The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0698 A Tangled Web Of Affairs (1)

Yun Qing always appeared expressionless when he faced his subordinates. Those unfamiliar with him would feel intimidated upon seeing him like this. However, things had changed during this period.

While drinking with Feng Dajun, Yuan Ying remarked with a smile, ”Have you noticed that the Generalʼs lips have been curling upwards all the time lately? Heʼs in such a great mood. Do you think the General has some happy news that we donʼt know about?” As one of Yun Qingʼs trusted aides, Yuan Ying had clearly noticed the changes in him.

Feng Dajun picked up a piece of rabbit meat, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. ”What happy news could there be that we wouldnʼt know about?” He felt that Yun Qing must simply be one of those people who radiated vitality when something good happened.

Yuan Ying said, ”The last time the General was this happy was when Madam was pregnant with the Eldest Young Miss. Do you think Madam might be pregnant again?” When Yuxi was pregnant with Zaozao, Yun Qing was also visibly delighted, always smiling. It was just unclear what the happy occasion was this time.

Feng Dajun popped another peanut into his mouth. ”Madam hasnʼt even been in Haocheng for a month, and besides, she hasnʼt fully recovered yet—thereʼs no way she could be pregnant. From what I can see, itʼs more likely that the General is hiding a beauty away in a golden house.”

Yuan Ying laughed speechlessly. ”The General is either in the military camp or at the Governor-Generalʼs residence—where would he find the time to hide a beauty?” Not to mention that the General had no such intentions, and even if he did, he wouldnʼt have the time.

Feng Dajun smiled and deliberately changed the subject. ”I might be leaving soon.” He had stayed in Haocheng because Yun Qing had returned to Yu City, and someone needed to hold the fort here. Now that Yun Qing was back, there was no reason for him to remain.

Yuan Ying asked, ”Are you planning to go to Hengzhou or the Western Sea?” He had taken the miraculous medicine that Yun Qing had given him. Although it had greatly improved his health, his lungs could not be cured entirely, meaning he would never lead troops into battle again. Still, working in logistics didnʼt seem too bad.

Feng Dajun wanted to go to the Western Sea. Only two prefectures had been taken there so far, and a large portion of the territory remained unconquered. Defending cities could not compare to the satisfaction of actively attacking and capturing them.

At the mention of this, Yuan Ying felt slightly puzzled. ”Given the Generalʼs temperament, if he intended to take the Western Sea, he should have sent out troops long ago. But thereʼs been no movement at all—why is that?”

Feng Dajun saw things very clearly. ”I think the issue lies with Madam.” Up until now, Yuxi was the only person who could influence Yun Qingʼs behaviour—not even Huo Changqing could do so.

Yuxi had her reasons for preventing Yun Qing from sending troops to capture the remaining regions of the Western Sea. The Western Sea was a vast grassland rich in resources, but the authoritiesʼ oppressive taxation had left the common people living in misery. Now that they had occupied two prefectures and introduced beneficial policies, life there would surely improve after the summer harvest. By then, the people in the unconquered regions would inevitably become restless. Launching an attack under these circumstances would achieve twice the effect with half the effort.

Yun Qing strongly agreed with Yuxiʼs perspective. It was precisely because he had the peopleʼs support that he had been able to take control of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces so easily. Only a fool would refuse such significant benefits in exchange for waiting another two months. Yun Qing also agreed, of course, because the Imperial Court was preoccupied with its own problems and unable to interfere while rebellions continued to break out in the Western Sea. He wasnʼt worried that anything would go wrong within three months; otherwise, he would have sent troops immediately.

Yuan Ying frowned. ”Itʼs one thing for Madam to take charge of governance—she understands civil administration well enough. But when it comes to warfare, sheʼs completely outside the gate. Wouldnʼt it be inappropriate to let her stick her hand in this matter?”

Feng Dajun disagreed with Yuan Ying. ”Although the General cherishes his wife, thereʼs no way heʼd let her get her hands dirty with military affairs. He definitely knows where the line is. The real question is—whatʼs going on behind all this?”

Yuan Ying shook his head. ”That, I donʼt know either.”

Feng Dajun raised his cup and said, ”Enough talk—come, letʼs drink.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he drained a whole bowl of wine. It was only because Yun Qing was there and he could rest later that he dared to drink so boldly. When Yun Qing wasnʼt around, Feng Dajun would take at most a couple of sips. How could he have dared to drink in such big gulps?

Er Maozi, Feng Dajunʼs attendant, walked in and reported, ”General, Madam and the young masters have arrived.” Chang Shi had only set out in the middle of the fourth month, which was why they were only arriving now.

Feng Dajun put down his cup and told Yuan Ying, ”My woman has arrived—your wife should be here too. Go back and take a look.” Earlier, Feng Dajun had written to Chang Shi, asking her to come to Haocheng along with Yuxi, but he hadnʼt expected her to ignore his instructions.

Yuxi received news of Chang Shi and the othersʼ arrival less than a quarter of an hour after Feng Dajun did. Although the area had been cleared of bandits and robbers, travelling thousands of li with children made it very easy for things to go wrong.

It was already completely dark when Yun Qing returned. His expression was grave as he spoke, ”Yuxi, Shengjing has fallen. The defending General, Lin Kang, was killed in battle.”

Shengjing was only about a thousand li from the capital. Now that Shengjing had been breached, the capital itself was in danger.

After hearing Yun Qing out, Yuxi furrowed her brow. ”Shengjingʼs walls are far sturdier than those of Huangzhouʼs, yet it fell in less than three days? And with only nine thousand casualties?”

Shengjingʼs defences werenʼt much weaker than Haochengʼs. When they had taken Haocheng back then, the cost had been enormous, yet Yan Wushuang had captured Shengjing with shocking ease.

Yun Qing also felt that something was amiss. ”If it wasnʼt a failure of defence, then it must have been an internal failure.” With internal and external forces collaborating, even the strongest walls would be useless.

Yuxi pondered for a long while before speaking. ”Herui, I already found it strange when Huangzhou fell back then. At the time, Huangzhouʼs defences were strong, Lin Fengyuan was an excellent commander, and their reinforcements were solid. Yet it seemed as if Huangzhou fell almost all of a sudden, didnʼt it?”

Although Yun Qing himself hadnʼt sensed anything unusual, he trusted Yuxiʼs judgement. When it came to matters like this, Yuxi was far more perceptive than he was. ”What kind of problem do you think it could be?”

Yuxi shook her head. ”I need to think this through carefully.”

Worried that Yuxi might expend too much mental energy, Yun Qing suggested, ”How about we call in Mr Chen and Ding Qingyu to discuss it together? More minds usually mean better ideas.”

Yuxi shook her head. ”Let me think about it first.” If she couldnʼt figure it out, it wouldnʼt be too late for her to consult others then. That was simply Yuxiʼs nature: she preferred to solve things herself and only sought help when she really had to.

After saying this, Yuxi went to the study.

Yun Qing knew Yuxiʼs habits well—she couldnʼt be disturbed when she was thinking—so instead of following her, he went to the side room to check on Liu-er.

When Yun Qing reached the side room, Momo Quan was feeding Liu-er her supplementary food. Thanks to the food Momo Quan prepared, Liu-er had put on quite a bit of weight over the past half month.

Yun Qing said, ”Let me do it.” He could still handle the job of feeding the child.

When they first arrived in Haocheng, Liu-er had been unwilling to let Yun Qing hold her. Not wanting his daughter to grow distant from him, Yun Qing made sure to spend a little time with her every day, no matter how busy he was. The results were good—Liu-er no longer resisted him.

Compared to Zaozaoʼs mischievous antics, Liu-er was almost too quiet. If she were left alone on the bed, she wouldnʼt cry or fuss. The same went for eating—unless she truly couldnʼt manage any more, she would eat whatever she was given. Of course, if her body couldnʼt take it and she threw up, that was another matter.

After feeding her a small bowl of rice paste, Yun Qing wrapped Liu-er up and asked, ”Are you full? If not, should I get them to make some more for you?” When Zaozao was six months old, she could eat a large bowl of rice paste. Liu-erʼs portion was only a third of that.

Liu-er didnʼt understand; she just looked at Yun Qing with her bright, wide eyes, blinking.

Momo Quan hurriedly said, ”General, the Second Young Miss can only eat this much. She canʼt eat any more than that, or sheʼll become bloated.”

Yun Qing couldnʼt help but wonder, ”When will Liu-er be like Zaozao?” Zaozao had never caused him any worry from childhood until now. But Liu-er had kept his heart perpetually on edge. Even though her health had improved, he was still anxious.

Momo Quan, standing nearby, did not respond. Liu-er was born with congenital weaknesses; she would never have a body as strong as Zaozaoʼs. The reason Momo Quan had advised Yuxi not to conceive within the next two years was that a motherʼs poor health would burden the child. If Yuxi wanted her future children to be as healthy as Zaozao, she would need to nurse her body back to peak condition.

Shortly after Yun Qing had soothed Liu-er to sleep, Gancao walked in and said, ”General, Madam requests that you come to the study. She has something to discuss with you.”

After placing Liu-er on the bed, Yun Qing went into the study. Seeing that Yuxi was still writing with her head lowered, he asked, ”Yuxi, have you figured out what the problem is?”

Yuxi replied, ”I think the Yu family has allied with Yan Wushuang.” Unfortunately, she didnʼt have enough information to be very confident in this deduction.

Yun Qing thought about it seriously and asked, ”If the Yu family is allied with Yan Wushuang, what are they trying to gain?” Such an alliance wouldnʼt benefit the Yu family much.

Yuxi responded, ”Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has been suppressing the Yu family. To avoid the bladeʼs edge, Grand Chancellor Yu claimed illness and stayed home to recuperate. The Yu family is probably trying to force the Emperor to abdicate in order to support Zhou Xuanʼs rise to power.”

Yun Qing felt this theory was unreliable. ”Yan Wushuang hates the Emperor to the bone—how could he possibly allow the Emperorʼs son to take the throne?” Given Yan Wushuangʼs way of doing things, he would surely wipe them all out completely.

Yuxi smiled slightly. ”It would only be a temporary compromise. Once he has gained a firm foothold and his position is secure, even a casual bout of illness would be enough to take that childʼs life.” A mere infant would be easy to deal with.

Yun Qing still shook his head. ”Yan Wushuang will use any means necessary to achieve his goals. Someone like Grand Chancellor Yu couldnʼt possibly fail to realise that allying with Yan Wushuang is like bargaining with a tiger for its skin.”

Yuxi nodded. ”Grand Chancellor Yu must have a hidden card.” The only problem was that she didnʼt know what it was.

Yun Qing fell silent for a moment before saying, ”If things are truly as you speculate—if the Yu family formed an alliance with Yan Wushuang and secretly manipulated matters—the Emperor could not possibly be unaware of it.” Such a major affair could never have been kept hidden from the Emperor.

Yuxi nodded. ”Even if the Emperor didnʼt know at the beginning, by now he must surely have suspicions. The problem is that Chancellor Yu has spent decades consolidating his power in the capital, so removing him wonʼt be easy.” More than half of the Imperial Court officials took orders from Grand Chancellor Yu. Once action is taken against him, there would be no need for Yan Wushuang to march on the capital—the capital itself would already be in chaos. Of course, that would be different if action had been taken covertly.