, and whether Xiao Chuo was still in Xijing.

The reinforcements arrived in Xinxian that day and the entire army rested. Xiu Ge went to the camp cooks' quarters to visit Achi, the horse that had been following them all along. Xiu Ge knew she must be hiding with the cooks, intending to teach her a lesson after she clumsily revealed herself. However, she had vanished without a trace, and he hadn't even had a chance to meet her. Fortunately, the little red horse carrying the cooks' supplies was very obedient, staying close to the cooks and not running off, which strengthened Xiu Ge's confidence in finding her. Considering that Taiyuan wasn't far away, and that further ahead might lead to her being taken to the Song army, Xiu Ge decided to find Xiao Chuo first, and then let her recklessly mingle with the troops. If they encountered the Song army, a chaotic battle might result in her being injured or lost, neither of which he wanted.

As Xiuge entered the grounds of the cooks' camp, he couldn't see the little red horse anywhere. He was secretly startled. The Liao soldiers' cooks, who were busy at work, were taken aback when they saw Xiuge's arrival and knelt down, saying, "Your subordinate greets General Yelü."

"Those of you who are supposed to do your jobs, do your jobs. Those in charge, come with me. I have something to ask you." After saying that, Hugh looked around and found a quiet place to stand. He didn't want to make the matter public.

A middle-aged man ran out, bowed his head and said, "I have already met General Yelü."

Hugh glanced at him and asked, "Tell me, since leaving Xijing, have any new people joined your team?"

Yi Gu was stunned for a moment, then said, "No, no, it's all the same old guys, there are no new people."

Despite his words, his flustered gaze did not escape Hugh's notice.

"Believe it or not, I'll kill you and make sure you can never go back to my Great Liao, so that your feet can never set foot on the land of the Great Liao again?"

Upon hearing what Brother Xiu said, Gu trembled and immediately knelt down, saying, "General, spare me! General, spare me! It is true that a newcomer has arrived." "Since a newcomer has arrived, why haven't we seen him all these days?" Brother Xiu's expression was quite stern.

"The journey is long, and the newcomer couldn't walk, so he hid in the food along the way, and we pushed him forward."

After hearing what he said, Brother Hugh finally understood why he could never see Xiao Chuo; it turned out she was hiding in the food.

"How dare you let her hide in the food? Speak!" "This," Yi Guda kept banging his forehead on the ground and said, "It's all because we villains were greedy for money, so we did such a stupid thing. Please spare our lives, General." Hearing him say this, Xiuge understood a little about how Xiao Chuo had infiltrated the cooks' group. It seemed that the gold he had swindled from Yelü Wangfu was quite useful in this cooks' camp.

"Where is she now?" Hugh asked again.

"They've gone to gather grass and grain," Yi Gu said in a low voice.

"What?!" Hugh exclaimed in shock!

Yi Gu continued banging his head on the ground and said, "The king ordered the army to halt its advance and rest here in Xin County. We were preparing food when a few soldiers came and said they were going out to gather hay and asked the cooks to go too, so that they could bring back the extra hay to secretly enjoy at night. The new young man, Xiao Xuan'er, seemed to have never gathered hay before. When she heard that we were going to gather hay, she was very happy and started making a fuss, insisting on going with those people."

"Where is he? When did he leave?" Hugh asked angrily.

“The general just left before he arrived,” said Yigu Da.

Which direction did they go?

Having heard of Xiu Ge's stern reprimand, Gu quickly pointed and replied, "General, they went that way."

Hugh didn't answer. He walked to the side, mounted his horse, and rode off in the direction that Gu Da had pointed.

Xiao Xuan happily followed a few soldiers, mounted her little red horse, and left the county town. "Gathering hay? Are you going hunting?" "Hehe, that's good. We can catch some game to satisfy our cravings tonight."

After the group had ridden their horses some distance from Xin County, the leader made a gesture and said, "Ready, let's begin."

Hearing the word "begin," Xiao Xuan's heart started pounding with excitement. Following behind their horses, she saw them rush into a house in an open area and begin robbing the family. Xiao Xuan was startled, then dismounted and ran to a soldier who was stealing the family's chickens. She grabbed his arm and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Grab the hay! You idiot, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and grab it!" The soldier scolded Xiaoxuan, who was dressed as a cook.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan looked around. The soldiers were either looting or beating people. Was this what they meant by raiding the enemy's territory?

The male head of the household seemed unwilling to have his food and valuables stolen, so he picked up a hoe used for farming and confronted the Liao soldiers.

"This place is too close to the Han capital. We need to kill them to silence them and prevent our raiding plans from being exposed. Otherwise, if the Han officials find out when we get to Taiyuan and start nagging our king, we'll be in big trouble. Kill them all to avoid any trouble. You all go inside and search the house again, I'll handle the outside!" said the leading Liao soldier.

"Stop! No! Don't do this!" Xiao Xuan cried out. But it was too late. The leading Liao soldier drew his sword and slashed at the man. The poor man was just a farmer who only knew how to tend a few fields and had no martial arts skills. These Liao soldiers had lived on the grasslands for a long time, and riding and shooting were commonplace for them. Even when they were killing, they did so with a wildness.

He had just drawn his knife, ready to unleash his full power, but you, a mere cook, can't just stop whenever you want.

"Ah!" With a scream, the man was struck by a Liao soldier's sword.

"Honey!" "Dad!"

The screams of a woman and child rang out. The man, stabbed multiple times, lay in a pool of blood. He seemed to still be breathing; his hands were still trembling uncontrollably. His child, a boy of about five years old, ran towards where his father lay, calling out "Daddy." He finally reached the man's side, only to find himself stabbed in the back of the neck, and collapsed beside his father.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Fifteen: The Fire Man

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:53:56 Word Count: 3313

Seeing this tragic scene, the woman screamed, "Ayou! Ayou!"

Xiao Xuan's mind went blank. He stared at the blood flowing from the father and son, feeling weak and powerless. The blood was very red; it must still be warm.

"Why...why did you kill them? If you're going to steal their things, why did you have to kill them?" Xiaoxuan stood there, stunned, and murmured.

"You beasts, I'll fight you to the death!"

Another scream rang in her ears. Xiao Xuan looked over and saw that the woman had pulled out her hairpin and charged towards the Liao soldier who was killing people. This was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. Not only did she fail to injure the Liao soldier, but he also grabbed her arms. The hairpin was in his hands, but she couldn't muster any strength. Her clothes were also torn, revealing her smooth shoulders and the soft skin of her chest.

The leading Liao soldier began to loosen his clothes and belt. The woman clearly understood what he was going to do and struggled even more desperately, but to no avail.

"Let her go!"

A clear, angry shout rang out, and the Liao soldiers and women looked over to see Xiao Xuan, dressed as a cook, holding a rake and pointing it at them.

"Let her go! Anyone who dares to touch her again will be in big trouble!" Xiaoxuan roared.

The Liao soldiers exchanged glances, and the leader said, "Even if this guy goes back, he won't keep quiet. Let's just finish him off together." The others nodded, drew their swords, and approached Xiaoxuan.