Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 20

"There are so many women in this world, why do you insist on competing with His Majesty for them? Look back at me, the woman standing behind you is your wife. What's wrong with Ruoyun? What makes her unworthy of you? She is the rightful daughter-in-law of the Han family. Today, I only have one thing to tell you: if you want to leave this family, if you want to go find Xiao Chuo, then you must first kill your father standing before you—me!" Han Kuangsi's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at his stubborn fourth son.

"Father!" Han Derang's arms trembled as he held the halberd. "Father, why are you forcing your son? Why are you always forcing me?" After saying this, Han Derang roared to the sky, startling the guards into retreating.

Looking at Han Kuangsi, Han Derang threw the long halberd on the ground and said, "You arranged my marriage with Yanyan, and you also arranged my marriage with her. You can forbid anyone in this house from mentioning my marriage with Yanyan, and you can call everyone in this house 'Young Mistress,' but in my heart, there is only Yanyan. No matter how good or beautiful Li Ruoyun is, there is only Xiao Chuo in my heart!" After Han Derang finished speaking, he turned and walked towards his room without looking back. He couldn't, he couldn't point a weapon at his own father; he couldn't do it.

Watching Han Derang's retreating figure, Ruoyun's eyes streamed down her face. She finally understood why he had treated her that way on their wedding night. It turned out that he already had someone else in his heart, and she wasn't even a substitute.

Her fists clenched tightly, Ruoyun's heart filled with unbearable hatred. "Xiao Chuo, since you two loved each other, why didn't you marry sooner, forcing me, Li Ruoyun, to this point? If I hadn't married him, perhaps I could still know the taste of happiness, but what about now? Consort Xiao, Xiao Chuo, now you are a caged bird in the palace, do you still remember this man in Nanjing? Now you are enjoying wealth and glory, while I, Li Ruoyun, am swallowing the bitter pill because of you, Xiao Chuo! I hate you!"

Han Kuangsi kept the matter in Nanjing under tight control, but in the imperial palace in the capital, Xiao Chuo's name was already well-known.

She was very outgoing and dared to go anywhere except the main hall. She even entered and exited Yelü Xian's council hall as freely as she would her own private quarters.

The ministers and military officers in the court all stared in astonishment at her, who casually strolled around the council hall without a word. They were all wondering what was going on.

Whenever Xiao Siwen saw Xiao Xuan running around in front of everyone as if nothing was wrong, he would break out in a cold sweat. "Chu'er, what are you doing? You're practically walking into the palace like nothing's wrong during the Emperor's court session!" Xiao Siwen's heart pounded with fear, while Nü Li's heart pounded with excitement.

Looking at the bright pearl hanging on her chest, Nuli felt extremely uncomfortable and tormented. He longed to possess that pearl, to caress it tenderly. Every time he saw that pearl, his eyes would blink rapidly, and his heart would pound. He even tried speaking ill of the girl to Yelü Xian, but to his surprise, the emperor, who had always regarded him as a confidant, acted out of character, not only interrupting him but also harshly criticizing him.

He wasn't stupid, so naturally he wouldn't provoke that trouble again. He waited; he didn't believe he was the only one in the entire court who disliked that girl. Soon, he found his companion—Gao Xun.

Gao Xun observed coldly and remained silent, not because he was magnanimous, but because he hadn't yet figured out how to deliver his slander. If he were to speak to His Majesty, he would have to be incisive and ensure that neither of them could ever recover; otherwise, it was better to say nothing at all.

Like Nüli, Gao Xun was a close confidant of Yelü Xian and also disliked Xiao Siwen. "Hmph! That old man, all he does is enjoy his life off his daughters. All three of them married the Emperor and princes; he's really lucky. Xiao Siwen only provides information; what's so great about that? Yet His Majesty keeps promoting him, now he's even been promoted to Grand Councilor of the Northern Court and Prime Minister of the Northern Prefecture, giving him immense power. That old fellow is quite pleased with himself now! And His Majesty, what is he really thinking? Is he grateful to Xiao Siwen for delivering the message in time, and now that he's ascended the throne, he's so grateful to the Xiao family? That's spoiling that girl too much! She can go wherever she wants in the entire palace, even the places where we men stay; she can come and go as she pleases. Doesn't she have any respect for rules?" Perhaps His Majesty is just indulging in something new, pampering the girl because of her beauty. Once he gets tired of her, he'll find it hard to even see her, let alone let her wander around the palace like a ghost.

Many of the ministers did not understand why Yelü Xian was so tolerant, allowing Xiao Chuo to roam freely throughout the palace, completely ignoring the ministers as if they were invisible. Not only did she not greet them when she saw them, but she would also suddenly appear in some corner without prior notice when the ministers were discussing matters. This had frightened them countless times.

There were only two people who desperately wanted her to come and bother them every day, not just to appear briefly in front of everyone and then leave, but ideally to sit down and listen to them talk. One of these two people was Xiao Xuan, the husband of Xiao Chuo, the Prince of Liao, Yelü Xian. The other was Yelü Xiuge, who held the official position of Tiyin.

I understand your intentions. I know you deliberately linger in front of the court officials, provoking me, hoping to give me an excuse to banish you from the palace. But Yan Yan, do you know? The longer you stay in front of me, the more I enjoy watching you. Although I pretend not to see you every time you appear, in my heart, I know your every move better than anyone else.

Xiu Ge was still the same Xiu Ge, as profound as ever, but his mood had changed, becoming much more cheerful than before. He found life incredibly interesting now. First, he no longer had to follow the ruthless Yelü Jing around, watching him unleash his demonic rage. Second, he found it surprisingly amusing to observe the way the ministers looked at Xiao Chuo in the palace and ponder their thoughts.

More than a month passed in a blur, and the relationship between Xiao Xuan and Yelü Xian became increasingly perplexing to those in the palace. You might think Yelü Xian was indifferent to her, but every few days he would send gifts to her room to cheer her up. Since Consort Xiao entered the palace, Yelü Xian hadn't set foot in any other woman's room, spending every night in hers, showering her with exclusive favor—a treatment others could only dream of. Logically, the two should have been incredibly close, yet during the day when they met in the palace, they pretended not to see each other, acting as if the other didn't exist. They didn't greet each other, nor did they stop walking. This way of meeting left the palace servants and maids dumbfounded, and the court officials were utterly astonished.

That day, after the morning court session, Yelü Xian and his ministers were discussing matters in the council hall as usual, waiting for the swaying "invisible man" to appear. Just then, a guard ran to the entrance of the council hall and shouted, "Your Majesty, there is an emergency!"

"Come in!" Yelü Xian called out, frowning.

After the guard entered the hall, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Jinyang has sent someone to ask for help!"

"What's going on?" Yelü Xian asked, frowning.

"Your Majesty, we have received an urgent report from Lord Han Zhifan, who is on his way to the Han territory. The Song army is besieging Jinyang. The situation is critical. Please send reinforcements immediately." After saying this, he presented Han Zhifan's urgent letter to Yelü Xian.

Yelü Xian was furious. The Song army had only retreated a few days ago, how could they have already advanced to Jinyang? And this Han emperor, Liu Ji'en, had just ascended the throne, and he was killed within days, replaced by the current Liu Jiyuan. He had originally sent Han Zhifan to Jinyang to congratulate him on his coronation, but he had been caught up in this mess.

Upon opening Han Zhifan's letter, he learned that the Song army was marching with great fanfare, with the Song emperor personally leading the expedition, determined to conquer Han territory. The situation in Jinyang was critical and could not be delayed. Yelü Xian immediately consulted with his ministers on how to relieve the siege of Jinyang. They ultimately decided to order the capital city of Xijing, the closest to Jinyang, to quickly mobilize troops and divide them into two routes to relieve the siege.

That night, Yelü Xian, exhausted after a busy day, went to Consort Xiao's bedroom, only to find that not only was he returning so late, but the person who actually lived there had not yet returned either.

"Where did she go?" Yelü Xian asked the maid in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed.

The maid knelt down and replied, "Your Majesty, the young master from the Xiao family came to play with the Imperial Concubine for a while this morning. Later, the Imperial Concubine took the young master out and they haven't seen him return since."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Xian sighed. The young man the maid mentioned must be Xiao Jixian, the one adopted by Xiao Siwen. Yan Yan adored him, summoning him to the palace every few days and often taking him out to play; it seemed today was no different. So he sat alone at the table, eating his meal. After finishing, seeing that it was getting dark, he felt restless. After thinking for a moment, he lay down on the bed fully clothed for a short rest. When he woke up again, night had already fallen, and the stars were numerous.

Yelü Xian was furious. He thought to himself, "I always pretended not to see you playing around, but now you dare not even go back to your room?" He immediately led his men to the Xiao residence, knocked on the door, and came to "capture" the man.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Thirty-Eight: Horsewhip

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:54:05 Word Count: 3940

Xiao Siwen, who was half asleep, was startled when Yelü Xian suddenly appeared. He had no idea what had happened. When he finally realized that his precious daughter had not yet returned to the palace, he was immediately jolted awake.

"Thump, thump, thump," Xiao Siwen, Yelü Xian, and the others walked all the way to Xiao Jixian's door and knocked on it vigorously.

Young Xiao Jixian, rubbing his sleepy eyes, opened the door and looked at the person standing outside with a puzzled expression. Seeing that Yelü Xian was also there, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "Xiao Jixian greets Your Majesty."

Looking at the young boy, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, Yelü Xian felt that it was making a mountain out of a molehill by bringing up a child for this matter at this time, so he said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing Xiao Jixian stand up, Xiao Siwen asked urgently, "Brother Liuzhi, let me ask you, did you go to see your third sister today?"

"Dad, yes. My third sister gave me lots of fun things too." Xiao Jixian said wearily, yawning as he spoke.

Xiao Siwen frowned and pressed on, "When did you and your third sister break up? Do you know where your third sister went?"

"Oh, Third Sister, we parted ways after lunch. Third Sister went to Jinyang," Xiao Jixian said, yawning again.

Yelü Xian, who was originally a few steps away from Xiao Jixian's door, immediately stepped forward upon hearing this and asked Xiao Jixian, "Where did she go? Jinyang? Is that true?"

Seeing the Emperor's anxious questioning and grim expression, Xiao Jixian quickly knelt down and said, "My third sister and I were playing in the palace this morning when we met a very anxious Han man. Seeing that he was wearing Hanfu and looked anxious, my third sister asked him what had happened. The man said that Jinyang was under siege and he had come to our Great Liao to ask for help. After hearing his story, my third sister took me to eat. While we were eating, she told me that her friend lived in Jinyang and that she was going to rescue her friend. After we finished eating, she found a carriage and horses and went to Jinyang."

"What?" Xiao Siwen exclaimed in shock, "Why didn't you stop your third sister from running around like this?"

While Xiao Siwen was reprimanding Xiao Jixian, Yelü Xian had already stormed off to the palace in anger.

You can do it!

Xiao Chuo, you've got some nerve! You ran off without even a word to me. Fine! When you come back this time, I'll whip your legs off! I'll teach you to run away, I'll teach you to have no respect for me anymore!

He stormed back to the palace, went into his own bedchamber, and lay down without a word. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the less he could sleep. Yelü Xian got up and smashed all the furnishings in the room. Still not satisfied, he went to Xiao Xuan's bedchamber and sat on the bed where he had shared a pillow with her day and night, sulking in anger.

He couldn't bear to, he couldn't bear to. He could harden his heart and smash everything in his own room, but he couldn't bring himself to touch anything in this room. He had thought he could go to her room and smash her things, but as soon as he stepped into her room, his heart softened and his hands went limp. All he could think about was sitting on the bed thinking about her.

Why, why did you run away again! Even if you have friends in Jinyang City, couldn't you at least say hello to me?

Clutching the bedding, Yelü Xian's eyes gleamed red; his thoughts had already drifted to the person who had run away from the capital.

Having a horse-drawn carriage is great!

Xiao Xuan lay leisurely in the carriage, while Achi was tied to the back and followed along. She absolutely couldn't leave Achi in the capital; otherwise, that woman might do something to her. A small carriage, a little red horse—Xiao Xuan, with a few sweet words, not only left the capital but also managed to recruit several guards to carry her food and water.

Father Xiao, I'm sorry. I really want to be Xiao Chuo, your third daughter, and stay obediently in that palace. But I have friends in Jinyang City, and now that Jinyang City is under siege, I have to go there to see what's going on. Maybe I can think of a way to save my friends.

As Xiaoxuan pondered this, she took off her belt and looked at the three characters "Liu Yanyu" on it.

Liu Yanyu's words echoed in his ears: "If you are alive and can return to my Han Dynasty, I will become your sworn brother and sworn sister!" Liu Yanyu, I have returned alive. I am going to see you. I hope that this time the Song army can withdraw its troops just like last time.

Xiao Xuan was rushing all the way, wanting to get to Xijing as soon as possible, rest there, gather some information, and then head to Jinyang. So, apart from necessary rest, she didn't make any other delays along the way.

But no matter how fast she walked, she couldn't outrun the people chasing her.

I didn't want to bother with her and let her run around and act crazy, but why do I feel so much hatred in my heart!

Leading a large army, he pursued her. His mind was preoccupied with only one thought: how to punish her! She had humiliated him beyond measure. Within the palace, he could ignore her and let her run wild, but now, she had dared to flee the capital without a word, causing him not only worry but also forcing him to lead his troops out to find her. How could he, the Prince of Liao, possibly save face?

He lacked the composure to explain to his ministers that she was still young and merely a little willful. He was also in no mood to face his soldiers. He had led his troops on a thousand-mile pursuit, not for war, but for a woman, his beloved concubine, Xiao Chuo! This time, you forced me into this situation. Don't blame me; blame yourself for not respecting me!

After chasing for a while, they finally saw the carriage ahead. Yelü Xian gestured for his men to surround the carriage.

The soldiers and coachman who were protecting Xiaoxuan were all extremely surprised to find themselves inexplicably surrounded by soldiers. When they saw His Majesty suddenly appear, they hurriedly dismounted, knelt down, and shouted, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Yelü Xian did not answer, but stared at the small carriage with icy eyes.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Siwen hurriedly asked, "Where is the Imperial Concubine?"

"In the carriage," the driver replied hastily.

Xiao Siwen quickly dismounted, walked to the carriage, and lifted the curtain to look inside. He saw Xiao Xuan lying inside, curled up in a ball, fast asleep.

"Chuo'er, wake up! Chuo'er, wake up quickly!" Xiao Siwen called out.

Xiao Xuan, who was busy traveling during the day and stargazing at night, was awakened from her sweet dreams. Stepping out of the carriage, she rubbed her eyes and looked around.

It's him! What's he doing here?

Xiao Xuan felt a sharp pain in her temples and pressed them hard with her hand. She looked at Yelü Xian and asked, "Why aren't you staying in the capital? What are you doing here?"

This woman dares to say that! She actually dares to ask such a question!

"Guards, bring me the whip!" Yelü Xian roared.

Xiao Siwen was shocked, but there was nothing she could do. Who told her precious daughter to be so bold as to do such a foolish thing?

Holding the whip in his hand, Yelü Xian looked at Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan put down her hand that had been rubbing her eyes and looked at Yelü Xian in surprise. She didn't know what he was going to do.

Looking into those bright, sparkling eyes and that delicate face, Yelü Xian raised the hand holding the whip high.

Just then, a man jumped off his horse, knelt down, and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine is young and playful. Please forgive her this time." It was Yelü Xiuge who spoke up for Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Siwen also wanted to plead for his beloved daughter, but he knew he should avoid suspicion in this situation. No matter how much he wanted to say, he could only stand there and watch how things unfolded. However, a young general who had accompanied him also knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please spare the Imperial Concubine. The urgent situation in Han is of utmost importance. Your Majesty should not let your anger and health be harmed by the matter of the Imperial Concubine. Please consider the greater good."

For many years, Nüli and Gao Xun, who had served as Yelü Xian's confidants, were finally able to seize an opportunity to see his daughter punished. They were delighted when these two people suddenly appeared to obstruct them, which made them feel disgusted.

Seeing the scene before her, even the slow-witted Xiaoxuan understood what was about to happen. She looked at Yelü Xian with clear eyes and said, "Are you going to hit me?"

"Shouldn't you have hit me?" Yelü Xian gripped the whip in his hand, his eyes filled with icy coldness.

Looking at Yelü Xian, Xiao Xuan calmly took off the gold hairpin that the woman in the nunnery had given her from her head, and then gently pulled open the front of her clothes.

Yelü Xian was shocked by her actions; he seemed to understand what she wanted to do.

"You want me dead? I'll die right here! Don't even think about treating me like that! I'm not livestock, I'm a human being!" Xiao Xuan said to Yelü Xian.

Yelü Xian's face flushed red, and his hand holding the whip trembled violently. Xiao Xuan, on the other hand, gripped the gold hairpin tightly, staring intently at Yelü Xian.

Everyone was stunned and at a loss for what to do, not expecting Xiaoxuan to do this.

She dared to speak to him like that in front of all the ministers! She dared to embarrass him like that! Yelü Xian gritted his teeth. He was furious, but he dared not wield the long whip in his hand. He was afraid, afraid that she would really use that golden hairpin to hurt herself. He only wanted to teach her a lesson with the whip, to make her afraid of him, to make her more obedient. Who knew she would be so violent and say such things?

"Chuo'er! How dare you! Kneel down and apologize to His Majesty!" Xiao Siwen shouted urgently. He was alarmed. His usually well-behaved youngest daughter had changed drastically since offending Yelü Jing and leaving home. What had happened to her?

Xiao Xuan stared coldly at Yelü Xian, confronting him. She was determined not to kneel. Other matters could be discussed, but she couldn't tolerate him whipping her. How could he be so barbaric? Even if they were only husband and wife in name, even if he didn't like her, did that give him the right to treat her with a whip?

"Hmph! Consort Xiao, you have no respect for His Majesty at all!" Gao Xun sneered. He couldn't wait to see this scene; he wanted Xiao Siwen's daughter to anger His Majesty so that the old man would be implicated and neglected by His Majesty.

Xiao Xuan looked at Gao Xun calmly and said, "Whether I respect His Majesty or not is none of your business. This is a matter between my husband and me. Why are you meddling in this mess?"