Han Jianming didn't conceal the reason why they had to deal with the Qiao family. As long as someone asked him, he would just tell them about it. So this matter spread out quickly, along with speculation made by Momo Gui that day.
After Qingyang Gongzhu got the news, she had someone called Heshou Xianzhu over. "On the night of the palace rebellion, bandits had sneaked into the Han family backyard with intentions to commit murders and arsons. Did you pay off these people?"
A touch of panic flashed across Heshou Xianzhu's face, but she was still mentally sound. Thus, she immediately denied the allegations, "It wasn't me. I didn't do such a thing. The Han family has no grudge against me, so why would I do that kind of thing?"
No one knew a child better than the child's mother. Just by seeing Heshou Xianzhu acted like this, in what way it was enough for Qingyang Gongzhu to accept. In a moment of anger, Qingyang Gongzhu swung down her palm on Heshou Xianzhu's face, and five-fingered marks immediately appeared on her skin. "Even at this time, you're still not going to tell me the truth?"
Heshou Xianzhu was filled with resentment and questioned, "Mother, why would you rather trust outsiders than your own daughter?"
Qingyang Gongzhu was so angry that her blue veins started to pop out. "If the people of the Han family don't have enough evidence, will they continue to bite the Qiao family like a mad dog? Did I just trust you too much that you decided to ignore law and heaven by daring to do such a thing?"
Heshou Xianzhu had a moment of humbleness, but soon she tilted her head up and said, "Mother, I really don't know why the Han family has become this crazy. The most important thing for us right now is finding a way to save Gege."
Qingyang Gongzhu pointed to Heshou's head and asked, "Don't change the subject for me. Say, why do you do such a thing?"
Heshou Xianzhu would rather die than admit it. There was no way she was going to confess. Could she just say that Yuxi was a filthy creature? In that case, wouldn't it imply that she was the same too? [T/N]
Qingyang Gongzhu was so angry till her heart hurt so much. "Was it just like what was said outside where you had predicted that Han Yuchen would be harmful to you, so you want to kill her just to silence her?" It was true that Yuchen was the embodiment of beauty and wisdom. Therefore, Qingyang Gongzhu could sum up everything in this way.
Heshou Xianzhu was taken aback for a moment but quickly denied it, "There's no such thing. Mother, this matter truly has nothing to do with me."
Qingyang Gongzhu didn't bother to pursue it anymore and only said, "I only hope that you certainly didn't do this kind of thing. Otherwise, the whole Qiao family will be implicated because of you."
Heshou Xianzhu felt that her mother was saying these frightening words just to scare her. "Mother, there's no need for us to be afraid of the Han family." The capacity and accomplishment of the Han family had long been just a mere skeleton, and now it was merely attractive on the surface.
Qingyang Gongzhu warned her, "The Han family might not be terrifying, but if this matter is actually your doing, there's nothing good that can come out of this. Heshou, if this matter is your doing, not only will the Qiao family be destroyed, but you will also not going to eat any good fruit from this."
Heshou obviously did not realise the seriousness of this matter. If the Han family and the Qiao family were only having a personal feud, it was only the rivalry between the two families, and no one else could interfere. With Qingyang Gongzhu's status, it was not a problem to protect the Qiao family. If what the Han family said was true that Heshou Xianzhu did it because she predicted Han Yuchen would threaten her future, it would cause everyone in danger. Common people in the capital today thought that she could murder and bring arson to the Han family just because she had foreseen that Han Yuchen would be a threat to her in the future. Whether she would use the same means to deal with them tomorrow, there was no way everyone would look on with folded arms in their sleeves under this circumstance.
Just as Qingyang Gongzhu had feared, many people had some misgivings about Heshou Xianzhu in their hearts after this incident spread.
Upon hearing this rumour, Yu Xiyu immediately went to her mother and asked, "Mother, are the rumours I heard from the outside really true?"
First Lady Yu said with a smile, "How can the rumours be true?" She thought this rumour was somewhat funny instead. What did they mean by Heshou Xianzhu bribing the bandits to commit murder and arson to the Han family on the night of the palace rebellion because she knew Han Yuchen would be a threat to her? Whether Heshou Xianzhu had the ability or not, as a girl in the boudoir, she wouldn't do such a thing.
Yu Xiyu had a troubled look on her face, "Mother, can you ask Father to check on this matter to confirm the truth of the rumours outside?" [+]
When she caught sight of her daughter's look, First Lady Yu also restrained her smiling expression and asked, "What's going on? Is there anything wrong?"
Yu Xiyu explained, "Mother, previously, Heshou Xianzhu used to act standoffish whenever she saw me. However, when I met her in Kang Wang Mansion in the second lunar month last year, her eyes were full of jealousy and hatred as she looked at me. "
First Lady Yu was startled. "Are you sure?"
Yu Xiyu nodded and continued, "Mother, the expression in Heshou Xianzhu's eyes were so terrible at that time that I won't be able to forget it. For more than a year, every time I remember it, my heart will be alarmed, and I'll tremble in fear. I don't have a grudge against her. So I don't know why she has been looking at me like that." It was also because the impression was too deep that Yu Xiyu had become very wary of Heshou Xianzhu. Even if Heshou Xianzhu wanted to get close to her again, she would always hold an attitude of not offending her, but she would also not get close with her.
As the saying went, just let things drift if they did not affect their family personally. Thus, First Lady Yu could only treat it as if she was just listening to gossip. But if this matter was related to her daughter, then she must be extra cautious. "Okay. When your father comes back, I'll have him look into this matter."
Yu Xiyu was actually rather afraid of Heshou Xianzhu. Not for the reason that she was originally timid, but rather Heshou Xianzhu was too evil. "Mother, if the rumours outside are true, we can't just fold our hands and wait for death." She couldn't let Heshou Xianzhu commit murder and arson in her own home.
Old Lord Yu was an experienced Imperial Court cabinet member of the current dynasty. Hence his sense of smell was unusually keen. When he felt that there would be unrest, the Yu family became extremely heavily guarded during that time. That night, the bandits arrived at the front gate of their house, and they fought the bandits off in less than a quarter of an hour. However, two minor bandits did manage to sneak in, but they were quickly caught. Despite that, the Yu family didn't take much notice of this single matter.
That night, First Lady Yu told First Lord Yu about this. Ergo, the expression on First Lord Yu's face changed. "She didn't misunderstand?" [+]
First Lady Yu shook her head, "No matter how prudent you are, you still don't know that child, Xiyu. If she hadn't heard the rumours outside this time, she wouldn't have told me about it." When she noticed that First Lord Yu's appearance was not right, she asked, "Could it be that the rumours outside are actually true?"
First Lord Yu nodded and said, "Master Shizi Han said it himself. There can not be any mistakes." This was not merely a hearsay but something personally confirmed by Master Shizi Han.
First Lady Yu opened her mouth again, "Do you know what this is about?"
First Lord Yu shook his head, but he said, "I would rather believe it than not believe it." He could still trust his daughter. If the situation were not that serious, his daughter would not have specifically told them about it.
First Lady Yu asked, "Lord, what are you going to do? Are you going to tell father-in-law about this?"
First Lord Yu thought for a while and then decided, "I'll take a look at this matter first. If it's serious, then it's not too late for me to tell my father." With the Han family in the front, he didn't need to appear personally. He could just hide behind the Han family.
After talking about this matter, First Lady Yu spoke about Yu Xiyu's marriage, "Lord, Xiyu is sixteen this year, and she will turn seventeen next year. Is there any solution to her marriage?" Previously, he said he would match Xiyu with the 9th Prince, but he hadn't made any sound, nor had there been any news about it for more than a year. This had made First Lady Yu very anxious. The matter with the 9th Prince was still pending. Therefore, she didn't dare to speak to her daughter about her marriage.
First Lord Yu shook his head and replied, "Father didn't say anything about it. Let's put this aside first! Even if she turns seventeen next year, there is no need for us to rush."
First Lady Yu looked so sad. You may not be in a hurry, but I am!
A few days later, Han Jianye hurriedly returned home and said to Han Jianming, "Dage, my father-in-law said that Qingyang Gongzhu is ready to strike back, so we have to be very careful.'
Han Jianming smiled and said, "I'm not afraid of her." In the State Residence government, only three people had become officials. His San Shu had always acted very cautiously. Thus, it would not be so easy for others to get a handle on him. He, himself, would be even more so. The remaining Han Jianye only became an official for half a year, so there was nothing for others to grasp on to.
Han Jianye continued, "Dage, my father-in-law also said to take more care of Father since there's a possibility that she will also deal with him."
Han Jianming shook his head and said, "No need to worry. Although Father isn't keen on officialdom, he still acts in a measured manner." Han Jianming might have all sorts of dissatisfaction towards his father. Still, there was one thing he had to admit. His father might like to walk on the hills and play in the rivers, spending his time in drinking and pleasure rather than taking care of family business. But he had never caused any trouble for the State Residence.
Han Jianye felt that it was better for them to be careful, at least.
The next day, an Imperial Censor impeached Duke Han and Han Jingyan. Duke Han was impeached for not having an actual job. His life was a little messy, but it was not a huge crime. Hence, being impeached didn't affect him much; contrariwise, Han Jingyan was impeached for embezzlement and bribery at the local level, but these kinds of things needed to be verified first. It was not because someone had been impeached; he should immediately be dismissed from office and sent to prison.
Disaster didn't come alone. Han Jianjun was beaten till he vomited blood after a fight with other people while he was in school. He nearly lost his life; Han Jiancheng fell off his horse on his way home and broke his leg; fortunately, the next in order, Jianwei and Jianxing were still young. Hence they were taught by a home teacher. Otherwise, they would also meet with mishaps.
Upon receiving the news, Yuxi went to Tingyun Pavilion first, then went to Biteng Courtyard to visit Jiancheng together with Yuchen. No matter what, he was still the two's younger brother.
When Wu Shi saw the two of them, her eyes were filled with fury. She pointed at Yuxi's nose and cursed, "If you weren't such a jinx, how would my Cheng-er end up like this?" If it wasn't for Yuchen and Yuxi, why would bandits enter their residence that day? Then, she wouldn't have been so scared till she had nightmares day after day, and what's more, now, this matter had implicated her Cheng-er. It was just that people liked to pinch a soft persimmon. Since she did not dare to scold Yuchen, she vented all her anger on Yuxi instead.
Yuxi sneered, "Mother, you can't just call me a jinx. I wasn't even the one who made Liu Di fall off the horse."
Wu Shi thought that her son would become a cripple. From then on, his career would become hopeless, and his life would be gloomy. So where would she have any more rational thoughts when she said, "If it wasn't for you, a jinx, dare to provoke Heshou Xianzhu, would our family attract these kinds of calamities?"
Yuchen was also annoyed when she heard all these. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Yuxi said, "Since Mother thinks I'm a jinx, then, I'd better not be in Mother's way." After saying that, she swung her arms and walked away.
When Wu Shi saw Yuxi acting like this, she became so angry that her lungs nearly exploded.
After leaving Biteng Courtyard, Zisu asked, "Miss, are we going back to Taoran House now?" Her Miss' behaviour just now had truly released Zisu's anger.
Yuxi shook her head, "Let's go visit Gu Di." Jianjun's injuries were even worse, but unfortunately, he was a shuzi while Jiancheng was a dizhi. Accordingly, everyone's attention was mainly focused on Jiancheng.
Concubine Xin gave birth to only one child, Han Jianjun. It could be said that she devoted all her efforts to this child. She didn’t expect that they might have avoided Wu Shi, but they could not avoid outside calculations.
Han Jianjun had woken up at this point. Nevertheless, because of the blood loss and the injury to his spleen, his entire body had become frail.
Yuxi asked Concubine Xin, "What did the physician say?"
Concubine Xin wiped her tears and replied, "The physician said to take very good care of him since it will take him three to four years before he can fully recover." The other party clearly wanted to put her son to death, and if he hadn't been discovered, he might not even be alive. As a result, Han Jianjun managed to save his life. Hence, Concubine Xin was thankful to Bodhisattva.
Yuxi offered, "If there is a need in the future, Concubine Xin can come directly to Taoran House to find me. I may not be able to help with big things, but I can still help with small things."
Concubine Xin gratefully answered, "Thank you, Fourth Miss." Although she knew that this disaster that had befallen her son was triggered by Yuchen and Yuxi, she didn't blame it on the two of them. Speaking of what had happened this time, it was an unwarranted disaster for the State Residence. If she wanted to blame it on someone, she could only blame the one who started it and Heshou Xianzhu. If it weren’t for her, they wouldn't have been in so much trouble.
Noob Translator's Corner
Sorry for not posting this chapter last week. I was so busy till I didn't have time to translate it. While the chapter for this week will be released in a few days. Thank you for waiting patiently.
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi