The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0513 The Rising Of Clouds (1)

This chapter hasnʼt been edited yet.

Yuxi pushed open the door and looked outside. The falling snowflakes were like light jade butterflies dancing gracefully, very beautiful. She walked into the yard and reached out to catch one, which quickly melted as soon as it landed in her hand.

Mama Lan happened to walk out of the room when she saw this scene and felt helpless. She usually viewed Madam as a calm and collected person, but she hadnʼt expected her to have a childish side. Why else would Madam start playing in the snow? Mama Lan reminded her, ”Madam, youʼre still breastfeeding. You mustnʼt catch a cold!” If a mother fell ill, it was inevitable that the child wouldnʼt be well either.

Yuxi was a little embarrassed. She wasnʼt really thinking. She only thought the snow was so beautiful that she couldnʼt help herself. ”Iʼll be careful in the future.”

Yuxi was in good health; a little snow wouldnʼt make her sick. Mama Lan was just reminding Yuxi to pay more attention to her current condition.

After finishing her exercise, Yuxi returned to the room and saw Yun Qing playing with Zaozao. Yuxi asked, ”Itʼs snowing today. Are you going to the military camp?” Yun Qing had now moved his office to the Yun Residence. Except for going to the military camp, he had all three meals a day in the residence. Although Yun Qing had not gained weight, his complexion was much better than before.

Zaozao stretched out her hands to Yuxi for a hug, but when she saw that Yuxi wouldnʼt hug her, she cried out, ʼYiyiyayayaʼ. A smile appeared on Yun Qingʼs face as he said, ”This girl, sheʼs been spoiled for nothing!” Although Yuxi usually spanked Zaozaoʼs little butt, Zaozao still liked Yuxi the best. During her three illnesses, as long as Yuxi was around, she wouldnʼt let anyone else hold her; even Yun Qing had to take a step back.

After saying these words, Yun Qing handed Zaozao to Yuxi.

Yuxi took Zaozao into her arms and said with a smile, ”What do you mean by ʼspoiled for nothingʼ? She is not anyoneʼs daughter. Really!” It was natural for children to be fond of their mother, who had given birth to them after ten months of pregnancy. Otherwise, she, as the mother, would have lost a lot!

As the couple chatted, Shiliu entered and invited them to have breakfast. However, Yuxi did not bring Zaozao to the table because the child would cry if she saw the food they were eating. It was not appropriate for a child under one year to eat salty food. Yuxi did not want Zaozao to cry and damage her hearing. Therefore, Yuxi would ask Mama Lan to take Zaozao away at every mealtime.

After breakfast, Yuxi was washing her hands. At that moment, Mama Qu walked in from outside and informed her, ”Madam, Xu Wu said he had something important to report.” Xu Wu had come a long time ago, but he didnʼt want to disturb them when he knew they were having breakfast. After all, Yuxi once said that they should not be disturbed while eating unless it was an extremely urgent matter, such as an enemy attack.

Yun Qing picked up a white towel to dry his hands. Previously, Yun Qing wasnʼt so meticulous, but if he didnʼt comply with Yuxiʼs instructions, she would nag him. With time, he got used to it. Then he instructed, ”Let him come in!”

After Xu Wu entered, he reported, ”General, Madam, we have just received news that Chen Yu, Marquis Tainingʼs shizi, was assassinated on his way to Lanzhou.”

Yun Qingʼs face turned ugly after hearing this, and he asked, ”Who did it?” The leader of the bandit suppression team had been assassinated before the suppression had even begun. It was obvious that the operation would not be smooth sailing.

Xu Wu shook his head. ”It is said that he was ambushed by horse thieves. The specific details are still unclear!” Their people were only stationed in Yu City and Xinping City, with no presence elsewhere. This was also why Yuxi mentioned that their intelligence sources were too limited.

Considering that it was an ambush, they must have received advance information. Yun Qingʼs expression turned grim as he asked, ”How did those bandits find out about Chen Yuʼs location?”

Xu Wu shook his head. ”Iʼm not sure about that.” After that, he looked at Yuxi, hoping that she would be able to explain the confusion. To his disappointment, Madam didnʼt say a word.

Yun Qing said coldly, ”Iʼm afraid that some people are worried that Chen Yu will succeed in suppressing the bandits, which will make them lose face, so they want to kill him with a borrowed knife.” The mastermind behind this was most likely Ji Xuan.

Xu Wu nodded his head. ”Itʼs very likely.” After saying that, Xu Wu couldnʼt help but ask Yuxi, ”Madam, who do you think would want to kill Chen Yu?”

Yuxi didnʼt answer this question but instead asked, ”Chen Yu should be fine, right?” Although Chen Yu was not as cunning as Marquis Taining, he was still competent in other aspects. Therefore, it was impossible for him to be so easily calculated.

Xu Wu looked at Yuxi with admiration and replied, ”Well, Chen Yu is fine, but all the assassins who tried to kill him are dead.” This result showed that Chen Yu was no pushover.

This was what Yuxi had expected.

Yun Qing told Xu Wu to leave and then asked Yuxi, who was frowning, ”Whatʼs wrong? Is there something wrong with the assassination attempt on Chen Yu?”

Yuxi replied, ”I was thinking that if Chen Xue hadnʼt died, Chen Yu would be your brother-in-law.” In fact, if Chen Xue hadnʼt died, this task wouldnʼt have fallen to Chen Yu.

Yun Qing didnʼt know whether to laugh or cry when he heard her answer. ”I donʼt even remember what Chen Xue was like. Why are you so jealous?” This woman was truly unbelievable, even caring about such things.

Yuxi didnʼt know how those words popped out of her mouth and responded resentfully, ”What I said is the truth!”

It was the first time Yun Qing had encountered Yuxiʼs unreasonable behaviour: ”Letʼs not talk about all that nonsense; letʼs get down to business! When Chen Yu comes to fight the bandits, Ji Xuan and the others will surely prevent him from making any merit.” Yu City would also benefit if the bandit problem in Shaanxi and Gansu could be eliminated.

Yuxi shook her head. ”Itʼs not that simple. As I told you before, we need good governance and peace throughout the land if we want to eliminate banditry in the northwest. Otherwise, suppressing bandits is just a temporary solution, not a permanent fix.” In the years that Ji Xuan had been the governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu, taxes had risen, and the people had suffered. Under these circumstances, it was wishful thinking to expect peace in the northwest. 

Yun Qing fell silent.

Looking at Yun Qingʼs expression, Yuxi warned, ”This matter has nothing to do with us, and you shouldnʼt get involved.” If he interfered, it would not only cause him trouble but also disrupt her plans.

Yun Qing pointed out, ”Without official orders, I cannot deploy troops on my own.” This implied he could not help with anything other than leading troops to suppress bandits.

At this time, Chen Yu had reached a small county under the jurisdiction of Lanzhou. Instead of staying at an inn, he went straight to the post station.

Chen Yuʼs trusted aide, Chen Shaogang, spoke with deep concern, ”My Lord, we have already encountered two ambushes and three assassination attempts on this journey, resulting in the loss of 128 men. My Lord, we cannot continue to be so passive.” This time, Chen Yu brought a total of 300 carefully selected elite soldiers. However, even elite soldiers were not invincible, losing nearly half of their forces to well-prepared bandits and thieves.

Chen Yuʼs expression was deeply troubled as he said, ”I never imagined that the bandits in the northwest would be so formidable.” The first group of bandits that ambushed them were no less skilled than the elite soldiers he had brought with him. At first, Chen Yu thought they had been sent by Ji Xuan, but he was taken aback to discover that they were all bandits.

Chen Shaogang asked: ”My Lord, what should we do now?”

At this point, Chen Yu had no better solution and said, ”We are only three days away from Lanzhou City. Letʼs discuss our next steps once we reach there.”

Chen Shaogang said, ”Iʼm afraid that the guarding troop, the Liu Battalion, will not obey your orders, my Lord.” Ji Xuan was the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, overseeing the military affairs of both provinces. A county magistrate is less powerful than his underlings. So, even if Chen Yu was appointed by the Crown Prince, he couldnʼt do anything if the other party didnʼt cooperate.

Chen Yu said, ”Letʼs talk about this when we get to Lanzhou.” He had mentally prepared himself before coming here, knowing that this bandit suppression would not be easy. But when he arrived in Hao City, he realised he had thought too simply. Zhang Wenjie, the provincial governor, had been completely sidelined by Ji Xuan. In the northwest, Ji Xuan and Wang Xinhai had the last word. Under such circumstances, it would be tough for Chen Yu to suppress the bandits successfully.

Chen Shaogang felt that his Shizi should not have accepted this task. It was too dangerous, and one wrong move could cost him his life. However, at this point, there was no turning back. If his Shizi were to retreat now, it would be like surrendering without a fight, and he would lose his position in the capital city for good.

Chen Yu said, ”The situation hasnʼt reached that point yet. Itʼs uncertain who will emerge victorious.” It was not yet known who would win when the deer died.

News of Chen Yuʼs assassination quickly spread back to the Marquis Tainingʼs residence. Upon receiving the news, Marquis Taining said, ”The situation is even more serious than I imagined.” He had originally thought that Ji Xuan would secretly interfere with Chen Yuʼs suppression of the bandits, but he hadnʼt expected him to actually try to kill his son.

His advisor commented, ”My Lord, we donʼt know if it was Ji Xuan who took it upon himself to assassinate Lord Shizi or if it was Song Guojiuʼs intention.” If it was Ji Xuanʼs own decision, then the matter was worth pondering. But if it was Song Guojiuʼs intention, then it was tantamount to declaring enmity with the Marquis Taining.

Marquis Taining pondered momentarily before saying, ”It canʼt be Song Guojiuʼs intention. Yu-er was sent to suppress the bandits on the orders of the Crown Prince. At most, Song Guojiu would let Ji Xuan prevent Yu-er from successfully suppressing the bandits, but he definitely wouldnʼt have Ji Xuan kill Yu-er.” Obstructing someone and ordering their assassination were two completely different concepts.

The advisor wondered, ”If itʼs true what my Lord said, then Ji Xuanʼs actions are indeed worth considering. Lord Shizi only wanted to eliminate the bandits; even if he had succeeded, it would only cause Ji Xuan to lose some face. Why would someone go so far as to order Lord Shiziʼs assassination?ʼ”

Marquis Taining had the same suspicion. ”Iʼm afraid Ji Xuan has done something in the northwest that even Song Guojiu does not know about.” Doing something behind Song Guojiuʼs back certainly wouldnʼt be anything good.

The advisor nodded. ”I wonder if the Crown Prince has received any news about this?” Chen Yu had used the secret channel provided by Marquis Taining; otherwise, the news wouldnʼt have arrived so quickly.

Marquis Taining responded, ”The Crown Prince will know by tomorrow at the latest.” He certainly couldnʼt tell the Crown Prince about this. Otherwise, how would the Crown Prince feel if he, a mere minister, was better informed than he was?

The advisor expressed some of his concerns: ”Every day that passes, the Lord Shizi will face another day of danger.” Lord Shizi was the future of Marquis Tainingʼs household, and any harm to him would be a severe blow to them.

Marquis Taining replied, ”There wonʼt be any problems for now.” Apart from selecting three hundred elite soldiers, Chen Yu also brought half of the elite troops from the Marquisʼ residence. If he were still harmed under such circumstances, it could only be said that he was incompetent.

The advisor asked, ”My Lord, should we bring the Second Young Master back to the capital next year?” Chen Ran had been stationed outside the capital for three years, and it was time for him to return.

Marquis Taining shook his head. ”Itʼs not the right time yet.” The situation in the capital was very complex, and if his youngest son returned, he would inevitably be drawn into this vortex. It was acceptable if he himself and his eldest son couldnʼt escape, but it was safer for his youngest son to stay away.