The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0572 An Old Friend Has Come (2)

Yun Qing was not a hospitable person at all. He looked at Meng Nian and said, ”Yu City is no place for you to stay. Leave today.” Out of old ties, he was willing to let Yan Wushuang off this time.

Meng Nian hadnʼt expected Yun Qing to say that. ”Actually, the reason I came to find you this time is to ask for your help. The Tong City massacre back then was actually caused by the Song family colluding with the Donghu barbarians. Iʼve found evidence of their treason, and thatʼs why Song Huaijin wants to silence me.”

Yuxi sat quietly to the side, not interrupting, letting Meng Nian speak. Meanwhile, Duan Xinrong, seated nearby, was utterly stunned. Having lived in Liaodong for so many years, she naturally knew the truth behind the Tong City massacre. But she had never expected it to be orchestrated by the Song family.

Yun Qingʼs expression darkened as he asked, ”What do you mean by this?”

Meng Nian continued, ”Back then, it wasnʼt just Song Huaijin who colluded with the Donghu barbarians but also the Ninth Prince, who is now the current Emperor. I want to expose the crimes the dog Emperor and Song Huaijin committed back then. If youʼre willing to help, that would be ideal.”

Yun Qing replied sternly, ”Thatʼs impossible. Even if what youʼre saying is true, exposing it would plunge the world into chaos. Regardless of the Emperorʼs faults, we cannot allow such turmoil.” Although Yun Qing had ambitions for the Northwest, his goal was to improve the lives of the people there and ensure better conditions for the soldiers in Yu City.

This reaction was in line with Yun Qingʼs character. Deep down, he had no treacherous intentions, so his response did not arouse Meng Nianʼs suspicion.

Meng Nian sneered. ”Chaos? Do you think the world isnʼt already in chaos? Forget Liaodong and other regions; just look at the Northwest. Over ten thousand people have starved to death this year alone, not to mention the innocent civilians slaughtered by Ji Xuan. And what about you? Are your days any better? The Emperor and that witch from the Song family live in luxury, spending hundreds of thousands of silver taels on a single birthday celebration. The high-ranking officials at the Imperial Court are all living lavish lifestyles. Yet they claim to have no money to pay your soldiersʼ salaries. Iʼve heard that the Imperial Court hasnʼt provided the Northwest Army with any new weapons or equipment in recent years. The weapons your soldiers are using are outdated. Going to war with them is no different from sending them to their deaths. That dog Emperor and the Imperial Court officials donʼt care about your lives at all. Why are you still fighting for them?”

Yuxi noticed Yun Qingʼs darkened face and sighed deliberately. ”Indeed! Life is hard for the Northwest Army. They rarely get to eat meat, even once every three months. To improve their conditions, weʼve even had to let them grow their own vegetables and raise poultry.”

Meng Nian turned to Yuxi and said, ”The Emperor is a traitor. The high-ranking officials in the Imperial Court do nothing but fight for power, take bribes, and protect each other. They achieve nothing. Those people are not worthy of our loyalty.”

Yuxiʼs expression changed slightly. ”Yan Gongzi, youʼve gone too far. Anyone listening might think youʼre plotting rebellion.” It was clear he had come to persuade Yun Qing to rebel. Fortunately, she had already convinced Yun Qing otherwise. If this had been the Yun Qing of the past, hearing such words would have immediately resulted in Meng Nian losing half his life.

Meng Nian spoke without any restraint, ”If I had 100,000 troops under my command like General Yun, I would have rebelled against such a muddle headed and tyrannical Emperor long ago.”

Yun Qingʼs face instantly darkened. ”If you continue spouting such treasonous nonsense, donʼt blame me for being unkind.” Even if he wanted to take over the Northwest, he would do it secretly, unlike Yan Wushuang in front of him, who spoke of rebellion with such righteousness. At that moment, Yun Qing began doubting himself—perhaps he was being too cautious. Otherwise, why did everyone else seem so eager to rebel?

However, Meng Nian was not afraid of Yun Qing. He glared at him and pointed out, ”General Yun, itʼs because of that dog Emperor and the Song family that your parents and brothers died tragically under the iron hooves of the Donghu barbarians. Even your grandfather, Old General Yun, was forced to his death by that dog Emperor and the Song family. They are your sworn enemies. Do you still want to remain loyal to them? Can you face your deceased parents, the unjustly killed Old General Yun, and your two innocent brothers who died untimely deaths?”

Even Yuxi couldnʼt help but admire his eloquence. Seeing that Yun Qing was about to lose control, Yuxi quickly interjected, ”Yan Gongzi, whatever you wish to do is your business; we have no right to interfere. But how we choose to act is our decision, and itʼs not your place to lecture us.”

Meng Nian turned his gaze to Yuxi and said, ”Madam Yun, youʼre a clever person. I believe you know the truth. That dog Emperor was willing to commit treason against the country in order to seize the throne. What else do you think he wouldnʼt dare to do? General Yun holds heavy military power and refuses to obey orders. As such, he has long been a thorn in the Emperorʼs side. Right now, the Emperorʼs position is unstable, so he doesnʼt dare to act against General Yun. But once he secures his power, it will be difficult for your entire family to escape disaster.”

Yuxi was fully aware of this, which was why she had been relentlessly urging Yun Qing to rebel. Otherwise, why would she go to so much trouble for something so thankless?

Looking up, Yuxi said to Meng Nian, ”I wonder how General Pingchuan would feel if he heard your words?”

Despite Yuxiʼs harmless demeanour, Meng Nian remained vigilant. On the contrary, the more gentle and harmless Yuxi seemed, the more cautious he became. When he heard her words, he instinctively felt something was wrong and replied, ”If there was another way, who would choose this road of no return?” In truth, he didnʼt know who General Pingchuan was, but he had a feeling that this person was somehow connected to his master.

As Meng Nian spoke, Yuxiʼs gaze was fixed on his face. Although his expression revealed no abnormalities, his response was strange. Turning the thought over in her mind, Yuxi said, ”In just a few months, itʼll be General Pingchuanʼs memorial day. In the blink of an eye, itʼs already been fifteen years.”

Meng Nian gave Duan Xinrong a meaningful look, but unfortunately, she had her head down, and she didnʼt catch it. Helplessly, Meng Nian responded, ”Indeed, it has been fifteen years since the Tong City tragedy. Itʼs about time for those tens of thousands of unjust souls to get their answer.”

Yuxi, sharp as ever, stopped going around the curves and skirting the corners as she questioned, ”What? Yan Gongzi doesnʼt recognise General Pingchuan? Otherwise, why would you change the subject whenever I mention him?”

Meng Nian searched his mind, but he really had never heard of this so-called General Pingchuan. Seeing Yuxiʼs smiling yet probing gaze, he asked, ”Madam Yun, are you suspecting me?”

Yuxi smiled. ”I donʼt know where Yan Gongzi got such an idea. Iʼve merely heard many legendary tales about General Pingchuan and feel great regret over his death.” Meng Nian reacted quickly, shaking his head as he said, ”Iʼm sorry, but Iʼve been in Liaodong for over ten years, and Iʼve never heard of anyone called General Pingchuan, let alone any legendary stories about him.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, Yuxi suddenly shouted, ”Zijin!” The moment she cried out, Zijin charged toward Meng Nian. This was a signal Yuxi had arranged with Zijin earlier—if something felt off, Yuxi would shout, and Zijin would immediately subdue Meng Nian.

Yun Qing did not know why Yuxi had instructed Zijin to act, but he trusted that she had her reasons. He immediately stepped before Yuxi to protect her and shouted outside, ”Xu Wu, get in here!” Yun Qing had to protect Yuxi and could not afford to deal with Meng Nian himself.

Hongqi and Hongdou exchanged glances. Hongqi quickly left Yuxiʼs side and seized the stunned Duan Xinrong, guarding against any sudden actions from her.

Meng Nian was a skilled fighter, but both Zijin and Xu Wu were also highly trained martial artists as well. Facing two opponents, Meng Nian quickly found himself at a disadvantage and was quickly subdued.

With his arms restrained by Xu Wu, Meng Nian showed no trace of panic on his face. Instead, he looked at Yuxi and asked, ”Madam Yun, what is the meaning of this?” In truth, Meng Nian already knew—it was clear that Han Shi suspected his identity.

Yuxi smiled and replied, ”You know very well why.” She had never believed Yan Wushuang would come to the Northwest, let alone approach Yun Qing so brazenly. Not to mention that if Yun Qing caught him and turned him over to the Imperial Court, he would be executed. If Yan Wushuang had been truly reckless and bold, there was no way he could have survived under Tong Chunlinʼs command for so many years.

Meng Nian no longer pursued that line of questioning and instead asked, ”Liaodong doesnʼt even have a General Pingchuan. On what basis do you claim Iʼm a fake?”

A faint smile appeared on Yuxiʼs face. ”Yan Chizong, courtesy name Pingchuan. Do you still want to claim thereʼs no General Pingchuan in Liaodong?” Yan Chizong was Yan Wushuangʼs paternal grandfather, whose courtesy name was Pingchuan, taken from the saying ʼyī mǎ píng chuānʼ. However, a courtesy name was rarely used among military officials and was usually known only to close family members. For example, Yun Qingʼs courtesy name was Qingming, but very few people knew this. While others might not know the name Pingchuan, it was impossible for Yan Wushuang not to know it as his grandson.

Meng Nian was deeply shaken as he asked, ”How do you know this?” He didnʼt doubt the truth of her statement—there was no need for her to make it up. But the fact that Han Shi knew so much about the Yan family—what did this mean? It meant that Han Shi had investigated the Yan family in detail, and very thoroughly at that.

Yuxi stood up and said, ”You donʼt need to know that. What I want to know is who you really are. If you wanted to persuade my husband, there was no need to use Yan Wushuangʼs identity. You could have just used your real identity.” She was curious about this manʼs true intention.

Meng Nian replied, ”Since youʼre so resourceful, how could you not know who I am?” This woman was truly formidable.

Yuxi chuckled lightly. ”If even I knew your identity, your master wouldnʼt be able to sleep at night. So, tell me, whatʼs your plan to deliberately use Yan Wushuangʼs identity to come to Yu City?”

Meng Nian would be a fool to reveal anything.

Seeing that Meng Nian was a tough nut to crack, Yun Qing turned to Xu Wu and instructed him, ”Take him away and make him talk.” The implication was clear—use force if necessary.

Yuxi looked at the dazed Duan Xinrong and said to Hongqi, ”Take her to the guest room for now.” Despite everything, given their close relationship in the past, Yuxi still wanted to help Duan Xinrong. At the very least, she could ensure her safety while Duan Xinrong was in Yu City.

Tears welled up in Duan Xinrongʼs eyes as she looked at Yuxi. ”Yuxi...” She still had no idea what was going on.

Yuxi softened her tone and said, ”Go with the maid for now. Weʼll talk about the rest later.” Sighing inwardly, she thought about how Duan Xinrong usually seemed fine, but when it came to critical moments, she just couldnʼt hold herself together. Yuxi had already seen this during the Duan familyʼs downfall.

Duan Xinrong nodded meekly. ”Alright.” Here in Yun Manor, Yuxi held all the power. She had no choice but to obey.

PS (Author): Did everyone eat tangyuan today? I did, but it was so expensive—35 yuan for a package of only 28 tangyuan. What a rip-off…