When Xu Wu heard the news of the northern barbarians' retreat, he immediately rushed into the inner courtyard. As soon as he saw Yuxi, he said happily, "Madam, the northern barbarians have retreated. The northern barbarians have retreated, Madam." Xu Wu had been under tremendous pressure lately, fearing that once the city was breached, he would not be able to protect Madam and the child in her womb.
Since Yuxi was well aware of the situation after hearing Zijin's words, she was not as excited by the news, although she did have a smile on her face. "It's good that the enemy troops have retreated." The northern barbarians had withdrawn, and the crisis was finally over. Now she just hoped that Yun Qing would return soon.
Seeing Yuxi's calm expression made Xu Wu feel that he was still inexperienced. "Madam, I will tell Yifu[1] about these news."
Yuxi nodded. "You can go ahead!"
Mama Qu was overjoyed to hear that the northern barbarians had retreated. She hadn't slept well in the last ten days, worrying that the city would fall to the enemy, frighten Yuxi, and cause her to have a difficult birth. All was well now, with the city saved, and Madam should be fine.
Seeing Yuxi's expression, Mama Qu asked, "Madam, what are you thinking about?" The northern barbarians had retreated, yet Madam didn't seem very happy. It was bizarre.
Yuxi replied, "I think the General should return in the next few days."
Mama Qu's heart skipped a beat. During this time, everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning Yun Qing for fear of upsetting Madam. Although Yuxi swore that Yun Qing would return, not everyone was as confident as she was, as even the body of the man who had been missing for more than ten days might not be found. But as Mama Qu thought this in her heart, she didn't let it show on her face. "Yes, the General should be back in a few days."
Han Ji returned to the residence after the northern barbarian army retreated. Being outdoors for so many days had left him exhausted, and he had lost a great deal of weight.
When Yuxi saw him, she said, "It's been hard for you these days."
Han Ji responded wryly, "My hardship is nothing compared to those soldiers who fought in this bloody battle." The soldiers had risked their lives to save the people of Yu City, so what he'd done was really no big deal.
Yuxi looked at Han Ji with a smile on her face. "I'm glad Steward Han can say that." She had asked Han Ji to take the residence people to help, not only to gain fame but also as a training exercise for them. She didn't know about the others yet, but by looking at Han Ji, she could tell that the effect was remarkable.
Han Ji stated, "Madam, I think we should do something." He wanted to help the families of these dead soldiers.
Before, when Yuxi offered to help those families in need, Han Ji also thought it was her way of gaining fame by spending her money. But after this incident, he no longer had such thoughts. He felt having a few more people like Madam would be good.
Yuxi shook her head. "We should do nothing for now. Let's wait for the Imperial Court to pay out all the pensions." With so many casualties this time, it was still unknown if the pensions would come through or not. Even so, she couldn't just jump in now and say she wanted to help those people. The bird that took the lead would be shot first[2]. This time, their Yun residence had already acted out of line and had definitely caught Qin Zhao's eye. Thus, they should keep a low profile in the near future. At least she wasn't willing to do anything more until Yun Qing returned.
Han Ji nodded gently. "I'll listen to Madam."
Yuxi said, "Qin Zhao and General Zhao will take care of the outside matters. Now, you should handle the work inside the residence."
Han Ji nodded. "Don't worry, Madam. I still have a sense of decency." He admired the soldiers who defended their country and thought of helping their wives and children, but he could only do so with his Madam's permission.
Yuxi's expression eased as she said, "You can take some people to the Western Sea after you've taken care of the residence affairs. This time, we will not only buy furs but also some more medicinal herbs. The herbs in residence are almost gone." She had almost used up the precious herbs in her hands. She could tighten her belt on food expenses, but she could never do without the medicinal herbs in her possession.
Han Ji repeatedly nodded before saying, "Okay. I will settle things at the residence as soon as possible and then head to the Western Sea."
In the evening, Xu Wu entered the courtyard and reported to Yuxi: "Madam, Qin Zhao and General Zhao are burying all the soldiers who died in the war. Everyone in Yucheng must change into linen clothes." The purpose of dressing in linen was to pay tribute to the dead soldiers.
Hearing this report, Yuxi's expression turned heavy as she said, "I will order it immediately." After a pause, she asked, "What about the soldiers who died outside the city?"
When Xu Wu heard this question, he lowered his head and made no reply. The soldiers who died outside this time could only be dumped in the wilderness.
Even Yuxi's heart became heavy.
Xu Wu said, "Madam, a memorial service will be held after all the dead soldiers have been buried. At that time, I will go on behalf of the Yun Residence." Yuxi certainly couldn't go, as she was heavily pregnant.
When Yuxi heard these words, she asked, "Can women go to the memorial service too?" Seeing Xu Wu nod, she added, "Then, you should also take Zijin with you at that time."
Xu Wu glanced at Yuxi and saw that Yuxi's expression was very calm, making it impossible for him to tell what kind of medicine was being sold in her gourd[3]. Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it and nodded in agreement. Then he spoke of another matter: "Madam, is it true that the General had burned the barbarians' food? Then, the General should be able to return home within the next few days."
Yuxi nodded gently. "Hmm, I think it should take a few days." Although she was sure Yun Qing was fine, her heart would still be unsettled until she saw the real person.
With the withdrawal of the northern barbarians, the threat to Yu City had finally passed. The more than 80 guards sent out to help, as well as a group of maids and women, had all returned to the residence. Their help was no longer needed as someone had taken over their duties of tending to the wounded soldiers. So that night, except for Huo Changqing, everyone moved back to their original rooms.
That night, Yuxi finally got a good night's sleep. When she woke up the next day, the first thing Yuxi did was ask how Zijin was doing. She was worried that Zijin would have a fever and that these people would hide it from her for fear of making her anxious.
Mama Qu said, "Zijin is still asleep and has not yet woken up. But Yu Zhi had a fever yesterday, and it was discovered in time. A physician was called, and he prescribed some medicine. Yu Zhi's fever went down after that." Not only were Yu Zhi's martial arts skills not as good as Zijin's, but his body was not as robust either. Although Zijin had suffered some hardships when she was younger, she had eaten a lot of precious food with Yuxi over the years, so her body was well nourished.
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
Yuxi frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Mama Qu replied, "It was Master Yang who would not allow it to be told. He said that telling Madam would only make Madam worry." The words had been changed by Mama Qu, and Master Yang's original comments were that Yuxi should be allowed to nurse her pregnancy in peace and not force herself to work too hard.
Yuxi said nothing after hearing this. Master Yang loved Yu Zhi like a son, and since he took care of him personally, he would be more devoted than anyone else. "I'll go see how he's doing."
Zijin slept until the sun went down, and when she finally woke up, she cried out that she was hungry. Looking at the red date congee that Mama Bai had brought her, she shouted a complaint to Yuxi, "Madam, you promised to let me eat pork baozi[4] when I woke up. Where are they?" [T/C]
Mama Bai said, "Miss Zijin, the pork baozi[4] have been eaten by the others. If you still want to eat them, I'll make them again tomorrow morning."
Yuxi was not so polite as she warned, "If you shout again, you won't even get to eat the congee." When she thought about what Yu Zhi had told her about what Zijin and he had been through in the past few days, she became angry and heartbroken.
What Zijin feared most was Yuxi's anger. When she saw that Yuxi's face did not look good, she obediently lowered her head and ate her congee.
After finishing her congee, Zijin asked, "Madam, is the General back yet?" Since the northern barbarians retreated yesterday, she calculated that the General should be back today.
Yuxi shook her head. "No, it should still be a few days before he can come back."
Zijin suggested, "Madam, I think we should send someone to look for the General. Thinking about it, the General must be hiding to avoid being pursued by those northern barbarians. Since he is hiding, he must be without a horse and relying on his two legs to get back to Yu City. Will he be able to walk back to Yu City in just two or three days?"
Yuxi shook her head. "We can't go looking for him. We have to wait for him to come back on his own." Qin Zhao had always wanted to kill Yun Qing. If their people somehow leaked Yun Qing's whereabouts, he would be intercepted before they could reach him, and he'd be killed by Qin Zhao's men. At that point, it would be a real injustice to the people of the Yun residence since a dead man could tell no tales[6].
Zijin got a little worried. "What if......"
Yuxi smiled and said, "There is no what if. I believe he will return safely." It were not only the memories of her past life but also Yun Qing's mighty strength that had given her so much confidence.
Zijin felt that Yuxi trusted Yun Qing too much, to the point of blindness. She simply couldn't afford to dampen Yuxi's spirit at this time. Besides, deep down, she hoped that Yun Qing would return safely. Otherwise, she couldn't even imagine what would happen to her Madam if Yun Qing genuinely died.
Over the past few days, the group had to watch out for pursuers, tend to the wounded, find food, and guard against attacks from wild animals. It was a tough time for the group. After four days of hiding in the deep forest, they finally emerged when they were sure they had lost their pursuers.
Unexpectedly, one of them saw the northern barbarian army retreating the next afternoon after they came out. When Yu Cong heard the news, he said to Yun Qing, "Since the northern barbarians have retreated, the General should go back as well."
Yun Qing was not a talkative person. When he heard Yu Cong's words, he only responded with a muffled sound.
Seeing that Yun Qing pretended not to understand his words, Yu Cong stopped going around the curves and skirting the corners[7] as he said bluntly, "General, Madam is still pregnant! If you delay your return, and Madam thinks you died in battle, causing her to have complications with her pregnancy, then I will feel I've committed a great sin."
To be honest, Yun Qing was really worried about Yuxi. It had been over half a month since he left for the expedition. If Yuxi thought he was really dead, resulting in her having a complication, the child would have to be born prematurely. He dared not think of any other serious consequences. "I will take Wu Tong with me. I'll leave behind Yuan Ying and the others to look after you. When I return to Yu City, I will send someone to pick you guys up." Yun Qing was also worried about Huo Changqing's safety. With so many enemy soldiers chasing after them, he was unsure if Uncle Huo could escape.
Yu Cong nodded. "Okay."
After listening to Yu Cong's answer, Yun Ying said to Yun Qing, "When the General returns to Yu City, please also send someone to inform my wife so she knows that I am still alive and does not cry her eyes out thinking that I am dead." Not dying this time could be considered a stroke of luck for him.
Hearing this request, Yun Qing nodded. "Don't worry. When I return to Yu City, I'll have someone deliver this message to your wife so she can rest easy."
As he walked away, Yun Qing looked at the group and said, "Don't worry, I will send someone to pick you up when I return to Yu City." With so many wounded soldiers, their return speed would have been prolonged.
Footnotes Full List
- adoptive father
- A well-known Chinese phrase: the person in the spotlight bears the brunt of the attack
- A well-known Chinese phrase: Used when the other party was planning when that person suddenly acted out of their norm
- steamed stuffed buns
- I mistakenly translated 大肉 (dàròu) as big meat. Literally, it's correct because 大 (dà) means big and 肉 (ròu) means meat. But it's actually another slang word for pork. I've corrected the mistake I made in the previous chapter.
- Chinese idiom: one can't know the truth because the person who could testify is dead
- Chinese idiom: to speak in a roundabout way
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi