The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0601 Deploy Troops (3)

That winter night was unusually quiet.

Yuxi lay in bed, unable to sleep, and said to Mama Qu, ”Please bring Zaozao and Liu-er to me!” Liu-er and Zaozao were complete opposites—when Liu-er cried, her voice was barely louder than a kittenʼs mewl, but when Zaozao cried, it was as loud as thunder. However, Yun Qing was leaving for a campaign tomorrow, and she wanted the whole family together tonight.

Mama Qu hesitated before saying, ”Madam, the young misses should both be asleep by now.” She was worried that if Zaozao started to cry, it might upset Yuxi.

Yuxi shook her head. ”It doesnʼt matter. Zaozao always sleeps on time at night and wonʼt disturb me.” Yun Qing wouldnʼt be back until the fourth or the fifth month at the earliest, so she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her family.

Unable to persuade her otherwise, Mama Qu had no choice but to instruct Mama Lan and Old Woman Yu to bring the children over. At that time, Zaozao was still awake, but Liu-er was already fast asleep.

When Zaozao saw Yuxi, she happily climbed onto the bed and called out, ”Mom! Mom” Then, with great delight, she planted a kiss on Yuxiʼs face.

Yuxi smiled bitterly and asked Old Woman Yu, ”Why isnʼt she asleep yet?” Usually, Zaozao would be asleep by this hour.

Old Woman Yu explained, ”The Young Miss had already fallen asleep, but she woke up on the way here.” Old Woman Yu guessed that the noise outside had woken Zaozao.

Looking at the lively, energetic Zaozao and then at the frail Liu-er in her swaddling clothes, Yuxi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. If only Liu-er were half as healthy as Zaozao, she wouldnʼt have to worry so much.

Yun Qing returned in the middle of the night. As soon as he entered the room, he saw the three of them—mother and daughters—lying side by side on the bed, and he couldnʼt help but chuckle.

Yuxi hadnʼt fallen asleep; she was waiting for Yun Qing to return. When she opened her eyes and saw him chuckling, she asked, ”Whatʼs so funny?”

Yun Qing found the scene heartwarming and wondered, ”Why did you bring the children here? Your health isnʼt good right now, and having them here might interfere with your rest.” Liu-er woke up two or three times a night and Zaozao at least once. What Yuxi needed most now was proper rest.

Yuxi said, ”Youʼre leaving on campaign tomorrow, so I specifically had them brought over. They will grow so much in a few months that they might not look the same anymore.”

Yun Qing agreed. ”Thatʼs true. Children change so quickly that Iʼm afraid Zaozao might not even recognise me as her father in a few months.”

The couple chatted quietly for a while. Yuxi wanted to talk longer, but considering that Yun Qing had to get up early the next day, she held back and said, ”Itʼs already past midnight. Letʼs go to sleep.”

Yun Qing nodded and called for Mama Lan and the others to take the children back to their rooms. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to sleep. Although the bed was big enough for four, he didnʼt want the children to disturb Yuxi.

Soon, Yun Qing fell asleep.

Yuxi lay in bed, unable to sleep. She reached out to touch Yun Qingʼs face, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. Although she had been forced to marry Yun Qing at the beginning, she felt deeply grateful now. To be able to marry a man like him was indeed her good fortune.

Suddenly, a pair of large, warm hands gently grasped her hand. Yun Qing opened his eyes and asked, ”Whatʼs wrong?”

Tears glimmered in Yuxiʼs eyes as she let out, ”I canʼt bear to let you go.” This time, Yun Qing would personally lead his troops into battle. While the chances of success were high, so were the dangers.

Holding Yuxiʼs hand, Yun Qing said softly, ”I canʼt bear to leave you and the children either, but I promise you, this will be the last time. There wonʼt be another.”

Yuxiʼs tears fell.

Yun Qing sat up and wiped away her tears. ”Donʼt cry. Iʼll be back soon.” He feared nothing more than seeing Yuxi cry, and every time she did, he felt completely helpless.

Yuxi wiped her tears as she choked out, ”I donʼt want to cry, but I just canʼt help it when I think of you leaving.” As she spoke, her tears fell again.

Yun Qing smiled, ”Then I wonʼt go. Iʼll stay at home with you and the children.” Of course, these words were only meant to comfort Yuxi. The situation had already reached the point of no return.

Yuxi nodded, ”Good, donʼt go anywhere. Stay with me and the children.” She only dared to say this because she knew Yun Qing was determined to leave for the campaign. Otherwise, she wouldnʼt have dared utter even half a word.

Yun Qing couldnʼt help but laugh and cry at the same time. It was rare to see Yuxi acting so childlike. ”I know I shouldnʼt be leaving now, but this is the best opportunity.”

If Yuxi knew what he was thinking, sheʼd probably be furious. Here she was, a wife who was reluctant to see her husband leave, but in Yun Qingʼs eyes, she seemed childish.

Yuxi nodded, ”I know, I understand. I just... canʼt bear it.” After being married for over two years, this was the first time they would be apart for such a long time. And at such a critical time, Yuxi felt both anxious and distressed.

Yun Qing said nothing and simply held her gently in his arms. He couldnʼt bear to leave her, nor could he stop worrying about her. Yuxi was in such an emotional state; their two children were still young, and Liu-er wasnʼt doing well either. But no matter how reluctant or uneasy he felt, he still had to leave at dawn.

After a long while, Yuxi finally calmed down and softly urged, ”Itʼs late. You have to leave early in the morning. Get some sleep.” She had temporarily lost control of her emotions but tried to pull herself together.

Yun Qing replied gently, ”All right, you should sleep too.”

Yuxi nodded, ”Make sure to wake me up in the morning.” Seeing that Yun Qing remained silent, she added urgently, ”You must wake me up in the morning.” Even though she couldnʼt get out of bed now, she still wanted to see him off.

Unable to refuse her, Yun Qing could only promise: ”All right, Iʼll wake you up in the morning.” In truth, he wanted her to get a good nightʼs sleep and not wake her up.

But Yuxi knew exactly what Yun Qing was thinking and quickly said, ”You have to keep your word.” On normal days, she wouldnʼt mind if he left early without waking her. But this time, she couldnʼt let him go like that.

At dawn the next day, Yun Qing got up as the sky began to lighten. Gazing at the still-sleeping Yuxi, he hesitated momentarily before finally lowering his head to wake her. ”Yuxi, wake up, wake up...”

Yuxi opened her eyes and saw the darkness before her, but she quickly reacted as she asked, ”Herui, are you leaving?”

Yun Qing replied with a light hum, ”I have to go to the military camp now.” Once he reached the camp, he would immediately lead his troops into battle and not return home.

Yuxi called out loudly, ”Mama Qu, Mama Qu...”

Mama Qu had gotten up early and was already waiting outside. When she heard Yuxiʼs voice, she rushed inside.

Yuxi asked, ”Have you prepared the things I asked for?” She knew that when marching to war, one couldnʼt bring too many belongings—bringing too much would only be a burden. So she had only asked Mama Qu to pack a few sets of clothes for Yun Qing to change into.

Seeing Yun Qing fully dressed and ready to leave, Yuxiʼs eyes welled up with tears. However, she held them back this time and hoarsely said, ”Take good care of yourself out there, and be careful of those lurking in the shadows.” She wasnʼt worried about enemies on the battlefield; what worried her were possible assassination attempts or poisoning plots by the Emperor or others using despicable means.

Looking at Yuxi, who seemed to be on the verge of tears, Yun Qing gently touched her forehead and said softly, ”I will come back soon to take you and the children with me.”

As Yun Qing crouched down, Mama Qu quickly turned away, not daring to look. She knew how affectionate the couple was, but they usually displayed such intimacy only in private. As they were about to be separated this time, they seemed to care less about onlookers.

Yuxi shook her head, ”Safety comes first. It doesnʼt matter if you come back in a month or two—the most important thing is that you return safely.”

No matter how reluctant she was, he had to leave in the end. Watching Yun Qingʼs departing figure, Yuxi finally let go of the tears she had been holding back.

Mama Qu comforted her, ”Madam, didnʼt the General say he would be back soon?” At that moment, Mama Qu had no idea Yun Qing was planning a rebellion. If she had known, she would probably have fainted from fright—because if the rebellion failed, everyone around him would die as well.

Yun Qing rode swiftly to the military camp, where thirty thousand troops had already assembled, waiting for his command to march.

When the army of thirty thousand left the city, it caused a great stir in Yu City.

In the prison, Du Wenshu stared at the jailer who had come to report to him and asked, ”What did you just say? Yun Qing took thirty thousand troops out of Yu City and headed for Xinping City? What is he planning to do?”

The jailer had been bribed by Du Wenshu, so he had come to deliver the news. But when he heard Du Wenshuʼs question, he immediately shook his head, ”I donʼt know either.”

Before Du Wenshu could speak again, a loud voice rang out from outside the cell.

”If you want to know something, wouldnʼt it be better to ask me?”

Du Wenshu turned to see Huo Changqing standing outside his cell. With a cold voice, he asked, ”Yun Qing has no official orders to deploy troops—this is treason! This is a crime that will wipe out his entire clan!”

Huo Changqing chuckled, ”His entire clan? Yun Qing only has his wife and two daughters—what clan is there to wipe out?” Then he raised his voice and continued, ”Speaking of which, Yun Qing has no more reservations. Back then, if the Emperor hadnʼt colluded with the Donghu, betrayed Marshal Yan, causing a massacre in Tong City... and if the Yun family elders were still in the capital, Yun Qing might still have had some concerns. But now? He has nothing left to worry about.”

Du Wenshuʼs face turned ashen, and he shouted angrily, ”You are the ones committing treason, yet you dare to slander His Majesty!” These people would stop at nothing.

Huo Changqing couldnʼt be bothered to argue with Du Wenshu and simply said, ”Whether itʼs slander or not, Heaven knows. Take him away and send him where he belongs.” That place, of course, was the underworld.

The jailer Du Wenshu had bribed was also dragged off along with him.

After dealing with the imprisoned officials and spies loyal to the Imperial Court, Huo Changqing ordered the removal of a group of criminals and death row prisoners.

Once everything was handled, he went to the cell where Han Jianye was held. Seeing Han Jianye squatting on his bed, looking utterly dejected, Huo Changqing couldnʼt help but shake his head. Compared to Han Shi, Han Jianyeʼs state was genuinely pitiful.

Hearing the sound of the lock turning, Han Jianye looked up and was stunned to see Huo Changqing. He immediately shouted, ”Huo Changqing, I want to see Yuxi! I want to see Yuxi!” He admitted that he had misjudged people, which led to the attempt on Yuxiʼs life, but he had never colluded with the assassins to harm her.

Huo Changqing said, ”Come with me!” Keeping Han Jianye in prison was indeed unsafe. The reason for taking him out so quickly wasnʼt because Huo Changqing feared he would be assassinated but because he worried the spies might turn Han Jianye against them and make him do something to harm Han Shi. He greatly respected Han Shi—she was broad-minded, far-sighted, and wholeheartedly devoted to Yun Qing.

Han Jianye asked, ”Are you taking me to see Yuxi?”

But Huo Changqing ignored him and simply turned to leave. Han Jianye didnʼt dare ask any more questions and quickly followed.