Chapter 214: The Ambition of the Western Xia Empress

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"How about this place? Among us, is there anyone with the bearing to become Empress?"

As soon as Yelu Nanxian spoke these words, Xiao Sese and the three Khitan Princesses all stared at her in shock.

Though none spoke aloud, all four women thought the same thing inside: 'You're truly bold to even imagine it—how could we possibly become Empress?!'

Xiao Sese was given to Zhao Yu by Yelu Yanxi to vent his anger; had Zhao Yu not desired her beauty, she would already be dead—how could she ever become Empress?

As for the three Khitan Princesses, they were nominally sent for marriage alliances, but in truth, they were no different from the Liao royal and noblewomen sent as dowries—mere playthings Yelu Yanxi offered Zhao Yu as an apology.

Crucially, the Empress of the Han dynasty has always been Han.

In the Han dynasty, Empresses typically came from Han aristocratic or official families; there was never a case of a Hu Ren becoming Empress.

In the Tang dynasty, Empresses came from diverse backgrounds—some from Han aristocratic families like the Guanlong nobility, such as Empress Changsun, and others like Wu Zetian, who came from non-traditional Han lineages—but one thing was certain: there was never a Hu Ren Empress. Though the Tang dynasty saw high levels of ethnic integration, with many Hu Ren serving in court or marrying into the imperial family, the position of Empress was never held by a Hu Ren.

By the time of the Zhao Song dynasty, Empresses were mostly from Han scholar-official families, chosen to maintain internal stability among the ruling class and cultural continuity—there was never a case of a Hu Ren becoming Empress.

Without waiting for their answers, just by observing their expressions, Yelu Nanxian knew she had overestimated them—they had no hope whatsoever of becoming Empress.

Yelu Nanxian was not disappointed, for she had never truly intended for any of the four to become Empress; she merely wanted to see if any of them could be potential rivals.

Of course, she would never tell them the truth; instead, she looked at the three Khitan Princesses with false sincerity: "All three of you are pregnant—if you bear the Song Zhu a son, surely you won't be denied promotion to Empress?"

Yelu Nanxian had heard Zhao Yu was lecherous and had many offspring, but she assumed he was no more prolific than Yelu Yanxi—perhaps five or six sons, and five or six daughters.

If Zhao Yu were truly like that, then clearly these three pregnant Khitan Princesses could bear him sons; given their already high status, even if they couldn't become Empress, surely they wouldn't be left without any position at all?

Upon hearing this, the three Khitan Princesses all smiled bitterly.

Yelu Beixian spoke bluntly: "The Emperor has no shortage of sons; even if we bear him a prince, we'll be promoted no more than three ranks."

Yelu Yuliyan added: "Even bearing one son isn't enough to raise us to the Upper Three Consorts."

Yelu Nanxian frowned: "What do you mean, the Song Zhu has no shortage of Imperial Princes?"

Yelu Noujin replied: "It means exactly what it says—the Emperor has nearly forty Imperial Princes already, and over twenty of us concubines are pregnant—how could he possibly lack sons?"

Yelu Beixian added: "It's not just the three of us who are pregnant—Concubine Xiao is pregnant too."

'Concubine Xiao?!'

After a moment's reflection, Yelu Nanxian realized Yelu Beixian meant Xiao Sese.

To be honest, Yelu Nanxian was surprised.

What surprised her wasn't that Xiao Sese was pregnant.

Though Xiao Sese hadn't yet shown, a man impregnating a woman is a mere matter of a single thrust; Xiao Sese had been in the Song dynasty for half a year—it was perfectly normal for her to have conceived Zhao Yu's child.

What truly surprised her was that in Liao, Xiao Sese had been one of Yelu Yanxi's Four Consorts, yet here with Zhao Yu, she hadn't even risen to the rank of Consort—how could this be justified?

Yet Yelu Nanxian reconsidered: Zhao Yu had taken Xiao Sese from Yelu Yanxi; if he now granted her a noble title, it would draw attention to the matter, constantly reminding Yelu Yanxi of this theft of his wife, which would harm the peace between Song and Liao. Who knew? One day Yelu Yanxi might fly into a rage, tear up the treaty, and provoke conflict—harmful to both nations.

'In that case, it's understandable the Song Zhu denies Consort Wen a noble title.'

Yelu Nanxian's attention quickly shifted from Xiao Sese's lowered status to the fact that Zhao Yu already had nearly forty sons; she frowned tightly: "Why does the Song Zhu have so many Imperial Princes?"

How could Xiao Sese and the others answer that?

Say Zhao Yu adored women above all else, and sowed his seed daily?

Say his body was exceptionally strong, making women conceive easily?

Or say he never favored any one or few women, but practiced equal distribution of favor?

Finally, Yelu Beixian offered a flattering reply: "The Emperor is divinely gifted, vigorous and potent—naturally his offspring are numerous; this is a clear sign of Heaven's Mandate."

Yelu Nanxian knew her younger sister well; she understood Yelu Beixian was the classic type of woman who "knows not the sorrow of a fallen nation." Now seeing Yelu Beixian constantly refer to "the Emperor" and praise Zhao Yu's vigor without blushing, Yelu Nanxian immediately realized Yelu Beixian could not be trusted—she might betray her.

Yelu Nanxian silently glanced again at Xiao Sese, Yelu Yuliyan, and Yelu Noujin.

She saw that only Xiao Sese maintained a calm expression; Yelu Yuliyan and Yelu Noujin, when speaking of Zhao Yu, behaved exactly like Yelu Beixian—clearly already fully conquered by him.

'Even if these three don't betray me, they're incapable of achieving anything great.'

'Only Consort Wen might aid me.'

With this thought, Yelu Nanxian began asking the four women only about survival in the harem, trivial daily matters—she temporarily set aside any talk of rivalry, scheming, or advancing one's prospects.

As dusk approached, Yelu Nanxian finally saw Xiao Sese and the other three women off.

At parting, Yelu Nanxian cast a subtle glance at Xiao Sese.

Seeing Yelu Nanxian's meaningful look, Xiao Sese said nothing.

Yet after parting from the three Khitan Princesses, Xiao Sese turned back.

It was the same room—but now only two people remained.

After both sat down again, Yelu Nanxian said: "Without Consort Wen's mediation, how could I have become Empress of Western Xia?"

Xiao Sese spoke slowly: "Then do you thank me—or hate me?"

Thinking of how she had just married into Western Xia as Empress—and then Western Xia fell—Yelu Nanxian's lips curled into a bitter smile, filled with boundless complexity: a quiet resignation toward fate, and an unspoken emotion toward Xiao Sese before her.

She shook her head gently and said to Xiao Sese: "Of course I thank you. In those days, you exhausted yourself entirely for the sake of our Great Liao state, and to fulfill my wish. But Heaven's ways are capricious, and fate mocks us—Western Xia's fall was beyond human foresight. Sun Bin was a master strategist, yet still suffered defeat at Maling; Zhuge Liang was supremely wise, yet could not save the Han dynasty. Can such rises and falls truly rest on one person's cunning? The tide of the world flows like a river—its twists and turns are unfathomable; even the most brilliant mind cannot fully perceive Heaven's design, let alone two women like you and me?"

Xiao Sese gently stroked the delicate teacup in her hands, as if its smooth warmth could soothe the turmoil within her heart.

After a long while, Xiao Sese said: "Princess, you are mistaken. Yelu Yanxi was no good ruler—he indulged in hunting, drowned in wine and lust, and allowed corrupt officials to dominate court. When the Song rose, he remained oblivious, like a swallow nesting in a house about to burn, refusing to ally with Western Xia to preserve our Great Liao. Now Western Xia is gone, our Great Liao is defeated—we've ceded land, paid tribute, and offered marriage alliances merely to stave off collapse. This present state is not Heaven's will—it is man-made disaster."

Yelu Nanxian knew well that Xiao Sese had written "Satirical Ode" and "Reflections on History" to criticize Yelu Yanxi's neglect of state affairs, and had been punished by him—sent to Zhao Yu while still pregnant, a hatred too deep to easily heal.

Yelu Nanxian's eyes flickered, and she prodded: "I recall when I left Liao, you were carrying the Emperor's child… this son…"

Hu Ren who captured pregnant women typically forced them to fall from horses to induce miscarriages; Yelu Nanxian assumed Xiao Sese had suffered the same, hoping to stir her hatred.

But Xiao Sese replied: "She was born. A girl. I named her Yelu Yuliyan."

'…'

Yelu Nanxian was momentarily speechless. She was genuinely surprised Zhao Yu had let Yelu Yanxi's child live.

After a silence, Yelu Nanxian spoke openly again:

"A dog guards its master's humble gate, never abandoning its lord; a child raised in a poor alley never hates its mother. As the Book of Songs says: 'Mulberry and catalpa trees—must be reverenced.' The grace of one's homeland, the bond of blood—unchangeable even through the ages."

"Although Your Majesty may occasionally err in policy and some decrees may be misguided, the weight of the state and the memory of our ancestral lands — how could these be lightly forgotten because of a sovereign's minor flaws?"

"In the past, Guan Yiwu was imprisoned in Lu yet yearned for Qi; Wu Zixu fled to Wu yet still thought of Chu. Even when their bodies were in dire straits, they still cherished their homeland. Now look at us — we have eaten the millet of the Great Liao and grown, we have been tempered by the winds and frosts of the northern lands and made strong. The felt tents and yurts have nurtured our bodies, the Hu Jia and Qiang flutes have forged our souls. Even if the policies from above are misguided, even if the beacon fires along the border never cease, we should still emulate the spirit of Jingwei carrying stones to fill the sea, and aspire to the feeling of the cuckoo weeping blood in longing for home."

"In the past, Duke Yi of Wei loved cranes and lost his state, yet his ministers and people still risked their lives to protect his carriage; King Huai of Chu believed slander and harmed his realm, yet Qu Yuan still cast himself into the river to make his loyalty clear. The weight of family and country — how could it rest on a single moment of rise or fall? We should show the loyalty of hounds and horses, exhaust the strength of our thighs and arms, and turn the perilous situation into peace. If, because of the ruler's faults, one harbors resentment, casting aside the ancestors' enterprise like a worn-out sandal — how would that differ from a faithless, ungrateful wretch?"

"The Great Liao is the root of us all, not the private domain of Your Majesty alone. Though we are women, we too should scheme for our homeland and protect our rivers and mountains. This is not blind loyalty — it is the heart of a true child, unchanging through all ages."

Xiao Sese listened to these words, was silent for a long while, then said: "Even with such a heart, how easy is it to speak of it? Now half of the Great Liao's rivers and mountains are already lost, and the trend of the Great Song's grand unification cannot be stopped. You and I are women, confined within these ninefold palace gates, nothing more than playthings of the Great Song Emperor — how could we possibly sway the great situation and rescue the Great Liao from fire and water?"

Having spoken, Xiao Sese's gaze passed through the window lattice, cast toward the deep and distant night sky, as if she wished to turn the helplessness and desolation in her heart into a void beyond the stars.

Seeing that Xiao Sese still held Liao in her heart, Yelu Nanxian smiled faintly and said: "You mentioned earlier that among the women in this rear palace, Han women make up only half. The rest are either Liao people, or Western Xia people, and some are from Qingtang Tubo and various small Western Regions kingdoms. Western Xia, Qingtang Tubo, and the Western Region kingdoms are all vassal states of our Great Liao. If we could make them obey our every command, even if we cannot stand as equals with that Empress Zheng, we could still make the Song Zhu think twice about looking down on us. When the Imperial Princes and Princesses we bear grow to adulthood and marry outward, why worry about being unable to influence the Great Song's court politics?"

There were some things Yelu Nanxian did not say to Xiao Sese.

She was not only a princess of Liao, but also the Empress of Western Xia — naturally the leader of the Hu Ren women in Zhao Yu's rear palace.

Becoming Empress — she too felt this was somewhat of a奢望, after all, Han dynasties truly had no precedent for a Hu Ren woman becoming Empress. If she wished to become Zhao Yu's Empress, the resistance she would face would certainly not be small.

But if she could truly control half of Zhao Yu's consorts, she would absolutely not only be able to summon wind and rain within Zhao Yu's rear palace. If the sons they bore Zhao Yu were to be greatly employed in the future, and the daughters they bore Zhao Yu were to marry into the households of high officials and noble families of the Zhao Song dynasty, then she would possess a political force within the Zhao Song dynasty that could not be underestimated.

By then, under her influence, Liao might receive even more庇护 — it was not certain.

It had to be said, Yelu Nanxian was not merely possessed of ambition — her设想 still had some basis.

However, Xiao Sese shook her head: "This place not only has countless beauties, but also lacks no lack of those with outstanding political talent —卧虎藏龙. Let alone Empress Zheng, whose nature is like a deep pool and a towering peak, whose heart is like a hollow valley concealing pearls. She serves the ancestral temples with filial piety, harmonizes the six palaces with sincerity, and manages the inner chambers with wisdom. Moreover, she has won the deep favor of the Great Song Emperor. What you scheme for will surely be hard to achieve."

Yelu Nanxian's brow furrowed slightly: "Empress Zheng is that formidable?"

Xiao Sese said: "She is virtuous and upright, her talent and strategy surpassing others. Within the rear palace, her influence is like a towering mountain holding up the heavens — her dignity arises of itself. Moreover, the Great Song Emperor has deeply recognized the harm done in past dynasties when favored concubines supplanted the wife. Any who covet the position of Empress or dare to overstep the line — regardless of rank or the depth of favor — once discovered, will surely be cast aside. Our stay or departure as consorts is decided by the ruler's heart and his likes and dislikes. Those without imperial favor — how could they remain here long? Therefore all the beauties of the six palaces know that the Empress's honored position is personally protected by the Son of Heaven, and none dare offend even slightly — they only take cautious self-discipline as essential."

Hearing Xiao Sese speak thus, on one hand Yelu Nanxian could not help feeling some envy that Zheng Xiansu could be so fortunate as to receive such deep favor and protection from Zhao Yu; on the other hand, having herself been Empress for more than half a year, she felt a deep empathy, and her favorable impression of Zhao Yu greatly increased.

Yelu Nanxian actually understood very clearly — because she was Hu Ren, even if Zheng Xiansu's position as Empress were not so secure, it still would not be her turn.

So Yelu Nanxian said: "Not obtaining the position of Empress does not hinder our schemes."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Sese still shook her head: "I have already said — in this rear palace there are many extraordinary women. There are Empress Zheng's sisters, daughters of prime ministers, daughters of great generals, and also the Five Consorts."

Speaking to this point, Xiao Sese once again thoroughly doused Yelu Nanxian with a basin of cold water: "Even if you wish to make our Great Liao women obey your commands and act accordingly, you cannot achieve it — only because they already have a leader."

Yelu Nanxian frowned and asked: "Who is she?"

Xiao Sese answered: "Xiao Puxian Nü…"

……

(End of this chapter)