The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0596 One Mind

When Fu Tianlei saw Yun Qing and noticed his calm expression, he breathed a sigh of relief. He asked, ”Is your wife all right now?”

Two days ago, when he heard that an assassin had attacked Han Shi, he was shocked. He knew how much Yun Qing cherished her—if she had died, it would have been a devastating blow to him.

They were not blood brothers, but their bond was even stronger than that. Yun Qing didnʼt hide anything from Fu Tianlei as he replied, ”Her body has been severely injured, and it will take years for her to recover. Liu-er was born prematurely, and her health is weak.” His heart ached at the thought of his youngest daughter.

Fu Tianlei said, ”As long as their lives are not in danger, everything will get better.” Then he asked, ”Oh, thatʼs right, do you know who sent the assassin?”

Yun Qing nodded. ”The Emperor.”

Fu Tianleiʼs eyes widened before he shook his head, ”Thatʼs despicable.” Since the Emperor couldnʼt deal with Yun Qing directly, he targeted a pregnant woman instead—there was no lower act than this.

Yun Qing didnʼt dwell on the Emperorʼs actions; that person had always been a man without limits. Instead, he told Fu Tianlei about something from the past. ”You know about the incident in Tong City over ten years ago, right?”

Seeing Fu Tianlei nod, Yun Qing continued, ”The Song family staged that incident in collusion with the Donghu people. But the current Emperor was also involved.”

Fu Tianlei opened his mouth in shock. ”Are you sure?”

Yun Qing nodded. ”Yan Wushuang is still alive. He has found evidence to prove that the Tong City Incident was the work of the Song family and the Emperor.”

Fu Tianlei quickly caught on and asked, ”Yun Qing, just say whatʼs on your mind.” He knew Yun Qing wouldnʼt bring this up for no reason.

Yun Qing did not go round the curves and skirt the corners but said directly. ”The Emperor didnʼt even spare my wife and child—heʼll never let me live. Rather than sit and wait for him to slaughter my entire family, Iʼd rather fight my way out.”

Fu Tianleiʼs heart almost leapt out of his chest. ”You want to rebel?”

Yun Qing didnʼt deny it. Sending troops without an official decree was already equivalent to rebellion. He expressed, ”Tianlei, you know what kind of person I am. If there were another way, I wouldnʼt choose this path of no return.” Rebellion was a road with no turning back.

Fu Tianlei didnʼt know how to persuade Yun Qing otherwise. The Emperor had already shown that he would not even spare a defenceless woman like Han Shi, so there was no way he would let Yun Qing live. Although Yun Qingʼs decision defied heaven, it wasnʼt necessarily wrong.

Yun Qing looked at Fu Tianlei and said, ”Thereʼs something I havenʼt told you yet.” Seeing Fu Tianleiʼs confused expression, he continued, ”I have confirmed that the woman who assassinated Bao Xiaofan was Fu Qingluo.” Yun Qing wasnʼt lying—he had confirmed Yuxiʼs suspicion half a month ago. But he had never told Fu Tianlei about it until now.

Fu Tianlei froze. ”What did you say? The one who k*lled Bao Xiaofan was Qingluo?”

Seeing Yun Qing nod, Fu Tianleiʼs face instantly turned pale. Qingluo was a daughter of the Fu family, yet she had not only defected to the rebels but had also k*lled the lead general of the Imperial anti-bandit forces. The Fu family would face total annihilation if the Imperial Court pursued this matter.

Fu Tianlei muttered, ”She has doomed the entire Fu family for a man...” No matter how badly their father had treated her, he, as her brother, had always doted on her, giving in to her every wish. He had never wronged her in any way. And yet, this was how she repaid him.

Yun Qing sighed and said, ”Fu Qingluo is your sister—that is an undeniable fact. Even if you cut ties with her now, if the Imperial Court pursues this matter, the Fu family will not escape the fate of execution.”

Fu Tianleiʼs heart tightened. He looked at Yun Qing and asked, ”Yun Qing, weʼve been brothers for over ten years. I trust you wonʼt lie to me.” His words implied that he suspected Yun Qing had fabricated Fu Qingluoʼs involvement in Bao Xiaofanʼs assassination just to drag him into this situation.

Yun Qingʼs expression remained unchanged as he replied, ”I wouldnʼt be foolish enough to lie about something like this.”

Fu Tianleiʼs face showed a mixture of a bitter smile and deep sorrow. ”If this is true, then I have no choice but to join you in rebellion.”

Yun Qing said, ”With the Imperial Court looking like this, rebellion is inevitable.” When the Imperial Court and the Emperor were this bad, then there was no reason for them to be afraid of rebelling.

Fu Tianlei stared at Yun Qing and questioned, ”Throughout history, how many rebellions have succeeded? And if we fail, not only will we lose our lives, but our families and clans will be implicated as well.” The consequences of rebelling were the destruction of oneʼs entire clan.

Yun Qing nodded. ”The northwest is overrun with rebel factions, bandits, and marauders. The local military is weak. As long as we mobilise our troops, we can easily take control of the northwest.” He then added, ”We wonʼt fail.”

Fu Tianlei knew Yun Qing well and understood that he wasnʼt one to boast. He asked, ”Why are you so sure we wonʼt fail?”

Yun Qing didnʼt hide anything and directly revealed his plan: ”I just want to kill Ji Xuan and take his place.”

Fu Tianlei finally understood. ”You want to take control of the northwest?” He shook his head and argued, ”It wonʼt be that easy. Even if we temporarily take the northwest, the Imperial Court will definitely send troops to suppress us.”

Yun Qing shook his head. ”Thatʼs not something you need to worry about. The southwest and Jiangnan are already unstable, and Liaodong will soon be in turmoil as well. Even if the Imperial Court wants to send troops against us, they wonʼt have the capacity to do so.” Yuxi had analysed all of this for him long ago. In reality, the Imperial Court had already lost control over the provinces; otherwise, Ji Xuan wouldnʼt have been able to act so recklessly in the northwest.

Fu Tianlei looked at Yun Qing, feeling as if he were looking at a stranger. After a long silence, he asked, ”How long have you been planning this?” This plan wasnʼt something that could be orchestrated in just a few days.

Yun Qing replied, ”A year.” In truth, Yuxi had been planning for a year, while he had only started preparing six months ago. And even during those six months, he had hesitated numerous times.

Fu Tianlei asked, ”How confident are you?”

Yun Qing said, ”Ninety per cent.” Before, he had little certainty, but after seeing how easily the rebel forces had crushed the local military, his confidence had soared.

Fu Tianlei remained silent. He knew Yun Qing wasnʼt exaggerating. If Yun Qing had said there was a ninety percent chance, then the plan to kill Ji Xuan would have been almost certain to succeed. At this point, Fu Tianlei no longer hesitated and voiced his concern: ”Iʼm just worried that others might not agree.”

Yun Qing reassured him, ”Donʼt worry about that.” Yuxi had put in a lot of effort for this day, and her work would not go to waste.

At that moment, Xu Wu entered and announced, ”General, Cui Mo and Yuan Ying have arrived.”

Eight people arrived, all of them Yun Qingʼs most trusted aides. As soon as they entered the room, Xiang Weiguo asked, ”General, how is Madam doing now?” Yuxiʼs reputation in Yu City was no less than Yun Qingʼs. When the news of her assassination attempt spread, it weighed heavily on many hearts.

Yun Qing shook his head. ”She woke up briefly this morning, but the doctor says sheʼs still not out of danger.” He didnʼt mention anything about Liu-er.

Cui Mo asked, ”General, Madam has always been kind-hearted. Who could be so heartless as to try to kill her?”

Xu Wu snarled, ”It was the Emperor. At the beginning of the year, Madam was worried that there might be natural disasters that would drive up grain prices and make it difficult to buy enough food. So she suggested the General stockpile more grain. When the Emperor found out, he suspected them of treason and decided to have them k*lled. Since the assassins couldnʼt harm the General, they targeted Madam instead.”

As soon as Xu Wu finished speaking, the expressions of the eight men darkened. Madam had stockpiled the grain for the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Yu City. Yet the Emperor had ordered her murder based on a groundless accusation.

Ever since Yuxi had different thoughts, she had exposed the Emperorʼs extravagant lifestyle and the corruption of both loyal and traitorous officials like Ji Xuan. The Imperial Court often withheld military pay and refused to provide new equipment, causing the soldiers of Yu City to grow increasingly resentful of both the Emperor and the Imperial Court. When they heard of this assassination attempt, their anger deepened. The Emperor had money to waste on debauchery but not to pay his soldiers or equip them properly—how could they possibly remain loyal to such a ruler?

Cui Mo said, ”Seven years ago, during the drought, Yu City didnʼt have enough grain, and many of our brothers starved to death. The Emperor and the Imperial Court ignored us. This year, Madam made sure we had enough food to survive the disaster, and yet the Emperor wants to kill her and the General. How does that make sense? Does he only feel at ease when we are starving and freezing to death?”

The most hot-tempered among them, Xiang Weiguo, stepped forward and shouted, ”General, since that dog of an emperor wonʼt let us live, letʼs just rebel against him!” In truth, most of the men present had long held a grudge against the Imperial Court, though they had suppressed it.

Yuan Ying looked at Yun Qing and asked, ”General, what do you think?”

Yun Qing calmly replied, ”I, Yun Qing, have a clear conscience before heaven and earth. But the Emperor will neither tolerate me nor spare my wife, children, and those around me. If death is inevitable, we might as well make it a bloody one—at least that way, thereʼs still a chance of survival.”

Xiang Weiguo shouted, ”General, we shouldʼve done this a long time ago! Once we overthrow that dog of an emperor, we wonʼt have to suffer this humiliation anymore!” D*mn it! They shed blood and sacrificed their lives defending the border, yet they werenʼt even paid their wages. Meanwhile, the Emperor was drunkenly living, dreamily dying. Such a ruler was unworthy of their loyalty.

Yun Qing scanned the room and said, ”If youʼre willing to follow me, then stand with me. If youʼre not, itʼs time for you to leave. This is a path of no return—I wonʼt force anyone.”

Yun Qingʼs words sounded fair, but in reality, anyone who backed out now would be considered a traitor, and there was only one fate for traitors—death. Even though these men were his most trusted aides, refusing to follow him at this moment was tantamount to treason.

Thanks to Yuxiʼs careful groundwork, seven of the eight men immediately expressed their willingness to follow Yun Qing in rebellion.

Seeing Yuan Yingʼs silence, Xiang Weiguo asked, ”Yuan Ying, whatʼs the matter? Are you unwilling to fight alongside us?”

Yuan Ying wasnʼt opposed to rebellion, but he was against recklessly launching one. To him, charging into a revolt without proper preparation was nothing more than sending their brothers to their deaths.

He said, ”General, the Emperor and the Imperial Court are indeed unworthy of our loyalty. But, General, we have no preparations in place. If we just rush into rebellion like this, weʼll suffer heavy losses.”

At this point, Yun Qing no longer hid anything from them. He spread out a map of the northwest, pointed to a location, and said, ”There is one hundred and fifty thousand dan of grain in Wucheng—enough for our needs.”

Xiang Weiguo was in charge of logistics and was well aware of the supply situation. He immediately asked, ”Thatʼs not right! Wasnʼt the third batch of grain supposed to be 230,000 dan? Where are the missing 80,000 dan?”

Yun Qing replied, ”Dajun left 50,000 dan at Maluo Mountain. As for the other 30,000 dan, he has stored it in three secure locations.” After a brief pause, he continued, ”First, we will take control of the northwest. The rest can be dealt with later.”

After hearing this, Yuan Ying had no more doubts. Seizing control of the northwest would provide them with a solid foundation and free them from fear of the Imperial Court. He asked eagerly, ”General, when do we set out?” Since Yun Qing had planned everything thoroughly, they had nothing to worry about and could follow him without hesitation.

Yun Qing said, ”Cui Mo, take the cavalry and depart tomorrow. Meet up with Feng Dajun and follow his orders. The rest of the troops will leave with me in three days.”

Hearing this order, the men responded in unison, ”Yes!” Rebellion was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations, yet none of them showed any fear—only excitement.

PS (Author Jane): Scenes involving men, especially military strategy and warfare, are always the hardest to write. Every time I write them, I feel completely exhausted…