The Emperor's passing did not affect the common people, apart from the restrictions on wearing red and green and the marriage ban. However, it had a significant effect on Yun Qing and Yuxi.
Yuxi told Yun Qing, "The Crown Prince's ascension to the throne will surely lead to a power struggle." The power struggle in the capital had nothing to do with them, but Yuxi didn't want the Crown Prince to succeed. If he succeeded, she would not be far from death.
Yun Qing replied, "It's not that easy. Even if the Crown Prince wants to seize power, it will take at least three to five years. Right now, Chen Yu is the key. If Chen Yu successfully suppresses the bandits, we will be in a difficult position." Chen Yu was also a very capable person. During this time, he had selected three thousand men from six weisuo1 and formed a new army, directly naming it the 'Bandit Suppression Army'. The soldiers Chen Yu brought with him were tasked with training these men. In just half a month, they underwent a remarkable transformation. Yun Qing would have admired him if they had not been on opposing sides. However, since they were enemies, Chen Yu's competence was not good for Yun Qing.
Yuxi had a different perspective. She said, "Chen Yu is indeed very capable, but with Ji Xuan and others around, it won't be easy for him to suppress the bandits successfully. He Rui, my concern now is what will happen if you are summoned to the capital after the Crown Prince ascends the throne?" If Yun Qing had to go to the capital, there was a good chance that he wouldn't have returned.
Yun Qing was not worried about this as he responded, "No need to worry. We're going to war in the spring anyway. Even if I receive an Imperial Decree to go to the capital, I can refuse on the grounds that I need to prepare for war."
Yuxi nodded, agreeing that refusing to go to the capital on the pretext of preparing for war was a reasonable excuse. "He Rui, I think it would be a good idea to store more food." Apart from remembering the devastating floods in Jiangnan that claimed countless lives in the year she died, Yuxi didn't have many other memories. However, she strongly felt that something would go wrong this year. Even though Yun Qing had money now, Yuxi thought it would be wise to store more food.
Yun Qing didn't quite agree with Yuxi's suggestion. "The Imperial Court still hasn't allocated any money to buy food. We don't have the funds." He didn't want to use the hidden money. It would be too risky to expose it, especially in turbulent times. This money was crucial for the well-being of his entire family and those around him, so Yun Qing was very cautious.
Yuxi suggested, "Let's just take out 200,000 taels of silver. After all, there are no markings on those gold and silver, so it shouldn't cause us any problems." Seeing that Yun Qing still disagreed, Yuxi added, "If not, we can sell the loot hidden in the secret passage. No matter how much money we get, we can exchange it for food." There were more than ten boxes of gold and silver, which should be worth more than two hundred thousand taels of silver in any case.
Yun Qing didn't mind exchanging the hidden loot for food, but he had a concern: "If we make such a big move to buy food, it will definitely alert the Imperial Court." It wouldn't be good if the Imperial Court suspected them of rebellion.
Yuxi smiled. "No, it won't."
Seeing Yuxi so confident, Yun Qing looked puzzled and asked, "How can you be so sure?" There must be a reason for her to say that.
Yuxi replied, "At the end of last year, I wrote a letter to my Dage2, expressing my speculation that there might be a drought this year. If the Imperial Court finds out we are buying food, they will surely think we are preparing for the coming drought."
Yun Qing was startled and hastily asked, "What did you say? A drought? How did you guess that?" They would have to buy even more food if that were the case. Whenever there was a major disaster, there was always a food shortage. Soldiers would have to fight on empty stomachs, and the people of Yu City would have nothing to eat but wild vegetables and tree roots.
Yuxi chuckled and said, "I suspect that my secret communications with my Dage2 have been deciphered, so I deliberately used this method to test the waters."
Yun Qing was slightly annoyed as he said, "Such things cannot be predicted at will. If there is indeed a drought this year, do you think the Crown Prince will let you go?"
Yuxi didn't care and replied, "No matter what I do, the Crown Prince will never let me go. You have forgotten that he has long been planning to kill me." If she hadn't known that the Crown Prince wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have resorted to this method.
After a pause, Yuxi continued, "If the Crown Prince truly knows the secret of my communication with my Dage2, he might not kill me right away. It would buy me some time. Besides, we can take advantage of this situation and buy more grain in advance so the Crown Prince won't suspect us of rebellion." In reality, even if they purchased two hundred thousand taels of silver worth of grain, they could only buy eight or nine hundred thousand dan3, which would only be enough to feed their hundred thousand troops for two or three months. How could that be called rebellion? One should know that the most important aspect of rebellion was weapons and equipment; having more food alone was insufficient.
Yun Qing's expression turned grim, but he didn't reprimand Yuxi. He simply reminded her, "In the future, you must inform me about such matters first. You must not act on your own." Yuxi's actions were equivalent to gambling with her life, which he would never allow.
Yuxi quickly nodded. "I won't do it again in the future." Although she said that, she would still do the same if she were in a similar situation. Because she knew that Yun Qing would never allow her to do anything dangerous.
Yun Qing asked the question that had been on his mind: "Will there really be a drought this year?"
Yuxi shook her head. "I just made that up. But it's been sunny a lot this winter, so I'm worried there might be a pest infestation this year." She had a vague feeling that something terrible would happen this year, but she wasn't sure whether it would be a flood, a drought, or a pest infestation.
Hearing this, Yun Qing said, "In addition to the things in the secret passage, I'll add another hundred thousand taels of silver." Buying more grain would provide an extra layer of security.
Yuxi said, "We need to do this as soon as possible, or else the price of grain will rise." It would definitely increase significantly in two or three months. The price would double if there were natural disasters or something like that.
Yun Qing suggested, "Since the weather is good, let Han Ji take some people to Jiangnan." Yun Qing also knew that Han Ji was very skilled in business, so having him as a steward was somewhat of a waste of talent. Yu City was different from the capital; there were not as many people and interactions, so the role of a housekeeper was much smaller.
Speaking of Jiangnan, Yuxi remembered something and wondered, "Isn't your Biaodi4 a descendant of the Jiang family, a prominent clan in Jiangnan? Should Han Ji pay them a visit when he goes there?" Yuxi still remembered Old Madam Jiang very clearly.
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 the site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
Yun Qing fell silent momentarily before answering, "You can decide on this matter." He certainly wouldn't have taken the initiative to contact the Jiang family if it had been up to him. However, having one more friend meant having one more way to go, especially considering his historical connection with the Jiang family.
Since the topic of the Jiang family was brought up, Yuxi asked a question that had been on her mind for a while, "Isn't Jiang Hongfu your Biaodi4? I remember you had a good relationship then, so why didn't you stay in touch?"
Yun Qing's expression turned somewhat melancholy as he replied, "My situation was very dangerous, and I was afraid of implicating him, so I severed the ties." At that time, his situation was extremely dangerous, and he was afraid that the Song family would use Jiang Hongfu against him, so he took the initiative to cut off contact with him. Since then, Jiang Hongfu had never written to him again.
Yuxi sighed quietly and didn't pursue the matter any further.
Meanwhile, back in the capital, Han Jianming was feeling quite troubled. The Crown Prince had extended an olive branch to him. Han Jianming asked Mr Zhao, "What do you think I should do now?" The Yu family couldn't be relied upon. However, if he were to ally himself with the Crown Prince, well, the one who would soon become the Emperor, it would essentially mean betraying the Yu family. In that case, the Yu family definitely wouldn't treat them kindly. On the other hand, if he didn't accept the Crown Prince's olive branch, the Crown Prince wouldn't be able to deal with Grand Chancellor Yu and Song Guojiu5, but it would be very easy for him to deal with Han Jianming. So, Han Jianming was caught in a dilemma.
Mr Zhao had no better solution either. The Crown Prince would ascend the throne in a few days, and it wouldn't be wise to offend the future Emperor.
Han Jianming felt somewhat regretful. It would be great if Yuxi were here. Who knows, that girl might have some good suggestions!
Han Gao entered and reported, "My Lord, my Lady has fainted."
Upon hearing the news, Han Jianming rushed over. Although Ye Shi couldn't give him a son and had many faults, after all these years of marriage, they still had some affection between them. He didn't want anything to happen to Ye Shi.
Han Gao followed close behind, explaining as they walked, "My Lord, Madam Ye has passed away. My Lady fainted when she heard the news." When he had left his sentence unfinished earlier, it had caused real anxiety for the listener.
When Han Jianming knew that there was no problem with Ye Shi's health, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When they arrived at the Main Courtyard, Han Jianming saw Ye Shi dressed in white with tears streaming down her face. He stated, "After I change my clothes, I'll go to the Ye family." Since his mother-in-law had passed away, he had to hurry to attend her funeral.
Ye Shi cried sorrowfully, "My Lord, I didn't even get to see her for one last time." Madam Ye had been burdened with grief in recent years, and her health had deteriorated. Qiu Shi was a kind-hearted person and didn't restrict her daughter-in-law from visiting her family like other mothers-in-law did. On the contrary, knowing Madam Ye's poor health, she often allowed Ye Shi to visit her parents' home. Madam Ye's passing came too suddenly this time, and no one had anticipated it.
Han Jianming supported Ye Shi and said, "Let's go and inform Mother."
How could Qiu Shi not know about such a big thing? When she saw Ye Shi crying as if her tears would never stop, she lovingly said, "Hurry and go, see if you can lend a hand. Don't worry about the residence; your Dimei6 and I are here!" If it were a happy occasion, they wouldn't be able to help, as they were still in mourning. But now that it was a funeral, there was no such taboo.
After Han Jianming and his wife left, Qiu Shi commented, "This is truly a sin! If it weren't for Second Master Ye's disobedience and lack of filial piety, Madam Ye wouldn't have departed so early." Madam Ye wasn't very old; she was just three years older than her and not yet fifty this year. Before Second Master Ye broke off the engagement, her health had always been excellent. However, after Second Master Ye insisted on marrying Ke Minjie after breaking off the engagement, Madam Ye's health began deteriorating. It was fair to say that Second Master Ye was half responsible for Madam Ye's death.
Mama Li said, "The Old Lady is still the most fortunate. Both the Eldest Master and the Second Master have shown extreme filial piety towards the Old Lady. Who knows how many people in the capital have been saying that the Old Lady has raised her sons well?"
A smile appeared on Qiu Shi's face as she replied, "That is not true. Yuxi is also extremely filial." She knew very well that her two sons had always been filial, but they weren't as considerate as they were now. Yuxi deserved half the credit for this.
Footnotes Full List
- wei=guard, suo=battalion
Weisuo System. The founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) built a strong military by combining some elements of the Yuan system with others, such as the fubing militia system. He concentrated most of his garrisons around the capital and along the northern frontier and located other garrisons at strategic places throughout the country. Each garrison was allotted a tract of government-owned land known as tuntian (military colony), where the soldiers were required to work in shifts to provide for their own food. The basic garrison unit was a wei (guard) of about five thousand men; wet were sub-divided into so (battalions or companies). Soldiers and officers of wei and so were required to participate periodically in special training at the capital. Soldiers of the garrisons along the northern frontier guarded the Great Wall fortifications, and those of other garrisons guarded coastal forts. All soldiers were on rotational deployment from their garrisons under the leadership of tactical commanders directed by regional commanders. In large-scale military campaigns, soldiers were gathered from wei and so throughout the country into unplanned tactical units directed by military officers specially sent from the central government. This division of authority between garrison and tactical commanders was to prevent regional military officers from declaring independence.
Problems. The weisuo system was designed to reduce the military cost to the public and to make the Ming army more efficient. Desertion, however, became a serious problem, and it was hard for the government to replace deserters and battlefield casualties, according to prescribed hereditary principles. In addition, few garrisons produced enough food, especially in the poor farming regions along the frontiers where large forces were located. After the fifteenth century, the imperial government began to provide annual financial support, and these subsidies increased year by year. Even with these subsidies the strength and fighting ability of the weisuo standing army continued to decline. Supplemented by local militiamen and by conscripts from the general population, the military rolls swelled to a total of four million men in the late Ming era, but they were inadequately equipped, poorly trained, and erratically fed and clothed. - Source | The Military Organization https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/military-organization
- eldest brother
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
- younger male cousin via female line
- the Emperor's maternal uncle or brother-in-law
- younger sibling / younger brother's wife
きつね's OFF-TRACK CORNER
There's a new Chinese drama, The Double, based on the novel Marriage of the Di Daughter (嫡嫁千金) by Qian Shan Cha Ke (千山茶客). It seemed interesting, as it could keep me hooked until episode 20. I took a break until this episode because I wanted to finish the novel first. Not many C-dramas have been able to keep me hooked like this, except for RESET, a 2022 C-drama.
Aiya~ this two!
P/S: Doesn't the actor who played Shen Yunrong (00:22) look like Zhu Yilong?
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi