Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 31

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. Thank you for your reminder, Your Majesty." The old woman kowtowed repeatedly, trembling. Then Xiao Xuan said, "If you are lucky enough to live to see His Majesty's return, you must tell His Majesty everything that happened today."

"Yes, yes!" Seeing that Xiaoxuan remained silent, the wet nurse crawled to the bedside, crawled under the bed, and hid.

Holding Longxu tightly in his arms, Xiaoxuan and Jixian followed Xiao Hulian out of the room. They saw more than a dozen corpses in the courtyard. The guards who had followed him were all lying in pools of blood, and now the people standing in the courtyard were unfamiliar faces.

Xiao Xuan broke out in a cold sweat. She had been talking with her sister, Ji Xian, and others inside the house when the people outside silently killed all the guards she had brought with her. They were incredibly swift; it seemed like it had been planned beforehand. After a moment's hesitation, she wanted to step forward and ask for clarification, but Xiao Hu Nian stopped her.

"Don't overtake me, stay behind me," Xiao Hulian said in a deep voice. He then stared at the unfamiliar soldiers and asked, "Who are you? Is this a place where you dare to kill people indiscriminately?"

The guards did not answer, but instead looked at Xiao Xuan, who was tightly holding a child behind Xiao Hu Nian, and asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask where His Majesty's imperial seal is?"

They went into the study to search for the imperial seal! Xiao Xuan understood; her guess was correct—someone was indeed plotting a rebellion.

"Even if you find the imperial seal, what use will it be? Not everyone who possesses the imperial seal can become emperor. An emperor has the imperial seal because he became emperor, not because anyone who possesses the imperial seal can become emperor."

The lead guard seemed not to have heard Xiao Xuan's words and asked again, "Your Majesty, where is the Imperial Seal?"

Seeing that Xiaoxuan did not answer, the guard said, "Although there are many guards in this mansion, they all drank the wine bestowed by the Empress Dowager a moment ago. However, it seems that the wine was poisoned, and they are probably all dead by now. Your Highness, for your safety and the safety of the child, please tell us the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal."

"What!" Xiao Hulian roared in anger. This person was too vicious. He actually used her name and said that she had sent him the poisoned wine. What a clever trick to kill two birds with one stone.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter 57 Leaving the City

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:54:07 Word Count: 3809

Xiao Xuan stared coldly at the guard.

With the Imperial Seal, one can mobilize a large army even without the emperor's presence. Conversely, without the Imperial Seal, even if the emperor wants to mobilize an army located far away, he must go there personally, which creates many problems. Troops are commanded by generals; if a rebel were to seize the Imperial Seal, mobilize a large army, and rebel, it would undoubtedly pose a threat to Yelü Xian, who only has a small force. Although His Majesty has talented generals like Xiuge and Xiezhen by his side, they would likely be helpless against a rebellious army.

The courtyard was quiet, just as this person had said; all of their own people had been poisoned to death.

"My lord, the garrison commander of Xijing requests an audience with Her Majesty the Empress."

A guard ran into the courtyard and said to the lead guard.

"Tell him that Her Majesty has traveled a long way and is exhausted. No one is allowed to disturb her at this moment. Convey Her Majesty's decree that no official, high or low, in Xijing City is allowed to come here to seek an audience without Her Majesty's summons."

"yes!"

Watching the guards leave after answering their questions, Xiao Xuan and Xiao Hu Nian felt a sudden emptiness in their hearts. It seemed the gate was also tightly sealed. Xiao Xuan recalled the scene when she first returned to the manor; the guards at the gate did indeed look unfamiliar. It seemed they recognized her and had intentionally let her in.

With a "whoosh," the head guard drew his sword from its scabbard at his waist. Seeing their leader draw his sword, the others also drew theirs.

"Your Majesty, I'll ask one last time, where is the Imperial Seal?"

Looking at the broadsword gleaming with a chilling light in the sunlight, Xiao Xuan said, "It's in the pagoda outside the manor."

The guard frowned and said coldly, "Your Majesty the Empress is joking. Is the Imperial Seal of the State something that can be left out in the open so easily?"

"With His Majesty away, it's inevitable that some people might harbor ill intentions. To prevent any accidents, it must be placed in a place that ordinary people cannot guess."

Upon hearing this, the head guard pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then may I ask, Your Highness, which pagoda is it?"

"Of course, it's the largest pagoda in Xijing City. By the way, that pagoda is huge. I can't remember which Buddha statue I hid the jade seal behind. If you want to get the jade seal, I think you'll have to bring more people and search every Buddha statue to find it," Xiao Xuan said with a sneer.

Staring at Xiao Xuan, the head guard snorted coldly and said, "Our men will split into three groups. One group will come with me to the pagoda. Another group will escort Her Majesty the Empress and the young princes out of the city. The third group will stay here and not allow the Empress Dowager to step out of here. We'll discuss everything after I return. Inform the people at the gate not to let anyone in or out." After saying that, he looked at Xiao Xuan and said, "Her Majesty the Empress and the young princes, please proceed."

Xiao Xuan stood still, staring coldly at the head of the guards without moving.

"Guards, please have Her Majesty the Empress depart."

No sooner had the head guard finished speaking than two men stepped out from behind him and approached Xiao Xuan. Xiao Hu Nian was not about to let them get close to Xiao Xuan, and immediately drew his sword from his waist.

"Hmph!" The head of the guards snorted and said, "Your Majesty, do you think there are more of you or more of us? If you're not afraid of hurting the child with knives, I think you should stay here obediently. You might live a little longer."

Hearing his words, Xiao Hulian dared not act rashly. Her brows furrowed tightly; it wasn't that she was afraid to act, but she was afraid of frightening the children. There were many of them, and if they really attacked, the children would indeed be in danger, and there would only be one outcome: she herself would fall here. Gripping her waist knife tightly, Xiao Hulian watched helplessly as the two men took away Xiao Xuan, who was carrying Longxu, and Xiao Jixian, who was carrying Guanyin.

To her utter surprise, after all the hardship of chasing after them, this was the scene she witnessed. The two children had left her side again, and at this moment she felt even more lonely and isolated than she had been in the capital.

Yan Yan, Yan Yan... Longxu... Guan Ge'er...

Sitting in the carriage, Xiao Xuan and Xiao Jixian remained silent. Guanyin Nu, frightened, clung tightly to Xiao Xuan's side and whispered, "Mother, I'm scared."

Holding Longxu in one arm, Xiaoxuan used her other hand to gently stroke Guanyin Nu's head and said softly, "Good boy, don't be afraid with your mother here."

Looking at the pitiful-looking Guanyin, Ji Xian said, "Brother Guan, don't be afraid, I'm here." Then he looked at Xiao Xuan and whispered, "Third Sister, it's okay. If we leave the city, we'll definitely pass through the city gate. I guess there won't be any of their people at the city gate. When we stop for inspection, we can try asking the gate guards for help."

Hearing Ji Xian's words, Xiao Xuan nodded, finally feeling a little relieved.

When the carriage arrived at the city gate, to Xiao Xuan and Xiao Jixian's surprise, the carriage did not stop at the city gate. It only paused slightly before immediately driving out of the city gate.

"They didn't even check us! How did they get through the city gate?" Xiao Xuan exclaimed in surprise. Who was trying to kidnap her and her child? How could they have the ability to let them through without even checking the guards at the city gate?

Xiao Jixian lowered his head, deep in thought. Realizing they were quite a distance from the city, he knocked on the carriage and called out, "I need to relieve myself!"

The car stopped, and Xiao Jixian got out. Xiao Xuan heard someone outside the car mutter, "Troublesome." Looking at the two children beside her, Xiao Xuan closed her eyes, wondering what awaited her and her children in a moment.

Just then, she heard the sound of clashing swords. Xiao Xuan panicked and clung even tighter to the trembling Guanyin nun beside her. What was happening outside the carriage?

After a chaotic clang of weapons clashing, the carriage curtain was lifted. Xiao Xuan looked over and saw Xiao Jixian covered in blood.

Despite his young age, Xiao Jixian possessed extraordinary courage. While using the excuse of relieving himself to get out of the carriage, he swiftly drew the waist knife from the nearest guard and plunged it into his abdomen. Before the other guards could react, he had already felled two more. There were six guards in total, and none of them had expected this young boy to be so skilled, so fast, and so ruthless. In the blink of an eye, three men lay in pools of blood. Seeing the fallen men, the other three finally came to their senses, drew their knives, and attacked Xiao Jixian together.

In a life-or-death battle, the worst thing you can do is have distracting thoughts. Ji Xian was risking his life, but the other three weren't. Ji Xian's plan was to kill as many of these three as he could. Before he fell, he would do his utmost to reduce their numbers, thus greatly increasing his sister's chances of escape. Watching him frantically swing his knife, the three men felt a chill run down their spines. Each of them deliberately backed away, hoping their companions would cut down the young man first.

It was this selfish thought that gave Ji Xian an opportunity. In the ensuing melee, Ji Xian wounded another man. Seeing that Xiao Ji Xian, who also had several wounds, had injured one of their own, the other two were stunned. Without hesitation, taking advantage of their momentary lapse in attention, Xiao Ji Xian swiftly threw his knife, piercing one of the two men. He then quickly picked up the knife from the fallen, dead guard and turned his attention to the last remaining victim.

The last guard was terrified by Xiao Jixian's reckless fighting style. He had thought the mission would be simple—just capturing a woman and a child—but the boy beside the woman was far more frightening. Pale-faced, he stared at Xiao Jixian, then abruptly threw down his knife and ran to his horse, attempting to escape. Xiao Jixian, however, swiftly reached the other empty horses belonging to the guards, unloaded the bows and arrows from their saddles, and fired at the fleeing guards.

With a "whoosh," the arrow flew towards the guard, striking him accurately and steadily in the back of the fleeing guard. Seeing the guard fall from his horse, Xiao Jixian breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a knife from the ground, and stabbed each of the guards, some dead and some wounded, before walking towards the carriage.

"Ji Xian?" Xiao Xuan's voice trembled as she looked at Xiao Ji Xian, who was covered in blood, and called out, "Are you alright?"

"Third sister, I'm alright. I've killed them all. Where do we go?"

Looking at his blood-stained clothes and his youthful face, Xiao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Get in the car first, and I'll bandage your wounds."

"Third Sister, don't do these useless things. If those people can't find you, they'll definitely be looking for you everywhere. Think quickly, where should we go?"

“Even if we leave, we must take our eldest sister with us,” Xiao Xuan interjected. “It will be dangerous for our eldest sister to be alone in the manor. I lied to those people. If they can’t find the imperial seal and discover that we’ve run away, they will definitely not let our eldest sister go.”

Xiao Jixian frowned at Xiao Xuan, gritted his teeth and said, "Third sister, I'll drive the carriage away from here first and find a place to hide. You stay here with Brother Guan and Brother Xu, and I'll go back to rescue eldest sister. Right now, their people in the city are scattered. Apart from the gatekeepers and those watching over eldest sister, there are almost no one left in the mansion."

"But...but you just fought those people, and you're still injured. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Third Sister! What time is it? Stop being so indecisive!" Xiao Jixian said urgently. "Let's settle on this." After saying that, he ran to the stray horse, took off the coat that was carried on the horse's back, put it on to cover his blood-stained clothes, then ran to the carriage, lowered the curtain, sat in the driver's seat, whipped the horse and urged it away from the blood-stained place, searching around for a place where his third sister and child could find shelter.

After running for a while, Ji Xian thought it was safe and stopped the carriage. He quickly ran to the back of the carriage, lifted the curtain, helped Xiao Xuan, who was holding Longxu, out of the carriage, and then helped Guan Ge'er out as well. He gave Xiao Xuan a few instructions, then ran back to the front of the carriage, unloaded a horse, and rode back to Xijing City.

There was no one around. Looking at the luxurious carriage before her, the young girl beside her, and the infant in her arms, Xiao Xuan suddenly burst into tears. She was afraid, terrified. She was afraid when she was alone, but even more afraid, with her child and all alone.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter 58: Rescue

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:54:07 Word Count: 3876

Seeing her mother's tears, the young Guanyin nun, still too young to understand, tightly gripped Xiaoxuan's skirt. Wiping away her tears, Xiaoxuan said to Guanyin nun, "Guanyin-ge, be good, go lie down and sleep in the carriage, it's windy outside."

"Mother, hug me," Guanyin called out.

Xiao Xuan placed Longxu, whom she was carrying, into the carriage and covered him with blankets to prevent him from catching a chill. She then carried Guanyin into the carriage as well. Watching over the two children, she slowly waited for time to pass, hoping that Xiao Jixian would rescue Xiao Hunian and come to meet her.

The painful wait felt like time was passing incredibly slowly... When the sound of horses' hooves reached her ears, Xiaoxuan finally smiled.

They're back.

Xiao Xuan thought to herself, rubbing her temples. Her smile suddenly froze. No, it wasn't them! There were only two of them, but the sound of hooves sounded like a group.

Xiao Xuan's breathing became heavy. Had they found reinforcements and run back to look for her, or were the people who came the group that was plotting a rebellion? Hearing the sound of horses' hooves stop outside the carriage, Xiao Xuan glanced at the two children inside and climbed out of the carriage.

"Your Majesty, we meet again."

Looking at these rebellious guards who had appeared at the Prince's Mansion in Xijing City, Xiao Xuan's mind went blank.

"Who are you people? Do you know the consequences of doing this?" Xiaoxuan calmed down and asked.

"The consequence of doing this is that you will die, and the Liao Dynasty will become the domain of my master, and we will share wealth and honor with him."

"Who is your master?" Xiao Xuan asked, staring at the head of the guards.

The head guard smiled coldly and said, "Your Majesty will know when you see him."

"What good will it do you to do this? Even if your master succeeds in his rebellion, he will be the one who gains the throne, not you! You will still have to work under him, so what's the difference between what you're doing now and what you're doing now?"

"Ha, I didn't expect Your Majesty to care about me so much." The head guard sneered a few more times and said, "The difference is that my master will promote me and give me a title. I will no longer be a mere lowly guard commander in front of you. Your Majesty, we've talked too much. I think you should get in the carriage quickly. As for the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal, I think it would be better if you told my master about it yourself."

Hearing the guard captain's urging, Xiao Xuan said calmly, "I will not get on the carriage, nor will I go with you to see your master. I am the Empress of the Great Liao. If your master wants to see me, then let him come by himself."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Xuan's attitude changed so strongly in the blink of an eye. The head guard looked at the carriage, then at Xiao Xuan, and then jumped off his horse.

"There should be a child in the carriage. You lot, keep a close eye on the carriage." Then, looking at Xiao Xuan, he slowly walked towards her and said, "Your Majesty, I brought dozens of riders with me. Besides those left behind at your residence in the capital to cover our tracks, there were also those I took with me when I found the Imperial Seal. There were six men who escorted you away, and they all died not far from the city. If I hadn't followed the wheel tracks here, I would have let you escape. I shudder to think about it; I almost lost my head because of you. Your Majesty, what method did you use to kill my six brothers?" He took a breath and then sneered, "Everyone knows that His Majesty favors Your Majesty the most. I suppose Your Majesty must have something special about you compared to other women. Since Your Majesty is going to die sooner or later anyway, I think it's better to let my brothers have a taste first?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

After the head guard finished speaking, the men following him burst into laughter, as if his words pleased them.

"You dare?" Xiao Xuan roared, taking a step back as she shouted.

"Why wouldn't we dare? Taking you along would be too much trouble. Who knows what you'll do next? Our master said that if it's inconvenient to take you with us, we'll just send you to your death. What our master wants most are the two children in the carriage and the imperial seal. I can tell you won't honestly reveal the whereabouts of the imperial seal. Keeping you around will only cause us more trouble and ruin our master's plans. The imperial seal can speed up our master's change of dynasty. Although we don't have the imperial seal now, with those two children around, the outcome is pretty much the same. Besides, if we take you back alive, who knows who will get the pearl you wear on your chest? If we deal with you here, my brothers and I can sell the pearl and split the money. It's a good thing!"

"Great idea!" everyone agreed in unison.