In Yu City, fresh vegetables were in short supply during the winter. However this year, Yuxi's dinner table had a greater variety of dishes than ever before.
Looking at the crisp, tender cucumbers, Yuxi smiled and said, "Make a plate of sweet and sour cucumbers📹 for us to eat." These vegetables were purchased by Han Ji from a wealthy merchant in Xinping City who had a greenhouse. Of course, the vegetables were originally grown for the merchant's personal consumption.
Fifteen minutes later, Mama Huang brought over a plate of sweet and sour cucumbers. Yuxi, who usually maintained a disciplined diet, couldn't resist and ate the entire plate in one go.
After finishing, Yuxi wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "I don't need to eat lunch anymore." It was simply too delicious.
Mama Qu chimed in, "Madam, the vegetables sent from Xinping City are still rather limited and not very fresh. Why don't we build our own greenhouse next year?" Even with non-stop travel, it took two days to transport the vegetables from Xinping City to Yu City, so of course they lost their freshness. According to Mama Qu, it wouldn't cost them much to build a greenhouse.
Yuxi shook her head, "No need. It's fine to enjoy them occasionally." She didn't plan to stay in Yu City much longer. As soon as the plan was successful, she would leave. Building a greenhouse really wasn't necessary.
After eating such a large plate of sweet and sour cucumbers, Yuxi could only manage a bowl of vegetable porridge for lunch and couldn't eat anything else.
Yun Qing, unable to bear it, picked up a piece of fatty beef and placed it in Yuxi's bowl, urging, "Eat more meat." Yun Qing was a meat lover. Although he listened to Yuxi and made an effort to eat some vegetables at every meal, his true passion remained meat.
Yuxi frowned, "You eat it yourself. I prefer to eat something lighter." Yun Qing not only loved meat but also had a heavy palate, while Yuxi preferred mild flavours. She had originally hoped to change Yun Qing's eating habits, but her efforts ended in failure. Still, Yuxi wasn't the type to impose her preferences. Since their tastes differed, half of the dishes on the table were mild while the other half catered to Yun Qing's preferences, making for a balanced compromise.
Yun Qing, fully aware of Yuxi's quirks, teased, "You're such a picky eater. In this regard, Zaozao is much better."
Yuxi couldn't help but retort, "Better? She's exactly like you!" Zaozao was also a meat lover, though the only difference being that, for now, Yuxi decided what she ate and the child had no say in the matter.
Seeing Yuxi's expression, Yun Qing quickly changed the subject, "Alright, alright, let's eat."
Yuxi particularly enjoyed eating meals with Yun Qing. Watching him eat always boosted her appetite. However, when it came to nagging, she didn't hold back: "Eat slower. How many times have I told you this, but you just won't listen." Yun Qing ate as if someone were about to snatch his food, wolfing it down quickly. Nonetheless, Yuxi's persistence was having an effect. Over time, Yun Qing's eating speed slowed down considerably.
With four dishes and a soup, and Yuxi not having much of an appetite, there was very little food left on the table.
After eating, the two of them returned to their room to talk. Yun Qing said, "I have just received news that the insurgent army has retreated to Nancheng. Ji Xuan hasn't been able to take the city after prolonged efforts, and now the situation is at a stalemate." Yun Qing had known for a long time that Ji Xuan was not skilled in warfare, so he didn't bother to comment on his incompetence.
Yuxi frowned slightly, "The insurgent forces must be quite capable." The fact that they were able to retreat to Nancheng unharmed proved their strength.
Yun Qing replied, "The insurgents' combat abilities are far inferior to the regular army, but their morale is high, and they're not afraid to die." Without this fearless spirit, they would have been wiped out long ago.
Yuxi pointed out bluntly, "As for Ji Xuan, he can even kill ordinary people. How could these insurgents expect any mercy after falling into his hands? Since they're doomed, either way, they might as well fight to the death."
Yun Qing agreed, "Ji Xuan has ordered that all captured insurgents be executed on the spot." Ji Xuan did this to intimidate the surrounding populace and bandits, deterring them from stirring up trouble. However, this strategy had one major drawback: it made the rebels fight with complete disregard for their lives. Had the disparity in strength between the two sides not been so great, the outcome of the battle might have been uncertain.
Hearing this, Yuxi's expression turned grim. She looked at Yun Qing and said, "He Rui, executing prisoners is both immoral and has serious consequences. In the future, you must never execute prisoners." Killing captives not only brought the stigma of brutality but also alienated talented individuals who might otherwise have supported them. The fact that Yun Qing, a second-rank general, couldn't even attract a decent strategist was evidence enough of this.
Yuxi had repeated the severe consequences of executing prisoners to Yun Qing many times. Her insistence stemmed from the psychological shadow cast by Yun Qing's notorious reputation for massacres in his previous life.
Yun Qing assured her, "Don't worry. I won't execute any prisoners in the future." In his past life, Yun Qing's bloodthirstiness was partly due to his inability to control his emotions and partly because of his deep hatred for the northern barbarians, who had killed his close brothers such as Huo Changqing and Xu Wu. But now, with Yuxi's constant reminders and with most of his brothers still alive, his mindset had changed significantly—though Yuxi wasn't aware of this.
Yuxi added, "It's not enough for you to follow this rule; you must make sure that your subordinates do as well." The infamy of killing prisoners was unbearable and could tarnish their legacy for generations.
Yun Qing chuckled and said, "Don't worry, they wouldn't dare." Once he issued an order forbidding the execution of prisoners, no one would dare defy it.
Outside, Xu Wu called out, "General, Prefect Tan from Xinping City has sent a letter." With Yun Qing backing him, Tan Tuo had grown more decisive and no longer hesitated or questioned himself. He had rooted out all kinds of corruption and bad practices in Xinping City. Under his governance, the city's tax revenue had doubled from previous years—a feat few could achieve.
After reading the letter, Yun Qing handed it to Yuxi with a blank expression and said, "Take a look. This year, the crops in the entire region were poor, and the grain transported to Xinping City was insufficient. Many residents lacked food to survive the winter. Knowing that Yun Qing had a stockpile of grain, Tan Tuo boldly requested a loan of 30,000 dan1 of grain to aid the city's population.
After reading the letter, Yuxi chuckled, "Tan Tuo truly cares for the people as if they're his own children." To even dare to ask for military grain—what courage!
Hearing this, Yun Qing remarked, "The grain we have is more than enough to last us until next spring. Combined with the batch of grain in Feng Dajun's hands, we could even last until next summer's harvest." His meaning was clear—the grain could be lent.
However, Yuxi shook her head. "We can't lend this grain." It wasn't that she was cold-hearted, but this precedent could not be set. Rules were essential, and breaking them would lead to chaos.
Yun Qing was a bit surprised. From Yuxi's earlier words, he had thought she agreed to the loan. "If we don't lend the grain, the people of Xinping City might starve to death," he said. Yun Qing wasn't exactly a philanthropist, but he wanted to remind Yuxi so she wouldn't regret her decision later.
Yuxi replied, "Doing good deeds is important, but it must be done wisely. This grain serves a greater purpose." With a surplus of grain, they wouldn't have to worry about feeding new recruits in the future.
Since Yuxi was firm in her stance, Yun Qing naturally dropped the matter. He had only considered lending the grain because of her.
A few days later, Tan Tuo received word that Yun Qing and Yuxi had refused his request. He asked, "Who refused?"
The messenger replied, "It was General Yun. He said there's no precedent for this." The reasoning was at least reasonable.
Tan Tuo then asked, "What about Madam Yun? Did she have anything to say?"
The messenger shook his head. "I'm not sure. I didn't see Madam Yun." It was usually the military who demanded money or grain from the local government. For a magistrate to ask General Yun for grain—even if unsuccessfully—showed considerable audacity. Few others would have dared.
After dismissing the messenger, Tan Tuo thought quietly. His request for grain had been a test. He found Yun Qing's recent behaviour unusual—for instance, the detachment of 800 cavalry sent out months ago had yet to return, and the third shipment of grain had been on its way for half a year without arriving. These anomalies led Tan Tuo to suspect something was amiss.
Seeing his master's grave expression, Tan Ming said, "Daren2, there is still some grain stored in the warehouse. If properly distributed, it should prevent widespread starvation." Back in the seventh month, Tan Tuo had sent people to Taiyuan to purchase grain. Though the amount wasn't much, it still provided a modest reserve.
Tan Tuo shook his head, "That's not what I'm worried about." Ensuring that no one freezes or starves to death under his rule is almost impossible.
Tan Ming, puzzled, asked, "Then what is Master worried about?"
Tan Tuo replied, "I'm worried about Yun Qing and Madam Yun." Seeing the confusion on Tan Ming's face, Tan Tuo explained, "I fear they may be planning to take over the entire Northwest."
Tan Ming was startled at first, but after thinking it over, he found it reasonable. He said, "Daren2, if that's the case, won't the common people of the Northwest finally see some good days ahead of them?"
Tan Tuo hadn't expected such a reaction. "How can you be so sure that they'll succeed?" If Yun Qing and his wife truly planned to take control of the Northwest, the people might indeed benefit—Tan Tuo didn't deny that. However, rebellion was a dangerous game; one misstep could cost them their heads.
Tan Ming smiled and said, "General Yun is incredibly capable. How could someone like Ji Xuan be a match for him?" Yun Qing's prowess on the battlefield was well-known—if he made a move, Ji Xuan would be finished in no time.
Tan Tuo shook his head. "It's not that simple. Besides Ji Xuan, there are still the insurgent forces!" Moreover, if Yun Qing used illegitimate means to rule the Northwest, the Imperial Court would undoubtedly send a large army to suppress him.
Tan Ming felt Tan Tuo was worrying too much. "Daren2, if the Imperial Army were that effective, the Northwest wouldn't be in such chaos in the first place." From this, it was clear Tan Ming was a staunch supporter of Yun Qing.
After hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Tan Tuo's face. "Sometimes, overthinking can lead you to a dead end."
Tan Ming said, "Master, the affairs of General Yun and his wife are not something we should concern ourselves with. Instead, you should worry more about Young Miss's future." After all, the Eldest Young Miss would be nineteen after the New Year and still hadn't been engaged. Madam was nearly beside herself with worry.
Tan Tuo replied, "It's not the right time yet." Right now, he had basically sided with Yun Qing. If Yun Qing's rebellion succeeded, Tan Tuo would rise with the tide, and his daughter would have a chance at an excellent marriage. If it failed, they'd lose their lives—nothing else would matter.
Tan Ming suddenly understood. "Ah, so Daren2 is thinking that far ahead!" It was Madam's temperament that was the issue. Otherwise, Daren2 wouldn't have kept this from her.
Footnotes Full List
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
- title of respect toward superiors
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi