Chapter 184: Open Conflict: Zhang Chun and Li Lin vs Xiao Sese

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Lü Yihao was a jinshi of the Shaosheng Yuan year and now holds the post of Transport Commissioner of Hebei Road, deeply favored by Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu favors Lü Yihao for the same reasons he favors Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Chen Gou, Li Guang, and Yuwen Xuzhong.

Historically, Lü Yihao was appointed Chancellor for suppressing the Miao-Liu mutiny; during his tenure, he staunchly advocated resistance against the Jin, repeatedly petitioning to launch campaigns to recover the Central Plains, and was among the most prominent Chancellors of the Southern Song who pushed for resistance against the Jin—he possessed courage and strategic acumen, was skilled in horsemanship and archery, and at a time of national crisis, people relied on him heavily; he was friends with renowned generals like Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong, jointly facing the nation's peril with outstanding achievements.

Yet on the other hand, Lü Yihao was stubborn and self-willed, often clashing with renowned ministers like Li Gang, Zhao Ding, and Li Guang in discussions.

After Lü Yihao's death, he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Master and Duke of Qin, with the honorific epithet Zhongmu, and his spirit tablet was enshrined in Emperor Gou's ancestral temple alongside Zhao Ding, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, among the Twenty-Four Meritorious Ministers of the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

In short, Lü Yihao had the ability of a Chancellor.

As for his character? Irrelevant.

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

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

Lü Yihao specifically reminded Cui Nianyue to arrange for several women to search Xiao Sese and the others for concealed weapons, to prevent them from harming Zhao Yu.

Cui Nianyue was a very composed woman and currently managed the inner palace affairs for Zhao Yu; she understood the gravity of the matter, so she summoned over a dozen palace maids to conduct individual body searches on these three hundred Liao beauties in the East Warm Chamber, ensuring each girl was searched at least three times, and to guarantee absolute safety, she personally conducted random inspections.

The result: none of the girls carried any dangerous items.

It seemed Liao had given proper instructions to avoid these girls causing trouble for their own country.

Upon learning this result, Lü Yihao did not lower his guard; he looked at Xiao Sese sitting nearby and reminded Cui Nianyue: "Don't forget the Consort Wen."

Cui Nianyue nodded and approached Xiao Sese, intending to assist her into the East Warm Chamber to personally search her.

But Xiao Sese coldly stared at Cui Nianyue and demanded: "What is your station, to dare disrespect this imperial consort?"

Had Xiao Sese cooperated willingly, Lü Yihao might not have suspected her; but as a prisoner, she used her status to intimidate Cui Nianyue—this made Lü Yihao strongly suspect she concealed something illicit.

Just as Lü Yihao was about to warn Cui Nianyue, Zhang Chun's voice rang out: "Oh~! What exalted station do you hold, to dare act so brazenly in my home?"

As soon as Zhang Chun spoke, Li Chun supported her as they emerged from the rear palace.

—This time, Zhang Chun did not bring the young Li Shishi, but instead brought Li Chun, who had always followed closely behind her, granting Li Chun even more opportunities to serve her in bed.

Then Li Lin also emerged from the rear palace.

Zhang Chun directly waved her hand at Lü Yihao, signaling he could leave—she would handle this.

Lü Yihao knew Zhang Chun and Li Lin were Zhao Yu's favored concubines; despite their pregnancies, Zhao Yu had brought them along to war.

Crucially, most well-informed ministers of the Song court now knew Zhang Chun regularly assisted Zhao Yu in reviewing memorials and even offered him strategic counsel.

With such a Zhang Chun willing to take over Lü Yihao's task, a pragmatic man like Lü Yihao would never refuse.

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

After Lü Yihao left, Zhang Chun looked at Xiao Sese, who had not answered her question, and smiled: "So your station is so exalted that even I have no right to question you?"

Seeing Zhang Chun and Li Lin's attire, Xiao Sese knew their status was high.

Moreover, Zhang Chun and Li Lin, like her, were heavily pregnant.

This was Zhao Yu's imperial palace.

Zhang Chun and Li Lin's status was self-evident.

Logically, Xiao Sese was new here, unaware of Zhao Yu's attitude toward her, and should not provoke his favored concubines.

But fatally, Xiao Sese concealed a dagger; she absolutely did not want Zhang Chun and Li Lin to find it, for this matter could be trivial or catastrophic—it might even sabotage the Song-Liao peace negotiations.

Xiao Sese forced calmness and said: "I am the Liao Consort Wen, equal in rank to your imperial consort. May I ask, which of you two is Empress, and which is Imperial Consort?"

Xiao Sese struck at Zhang Chun's sore point: from rank, Zhang Chun had not even reached the level of "Consort"; she was merely a higher-ranking "Pin," let alone Empress or Imperial Consort.

But Zhang Chun was unfazed, bluntly replying: "A defeated general cannot speak of valor; a minister of a fallen state cannot plan for survival. Even if you are merely a minor Consort Wen, should your own Emperor Yelu Yanxi meet us now, he would pay full obeisance!"

Zhang Chun added: "Moreover, I have heard that before ascending the throne, Yelu Yanxi visited the residence of Yelu Tage and happened upon you visiting your elder sister; captivated by your dignified bearing and radiant beauty, he concealed you within the palace and pursued you for months, until you bore him a son and became pregnant again. Yet to this day, Yelu Yanxi has never followed proper rites to formally wed you. Though you bear the title Consort Wen, your status is false—truly lamentable!"

Xiao Sese did not argue; she had never formally married Yelu Yanxi because he was observing mourning for Yelu Hongji, not because she lacked qualification.

At this moment, Xiao Sese was struggling to find a way to muddy the waters and conceal her hidden dagger.

Now, Zhang Chun had given her this opportunity; Xiao Sese immediately pointed at Zhang Chun and shouted: "You! A scholar may be killed but not humiliated!"

With that, Xiao Sese lunged at Zhang Chun.

This startled Zhang Chun terribly: 'The histories say Xiao Sese is wise and composed—they never mention she likes to fight!'

Crucially, Zhang Chun could handle verbal sparring, but physical combat? She had no skill.

Moreover, Zhang Chun was pregnant; she could barely walk without support, guarded her life with extreme care, cherished her unborn child beyond measure—how could she possibly fight?

Fortunately, at this critical moment, Li Lin seized Xiao Sese with a single move—Xiao Sese, who had no combat ability and was also pregnant, offered no resistance.

Xiao Sese struggled, but she never imagined Li Lin's strength was extraordinary—she could not move an inch.

Li Lin told Zhang Chun: "Search her. I suspect she hides dangerous items."

At that moment, Zhang Chun forgot to order Li Chun and others to search Xiao Sese; she instinctively began searching her herself.

Xiao Sese, thinking quickly, shouted in Khitan: "Quickly, come and seize them for me!!!"

Some of the girls stirred.

But Zhang Chun reacted just as swiftly; regardless of whether they understood Chinese, she warned: "This is the imperial palace of Great Song! Outside stand a million elite troops—anyone who moves dies, and their entire clan will be exterminated!!!"

Several girls who had intended to aid Xiao Sese immediately froze.

There was no choice: they were ordinary girls, unprotected, who dared not defy Zhao Yu's palace guarded by a million soldiers, nor imagine their families annihilated for their impulsive act. Moreover, some quick-witted girls had already realized: soon, they might become Zhao Yu's concubines, transforming from Liao to Song, no longer Liao people—just as Xiao Sese herself was no longer tied to her homeland, their futures were severed from Liao; if wise, they should embrace their new lives, not obey their old master's commands.

Notably, among the Hu people, bride-snatching customs exist; Hu women generally revere strength. Now, they were effectively taken by Zhao Yu; though not ecstatic, they could accept their fate.

Also, it was obvious Zhang Chun and Li Lin held high status with Zhao Yu; they would inevitably interact with them in the future. Helping Xiao Sese would seal their own paths.

In short, no matter how Xiao Sese shouted, none of the three hundred girls moved. Some even used various languages to persuade others not to act foolishly. Slowly, all the girls stood quietly watching Zhang Chun and Li Lin versus Xiao Sese.

Seeing this, Zhang Chun smirked and began searching Xiao Sese.

As her hands brushed against Xiao Sese's chest, those near-gourd-sized mounds, Zhang Chun muttered bitterly: "I hate women with bigger breasts than mine!"

Everyone else pretended not to hear; only Li Lin rolled her eyes: "Then you must hate a lot of people."

Zhang Chun wanted to retort, but when she looked down and saw her own swollen belly with no cover at all, she lost all courage to argue.

Soon, Zhang Chun felt a dagger hidden against Xiao Sese's inner thigh.

Zhang Chun reached in and pulled the dagger out.

After thoroughly searching Xiao Sese's entire body twice and finding no other weapons, Zhang Chun held the dagger and demanded: "What do you have to say now?"

Xiao Sese turned her head aside and stubbornly said: "This is for my self-defense."

Zhang Chun reached out, gripped Xiao Sese's chin, and turned her face toward her, saying: "Do you know how foolish this is? My emperor has issued an edict: if he suffers harm, the entire city of Yanjing will be executed—this includes Yelu Yanxi, and also your son Yelu Ao Luowan. You nearly got them killed."

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

Zhang Chun invented this lie for two reasons: first, to frighten Xiao Sese into never attempting to assassinate Zhao Yu again; second, to deter the Liao from ever plotting to assassinate Zhao Yu.

Xiao Sese gave a cold laugh:

"The strife between your court's Yuan You faction and Yuan Feng faction can only be suppressed by your emperor. Once your emperor is gone, the two factions will inevitably turn on each other, plunging your court into chaos, rendering your Song army's prowess useless."

"Moreover, your crown prince is under two years old. If your emperor dies, powerful ministers will surely seize control, and your court will descend into turmoil."

"Under such circumstances, your court must withdraw its troops."

"And though my great Liao has suffered a setback, a hundred-legged insect dies but does not rot—when the time is ripe, we shall return and reclaim our lost lands."

"The situation is clear as day, yet you tell me assassinating your emperor is useless? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

Zhang Chun clapped her hands as she said: "Impressive! I never thought a lowly… barbarian woman like you could possess such insight. I greatly underestimated you."

Here, Zhang Chun's tone shifted: "Too bad Yelu Yanxi is foolish, short-sighted, and stubborn—he refuses to listen to you. Otherwise, your court would truly be a nightmare."

Zhang Chun's words struck deep into Xiao Sese's heart. If Yelu Yanxi had listened to her, ascended the throne, reformed the corrupt system, and revitalized Liao instead of indulging in hunting and debauchery, inviting contempt—how would Zhao Yu dare lead an army in person against Liao?

Yet though this was true, family shame must not be aired publicly; one may lose the battle but not the spirit. So Xiao Sese sneered: "Hmph! Sounds like your emperor listens to you!"

To Xiao Sese's surprise, Zhang Chun replied proudly: "I humbly confess—my emperor differs from Yelu Yanxi, the great fool. He is wise, broad-minded, discerning in talent, and open to good counsel. Many of the strategies in this campaign were devised by me."

Here, Zhang Chun deliberately provoked Xiao Sese: "Envious?"

Xiao Sese shut her eyes, clearly disbelieving Zhang Chun's words.

Zhang Chun did not argue with her. She simply said with full confidence: "You'll soon learn whether my words are true or false."

Next, Zhang Chun assigned lodging to the three hundred beautiful girls from various Liao ethnic groups, established rules for them, and ordered them to clean the sacrificial palace inside and out.

As for Xiao Sese, Zhang Chun brought her to the inner palace quarters, assigned two palace attendants to watch her, and left her alone.

Nightfall.

Zhao Yu returned after finishing his official duties.

Zhang Chun and Li Lin rushed to greet him, serving him with eager devotion.

Zhao Yu ate nothing after noon and never dined at night; since it was already late, Zhang Chun and Li Lin led Zhao Yu to the inner palace quarters to rest.

As they neared the inner palace quarters, Zhang Chun finally asked: "How went the peace negotiations with Liao?"

Zhao Yu replied casually: "As you advised, I demanded two hundred thousand horses from the Liao as interest on the annual tribute…"

Zhao Yu recounted every detail of the peace negotiations with Liao to Zhang Chun.

This delighted Zhang Chun—especially since Xiao Sese was surely listening.

When Zhao Yu finished, Zhang Chun instructed him: "If the horses are delivered smoothly, next demand weapons and grain. Without horses, weapons, or grain, Yelu Yanxi and his ministers are lambs awaiting slaughter—even if reinforcements arrive, it will be useless…"

Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun briefly discussed it, then Zhang Chun volunteered: "Your Majesty, I have prepared a gift for you."

"Oh? What gift?" Zhao Yu asked.

"Your Majesty, please look." As she spoke, Zhang Chun pushed open the door to the inner palace quarters.

Zhao Yu looked closely and saw:

Xiao Sese reclined lazily on a redwood couch. Her pale skin made her dark eyebrows appear even more intense. Her almond eyes were veiled in mist, flickering with wariness and stubbornness. Her black hair, loosely pinned, let a few strands fall, adding to her fragile beauty. The curve of her swollen belly was draped in a pale white ruqun embroidered with cloud patterns. Though her figure looked weary, it could not hide the gentle grace unique to a pregnant woman. The silver tasseled necklace around her neck swayed slightly, echoing the faint dents on the gold bracelet at her wrist—both glinting coldly in the dim room, mirroring her heart: resolute yet vulnerable.

Seeing Zhao Yu look at her, Xiao Sese did not rise to greet him. She simply regarded him with complex emotion.

Xiao Sese had heard every word of Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun's conversation.

For the first time, Xiao Sese believed Zhang Chun's claim—that Zhao Yu would heed the advice of a woman, and patiently deliberate with her.

To Xiao Sese, Zhao Yu and Zhang Chun seemed like a couple in perfect harmony.

This was the marital bond Xiao Sese had always dreamed of—but now, it appeared before her in a way she had never imagined.

Xiao Sese could not help thinking: "If only His Majesty would treat me this way, how could my great Liao have fallen so far?"

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

Zhang Chun answered: "Xiao Sese, the literary consort of Yelu Yanxi…"

…

(End of Chapter)