Chapter 125 Why Not Kill
Han Zhao waved his sleeves and strode forward. The Liao cavalry that had been blocking Yelu Anduan's way retreated and gave way when they saw him. Yelu Anduan's heart immediately flared with anger as he watched this scene, and a sarcastic smile spread across his face.
He was too young, Duo Yueli's favorite child. The Saint Empress of Northern Liao, who had followed the emperor through thick and thin, even explicitly instructed the Crown Prince to cede the throne to her youngest brother. His mother's immense power and her numerous favoritism towards him only made Yelu Anton even more lawless and overbearing. The arrogance of the Liao nobility was fully embodied in him, and he considered the people of Tianshui nothing more than pigs and dogs standing on two legs.
"Oh, I know you." Yelu Anduan said slowly, "You're the dog the bastard brought back from Tianshui. What, are you going to bark in front of me?"
"Your Highness." Han Zhao ignored the provocative and insulting words and bowed to Yelu Anduan. He said calmly, "Xiang Yinsi accidentally suffered some minor injuries and has just taken medicine and rested. His Majesty ordered Your Highness to garrison the eastern border and be on standby. Your Highness suddenly rushed here, is there something important you want to discuss with Xian Yinsi?"
On the surface, he was asking why Yelu Anduan came to Xijin at this time, but in fact he was implying that he had left his post without permission and disobeyed the emperor's order.
Yelu Anduan couldn't help but understand the meaning behind Han Zhao's words. Indeed, according to the original plan of the Shangjing royal tent, he should have stayed in the eastern border at this moment, and waited for the death of the Bohai Crown Prince to seize the opportunity to challenge and attack Bohai.
"Prince Yan of Tianshui rebelled against his father and attacked us first. Given that, the small nation of Bohai should naturally let it go and settle the regrets of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun." Yelu Anduan sneered maliciously, "Minor injury? The one who injured him was the renowned Xingyi Sword of Tianshui. How could such a master only suffer minor injuries? I heard about the Tianshui surprise attack in the eastern border and hurried here. On the way, I heard that the first battle with Tianshui was lost. He's a complete loser, a disgrace to Northern Liao. He deserves my father's high regard."
"If he's dying, just go and rest in peace. I'm here in Bei Liao. There's no need for him to die and come back to life again, which is annoying."
This kid has a really bad mouth.
Han Zhaoyi bowed and said, "Your Highness, you are joking. Xianyinsi is resting in his room. If Your Highness has nothing important to do, please come back another day."
The smile that flickered on the corner of Yelu Anduan's mouth slowly withdrew, and he said in a cold voice: "You dare to stop me?" The Liao people behind him quickly drew their swords and looked at the Tianshui strategist in front of them who was highly trusted by Yelu Duhan with a bad face.
"I told you to get out, so just get out." A slightly deeper voice suddenly came from behind Han Zhao. Han Zhao paused slightly and turned his head to look behind him.
Yelu Duhan, who had been unconscious just now, walked out from the corner of the courtyard gate behind Han Zhao. He was wearing a robe, with slightly curly hair scattered behind him, like a volatile and aggressive warrior. His brows were furrowed, his expression sinister and violent. He stared at Yelu Anduan as he slowly approached and continued, "Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
He walked steadily, and except for his pale face, he showed no signs of serious injury. With his arrival, Han Zhao no longer had to hold his head high in front of the Little Overlord of Northern Liao.
Han Zhaosong breathed a sigh of relief and took two steps back, thinking that Yelu Duhan had woken up just in time.
When Yelu Anduan saw Yelu Duhan, hostility almost overflowed in his eyes. He glanced Yelu Duhan up and down and sneered, "What a pity! He's not dead."
Yelu Duhan survived a blow to the chest from Wen Yao, but he was definitely not feeling well. A sea of pain surged through his chest, and his forehead swelled like needles and thorns. The pain in his chest was nothing compared to the pain and resentment he'd felt the moment he opened his eyes. His mouth straightened as he said coldly, "Have you finished? If you've finished, get back to the East."
Hearing this, Yelu Anduan looked pleased. He glanced at a man beside him, who immediately stepped forward, not even bowing to Yelu Duhan. He held his head high and spoke loudly, "Your Highness, under the Empress's order, has come to Xijin with 100,000 palace guards and 200,000 elite cavalry to assist the Xianyin Division in the war!"
Upon hearing this, Yelu Duhan sneered.
By order of the Queen? It had been less than two days since Zhao Xuanxu led his men on the raid, and the pigeons to the capital were already flying so fast. Had the Queen's order arrived so quickly?
Yelu Anduan was a fool, eager for glory and success, and had already been resentful of the emperor handing over the southern front to him. Upon hearing that things had changed, he hurried over with his troops. Anyone could tell whether he was trying to help the situation or to suppress it and take credit for it.
Yelu Duhan said nothing. His eyes turned and his gaze fell on the man who spoke: "Who are you?"
The man's face grew even more arrogant as he said, "My name is Zhuo Bie, and I'm the commander of the Qunma Taibao Division." The Northern Liao cavalry's fame lay in their vast and powerful warhorses. The Qunma Taibao Division, which oversaw the warhorses in the eastern border, was a prestigious and lucrative position, and most of its members were Liao nobles.
Yelu Duhan nodded with an ambiguous expression, then looked at Agu, who had remained silent the entire time. He then smiled slightly, his face suddenly brightening as he said, "After Yelu Huishi's death, you unexpectedly worked under Yelu Anduan. Well, it's a promotion. I didn't have time to give you a gift before, but since you're here today, take a pot of good wine with you."
Listen to what he said, Xiangyinsi's mouth can really stab others in the heart.
Han Zhao couldn't help but looked up in the direction of Agu, and sure enough, he saw that this man, who had a deep relationship with Yelu Huishi, had murderous intent in his eyes, and he wanted to draw his knife and stab Xiang Yinsi.
After all, Yelu Huishi was Yelu Anduan's biological brother. Upon hearing this, Yelu Anduan couldn't help but look back at Agu. He quickly lost interest in the verbal battle and left without saying anything else. He glared at Agu and left with his men.
Han Zhao watched the group of people walk out in a mighty procession. Turning around, he watched in fear as Yelu Duhan suddenly raised his hand and pressed his chest. He was sweating profusely and leaned against the wall exhausted.
"grown ups!"
Yelu Duhan raised his hand to block the hand he was about to reach out to support him: "It's okay, call everyone to the study."
"You should have a good rest, sir." Han Zhao said earnestly: "Your health is the most important thing."
Yelu Duhan was filled with irritation and opened his mouth to yell, but suddenly his eyes froze, and the hand on Han Zhao's arm loosened, forcing him to straighten his back and stand up. Han Zhao was confused, thinking Yelu Anduan had come back to attack, but when he turned around, he saw Wen Yao's face close to him.
——!!
This shock was much greater than that of Yelu Anduan. He supported Yelu Duhan and struggled hard on whether to run away by himself or stand in front of Yelu Duhan.
"Your brother's temper is very similar to yours." Wen Yao lay on the eaves and watched for a long time, waiting for the people to leave before coming down. She landed on the ground as lightly as a feather without a sound, and walked over expressionlessly to watch as a drop of blood slowly flowed from Yelu Duhan's mouth.
She noticed Han Zhao's vigilance towards her, but ignored it and turned her gaze to Yelu Duhan. Surprisingly, she did not see any vigilance or fear in him.
Wen Yao was surprised. He held the Xingyi Sword in his arms and nodded, saying, "You don't look afraid of me killing you."
"Not afraid? Why not? When you attacked me yesterday, I thought I was going to die." Yelu Duhan's chest heaved, each breath carrying the thick, bloody scent. He opened his mouth and faced Wen Yao, unable to maintain his composure. The closeness and familiarity he had tried so hard to maintain had been shattered by Wen Yao's palm strike yesterday. He finally realized that some things could never be recovered.
Yelu Duhan's expression was very ugly, as if he was half crying and half laughing. "But I didn't. I also want to ask you, why didn't you kill me?"
Don't you love Zhao Xuanxu? Don't you always want to go back to him? Don't you want me? The Xingyi Sword can shatter huge rocks worth thousands of gold with one strike. If that's the case, why didn't you kill me yesterday?!
"I just had a dream." Yelu Duhan's Adam's apple rolled, and he pushed Han Zhao aside and took two steps toward Wen Yao. His heart was still beating wildly. Seeing Wen Yao's calm face, his flesh shrank, almost turning into a pool of water in the endless sourness. He recalled the dream that had just made him struggle to wake up with fear, and said slowly: "I dreamed that I came out of the village and followed you. You didn't look back at me, jumped into the woods and left without looking back. I was torn open and eaten by a wild bear."
The first thing the wild bear took out was his heart - it hurt so much, it felt like all the muscles were broken.
Wen Yao's eyelashes trembled, and he pursed his lips slightly. He said, "What's the point of telling me? I can't interpret dreams. Maybe you've done too many bad things and feel guilty. Okay, let's not talk about anything else. Yelu Duhan, you said before that you returned to Northern Liao for two reasons: the first was to avenge your mother, and the second was to become the emperor of Northern Liao."
"I didn't say anything at the time because it was your business and I had no right to stop you and express my opinion." Wen Yao stared at Yelu Duhan and said, "Now, I want to help you."
Her words were simply unbelievable after everything that had happened. Yelu Duhan frowned, unable to understand what Wen Yao meant. "What did you say?"
"You can go back to Bei Liao and be the emperor to avenge your revenge. But no matter whether they are the people of Tianshui or your people of Bei Liao, they are all innocent and should not die for anyone's grand ambitions and a century-old reputation." Wen Yao blinked, and the sad and ambiguous metallic melody of last night echoed in his ears.
She continued, "You've seen it too. Tianshui has been lingering in the Central Plains for a long time, and they're certainly powerful. I didn't kill you this time, but I might not kill you next time. Why bother? If you want prestige and want to eliminate dissidents, there's more to it than just going to war with Tianshui."
Yelu Duhan's brows were furrowed like a black bee's, and as if he sensed something, he clenched his hands hanging by his sides suddenly.
Wen Yao was incredibly calm. He dropped a sentence that boomed in his ears, "The Northern Liao Emperor still has three sons. As long as the Empress and the other two are dead, won't you be able to take the throne?"
All the power struggles and tribal factions required a living being. Death was a different story. With all the remaining parties competing, Yelu Duhan would surely not lose to anyone.
Han Zhao stared at Wen Yao, his mouth wide open, his expression lost. Yelu Duhan's face was extremely grim, and he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. He stared at Wen Yao and said hoarsely, "Wen Yao, your martial arts skills are indeed strong. But the old man Qianshan ranked ahead of you on the master list. When the two countries were at war, he once entered Shangjing with the intention of killing the emperor to stop the war, but was nearly killed by forty-eight masters in Shangjing. Do you think the people you killed were truly the top warriors of Northern Liao? Tianshui inherited the Jiang Dynasty, and their martial arts were scattered throughout the world. But Northern Liao is different. The masters of Northern Liao are all around the king's tent. If you went there, you would be in danger of death."
After he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, smiled miserably, and his eyes suddenly turned red: "Or are you willing to die for him?"
"For him? For whom? Zhao Xuanxu?" Wen Yao frowned: "What does it have to do with him?"
Her boyfriend is not an ordinary person like you. He doesn't care about Tianshui and Beiliao at all. He can ride away with her on a camel with just one word.
Wen Yao looked at Yelu Duhan's expression of complete incomprehension, smiled, and said sincerely, "You know, Tianshui is in a lot of trouble right now. I've promised many people to do something. So Tianshui can't be in chaos, and I don't have time to waste with you. It's not easy for you either. You fought with me to death, but in the end your whole family stabbed you, and your credit was taken away. Now I'm giving you a chance. As long as you promise me that after you become emperor, you will cease fighting with Tianshui and sign an alliance to restore a hundred years of friendship, then I will save you to the end, give you a hand, and send you to heaven."
This sounds like a big pancake with a sweet smell.
"No, that's not right." Han Zhao, who was listening nearby, shook his head, still unable to believe it. "If it's not for Zhao Xuanxu, then who is it for? Who is worth risking your life for?"
"Master Han, are you blind?" Wen Yao said with a flat smile, "We only fought one battle yesterday. Can't you see how many people died? I killed four people to stop the war. If there is a Nobel Prize, wouldn't it be awarded to me?"
She spoke incoherently, and Han Zhao didn't understand the last sentence. However, he understood the gist of it, and because he understood it, he became even more confused: "How can people be the same? Some lives are more important than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than straw. But the lives of a few tens of thousands of people—" But the lives of a few tens of thousands of people, how can they be compared to the lives of an emperor and empress? If all the political intrigues in the world were about killing each other, how absurd would that be!
Wen Yao was very perceptive and pointed at him, "Shut up. I'm powerful and can kill anyone I want. I'm also very angry right now. I'm annoyed just seeing you. Don't say anything that makes me unhappy. You won't agree today. If you don't agree, I'll kill you immediately, and then kill that guy just now, and then go to the King of Beijing's tent. The result will be the same. If you agree..."
She fished a bottle from her sleeve.
When they were about to leave, Wang Fu stood by and watched Bai Rang busily preparing things. The old man, looking for face, strolled away with his hands behind his back, then came over and handed Wen Yao a bottle of medicine. This medicine wasn't a quick-acting one; she hadn't brought it with her when she broke into the Xingqing Palace. It was left in Zhao Xuanxu's possession, and he had just found it today.
Wen Yao threw the medicine bottle into Yelu Duhan's hand and said coldly, "Take it. I will send you the antidote every year from now on. If you go back on your word and abandon your position as emperor and dare to send troops to war, then I will consider it a mistake for me to save you, and it was also a mistake for me to let you go yesterday. If you keep making the same mistake, I will definitely take your life away!"
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