I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 184 The Showdown Begins: Zhang Chun and Li Lin VS Xiao Sese

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Lü Yihao was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the first year of the Shaosheng era. He is now the Transport Commissioner of Hebei Circuit and is highly regarded by Emperor Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu valued Lü Yihao for the same reason he valued Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Chen Gou, Li Guang, Yuwen Xuzhong, and others.

Historically, Lü Yihao was appointed prime minister for his merit in suppressing the Miao-Liu mutiny. During his tenure, he strongly advocated resistance against the Jin dynasty and repeatedly requested to launch an expedition to recover the Central Plains. He was one of the famous prime ministers who advocated resistance against the Jin after the southward migration. He was courageous and resourceful, skilled in horsemanship, archery, and swordsmanship. When the country was in dire straits, people relied on him. He was friends with famous anti-Jin generals such as Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong, and they went to the front lines of the national crisis together, achieving remarkable feats.

On the other hand, Lü Yihao was also stubborn and self-willed, and often disagreed with famous ministers such as Li Gang, Zhao Ding, and Li Guang on matters.

After Lü Yihao's death, he was posthumously awarded the titles of Grand Tutor and Duke of Qin, with the posthumous name Zhongmu. He was also enshrined in the ancestral temple of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and was listed as one of the twenty-four meritorious officials in the Zhaoxun Pavilion, along with Zhao Ding, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and others.

In short, Lü Yihao possessed the abilities of a prime minister.

As for his character, that's not important.

After receiving Xiao Sese and three hundred beautiful young women from various ethnic groups in the Liao Kingdom, Lü Yihao immediately took them to the front hall of the Zhaigong Palace.

Here, Lü Yihao met Cui Nianyue, who had come to receive Xiao Sese and the others.

Lu Yihao specifically reminded Cui Nianyue to arrange for some women to search Xiao Sese and the others to prevent them from carrying dangerous items that could harm Zhao Yu.

Cui Nianyue was a very composed person and was currently the one helping Zhao Yu manage the trivial matters of the harem. Knowing that this matter was of great importance, she summoned more than a dozen palace maids from the harem to conduct body searches on each of the three hundred beautiful girls from various ethnic groups of Liao in the East Warm Pavilion. Each girl was searched at least three times, and to ensure that nothing went wrong, she would also personally conduct spot checks.

As it turned out, none of the girls had any dangerous items on them.

It seems that the Liao Kingdom should also provide a proper explanation to prevent these girls from causing trouble for the Liao Kingdom.

Upon learning of this outcome, Lü Yihao remained vigilant. He looked at Xiao Sese sitting to the side and reminded Cui Nianyue, "And Consort Wen."

Cui Nianyue nodded and walked towards Xiao Sese, intending to help her into the East Warm Pavilion and personally search her body.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Sese looked coldly at Cui Nianyue and questioned her, "What kind of status do you have that you dare to be so disrespectful to me?"

If Xiao Sese had cooperated obediently, Lü Yihao might not have suspected her. However, Xiao Sese was clearly a "prisoner," yet she used her status to pressure Cui Nianyue, which made Lü Yihao seriously suspect that Xiao Sese was hiding something.

Just as Lü Yihao was about to remind Cui Nianyue, Zhang Chun's voice rang out: "Oh! What kind of noble status do you have that you dare to be so insolent in my house?"

As soon as Zhang Chun finished speaking, Li Chun helped Zhang Chun out of the inner palace.

This time, Zhang Chun did not bring the young Li Shishi with her, but instead brought Li Chun, who had always followed her closely, and created many opportunities for Li Chun to serve her in bed.

Then, Li Lin also came out from the inner palace.

Zhang Chun waved to Lü Yihao, indicating that he could leave and that she would handle things here.

Lü Yihao knew that Zhang Chun and Li Lin were Zhao Yu's favorite concubines, and that Zhao Yu had brought them to the war even though they were pregnant.

The key point is that most of the well-informed ministers of the Zhao Song Dynasty now know that Zhang Chun has been helping Zhao Yu review memorials and even offering advice to him.

Zhang Chun, who is willing to take on Lü Yihao's task, is not the kind of person Lü Yihao would refuse, as he is not a stubborn person.

Without saying a word, Lü Yihao bowed to Zhang Chun and Li Lin, and then went to report back to Han Zhongyan.

After Lü Yihao left, Zhang Chun looked at Xiao Sese, who hadn't answered her question, and asked with a smile, "What, is your status so noble that I'm not qualified to ask you a question?"

Just by looking at Zhang Chun and Li Lin's clothes, Xiao Sese knew that they were of high status.

What's more, Zhang Chun and Li Lin, like her, were also heavily pregnant.

This is Zhao Yu's temporary palace.

Zhang Chun and Li Lin's identities are self-evident.

Logically speaking, Xiao Sese was a newcomer and didn't know Zhao Yu's attitude towards her, so she shouldn't have provoked Zhao Yu's favorite concubine.

The crucial problem was that Xiao Sese was carrying a dagger. She certainly didn't want Zhang Chun and Li Lin to find it, otherwise, this matter could be a big or small issue, and might even jeopardize the peace negotiations between the Song and Liao dynasties.

Xiao Sese forced herself to remain calm and said, "I am the Consort Wen of the Great Liao Dynasty, equivalent to the Noble Consort of your esteemed dynasty. May I ask which of you is the Empress and which is the Noble Consort?"

Xiao Sese hit Zhang Chun's sore spot. In terms of rank, Zhang Chun hadn't actually climbed to the level of "Consort" yet. She was only a slightly higher-ranking "Imperial Concubine," let alone Empress or Imperial Noble Consort.

But Zhang Chun remained calm. She bluntly said, "A defeated general cannot speak of bravery; a minister of a fallen state cannot seek survival. Let alone a mere Consort Wen, even Emperor Yelü Yanxi of your dynasty would pay homage to the two of us upon seeing us!"

Zhang Chun further pointed out: "Moreover, I have heard that before Yelü Yanxi ascended the throne, he visited Yelü Tage's residence. It so happened that you were visiting your elder sister there. He was captivated by your elegant demeanor and beautiful appearance, and hid you in the palace, seeking pleasure with you day and night for several months. This resulted in you giving birth to a son and becoming pregnant again. Yet, to this day, Yelü Yanxi has not followed the proper rites to formally marry you. Although you are called Consort Wen, the title is not commensurate with your status; this is truly lamentable!"

Xiao Sese did not argue. The reason she was unable to formally marry Yelü Yanxi was because Yelü Yanxi was observing mourning for Yelü Hongji, not because she was not qualified.

At this moment, Xiao Sese was worried, not knowing how to muddy the waters and cover up the fact that she had hidden a dagger.

Now that Zhang Chun had given her this opportunity, Xiao Sese immediately pointed at Zhang Chun and said, "You! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!"

After saying that, Xiao Sese rushed towards Zhang Chun.

This startled Zhang Chun. 'The history books say Xiao Sese was intelligent and quiet, but they didn't say she was good at fighting!'

The key is that Zhang Chun is good at talking, but she's not good at doing things.

Moreover, Zhang Chun is pregnant, and she needs help to walk. She is extremely careful and cherishes her life and the baby in her womb. How could she dare to fight?

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Li Lin captured Xiao Sese, who actually had little fighting ability and was also pregnant, in one move.

Xiao Sese tried to struggle, but she never expected that Li Lin was surprisingly strong, and she couldn't move at all.

Li Lin said to Zhang Chun, "After searching her, I suspect she is carrying dangerous items."

At this moment, Zhang Chun forgot to ask Li Chun and the others to search Xiao Sese, and she subconsciously did it herself.

In a moment of quick thinking, Xiao Sese shouted in Khitan to the three hundred beautiful Liao girls: "Hurry and help me capture them!!!"

Some young girls were indeed getting restless.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chun reacted quickly. Ignoring whether the girls understood Mandarin or not, she issued a direct warning: "This is the imperial palace of the Great Song Dynasty, guarded by a million-strong army. Anyone who moves will die, and their entire clan will be exterminated!!!"

Some of the girls who originally wanted to help Xiao Sese immediately stopped moving after hearing what Zhang Chun said.

There was no other way. They were just ordinary girls, ordinary girls without anyone to protect them. How could they dare to act recklessly in Zhao Yu's palace, protected by a million soldiers? They couldn't even imagine that their families would be slaughtered because of their momentary impulse. Besides, some of the quick-witted ones had already realized that they might become Zhao Yu's women in the future, transforming into Song people instead of Liao people. Not to mention them, Xiao Sese was the same. Their future had already been severed from their former country, Liao. If they were smart, they should actively embrace their new life instead of obeying the orders of their former master, Xiao Sese.

It is worth mentioning that the custom of bride kidnapping existed in the Hu people's society. Most Hu women admired the strong, and now they were essentially kidnapped by Zhao Yu. Although they were not overjoyed, they could accept their fate.

Furthermore, it's obvious that Zhang Chun and Li Lin hold high positions in Zhao Yu's eyes. They will inevitably have to deal with Zhang Chun and Li Lin in the future. If they help Xiao Sese, it's like blocking their own path.

In short, no matter how Xiao Sese shouted, the three hundred girls didn't move. Some of them even tried to dissuade others from doing anything foolish in various ways. Gradually, all the girls obediently watched Li Lin and Zhang Chun versus Xiao Sese.

Seeing this, Zhang Chun's lips curled up, and he began to search Xiao Sese's body.

Touching Xiao Sese's breasts, which were almost as big as winter melons, Zhang Chun said resentfully, "I hate breasts bigger than mine the most!"

Everyone else pretended not to hear Zhang Chun's words, except for Li Lin, who rolled her eyes and said, "Then you must hate a lot of people."

Zhang Chun wanted to retort, but when she looked down, she saw her large pregnant belly with nothing to hide, and immediately lost the courage to argue.

Soon, Zhang Chun found a dagger on Xiao Sese's inner thigh.

Zhang Chun reached in and pulled out the dagger.

After thoroughly searching Xiao Sese's body twice and finding no more dangerous items, Zhang Chuncai held up a dagger and questioned Xiao Sese: "What else do you have to say?"

Xiao Sese turned her head to the side and stubbornly said, "This is for my self-defense."

Zhang Chun reached out and pinched Xiao Sese's chin, turning her face to look at him. He said to her, "Do you know how incredibly foolish you have been? His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that if anything happens to him, the entire city of Yanjing will be buried alive with him. Among these people are Yelü Yanxi and your son Yelü Aoluwo. You almost killed them."

Zhang Chun was lying to Xiao Sese. Zhao Yu never issued such an imperial edict.

Zhang Chun fabricated this lie for two reasons: first, to frighten Xiao Sese and prevent her from plotting to assassinate Zhao Yu again; and second, to deter the Liao people from plotting to assassinate Zhao Yu.

Xiao Sese gave a cold laugh:
"The conflict between the Yuanyou and Yuanfeng factions in your dynasty can only be suppressed by your emperor. Once your emperor is gone, the two factions will inevitably fight amongst themselves and undermine each other, making war and peace uncertain. In that case, no matter how good the Song army is at fighting, it will be useless."

"Furthermore, your dynasty's crown prince is less than two years old. If your emperor is not present, powerful ministers will surely attempt to seize control of the government, and your dynasty will inevitably fall into turmoil."

"Given this situation, your dynasty will surely withdraw its troops."

"Although our Great Liao has suffered a setback for the time being, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily. When the time is right, we will be able to make a comeback and recover our lost territory."

"The situation is so clear, yet you tell me that assassinating your emperor is useless. Are you trying to fool me like a three-year-old child?"

Zhang Chun clapped his hands and said, "Impressive! I never expected that a mere country bumpkin like you would have such insight. I really underestimated you."

At this point, Zhang Chun changed his tone: "Unfortunately, Yelü Yanxi is foolish, short-sighted, and stubborn, and refuses to listen to you, otherwise your dynasty would be in real trouble."

Zhang Chun's words struck a nerve with Xiao Sese. If Yelü Yanxi were willing to listen to her, and after ascending the throne, he worked diligently to reform the old ways and revitalize the Liao Kingdom, instead of indulging in hunting and wine and women, which made people despise him, how could Zhao Yu dare to personally lead an expedition against the Liao Kingdom?
However, despite the circumstances, one should not air one's dirty laundry in public. One should not lose face, nor lose power. Therefore, Xiao Sese snorted coldly: "Hmph! As if your emperor would listen to you!"

To Xiao Sese's surprise, Zhang Chun said proudly, "I am ashamed to say that my emperor is different from that tyrannical Yelü Yanxi. He is wise and magnanimous, knows how to appoint people well, and is most willing to listen to good advice. This time, his personal expedition and many of the strategies came from my hand."

At this point, Zhang Chun deliberately provoked Xiao Sese: "Envious, aren't you?"

Xiao Sese closed her eyes, clearly not believing what Zhang Chun said.

Zhang Chun didn't argue with Xiao Sese. She simply said confidently, "It won't be long before you know whether what I said is true or false."

Next, Zhang Chun arranged accommodations for the three hundred beautiful young women from various ethnic groups in the Liao Kingdom, set rules for them, and then instructed them to clean the Zhaigong Palace inside and out.

As for Xiao Sese, Zhang Chun took her to the inner palace, arranged for two palace servants to watch over her, and then left her alone.

night.

Zhao Yu returned after finishing his official business.

Zhang Chun and Li Lin went up to greet Zhao Yu and served him attentively.

Zhao Yu did not eat after noon and never ate dinner. In addition, it was getting late, so Zhang Chun and Li Lin led Zhao Yu to the inner palace to rest.

Not far from the inner palace, Zhang Chun asked Zhao Yu, "How is the peace negotiation with the Liao Kingdom going?"

Zhao Yu casually replied, "Following your advice, I instructed Han Zhongyan to request 200,000 horses from the Liao Dynasty as interest on the annual tribute..."

Zhao Yu recounted the entire process of negotiating peace with the Liao Dynasty to Zhang Chun, down to the smallest detail.

This made Zhang Chun very happy, especially since Xiao Sese was definitely eavesdropping.

After Zhao Yu finished speaking, Zhang Chun instructed him: "If you successfully acquire the horses, the next step is to demand weapons and provisions. Without horses, weapons, and provisions, Yelü Yanxi and his ministers will be lambs to the slaughter. Even if his reinforcements arrive, it will be of no use..."

After a brief discussion, Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I have prepared a gift for you."

"Oh? What gift is it?" Zhao Yu asked.

"Your Majesty, please take a look." As he spoke, Zhang Chun pushed open the door to the inner palace.

Zhao Yu looked closely and saw:

Xiao Sese leaned against the mahogany couch, her pale skin making her dark eyebrows appear even more prominent. Her almond-shaped eyes were misty, revealing a mixture of wariness and stubbornness. Her black hair was loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling, adding to her fragility. The curve of her lower abdomen was encased in a moon-white ruqun embroidered with cloud patterns. Although her figure was slightly haggard, it could not conceal the gentle and graceful charm unique to pregnant women. The silver necklace around her neck swayed slightly, echoing the gold bracelet on her wrist with its subtle dent, gleaming coldly in the dim room, just like her resolute yet fragile state of mind.

Seeing Zhao Yu looking at her, Xiao Sese did not get up to greet him, but just looked at Zhao Yu with a complicated expression.

Xiao Sese had overheard the entire conversation between Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun.

This time, Xiao Sese finally believed what Zhang Chun had said: Zhao Yu would adopt Zhang Chun's suggestion and would patiently discuss countermeasures with her.

In Xiao Sese's view, Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun were quite like a harmonious couple.

This was the way of husband and wife that Xiao Sese had always dreamed of, but at this moment, it was presented to her in a way she had never expected.

Xiao Sese couldn't help but think, "If His Majesty were willing to treat me like this, how could my Great Liao have come to this?"

Although Zhao Yu had already guessed Xiao Sese's identity, he still asked Zhang Chun, "Who is she?"

Zhang Chun replied, "Yelü Yanxi's Consort Wen was Xiao Sese..."

……

(End of this chapter)