The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0599 Deploy Troops (1)

After Yun Qing left, Yuxi began to think about the attempt on her life. No matter how impatient the Emperor was, he wouldnʼt have acted so ruthlessly against her while Ji Xuan was still entangled with the rebel forces. The Emperor, who was so attentive to Yun Qing and her, undoubtedly knew about the harmony in their marriage. Taking her life at this time would be tantamount to forcing Yun Qing to rebel. Therefore, the person who orchestrated the assassination couldnʼt have been the Emperor, nor could it have been the Song family. But who was behind it? Before Yuxi could find out, Yun Qing returned from bathing.

Seeing Yuxi frowning in thought, Yun Qing immediately interrupted her, ”The physician told you to rest and not overthink. Why wonʼt you listen?” Sighing, he thought, with Yuxi like this, how could he not worry?

Of course, Yuxi wouldnʼt tell Yun Qing the truth. If she did and made him hesitate even more, wouldnʼt her suffering have been in vain? Thinking about this, she wore a worried expression and said, ”Iʼm just concerned that Mother wonʼt be able to bear it when she hears about what happened.” If Mother discovered that Er Ge had conspired with outsiders to harm her, it would probably hurt her even more than treason would. However, apart from this plan, Yuxi had no other way to clear the Han family of suspicion.

Yun Qing patted Yuxiʼs head, ”Donʼt worry about that. Xu Wu has already sent someone to the capital to inform Dage of everything that has happened. I believe heʼll understand your good intentions.” If her Dage understood her use of the self-sacrifice strategy, then Mother would naturally come to understand as well.

Yuxi softly replied, ”I hope so!” She hoped her Dage shared such a tacit understanding with her, as that would save a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings.

Yun Qing gently urged, ”Go to sleep.”

Yuxiʼs face flushed as she said, ”Call Zijin in for me.” She needed to use the restroom but was currently unable to move and could only rely on others.

Hearing the mention of Zijin, Yun Qingʼs expression darkened. ”That girl can no longer stay by your side anymore,” he said firmly. The incident last time wasnʼt enough of a lesson, and now, even if Yuxi pleaded on her behalf, he wouldnʼt allow Zijin to remain by her side.

Yuxi did not disagree with Yun Qing but still said, ”Zijin is strong, and I havenʼt been very mobile lately. Having her around is helpful. Once I recover, you can punish her as you see fit, and I wonʼt interfere.” Pleading for Zijin might result in an even harsher punishment for her.

Yun Qing asked, ”What do you need her help with now?”

Yuxi blushed and remained silent. Finally, under Yun Qingʼs pressure, she mumbled, ”I need to use the restroom.” Since she had only eaten liquid food all day, she only needed to deal with a minor matter.

Yun Qing offered to carry her, but Yuxi refused. Confused, Yun Qing said, ”Thereʼs no part of you I havenʼt seen before. Whatʼs there to be embarrassed about?”

Yuxi wished she could disappear into the ground but maintained a serious expression as she said, ”Just call in Mama Qu and Zijin for me!”

Yuxi insisted, ”Call in Mama Qu and Zijin, and you can come back in later.” There was no way she could relieve herself in front of Yun Qing—it would be too embarrassing.

Seeing Yuxiʼs firm refusal, Yun Qing had no choice but to call Mama Qu and Zijin and wait outside the room.

When Yun Qing returned after a short while, he saw Yuxi lying down with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Yun Qing couldnʼt help but laugh. ”Weʼre husband and wife. Whatʼs there to be so shy about?” he remarked. His wife was just too easily embarrassed.

Yuxi continued to pretend to be asleep.

Yun Qing shook his head, took off his outer robe, and climbed into bed. Yuxi was lying on the outer side of the bed, so he lay down on the inner side. After he settled down, he looked at Yuxiʼs face and teased, ”Still pretending to be asleep?”

Yuxi opened her eyes, turned her head, and pouted. ”Whoʼs pretending? I was clearly asleep just now, and you woke me up.”

Seeing that Yuxi was still in the mood to joke, Yun Qing felt much better. ”Itʼs all my fault. Go back to sleep. I wonʼt bother you anymore.”

Yuxi hummed in agreement and urged, ”Itʼs late now. You should sleep, too!” Seeing Yun Qingʼs bloodshot eyes, she knew he hadnʼt slept well in the past two days.

Yun Qing nodded. ”Alright, letʼs sleep.” He hadnʼt been able to sleep properly for the past two days, worrying about Yuxi all the time. At most, he had taken short naps. After a long and busy day, he was indeed exhausted. When he saw Yuxi close her eyes, he quickly fell asleep.

Hearing the steady rhythm of his breathing, Yuxi opened her eyes. She had been lying in bed all day and couldnʼt sleep anymore.

Although Yun Qing was a light sleeper, he slept deeply tonight. Even when Mama Qu entered the room, he didnʼt wake up. Of course, part of it was because Mama Qu walked very quietly.

When Mama Qu saw Yuxi shake her head slightly, she understood that nothing was wrong. She blew out the lamp in the room and quietly stepped out.

Zijin was waiting outside. When she saw Mama Qu come out, she whispered, ”Is Madam asleep?” Zijin hadnʼt dared to lift her head when Yun Qing was there earlier.

Mama Qu led Zijin into the small kitchen, where Mama Bai was preparing some food for them. Seeing that Zijin had little appetite, Mama Qu said, ”No matter how the General decides to punish you, Madam still needs your care. You must pull yourself together for her sake and not break down.” Zijin had made a grave mistake, but since Madam had asked for her help, it was clear that she didnʼt want Zijin to lose her life. That was why Mama Qu spoke to encourage her.

Zijin picked up her bowl of rice and ate with tears streaming down her face. Seeing Madam so weak and frail in bed made her wish she could k*ll herself out of guilt.

Mama Qu sighed, ”Stop crying. Let this be a lesson to you. No amount of words from others will help you if you do not take them to heart.”

After Zijin finished eating, Mama Qu said, ”Go and get some rest. Thereʼs a lot to do tomorrow.” Zijin was currently staying in the front courtyard, sharing a small wing with Master Yang.

Watching Zijinʼs retreating figure, Mama Bai shook her head. ”Madam is still too lenient with her. This incident wouldnʼt have happened again if she had been severely punished after the last incident.”

Mama Qu replied, ”Whatʼs the point of saying that now? Letʼs just hope Madam recovers soon!” Madam was their pillar of support. If she fell, their future would be bleak.

Mama Bai then brought up something Mama Qu had mentioned earlier. ”Seeing how much the General cares for Madam, maybe he can wait five years.”

Mama Qu didnʼt dare have such expectations. Having lived most of her life, she had seen too much. Love was the most unreliable thing in the world. Vows of deep affection and devotion might be exchanged today, but tomorrow, there might only be laughter for the new and tears for the old. For a woman to secure her place, she needed a son. Just like the Old Lady—despite the Old Dukeʼs ill-treatment of her, having two sons had cemented her position in the Dukeʼs household. Now, those once-favoured concubines were long dead and buried, while the Old Lady still enjoyed wealth and honour. Mama Qu uttered, ”I only hope the Lord Duke can persuade Momo Quan to come to the Northwest soon.”

Mama Bai shared the same wish but also voiced her concerns. ”The Northwest is so chaotic. Even if Momo Quan is willing, it wonʼt be easy for her to make the journey safely.” Bandits and rebels plagued the roads, not to mention the ongoing rebellion.

When Mama Qu heard this, she had no reaction.

When Yuxi woke up, Yun Qing was no longer beside her. She turned her head toward the slanting sunlight streaming through the window. Although the winter sun was pale and weak, its brightness lifted her spirits.

Mama Qu entered and, seeing the smile on Yuxiʼs face, smiled as well. ”Madam, youʼre awake.”

Yuxi asked, ”When did the General get up?” She hadnʼt noticed at all.

Mama Qu replied, ”The General got up before dawn. But donʼt worry, Mama Bai made sure he had breakfast before he left.”

Yuxi nodded softly. ”Thatʼs good.”

At that moment, Yun Qing bid farewell to Cui Mo and the three thousand cavalrymen. The Northwest Army had 100,000 troops, of which only 4,000 were cavalry. Having already dispatched 800 before, this new deployment of 3,000 meant almost all the cavalry had been mobilised. As the elite force of the Northwest Army and the backbone against the northern barbarians, Yun Qing wouldnʼt have used all the cavalry if it wasnʼt for the fact that it was winter.

Cui Mo said to Yun Qing, ”General, donʼt worry. Iʼll meet with General Feng as soon as possible.” Among themselves, they jokingly referred to General Feng as ʼthe madmanʼ, but no one dared to use such a nickname in Yun Qingʼs presence.

Yun Qing, who was always stern and serious with his subordinates, simply nodded, ”Have a safe journey.”

Standing nearby, Fu Tianlei joked, ”Yun Qing, shouldnʼt you say, ʼMay you be victoriousʼ instead?” Despite his initial fear, Fu Tianlei had already made up his mind, having experienced his fair share of life and death. Since they had decided to rebel, there was nothing left to fear. Besides, they only wanted to take control of the northwest this time, and the chances of success were high.

Yun Qing waved his hand. ”Off you go!” Fortunately, the weather had cleared up. He only hoped it would stay sunny when they left two days later. This good weather would not only shorten the journey considerably but also save the soldiers from unnecessary hardship.

After seeing Cui Mo and the cavalry off, Yun Qing returned to the camp and began to discuss things with Fu Tianlei. Since he was leaving Yu City and wouldnʼt return until the fifth or sixth month of the following year, many responsibilities would have to be handed over to Fu Tianlei.

Their discussion stretched on for most of the day. By the time Yun Qing realised it, he was already starving, and it was late afternoon. He decided to return home for lunch but was stopped by Fu Tianlei.

Fu Tianlei said, ”Just eat here. The sooner we finish handing things over, the sooner you can head back. Otherwise, the back-and-forth will waste a lot of time.”

Yun Qing shook his head. ”I wonʼt be coming back. Come to the residence later. I want to check on Yuxi and the children first.” Before Fu Tianlei could respond, Yun Qing strode out.

Watching Yun Qingʼs retreating figure, Fu Tianlei suddenly felt a pang of envy. He remembered how affectionate he had once been to his wife, Chen Shi, and how he longed for more time with her. Now, the thought of her brought only bitterness.