Yuchen didn't get a straight answer from Han Jianming, but it wasn't a total waste. At least she now knows that Yuxi deliberately leaked the so-called drought.
After leaving Han Jianming's place, Yuchen went to the backyard and conversed with Qiu Shi. She sent the gifts she had brought and then returned home.
Sitting in the carriage, Yuchen thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. She asked Momo1 Gui, "What do you think Yuxi's intentions are?" Even if Yuxi knew that the Crown Prince's faction had deciphered their communication secret, she shouldn't test it like this. If something went wrong, she would be implicated as well.
Momo1 Gui shook her head. "I can't guess Si Gunainai2's thoughts now." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Wangfei3, do you think Cao De's death is related to Si Gunainai2?" She was almost about to say that Yuxi might have killed Cao De.
Yuchen pondered seriously for a moment and then shook her head. "No, Yuxi has nothing to gain from Cao De's death." No grudge or interest was involved, so it's unlikely Yuxi would take such a big risk to kill the Imperial Commissioner.
Momo1 Gui hadn't seen Yuxi for several years and was unaware of the situation in Yu City. Her previous statement was just her assumption about Yuxi. She advised, "Wangfei3, it would be better to be more careful with Si Gunainai2 in the future!"
Yuchen chuckled. "Momo1 is being overly cautious. Even if Yuxi wants to plot against me, I won't be foolish enough to let her." Based on Yuxi's personality, Yuchen felt that she probably wouldn't go so far as to plot against her. This feeling had no basis; it was just her intuition.
When Mr Zhao entered the study, he asked, "My Lord, did Jing Wangfei3 come as a mediator?" Apart from that, Jing Wangfei3 should have gone to the Old Lady and the Lady for other matters, not to the Duke.
Han Jianming nodded. "The Crown Prince is impatient and hasn't changed a bit even after more than ten years." Back then, the Emperor was highly fond of Song Guifei4 and relied heavily on Song Guojiu5 in political affairs. At the same time, he was extremely disgusted with the late Empress and the late Crown Prince. In a situation where they had a sufficient advantage, the late Empress and the late Crown Prince would sooner or later meet their end as long as they planned well. However, the current Crown Prince was eager to ascend the throne and rebelled against the country with the Song family, resulting in the tragic Tong City incident. Even now, before his ascension, he has already begun to extensively win over court officials.
If the Crown Prince had been truly intelligent, he would have kept a low profile after his accession instead of trying to win over court officials. He should have secretly amassed enough power to eliminate Grand Chancellor Yu and the Song family in one fell swoop. Instead of acting so impatiently even before ascending the throne. Little did he know, the more he acted this way, the more wary the Song and the Yu families became of him.
Mr Zhao said, "But the Crown Prince has even asked for Jing Wangfei3's help. If we do not grant him this favour, it will be difficult for my Lord to secure a proper position after the mourning period." Someone disliked by the future Emperor would certainly not be able to succeed in officialdom.
Han Jianming replied, "Since the Crown Prince is so sincere, how can I refuse his good intentions?" Han Jianming already had an idea in mind. This way, he wouldn't offend the Crown Prince or the Yu family. He would get over this hurdle first and then deal with other matters after a year of mourning.
The waves in the Imperial Court were far away from Yu City and didn't affect it.
After the first month, Yuxi's health recovered considerably. It was much better than Physician Bai had expected, leading him to praise Yuxi's excellent constitution. This wasn't just due to her good constitution but also the effectiveness of the medicinal food she consumed daily.
Yuxi could resume her duties, but Mama Lan and Mama Qu kept advising her to refrain from overexerting herself. They spoke so much about it that even Yun Qing had to intervene. Yuxi decided to spend only an hour and a half in the morning and afternoon caring for things. The rest of the time, she wouldn't be disturbed unless there was something urgent.
Mama Lan was helpless as she watched Yuxi bow her head and sew clothes. "Madam, let the embroiderer take care of these clothes. Please rest properly!" Sometimes, Mama Lan felt that her mistress was someone destined for hard work. When she wasn't managing external affairs, she read books or embroidered. She couldn't sit idle for even a moment! In rural areas, this would be considered a hardworking woman, but their mistress was a general's wife. She was supposed to live a comfortable life, not work so hard.
Yuxi smiled and said, "I'm just being idle anyway, and doing needlework doesn't require much brainpower." She could only do this when Zaozao was asleep. Once Zaozao woke up, she would have to coax her again.
Speaking of Zaozao, Yuxi asked, "Mama Lan, when do you think Zaozao will be able to speak? The child is slow in teething; will she also be slow in speaking?" Other children start teething at six months old, but Zaozao only started teething at the beginning of this month. Since she started teething, she had always been drooling and liked to bite things.
Mama Lan shook her head. "Teething and speaking have nothing to do with each other." As for when Zaozao would start talking, she had no way of knowing because it was impossible to predict.
Mama Qu walked in and informed Yuxi, "Madam, the Fu family has sent four maids. They are waiting outside right now."
Yuxi put down her needlework and said, "Let them come in." After saying that, she walked out of the bedroom and into the main hall.
Four girls walked in, stood in a line, bowed to Yuxi, and greeted her in unison, "Greetings, Madam."
Yuxi looked at the four people standing in front of her. These four individuals had many similarities, such as dark skin, tall stature, and rough skin, and when they looked at her, their backs were straight, and their eyes were calm without any trace of awe. Yuxi asked, "If you have any thoughts, feel free to speak up. For example, if you don't want to stay in the Yun Residence and wish to return to the Fu family, or if you desire to go out and live as free individuals, I can agree to your requests. But if you choose to stay, you must abide by the rules of the Yun Residence." Yuxi's words were both a temptation and a test.
The woman dressed in an autumn-coloured dress immediately stepped forward and said, "Madam, I want to return to my young lady's side." Her young lady had shown her great kindness, and she could not leave her.
The phrase 'my young lady' clearly indicated her stance. Yuxi didn't dare to keep a maid whose loyalty lay elsewhere. She nodded and then asked the other three women, "What about you three?"
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The shortest of the three maids stood up and said, "Madam, I want to go home. My mother is in her forties and has been in poor health. I want to return and take care of her." Serving her mother was just an excuse; she no longer wished to serve others. Over the years, she had managed to save some money while being by Fu Qingluo's side. Now that she was getting older, she desired freedom and to find a man to marry. Yuxi had a good reputation outside, and she believed Yuxi was the kind of person who kept her word. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to say anything.
Yuxi looked at the remaining two maids and asked, "What about you two?" She hoped that at least one of them would decide to stay. It would be discouraging if more of them chose to leave.
The two remaining maids replied, "We are willing to stay." Since the young general had sent them over, they knew they would not be treated well if they returned. In that case, it would be better for them to stay peacefully in the Yun Residence. Besides, Madam Yun was generous, so staying in the Yun Residence would be a good choice.
Mama Qu took the two maids who were leaving with her. Yuxi turned to the two maids who chose to stay and said, "Since you have arrived at the Yun Residence, you will be part of the Yun family from now on..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the two maids replied in unison, "Yes."
Yuxi furrowed her brow. The two maids' rules seemed inadequate, but she could teach them gradually. Yuxi asked for the names of the two maidservants, and when she heard that both names began with '秋6', she was not entirely satisfied. If their parents had given them their names, Yuxi would not have changed them. However, since their names were clearly from the Fu family, they had to be changed. Yuxi renamed the two maids Hongqi and Hongdou7.
The two maids did not dare to object and replied in unison, "Thank you, Madam, for giving us names."
Yuxi noticed that the two maids were reasonably well-behaved and said, "Go and learn the rules for a while." While they learned the rules, she could also observe them. She would keep them by her side if they proved competent in all aspects. If they failed to satisfy her, she would either let them go or arrange marriages for them.
When Yun Qing returned home that evening, he heard the new names Yuxi had given the two maids. He asked, "They have been using these names for over ten years. Why bother changing them?" Yun Qing had no other thoughts but felt there was no need to put so much effort into it.
Yuxi replied, "The maids who serve the Fu family closely have names that start with the character '秋6'. If they go out in the future and someone calls them by their old names, others will know they are from the Fu family."
Yun Qing couldn't understand Yuxi's thinking, but he didn't argue with her either.
Yuxi also mentioned this: "I want those two maids who stayed behind to be thoroughly checked." In fact, Yuxi already had information about them that Fu Tianlei had sent her. For example, Hongqi had a brother who was already married and had children; he was now serving in the military. Hongdou's parents were both dead, but her uncles were still alive. These two maidservants were selected by Fu Qingluo back then and then taught martial arts. They had clean backgrounds and no shady dealings.
Fu Tianlei was Yun Qing's best brother. Knowing she was short of people, he sent these maids who knew martial arts as a favour. However, if she wanted to use these two people, she had to check them thoroughly and ensure there were no mistakes. She didn't want to have another Mama Xi incident.
Yun Qing smiled and said, "If you want to investigate, just go ahead. Why bother telling me?"
Yuxi had reasons for informing Yun Qing about this: "Fu Tianlei is your sworn brother, with whom you've shared life and death. If I investigate him without telling you, he might think we don't trust him and become unhappy." Some things still needed to be considered.
Yun Qing nodded. "If you want to investigate, go ahead. There is no need to worry so much." It was customary to investigate someone you want to hire as a servant.
Yuxi said, "You should mention it to him anyway; just tell him it was my idea." She didn't want to cause a rift between Yun Qing and Fu Tianlei.
Yun Qing shook his head and smiled. "Alright, I'll mention it to him tomorrow." Women's minds were genuinely unfathomable.
Yuxi, however, felt that Yun Qing was too carefree. "He Rui, there are some things that need to be taken into consideration," like the incident with Mr Xia last time. If she hadn't been careful and moved things around, who knew what would have happened?
Yun Qing couldn't argue with Yuxi, so he simply said, "Let's go to sleep!"
Yuxi shook her head inwardly but also knew that Yun Qing's nature couldn't be changed overnight.
Footnotes Full List
- (dialect) elderly lady
- si=fourth, gunainai=(a respectful form of address for a married woman used by members of her parents' family) married daughter
- wang=king, fei=consort
- noble consort
- the Emperor's maternal uncle or brother-in-law
- in pinyin, it's read as Qiū means 'autumn'
- red bean
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi