The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0567 Even A Tiger Wouldnʼt Eat Its Own Cubs (2)

Tu Shi returned to the Zhao family and took the fake midwife and physician to see Madam Zhao. She explained the situation and then said, ”Mother, You Shi has been craving spicy food since she got pregnant. Thereʼs a saying, ʼSour for a boy, spicy for a girlʼ. This made her think she was carrying a girl. You Shi was worried that the Second Master wouldnʼt be willing to accept her into the house, so she found a midwife and a physician to lie for her. I have no idea why she would use her child to frame me.” This woman could even poison her own flesh and blood. She was truly more poisonous than a viper.

Madam Zhao coldly asked the two kneeling on the ground, ”Is all this true? If thereʼs even a single lie, Iʼll see to it that you die a horrible death.”

The physician and midwife had never been in such a situation before, so they quickly swore that what they were saying was true.

Madam Zhao locked up the physician midwife, then turned to Tu Shi and said, ”Youʼve been wronged in this matter.” When she found out that the aborted fetus was a boy, she also became very angry with Tu Shi. Her eldest sonʼs firstborn son was already eleven years old and would be getting married in a few years, yet her second sonʼs son was still nowhere in sight. She knew what her second son was thinking and how hurt he was by this situation. So when she saw You Shi with her big belly, she finally gave in. But she never expected to welcome such a vicious woman into the house.

Tu Shi immediately burst into tears and said, ”Mother, Iʼm also partly to blame for this. This wouldnʼt have happened if I hadnʼt tried to force the rules on her then.”

Madam Zhao knew that even without that incident, You Shi would have found another way to frame and harm Tu Shi. She immediately pointed out, ”This is Hao-erʼs fault.”

Tu Shi immediately shook her head. ”Mother, donʼt blame the Second Master; if anyone is to blame, itʼs my useless womb. Mother, once this matter is settled, please find a good, fertile maid in the residence for the Second Master to take as a concubine.” After this incident, Tu Shi was also a little scared. This woman could even take the life of her own biological child. If this woman gained control, there would be no future for her and her two daughters. On the way back, Tu Shi also figured it out. Instead of letting Zhao Hao go out and find someone, it would be better to find someone directly in the residence. At least they would know the people well and not worry about any more trouble.

Madam Zhao said, ”Letʼs talk about this later.” She would much rather have a legitimate grandson, so she pressured Second Master Zhao not to take any concubines.

Seeing that Tu Shi wasnʼt talking anymore, Madam Zhao advised, ”You should retire and rest first.” You Shiʼs matter still needed to be dealt with appropriately. A woman with a heart like a scorpion, like You Shi, could not stay in the Zhao family and had to be sent away as soon as possible. But in order to send You Shi away, she first had to convince her youngest son.

As Yuxi had predicted, Zhao Hao didnʼt believe that the child was lost due to You Shi herself. He said coldly, ”It must be Tu Shi who bribed the midwife and physician to give false testimony.”

Madam Zhao replied with a frosty look, ”They were both found by Madam Yun. Are you saying that Madam Yun forced them to give false testimony for your wife?” Seeing that Zhao Hao didnʼt say anything, Madam Zhaoʼs expression became even more unpleasant. She said, ”Madam Yun has a good relationship with your wife, and she would help your wife out of friendship, but based on Madam Yunʼs personality and behaviour, she would never lie to help your wife.” Madam Zhao was still confident about this.

Zhao Hao did not dwell on this point, but instead said, ”But that doesnʼt prove that the miscarriage was caused by You Shi herself, does it?”

Madam Zhao restrained her anger as she said, ”You have been married to Qingmei for seven or eight years now. Donʼt you know what kind of person she is? Does she even have the ability to see through You Shiʼs schemes?” Thinking further, Madam Zhao added, ”Even I was almost fooled by her.” She hadnʼt expected You Shi to be so ruthless. As for Yuxi, sheʼd heard many stories from Momo Quan about palace concubines fighting for favour with countless tricks at their disposal. You Shiʼs schemes were like childʼs play compared to those palace women.

Zhao Hao asked, ”Mother, what do you mean by that?”

Madam Zhao replied, ”Think how You Shi looked when she found out sheʼd lost a son.” At the time, she hadnʼt thought much about it, but looking back, You Shiʼs shock at realising she had lost a boy was unmistakable, followed by hysterical weeping. At first, Madam Zhao thought it was the grief of losing a child, but now it seemed clear that You Shi was deeply regretting ending a pregnancy that had been a boy.

Zhao Hao, no fool, pondered this as his expression turned from pale to flushed.

Madam Zhao continued, ”Youʼve been married to Qingmei for eight years; donʼt you know what kind of person she is? Qingmei may have her faults, but she is not evil. Besides, You Shi was carrying your child—Qingmei would never be foolish enough to harm her in her own quarters and cause a miscarriage.” She sighed and added, ”Qingmei has already agreed to you taking a concubine, and I will select someone suitable. Hao-er, letʼs do it properly this time with a formal concubine ceremony—no more fuss.” Madam Zhao knew that her son wasnʼt particularly attached to You Shi; he simply wanted a son.

Out of respect for his mother, Zhao Hao thought for a moment and agreed, saying, ”Iʼll leave it to you, Mother.” However, he still felt some bitterness towards Tu Shi.

Madam Zhao said, ”If you truly respect my wishes, youʼll apologise to Qingmei. After eight years of marriage and two children, how could you even think of divorce? Do you have any idea how much such words would hurt her?” Even if Tu Shi could not bear him a son, divorce was out of the question.

Zhao Hao didnʼt respond.

Madam Zhao knew when to stop; some things her son had to find out for himself. If she said too much, heʼd resent it. ”Qingmei is the one who will be by your side for the rest of your life. Donʼt let her grow cold towards you. I wonʼt say anything else—think it over.” After this incident, she would not allow Zhao Hao to bring any more outside women into the household. One more woman like You Shi and her sonʼs life would be ruined.

That evening, Madam Zhao told General Zhao about the incident. ”Can you believe that Madam Han was able to see through You Shiʼs plan to use the child to frame Qingmei with just a few words?”

General Zhao, not surprised, replied, ”Madam Hanʼs nursing momo was a high-ranking female official in the Imperial Palace. And what is the Imperial Palace if not the most ruthless place of all? Only those with real skills can become palace female officials.” What he meant was that a skilled teacher would produce skilled students, and with such a mentor, it was only natural for Yuxi to be sharp.

Madam Zhao couldnʼt help but remark, ”I used to think that capital women were overly pampered and couldnʼt handle hardship, but now…” She shook her head. Not even frontier girls could compare to Madam Han.

General Zhao laughed, ”Youʼre overthinking. Not every woman from the capital is like Madam Han.” Few noblewomen from the capital could withstand the hardships of the frontier. Madam Han was a rarity—she not only adapted to the harsh life of Yu City but thrived in it.

Looking at her husbandʼs smiling face, Madam Zhao complained bitterly, ”Iʼm almost worried to death, and you can still smile.” The residence had recently been in an uproar over You Shiʼs affair.

General Zhao saw the issue differently from Madam Zhao. You Shiʼs child was already gone, and he didnʼt care much for this grandchild. However, if this incident could teach his son a lesson, that would be good. General Zhao said, ”This incident can be a lesson to Zhao Hao. In the future, no matter what he does, he must be more discerning and not be fooled by the words of others.”

At this time, in the Yun residence, Yuxi was also discussing the same matter with Yun Qing: ”Theyʼre husband and wife, bound by marriage, and yet heʼs demanding a divorce because of this. How could Zhao Hao say such a thing?”

Yun Qing quickly replied, ”Itʼs someone elseʼs family matter, letʼs not get worked up about it, okay?” Yun Qing would listen attentively if it were about official business or their household matters. However, he had no interest in other peopleʼs gossip. Lately, Yuxi had been particularly fond of discussing such things, which gave Yun Qing a headache.

Yuxi countered unhappily, ”How can it be unrelated? Qing Mei is my best friend. Speaking of which, Zhao Hao is really a piece of trash! Wanting to divorce his wife for a concubine, he doesnʼt seem like a reliable person at all.” Not to mention that Tu Shi had given birth to two daughters, even if the main wife was barren, there was no reason to divorce her for that.

Yun Qing hurriedly agreed, ”Indeed, heʼs a piece of trash.” If he didnʼt agree with her, Yuxi would probably give him a hard time later. 

Yuxi muttered again, ”That woman is so cruel, she could even harm her own unborn child. Itʼs a pity for the child in her womb.” She could only blame the child for being unlucky enough to have such a vicious mother.

Yun Qing frowned. He wanted to avoid discussing this topic. Moreover, Yuxi was pregnant, and talking about such messy things would not be good for the baby. Yun Qing abruptly changed the subject, ”According to the schedule, Daniu should be back in a few days.”

Yuxi glanced at Yun Qing, knowing full well that he was impatient to listen to these things. She didnʼt challenge Yun Qingʼs bottom line as she asked, ”Yuan Ying should be able to reach Yu City in the tenth month, right?” The 200,000 dan of grain in Lanzhou was already on its way back.

Yun Qing replied, ”Yes, the grain from Lanzhou City will arrive in another half a month.”

Yuxi said, ”Yesterday, I received news that there has been a lot of rain in Jiangnan recently. If this continues, the harvest there will be greatly reduced again. There are both natural and man-made disasters in Shanxi, so the harvest there will definitely not be good either. I think the grain stranded in Maluo Mountain should be transported back quickly.” Their plans couldnʼt keep up with the changes, and Yuxi thought that it would be better to transport the grain back to Yu City. Otherwise, even with 400 cavalry escorting it, the grain wouldnʼt still be safe. When people were desperate for food, they didnʼt care about things like cavalry.

Yun Qing had also considered this situation. ”Iʼve already sent a letter to Yuan Ying to provide additional support for Dajun.” The journey from Lanzhou City to Yu City was relatively peaceful, so there was no need for 400 cavalry to escort them. Since Maluo Mountain was fairly close to Nancheng, Yun Qing sent Yuan Ying to assist Feng Dajunʼs troops.

The feeling of an empty stomach was truly unbearable. Yuxi experienced it herself, so she could truly understand what those hungry people felt. ”When the world is in chaos, the common people suffer.”

Yun Qing stroked Yuxiʼs head and said softly, ”If our plan succeeds, the people of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces will live peacefully in the future.” As long as he truly became the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, he would definitely be able to let the people of the two provinces live a peaceful and prosperous life.

Yuxi smiled. ”Yes, we will definitely succeed.” If they succeeded, they would have a lot of work to do. If they failed and lost their lives, nothing else would matter.

Yun Qing said, ”Liaodong has been peaceful recently. I always feel that something big is going to happen.” This kind of calmness made him feel uneasy.

The reason Yun Qing was worried about the situation in Liaodong was that it was closely connected to the Northwest. If something happened in Liaodong, the chances of their plan succeeding would be greater.

Yuxi nodded. ”The peace in Liaodong wonʼt last long.” Yan Wushuangʼs chances of winning were slim, but if he was left with no road to walk on, he might choose to go down together with Song Guojiu. Of course, this was only Yuxiʼs speculation.

Trouble in Liaodong would benefit them. However, from another perspective, if something happened in Liaodong, the current superficial peace in the world wouldnʼt be able to hold. As a general defending his home and country, Yun Qing was reluctant to see this happen. This feeling was very contradictory.

Yun Qing said nothing more and softly said, ”Letʼs go to sleep.”

Yuxi could sleep easily now; she fell asleep shortly after lying down.

Yun Qing, however, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He turned to look at the soundly sleeping Yuxi and felt a bit self-deprecating. His mentality couldnʼt even compare to Yuxiʼs; he felt ashamed.