In the middle of the night, Yuxi woke up again. When she saw Yun Qing sleeping at the bedside, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. If it hadn't been for her negligence, she wouldn't have been injured, and Yun Qing wouldn't have had to endure the fear and anxiety.
Yun Qing was highly alert and woke up as soon as Yuxi made a move. "Are you awake? Are you feeling better?" Yuxi's complexion hadn't been this bad even after giving birth. This time, her vitality was truly exhausted.
Yuxi nodded and smiled. "Much better. Where's Zaozao? I vaguely heard her crying." She wanted to wake up then, but she couldn't.
Yun Qing didn't hide it from Yuxi either, saying, "She cried three times during the day, and in the end, Mama Lan fed her minced meat and rice porridge." He did not mention that Zaozao only ate these things when she was starving.
Yuxi smiled bitterly. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so careless, I wouldn't have worried you and made Zaozao suffer." Weaning a child without any preparation would definitely cause the child to suffer.
Mama Qu brought in water, and Gancao carried a towel and blanket behind her. Yuxi tried to lift the blanket and stand up, but she felt dizzy after using too much force.
Realising something was wrong, Yun Qing quickly supported her and helped her lean against the headboard. Then he took a pillow to cushion her back and said, "The physician said you've lost too much blood and need to rest properly. Rest well for a few days, and don't worry about anything at the residence."
Yuxi stopped trying to be strong and said, "You will have a hard time." With her falling ill, all the responsibility now rested on Yun Qing's shoulders.
Yun Qing held Yuxi's cold hand as he responded, "What nonsense are you talking about?" If it weren't for him, Yuxi wouldn't have been attacked. After all, it was his failure to protect Yuxi.
Mama Qu brought a cup of water and an empty basin to Yuxi and said, "Madam, please rinse your mouth." In this situation, it was definitely out of the question for Yuxi to brush her teeth, but rinsing her mouth was still possible.
Yuxi rinsed her mouth with Mama Qu's help. However, when Yun Qing fetched a towel to wipe her face, she felt uncomfortable and said, "Let Mama Qu do it!" She could easily accept Mama Qu serving her because she was already used to it. Having Yun Qing serve her felt truly awkward and unnatural.
Yun Qing said to Mama Qu, "Go and bring breakfast." After saying that, he wiped Yuxi's face regardless of her objection. But he didn't dare to use force because her face would turn red if he did. The unnatural blush on her pale face made people even more worried.
After Yuxi had finished washing up, Mama Qu returned from the kitchen with a bowl of pork liver congee1. Yun Qing naturally took the bowl and began to feed Yuxi spoon by spoon.
Yuxi started to feel a little uncomfortable. After a moment of thought, she realised that it was rare for Yun Qing to serve her, and she didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm.
After breakfast, Yuxi turned to Yun Qing and said, "There's still a lot of work to be done outside. Go and take care of your business. I have people looking after me, so don't worry." If the things outside were not taken care of now, they would pile up and create an even bigger mess later.
Yun Qing wanted to stay by Yuxi's side, but he really had much work to do. Besides, he was in the front yard and could come over quickly if needed. As Yuxi lay back in bed, Yun Qing gently tucked her exposed hand under the blanket and spoke, "I'll be in the front yard. Just have someone call for me if anything comes up, okay?"
Yuxi obediently replied, "Don't worry. If anything comes up, I will definitely call you."
After Yun Qing left, he gave detailed instructions to Mama Qu, urging her to take good care of Yuxi. It was only after receiving Mama Qu's assurance that he finally headed to the front courtyard.
Yuxi asked Mama Qu Mama as she walked in, "Where's Zijin?" Not seeing Zijin after waking up twice was a little unsettling.
Mama Qu hesitated momentarily before answering, "Miss Zijin was given twenty military lashes by the General. She can't even get out of bed right now!" These twenty lashes were real and severe, without any leniency. It was fortunate that Zijin had a martial arts background; otherwise, those twenty lashes could easily have taken her life.
"Ah..." Yuxi was filled with great worry as she thought that Zijin had also met with an accident. Little did she know that Zijin was actually being punished by Yun Qing. "How is Zijin? Is she alright?"
Mama Qu reassured her, "Madam, you needn't worry. The medicine Master Yang has prescribed is excellent, and I believe Miss Zijin will recover soon." This incident served as a valuable lesson for Zijin, preventing her from acting recklessly in the future. Although Madam's life was not in danger this time, there was no guarantee that it would be the same next time.
Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." She couldn't say much more in front of Mama Qu. After all, Yun Qing gave the order. To say that Yun Qing was wrong would be tantamount to contradicting him. As husband and wife, they had to present a united front to the outside world. Of course, this didn't mean Yun Qing was wrong either.
One shichen2 later, Mama Bai brought stewed rock sugar fungus over to Yuxi. This rock sugar fungus was also a high-quality blood tonic.
After finishing the drink, Yuxi said, "Change the soup in the afternoon; don't stew fungus with rock sugar again." Yuxi didn't have any particular preferences; whether it was sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy, she would eat it as long as it was good for her health. However, she didn't like eating fungus. Black fungus was one of the few ingredients she wouldn't eat.
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Bai Mama nodded. "Madam, for lunch, I'll make ginseng chicken soup3." This soup was the most nourishing.
Yuxi smiled and said, "Anything will do as long as it's not fungus with rock sugar." After a moment, she continued, "Oh, I remember there's still some donkey-hide gelatin in the storeroom. Ask Shiliu to get them. We can have them in a couple of days." This donkey-hide gelatin was also perfect for replenishing the blood, but she rarely consumed it since she was in good health.
Mama Bai's face stiffened before she responded, "Madam, Shiliu received ten military lashes from the General. She won't be able to get up for a while!" It was fortunate that Madam was unharmed. Otherwise, she feared that both Zijin and Shiliu, as well as the people who accompanied her, would surely have lost their lives.
"Er..." It was understandable that Zijin had been beaten, but why had Shiliu been subjected to it, too? When Yuxi learned that everyone accompanying her had been punished, she was left speechless.
After talking for a while, Yuxi felt tired and went back to sleep. Before she drifted off, she reminded everyone, "Wake me up for lunch so I don't miss it." Eating at regular times was good for the stomach.
Before lunch, Mama Qu really woke Yuxi up. Too much sleep during the day could make it difficult to fall asleep at night.
Yuxi changed her clothes and then said, "Please ask Mama Lan Mama to bring Zaozao over for me to see." Not seeing her child for a day made Yuxi's heart anxious.
Mama Qu replied, "Mama Lan has taken the Eldest Young Miss to the front courtyard." When Yuxi mentioned that she had heard Zaozao crying in her sleep, Yun Qing instructed Mama Lan to bring Zaozao to the front courtyard. That way, she wouldn't disturb Yuxi's rest.
When Yuxi expressed her desire to see Zaozao, Mama Qu shook her head and said, "Madam, last night, Guard Xu brought Yangzi's wife to the mansion. But, the Eldest Young Miss preferred to eat rice porridge and minced meat rather than drink Yangzi's milk. Today, we invited another woman who had recently given birth to come and feed her, but she still refuses to drink."
Yuxi felt helpless. "This girl, why is she so picky!" Rice soup and minced meat were nowhere near as nutritious as breast milk. How could a seven-month-old child be so demanding?
Mama Qu also believed that their Eldest Young Miss would definitely be a picky eater in the future. She heard from Mama Lan that it was most likely because Madam ate better food, which meant she had better milk than others, so the Eldest Young Miss refused to drink anyone else's milk. Although Mama Lan's statement lacked evidence, it was enough to show how demanding the Eldest Young Miss' taste was. "Madam, Mama Lan said that since the Eldest Young Miss refuses to drink other people's milk, it's time to wean her! In this situation, it's not advisable for Madam to see the Eldest Young Miss." Once the Eldest Young Miss saw Madam, she would definitely demand to be breastfed and would cry uncontrollably if she didn't get it.
Yuxi felt a little helpless and said, "Then wait until Zaozao falls asleep before you bring her to me." Having such a fussy child was a real headache!
Returning to the inner courtyard, Yun Qing felt reassured that Yuxi's complexion had improved since that morning. He said, "The physician mentioned that you should recover within two months with proper care." Judging from Yuxi's current condition, it was likely that she would recover even sooner.
Yuxi nodded and asked Yun Qing, "I just heard from Mama Qu that you ordered Zijin and Shiliu to be punished?" Military flogging was even more painful than being whipped in the residence.
Yun Qing stated, "They failed to protect their master, so they deserve to be punished." If it weren't for Yuxi's sake, he would have replaced all these people.
Yuxi understood Yun Qing's intentions, but she felt a bit helpless. Replacing them all was easier said than done, and she had no one to rely on. However, she knew that Yun Qing had good intentions and everyone had their own way of doing things, so she didn't criticise him. But there was one thing she had to bring up: "Zijin has been married to Yu Zhi for half a month. If she's pregnant, won't your twenty military floggings end up harming her child as well?"
Yun Qing hadn't really thought about it, but after a while, he said, "I will pay more attention to this in the future. However, Yuxi, since Zijin is your personal bodyguard, her dereliction of duty reflects not only her incompetence but also your lack of strict management over your subordinates." Zijin was inadequate, and Zisu was a mere ornament. Both of her personal maids were of little use. Worse, she wouldn't even notice if someone bribed her personal maid. Yun Qing felt that Yuxi had serious shortcomings in managing her subordinates.
Seeing that Yuxi remained silent, Yun Qing continued, "Yuxi, you were lucky these two times, but you can't expect to be that fortunate every time." He had initially intended to address this issue after Yuxi had recovered, but hearing her bring it up today forced him to address it now. In truth, Yun Qing genuinely believed that Yuxi had been lucky. If he had been so careless and negligent, he would have died long ago.
After a moment of silence, Yuxi nodded and promised, "He Rui, I will seriously reflect on this." It was not just a matter of self-reflection; she had to correct this problem.
Yun Qing nodded. "Don't worry about anything now. We can deal with these things after you get better. Your top priority right now is to take care of your body."
Yuxi nodded gently. This time, she was determined to take good care of her health. Otherwise, she would suffer from long-term consequences and a lifetime of misery.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi