The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Yelü Longyun said, "Why don't I lead the troops there myself?"

Xiao Shengnan immediately waved her hand and said, "Uncle, you are joking. You are the pillar of our Great Liao Dynasty and must stay in the capital. How can you go to dangerous places in person?"

Yelü Longyun frowned and said, "As the supreme commander of the Liao army, how can I seek advantage and avoid harm?"

Xiao Shengnan said, "My uncle is stationed in the capital to coordinate the military deployment of the entire dynasty. What does this have to do with seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages? Who doesn't know that you are the number one warrior of our Great Liao?"

Yelü Longxu's expression softened slightly. "Then...who does the Emperor intend to send?"

Xiao Guanyin said, "I'll go!"

Yelü Shanbu, Yelü Xidi, Yelü Honggu, and other generals of the Yelü clan also volunteered to lead the troops, not wanting to be outdone.

"Your Majesty, I'll go!"

"Your Majesty, I'll go. I've been there twice before, I know it very well!"

"Your Majesty, my soldiers tend to cause trouble when they are idle. Why not send me instead? It would be a good opportunity to win back the morale of the troops!"

Xiao Shengnan said, "It is impossible for the soldiers of our Great Liao to be demoralized. You are simply obsessed with fighting! To love fighting and to dare to fight is what makes a true hero of our Great Liao!"

Xiao Chuo sat behind the desk, simply smiling and observing quietly.

She was very pleased; Shengnan hadn't disappointed her at all! Her every move was composed and experienced, handling everything with ease. There was practically no transition time; she immediately got into character!

It was faster and more effective than expected! Of course, this was due not only to Sheng Nan's own accumulated talent and outstanding abilities, but also to Yelü Longyun's leading support! If he hadn't taken the lead, these arrogant and fierce generals would probably have had to go through a lot of trouble to subdue them!
Yelü Honggu was a little embarrassed by Xiao Shengnan's praise!

He chuckled foolishly, "Princess Shengnan is still the best... Ah... His Majesty understands us best!" Xiao Shengnan already had a good reputation in the court, and her forthright personality made her even more popular with these military generals!
So a few days ago, a rumor circulated privately that Empress Xiao wanted to make Princess Shengnan the emperor. Although the news was quite shocking, almost no one voiced any objections in private. Everyone knew that this was just a mouthpiece erected by Empress Xiao, just like Yelü Longxu. It's just that Yelü Longxu was too young to hold the reins!
But Xiao Shengnan is different!
From a young age, she loved playing with weapons and practicing martial arts. She studied under the Imperial Preceptor Tuoba Xuan, and her martial arts skills were definitely among the top ten in the entire royal family! She was a person who dared to love and hate. Her fiancé, Yelü Ming, was merely rumored to be having an affair with a Goryeo woman named Park Min-hee, so she beat him into a cripple, leaving him mentally impaired to this day! Of course, some people say that Yelü Ming's mental impairment was caused by Feng Jiuxiao, but Xiao Shengnan insisted that it was her doing. Tuoba Xuan was ambiguous, but hinted that it was Xiao Shengnan who caused it! After all, Xiao Shengnan was Empress Dowager Xiao, the most beloved niece of Empress Xiao Chuo at the time, and also Tuoba Xuan's only disciple. He couldn't directly admit that she was the murderer; everyone understood.

For a woman who was no less skilled than a man in horseback riding and archery, and who was fearless, almost everyone in the Liao Dynasty liked her! What's more, she was very beautiful, a stark contrast to the women of Jiangnan!

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a sharply defined jawline, and an imposing, heroic air, this woman possessed not a trace of femininity, but rather a radiant masculinity. This striking contrast did not diminish her beauty in the slightest; rather, it created a unique charm unmatched by anyone! She was now the iron-blooded rose of the Liao Dynasty, a beauty of frost and blade! She was the goddess in the hearts of countless Khitan men!

So when Empress Xiao Chuo announced that she had become the new Empress of Liao, there wasn't a single voice of opposition! The only question is, why was the announcement made tonight?

At this moment, Tuoba Xuan, who was hiding in the corner, said: "Your Majesty, the Southern King Yelü Xiezhen is now stationed in Jinyang, and there are also 30,000 Iron Falcons from Western Xia. Although there have been some casualties, they are less than half. With the current strength, the Song army will not be able to take Jinyang in a short time, so Your Majesty does not need to worry too much!"

Xiao Shengnan said, "Does the Imperial Advisor mean to take this matter into consideration?"

Tuoba Xuan said, "Exactly! We can let the civil officials offer their opinions at tomorrow's morning court, since we need them to come up with solutions for logistics and supplies during the war!"

