La vie des gens de la campagne en ville sous la dynastie Song

Chapitre 31

Zhao Gou shook his head, looking worriedly in the direction where Yue Fei had disappeared, and instructed Liu Qi: "The rocket came from that direction, take some men and go check it out quickly."

Yelü Chun, equally concerned, examined Qin Zhen from head to toe, and said with a hint of reproach, "Running around everywhere in the middle of the night, what kind of behavior is this!"

Qin Zhen tried to keep her back to Zhao Yong and the other people who had seen her before. They only knew that she was the granddaughter of the King of Wei, and they hadn't looked closely in the dark, so they couldn't tell that it was Qin Zhen.

Seeing that Yue Fei hadn't returned after chasing after the thief for a long time, Qin Zhen said to Yelü Chun with some worry, "Father, why hasn't my brother returned from catching the thief yet? Please send someone to check on him!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, we've already sent people over!"

Sure enough, after waiting for a while, they saw Yue Fei and Liu Qi return with the rest of the soldiers. Yue Fei said regretfully, "We only saw their backs, we didn't capture them. They set the fire and ran away, not wanting to fight at all, which is very strange."

Yelü Chun apologized to Zhao Gou, saying, "I'm sorry to have frightened the young prince. It must have been some troublemakers. I never expected them to attack an innocent envoy. It is truly a misfortune for our country!"

Zhao Gou said it was alright, but exchanged a glance with Liu Qi, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

Qin Zhen also realized something strange. If they were rioters, why did they not loot grain or goods, but instead escape the pursuit of the regular soldiers in such a disciplined manner?

The fires in the camp had been extinguished by the soldiers. After taking stock of the property, it was found that the losses were not significant. The most thoroughly burned item was Zhao Gou's tent. Fortunately, he had gone out to play, otherwise his fate would have been uncertain.

After hearing the report on the losses, those in the know already knew who the murderer was.

Zhao Gou sneered and muttered to himself, "They still won't let me go even after I've arrived in Liao!"

Since that night raid, everyone has been on high alert. If they can enter a city at night, they will rest there, even if they are just traveling. If they cannot reach a city, they will travel through the night and set up camp during the day. This way, they can take advantage of the northern plains and guard against approaching people as early as possible.

Such cautious travel actually sped up the journey. On the day they finally arrived at the capital, Zhongjing Dadingfu, the eldest prince, Prince Jin Aoluwo, who was there to greet them, told them some bad news: Emperor Wanyan Aguda of Jin had personally led his troops on an expedition and had now reached the west bank of the Hun River, directly threatening Shangjing Huiningfu!

Upon hearing this news, Yelü Chun was greatly shocked and hurriedly asked, "Where is the Emperor now?"

Ao Luwo replied sorrowfully, "My father is currently in Shangjing. The ministers have repeatedly pleaded with him to withdraw to Zhongjing immediately, but to no avail!"

"Alas! Your Majesty is foolish. How could you take such a dangerous risk? Aguda is no ordinary man. You must persuade Your Majesty to return to Zhongjing immediately!"

Ao Luwo had never seen his father so resolute, giving him the feeling that he wanted to die. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "If only my second uncle were here..."

Prince Wei, Yelü Chun, felt a jolt in his heart. He pulled Ao Luwo aside and whispered, "Immediately send someone to inform the Emperor that General Chenglie's daughter is requesting an audience on behalf of her father!"

Ao Luwo could hardly believe his ears and looked at the King of Wei in astonishment: "Second Uncle's...daughter?"

"What are you waiting for? Go quickly! The situation on the battlefield is constantly changing. We must bring the Emperor back as soon as possible!"

Urged on by him, Ao Luwo hurriedly sent someone to the capital to deliver a letter, and then busied himself with entertaining the Song envoy.

==================================

I haven't been feeling well lately, so my typing speed has slowed down a bit. I apologize, but updates won't be less frequent.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 063 The Five-Colored Glass Spider

After Zhao Gou and the Song envoys settled in the post station, and Qin Zhen was taken back to the villa by Yelü Chun, the ministers of Liao frequently visited Zhao Gou and Yelü Chun, shuttling between the two residences.

Yelü Chun held a high position in the royal family and was highly respected. It was not inappropriate for ministers to visit him. However, with the court in turmoil and only the eldest prince left to handle state affairs, Yelü Chun's unauthorized interference in politics could easily cause a huge uproar. Therefore, he kept the gates of his separate residence tightly shut and refused to see anyone, only urging Prince Jin to bring the emperor back as soon as possible.

The primary objective of the Song envoy's mission was to seize the opportunity to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Although Ao Luwo had previously relayed Zhao Gou's ideas to the Liao Dynasty, the ministers had yet to reach a consensus. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were extremely important border regions, and moreover, over the past century, these sixteen prefectures had become an integral part of the Liao Dynasty. If they were to be completely returned, even Yelü Chun's Nanjing might not be able to be held.

At this time, Zhao Gou was resting comfortably at the post station, while the visiting Liao officials were received by the Song Dynasty civil officials who had accompanied him. The discussions naturally did not go smoothly, and some Liao people even claimed that the Song people were comparable to the Jin people, strongly opposing seeking help from the Song. Zhao Gou ignored all of this; he only waited for Yelü Yanxi to return to Zhongjing. Until he met the Liao emperor, their arguments were useless; why bother?

However, he was quite pleased that those idle civil officials were allowed to engage in idle chatter, and that they no longer focused their attention on Zhao Gou.

"Your Highness," Guard Zhao Yong entered Zhao Gou's room and hesitantly reported, "News has come from Bianjing that after searching for many days, there is still no news of Qin Zhen. His Majesty's intention is to stop searching and has sent another maid to serve Your Highness."

As Zhao Yong spoke, he kept an eye on Zhao Gou's expression. He was very worried that Zhao Gou would be heartbroken and suffer from grief after hearing the news, but... Zhao Gou only frowned slightly when he heard the last sentence.

"I don't need any maids. Send them back."

“But the people who are coming are already on their way, and the maid was personally selected by the Crown Prince.”

Zhao Gou looked up in surprise and asked, "Brother, why would he go to all this trouble?"

"Ever since the Crown Prince learned that Your Highness had encountered numerous dangers on your journey, he has been extremely worried. I heard that the maids chosen this time were specially selected from military families and are highly skilled in martial arts. I suppose the Crown Prince hopes that they can protect Your Highness closely."

This was Zhao Huan's kind intention, and Zhao Gou could not refuse any longer. He simply instructed Zhao Yong to bring the maids to see him after they arrived.

After many days of waiting, Yelü Yanxi finally returned to Zhongjing, but he returned with a deadly poison!

Upon learning the news, Yelü Chun rushed to the palace, and Qin Zhen was also taken there.

In the grand, deep room of the palace, a dragon bed stood in the center, and on the enormous bed lay the Liao Emperor Yelü Yanxi, barely alive. His concubines and princes surrounded him, their anxieties palpable, and weeping filled the air.

Upon seeing the unconscious emperor, Yelü Chun, filled with grief and anxiety, demanded of the palace servants, "How could the emperor have become like this? Don't you unfilial servants want your heads?!"

"Your Highness, spare us!" The group knelt down and begged for mercy. The chief eunuch hurriedly reported, "On His Majesty's return journey, he stayed in a large tent in the wilderness, but was bitten by a poisonous creature. The accompanying imperial physicians were unable to find an antidote. This servant failed to serve him properly and deserves to die!"

Yelü Chun had no intention of punishing these lackeys, and instead pressed them for details: "What kind of poison is it, and how could it be so toxic?"

The chief eunuch replied with a trembling heart, "It's...it's a spider...but we servants don't recognize what kind of spider it is; it looks so strange!"

As he spoke, he had two soldiers carry up a wooden box.

Qin Zhen watched in horror. My God, could such a huge wooden box contain spiders? How big must it be!

"Your Highness, Princess, please step back a little."

Yelü Chun pulled Qin Zhen back a bit, carefully shielding her behind him. The concubines and princes in the room also gradually gathered around, eager to see what the culprit looked like!

The soldier opened the wooden crate, and Qin Zhen cautiously peeked out. He saw that there were more crates inside the large wooden crate. After opening three layers, he finally saw a spider the size of a baby's fist locked in a wire cage!

Everyone gasped in astonishment, and Qin Zhen was equally surprised. While it was exaggerated to carry a spider in such a large wooden box, she had never seen a spider the size of a fist before; it was enormous for a spider!

Besides its size, what amazes people is the spider's color. Its long, slender legs are covered with hairs of different colors, and its round body is covered with rainbow-like stripes, making it look like a colorful ball.

"Could it be...could it be the Five-Colored Glazed Spider King?"

Qin Zhen's clear voice startled the astonished crowd. Yelü Chun asked in surprise, "Mingzhen knows this poisonous creature?"

"I...I'm not so sure. I've only heard people say that the Five-Colored Glazed Spider King is colorful and dazzling, with each leg being a different color, and the spider's size varies depending on its age. If we're just talking about appearance, I can be sure, but the Five-Colored Glazed Spider King only appears in hot and rainy jungles, so how could it appear in this frigid north?"

Her question made everyone's feelings even more complicated; this was probably no simple accident!

When Prince Ao Luwo of Jin saw that Qin Zhen recognized the spider, he quickly asked, "Does Sister Mingzhen know how to cure the poison?"

Everyone's hearts were gripped, and they all turned their gazes to Qin Zhen, only to be disappointed to see Qin Zhen shake his head.

"However... I know who can cure this poison!"

The desperate man quickly grasped at this hope and listened carefully as Qin Zhen continued, "It will take me at least six days to find someone. During this time, I need to stabilize the toxins in his body. I have a bottle of pills here. I will give the Emperor one pill every day. He should be able to hold on until I bring the person here."

The concubines and princes watching had different expressions. Qin Zhen glanced at them and sneered, "What? You doubt my intentions? If you don't want to use me, then forget it."

Qin Zhen was about to take the medicine bottle back when Ao Luwo grabbed it, saying, "If Father were sober, he would surely believe you!" With that, he took the medicine and walked into the room.

Ao Luwo's mother, Consort Wen, watched nervously as her son gave the medicine to Yelü Yanxi. Her heart trembled; if anything went wrong, it would be a crime of regicide!

====================================

I suddenly fell ill and had to cancel my appointment yesterday without asking for leave. I'm really sorry.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 64: If I Can See It, I Will Die Without Regret

Everyone saw Ao Luwo stuff a bright red pill into Yelü Yanxi's mouth and then pour water into it to make him swallow it.

A tense atmosphere filled the palace. If the Liao emperor were to suddenly die at this moment, it would not only be the war on the northern border that would sweep across the Liao Kingdom, but also a coup d'état in the heart of the palace!

After a moment, Yelü Yanxi's fingers twitched slightly, and then, miraculously, his eyes opened!

"Father!"

"emperor!"

Everyone rushed forward and surrounded the bed.

Yelü Yanxi looked around with difficulty before fixing his gaze on Yelü Chun's face.

"Fourth...Imperial Uncle..."

Upon hearing the emperor's call, Yelü Chun quickly approached: "Your Majesty, this old minister is here!"

Yelü Yanxi, barely able to speak, said with difficulty, "Where...where is my second brother's daughter...?"

He had indeed rushed back because of "Yelü Huan's daughter." Yelü Chun quickly pulled Qin Zhen, who was outside the crowd, to the bedside and said to Yelü Yanxi, "This is Huan'er's daughter."

Ao Luwo, who was nervously watching from the side, was surprised to find that his father was actually looking at him with loving eyes! He had never seen his father look at him or any of his younger siblings like that before. This look made him momentarily confused. Was this man really the cold-blooded father who loved killing?

Qin Zhen stood by the bed, looking at Yelü Yanxi expressionlessly. This man on the sickbed was also one of the culprits who had caused her sixth senior brother so much suffering for many years, and she couldn't bring herself to treat him kindly. However, she couldn't interfere in her sixth senior brother's grievances; she just needed to do what she had to do.

Yelü Yanxi looked at the pretty girl and smiled, saying, "...Indeed, she's different from everyone else...Good...good child..."

Seeing his discomfort, Qin Zhen advised, "Your Majesty, please don't speak now. Hold on for a few days, and I will send someone back to detoxify you."

After a cold laugh, Yelü Yanxi shook his head and said, "My second brother saved me before... and now his daughter... is also coming to save me... I should have died long ago... There's no need to think of any more ways... This life originally belonged to my second brother... It should be returned to him..."

Everyone was shocked, and Yelü Chun shouted, "Your Majesty, you mustn't take your own life! Huan'er's inner conflict has been resolved. You must wait for him to return!"

Upon hearing this, Yelü Yanxi perked up and asked urgently, "Really?"

Nodding, Yelü Chun took out the tiger-head military tally from his bosom and placed it in the emperor's hand, saying, "Huan'er had Mingzhen bring the military tally back. You see, he has really come to his senses."

A mist rose from Yelü Yanxi's eyes. He had never dared to hope that Yelü Huan could forgive him, but now he had handed back the power of life and death in his hands. Did he really forgive himself?

"If I could see my second brother one last time before I die... I would have no regrets even if I died..."