Accord de Mu Yucheng

Chapitre 126

He curled his lip, "Judging from your confident tone, I thought it was 70-80% likely."

"Ridiculous! I'd use seven or eight tenths of that time to find you."

He casually extended his hand, saying, "Let's—have a pleasant working relationship."

On the sixth day of the seventh month, the Liao emperor, using a chronic illness as an excuse, left the palace to escape the summer heat at the Western Garden. Accompanying him was an obscure female relative, and immediately, rumors spread throughout the palace that the emperor had changed his ways and begun to favor women. Despite Lu Xiu's strong objections, I still followed Xiao Chang into the blood-soaked Liao imperial palace.

Two days later, under my coercion and enticement, Xiao Chang appointed me as a palace maid. I insisted on rising higher and higher in rank, eventually reaching the position of Empress, but I held back from saying it because of his first wife.

The first time Xiao Chang took me to meet the Empress Dowager of Liao, I realized that this woman was not simple. On the surface, she was gentle and kind, but after Xiao Chang left, she inexplicably punished me by making me kneel for two or three hours.

She was not a woman of the Xiao clan, but the Empress of the Yelü Dynasty. The current Empress Dowager and the late Emperor had died on the battlefield. While the Yelü royal family appeared to have withdrawn from politics, they had in reality supported a puppet regime ruled by the Xiao clan. The true power lay with this woman who lived on in hatred—the Empress Dowager of Liao.

Or rather, she had another name that had been forgotten in the Central Plains for a long time—Nalan Huan.

That woman who should have given birth to the successor of Nalan Manor, but instead suffered the loss of her child and went mad, actually became the Queen Mother of Liao after quietly leaving Huainan Prefecture. So... she should also be the master that Xiao Xuan mentioned?!

Suddenly, the image of the dilapidated Prince Qin's Mansion flashed before my eyes, along with my sister's ravings of madness! Those who commit evil will surely pay the price; this is a debt owed to the Rong family, and I must repay it! She truly is a woman consumed by hatred; she will not let the Rong family off the hook, nor will she let me go.

And so, everything gradually became clear!

Lu Li, is this the truth you've been trying so hard to hide? Do you really think she's my mother? So you indulge her on one hand, and protect me from being hurt by her on the other!

How could there be a mother in the world who would want her children to die?!

Chapter Twelve: Past Life and Desire for Power

"Third Prince, another piece of the jade screen in Qingfeng Pavilion has broken."

"Third Prince, the carved beast mask from Qingfeng Pavilion was just thrown out of the window."

"Third Prince, the Han Dynasty silk painting in Qingfeng Pavilion has been torn up."

"Third Prince, seven pieces of porcelain from the Central Plains have been broken, and eighteen pieces of jade from the Khoja Kingdom in the Western Regions have been thrown into Lake of Determination, and there are also..."

Xiao finally waved his hand, heartbroken, signaling that they should stop talking.

The moment he stepped into Yanxiang Courtyard, something rushed towards him and landed precisely at his feet. Xiao's heart ached—it was a gold-embroidered jade fan worth thirty thousand taels of silver! The person on the bed looked extremely pale, all traces of their usual gentleness gone. Xiao felt as if the sky had darkened the instant their eyes met.

"You—" The person leaning against the bed pressed one hand to his chest, already panting after uttering just one word, "You actually sent her to the palace!"

"It was your woman who wanted to go," Xiao pouted. "She's very smart, just too smart! That's why she always makes you work so hard!"

Lu Li closed his eyes tightly. "You shouldn't have involved a woman."

Xiao smiled. "What I want is very simple: I want to save my imperial brother. That woman might have the ability to save him."

Lu Li clenched his fist again. "I won't allow her to be in any danger. Didn't you make a pact when you saved me? I won't leave Liao until Liao is destroyed and our forces are wiped out. And you... can't involve anyone else."

"Why won't you believe her?" Xiao stood up with a smile. "I'm different. I believe her. From the first moment I saw her, I knew this person might change a lot."

"Our women are not your puppets."

"But isn't it precisely your woman who can stop that woman filled with hatred?"

"She always wanted to kill her."

"It's clearly the Rong family who should bear the land debt, so why is it being forced upon the Xiao family? This is unfair!" Xiao suddenly turned around, his words ringing out powerfully.

"So... I said from the beginning that I was willing to take the blame!" Lu Li looked up at the furious Xiao. "Why did you have to take such a risk to save me?! You could have just told Empress Dowager Liao about my Gou Cun; she would definitely have exchanged me for your brother's freedom."

"Are you really capable of bearing this?" Xiao slowly narrowed his eyes. "That woman's hatred is extraordinary..."

Lu Li did not respond. His thoughts returned to the old man in the Chaoyang Hall three years ago. Even in his old age, he had to kneel down and beg him to end all these grievances. He was too old to protect his children and had to watch helplessly as the debts he had incurred back then were now being borne by his children and grandchildren!

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After being forced to kneel for three or four hours by the Empress Dowager, I angrily searched every corner of the garden before finally finding Xiao Chang lounging in a beautifully designed pavilion, admiring the scenery.

"Xiao Chang, are you even a man? I'm your lady-in-waiting, and you didn't even come to save me!" I glanced at Xiao Chang, who was sitting to the side eating snacks, and couldn't help but complain.

“If I were to stop you, you probably wouldn’t even survive tonight,” Xiao Chang shook his head, responding to my anger with a perfectly reasonable statement.

I glared at him and took a pastry from his hand, but he slapped it away.

"They're even trying to steal my snacks!"

I glared at him fiercely; he was such a petty jerk! Just as I was about to launch into a lecture, Xiao Chang said sternly, "Stop joking around, this was a gift from the Empress Dowager..."

His normal behavior made me uncomfortable. I insisted on snatching the snack, held it to my nose and smelled it, then glanced at the palace servants who were "waiting" for Xiao Chang to finish his snack. Suddenly, I understood something.

Without a word, he slammed his hand on the table, stood up, pointed at Xiao Chang's nose, and started yelling, "You sissy! You even steal my snacks! You say we'll share the good times and the bad, but I've been eating meager meals with you every day, and now that we finally have some snacks, you're hiding them from me!" In his anger, he snatched the snacks from Xiao Chang's hand, threw them at his feet, and crushed them to pieces, continuing to berate him, "I told you to eat them! I told you to eat them..."

Not satisfied with just stepping on one, he picked up a plate and smashed it at Xiao Chang, yelling, "You heartless bastard, you weasel, you ungrateful wretch..."

Xiao Chang was also furious. He stood up, flicked his sleeve, and threw another plate aside. "You madwoman... I... have no appetite. You've ruined it all!"

Palace servants rushed over to break up the fight, kneeling down to clean up the mess on the ground.

Xiao Chang suddenly smiled at me, stood up, and pretended to leave angrily. I understood his signal and rushed after him, not wanting to let him get away with it. I only saw a figure suddenly appear in the entryway, and together with Xiao, we both stood there. For some reason, I suddenly felt a sense of stillness, and even the occasional breeze seemed cool. But it felt like it was only the beginning of summer.

"General Yelü," Xiao said with an uneasy smile.

The person in front of me didn't look at him, but stared straight at me with piercing eyes. The sword was already pressed against my chest faster than words could be spoken. "What a fearless woman!"

"What a coincidence," I said, glancing down at the gleaming blade and smiling as I greeted it.

A sinister glint flashed across his face, but it pierced my heart.

"I hate women who take my threats as a joke."

"I also hate men who scare me all the time!"

Sheathing his sword, Xiao Xuan brushed past my shoulder, his voice low, "The next time I see you, perhaps the Drinking Horse Blade won't be so easy to sheathe again."

I watched him walk further and further away with a smile, while Xiao Chang stepped forward with a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Do you really like making enemies?"

“He’s not an enemy,” I said, my smile fading. “He’s an old friend.”

Xiao Chang abruptly changed the subject, saying, "I heard there's another old friend who's temporarily staying here..."

"He's just quite ill."

"Why doesn't he just die?" I said irritably. "Being dead would really save us a lot of trouble."

"Who's easy to deal with?"

"Me!" I glared at him, annoyed. "They say a woman shouldn't marry the wrong man, and I'm the culprit!"

"Aren't you going to go see him?"

"First, I'm not a doctor; second, I'd drive him crazy; and third, I'm still angry with him."

“Every reason you give could kill someone,” Xiao said, nodding as he looked at me. His gaze drifted casually to the various scenic spots in the garden: quiet pavilions connected to ponds, emerald waters, and white jade steps, all blending together seamlessly. “Now I suddenly realize how wonderfully good-natured my wife is.”

Stop daydreaming about spring, it's almost summer!

"Summer's already here?!" Xiao Chang chuckled hoarsely. "Do you like summer?"

"I don't like it." I suddenly fell silent, and Xiao Chang stopped making a fuss too.

"I really like her; it was the first time I met her at this time of year."

I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the half-inch of sunlight that had entered. "Many years ago, I killed someone in the summer..."

I spent the night in a side hall, just steps from Xiao Chang's main hall. After a quick wash, I was already overcome with sleepiness and groggily made my way to the bed. I only felt someone fall onto my bed.

"Hey—" I nudged him, "Xiao Chang, go back to your own palace, I'm so sleepy, let me sleep for a while."

He reluctantly moved closer, saying, "Just make do with this. The main hall isn't as safe as this. Don't worry, I won't touch you."

"Are there demons or monsters in your bedchamber?"

"There's a cannibalistic demon," he mumbled incoherently.

I pouted, grabbed a pillow, and prepared to lie down beside him when someone outside the hall softly announced, "Your Majesty... the Empress Dowager said that you have been away from the palace for a long time and must miss Xiuwen, so she specially sent Xiuwen to serve you."

I nudged the person next to me, "Quick, go! A concubine is looking for you."

Xiao Chang looked miserable, clutching his pillow and saying, "They're eating people! They're eating people—"

I stood up angrily, walked out of the hall, flung open the door, and glared at the person who had been shouting and whispering for so long. I immediately shouted, "Who are you? Can't a person get any sleep?!"

A small, frail figure stood outside the door, her expression in the shadows almost tearful. I quickly rubbed my eyes and looked at the delicate-looking person in front of me: "Are you a man or a woman?"

"I...I am the Emperor's favorite minister..." He lowered his eyes, his answer lacking confidence.

I held back my laughter. So he was a male concubine. Xiao Chang finally walked over, looking exhausted. He leaned against the door and sighed, "Xiuwen, tell Mother... I don't need him anymore..."

Nonsense! You think you can just dismiss Xiuwen like that? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to openly challenge the Empress Dowager?!

Before Xiao Chang could finish speaking, I had already pulled Xiuwen into the inner hall, pressed him down by the table, and looked him over with a smile. "Not bad, not bad at all." Then I pointed at him and asked Xiao Chang, "How do you usually have him serve you?"

Before Xiao Chang could speak, Xiu Wen blushed with embarrassment and frantically searched for his toes in the darkness.

Xiao Chang, his face dark, pulled me away abruptly. "Say less. Do you really think I... am gay?"

"I don't discriminate against you," I said with a smile, my face serious, my eyes seeming to say, "It's not entirely your fault."

Xiao Chang glared at me fiercely, then glanced at Xiuwen, "Just stay here as usual. Tell Mother about it for me tomorrow."

After saying that, he grabbed my hand and strode back.

"Where are you going—" I asked hurriedly.

"sleep!"

"But--"

"What's wrong with you now?!" Xiao Chang turned around, looking at me with a stern face, his forehead covered in black lines.

I pointed to Xiao Xiuwen behind me, "I want to sleep with him. It must be so comfortable to have his soft, delicate body as a pillow."

Xiao Chang's face darkened further, and his shiny forehead was completely hidden.

"He's thin; it hurts to sleep with him."

I gave him a look that said, "You slept on my pillow?"

Xiao Chang snorted and continued pulling me along, "At worst, I'll lend you my arm to rest your head on, but—" He suddenly stopped.

"What? You want to charge me?" I looked at him disdainfully. "I'm being lenient by not charging you!"

"You are not allowed to complain to her in the future."

Suddenly given the chance to mock him, she laughed freely: "You're really useless. Look at me, all open and honest. Aren't you afraid you'll tell Lu Li?"

"Him?" Xiao Chang shook his head and smiled. "He should be used to your ways by now. The rumors about the Han Chinese empress are spreading all over the world."