Impératrice douairière Xiaoxuan

Chapitre 114

She lay in bed for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out. She had no choice but to get up. She was starving and thought that maybe she could come up with a clue after eating breakfast.

When she got to the kitchen, she grabbed some pastries to fill her stomach. She couldn't recall any clues, but then she remembered that she had promised Zhao Yu the day before to buy her some new gadgets. So she asked the cook for directions to the bustling and lively parts of Zhongjing, and then leisurely went out to the street.

Because of the Empress Dowager's passing, the Liao Kingdom was in mourning, and shops hung white banners to express their grief, with many closing down. Mo Yan looked at the white banners fluttering in the sunlight all over the street and felt uncomfortable all over. She forced herself to walk to the vicinity of Zhu Xia Gate and went into the first shop that was still open. Before going in, she didn't even see the shop's name, let alone what it sold.

Upon entering, she realized it was a silk shop, with a dazzling array of brocades and satins in various colors, quite beautiful indeed. However, when she inquired about the prices, she found they were much more expensive than in the Central Plains. Mo Yan clicked her tongue repeatedly, exclaiming, "With satin this expensive, who would be willing to buy it?"

The shopkeeper wasn't annoyed and smiled, "Sir, are you from the Central Plains? Is this your first time visiting Zhongjing?"

Mo Yan nodded.

"That's understandable. Cloth is naturally much cheaper in the Central Plains, but if you transport it to Zhongjing and buy it for the same price, then I might as well not do business. To be honest, my shop is already the cheapest on this street. If you don't believe me, you can walk the whole street and I guarantee you'll have to come back."

“This material…” Mo Yan casually flipped through the pieces, then suddenly remembered the strip of cloth wrapped around the arrow yesterday, and quickly changed her mind, “This material is not bad either, but I prefer jade-colored carved patterns, do you have any here?”

“Jade-colored carving,” the shop owner pondered for a moment, “this jade color is not easy to dye. Only Tianqingfang and Xuexiufang in Jiangnan can do it, but unfortunately my shop does not have the goods from these two shops.”

"Does anyone else have that?"

The shop owner was rather reluctant to hand over his business, and advised, "Actually, we have many excellent items in our shop. Miss, you might as well take your time to browse."

It seemed the shop owner wouldn't budge unless she bought a few feet of fabric. Rather than searching shop by shop, she figured she might as well buy some and make a garment. So she asked with a smile, "I want to make a garment for my older brother. He doesn't like to show off. What kind of fabric do you think would be good?"

The shop owner busied himself finding several pieces of fabric suitable for men's clothing for her to choose from. Mo Yan looked at them from left to right, picked out a sky-blue one, and then gestured for a long time... "Young lady has a good eye. This fabric was just brought in last month. The color is perfect and elegant. It should be very suitable for your older brother." Seeing that she was still hesitating, the shop owner smiled and advised her from the side.

“My older brother looks good in anything,” Mo Yan corrected him.

The shop owner nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right..."

"I'll take this fabric."

Imagining Zhan Zhao wearing it, Mo Yan was delighted. She asked the shopkeeper to wrap the cloth up, but hesitated when she took out her money. She then asked with a smile, "Do you know which shop sells the jade-colored carved one?"

“I know, I know. The proprietress of that embroidery shop at the end of the street is from your Central Plains. She often buys materials from Tianqingxue Embroidery Workshop. If you only want jade-colored carved patterns, I'm afraid you can only find them in her embroidery shop in the entire capital.” The shop owner smiled and naturally extended his hand.

Mo Yan readily placed the silver in his hand and asked in surprise, "So the owner of the embroidery shop is from the Central Plains? It must be really not easy for a woman to travel so far to do business."

"Indeed," the shop owner said, putting the silver into the cash box and listening to the clinking sound with satisfaction. He kept saying, "I don't think her business is doing very well. Why bother coming here and struggling to stay afloat?"

"Business is bad?"

"Alas, young lady, don't think we can't tolerate her. It's not easy for her as a woman. It's just that she's really not good at business. The shop is deserted all year round and she doesn't earn much money."

Mo Yan nodded as if she was listening but couldn't understand it at all: why would a woman come to the Liao Kingdom to open an embroidery shop if she could make money but couldn't?

After taking the cloth and thanking the shop owner, Mo Yan headed towards the embroidery shop at the end of the street, only to find it closed when she arrived. She stood in front of the shop for a long time before turning back to Datong Inn.

Chapter Forty-Seven

At this moment, all sorts of burial items had been moved into the mausoleum at the foot of Qingyun Mountain. They were sending Empress Xiao's coffin into the mausoleum, and people stood in front of the mausoleum, their cries of sorrow rising everywhere.

Amidst the crowd, Zhao Yu, her face streaked with tears, was a pitiful sight, drawing the attention of many Liao people. Remarkably, the dignified manners she had cultivated as a princess since childhood were now evident; her weeping was graceful and charming, truly beautiful. Some of the younger Liao men stared at her intently, completely forgetting where they were; among them was Xiao Guanyin's brother, Xiao Xin.

"elder brother!"

Seeing her brother's outburst, Xiao Guanyin was annoyed and secretly pinched him. Once he came to his senses, she asked softly, "Is that southern barbarian really that handsome?"

Xiao Xin replied in a low voice, "I have seen many women from the Song Kingdom, but this princess is indeed a princess. Even when she cries, she is different from others. She is truly a rare beauty." Although he was Xiao Guanyin's brother, he was only around twenty years old. However, he was very straightforward and impulsive. He didn't care whether his sister felt comfortable or not when he spoke, and he just told the truth.

Unhappy with what she heard, Xiao Guanyin was about to speak when she saw that the people who had helped carry the coffin into the mausoleum had already retreated, and she immediately looked over with concern...

Yelü Hongji, dressed in white robes and boots, walked at the rear, his steps heavy and slow. The mausoleum was dimly lit, but the sunlight outside was blinding. He instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw Zhao Yu's delicate, tearful face. A thought stirred within him, and he couldn't help but walk to her side, softly saying, "If my grandmother were to see you, she would surely adore you. What a pity..."

As he spoke, Zhao Yu lowered his head and nodded slightly, but inwardly he sneered, "Your grandmother is Empress Dowager Xiao. If she liked me, she probably wouldn't have become Empress Dowager."

Unable to see her expression and completely unaware of Zhao Yu's thoughts, Yelü Hongji sighed deeply. Glancing at Xiao Guanyin out of the corner of his eye, he stopped talking and instead said, "We still need to 'cook' after noon. The princess is delicate, so she should rest then."

"I'm fine," Zhao Yu said softly and gently.

Yelü Hongji, however, did not allow her to refuse: "I will send guards to escort the princess to her resting tent later." With that, he strode away before Zhao Yu could even look up. Zhao Yu frowned, muttered a soft snort, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and glanced at Zhan Zhao, gesturing for him to come closer.

Zhan Zhao had been quietly waiting at a distance of about ten feet from Zhao Yu. He had excellent hearing, so Yelü Hongji could hear everything the princess said clearly. When Zhao Yu gestured for him, he stepped forward and lowered his head to await orders.

"Guard Zhan, what does 'cooking' mean?"

Zhao Yu asked quietly. When she came, she had only learned some of the customs of the Liao Kingdom, and she had carefully studied the marriage customs. She never expected that after arriving in the Liao Kingdom, the first thing she would need to do was to observe the funeral customs.

"Burning rice" means burning the Empress Dowager's favorite servants and horses as sacrifices, as well as the sacrificial food and drink. Before coming to Liao, Zhan Zhao had spent a lot of time carefully reading books related to Liao. These books were specially selected for him by Gongsun Ce and were very detailed, so they were not difficult for him.

"Burn alive!"

Upon hearing these two words, Zhao Yu couldn't help but gasp. This was indeed a barbarian land; they even practiced burning people alive. If he witnessed such a scene, he would probably faint.

"Princess, you may do as Your Highness suggests and rest in the tent," Zhan Zhao said.

Zhao Yu nodded: "That's the only way." It wasn't that she didn't want such a tragic scene, but that she simply couldn't handle it. If the Xiao family wanted to use this to cause her trouble, she would have no choice but to accept it.

After a while, as expected, Yelü Hongji's guards came to escort Zhao Yu to the main tent.

To avoid being impolite, in front of others, Zhao Yu said to Zhan Zhao, "Guard Zhan, I am too weak to see blood, so you should go in my place."

"Zhan Zhao obeys," Zhan Zhao said respectfully.

After arranging for several other guards to attend to Zhao Yu, Zhan Zhao bid farewell to Zhao Yu, straightened his robes, and headed towards the altar.

Zhao Yu followed the guards toward the southern tent, but halfway there she encountered Xiao Guanyin, who was coming from another direction, along with her brother Xiao Xin. Accompanying them was Yelü Pusa Nu, whom she would frown upon at the mere sight of him.

Xiao Xin was clearly delighted to run into Zhao Yu. Ignoring his sister's attempts to pull him along, he stepped forward and said in a carefree manner, "Is the princess heading to His Highness's tent? Come with me. I am Xiao Xin."