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Глава 17

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has sent someone to deliver the betrothal gifts." The servant, frightened by Xiao Yan's outburst, quickly calmed himself down and explained the situation.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Siwen and Xiao Yangan exchanged a glance and hurriedly ran towards the door.

Leaving aside the Xiao family mansion, which was currently in a state of chaos, Xiao Xuan and Xiao Hu Nian were riding horses outside the capital. Looking at the vast land around them, which was gradually turning green, Xiao Xuan felt refreshed and looked at Xiao Hu Nian beside her. She was raising her bow and shooting at the wild geese in the sky.

Wow! This woman is amazing! She's been running all this way, shooting rabbits and geese without missing a single one. Amazing! Now I finally know what female generals in ancient times were like! I love her so much; I'm saying I have to get her autograph when we get back. *Whoosh!* An arrow shot out, and a goose fell from the sky. Xiao Xuan shouted excitedly, "Yay! Another hit!" The two ran towards where the goose had landed, where a group of people were already gathered, picking up the geese.

"Hey, leave the wild geese behind!" Xiao Hulian shouted.

Xiao Xuan and Xiao Hu Nian rode over and saw that the group of people were none other than Liao King Yelü Xian and a group of ministers.

Xiao Xuan glanced at the man in the ornate velvet hat; it was the same man who had hunted with Yelü Jing last time. She recognized almost everyone with him: Yelü Xianshi, Yelü Talie, and even Yelü Xiuge! Xiao Xuan spurred her horse towards Xiuge, who was already mounted, holding a goose. She was unaware that Yelü Xianshi had already declared himself emperor. Because she didn't see the Yelü Jing she despised among the people here, she was so bold and presumptuous. Xiao Hulian, who had initially shouted for them to leave the goose behind, panicked and embarrassed upon recognizing the people.

What made her panicked was that she had unexpectedly encountered the King here. What made her embarrassed was that her father had already betrothed her to Yelü Xian, her fiancé, and this unexpected meeting filled her with a mixture of sweetness and nervousness. Hu Nian glanced up at Yelü Xian, noticing his handsome and elegant features, and couldn't help but feel a secret fondness for him. Then she saw him staring intently at her younger sister, Xiao Yanyan, and inwardly cursed: "Yanyan, you brainless fool! The King is here, and you're being so reckless. I hope he won't blame us for being unruly."

Xiao Xuan walked up to Xiu Ge, glared at him, and said through gritted teeth, "Give it to me!"

Seeing that she had changed into new clothes and dressed up, she looked less dusty from the journey and more charming like a young woman. Little did I know that when we met again after accompanying her all the way back to the capital, the first thing she would say to me would be this.

No way! I won't give it to you no matter what!

Xiu Ge finally let out a long-suppressed rage. Exhausted and haggard, he returned to the capital only to learn that Prince Yelü Jing of Liao had been assassinated, and Yelü Xian had ascended the throne. Since Yelü Xian had always been kind to him, Xiu Ge felt no resentment towards his ascension. However, this morning, after informing Yelü Xian that he had found Xiao Chuo and sent her back to the Xiao residence, he realized that the person he had sent back was the woman Yelü Xian was to marry.

Looking at the still unruly girl in front of him, Hugh suddenly roared, "I'm not giving it to you!"

Wow! This kid's pretty cocky!

Xiao Xuan turned her head and shouted at Xiao Hu Nian, "Big sister, this kid stole our wild goose, beat him up!"

Xiao Hulian smiled, her eyes crinkling like willow leaves in March, her gaze tender and affectionate, as clear as a mountain spring. To demonstrate her skill and magnanimity to Yelü Xian, she pretended to be a lady and rode her horse to Xiuge, saying, "General, this wild goose was shot down by me. If you like it, you may take it."

She meant well by doing him a favor and showing off her magnanimity, but she didn't expect that Hugh wouldn't fall for it at all.

"Of course I'm taking this goose back. I shot it down myself, how did it become yours?"

Seeing that the man in front of her didn't give her any face at all, Xiao Hulian's face turned red and white in turns. She said coldly, "I just shot down this wild goose."

Yelü Xiuge smiled lazily, picked up the goose in his hand, looked at Xiao Hunian and said, "The goose you shot down actually has my arrow stuck in it, how strange!"

Xiao Xuan and Xiao Hu Nian looked at the wild goose upon hearing this, and sure enough, there was only one arrow in its body. That arrow wasn't the one Xiao Hu Nian had just shot. Xiao Xuan rode her horse to where Xiu Ge had picked up the goose, and sure enough, there was another arrow on the ground. It seemed there was only one answer: Xiu Ge had shot the goose. But she still felt a little resentful. Xiao Xuan returned to Xiu Ge's side, looking at him and saying, "You pulled my eldest sister's arrow out and then stuck yours in, didn't you?"

Hearing her say that, Hugh's face turned ashen with anger, and he roared, "I, Hugh, am not that kind of shameless person!"

"Yay!" Xiao Xuan made a face at Xiu Ge. Her mischievous appearance made Yelü Xian, who was secretly watching from the side, feel his heart race and his soul tremble.

"What a fine horse! What a fine horse!" A man standing beside Yelü Xian exclaimed excitedly as he looked at Xiao Xuan's little red horse.

Xiao Xuan looked at his greedy eyes and her face showed displeasure.

The man had never seen Xiao Xuan before and did not know that she was Xiao Chuo, who would soon become the Queen Consort of the Liao Dynasty. Unable to resist the temptation of the little red horse, he set his sights on Xiao Xuan's mount.

Empress of Khitan - Chapter Thirty-Two: Greed

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:54:04 Word Count: 3629

"Young lady, I'd like to exchange your horse for this one. What do you say?" the man said.

Xiao Xuan glanced at the man, unwilling to pay him any attention, and was about to leave when the man, seeing that Xiao Xuan was about to leave, spurred his horse forward and blocked her way.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?" Xiaoxuan asked unhappily.

The man sneered and said, "I am a woman. Your horse is quite nice, young lady. I would like to exchange horses with you."

"No trade!"

After speaking, Xiao Xuan tried to leave, but the woman blocked her way again. It seemed she wouldn't leave without the horse.

Xiao Xuan glared coldly at Nu Li, and seeing the contempt in Nu Li's eyes, she couldn't help but sneer and said, "A Chi, someone wants to trade you. I'll see what they have to offer in return!"

Upon hearing this, the woman assumed that Xiao Xuan intended to exchange horses, and her expression immediately changed. She said, "I'll trade you two tiger skins."

"When I was in Nanjing, there was a tiger skin on the bed and another on the floor in my room. Do you think I don't look good in those two tiger skins?" Xiaoxuan sneered.

Yelü Xianshi, who had initially shown little interest in accompanying Yelü Xian, had only done so out of politeness, accompanying the Liao king on his stroll outside the city. He particularly disliked Yelü Xian's confidantes, Nüli and Gao Xun. Both were petty and despicable, and not only did he find them repulsive, but many court officials also harbored resentment towards them. Previously, Xianshi had maintained a relatively good relationship with Yelü Xian privately, and before Yelü Xian ascended the throne, he had advised him to distance himself from the two. However, because they were Yelü Xian's childhood friends and confidants, they were promoted rather than demoted after his ascension, further indulging their bad habits and actions. This only fueled Yelü Xianshi's already dislike for them. Now, seeing Xiao Siwen's daughter humiliate Nüli, Yelü Xianshi felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

The woman's face turned pale and then red, but he forced himself to say, "Ten tiger skins."

Upon hearing this, the accompanying group raised their eyebrows slightly. This woman was usually extremely greedy; asking her to hand over ten tiger skins was practically tearing his flesh out. As everyone was pondering what Xiao Xuan would say to the woman this time, they saw Xiao Xuan reach into her bosom and rummage around for a moment.

Xiao Xuan reached into her bosom for the pearl that the man had given her in the Song Dynasty nunnery. She held it up to everyone and said, "How about this pearl? Do you think someone like me, with something like this, would care about your mere tiger skin?"

The woman did not know who Xiao Xuan was, but seeing that the pearl was dazzling, round and full, she knew it must be priceless. Suddenly, greed arose in her heart, and she reached out to snatch the pearl from Xiao Xuan's hand.

Xiao Xuan hadn't intended to show off the pearl; she just wanted to mock the person. So, as soon as she flashed the pearl, she tried to put it in her bosom. When she pulled her hand out of her bosom, the woman's outstretched hand missed its target. The woman, embarrassed, couldn't help but shout, "You thieving girl, where did you steal all these things from? Now that we've caught you, you won't leave until you explain yourself!"

"You're talking nonsense! I don't need to steal this! My friend gave it to me," Xiaoxuan said.

"Still trying to deny it! Such a large pearl could only be fake, but if it's real, let's see what you have to say! Our Great Liao doesn't even have a pearl that big. Where did you get it? Tell us the truth!" the woman shouted. Although he was greedy, what he said was true. He had searched the entire Liao territory, even the imperial palace, and couldn't find a pearl as big and of such good quality as the one Xiao Xuan had just held.

"Where I came from is none of your business," Xiaoxuan said angrily. This woman, what was her name, was unreasonable and simply outrageous.

"Nüli, step back." Just as Nüli was about to attack Xiaoxuan, she heard a sharp shout from behind and hurriedly spurred her horse to retreat.

Yelü Xian rode forward, looked at Xiao Xuan with a gentle smile, and said, "I heard you've returned. How have you been these days? May I take a look at that bead?" Yelü Xian liked Xiao Xuan, but he was surprised to see her take out such a large and rare object. That's why he asked her to take a closer look at the bead and ask about its origin. It was just a momentary curiosity, but he didn't expect that Xiao Xuan didn't think that way at all.

Another one who covets my precious pearl! You're dreaming! Humph, I won't give it to you.

In Xiaoxuan's heart, those two strangers in the nunnery that night evoked countless memories. The man loved the woman, but the woman had another lover in her heart, and she refused to accept the man's love. Even knowing she didn't love him, the man silently endured and gave. Although she couldn't discern who was right and who was wrong, she knew that the man who gave her the pearl that night had risked his life, climbing the mountainside to pick flowers for a woman. How romantic! What they left me, why should I give to you? I will never give it to you!

"You want my pearl! Humph! Dream on, I'd rather die than give it to you, you wicked people!" Xiao Xuan shouted angrily, then yelled, "Achi, go!" Ignoring the people around her, she rode off alone.

“Your Majesty, how dare this girl speak to you like that? It’s too presumptuous!” Gao Xun said.

"Your Majesty, we must find out whose daughter she is, and more importantly, we must find out the origin of that bead, so that we can deal with her as well," Nüli added fuel to the fire from the side.

"Your Majesty, my younger sister is young and ignorant. Please forgive her." Xiao Hulian was shocked to see his sister speak to the emperor like that and hurriedly pleaded with Yelü Xian.

Yelü Xian frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Brother Xiu, where did you say you met her?"

Xiu Ge pondered for a moment, but did not answer. He rode his horse to the side, away from the crowd. Yelü Xian understood and said, "You all wait here." After saying that, he rode his horse toward Xiu Ge.

Seeing Yelü Xian approach, Xiuge lowered his head slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, it was in Han territory. At the time, a dark-skinned, fat man was chasing her."

"What?" Yelü Xian frowned, seemingly in disbelief.

"When Hugh saw her, she had already been shot twice," Hugh whispered.

Yelü Xian's face was cold as he stared into the distance. After a long while, he asked, "Do you know who that person is?"

“He was wearing Hanfu, and I heard Xiao Chuo call him Zhao Guangyi.”

"Brother Xiu, go and secretly investigate for me who this Zhao Guangyi is, and also find out why he is hunting her down."

"Yes, sir! Brother Hugh obeys."

Yelü Xian and Xiu Ge returned to the group and said, "Let's go with me to the Xiao residence."

Yelü Xian, accompanied by his ministers and generals and Xiao Hu Nian, slowly made his way to the Xiao residence. Meanwhile, Xiao Xuan, riding her little red horse, had already ridden back to the capital. Led by the experienced A Chi, Xiao Xuan returned to the Xiao residence in the upper capital.

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry! These bad guys are all after my pearl! Humph, if it weren't for the fact that I had to stay with Old Man Xiao to fulfill my filial duty, I would have gone back to the Song Dynasty long ago. This is really infuriating! They even tried to steal my little red horse!" Xiao Xuan grew angrier the more she thought about it. That Yelü Xiuge was a bad guy too. He just stood by and watched others steal my things without saying a word. I really misjudged you, Zhong Xuan! Xiao Xuan stormed back to her room, where she saw boxes upon boxes filled with dazzling jewels and jade artifacts.

Just as she was feeling surprised, the maids had already seen Xiao Xuan enter the room and couldn't help but shout happily, "Congratulations, Third Miss! Congratulations, Third Miss!"

This congratulatory remark immediately startled Xiaoxuan.

Not long after Xiao Xuan returned to the manor, Yelü Xian also led everyone to the Xiao manor.

Upon hearing that Xiao Xuan had returned to the manor, Xiao Siwen and Xiao Yangan planned to check the betrothal gifts before going to discuss the matter with her. However, before they could even finish organizing the gifts, Xiao Hu Nian rushed in, shouting, "Father! Father! His Majesty has arrived! He's waiting for you in the hall!"

Xiao Siwen hurriedly put down the betrothal gifts in her hands and ran quickly out of the room, heading straight for the hall. Xiao Hulian wanted to go with her father, but Xiao Yangan grabbed her arm. She said in a serious tone, "Stop running around. With that time, quickly help your little sister pack the betrothal gifts. In a few days, your little sister will be marrying His Majesty. How can you still have time to run around?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Nian trembled and glared coldly at Xiao Yangan, saying, "What did you say?"

Yan Gan looked at the Hu carriage and understood why she had asked that question. In this capital city, who didn't know about her marriage to Yelü Xian...

“Sister,” Yan Gan lowered her head, thinking about how to comfort Hu Nian, “Sister, Father said that His Majesty has chosen me, and His Majesty has already chosen a marriage for you, Prince Qi, Yansa Ge.”

"Is this true?" Hu Nian looked at Yan Gan in disbelief.

Yan Gan looked at Hu Nian. Although the two of them were like enemies, arguing and shouting whenever they met, they were still sisters after all. She nodded and said, "Sister, try to think positively. This is not Father's fault, and he can't make the decision either."

Xiao Hulian took a deep breath and said with a faint smile, "Well, is my little sister getting married soon? Then we need to help her pack her things quickly." She seemed to be talking to herself as she walked to the chests containing the betrothal gifts, reaching out her hand but not knowing what to do.

A pair of hands landed on her shoulders, and a soft voice came from behind her: "Sister, try to think more positively."

Xiao Hulian turned and leaned on Xiao Yangan's shoulder, tears streaming down her face. The two sisters embraced, understanding each other's thoughts without needing to speak.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter Thirty-Three: Breach of Contract

Updated: 2008-09-20 16:54:04 Word Count: 3408

Xiao Siwen walked quickly to the hall and greeted Yelü Xian.

"Lord Xiao," Yelü Xian smiled and said, "Have you received the betrothal gifts? Are you satisfied? Is there anything missing? If so, have someone tell me and I will send someone to make up for it."

"Your Majesty, there is no shortage," Xiao Siwen replied respectfully. Yelü Xian had treated him quite well. Although he wanted Zhuo'er, he hadn't neglected Nian'er, betrothing her to Prince Qi, Yansa Ge. This was entirely beneficial to the Xiao family; these three sons-in-law had significantly elevated their status in the Liao Dynasty. Agu, if you were still here, you would be very happy.

As everyone was chatting happily in the hall, a servant from the Xiao family rushed in, knelt down, and cried out, "Master, please come quickly! The Third Miss is pulling Xiao Ma and insisting on leaving the mansion. We can't stop her no matter what we do!"

"What!" Xiao Siwen was shocked. What was wrong with this child? They were already engaged and would be marrying in a few days. How could he run away like this? He quickly nodded to Yelü Xian and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will be right back."