I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 220: Lady Hachi
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'Serving in bed?!'

When Xiao Puxian told them to go and serve her in bed, Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei were astonished.

"My sister and I are to go with Empress Yelü and the Princess of Jin to serve the Song Emperor in bed?!?!"

Liang Da Mei and Liang Xiao Mei could hardly believe their ears. They truly never imagined that one day they would have a man, and that their man would be an emperor, perhaps even the greatest emperor of the time.

In fact, neither Liang Damei nor Liang Xiaomei knew how they managed to blend in among these beauties and become one of the two beauties that Tong Guan presented to Zhao Yu.

Are they beauties too?

Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a beauty who is over eight feet tall?

Liang Da Mei and Liang Xiao Mei have this much self-awareness.

After all, even in the remote and backward land of Western Xia, a beautiful woman needed to have a graceful demeanor and a gentle temperament in order to move a man's heart.

The two sisters, due to their outstanding height from a young age, stood out in the crowd and were often jokingly called "the two pillars of the Liang family," which was quite different from the image of a petite and delicate beauty in the eyes of the world.

The key point is that Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei went to the battlefield at the age of twelve and fought on the battlefield for more than ten years. They killed countless people. If not a thousand, then at least eight hundred Song soldiers died at their hands. When men saw them, they only felt deep awe and no lust. In fact, most men would lower their heads and walk around them, for fear that these two fierce women would take advantage of them.

That's why Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei are both over twenty years old and still unmarried, becoming "old maids".

Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei had long since given up hope of marriage, especially as the war between Song and Xia intensified, forcing them to lead the Ma Kui (a type of military force) on campaigns across the land, gradually wasting their youth amidst the flames of war. They had imagined spending their lives galloping on horseback, amidst the clash of swords, until their bones turned to dust.

However, fate played a cruel joke on them. The Song Dynasty had driven the Western Xia to the brink of destruction, forcing them to lead the Ma Kui into Xingqing Prefecture to resist stubbornly and await reinforcements.

After holding out for more than half a year, the Western Xia was completely wiped out by the Zhao Song Dynasty, and they, along with the others in the city, became prisoners of war.

After the Song army captured Xingqing Prefecture, they separated the men and women into different prisons.

In fact, the Song army's actions were unnecessary. As early as when they were defending Xingqing Prefecture, Li Ganshun and his ministers had already separated men and women in order to better control the people in the city and prevent them from indulging in despair and causing uncontrollable chaos.

Not long after Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei were imprisoned, a Song general arrived.

This man was tall and imposing, with a dark and resolute face, deep and sharp eyes that revealed shrewdness and authority, a sparse beard on his chin, and skin and bones as hard as iron.

Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei soon learned from their guards that the man was Tong Guan, a trusted eunuch of Emperor Zhao Yu of the Song Dynasty, who had come to select beauties from the Western Xia for Zhao Yu.

Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei were somewhat taken aback. They hadn't expected that a eunuch would exude such masculine and heroic spirit, completely unlike the effeminate manner of ordinary eunuchs. He seemed more like a fierce general who had galloped across the battlefield than a eunuch who lived deep within the palace.

Just as Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei were watching the commotion without a care in the world, Tong Guan spotted them standing out from the crowd and his eyes lit up immediately!
Immediately afterwards, Tong Guan personally led a group to select more than a thousand beauties.

This includes Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei.

Next, Tong Guan arranged for women to examine and question these more than a thousand beauties, such as whether they were virgins.

After what seemed like a rigorous selection process, Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei were chosen in a rather haphazard way, and they were even among the first batch of people selected.

—That's why Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei felt that the selection process, which seemed strict, was actually not rigorous at all. Otherwise, how could they, the "Twin Pillars of the Liang Family," have been selected?

Although they were selected, Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei didn't think they would have a chance to serve the emperor. In their minds, they were just palace maids who served others, or even just the lowest-ranking, menial maids.

Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei never expected that they would not only have the opportunity to serve the emperor, but also to serve the emperor alongside Empress Yelü Nanxian of Western Xia and Princess Meicang of Jin, two women who were among the most prominent in status in Western Xia.

This is a joke.

Not only did Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei think it was a joke, but Ma Kui, one of their subordinates, was also quietly teasing them about their "iron tree blooming" (a Chinese idiom meaning something seemingly unrelated to the main point).

Unsure of what was going on, Liang Damei quickly called over her "strategist" Wang Shu and whispered, "Strategist, tell me honestly, did Madam Xiao send me and my younger sister to serve the emperor in order to spite the Princess Consort of Jin? Were we just used as pawns to suppress the Princess Consort of Jin?"

Then, Liang Damei said with a hint of self-deprecation, "In my opinion, even if Lady Xiao were to ask for permission, His Majesty would certainly not order the two of us to serve him in bed, or Lady Xiao might just be saying it casually."

At this point, Liang Damei looked at Wang Shu, who had the appearance of a standard beauty, and joked, "If Lady Xiao recommends the strategist to serve in bed, this matter may be accomplished."

The reason why Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei stood up to stop the Xixia women from clashing with Xiao Puxian was because they listened to Wang Shu's advice.

Wang Shu told Liang Da Mei and Liang Xiao Mei that this was a golden opportunity for them to establish themselves in Zhao Yu's harem, and that if they missed it, their "brothers" would suffer.

Only then did Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei stand up and confront Princess Jin, Lady Meicang.

Wang Shu now reveals the secret:
"When Empress Yelü arrived here, she did not lead us to wear Song Dynasty clothing, but instead dressed in summer clothes. This will surely displease His Majesty."

“Those who surrender cherish their homeland and will certainly not be liked or tolerated by the new ruler. Your Majesty is a great and powerful ruler who has unified the country, so you are naturally even more wary of this, which is why today’s events have occurred.”

Liang Damei asked, "Did His Majesty instruct Lady Xiao to do this?" Wang Shu shook her head: "There's no need for His Majesty. This incident in the harem is due to the Empress's dereliction of duty and mismanagement."

Liang Damei understood; Xiao Puxian was sent by Zheng Xiansu.

Wang Shu continued, “If Empress Yelü does not take the lead in leading my Xia women to surrender, His Majesty and the Empress will naturally find someone who can take the lead. This is why I asked the two generals to step forward. If you two generals had been a step too slow, this matter would have been snatched away by someone else. At that time, our fate would have been handed over to others, and we would have no control over our own destiny. Therefore, we must firmly grasp the rudder of our fate so that our brothers can enjoy wealth and honor here, or at least no longer suffer.”

At this point, Wang Shu looked at Xiao Puxian, whose aura was growing stronger and stronger, making Princess Jin, Meizang, not dare to breathe loudly, and said, "Madam Xiao understands the intentions of the two generals and, in return, recommends the two generals to serve in the emperor's bedchamber, thus fulfilling the wish of the two generals to become my Xia Nu Chief Steward."

Liang Damei frowned and said, "Empress Yelü was originally the Empress of my Xia Kingdom, and Princess Jin was originally the Princess Consort of the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of my Xia Kingdom. Among us are also the Imperial Concubine Dowager, Princess Cao, and the legitimate daughters of various families. We are the Liang family, and there is also Princess Liang. We two are just concubine's daughters..."

Wang Shu smiled and said, "Times have changed, and things are not what they used to be."

Wang Shu looked at Xiao Puxian and said, "Xiao Niangzi was originally just a noblewoman of the Liao Kingdom and the betrothed wife of the King of Yue. Her status was not as high as that of the Liao Emperor's Consort Wen or the three Khitan princesses. However, because she knew how to assess the situation and advocated for the integration of Liao women into the Han people, she was favored by His Majesty and the Empress. Now she has surpassed the Liao Emperor's Consort Wen and the Khitan princesses to become the chief steward of Liao women."

Wang Shu looked at Liang Da Mei and Liang Xiao Mei: "As for status, as long as the two generals have served the Empress Yelü and Princess Jin tonight and received His Majesty's reward, they will have status. At that time, the status of the Liang Imperial Concubine, the Imperial Dowager Concubine, the Cao Imperial Concubine, and the legitimate daughters of various families will all be below that of the two generals."

Wang Shu's analysis was quite good, but Liang Da Mei really had no confidence in herself and her younger sister Liang Xiao Mei. In her mind, ordinary men wouldn't even look at the two sisters, so how could Zhao Yu, the most powerful emperor of the time, possibly look at them? If they rashly went to serve the emperor, they might end up humiliating themselves.

Seeing that Liang Damei lacked confidence, Wang Shu smiled and said, "I have inquired about it. His Majesty has two concubines. One is Consort Guo, the eldest daughter of Guo Cheng, and the other is surnamed Wei. Both of them are eight feet tall. A concubine named Zhang named them 'Eight-Foot Ladies.' His Majesty is very fond of these two, and he often visits them."

Wang Shu encouraged Liang Da Mei and Liang Xiao Mei, saying, "Although you two generals are taller, His Majesty is fond of the eight-foot-tall Lady, so naturally he will prefer you two generals. You two generals should not underestimate yourselves."

Upon hearing from Wang Shu that Zhao Yu was fond of Lady Bachi, Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei felt a mix of trepidation and inexplicable anticipation. They exchanged a glance and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes—a complex feeling of unease mixed with longing.

Although Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei are Han Chinese, they were born and raised in Western Xia, and their upbringing determined their admiration for strength.

This is not a personality trait unique to Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei, but rather a personality trait common to women of the Western Xia Dynasty, and even to women of other ethnic groups.

Many women of the Hu people dream of their Prince Charming or ideal husband when they first fall in love. This ideal husband is a powerful man who will take them away. In fact, this man is not only powerful, but also the leader of a powerful tribe, or the leader's brother or son, preferably the one who will inherit the leadership.

Although Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei don't look very feminine, they are genuine women who must have experienced first love and naturally had such beautiful dreams.

But if you think about it carefully, by making some subtractions and adding some additions, isn't Zhao Yu exactly that kind of prince charming and ideal man?

Most importantly, the current situation is that Western Xia is gone, and these Western Xia women who have entered Zhao Yu's harem have become like duckweed floating in the torrent of fate, helpless and without any way out. If they want to live well, they can only hold on tightly to the straw in front of them that may rewrite their fate.

Therefore, Liang Damei and Liang Xiaomei demonstrated their decisiveness as excellent generals, preparing to seize this fleeting opportunity.

Over there, under the pressure from Xiao Puxian, Liang Damei, Liang Xiaomei, and many other Western Xia women who wanted to let go of the past and embrace a new life, the momentum of the Western Xia women, including Princess Jin, Meicang, who were clamoring to preserve their chastity by dying, was greatly weakened.

Xiao Puxian left with the words, "You should quickly prepare this place and respectfully welcome His Majesty's arrival. If you are stubborn and refuse to obey, wishing to die for your loyalty, you may speak frankly. At that time, I will surely ask His Majesty to issue proclamations to all directions, arrest your relatives, and slaughter them all, thus fulfilling your reputation for loyalty and righteousness." Then she casually found a room to rest.

After Xiao Puxian left, the Western Xia women who did not want to die accused Princess Jin, Meicang, of being selfish and only thinking about her own fame in history, without caring about the lives of her family and friends. If her momentary impulse led to the slaughter of her relatives, especially the Western Xia royal family and clan members such as Li Qianshun who were only imprisoned and did not need to die, she would be a sinner of Western Xia and would have no face to face the ancestors of the Western Xia Li clan after death.

These Western Xia women originally did not want to die, and now they had an excuse to protect Li Qianshun and the other Western Xia men. Those Western Xia women who supported Princess Jin, Meicang, in maintaining her chastity by dying suddenly switched sides and advised Princess Jin, Meicang, to prioritize the overall situation, to submit to Zhao Yu, and to protect the lineage of Western Xia, including Li Qianshun.

As for the Western Xia women who were still mainly trying to preserve their purity by dying, it cannot be said that they didn't exist, but their few voices were quickly drowned out by the accusations and persuasion of other Western Xia women.

Princess Jin, of the Mica clan, was now isolated and helpless. She looked at the Western Xia women who had once said they would support her, but now they were turning against her one by one.

She panicked!
Her words, "I would rather be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile. If you ask us to stoop to serve our enemies, we will only preserve our purity with our lives," seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.

Princess Consort of Jin, Lady Meicang, took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart, but the tears in her eyes betrayed her vulnerability.

Who would choose to die when they can live a good life?

At this moment, Princess Jin, Lady Meicang, realized that the clown was actually herself.

Princess Jin, Lady Meicang, was not the only one who had an epiphany. Yelü Nanxian, who had been quietly observing everything, also had an epiphany. She realized that she had made a grave mistake, foolishly trying to gain the support of the women of Western Xia by relying on "loyalty" to Western Xia.

Yelü Nanxian knew very well that Xiao Puxian's purpose in coming here was not to deal with the confused Western Xia women, such as Princess Jin and Lady Meicang, but to deal with her, the nominal leader of the confused Western Xia women.

'Xiao Puxian wanted to replace me with Liang Damei, to teach Liang Damei to manage the women of Xixia. No, the one who wanted to replace me was not Xiao Puxian, but the Song emperor and Empress Zheng. They wouldn't allow someone like me, who was so devoted to her homeland, to be the head of the women of Xixia, lest I incite the women of Xixia to cause trouble…'

Liang Damei seized this opportunity to visit Xiao Puxian.

With firm steps, Liang Damei felt both apprehensive and subtly excited as she walked through the corridor and gently knocked on the door of Xiao Puxian's room.

The door opened slightly, and a soft ray of candlelight spilled out, illuminating Liang Damei's resolute face, her eyes sparkling with an unprecedented determination...

……

(End of this chapter)