Fu Song

Yeluxian went down the mountain safely.

The countless people who were hiding under the hill to the emperor's temporary camp also ran wildly after the emperor left, got on their horses not far away, and galloped away in their respective directions.

That night, the entire Xijin Mansion breathed a sigh of relief.

Because it is said that when the emperor went down the mountain, his steps were brisk and his face was happy.

Although this doesn't explain much, it can at least show that there will be no civil war in Daliao.

Civil war is a situation that no one wants to face.

It seems that the queen mother must have made some concessions, but to what extent, everyone does not know.

Everyone is admiring the Empress Dowager's skill and ability in governing the country and grasping the overall situation.

It seems that the big defeat on the front line will not have much impact on the domestic situation, and the past model will continue without too many changes.

For the vast majority of people, this is of course an excellent thing.

Now the faction in power and the profiteering faction in Daliao are naturally the Queen Mother's people, or those who are inclined to the Queen Mother, of course, including those opportunistic factions who saw the right time back then.

The next day, the emperor issued the first order to come to Xijin Mansion in the temporary camp.

An edict of guilt.

The emperor blamed himself for the failure of the Southern Expedition.

This made everyone more certain that in a contest between the emperor and the empress dowager, the empress dowager once again won an absolute victory.

This seems to be expected.

Dozens of copies of the Edict of Guilt were quickly copied, and then rushed to various places in Daliao.

It wasn't until the Edict of Guilt was issued that the emperor's temporary camp became lively.

On Nanjing Road, officials and gentry who were qualified to meet the emperor began to visit the emperor from head to tail.

But before that, they clearly knew that the emperor Xingyuan was outside the city of Xijin, but none of them dared to come to pay respects to the emperor.

Ye Luxian didn't seem to care at all about these people's arrogance and condescension, and he never refused to come. He cordially received all the officials who came to visit, spoke softly, recalled the past, talked about the future, and staged a scene where everyone was happy .

Three days later, the Empress Dowager issued an order.

Compared with the emperor's edict of guilt, which everyone took for granted, this edict of the Empress Dowager Cheng Tian was like a thunderbolt from the blue that exploded above everyone's heads.

The Empress Dowager decided to follow the example of the former emperor and follow the past to suppress the Quartet.

And the first stop turned out to be westward, and the purpose was not only the Xijing Road, nor the west to recruit envoys, but the distant Huacizimo who had just been conquered by Yelumin.

The Liao Kingdom has just suffered a big defeat. For the vast territory of Daliao, those careerists and rebels must think that the opportunity is coming, and they must jump out to make trouble. It is not surprising that it was suppressed to maintain the stability of Daliao.

But this destination is Huacizimo, which means something completely different.

This is clearly because the empress dowager lost a lot in the contest with the emperor, so she had to leave the west.

Once I leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back again.

No wonder the emperor is in such a good mood these days.

The Empress Dowager didn't say a word to return the power to the emperor, but in fact, she gave up all the power and handed over everything to the emperor.

The empress dowager returned the power completely in exchange for her right to travel west safely.

Everyone can't figure it out, why is this happening?

The Queen Mother has no reason to lose!
Another sleepless night.

Everyone was racking their brains to think whether they had said or done any inappropriate things when they met the emperor.

When the Empress Dowager was around, it was natural to have some words and some things.

But the queen mother is leaving, some words and some things, I'm afraid it's the root of the crime.

While many people are still confused and overwhelmed, some people are already thinking about how to choose.

For example, the Lu family, the head of the Han family on Nanjing Road.

After Xiao Chuo came to power, he received the full support of the Han family headed by the Lu family.

Most of these Han families are located in the Youyan area, on Nanjing Road. They have extraordinary financial resources and a certain amount of military power. In terms of politics, they seem to be able to compete with the nation, but in fact, they really touch the core rights of the nation. The Han people are really limited.

Even if there were, they were noble scholars like Lin Jing.

And a wealthy and powerful tycoon like the Lu family will always be the object of prevention from the top and bottom of the Liao Kingdom.

With the arrival of Xiao Chuo, the Lu family was truly reused, and thus jumped from the second-rate political power in the Liao Kingdom to the top group in one fell swoop.

Xiao Chuo is their nobleman and their benefactor.

But now, it's time for them to make a choice.

The last time they chose Xiao Chuo, the Lu family jumped to a higher level.

So what about this time?

All the heavyweights of the Lu family, except Lu Ben'an, who is still serving as the governor of Goryeo, were present.

It's already dawn.

Someone opened the thick curtains, the sun shone in, and the lights in the room suddenly dimmed. Everyone's faces showed tired expressions.

Because not only the body is tired, but the heart is even more tired.

It looks like their discussions have come to fruition.

Lu Benxi stood up indignantly and walked to the center of the lobby.

"Patriarch!" He bowed to Lu Jian, glanced at everyone in the room, and said loudly: "My Lu family has offended too many people in order to support the Queen Mother over the years. Powerful strength, but without the support of the imperial power, these strengths, like the moon in the water and the flowers in the environment, may collapse at any time. Can people like Yelu Longxu let us go? Only by following the Queen Mother The only way to preserve our Lu family! Otherwise, in the future, we will either be destroyed by the court of the Liao Kingdom, or by the Northern Expedition Song Army!"

"Our roots are all on Nanjing Road, all in the Youyan area. If we leave here, we are rootless duckweeds. What else can we have?" An old man stood up and retorted him: "The current emperor is not a fool. If he wants peace in the Youyan area, he must rely on our strength. What's more, now that your elder brother has gained a firm foothold in Korea, we will be his most important handles in stabilizing Daliao one."

"That's right, the Empress Dowager is clearly exiled by the emperor now, Huacizimo, what a remote place of bitter cold, the Lu family has been operating in the land of Youyan for hundreds of years, how can I just give up!" Someone stood up to support the old man.

Lu Benxi sighed: "Yelumin's westward expedition was before the Great Liaonan expedition. It can be seen that the queen mother was planning to go westward at that time. If the queen mother's westward journey today is the result of a failed struggle with the emperor, I don't believe it at all. No matter how you look at it, the Empress Dowager has no reason to lose. I just guess that the reason why the Empress Dowager went west is because there is a better future in the west, which is better than staying in Daliao."

"It's really a joke. It's good at home, but it's difficult to go out! Are you going to let the whole Lu family travel thousands of miles, but bet on an unknown future?"

No one in the room supported Lu Benxi.

He nodded and said: "Okay, since everyone has already made a decision, I won't say any more, but patriarch, I will go west with the queen mother. The second room will follow me."

"No!" Someone said sharply, "Your departure will make it appear that our Lu family is still disconnected from the Empress Dowager, and this will really give the emperor a reason to liquidate us."

"The second room broke the door and became a monk!" Lu Benxi said coldly: "From now on, we have no connection with the Lu family in Youzhou. From now on, whether we live or die is our own destiny."

"Lu Benxi, do you want to betray your family?" Countless people in the room jumped up.

The second room is the wealthiest family in the Lu family.

The long house is the most prominent one in terms of politics, and the second house is the richest one in terms of economy.

If they really wanted to leave, it would be like breaking one of Lu Shi's wings.

"Okay, don't fight anymore!" Lu Jian stood up, took a step back and forth in the room, suddenly stood firm, and said in a deep voice: "The second room is going to go, next, take the business in your hand, Stores, caravans, etc., are handed over to the third, fourth, and fifth houses respectively. You can only take away the things that belong to your second house. In the future, whether you live or die, it has nothing to do with the Lu family in Youzhou. The Lu family in Youzhou will remove you from the family tree. Clear above!"

Lu Benxi took a deep breath, saluted Lu Jian again, turned around and strode out.

When he reappeared in front of everyone in Xijin Mansion, he had already become one of the deputy chief managers of the Empress Dowager's Westward Journey to Nabo.

The position is only under Sun Chun, and it is at the top of a dozen deputy managers.

In the days that followed, this sub-trend began to spread from Nanjing Road to other places. Some people were willing to stay behind, and some people wanted to follow.

Those who want to follow are not only the Han people, but also the Liao people and other ethnic groups. For various reasons and purposes, these people choose to follow the Queen Mother westward passively or actively.

Even knowing that there will never be a chance to return to the old place.

For example, Xiao Ruoshui among the Liao people knew that there would be no good end for him if he stayed, so he could only hug the queen mother's thigh wholeheartedly.

The queen mother only gave a few words to those who were willing to follow her on the journey westward.

"Since you have chosen to follow me, I will give you a brilliant life that you will never regret. When you are gray-haired, recall the present time, and you can proudly say to your children and grandchildren that this It is the most correct choice you have made in your life!"

The Empress Dowager was still stationed on the hill outside Xijin Mansion, and the Ten Thousand Shan troops did not move.

But the westward team has already started to set off in an endless stream.

Every day on the side of the road, there are relatives and friends who wave goodbye with tears. This wave of hands means that we will never see each other again in a lifetime. How can it not make people feel sad!
And on the vast prairie, a sturdy cavalry is coming towards the direction of Xijin Mansion. The leader is Zheng Mingyong.

The guy who once took killing Yelumin as his own mission has now become the most valiant general under Yelumin's command on the road to the west.

This time, he was ordered to go to Xijin Mansion to meet Empress Dowager Chengtian---Xiao Chuo.