Madam Tan spent the night at the Yun Mansion and returned the next day.
After everyone left, Yuxi said, "It's the first time I've met someone so straightforward." She also guessed that Tan Tuo knew her temperament, so he asked her to come over to show his submissive attitude but didn't dare let her bring any message with her.
Mama Qu expressed, "She's fortunate."
Yuxi agreed with these words. Madam Tan's marriage to Tan Tuo was the greatest blessing. Many men from humble backgrounds, once successful, began to despise their original wives. Those with a bit of conscience wouldn't divorce their wives but would keep concubines on the side; those without a conscience would leave their original wives right away to marry young ladies from official families. But Tan Tuo treated Madam Tan so well that it was beyond words. So, it was true to say that when a woman got married, it was like being reborn for the second time.
Madam Qu added: "I once heard an old saying that when a woman was a girl at home, she was cherished and pampered by her father, then after marriage, she was cherished and pampered by her husband, and in old age, she was taken care of by her sons. If this happens throughout her life, it's like falling into a nest of blessings."
Yuxi smiled and commented, "That is not called happiness; that is called a perfect life. But where can one find such a person?" To have all three would be a great virtue indeed.
The weather was too hot and unbearable for both adults and children alike. Zaozao, who used to eat with gusto, now refused to eat at all.
Mama Lan said, "Madam, it's quite cool at the estate now. Why not stay there for two months and come back after summer?" With a big willow tree providing shade, it made the manor in the estate very cool.
Yuxi shook her head. "There's too much going on at the residence, I can't leave." She also wanted to go on a vacation to the estate, but it was a critical moment, and she couldn't get away.
Mama Lan pursed her lips but eventually didn't insist any further. However, when General Yun Qing returned to the backyard in the afternoon, she mentioned to him, "General, it's too hot; both Madam and Young Miss can't stand it. It would be great if they could stay at the country estate." It was better to advise General Yun Qing than to advise Madam.
General Yun Qing nodded. "I understand."
That evening, Yun Qing told Yuxi, "You should go to the country estate and come back when needed. This way, it can also reassure some people." Now, many people began to doubt him.
Yuxi asked, "Have you already made a plan?" Hearing this from Yun Qing, she knew that he must have already schemed something.
Yun Qing nodded. "As for the grain from Jiangnan, let's not touch the second batch of grain going to Lanzhou. Intercept the third batch of grain at Maluo Mountain." If they truly intended to take control of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, this grain would have to be distributed.
When Yuxi heard the word 'intercept', her eyes lit up and asked, "It's good that you have a plan." Some things didn't need to be discussed in detail; it was enough to know the general direction.
Yun Qing patted Yuxi's head and reassured her, "Don't worry! I won't let anything happen to you, the child, or Uncle Huo." Since the decision had been made, there was no need to hesitate.
Yuxi smiled and said, "Yes, I believe in you." She had no worries about Yun Qing's ability in warfare. As for the future, she was even less concerned. As the saying goes, to win the hearts of the people is to win the world. Yuxi had no grand ambitions to rule; she just wanted enough power in the Northwest for self-preservation. As long as the people in the Northwest lived well, Yun Qing could establish a firm foothold.
After a moment of thought, Yun Qing said, "We don't have to worry about the route from Yu City to Maluo Mountain, but the route from Maluo Mountain to Gao City is more dangerous. Especially Gao City, the central area of the two provinces, is heavily guarded." After pausing for a moment, he continued, "I'm worried about Yu City right now. If anything happens here, we'll be surrounded."
Yuxi asked, "Are you worried about General Zhao?" In Yu City, everyone except for General Zhao, including Fu Tianlei, was loyal to Yun Qing. Any trouble would likely involve General Zhao.
Yun Qing nodded, "Yes, if he turns against us, I'm worried about you and Zaozao." Once General Zhao had Yuxi and Zaozao, it would be like withholding his lifeline.
Yuxi suggested, "I have thought of that too. But, if you can, take Zhao Zhuo and Zhao Hao out with your troops and leave General Zhao and Fu Tianlei to guard Yu City."
Yun Qing hesitated, "But what if General Zhao refuses to let his sons go without seeing the order to mobilise troops?" Under normal circumstances, General Zhao would definitely not dare to agree.
Yuxi said, "That's easy, just forge the orders. Once the deed is done, we won't have to worry about General Zhao even if he finds out." If Zhao Zuo and Zhao Hao followed Yun Qing, General Zhao wouldn't dare to act recklessly, even if he suspected Yun Qing of treason. After all, he only had Zhao Zuo and Zhao Hao as his sons and would have to compromise.
Yun Qing, still uneasy, asked, "What if they suspect something?" If their plan was discovered, it could lead to disaster before they achieved their goal.
Yuxi said, "Has he ever seen the mobilisation order?" Seeing Yun Qing shake his head, Yuxi continued, "That thing must have been left behind before. We can forge a copy based on it when the time comes. But if General Zhao asks to see it, don't show it to him first. You are the Commander-in-Chief of the Border City; you have the final say in all matters. It's not up to him to demand to see it. But if he insists on seeing it, you can show it to him. Then taking away his two sons is also reasonable. After all, we must prevent him from causing you trouble in Yu City."
Forgery, deception, threats—they really spared no effort. Yun Qing felt somewhat helpless. He used to act with principles, but now he seemed to have no bottom line. "Will it always be like this in the future?" The thought of having to act this way in the future left Yun Qing with an indescribable feeling.
Yuxi chuckled but didn't respond to that question. Instead, she said, "In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies are in vain." They were currently the weaker party, hence the need for such clandestine methods. Once they had power, there would be no need for conspiracies; everything could be done openly. It was like Empress Dowager Song, wanting to deal with her directly by marrying her off to the barren lands of the Northwest.
Yun Qing fell into deep thought and only spoke after a while, "You're right." At that moment, Yun Qing somewhat understood why Yuxi wanted him to become the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu.
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.
Yuxi smiled, changed the subject, and said, "Alright, I will go to the estate the day after tomorrow. If anything happens, I'll come back." Naturally, 'if anything happens' referred to unexpected events occurring in the Northwest. Before that, it would be good to relax at the estate.
The following day, Yun Qing went to the front courtyard. After Yuxi finished exercising, she called for Mama Lan and said, "This is a one-time thing and should not set a precedent. Otherwise, don't blame me for not giving you a face." Although Mama Lan's intentions were good, her actions had crossed a line.
Mama Lan's heart trembled, and she bowed her head, saying, "It was this old servant's overstep." She felt sorry for Zaozao, which was why she had spoken to Yun Qing. But regardless of the reason, she was still doing the wrong thing.
Yuxi said, "I know you care for Zaozao, but even if you care for her, you can't indulge her in everything. It's okay for children who are still young and ignorant, but if this continues when she grows up, it's more harm than love to the child." Yujing had been spoiled as a child, which had led to her reckless behaviour as an adult and her insistence on marrying into the Song family, or else she wouldn't have met an early demise.
Mama Lan nodded. "Madam, rest assured, there won't be a next time."
Yuxi nodded. "Go pack your things; we'll leave for the estate early tomorrow morning." The manor at the estate was very refreshing.
There was a lot to take to the estate, so Yuxi instructed Shiliu, Gancao, and others to pack. In total, they packed three large carts, which was after a streamlined process. The contents of the three carts were quite eye-catching, and shortly after Yuxi left Yu City, many people got wind of it.
General Zhao received this news from Madam Zhao in the evening and furrowed his brow, wondering, "Why go to the estate at this time? There are many things inside and outside the Yun Mansion that need to be taken care of by Han Shi; how can she just leave now?"
Madam Zhao said, "They said that the weather was too hot for the child that she couldn't eat anything. The estate is cool, so they took her there."
General Zhao didn't quite believe it. "That could be an excuse." He had always felt that Han Shi might have had an ulterior motive for going to the estate.
Madam Zhao didn't think it was an excuse. "Yun Qing treated Zaozao with the utmost care as if she were a fragile treasure. He was afraid that if he held her too tightly, she would melt in his arms, and if he held her too loosely, she would fall and break. It's normal to take the child to the manor when she can't eat or sleep properly due to the summer heat." She then added, "Besides, this is only a trip to the estate, not to Xinping City. What could they be plotting there? The estate is full of farmers. What could Yun Qing be up to?" Madam Zhao felt her husband was overthinking things.
General Zhao said, "Yun Qing has been acting strangely lately, sending out two cavalry units. Two hundred cavalry should be enough for the grain convoy; there's no need to dispatch eight hundred cavalry in two separate groups."
Madam Zhao asked confusedly, "Wasn't it because they feared the grain would be stolen since there are many bandits in the Northwest? Could there be any other explanation?"
General Zhao shook his head. "These eight hundred cavalry are all elite troops, capable of taking on ten enemies each. It doesn't make sense to send out so many people." However, he didn't believe Yun Qing would rebel either. After all, Yun Qing had grown up under his watchful eye and wasn't an ambitious person.
Madam Zhao said, "There are disasters in the south, and this year's harvest in Taiyuan was poor. If something goes wrong with this batch of grain, the food supply for the 100,000 troops in Yu City will be in jeopardy. It's understandable that General Yun takes this seriously."
General Zhao frowned but did not argue.
Madam Zhao sighed, "Speaking of which, Madam Yun is quite impressive for buying the grain in advance. If she hadn't, the soldiers would have suffered." They had experienced a grain shortage before and still had to go to war. At that time, Marshal Qin was so worried that his hair almost turned white.
General Zhao commented, "Her foresight has solved a major problem for us. Marrying Yun Qing was a great blessing for him." It was also a blessing for the soldiers of Yu City.1
All the 100,000 soldiers in Yu City knew that Yuxi had bought nearly one million dan2 of grain in advance because of last winter's abnormal weather, and was worried that there would be natural disasters this year. This had elevated Yuxi's reputation to a whole new level. It was no exaggeration to say that her reputation had surpassed even Yun Qing's.
Madam Zhao nodded, "Indeed, she's quite impressive. Speaking of which, after marrying Yun Qing, it's as if he became a different person. The fierce aura he had before is gone, and he's now so calm and gentle that you wouldn't even believe that he is an experienced general who has killed countless people." If Yun Qing had been this calm during the marriage negotiations, she would definitely have married her daughter to him. Unfortunately, Yun Qing's fierce demeanour had frightened her; she didn't dare to marry her daughter to him.
General Zhao fell silent momentarily before responding, "Yes, who could have imagined that back then." He knew his daughter couldn't change Yun Qing, so there was no point in dwelling on the past.
Footnotes Full List
- Weren't you one of the people who said it was unfortunate for Yun Qing to marry such an 'ambitious' woman like Yuxi? 🤨
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi