In the spring season of the third lunar month, it had been rainy and cloudy, and when the sky finally cleared up, the maids and old women servants in the inner courtyard of the Yun Residence started to get busy. It was because Yuxi had ordered all the heavy clothes to be taken out to dry and put away in the storehouse after they had been dried. Now that it was already the third lunar month, everyone had all changed out of their winter clothes.
When Yun Qing returned, he saw the courtyard full of clothes and quilts. When he walked in, he saw Yuxi knocking on walnuts with a small hammer. At this time of the year, there was no fresh fruit, so Yuxi ate some dried fruit.
When Yuxi saw Yun Qing, she was delighted. She propped herself on the table with her hands and prepared to get up. Now that her belly was bigger, her body was not as quick as before.
Seeing this, Yun Qing hurriedly went over to hold Yuxi and said, "Slow down. Don't be in a hurry." After saying that, he looked at Yuxi's belly and asked, "Doesn't it seem bigger than the last time I saw it?"
Yuxi laughed at this. "When was the last time you saw it? Half a month ago, right? The child has grown for half a month, so it's definitely getting bigger. I'm telling you, the child will grow even faster after birth, almost one day at a time. If you don't see it for half a month, you won't even recognise it." Yun Qing had been in the army camp for half a month and did not return home.
Zijin brought in a cup of water and then automatically retreated again.
Yuxi waited for Yun Qing to finish the water before asking, "Now that the sky has cleared up, is it time for war?" Yun Qing's estimation was for the war to start in the early third lunar month, but it had been raining all this time, and although it was a light rain, it was not conducive to travel.
Yun Qing nodded. "The northern barbarians have gathered an army of 100,000 this time, so this battle is inevitable." After a pause, he said to Yuxi, "You should take care of your baby and not worry about these things."
Yuxi looked at Yun Qing's tightly locked brow and asked, "Are there some difficulties? Tell me so that I can have a clear idea."
Yun Qing hesitated for a moment. "Qin Zhao's idea is to take the initiative to attack first and has formulated a battle plan. Most of the generals have agreed to it." It was also because Yuxi was considered his strategist that he had told her such a secret.
Hearing this answer, Yuxi's heart jumped, and she asked, "What do you mean?"
Yun Qing explained, "This time, the northern barbarians are coming fiercely. It is not advisable to spread out the troops. What I mean is just to defend the city well." Last year's heavy snowfall killed many of the northern barbarians' cattle, sheep and horses, and now they were short of food. Many of their clansmen wouldn't make it through if they couldn't fight for food. Therefore, the army didn't need to take the initiative to attack. They just needed to guard the city well.
Yuxi understood Yun Qing's meaning. "What is the final decision?"
Yun Qing said, "Most of the generals have agreed, and I can't refute it. Moreover, Qin Zhao has planned to divide his troops into three directions and then make a flank manoeuvre attack on the northern barbarians at the rift valley."
Hearing this response, Yuxi asked, "Who is staying behind to defend the city?" Hearing that it was Qin Zhao, her whole body didn't feel good. "He made the plan and is the one hunkering down inside the city instead."
Yun Qing didn't like Qin Zhao. If it weren't for the kindness that Marshal Qin had bestowed on him, he wouldn't have suffered so many hidden losses without being able to fight back. But for this current issue, he responded practically and realistically, "He is the Commander-in-chief, so it is only right that he stays behind to guard the city and control the overall situation."
Hearing this response, Yuxi knew that the matter was almost a foregone conclusion, and she was not clingy. "When will the army depart?"
Yun Qing shook his head. "It hasn't been decided yet, but it should be within these days." As the sky cleared, the northern barbarians should soon lead their army to attack Yu City.
Yuxi nodded. "Come back when you have free time from the army. If not, ask Guo Xun to come here. I will prepare something for you." It was impossible to bring many things to the war, except for medicines and other things.
Seeing that Yuxi was being straightforward, Yun Qing smiled. "I will come back then. These days, you should also take good care of your health and leave those trivial things to the servants." Their child was already more than seven months old and would be born in another two months, so Yuxi could not afford to strain herself.
Yuxi nodded. "Okay. You don't have to worry about me. I will take care of myself. You, too, take care of yourself. The child and I are still waiting for you to return safely!" Although she knew that Yun Qing's life would not be in danger, going into battle was not only a risk to his life but also the possibility of injury.
Yun Qing supported Yuxi and said, "Don't worry. I will come back safely."
Yuxi reminded Yun Qing, "He Rui, you should still beware of Qin Zhao. He has always wanted to harm you, so if he tells you about any spying reports, you can only believe 20% at most." Qin Zhao had always wanted to get Yun Qing killed, but it was absolutely impossible to do that in Yu City. But if it were outside, it would be easy as long as no one caught him doing so.
Yun Qing paused for a moment and said, "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to myself." After all these years, this time was no exception.
Yuxi looked at Yun Qing's expression and roughly guessed what was on his mind, saying, "It is better to be cautious in all things." She couldn't give any advice on fighting a war because she didn't know much about it. No matter what, the most taboo thing was to provide blind advice on something clearly half-baked. Since the lives of thousands of people were at stake, Yuxi did not dare to speak up casually.
Yun Qing hummed. "Don't worry. I will return safely."
After talking about the main issue, Yuxi told Yun Qing about home matters. When lunch was about to be prepared, Guo Xun came in and reported, "Qin Zhao has sent someone to invite General over, saying that there is something to discuss!"
Yuxi straightened Yun Qing's clothes and said, "Go ahead! Be safe." When she knew she was going to marry Yun Qing, she had already prepared herself to face such situations at times.
Mama Bai walked in and asked, "Madam, do the dishes still need to be cooked?" Earlier, she had prepared quite a few dishes, thinking Yun Qing was eating at home.
Yuxi instructed, "Once they're done, serve them to Master Yang, Xu Wu and the others." The vegetables had all been cut and picked. They wouldn't taste good at night if they weren't fried now.
After her nap, Yuxi didn't have much to do, so she asked Mama Qu to go to the storehouse and dig out a roll of cotton cloth. The clothes made from this cotton absorbed sweat and were perfect for Yun Qing, who was prone to sweating.
Seeing this scene, Zijin said, "Madam, there are already so many children's clothes, so there is no need to make any more of them." The capital had sent so many children's clothes that not all would be worn, and it would be a waste to keep making them.
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Yuxi replied, "It's not for the child. It's for He Rui." She had made some summer clothes for Yun Qing last year, but Yun Qing's clothes were not very durable and wore out quickly. Two of those garments were already irreparable. Of course, the clothes were still fine, but the shoes wore out the fastest. Even shoes with a thousand-layer sole[1] would ruin in less than a month.
Zijin commented, "Madam is so virtuous."
Yuxi smiled. "If you are interested, you should make a garment for Yu Zhi too." Yuxi was teasing Zijin, who was most impatient with all this needlework. Last time, Yuxi had given her a large piece of red silk and asked her to embroider her wedding dress. As a result, she broke several of the embroidery needles. In the end, Yuxi did not force her to make it and let Zijin take care of the wedding dress herself.
Zijin said, "Just forget it. The dress can't be completely made, and it will be a waste of good fabric." This was not the capital, where one could buy anything with money. To buy good silk here, one had to go to Xinping City.
In the evening, Han Ji came in to report a message. "Madam, Third Master Lu has sent something over."
Yuxi was a little puzzled. "Which Third Master Lu?" Hearing that it was Lu Xiu's third brother, Yuxi was even more puzzled. "Why is he here?"
Han Ji said, "Third Master Lu has come to fill a position and has already left for the military camp. This letter was entrusted to him by the Lord Duke." After saying this, he presented the letter written by Han Jianming with both hands.
Yuxi took the letter and instructed, "Go and inquire about where he is staying. After that, you can personally thank him and send him some food." When one first arrived in Yu City, one would be unfamiliar with many things. Han Ji could tell Third Master Lu about the situation here so that he could know what to expect. They were all relatives, so they should take care of each other. Not to mention that they owed the Lu family a huge favour before.
After Han Ji had left, Yuxi opened the letter. Reading the beginning part of the letter, Yuxi smiled a little. As expected, the Yu family had agreed to all the conditions she had proposed. But when she reached the latter part, her face immediately sank.
Zijin was startled at this sight. She rarely saw Yuxi looking like this, so she asked, "What's wrong, Madam?"
Yuxi's face was so unsightly as she replied, "Teacher Song told the Crown Prince's people that I am a person with a deep and ambitious heart. If I am not removed, I will definitely become a scourge to the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future." After saying that, she said in a low voice, "I never thought that in Teacher Song's eyes, I would be a scourge to the country and the people. She flattered me for saying my existence would be disastrous to the country and the people." Teacher Song had been nice to her at first but slowly grew cold. After Yuxi left the Han family, she also sent festive gifts to Teacher Song, just like Yuchen. But the person who sent the things brought them back as they were. And Teacher Song put the word out that she should not send anything there in the future, as they had nothing to do with each other. It was only then that Yuxi realised how much Teacher Song hated her.
Once Zijin received Yuxi's letter, she read it and let loose a torrent of curses, "This old witch, why is she so vicious? Madam, will she get you killed by saying that? How could she be so cruel when Madam had no grudge against her?"
Amidst Zijin's cursing, Yuxi regained her composure. "Stop cursing. It's already happened. There's no use cursing her anymore." Their current situation was already dangerous, and now she was facing the Crown Prince. It was really a crisis.
Zijin asked with some worry, "Won't the Crown Prince lay his hands on you, Madam?"
Yuxi thought seriously for a moment. "Although the Crown Prince is the apparent heir to the throne, he is constrained in his actions, and his connections are limited. Yu City is thousands of miles away from the capital. It is not that easy for him to get me killed. But from now on, I will have to act more stealthily." The Crown Prince's fear of her was based on Teacher Song's words. As long as she stayed quiet in Yu City and didn't do anything to attract any attention, these people wouldn't be fixing their eyes on her.
Zijin pointed out, "Madam originally didn't do anything bad either." Although the restaurant was doing well in Yu City, it was not enough to attract the capital's attention. Thinking of this, Zijin asked, "Madam, is the school too eye-catching?"
Yuxi thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't matter. The school will have to wait until the eleventh lunar month anyway. We will discuss this matter with Qing after he has finished the war."
Zijin asked anxiously, "Will they take action during this period?" It was not a safe time either!
Yuxi smiled. "I can't go anywhere with my big belly anyway. Even if there are assassins, it's not that easy for them to get into the inner courtyard. Moreover, even if the Crown Prince takes Teacher Song's words to heart, he won't be able to harm me anytime soon." She hoped in her heart that the Crown Prince had not taken Teacher Song's words to heart. After all, she was a woman, and many men in this world looked down on women. Yuxi wished that the Crown Prince also fell into this category and believed that Teacher Song's words were mere words of an alarmist so that she would be in a better position. Of course, one could think this in one's heart, but one must still be prepared for the worst. But with this incident, it had become clear to Yuxi that she had to grow stronger as soon as possible and be strong enough to save herself and preserve her child, or else she would have no choice but to die.[T/C]
Footnotes Full List
- layers of cloth firmly stitched together for soles of cloth shoes
- Teacher Song, you are the reason Yun Qing becomes powerful in a much shorter time. Prepare to blame yourself. 😤
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi