Yanyuntai·One

Chapter 1
The vast prairie stretches as far as the eye can see, flocks of sheep are like clouds, and galloping horses.The fragrant grass is dotted with star-like wild flowers.In the large birch forest, there are specks of golden light leaking from the layers of branches and leaves.The beautiful river flows quietly like a jade belt.Cattle, horses, and sheep are scattered freely on the grassland, and the rough singing and clear whip sound of the shepherds add infinite vitality to the grassland.

Here lives an ancient nation - the Khitan.

The original meaning of Khitan is "镔铁", which symbolizes the iron-like tenacious will of the Khitan people. This is a strong and brave nation.As early as more than 400 years ago, Khitan, as an ethnic group in northern China, had already appeared in the "Book of Wei".They are strong and strong, brave and good at fighting.In 916 AD, Liao Taizu Yelu Abaoji unified the Khitan tribes and established the Khitan Kingdom. Liao Taizong Yelu Deguang changed the name of the country to Daliao in 947.

From the far south, the military report is quickly entering Shangjing through the relay of messengers.

The military newspaper was sent to Shangjing and the imperial palace. Xiao Siwen, who was staying behind in Nanjing in the cabinet, was shocked when he received it, and quickly submitted it to Yeluruan, Emperor Shizong of Liao Dynasty.

Although Xiao Siwen was only about thirty, he was born in the second family of the Shenmi clan, who was already a small Weng tent. He was the nephew of Shuluping, the empress of the Taizu, and married Yelulu Bugu, the daughter of Taizong's daughter Yan Guo. Among the relatives and nobles of the core power class, he belonged to the camp that preferred Sinology, and had similar interests with Liao Shizong who wanted to promote Sinicization reform, so he was assigned to stay in this important position in Nanjing.

"My lord is overjoyed. The Southern Army reported that Guo Wei killed Han Emperor Liu Chengyou and established himself as Zhou. Hedong Jiedu envoy Liu Chong escaped. He wanted to kill the usurper, but he was alone. thief."

Shizong clapped his hands and smiled after hearing the report: "Okay, this is the opportunity for me to go south with my master, and I will help to seek rebellion. The teacher is famous."

But one person said: "My lord, the situation in the south is not stable, you might as well wait and see how it changes."

Xiao Siwen looked at it, but it was Yelu Wuzhi, the King of the North Courtyard. Knowing his important status, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the opportunity is not to be missed, and the time will never come again. If he hesitates and repeats, if Guo Wei stays in the country, or Liu Chong If reinforcements are not available and we lose the battle with Guo Wei, we will be out of the blue."

Wu Zhi shook his head: "My lord, I'm afraid that my Daliao trouble is not outside, but inside." Shizong's heart trembled, looking at Wu Zhi, he understood what the other party meant, and couldn't help but fell into deep thought.

Yeluruan's father, Yelubei, was the eldest son of Taizu, and he was established as the prince early.But Yeluruan's throne was not inherited from his father.Taizu Yelu Abaoji had a deep attachment to Sinology in his later years, and the prince Yelu was deeply influenced by him and devoted himself to promoting Sinicization.

At that time, the Liao Kingdom had not been established for a long time, and the chiefs of various tribes were still powerful.After Abaoji's death, his queen Shuluping gathered a group of important family officials who opposed Sinicization, abolished the elders and established the younger ones, and jointly elected Abaoji's second son, Yelu Deguang, as Liao Taizong.Prince Yelubei lost his throne in this way, and then he was squeezed out so that it was difficult to gain a foothold in the country. He abandoned his wife and son in a rage, left Tang Dynasty, and died tragically in a foreign country.

Not long after Yelu Deguang succeeded to the throne, he took advantage of Shi Jingtang's ambition to become emperor in the later Tang Dynasty and obtained Youyun Sixteen Prefectures.Swallowing such a large territory of the Han people in one bite, and wanting to stabilize the territory, forced him to further promote the Han system, but at the same time, he had to take into account the power of the original Khitan tribe.So Yelu Deguang established a north-south official system with unique Khitan characteristics. The northern officials used the old Khitan system to govern the Khitan people, and the southern officials used the Han system to govern the Han people.

With the acquisition of Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, the national power of Khitan flourished day by day. Yelu Deguang led his army to the south, entered Bianliang City and proclaimed himself emperor, and changed the name of Khitan to Daliao.However, too radical political ambitions led to a backlash. The Liao state system and national strength at that time could not control so many territories. Yelu Deguang finally abandoned Bianliang and retreated northward, and died in the army.

After Taizong's death, the Empress Dowager Shulu wanted her youngest son Yelu Lihu to succeed her.Li Hu had a deeper connection with the old ministry, and the important ministers who had benefited from Liao Taizong's implementation of Sinicization were unwilling to support him.When the Southern Expedition Army of the Liao Kingdom returned north with Taizong's coffin, they received the news that Li Hu was about to succeed to the throne. Yeluruan, the son of Yelubei, took the opportunity to contact important ministers to stand on his own in the army, and led the troops from the Southern Expedition back to Beijing to fight against the Empress Dowager Shulu. bit battle.The grandparents and grandchildren were at loggerheads, and finally Yelu Ruan took the throne with the help of Yelu Wuzhi.

After the founding of Khitan, there were two battles for the throne, the tribal and sinicized forces each won one, the winner was certainly consolidating the victory, but the loser was also lurking, ready to move.

Therefore, Yelu Wuzhi's words are quite weighty, and they are even more mature words for seeking the country.

Sejongsu respected the quality of the house very much. After hearing this, he exchanged glances with Xiao Siwen, finally spread out the map, and after thinking about it for a long time, he raised his head and said, "Roof quality, I know what you mean. Since Taizu Jianguo, Taizong said Since the beginning of the emperor, the tribe has always been unstable. But as long as we expand the territory, make contributions, and bring benefits to more tribesmen, even if some people will not accept it, why should we be afraid?"

Xiao Siwen also nodded: "When Taizu built Seoul, there was a rebellion among the younger brothers; Taizong took over the south, and the Empress Dowager Shulu objected. But in the end the facts proved that they did the right thing. Even if there are tribes who object, as long as we persist, we will wait until we receive it. After the results are achieved, the opposing tribes will naturally be silent."

Sejong hit the case: "Exactly."

The two monarchs and ministers talked speculatively, so they spread out the map and looked at it.

There was a worried look on the roof, and he wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Shizong and Xiao Siwen talking enthusiastically, he immediately called several confidant ministers to discuss, so he had to put up with it.

King Sejong and his ministers kept talking until dusk, and when the plan was initially decided, Sejong announced that Yelucha, the king of Taining, who was in charge of the guard, would come in and order him to order all the troops and horses to gather at the foot of Muye Mountain and offer sacrifices to the ancestors of heaven and earth with green cattle and white horses. , That is, go south to conquer Guo Wei.

Chagao was ordered to prepare for the Southern Expedition. Shizong went to see the Queen Mother and said something. After coming out, it was dark, so he took the military report and went back to the harem to discuss with Queen Zhen.

Empress Zhen was hugging the three-year-old little prince but didn't say a word. Seeing Shizong coming, she handed him over to the wet nurse and greeted him with a smile, but smelling the strong scent of incense on his body, she said with a smile: "My lord But from the queen mother?"

Since Sejong ascended the throne, his life has been heavily sinicized, and all the concubines in the palace cater to his preferences.Now only in the Empress Dowager's palace can there be such a strong smell of ghee, Tibetan incense and yak dung mixed and burned. Every time I go there, the smell is extremely heavy.

Empress Zhen Aijie has a very sensitive nose, never incense in the house, only put some flowers and fruits to smell the fragrance.Shizong went to other places and came back, he must change his clothes and hat, and he entered the house after the smell, but today he had a conversation with the Queen Mother, which was quite unpleasant, so he was in a trance, and forgot for a moment, he hurriedly said with a smile: "I'm going to change my clothes. "After he changed his clothes before coming in, Zhen's table was replaced with a plate of grapefruit, and the nurse had already quietly carried the little prince out.

This is the rule established by Empress Zhen, if the emperor comes in to discuss something, except for a few maids who are close to him, everyone else must leave.

Zhen Hou read the military report brought by Bi Shizong, and said with a smile: "Congratulations, my lord, this is an excellent opportunity. Taizong's last wish in the past can now be fulfilled!"

Emperor Taizong Yelude entered Bianliang, Tokyo, ascended to the palace and proclaimed himself emperor, and changed the name of the country from "Khitan" to "Liao". It was originally intended to be the foundation of the eternal life, but the management was short of manpower, unable to restrain his subordinates from plundering the people, so that the emperor's dream only lasted for a few months. , was forced to withdraw from Bianliang, and died of illness on the way back to Beijing.

Thinking of the past, Sejong couldn't help feeling: "We won too quickly that day, and we didn't keep our achievements. This time..."

Empress Zhen remonstrated: "My lord should remember Taizong's last words. When entering the land of the Han family, you should have a heart-to-heart relationship with the people of the Han family, and coordinate with the military situation of your subordinates. Don't mess around. You must be kind to comfort the people and stabilize the hearts of the people."

Shizong held Queen Zhen's hand and sighed: "The most fortunate thing for me that day was that I was able to enter Bianliang with the late emperor, and because of this, I was able to know you." After hearing this, Queen Zhen smiled shyly.Sejong looked at Empress Zhen, the two had been married for many years, but she smiled as if she had just seen her for the first time.

When Yelubei abandoned the country and left home, Sejong was only 13 years old, and he didn't understand many things.The conflict between Yelubei and Empress Dowager Shulu arose because of the admiration of Sinology. Under the tent of Empress Shulu, naturally no one dared not open their eyes to show Sejong the books on Sinology.He just rode horses and hunted in such a daze, and followed Taizong to the battlefield, fighting desperately, full of spirits.

That day, after their conquest, Jin Shi Chonggui rushed into the Bianliang Palace and killed them wantonly.The inner eunuch cried and fled, in a mess, but when they arrived at a palace courtyard, the gate was wide open, and a maid in charge led the inner eunuch to stand in line, clean up and orderly, seeing him come in with soldiers, not only did not Crying and escaping, but saluting in unison, those murderous generals were stunned. For a moment, they lowered their knives and stopped their feet. They didn't even dare to take a breath, and they all watched him do it in unison. Decide.

Yeluruan was also stunned, but he didn't want to lose face in front of his subordinates, so he had to bite the bullet and stepped forward, asking: "Who are you? What do you want to lead people to stand here?"

The woman's appearance is not stunning, but there is an indescribable elegance in her gestures.She saluted first, then smiled and said, "My lord, this is the library in the palace. We are just slaves and servants. The country has changed hands, and all the children of wealth and silk are not up to us to decide, so there is no need to run away, and we dare not hide it. We wait In fact, you don’t need to fight with swords and guns, you can obey your orders. Your lord, no matter who is the master in this court, he needs servants to serve him, but please don’t hurt us poor people, if there is anything, just order.”

Yeluruan had never encountered such a thing before, and her mind went blank.

Crying and shouting outside, but here is a quiet place, I just feel as if I am in an extremely absurd place.Looking at the inner eunuchs, they seemed to trust this maid extremely. Although they were pale with fright when standing behind her, they never panicked and lost their sense of control.It was this elegance, nobility and composure that frightened the beast-like soldiers under him and did not dare to act rashly.

Obviously he was the conqueror, but Yeluruan stood in front of this woman, saw that her dress was spotless and her nose seemed to smell the faint fragrance of orchids, and suddenly felt that she was covered in blood and dust, and was extremely embarrassed.He turned his head and yelled angrily, stopped the buzzing subordinates, tried to put on airs, and said: "In this case, leave a few people here to watch over us, let's search elsewhere." After finishing speaking, he turned around and was about to flee .

Unexpectedly, when the woman heard his subordinates answering "Yongkang King", she suddenly stopped him: "So the nobleman is Yongkang King."

Yeluruan was stunned, turned her head and asked, "Do you recognize me?"

The woman looked at his face and bowed lightly: "No wonder the nobleman looks familiar. This servant used to be a member of the Later Tang Palace. She once served the King of Dongdan and heard the King of Dongdan often mentioning you, my lord..." She pointed lightly. The library, "The library in the palace still has the poems and relics left by King Dongdan in the past, which can be handed over to the prince."

When Yeluruan was 13 years old, his father left the country and left his hometown. He didn't have many days to spend with his father.Unexpectedly, 17 years later, in the far south, when he heard about his father's past and knew that there was a relic of his father, he immediately felt close to the woman in front of him.

Then the maid Zhen led him into the palace, served him tea, showed him the manuscript and suicide note of King Dongdan, and whispered some old things about King Dongdan back then.

During this pleasant and harmonious conversation, the back door of the palace courtyard guarded by his personal soldiers was quietly opened, and it became a refuge for many palace maids and inner eunuchs.After tasting tea and discussing poetry for an hour, he heard the sound of arguing in the backyard.Turning his head to look, he found that the inner eunuch of Gong'e had already kneeled all over the courtyard.

At Zhen's request, he waved his soldiers and generals to withdraw from the palace, leaving only a small number of people under the guidance of Zhen's to complete the receipt of property and personnel registration in the Later Jin Palace in an orderly manner, until Taizong Yelu Deguang came to Bianjing , settled in the palace, and saw that he took care of it very well, so he simply handed over all the affairs of the palace to him.

Later, Emperor Taizong ascended the throne here as the emperor, added a dragon robe, changed the country's name, and established the ritual system. After going through the process, it turned out that the utensils were complete and the procedures were clear.Taizong was overjoyed, praised him greatly, and entrusted him with more important tasks.

A long time later, the Zhen family gave birth to a son for him. When talking about the past, Yeluruan realized that the Zhen family had never served the King of Dongdan, and the so-called "he was often mentioned by the King of Dongdan" was even more false.This cunning woman just heard some old stories about the King of Eastern Dan, and she went to the warehouse to sort out the relics and works of the King of Eastern Dan scattered in the palace in advance, and then acted accordingly to deal with them, the Khitan generals who invaded the palace.

From the late Tang Dynasty to the late Jin Dynasty, she was very familiar in the palace. After several times of changing dynasties and changing emperors, she was promoted step by step to be in charge of the female history, which convinced most of the court eunuchs.So after the army invaded, she reassured everyone not to panic, obeying her orders, and sure enough, the slaves in the palace were safe.

Yeluruan, who lost his father when he was young, brought her with him at first because he wanted to hear more about his late father's past, but as he talked and got along with her again and again, he gradually felt that he couldn't do without her.

At first, he just regarded her as an ordinary servant girl, but listening to her talking about the old news of the later Tang Dynasty and the later Jin Dynasty, and commenting on the stories of the emperors she had seen and heard, seemed to open a door to his heart.Outside the gate, there is no hunting in the grassland, but there is the power of the dynasty; there is no saber rampant, but there is a strategy of how to conquer people's hearts.He couldn't help telling her about the past, difficulties and confusion, and his knots were slowly resolved in her gentle and wise words, and his understanding of himself and his concept of the court situation became clearer and clearer.

Zhen's gradually became an indispensable existence around him.

It was because of Zhen's suggestion that everything went smoothly for him in the days when Emperor Taizong proclaimed himself emperor in Bianliang City, and he received more appointments and reliance.Until Taizong died of illness and the generals wanted to help Lingnan return, it was also because of Zhen's encouragement that he had the determination to proclaim himself emperor. He raised troops to confront the empress dowager Shulu, his grandmother who had been extremely feared for many years.

Therefore, after ascending to the throne, he ignored the objections of his officials and insisted on making Zhen's queen.He simply laughed off those comments from the government and the opposition.Zhen Shi is over forty years old, so what if he is 13 years older than him?So what if she is a Han woman and offends the descendants?
Only the Zhen family has the wisdom and talent of the mother of a country.

Zhen moved the objects on the transfer table, put on the map, and slowly discussed with Sejong the marching route, the distribution of tribesmen, food and supplies, but Sejong couldn't help but think of what he had just discussed with the Queen Mother.

When he talked about the Southern Expedition and going to Muye Mountain to worship the temple, the queen mother changed her face, saying that this time to sacrifice to the ancestral temple, she can only bring Xiao Sage, another queen of Shizong, with her.All the empresses of the Liao Dynasty came from the descendant Xiao family, but after Sejong succeeded to the throne, he appointed the later Jin court lady Zhen family as the queen, which greatly violated the ancestral system.In addition, Sejong's promotion of Sinicization has hurt the interests of many Khitan nobles, and even made people point their resentment at Empress Zhen, a woman of the Han family.Later, because of empress Zhen's persuasion, he had no choice but to make the Yuan concubine Sage only as the queen, and the two queens stood side by side.

After hearing what the queen mother said, Shizong hurriedly said: "Sage just gave birth, how can I ask her to go out?"

The queen mother also knew what he meant, and said with a sneer: "We Khitan women grow on horseback, even if they just gave birth and moved with the horse team to nomad, it is not a problem, let alone Sage only gave birth for more than a month. ..."

"Didn't Sage stay at home in all the expeditions?"

The queen mother was even more enraged when she heard the words, and scolded: "That's why you didn't take her out..."

Seeing that the queen mother was angry, Shizong sighed helplessly: "Queen mother, why are you falling in love again?"

The Empress Dowager only felt heartbroken, and couldn't hold back her emotions any longer, sobbing: "Longevity is God, if there was no Sage in the Empress Dowager Shulu's tent, I would only fight for my mother and son, and fight for you to set up the tent and divide the army, so that you can have more peace." Opportunity to fight with the army and cultivate influence, you and my mother and son have died long ago, how can you have your throne today?"

Sejong was speechless. Back then, his father, Emperor Yelubei, had turned against the Empress Dowager Shulu. After he left his wife and children and left, he left a poem before Tang Dynasty: "The small mountain crushes the big mountain, and the big mountain is powerless. I am ashamed to see the people in my hometown, and I will go to foreign countries from then on." The Empress Dowager Shulu was furious, and all her anger was poured on Yelu Ruan's mother and son. The life of the mother and their brothers in the tent of the Empress Dowager Shulu was very difficult.

Fortunately, young people in the prairie grow up fast, and Yeluruan married Sagezhi, the fiancée appointed by Abaoji when he was still alive, at the age of 13.Sage is just the daughter of the Empress Dowager Shulu's younger brother, she has been doted on by the Empress Dowager Shulu since she was a child, and with her working in front of the Empress Dowager Shulu, the life of Yeluruan mother and son is a bit easier.

Although Taizong Deguang took the elder brother's position, he also felt guilty. He took Yeluruan with him when he was 14 years old, and soon he divided his troops and set up an account. With power, Yeluruan had the capital to fight for the throne later.He knew that his mother's complaints were not only out of anger for Sage, but also because of Sage's experience, which made her feel the same.The relationship between the Empress Dowager and Yelubei is not the relationship between Sage and him only?
Sa Gezhi, she is a good woman, a good daughter-in-law, a good wife, a good mother, and also his benefactor, but that's all.

He has lived for more than 20 years. Ever since his father left, he has been muddling along under the tent of the Empress Dowager Shulu.Ever since he met Ah Zhen, he realized that the world can be so vast, and people’s hearts can pursue infinity. He knew how the virtuous kings and lords of the past dynasties went from having nothing to owning the world. Freedom and dignity, they will become the subjects of the emperor, and they can also create a dynasty like the Han and Tang Dynasties that has been passed down from generation to generation.

"Since I was young, the imperial grandmother has been pressing us down like a mountain. Whether you or Sa Gezhi, I think it is enough to let me get a way out through her fingers. Even if I can divide my troops and set up accounts, even if I You can develop power, but do you know that if I hadn’t met Ah Zhen, then I wouldn’t be who I am now...then in my life, I can only be a clan of the Liao Kingdom, not the current emperor of the Liao Kingdom.” Sejong said , he didn't want to explain to the queen mother, but at this moment, in such a conversation, he slowly sorted out his thoughts.

"You like Mrs. Zhen, make her a queen, and announce it to the world. I don't care about these things, whoever teaches you to be an emperor, you can do whatever you want! But I just insist on one point, and I will go to the ancestral temple with me to pay homage to my ancestors. It can only be Sage. Back then, Emperor Taizu had an appointment with the descendant Xiao family, and the queen could only come from the third family of the descendant."

Shizong had no choice but to ask in a low voice: "Shi Zhen, is it true that you can't enter the ancestral temple?"

The queen mother said coldly: "With me here, I can't!"

Shizong sighed and stood up: "Mother, Rong Erchen will leave first."

But the queen mother suddenly called him: "Wuyu, you are the emperor now, and you can't listen to my old mother's words about some things. I don't understand what you said to me, just like I didn't understand your father back then." What you say is average. But your father’s lesson is the first, you have to remember to me that a person cannot fight against the ideas of the majority of people around him. You know how many tribes will be hurt by the New Deal you are promoting now Is it? Your father lost the throne and his life because of his over-admiration of Sinology, and everything you believe in and like now is too far away from everyone, and will eventually make you follow your father's path."

Sejong didn't take it seriously at the time, but for some reason, after he left, these words kept haunting him, making him uneasy.

"My lord, my lord." Seeing that he was talking, Zhen Hou suddenly lost his mind and stopped hurriedly. After waiting for a long time, Shizong still didn't come back to his senses, so he could only whisper a few times.

Sejong came back to his senses and said with a smile, "What did you say?"

Empress Zhen was a little worried: "What is the Lord thinking?"

Sejong looked at his wife in front of him, his heart became hot, he put his anxiety behind him, and held Queen Zhen's hand: "It's nothing." He wanted to tell Queen Zhen about the Queen Mother's decision, but he didn't say anything after all. When I came out, I thought to myself that there were still a few days left for the Southern Expedition, so let's wait for tomorrow.

It's just that tomorrow after tomorrow, there are so many tomorrows, and when everything is packed, Sejong still can't find a chance to speak out.

Notes:

[1] In the first year of Tianxian (926), Khitan destroyed Bohai Sea, changed Bohai Sea to Dongdan Kingdom, and crowned the crown prince, Yelubei, as Renhuangwang and Dongdan King.

(End of this chapter)