The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0656 A Pleasant Surprise

Huo Changqing felt a bit of a headache. Women were just troublesome. They could create problems out of thin air for no reason. Alas, this is why itʼs better not to take a wife.

Calling Xu Wu over, Huo Changqing said, ”Write a letter to Gao Song and ask him to keep an eye on things. Make sure Yun Qing doesnʼt have any contact with other women. If he canʼt keep them at bay, write back and tell me.”

Xu Wu let out a surprised ʼAh!ʼ, but quickly caught on and said, ”Yifu, the General is so busy to the point of being unable to split his body—how could he have time to get involved with any women? Yifu, could it be that Madam heard some idle gossip and came crying to you?” He had just heard from a servant boy that when Madam went out, her eyes were swollen and red.

Huo Changqing replied, ”No, but itʼs still better to prevent such things before they happen.” Given Han Shiʼs temperament, if Yun Qing dared to take a concubine outside, their marriage would be as good as over. If the couple fell out, it would undoubtedly allow outsiders to exploit the situation. He felt it was better for him to intervene for the sake of future peace and stability in the household.

Xu Wu asked in surprise, ”Yifu, what did Madam say to you?”

Huo Changqing briefly summarised what Yuxi had said: ”Sheʼs capable of wearing herself sick over something that isnʼt even remotely true. If Yun Qing does take a concubine outside, either the family will break apart, or the couple will turn against each other into bitter enemies.” Neither outcome was something he wished to see.

Xu Wu suddenly understood. No wonder he had felt that Madamʼs mental state had been off lately. So that was the reason! ”Yifu, I will remind Gao Song about this matter. But I think Madam is worrying needlessly. How could the General possibly be taking a concubine outside!”

Huo Changqing also thought Yuxi was a remarkably broad-minded person, but this incident had changed his view. ”No matter how clever Han Shi is, sheʼs still a woman.” And an extremely jealous one at that.

Xu Wu, however, had a different opinion from Huo Changqing. ”If Madam didnʼt care about the General, she wouldnʼt be so anxiously fretting over gains and losses. Yifu, donʼt you think so?”

Huo Changqing didnʼt respond to Xu Wuʼs comment, but instead inquired, ”I remember you telling me that an old woman came to seek refuge with Han Shi. Is this old woman Han Shiʼs momo?”

Xu Wu nodded. ”Yes. Her surname is Quan, and sheʼs from Yanzhou, Shaanxi. She was sent into the Imperial Palace as a maid at the age of six and left at thirty-two. After leaving the palace, she was hired by the Duke Hanʼs household to serve as the Madamʼs momo.”

Huo Changqing said, ”This woman is no ordinary person.” She had only arrived that morning, yet by the afternoon, Han Shi had come to apologise to him. How could such a coincidence exist?

Xu Wuʼs expression turned serious as he said, ”Yifu, are you suggesting this woman is suspicious? I was wondering myself—how did she manage to seek out Madam at just the right time?”

Huo Changqing shook his head. ”Not necessarily. Han Shi isnʼt a fool; if she thought that woman was suspicious, she wouldnʼt have kept her in the inner courtyard. I just think this woman is very skilful.” Moreover, they all knew Han Shiʼs mental state had been off lately. But he had only thought it was because she was displeased about him letting Zaozao learn martial arts. He hadnʼt expected that she had drilled herself into an oxʼs horn tip. Yet none of them had noticed anything wrong with Han Shi for so long, whereas Quan Shi had noticed right away as soon as she arrived. That was impressive.

Hearing this, Xu Wu smiled and said, ”Madam was taught by her. As the saying goes, a renowned master produces outstanding disciples, so this Momo Quan must be quite impressive, too.”

Huo Changqing grunted in acknowledgement. ”With this woman at Han Shiʼs side, weʼd better tread carefully in the future.” He would rather Han Shi confront him with an aggressive, pressing aura while negotiating terms than see her wiping away tears and apologising as if he were bullying her. Alas, I admit I might have a little tendency to bully others.

Xu Wuʼs eyes flashed with a smile upon hearing this. Of course, he knew—his Yifu was the type of person who would eat the soft, not the hard. Just look: Madam had just run over to his Yifu, cried a little, and Yifu had agreed to help keep an eye on the General so he wouldnʼt go touching flowers and stirring up grass. But, on second thought, Madamʼs momo was really impressive!

Xu Wu was a tactful man who knew how to handle things; naturally, he wouldnʼt go against anything Huo Changqing instructed him to do. Moreover, he pretended to be indifferent and informed Yuxi of the task assigned to him by Huo Changqing.

Returning to the back courtyard, Yuxi first went to check on Liu-er. Seeing Momo Quan there as well, she smiled and asked, ”Momo, why donʼt you sleep a little longer?”

Momo Quan replied, ”At my age, if I sleep too much during the day, I wonʼt be able to sleep at night. I heard from Mama Qu that you went to the front courtyard to see Old Master Huo.” In front of outsiders, Momo Quan never overstepped propriety.

Yuxi nodded. ”I went to apologise to Uncle Huo for what happened last time.” Earlier, she had drilled herself into an oxʼs horn tip, causing her mind to be muddled, leading her to foolishly try to negotiate terms with Huo Changqing. Who was Huo Changqing? Not only had he done great favours for Yun Qing, but he was also the Yifu of Feng Dajun, Du Zhengfeng, and others. Feng Dajun and Du Zheng were Yun Qingʼs closest aides—men capable of holding their own in the outside world—yet even they had to act with the utmost respect in front of Huo Changqing.

Fortunately, she had once saved Huo Changqingʼs life; otherwise, given her actions, she would probably have fallen out with him. In a dispute with Huo Changqing, she would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.

Momo Quan nodded. ”This counts as a hurdle for you—once you step over it, youʼll be fine.” Everyone had their vulnerable moments, but as long as one realised it in time and corrected it, everything would be fine.

Yuxi also felt it had been a close call. Thankfully, Momo had arrived in time to wake her up. Otherwise, she would surely have suffered a significant loss.

Momo Quan smiled. ”I find myself getting along well with this girl Liu-er. Mama Lan canʼt do everything on her own, so Iʼll lend her a hand from now on.” Calling it ʼgetting alongʼ was an understatement; it was more like saying she felt sorry for her.

Yuxi was more than happy—how could she possibly object?

Momo Quan handed Yuxi a list of medicinal herbs and told her, ”Have someone go and buy these herbs, and make sure to select them according to the specifications.” She had even marked on the list how old each herb needed to be.

Yuxi quickly glanced through the list and said, ”Momo, Iʼm afraid these herbs canʼt all be gathered in Yu City. Weʼll need to go to Xinping City to purchase them.”

Momo Quan didnʼt say much; a few more days wouldnʼt make a difference. ”Youʼve had your share of hardships living here these past few years.” If even buying medicinal herbs was this difficult, there was no need to mention anything else.

Yuxi smiled and said, ”Though life has been a bit hard, itʼs still freer than in the capital. Besides, in two or three months weʼll be heading to Haocheng, and after that weʼll be able to buy whatever we need.”

News of Momo Quanʼs arrival had spread to those who needed to know. Er Nainai Zhao came to visit Momo Quan and, lowering her voice, said to Yuxi, ”Yuxi, forgive me for saying something you might not like, but isnʼt it strange that this Momo Quan didnʼt come earlier or later, but chose to come right at this moment? Could she have some hidden agenda?” Even if Momo Quan had no other motives, she must be aiming for a life of wealth and honour. Otherwise, why didnʼt she come when Yuxi was struggling, but suddenly appeared when success was now in sight?

Yuxi smiled slightly and responded, ”I know fully why Momo has come.”

Seeing this reaction, Er Nainai Zhao said no more, as doing so would make it seem as though she was trying to cause trouble. ”Yuxi, speaking of which, this Momo Quan is really stern. Just looking at her makes my heart shrink.”

Yuxi recalled the first time she had learned proper etiquette and had seen Momoʼs stern face. Smiling, she said, ”Back then, learning manners from Momo felt like shedding a layer of skin.”

After muttering about household matters, Er Nainai Zhao brought up some news from outside to Yuxi. ”I heard that quite a few officers over there have taken concubines. That Feng Dajun reportedly took two. Yuxi, youʼd better keep your eyes open about this; donʼt let yourself be hidden inside a drum.”

Yuxi let out a soft laugh. ”The sky is high and the Emperor is far away; How could I possibly guard against such things?” If it had been before, hearing this *would have made her overthink, but now, she had let it go.

Er Nainai Zhao sighed in frustration. ”Alas, while we sit at home worrying ourselves sick, theyʼre out there having a carefree, indulgent time.”

Upon hearing this news, Yuxi asked, ”Donʼt tell me Second Master Zhao has also taken a concubine out there?”

Er Nainai Zhao shook her head. ”My husband hasnʼt, but my Dabaizi has. My Dasao was furious when she found out.” The Zhao family didnʼt encourage taking concubines. Since Da Nainai Zhao had given birth to two sons, Zhao Hao had not taken any concubines.

Yuxi didnʼt express any opinion and said, ”With things like this, one can only come to terms with it oneself.” If a man wanted to take a concubine, even if the wife cried, made a scene, or even threatened to hang herself, it would still be useless.

As the two were speaking, Gancao came over and reported, ”Madam, Guard Xu requests an audience.”

Yuxi stood up and told Er Nainai Zhao, ”Wait here for a moment; Iʼll be right back.” If Xu Wu had come, there would certainly have been something important.

Er Nainai Zhao watched Yuxiʼs departing figure with a trace of envy. She had heard many rumours about other generals taking concubines, but none about Yun Qing. Given his current status, he didnʼt even need to seek them out — if he wished, beauties would be sent to him automatically. The fact that he hadnʼt taken any concubines himself showed that he didnʼt want to.

Xu Wu had brought a letter from Yun Qing. Yun Qingʼs letter was quite long this time, spanning more than ten pages. He talked about the situation in the northwest and his own recent affairs, and finally asked whether she had suffered any grievances, urging her not to keep them to herself.

After reading the letter, a faint smile appeared on Yuxiʼs face. This big brute had finally shown some attentiveness for once—a pleasant surprise indeed.

Xu Wu carefully asked, ”Madam, the General asked me in his letter whether youʼve been wronged. Madam, do you think we should tell him about this matter?”

Yuxi shook her head. ”Iʼll talk to him about this myself.” The root of the problem actually lay with Yun Qing—Huo Changqing had just happened to walk right into the blade of the spear.

Xu Wu felt slightly relieved. It would be better if he didnʼt have to be the one to bring it up.

Yuxi recalled what Er Nainai Zhao had said: ”Is it true that many of the officers have taken concubines over in Haocheng?”

Xu Wu didnʼt hide it and nodded. ”Itʼs true.”

Yuxi frowned. ”There are so many soldiers in Yu City who canʼt even find wives—why hasnʼt anyone thought to solve this problem?”

Xu Wu explained, ”Madam, only a few men have taken concubines. But itʼs true that most of the soldiers who followed the General have now married.” Seeing Yuxiʼs puzzled expression, Xu Wu added, ”Among the maidservants from the confiscated households of wealthy officials, there were many with clean backgrounds. The Great General gave these maids to the soldiers as wives.” Most of those who followed Yun Qing into battle ended up getting married, as long as they survived. Of course, those with higher ranks married women from better families.

Yuxiʼs face lit up with joy, and she said, ”Thatʼs indeed a good thing.” What did these people follow Yun Qing in rebellion for? They did it because they wanted a better life!