Xiao Shengnan immediately understood her master's meaning. "Alright! Then let's discuss it again at tomorrow's morning court! Generals, please return now, you've all worked hard!"

The generals said, "It's no trouble at all!" and left one after another.

Only Empress Dowager Xiao and Xiao Shengnan remained in the entire hall.

Empress Dowager Xiao smiled and said, "Shengnan, you performed very well just now. You weren't nervous at all, and you even relaxed in front of these military generals!"

Xiao Shengnan laughed and said, "Auntie, they should be the ones who are nervous! Anyone who dares to play tricks on me, I'll pin them to the ground and beat them up!"

She'd done this kind of thing countless times; which of those royal princes who flirted with her hadn't been beaten by her? She'd never been afraid of anyone, not even a murderous military general. It was as if she'd never killed anyone!

Xiao Chuo said, "I really have to thank your current uncle-in-law today. If he hadn't been the first to step forward and respond, things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly tonight!"

"We must thank my uncle!" "He has always treated our Xiao family well! If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold onto my position as Empress Dowager. I might have been killed by them and buried with the late Emperor!"

Xiao Shengnan couldn't help but think back to when the late Emperor Yelü Xian suddenly passed away. All sorts of powerful figures from the Yelü clan jumped out to try and seize the imperial power. At that time, the emperor was weak and the ministers were strong, making it extremely dangerous! If it weren't for Han Derang's domineering appearance, her aunt and cousin would have been completely taken advantage of long ago!
This is the reality of the strong ruling! All developments are driven by strength! Han De has a multitude of fierce generals under his command, so his words carry weight! Just like the proverb in the Central Plains martial arts world says, whoever has the hardest fist has the most influence!
She suddenly remembered that white dress again!
If I am not as beautiful as Yuan Zishan, then in terms of power, how many women in the world can compare to me?
Feng Jiuxiao, where are you now?

At this moment, Feng Jiuxiao was accompanying Liu Quan to take over the assets, which was incredibly fast.

Find the shop, knock on the door, go inside, and state your purpose.

If the other party is willing, they can directly hand over the seal, account books, and letter of authorization, sign and seal the document, and the handover will be complete.

If the other party makes excuses or hesitates, Pang Shiwu will go up and slap them a few times to wake them up. After all, it's normal for someone to be half asleep when woken up in the middle of the night. But if a few slaps don't wake them up, Pang Shiwu won't mind putting in more force.

If it weren't for the time crunch, Feng Jiuxiao wouldn't have gone to pack up the shop in the middle of the night!

At that moment, Liu Quan knocked on the door of the last shop.

Pang Shiwu said, "Brother, is there any point in us collecting them like this?"

Feng Jiuxiao asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"We have to leave here tomorrow. What if that Zhu Wu comes back tomorrow and tries to take over the shop too?"

“Brother, why did I have Wei Qiang empty the Liu family's treasury overnight? Wasn't it to prevent him from making a move? I've also had Wei Qiang arrange this shop. The people from the Imperial City will be in charge of keeping an eye on it for a while. Once Zhu Wu discovers that the Liu family is being watched by the Imperial City Guard of the Song Dynasty, do you think he'll still dare to covet the things here? Will he still waste time here? He'll definitely move on to another place immediately and find another place to leech off!”

"He definitely made a lot of money off the Liu family!"

"Yeah, with Liu Ruyan, that brainless husband-obsessed woman, helping out, Zhu Wu will definitely have an easy and enjoyable time!"

"Brother, do you think Liu Mubai can't see through Zhu Wu's scheme?"

"So what if he sees through it? So what if he doesn't? Since Zhu Wu dared to marry into the Liu family, he must have eliminated all potential threats completely! Even if Liu Mubai discovers something amiss and suspects Zhu Wu, with that spendthrift woman Liu Ruyan around, what can he do?"

"Yes, Liu Mubai can only turn a blind eye!"

"Furthermore, Zhu Wu must have brought some benefits to the Liu family, which is why the Liu family would look at her differently and marry their daughter to her!"

"Brother, is it possible that he'll give the proper dowry?"

"Hmm, that's possible!"

"A phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, a ten-mile-long red bridal procession! Let our daughter marry in style, gaining both substance and face, and the Liu family will naturally marry her off!"

"Heh, Zhu Wu has really gone to great lengths to win over the Liu family!"

"But it looks like he succeeded!"

Just then, the door opened, and the shopkeeper, still half asleep, said, "Head Steward, what wind blew you here in the middle of the night!"

Liu Quan shouted, "Hand over the account books and seals immediately!"

The shopkeeper was taken aback. "What?"

"Hand over the official seal and account books!" (End of Chapter)