The Imperial Court issued a decree assigning Ji Xuan the task of suppressing the bandits. When Huo Changqing received the news, he summoned Yuxi and asked, "With Ji Xuan tasked to suppress the bandits, have our previous plans fallen through?" Huo Changqing believed their plan had failed, but he still wanted to hear Yuxi's opinion.
Yuxi shook her head. "If Ji Xuan were willing, there wouldn't be so many bandits in the northwest. His actions against the bandits are just a formality. Banditry in the future will probably be even worse than it is now." The reason for the abundance of bandits in the northwest lay with Ji Xuan. Since Ji Xuan became the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, he had introduced about ten new taxes. When ordinary people couldn't survive, they naturally turned to banditry.
Huo Changqing glanced at Yuxi and asked, "How come you know so much about government affairs?" Taxation, regulations, laws—Yuxi seemed to grasp them effortlessly, leaving Huo Changqing astonished.
Yuxi smiled and replied, "The Duke Residence has a library with all sorts of books. Whenever I had free time, I would borrow them to read. Moreover, my Dage1 would allow me to listen in when he discussed state affairs with his aides. Over time, I'd picked up some of the knowledge."
Huo Changqing found it strange that Han Jianming allowed Yuxi to listen in on court matters. However, he didn't ask her because it would be pointless.
Yuxi said, "Uncle Huo, we must quickly train a group of people to be sent out. It is still okay for now, but if the information is delayed in the future, it could lead to incalculable losses."
After a moment's thought, Huo Changqing responded, "Actually, He Rui and I had already sent out a group of people at the end of last year. Most of them are former scouts from the military camp." Scouts were people who gathered intelligence about the enemy. They were the best people to gather news from around the region. That was why Huo Changqing insisted on Yun Qing's approval.
Yuxi was extremely surprised and asked, "Why didn't I know about this?" Yun Qing had not mentioned such a big thing to her.
Huo Changqing chuckled. "You were still recovering then, and Yun Qing didn't want to bother you. He probably forgot about it later." After a pause, he continued, "I think we can divide it into two groups. One group will be led by Yun Qing himself, and the other by you, so there'll be less chance of mistakes."
Yuxi nodded. "Okay."
Huo Changqing nodded and added, "I've already chosen the people. I'll bring them to Scholar Tree Estate in a few days. If there's anything you need, just send someone there." In truth, Huo Changqing was somewhat regretful that he couldn't bring Zaozao with him.
After talking to Huo Changqing, Yuxi returned to the inner courtyard. Before she went about her business, she heard that Da Nainai2 Zhao had come over. Yuxi asked, "What's wrong with Da Nainai2 Zhao?"
Zijin replied, "She seems to be in a hurry."
When Yuxi met Da Nainai2 Zhao, she learned that Tu Shi had had a difficult birth. Yuxi was surprised and asked, "Tu Jiejie3's due date was in the fifth month; why did she give birth now?"
Da Nainai2 Zhao smiled wryly. "My Dimei4 accidentally slipped and fell." Tu Shi was nine months pregnant, and any fall during this period could cause her to give birth prematurely.
Yuxi asked suspiciously, "How could she slip and fall?" Seeing Da Nainai2 Zhao's embarrassed expression and reluctance to explain, Yuxi became even more puzzled.
This time, Da Nainai2 Zhao had come with a request: "I've heard that Madam's personal mama, Mama Lan, is a skilled midwife. I would like to ask for her help."
If it had been someone else, Yuxi might have hesitated, but her relationship with Tu Qingmei was so close that she couldn't just stand by. She immediately sent Mama Lan with Da Nainai2 Zhao to the Zhao Residence. Originally, Yuxi wanted to go there and see Tu Shi herself, but when she noticed Da Nainai2 Zhao's reluctant expression, she decided against it.
Yuxi called Zijin and instructed her, "Go and find out why Er Nainai5 Zhao had a premature birth." Tu Shi attached great importance to this pregnancy; even when the midwife had said the child would be a girl, she still valued it greatly. So, there must have been some hidden story behind this premature birth; it was unknown whether Da Nainai2 Zhao had anything to do with it.
That evening, Yuxi learned the reason for Tu Qingmei's premature birth. It turned out that Yuxi had been thinking too much. This matter had nothing to do with Da Nainai2 Zhao; it was caused by problems in Tu Qingmei's maternal family. Tu Qingmei's Dage1 had severely beaten someone under the influence of alcohol. The victim didn't want compensation but demanded justice; hence, the case was brought to court.
After receiving the complaint, Tan Tuo investigated and subsequently detained Tu Qingmei's Dage1. Despite the Tu family's efforts to have him released, Tan Tuo refused, stating he would handle the case according to the law.
Tu Qingmei's Dasao6 somehow found out that Tan Tuo was associated with the Duke of the State Residence and that her xiaogu7, Tu Qingmei, was close friends with Han Gunainai8. As a result, she wanted Tu Qingmei to appeal to Yuxi for leniency and to release her brother.
Tu Qingmei refused, which led to an argument between the two. Somehow, during the altercation, Tu Qingmei slipped and fell. It could only be said that this incident was an accident rather than a conspiracy.
Yuxi found this situation quite perplexing and remarked, "Tu Jiejie3 is already nine months pregnant, yet her saozi9 still wanted her to appeal to me for leniency?" A pregnant woman in the last trimester was highly sensitive to stress, so significant matters should have been kept away from her. However, this Hua Shi, Tu Qingmei's Dasao6, showed no concern for her heavily pregnant xiaogu7 and even argued with her. It was hard to find words to describe her behaviour.
Zijin commented: "This Hua Shi, Tu Qingmei's Dasao6, comes from a family of bamboo craftsmen. She has been bold since childhood. When the two families arranged their engagement, they were still children, and the Tu family had not yet prospered. After the Tu family became prosperous, Master Tu felt he couldn't go back on his word and allowed his son to marry Hua Shi. But, even after becoming the young mistress of an officer family, Hua Shi's attitude hadn't changed, and she still behaved like a country girl. As a result, she caused quite a few incidents in Xinping City."
Yuxi asked, "What kind of person is Tu Jiejie3's Dage1?" Just hearing about him makes him sound troublesome; otherwise, he wouldn't get into fights when he was drunk.
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.
Zijin replied, "He's not particularly skilled, but he has no major faults either. His only hobby is drinking, but he can't hold his liquor and has a bad drinking habit." A man couldn't be considered refined if he went crazy whenever he got drunk. Like Master, when he got drunk, he would just lie down and sleep without saying a word.
Yuxi thought for a moment before asking, "I remember Tu Jiejie3's Er Ge10. Isn't he in the military?" Old Master Tu used to be a fourth-rank regional military commissioner, but his old injury recurred last year, so he had been recovering at home.
Zijin nodded. "Tu Shi's Er Ge10 is very brave in battle; he's now a lower fifth-rank officer and even married a young lady from an official family. However, due to the huge difference in status, there are many conflicts between them."
Yuxi shook her head and commented, "Every family has its own difficulties." In her daily interactions with Tu Shi, she rarely heard her talk about her maternal family.
Zijin continued, "Madam, the person Eldest Master Tu injured is the maternal cousin of Da Nainai2 Zhao, from the main branch of the Zhao family. Her maternal family can be considered a wealthy family in Xinping City. They only have this one son, and now that he's been injured, they won't let go so easily." If the victim was an ordinary commoner, an apology and compensation might be enough. But since they only had this one son, they definitely wouldn't let it slide.
Yuxi looked at Zijin and asked, "How can they expect me to interfere in local affairs?" If it were a case of injustice like Mr Chen's, she would have helped. But for this matter, it was better to leave it to Tan Tuo! Tu Qingmei probably knew Yuxi's principles, hence her refusal to intervene!
Although Yuxi didn't want to interfere, she still hoped that Tu Qingmei could get through this difficult time.
In the middle of the night, Mama Lan returned. She told Yuxi, "Madam, fortunately, Er Nainai5 Zhao and her daughter are safe. She only agreed because of the good relationship between Tu Shi and her mistress. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to touch this hot potato.
Yuxi hastily asked, "There's nothing wrong with her body, right?" Complications during childbirth could lead to permanent problems. Many women were unable to get pregnant again because of childbirth complications.
Mama Lan shook her head. "No, after the child was born, Er Nainai5 Zhao just fell asleep. As long as she takes care of herself during confinement, there shouldn't be any problems."
Yuxi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Tu Qingmei had a daughter, the Zhao family cherished the child greatly. On the third day after the child's birth, the Zhao family invited many people to the washing ceremony, making it very lively.
When Yuxi saw Tu Qingmei and noticed her good complexion, she expressed, "I was terrified when I heard about your difficult delivery a few days ago."
Tu Qingmei replied gratefully, "I've already heard from my mother-in-law that it was thanks to Mama Lan's superb skills. I might not have made it if it weren't for her."
Yuxi smiled. "What are you saying? It's your luck, too. I've asked Mama Lan, and she said your health is fine. As long as you take care of yourself during your confinement, there won't be any permanent problems. After your confinement, with some care, you can have more children." She almost said, 'Since your health is fine, you can have more children, and it's okay if they are all daughters'.
Tu Qingmei smiled and said, "Whether sons or daughters, they are my flesh and blood. I love them equally."
Seeing Tu Qingmei's attitude, Yuxi nodded. "It's good that you think like that. If their own mothers didn't care for them, who else would?" Yuxi's words came from hearing about how Chen Shi treated her youngest daughter with extreme aversion, leaving the child to be cared for by a runiang11 immediately after birth and not even wanting to look at her. This behaviour disgusted Yuxi.
Tu Qingmei smiled and said, "My mother-in-law really loves Jingyao. She was worried that I couldn't handle two children, so she took Ziyao over to her side." Her mother-in-law knew a lot, and having her daughter with her mother-in-law could only be beneficial.
Yuxi couldn't help but praise her, "Madam Zhao is truly a good mother-in-law." She actually thought that people like Madam Zhao were clever!
Tu Qingmei wholeheartedly agreed. "If my mother could be like my mother-in-law, fair and impartial, it would be so good." Madam Zhao treated her two sons equally. She might have favoured Ping Shi among the daughters-in-law, but that was because Ping Shi was the eldest daughter-in-law. However, Madam Tu was different; she was biased towards her eldest son, believing he should be given more attention even if he lacked talent, and the younger brother should humble himself even when he was more talented. This not only led to a tense relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law but also strained the relationship between the brothers. Tu Qingmei tried many times to advise her mother, but unfortunately, it was in vain.
Yuxi found it difficult to respond to this.
PS (Author)： I feel a bit feverish, and my head is all foggy. The weather has been unpredictable lately, so everyone must take extra care of themselves. Don't end up like me, ~~~~(>_<)~~~~
Footnotes Full List
- eldest brother
- da=eldest, nainai=young mistress of a family
- elder sister. It can also be used on an older female acquaintance who has a close relationship with the speaker.
- younger sibling / younger brother's wife; sister-in-law er=second, nainai=young mistress of a family
- eldest sister-in-law
- father's youngest sister/husband's younger sister; sister-in-law
- a respectful form of address for a married woman used by members of her parents' family) married daughter
- elder brother's wife; sister-in-law
- er=second, ge=older brother, short form for Gege
- wet nurse
きつね's Musing
The weather has been really unpredictable lately. It has become unbearably hot where I live, and even my cats and kittens have fallen ill. So, everyone, please be careful when you go outside. Don't forget to bring an umbrella, plenty of water, and drink a lot.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi