"Ugh..." Yuxi had just eaten a few bites of her egg custard📹 when she started vomiting again. Having thrown up everything, her face turned pale as she lay weak in the chair.
Yuxi touched her stomach and said, "This child is really causing a lot of trouble." When she was pregnant with Zaozao, she didn't have any symptoms at all, but now her reactions were extreme. She basically threw up everything she ate.
This went on for half a month. The once plump Yuxi had become so thin that even her body shape had changed. Yun Qing looked at her with an aching heart, "This child must be such a mischievous one to make you suffer so much even before it is born."
While lying on the bed, Yuxi spoke with a voice as weak as a mosquito, "Not necessarily. Zaozao was very calm while in the womb, but she still came out as a mischievous one. Since this child is restless in the womb, who knows, maybe it will be obedient and well-behaved?" Hopefully, there wouldn't be another restless one, or she would have a headache.
Yun Qing touched Yuxi's less prominent belly and said, "You are not allowed to trouble your mother any more. Otherwise, Dad will have to spank you after you are born."
Yuxi pursed her lips and smiled.
That day, Mama Qu brought a plate of orange-yellow apricots, saying, "Madam, Steward Dong bought these from outside. You should try one." Mama Lan provided many folk remedies during this time, but unfortunately, none worked.
Yuxi peeled an apricot, and after seeing its orange-yellow flesh, she suddenly felt hungry. She took a bite and nodded slightly. "It's not bad. The flesh is juicy, and the taste is sweet."
Seeing that Yuxi had eaten one without any signs of vomiting, Mama Qu said, "Then, have some more, Madam!"
These apricots were all carefully selected, each one juicy and sweet. Yuxi ate ten or so in one go.
Mama Qu hurriedly suggested, "Madam, would you like some porridge?" As long as Yuxi didn't throw up, it was best for her to eat something. It would be great if she could finish the meal without vomiting again.
Once Mama Bai heard the news, she quickly brought Yuxi a bowl of warm bird's nest porridge. As she watched her eat mouthful by mouthful, she silently prayed that Yuxi wouldn't vomit.
After finishing the bowl of porridge, Yuxi leaned back in her chair and, after a while, said in surprise, "I actually didn't..." She had gotten so used to vomiting that it felt strange when that did not happen.
Mama Qu could guess what Yuxi was about to say and quickly interrupted her, "Madam, you can't say such things." As soon as Yuxi said she wouldn't vomit, she might start vomiting again. Mama Lan had also warned her to be careful about such things.
Yuxi smiled and waited less than a quarter of an hour without vomiting. Feeling happy, she called for Zijin and requested, "I want to eat braised pork knuckles. Zijin, go to the restaurant and buy some." At that moment, all she wanted was meat! She hadn't eaten any meat for more than half a month. Yuxi didn't vomit much when she ate fruits and vegetables, but as soon as she touched meat, she would vomit up everything in her stomach!
When Yun Qing returned from the military camp, he saw Yuxi nibbling happily on braised pork knuckles. Although Yuxi hadn't eaten meat for half a month, the etiquette she had learned was deeply ingrained in her, so she still ate very gracefully. "You don't throw up anymore?"
Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "I'm not vomiting anymore. If I did, my body wouldn't be able to take it." She had been feeling weak and listless lately and even needed help walking. She didn't dare look in the mirror for fear of being frightened by her own reflection.
Yun Qing said hurriedly, "That's good, that's really good." He couldn't stand it any longer. Ever since Yuxi couldn't eat or sleep, he had suffered along with her, causing him to lose more than ten kilograms in the past half month.
Mama Lan had told Yuxi to let Yun Qing rest in the front yard. Yuxi disagreed. Yuxi wanted Yun Qing to know how much she suffered to give birth to a child and how difficult it was. Only then would he cherish and respect her more.
Mama Qu came in and announced, "Guard Xu is outside asking for an audience."
Seeing Xu Wu's smiling face, Yuxi asked, "Is there any good news? Tell me so that I can be happy, too." It was time to hear some joyful news.
Xu Wu smiled and said, "Dajun has returned and entered the city. This time, Dajun has not only brought back the grain, but his troops have also captured 126 steeds." There was little gold, silver, or jewellery, as it was only packed in two boxes.
Yuxi smiled. "It's better to share the joy than to enjoy it alone. Although the loot is not abundant, there's no problem treating the soldiers to a good meal. There's not much to be gained from staying in the military camp, so giving everyone a good meal will make everyone happy together."
Xu Wu responded, "That's a good idea."
Yun Qing argued, "Even if we had the money, it is impossible to buy that many cattle and sheep." It wouldn't be enough to feed a hundred thousand soldiers without a few hundred head of cattle and sheep.
Yuxi smiled as she replied, "If Yu City doesn't have any, you can buy them from Xinping City." Buying in such large quantities would definitely give them a much cheaper price.
Without waiting for Yun Qing to agree, Xu Wu said, "I thank Madam on behalf of everyone." In the barracks, except during wars or New Year celebrations, it was usually very difficult for them to eat large portions of meat.
Yun Qing glanced at Xu Wu and asked, "What? Do I usually mistreat you guys?"
Xu Wu didn't shy away from Yun Qing at that moment. He had learned from experience that as long as Madam Yun was around, the General wouldn't lose his temper: "I eat and drink well at the residence, but my brothers' lives are too hard. It's rare for them to have a good meal, so of course, I have to make an effort for them." Feng Dajun envied him and Yu Cong to death. Compared to the Yun Residence, the food in the barracks was like pig food.
Yun Qing said, "Give this task to Hao Dazhuang. Let him estimate how much to buy." Hao Dazhuang was now in charge of the restaurant and was more familiar with these things.
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.
After the grain was stored, the day had already dawned. Feng Dajun washed his face and went to the Yun Residence. When he saw Yun Qing, he reported in detail everything that had happened along the way: "After we left Long County, all the other bandits shrunk away when they heard the rumour. The return journey back was very peaceful." With the incident of wiping out over a thousand bandits in Long County preceding them, even those who were as ambitious as a leopard and as brave as a tiger1 did not dare to provoke them.
Yun Qing asked, "Ermao said that you released a bunch of bandits. What's going on here?" It was said in public that they had killed the entire group of bandits, but in reality, the Northwest Army had only killed more than four hundred people. The rest had all been released.
Feng Dajun replied with a grave expression, "General, County Magistrate Lian of Long County can't even write his own name properly. He knows nothing about government affairs and bought his official position with money. Since he took office, he has been amassing a lot of money, while the local people's lives are bitter beyond words2. Some people who could not make a living went to the government office to complain to the prefect. As a result, those people were either found dead or sent to prison. Many people were forced to go up the mountain to become bandits in order to have a meal."
Yun Qing was silent.
Feng Dajun, a man who had also suffered hardship, personally sympathised with these helpless people. However, he knew that this did not mean his actions were right. He got down on one knee and said, "General, this is my fault. Please punish me."
Yun Qing's expression was somewhat complex. After a moment, he asked, "Have you left behind any future problems?" Previously, for Yun Qing, black was black and white was white. There were no grey areas. Regardless of why someone turned to banditry, they should be eliminated once they become bandits. But recently, Yuxi had been telling him that these ordinary people were also pitiful. As long as they didn't commit heinous crimes like murder, arson, or causing chaos, they could be let go. Hearing this repeatedly had naturally affected him.
Feng Dajun hurriedly said, "General, rest assured, there will be no more trouble in the future." He definitely wouldn't cause any trouble for the General.
Yun Qing nodded. "When you return to the camp, give yourself twenty strokes of the cane." No matter the reason, letting the bandits go was still negligent.
Feng Dajun breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Yes." If it were according to the General's previous temper, he would probably have lost half his life. Now, receiving only twenty strokes of the cane as a punishment was already a pleasant surprise.
After receiving twenty strokes of the cane, Feng Dajun was helped back to his room. Xu Wu handed a small bottle of medicine to Military Physician Hou. Military Physician Hou only used a small portion and then tucked the bottle into his lapel.
Feng Dajun was lying on the bed, grimacing in pain. When he saw what Military Physician Hou was doing, he asked Xu Wu, "Where did you get this medicine bottle?" When he heard that it was a gift from Madam, Feng Dajun shouted at Military Physician Hou, "Military Physician Hou, this is unfair. How can you take something that Madam gave to me?" Everyone around Yun Qing knew that the medicine given by Yuxi was always good.
Military Physician Hou replied expressionlessly, "I only took it to study it. I'll use it next time I have to reapply the medicine on you." Although Master Yang wasn't a medical expert, the medicines he made were top-notch. Unfortunately, Master Yang was unwilling to give up even a hair3. It was as challenging as reaching heaven just to get medicine from him.
After the physician left, Feng Dajun frowned and complained to Xu Wu, "You know Physician Hou's character. Can good things still be available once they're in his hands?"
Xu Wu laughed and said, "I personally went to ask Madam for the medicine for you, and you're blaming me? It is tough to be a good person." Military Physician Hou was a skilled physician. If Xu Wu had given the medicine to others, they would have been clumsy in using it. In the end, Feng Dajun would have to suffer again. Therefore, even though Xu Wu knew that Military Physician Hou liked to pluck feathers from a flying goose4, he still entrusted him with the medicine.
Feng Dajun only made a casual remark. He didn't really blame Xu Wu for it. "It's a pity that there isn't enough of this medicine." If they had more good medicine like this, they could save many lives.
Xu Wu held back his smile and sighed, "Yes, if only we had more of these good medicines." It was just a pity that it was impossible; the required medicinal materials were too expensive, and they couldn't afford them.
The topic was getting heavy, so Xu Wu quickly switched to a lighter one, "Now the farms have started supplying vegetables to the military camps. Now, the food is much better than before." In fact, it was only slightly better than before, not really a significant change. It was just that this gesture made everyone feel appreciated.
After hearing this, Feng Dajun commented, "Madam really cares for us." Only their Madam always cares for them; otherwise, who would care about their food and needs?
Xu Wu smiled and said, "I heard that Madam is also planning to follow the northern barbarians by providing milk for the soldiers to drink."
Fend Dajun frowned. "Madam's idea is good, but goat's milk has a strong smell. I'm afraid many soldiers won't be used to it." In fact, Xu Wu and Feng Dajun knew that goat's milk and cow's milk were good things, but good things might not necessarily taste good!
Xu Wu chuckled. "You don't have to worry. Madam has a way to remove the smell. But even if Madam can do it, we can't mass-produce it yet. We can only supply a small number of people, which should be manageable." Xu Wu was referring to a few people who had reached a certain rank as officers.
Feng Dajun sighed. "I remember when we first heard that the Emperor had bestowed marriage to the General, we were worried about him. We never thought that he would be so blessed." For them, Madam was indeed a lucky star.
Xu Wu laughed. "Who can argue with that!"
Footnotes Full List
- This is a Chinese idiom that vividly describes someone who is both ambitious and courageous.
- Chinese idiom: to be in unspeakable suffering
- Chinese idiom: extremely stingy
- This is a Chinese idiom that describes someone who takes advantage of every opportunity to gain something, no matter how small or insignificant.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi