Empress Dowager Xiaoxuan

Chapter 52

Suddenly, a shout rang out behind Yan Yu. Yan Yu turned around and saw several Song soldiers who had broken through the encirclement, just like him. One of them even had an arrow aimed at Xiao Xuan.

Without hesitation, an instinct compelled him to disregard the pain in his legs, spurring his horse to block the Song soldier's view. His warhorse neighed mournfully, struck by an arrow, and collapsed to the ground, throwing Yan Yu aside. Yan Yu scrambled to his feet, looked at Xiao Xuan running towards him, then glanced at the archer behind him aiming at Xiao Xuan again, and with a struggle, threw himself onto Xiao Xuan, who had already reached him.

With a "whoosh," a cold arrow struck Yan Yu in the back, as Yan Yu shielded Xiao Xuan from the arrows fired by Song soldiers. At the same time, with a "thud," a knife pierced Yan Yu's body from the front. Yan Yu looked closely and saw that the person holding the knife was the young man beside Xiao Xuan.

"Longxu, stop!" Xiaoxuan screamed helplessly, never expecting Longxu to stab Yanyu with a knife.

Seeing Xiaoxuan's reddened eyes that seemed to be spitting fire, Longxu hurriedly said, "Mother, he wants to kill you."

Ignoring Longxu, Xiaoxuan looked at the seriously injured Yanyu in front of her and cried out in a trembling voice, "Yanyu, Yanyu, are you alright? Don't scare me." After saying that, she hugged Liu Yanyu, who had collapsed to the ground.

Seeing that he had injured someone his mother knew, Longxu was terrified and stood frozen in place, repeatedly asking himself, "Isn't he a Song person? How does Mother know him? Didn't he come here to kill Mother?"

Empress of the Khitan - Empress Dowager of the Khitan Chapter 97: Captured (Part 1)

Updated: 2008-09-23 16:37:26 Word Count: 1382

Seeing several Song soldiers rushing over, Han Derang's heart tightened. He brandished his halberd, blocked the Song soldiers, and fought them.

“It’s you.” Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said as she nestled in Xiao Xuan’s arms.

"Yanyu, I've been looking for you all this time. I heard that the Han dynasty had fallen, so I've been sending people to find you ever since! I never imagined that you had reverted to your original surname and were no longer surnamed Liu. It's all my fault. Why didn't I think about it properly? You once told me that your family's original surname was Yang. Why? Why did we have to meet again like this?"

"I never expected to meet you like this. I've been thinking of you all these years, wondering how you've been doing in Liao. Xiao Xuan'er, these years have been very tiring for me."

He knew her name, yet now he called her by the name she had lied about when they first met: Xiao Xuan'er. Xiao Xuan felt a pang of heartache, knowing he also remembered their youthful encounter, remembered that moonlit night of spear-wielding. She cried out, "I know, I know! I won't forgive Zhao Guangyi! He's not a good emperor! I'll settle accounts with him sooner or later!"

Yan Yu gave a wry smile, his voice growing weaker: "Xiao Xuan'er, I'm a great hero now, aren't I?"

“Yes, yes!” Xiaoxuan cried, “In my heart, you have always been a great hero.”

"From now on, you should tell others my story, just as you told me the story of Zhao Kuangyin, so that they may also know that there is such a person as Liu Yanyu in this world."

"Yes, I will. I will definitely speak."

"Xiao Xuan'er, I trust you the most. You must portray me, who has accomplished nothing, as a man of great stature. You must. I also want others to know my name and call me a hero."

"Yes, I will. Don't worry. In my heart, you are a true man."

“We’ve been unhappy ever since we surrendered to the Song Dynasty. Sigh, we’re surrendered generals after all, and nobody trusts us. That Zhao Guangyi knows my father is very familiar with your Liao Kingdom, so he sent him to guard the border. Every time our two armies clash, I think of you. I really don’t want to fight. Xiao Xuan’er, do you think there will be a day when our two countries no longer fight?” “There will be.”

"If that day comes, Mother will agree to let us be friends, right?"

"Um."

"Xiao Xuan'er, we must become sworn brothers back then." Yan Yu's breath grew weaker and weaker, and the blood flowing from his body stained his battle robe and Xiao Xuan's clothes.

"Okay, definitely! We'll choose a full moon night, face the bright moon, light three incense sticks, each give our name and date of birth, and then swear an oath saying things like, 'We don't wish to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we wish to die on the same day, month, and year.' How about that?"

“That sounds good,” Yan Yu said, clutching the wound on his chest and looking at Xiao Xuan. “You can’t die. You have to see what it will be like if the two countries never go to war again.”

"You won't die, and you'll definitely see it!" Xiao Xuan cried out, "Help! Help! Save Yan Yu!"

"Fool, you're so foolish," the voice was so weak it was barely audible, "but I'm so glad to know someone as foolish as you." After saying this, Yan Yu's body slumped, her eyes fixed on the blue sky above, and she stopped breathing.

"Yan Yu! Yan Yu!" Xiao Xuan shook Yan Yu's body desperately: "Say something, Yan Yu, don't scare me, say something, we finally got to see each other, say something!"

Yan Yu would never speak again. Looking at the face she had been searching for, at the man who had listened to her stories under the moon, at this straightforward man who was the first person of her age and kindred spirit she had met in this chaotic time and space, Xiao Xuan could no longer hold back her pain and cried out to the sky, "Ah!"

A piercing, mournful scream echoed across the battlefield. Xiu Ge and Xie Zhen were shocked. It was the voice of Empress Dowager Chengtian. What happened to her? Had something happened to her?

Xiao Xuan's wailing startled all the Liao soldiers.

Empress of the Khitan - Empress Dowager of the Khitan Chapter 97: Captured (Part 2)

Updated: 2008-09-23 16:38:08 Word Count: 1457

Xiu Ge, Xie Zhen, Han Derang, and the others, stealing a moment from their busy schedules, glanced in Xiao Xuan's direction and saw her kneeling on the ground, holding a man in her arms. The man was motionless, his clothes stained with blood, and he appeared to be dead. Long Xu, on the other hand, stood dumbfounded and alone to the side, watching Xiao Xuan and the person in her arms.

They didn't understand what had happened, but Xiao Xuan's wail seemed like a signal, spurring every Liao soldier to charge at the Song army with all their might, displaying a spirit of fighting to the death. The army was already short-handed, and now, with the Liao soldiers' frenzied attack, Yang Ye's forces were quickly defeated.

Watching his routed soldiers, Yang Ye sighed, fighting back tears, and made the decision to retreat. He also saw Xiao Xuan, and he saw Yan Yu charging towards her with a gun, but for some reason, he collapsed before reaching her. Yan Yu

Suppressing his grief, Yang Ye led his routed soldiers in a desperate fight, finally breaking through the encirclement and fleeing all the way to the entrance of Chenjia Valley. Standing before the valley, Yang Ye could no longer hold back his tears. His hands clenched into fists, making a cracking sound, and his lips and beard trembled violently. His tears were not for the fallen Yan Yu, but for the soldiers following behind him. He had been deceived! There were no reinforcements here! He had arranged with Pan Mei and Wang to have them conceal two ambushes near the valley entrance, so that he could lure the enemy deep into the valley, and then they could strike out, perhaps turning the tide of battle. But now, where were the ambushes? Looking at the Liao soldiers gradually closing in, and the silent surroundings, Yang Ye was utterly desperate.

Yu'er, it's your father who ruined you. If there were a chance to start over, I would rather turn to ashes with Jinyang than become a surrendered subject.

Wiping away the tears from his eyes, Yang Ye brandished his spear and charged towards the surrounding Liao soldiers. "Kill! Kill! Kill! Even if I, Yang Ye, die, I will die on the battlefield!" Seeing him lead the charge, his generals followed suit without hesitation. The battle was brutal; the Song army, outnumbered and exhausted, fought a gruesome war. When their arrows ran out, they used bows as weapons; when weapons were gone, they charged at the Liao soldiers with their bare hands, ultimately suffering total annihilation. Yang Ye, wounded by several arrows, was captured alive by Xiuge and Xiezhen.

On the first night after his capture, only Xie Zhen was there to guard him. He knew that she was now the Empress Dowager Chengtian of the Liao Kingdom. He had thought she would come, but she did not.

"Our Empress Dowager Chengtian of the Great Liao Dynasty ordered me, Yelü Xiezhen, to persuade him to surrender," Yelü Xiezhen said, looking at Yang Ye, who had been shot with several arrows but had pulled them out and was covered in blood.

"I will not surrender!" Yang Ye said calmly, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"You won't surrender? If you don't surrender, I'll kill you."

Yang Ye sneered and said, "Having been captured by you, I was already prepared to die. I had no intention of living, and I had no face to live any longer."

Xie Zhen stared coldly at Yang Ye and said, "You are a subject of the Han Dynasty. Back then, when your Han Dynasty was attacked by the Song Dynasty, you repeatedly came to our Great Liao for help. From the rise of your Han Dynasty to its destruction by the Song Dynasty, nearly thirty years passed. Every time you asked our Great Liao for help, we saved you. Now that you have surrendered to the Song Dynasty, it has only been less than seven years, and you have already turned your spear against those who helped you fight the Song Dynasty. You Han people are truly loyal and righteous."

“You obey the orders of your Liao King, and I obey the orders of our Song King. As soldiers, there is no room for sentimentality; only orders matter.”

"Very well, that sounds nice." Xie Zhen sneered, "If there is no affection to speak of, then why did my Empress Dowager Chengtian of the Great Liao send people to search for the families named Liu Jiye and Liu Yanyu when your Han dynasty was destroyed? Why is our Empress Dowager now mourning the death of that man named Yang Yanyu?"

Upon hearing Xie Zhen's words, tears welled up in Yang Ye's eyes. Seeing that Yan Yu had truly closed her eyes, Yang Ye said nothing more, simply sitting quietly cross-legged.

Xie Zhen looked at him, her heart filled with anger. Recalling Xiao Xuan's heart-wrenching cries, she felt extremely aggrieved. These Han Dynasty officials who had surrendered were heartless and ungrateful. She truly didn't understand why the Empress Dowager wouldn't allow him to be killed and insisted on recruiting him.

That night, Xie Zhen felt it was going to be very long.

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Ninety-Eight: Apology

Updated: 2008-09-23 16:38:26 Word Count: 2838

The next day, Yang Ye actually began a hunger strike, refusing both food and water. This angered Xie Zhen even more. "Eat if you want, don't eat if you don't," he thought. "I, Xie Zhen, am not as merciful as the Empress Dowager; I won't beg you to eat. I'd rather you starve to death." Xie Zhen reported Yang Ye's situation to Xiao Xuan, who then ordered him to continue sending him food, and if the food got cold, to be immediately replaced with hot food. This order infuriated Xie Zhen even more. "Even the soldiers of my Great Liao have never been treated this well!" he thought.

No matter how much he objected, the food still had to be delivered. Watching the constant stream of food being brought in and out throughout the day, Xie Zhen's eyes blazed with fury. In the evening, Xiu Ge, accompanied by Long Xu, unexpectedly appeared at the place where Yang Ye was being held.

"Yelü Xiezhen pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"General Xie Zhen, get up quickly," Long Xu said. Watching Xie Zhen stand up from the ground, Long Xu slowly walked into the small hut where Yang Ye was being held.

Fearing for his safety, Hugh and Xie Zhen quickly followed closely, guarding him from the left and right.

An elderly man with a white beard sat cross-legged on the floor inside the house, his eyes closed in meditation. Untouched food lay before him. Looking at him, Longxu asked softly, "Are you Yang Ye?"

Suddenly, Yang Ye heard a childish voice and quickly opened his eyes to see a handsome young man with rosy lips and white teeth standing before him. He carefully examined the young man, and the young man was also examining him. After a moment of silence, Yang Ye nodded and asked, "You must be the emperor of Liao?"

Longxu nodded, and then saw Yang Ye close his eyes again.

"May I ask you, how did your child come to know my mother? Why is my mother so heartbroken? I saw the three characters 'Liu Yanyu' on my mother's belt. Over the years, no matter how dirty that belt got, my mother never allowed anyone to touch it. Is that Liu Yanyu the same Liu Yanyu who died as General Yang Yanyu?"

Yang Ye opened his eyes again, looked at Long Xu and smiled slightly. Then he nodded.

"I accidentally killed General Yang. I thought he was going to harm my mother. I didn't know he was shielding her from a stray arrow aimed at her. My mother is very angry and hasn't spoken to me for two days," Longxu said dejectedly, then sat down on the ground. This terrified Xie Zhen, who was standing nearby. Seeing the young boy sitting down so boldly, completely disregarding the fact that he was facing a general from an enemy country, Xie Zhen broke out in a cold sweat.

Yang Ye frowned, then smiled faintly and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Longxu looked at Yang Ye, shook his head and then nodded, and said in a low voice, "I'm afraid you'll scold me."

"Haha." Yang Ye laughed loudly and said, "On the battlefield, life and death are determined by fate. Since I, Yang Ye, dared to send my child to the battlefield, why would I blame others for his death? If you really want to blame someone, then blame him. Blame him for not being born into my Yang family and for not having a father like me."

Upon hearing this, Longxu was immediately displeased. Looking at Yang Ye, he said, "How could you say that? My father and Lord Han would never speak to me like that, and my mother would certainly never." He then looked away, staring at the ground before him. Longxu said softly, "Could you tell me how my mother met General Yanyu? When General Yanyu died, I heard him tell my mother that she should tell others his story, just as she told him about Zhao Kuangyin, so that others would know that Liu Yanyu existed in this world. He also said that after surrendering to the Song, you were never happy because you were surrendered generals, and no one trusted you. The Song emperor only sent you to guard the border because he knew you were familiar with the Liao. General Yanyu also said that he hoped the two countries would never go to war again, so that he and my mother could become good friends."

The room was quiet. Yang Ye closed his eyes again, his hands clenching his fists, making a cracking sound.

Seeing him close his eyes, Longxu sighed and was about to get up and leave when he heard Yang Ye say, "When we met your mother, this general beside you was also there. That was the first time we met." Seeing that he was finally willing to tell him about the past, a smile finally appeared on Longxu's melancholy face.

"Yu Yue?" Longxu grabbed Xiu Ge's hand and said, "It must be Yu Yue!"

Seeing his beaming smile and the excited gleam in his eyes, Hugh nodded slightly to him.

The room was quiet, save for Yang Ye's soft voice recounting the past. "Back then, when our Han people were attacked by the Song Dynasty, we went to the Liao Dynasty to request reinforcements. I, along with Yan Yu, went to meet the Liao reinforcements who had already arrived in our Han territory. That day, a group of Liao soldiers stormed into the general's quarters, saying that a new cook named Xiao Xuan'er had killed Han people and even wounded his own men. We were all furious. The Liao commander, in a fit of rage, expelled Xiao Xuan'er from the Liao camp. After she left, the truth came to light: those Liao soldiers had gone out to forage without permission, killing not only a father and son but also a woman, causing the family of three to..." They died tragically, along with an unborn child. Xiao Xuan'er couldn't bear it, so she burned the wicked soldiers who had committed the crime. Enraged, we left the Liao camp. Before returning to Jinyang, we wanted to bury the unfortunate family. When we found their home, we saw the girl named Xiao Xuan'er. She was digging a pit with a hoe, intending to bury the family. Seeing her kind heart and knowing she was going to Jinyang, we buried the family and then traveled together. On the way, I asked her what she was going to Jinyang for. She said she was going to find a great hero and needed to reach Jinyang first.

A great hero? Longxu's heart stirred upon hearing this. The Xiao Xuan'er that Yang Ye mentioned must be his mother, but who is this great hero? Is it his father?

Upon hearing this, both Xiu Ge and Xie Zhen were shocked. Xiu Ge thought to himself: So she really did go looking for him back then, the hero in her heart, Zhao Kuangyin. Xie Zhen didn't know any of this; he was just curious about who the Empress Dowager's hero was.

Yang Ye sighed softly and continued, "We camped out at night. Originally, Xiao Xuan'er and Yan Yu didn't get along, but they were both young and attracted by the hero she talked about. So, while we were resting, they chatted and told each other the story of that hero. Yan Yu was very happy with the story of escorting Jingniang a thousand miles. In his excitement, Yan Yu practiced his spear under the moon. Later, at Xiao Xuan'er's request, he wrote his name on her belt as a talisman and gave it to her. When we arrived in Jinyang, the Song army had already retreated, and she was about to leave. So Yan Yu saw her off out of the city. At that time, we only knew that she was going to the Song Kingdom. As for other things, she kept it a secret, and we had no way of knowing."

Months later, Jinyang was besieged again. The Song Emperor personally led his army, completely surrounding the city. Under these circumstances, Xiao Xuan'er appeared alone outside the walls of Jinyang. We were utterly baffled as to how she had come to this besieged city. At that time, she was already a noble consort of the Liao Dynasty. We approached her and learned that the hero she was seeking was none other than Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty. It was because they were old acquaintances that Zhao Kuangyin, besieging the city, allowed her to enter Jinyang. She intended to enter Jinyang to lead our entire family away from danger, but we were generals and soldiers, all prepared to die if the city fell. We were unwilling to leave. If it weren't for her noble status, we would have killed her long ago to appease the army and the people.

In desperation, she devised a plan. She took Yan Yu and the Liao envoy Han Zhi out of the city to return to the Song camp, intending to storm it. Upon arriving at the Song camp, with the Song emperor's trust, they took him hostage, giving Yan Yu the opportunity to send word and request reinforcements. After that, we never had the chance to meet again. Yan Yu deeply missed his sworn friend, but strict family rules prevented him from leaving without permission; he could only inquire about her through passing envoys.

As Yang Ye finished speaking, Longxu, though only vaguely understanding the general idea, still grasped the gist of it. However, being young and with Yang Ye's less-than-vivid explanation, he didn't quite understand some of the details. He casually asked, "Sending Jingniang a thousand miles? What's that?" Xiuge, standing beside him, whispered, "I've heard the Empress Dowager tell this story before. I'll tell you when I have time."

Upon hearing this, Longxu slowly nodded, then stood up and looked at Yang Ye, saying, "General Yang, I am truly sorry. This is my first time on the battlefield, and I was nervous. I, Yelü Longxu, am not afraid of death, but I have younger siblings at home who need my mother to live, which is why I mistakenly killed your son. I came here firstly to know the story of my mother and General Yang, and secondly to tell you that I am truly heartbroken."