The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0549 Sorrow

This chapter hasnʼt been edited yet.

On the second day after Yu Congʼs return, Yun Qing dispatched another four hundred elite soldiers, led by Yuan Ying, to assist in receiving the second grain batch. With the current chaos in the northwest, it was necessary to have some people support the caravan for their peace of mind. Five days later, Feng Dajun led another four hundred elite soldiers to support the arrival of the third batch of grain.

General Zhao felt that Yun Qingʼs frequent troop deployments were somewhat inappropriate and personally told Yun Qing, ”If the Imperial Court knew, they might reprimand you, General.” Despite General Zhaoʼs seniority, he did not dare to act arrogantly in front of Yun Qing.

Yun Qing was now prepared to cause trouble, no longer afraid of any reprimand from the court. However, he couldnʼt let this show, and Yun Qing replied expressionlessly, ”As long as the soldiers in the border cities have food to eat, I can withstand any reprimand from the Imperial Court.”

These words left General Zhao speechless.

Back at his residence, General Zhao summoned his eldest son, Zhao Zhuo, and asked, ”Have there been any recent changes in the military camp?” He had a feeling that Yun Qingʼs behaviour hadnʼt been quite normal for the past six months, and even more so lately, but he couldnʼt put his finger on what was wrong.

Zhao Zhuo shook his head. ”Everything has been normal in the military camp.” Yun Qing was particularly strict about training, emphasising that proper training could increase their chances of survival on the battlefield. So even in the scorching weather of the sixth month, the training in the camp remained rigorous.

General Zhao asked, ”Why do you think he bought so much grain?” The grain they brought back had already filled the granaries, and there was no space left for the remaining four hundred thousand dan of grain. He couldnʼt understand what Yun Qing was up to.

Zhao Zhuo replied, ”Father, even for a rebellion, grain alone is not enough!” A rebellion required weapons and other supplies, yet Yun Qing had not made any additional preparations. Moreover, a rebellion would surely cause some commotion, but apart from Yun Qingʼs unusual behaviour, there was no sign of unrest in the military camp.

General Zhao shook his head and said, ”Itʼs not a rebellion yet.” Rebellion was a grave crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of oneʼs family. Even if Yun Qing had such intentions, his close associates would probably not be willing to join him.

Zhao Zhuo suggested, ”Why not go to the Yun residence and investigate?” Since they couldnʼt gather any information from Yun Qingʼs side, they could try to gather some unexpected findings at the Yun residence.

General Zhao shook his head and said, ”If we canʼt get any information from Yun Qingʼs side, itʼs even less likely that weʼll get anything from Han Shi.” His wife would not be at a disadvantage against Han Shi, and if their daughters-in-law tried to gather information from Han Shi, they might end up being manipulated instead.

Zhao Zhuo had no choice but to give up.

If one were good at something, it wouldnʼt take much effort. Yuxi didnʼt feel like reading after finishing her work, so she picked up needle and thread instead.

When Tu Shi arrived in the backyard, she saw Yuxi sewing clothes. Judging by their size, she knew they were for Zaozao. ”Yuxi, I heard Zaozao can speak now.”

Yuxi nodded with a smile, ”Thatʼs right! She can speak, but not very fluently yet. Sheʼs sleeping now, otherwise I would have brought her out for you to see.” Yuxi had personally taught Zaozao to speak in the authentic official language.

Tu Shi didnʼt mind and said, ”There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. By the way, Yuxi, I heard that General Yun had sent two groups of people to collect grain. How did the situation in the northwest get so bad?” If even elite troops were needed to escort grain supplies, wasnʼt it obvious that the situation was dire?

Yuxi nodded. ”Yes! I heard from Han Ji that when he stayed overnight in a village once, half of the village was empty. Some of the people who left went to live with their relatives, and the rest, who had nowhere to go, turned to banditry.” This was also why there were so many bandits in the northwest because the government there was not honest, to begin with.

Tu Shi sighed. ”How are ordinary people supposed to live in this world?” The half-empty village showed how serious the worldʼs situation was.

Yuxi said, ”As the old saying goes, itʼs better to be a dog in times of peace than a man in times of chaos.” In chaotic times, a human being was not even as valuable as a dog. At least a dog could fill its stomach and be cared for before being killed. But what about people? They were always been mistreated.

Tu Shi found these words very apt and said with some emotion, ”Those who are well-read do indeed speak differently.” She could only recognise a few characters, which Zhao Hao taught her after they married. Tu Shi herself suffered from illiteracy herself, so she wanted her daughter to read more. She had thought about asking Yuxi to teach Ziyao before, but Yuxi was too busy, so she didnʼt bring it up.

Yuxi smiled. ”Just reading randomly. By the way, how is Jingyao?” She asked this because Jingyao had been ill for several days before.

Tu Shi nodded. ”Sheʼs better now.” If she hadnʼt, Tu Shi wouldnʼt have been able to leave. Her child was still young; how could she just leave her as she wished?

Yuxi smiled and said, ”This child needs to be taken care of carefully; otherwise, sheʼll get sick easily.” It was also thanks to Mama Lan, an experienced elderly person who took care of Zaozao, that Yuxi didnʼt have any problems.

Tu Shi chatted with Yuxi for a while and then suddenly whispered, ”Yuxi, I heard from my Dasao yesterday that Chen Shi is pregnant again.”

Yuxi realised for a moment that this ʼChen Shiʼ was referring to Fu Tianleiʼs wife. Yuxi asked somewhat incredulously, ”Really? She just gave birth in the second lunar month, and she suffered a bit during childbirth. How could she be expecting again so soon?”

Tu Shi replied, ”My Dasao told my mother-in-law. I donʼt think itʼs a lie. It seems that Chen Shi still wants to have the eldest di son.” Da Nainai Zhaoʼs news was still very accurate. Of course, Yuxiʼs information was even more up-to-date than hers. However, Xu Wu didnʼt tell Yuxi about this matter because he felt it was unimportant; whether it was reported or not, it didnʼt matter.

Yuxi asked, ”How long has she been pregnant?” When she heard that it had been about a month, she couldnʼt help but shake her head. ”She really doesnʼt take her own health seriously!” Given Chen Shiʼs current physical condition, she was in no condition to get pregnant. If she were to become pregnant, she should recuperate for at least a year before even considering it; otherwise, she would harm not only herself but also the childʼs health.

Tu Shi remarked, ”Exactly!” With two daughters of her own, she also desperately wanted a son. But for the sake of her health, she did not dare to get pregnant right now; she would have to wait at least six months before considering it.

Yuxi felt that this topic was not very auspicious, so she asked another question: ”I heard from the General that something happened to your Dage. How is it? Has it been dealt with?”

Tu Shi replied, ”It has been dealt with.” After a pause, she added: ”Because my mother spent most of the familyʼs savings to settle this matter, she has made my Er Ge and Er Sao unhappy. My father was afraid this would cause discord, so he decided to split the family.” Tu Shi didnʼt mention that almost half of those savings were earned by her Er Ge. It would be strange if he was willing to let his Dage squander the money he had earned with his life!

Yuxi shook her head and commented, ”Every family has its own difficulties.” No matter whose family it was, they would encounter things that were difficult to solve.

Tu Shi was a little confused and asked, ”What do you mean by that?” She had always thought that Yuxi was very happy. Both of Yuxiʼs brothers were capable and ambitious, and most importantly, they had a deep brotherly bond, with their mother cherishing Yuxi like a treasure and showering her with gifts as if they cost nothing.

Yuxi said, ”My biological father doesnʼt like me, and my adopted father only likes to travel to the mountains and play in the river, never settling down at home throughout the year.” When the Old Duke travelled, he would often bring along beauties with him. His life was carefree and leisurely.

Tu Shi felt uncomfortable and apologised, ”Yuxi, I didnʼt mean to bring up painful memories.”

Yuxi smiled lightly, ”The pain is long gone. It doesnʼt matter whether you talk about it now or not.” To think that in her last life, she had hoped that Han Jingyan would look at her twice more and acknowledge her. Instead, he personally pushed her into the fire pit. In this life, she had never treated that man as her own father.

Tu Shi was a bit embarrassed.

During dinner, Yuxi told Yun Qing about Tu Shiʼs visit. ”I think the Zhao family might not be able to sit still.” Apart from General Zhao, the rest of the prominent people in Yu City were all Yun Qingʼs confidants.

Yun Qing replied, ”I have asked people to keep an eye on them. Iʼm afraid General Zhao is getting suspicious.” Passive defence was not Yun Qingʼs style.

Yuxiʼs heart skipped a beat, but thinking about the amount of food they had purchased, she immediately said, ”Speaking of which, we did buy too much grain, which is too eye-catching.” But since they had already bought it, what else could they do? Thinking that the granary was already full, Yuxi suggested, ”Do you think we could store the second batch at our estate? Thereʼs enough space for 200,000 dan of grain.”

Yun Qing responded, ”Thatʼs a good idea, but itʼs not the right  thing to do right now.”

Yuxi asked curiously, ”We paid for it ourselves and the money didnʼt come from the public account, so why should it matter if itʼs not right? Besides, you bought so much food, and anyone with a discerning eye knows that they are for the soldiers.” It must be tiring to always care about what others think of you!

Yun Qing said, ”Forget it, letʼs not talk about this anymore.”

Since they were done talking about the Zhao family, they moved on to the Fu family. Yuxi said, ”Iʼve already asked Xu Wu, and itʼs true that Da Nainai Fu is pregnant again, just over a month. How can she be pregnant with her in such a situation? This Fu Tianlei doesnʼt love his wife at all.” She used to think that Fu Tianlei was someone who cared for his wife, but it was all just appearances.

Hearing the dissatisfaction in Yuxiʼs words, Yun Qing said helplessly: ”This is their family affair; we shouldnʼt meddle in it.” It was hard for a just and upright official to interfere in family matters, and he didnʼt want to get involved in someone elseʼs domestic quarrel, even if Fu Tianlei was his brother.

Yuxi didnʼt want to interfere either. She wasnʼt stupid, she didnʼt want to get involved in such matters. Yuxi said, ”Iʼm just speaking my mind.” After speaking, she touched her visibly pregnant belly. ”Iʼm worried that this child might also be a girl, and you wonʼt like that when the time comes.” Although Yun Qing had said before that it didnʼt matter if the child was a son or a daughter, and even if they didnʼt have a son, they could have Zaozao find a man to marry into the family, Yuxi just listened without taking it seriously.

Hearing this, Yun Qing asked: ”Have you been relatively free lately?”

Yuxi didnʼt quite understand. ”Not busy, why do you ask? Thereʼs not much going on at home or outside.”

Yun Qing thought to himself, indeed, when Yuxi isnʼt busy, she likes to overthink things. ”Nothing important. Youʼre carrying a child, get some rest and donʼt overexert yourself.”

Yuxi smiled and said, ”Iʼm not tired. Even if I lose track of time, Mama Qu and Zijin will make sure I donʼt overdo it. You can rest assured.”

If Yun Qing wasnʼt reassured, he wouldnʼt let Yuxi do anything. But he still had to say what needed to be said, ”These things are important, but the safety and health of the child is even more important.”

Yuxi nodded, ”Youʼre right; the childʼs safety and health are the most important things.” Zaozaoʼs health was better than the average personʼs, and she rarely got sick.

Yuxi chuckled. Yun Qing never forgot to praise his daughter wherever he went, and it was becoming a bit much for her to hear.