The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0612 Teacher And Student (1)

The melodious and graceful sound of the flute gradually rose, bringing an instant silence to the surroundings. Even the sparrows in the trees ceased their chirping.

As the fluteʼs melody faded, Teacher Song gently nodded and said, ”Yuchen, your flute playing is now no less skilled than your qin🔗 playing.” She sighed with emotion—truly, the colour blue was extracted from the indigo plant but was bluer than the plant it came from.

Yuchen handed the flute to the attendant beside her and sat back down in front of Teacher Song. ”Teacher, do you still remember that the instrument Yuxi chose to play back then was also a flute?”

Teacher Songʼs smile immediately faded. ”On such a beautiful day, why bring up such dispiriting matters?” With that, she poured a cup of tea for Yuchen and said, ”Try this—itʼs a new tea Iʼve prepared.” Nowadays, Teacher Song led a leisurely life, composing poetry, painting, playing the qin🔗, and making tea, a lifestyle that others couldnʼt help but envy.

Yuchen, not one to be easily ruffled, took the tea and sipped it before saying, ”Teacher, Yuxi suffered severe injuries in childbirth, and her fate is now unknown.”

At these words, Teacher Song realised that Yuchen had not just come for tea and idle conversation. ”What are you trying to say?” She asked, lifting her own cup to sip slowly.

Yuchen asked, ”On the fifth day after Yuxiʼs difficult childbirth, Yun Qing staged a rebellion. Teacher, do you think these two events are related?”

Teacher Song slowly put down her teacup and replied softly, ”With Fourth Missʼ nature, a rebellion was only a matter of time.”

Yuchen let out a long sigh. ”Teacher, would they have been driven to rebellion if the Emperor hadnʼt insisted on forcing Yuxi to her death?” Although she seemed to criticise the Emperor, her words were actually directed at Teacher Song. Had it not been for Teacher Songʼs reckless words to the Emperor, todayʼs disaster might never have happened.

Teacher Song looked at Yuchen and asked, ”Are you blaming me?”

Yuchen shook her head. ”No. I just donʼt understand why you said those words back then. Why did you push Yuxi towards death?” To this day, she still couldnʼt understand why Teacher Song had spoken as she did. She was not a cruel person; after all, even with a stray cat or dog, five years of companionship would foster affection.

Teacher Song fell silent momentarily before asking, ”Do you remember when your father sent New Year gifts from Hebei?” That incident was still vivid in her mind.

Yuchen nodded. ”I remember.”

Teacher Song continued, ”Your father sent you generous gifts, but all Yuxi received were cheap trinkets from roadside stalls. Anyone would have considered such favouritism unfair, yet Fourth Miss showed no reaction at all.” Some people feigned indifference, but Teacher Song knew that Han Yuxi genuinely did not care—not in the least.

Yuchen suddenly understood. ”Teacher, do you believe Yuxi was cold-hearted because of that?” She had wondered about it herself. Even she had felt that her fatherʼs favouritism was unfair at the time, yet Yuxi had seemed thoroughly unaffected.

Teacher Song did not answer Yuchenʼs question but continued, ”In the past, you would get up at maoshi to practise qin🔗 and calligraphy, then study until late at night before resting. You never really had to work that hard. The reason you became so diligent was entirely due to Fourth Missʼs influence.” She had never mentioned this before because she thought it was a good thing.

Yuchen nodded. She had always been hardworking, but she had never been as relentless as she became later on. It was all due to Yuxiʼs influence.

Teacher Song said calmly, ”You worked so hard because you couldnʼt accept being outshone by Yuxi. But have you ever thought about why Yuxi was so driven?”

That was something Yuchen had never considered.

Teacher Song did not explain but continued, ”If that were all, it wouldnʼt have mattered. But later, when I taught you both music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, and even how to brew tea and mix fragrances, she chose to concentrate only on chess and calligraphy. Yuchen, chess sharpens oneʼs ability to strategise, while calligraphy is an excellent way to express oneself. Have you ever thought about who guided her to make such choices?”

Seeing Yuchenʼs expression shift slightly, Teacher Song shook her head. ”No one advised her. At that time, there was no one around the Fourth Miss with such foresight—not even the Grand Lady of the Dukeʼs Household. Yuchen, these were choices she made on her own. And she was only five years old at the time.”

A five-year-old child who not only understood the art of selection but also had the willpower to carry it out—how could such a person not be frightening?

Yuchen couldnʼt help but recall what Heshou had once said: that Yuxi was like her, someone who had lived another lifetime. Could it be that Yuxi was truly the same as Heshou? Yuchenʼs face turned pale at the thought, and she murmured, ”No... Yuxi canʼt be a monster.”

Teacher Song shook her head. ”I never said Fourth Miss was a monster. But her thoughts run so deep that even I find them frightening. Thatʼs why I didnʼt invite her when I taught you history later, and I also reminded you not to mention it to her.”

Hearing this, Yuchen immediately asked, ”Teacher, do you truly not believe that Yuxi is some kind of evil spirit?” At that moment, she desperately needed someone to confirm her belief.

Teacher Song shook her head. ”Her thoughts are as deep as an evil spiritʼs.” What truly convinced her was that when Yuxi first started learning from her, she had performed poorly. No matter how hard she worked, she could barely keep up. If Yuxi were truly a supernatural being, like an evil spirit, then she was a very slow-witted one.

Yuchen let out a sigh of relief. She had nearly been scared to death just now. ”Teacher, Yuxi may have deep thoughts, but she has never done anything cruel or heartless. Besides, she has experienced nothing but misfortune all these years and has never known a day of peace.”

Back in the Dukeʼs household, Yuxi was constantly neglected by her father. After finally being adopted into the main branch and securing a good marriage, she almost lost her life. And after that, things only got worse. In Yuchenʼs heart, she pitied Yuxi.

Having taught Yuchen for so many years, Teacher Song naturally understood her temperament. She asked, ”Are you pitying Fourth Miss?”

When she saw Yuchen nod slowly, she expressed, ”As far as misfortune goes, Iʼve never seen anyone more unlucky than her. But thatʼs what worries me.”

Yuchen was puzzled. ”Teacher, what do you mean?” Yuxiʼs misfortune was her own—what was there to worry about?

Teacher Song explained, ”People who endure too much donʼt just become stronger; they can also become ruthless and, even worse, fearless.”

Hearing this, Yuchen finally understood. ”You mean Yuxi is fearless now?”

Teacher Song nodded. ”Exactly. Back when the Second Old Lord went to the Fourth Missʼ estate to take her away from the capital, she threatened to k*ll herself to force him to back down from implementing that idea.”

Yuchen shook her head. ”I didnʼt know about that.” She only knew that her father had gone to Yuxiʼs estate and that afterwards, their grandmother had arranged for Yuxi to be adopted into the main branch. She had never asked about what had happened at the estate, and since it wasnʼt a particularly honourable event—after all, a father almost driving his own daughter to death—no one had ever mentioned it to her.

Teacher Song continued, ”Fourth Miss knew very well that if the Second Old Lord sent her away, she wouldnʼt survive. Thatʼs why she risked everything to resist.” Seeing Yuchenʼs silence, she added, ”The Song family wants Yun Qing dead—that is no secret. Yun Qing is in extreme danger at all times and could die at any moment. As his wife, Yuxi faces the same threats. She is not someone who will sit and wait for death, and with her intelligence, she must have seen the situation clearly. If she wants to live peacefully, the only way is for Yun Qing to gain enough power—power so great that even the Song family cannot touch them. And the only way to do that is to rebel. That is why I said a long time ago that Yuxi would bring disaster to the Imperial Court.”

Yuchen was stunned. ”Are you saying that Yun Qingʼs rebellion was encouraged by Yuxi?” She had never thought her teacher would take her argument this far.

Teacher Song replied, ”Fourth Miss was definitely involved. If there hadnʼt been any preparations beforehand, Yun Qing couldnʼt have taken control of most of Gansu in just over ten days. I suspect he will soon have the entire Northwest under his control.”

Yuchen was shocked. ”How could this be? Yuxi has helped so many people and done so much good—how could she bear to start a war?” A war wouldnʼt just k*ll a few people—it would claim tens of thousands of lives.

Teacher Song shook his head. ”Fourth Miss helped those orphans not out of kindness but to win their loyalty and build her own reputation, which in turn bolstered Yun Qingʼs standing. Think about what people used to say about Yun Qing. And now, after everything Yuxi has done, hasnʼt his reputation changed?”

Yuchen thought for a long time before finally smiling bitterly. Given Yuxiʼs intelligence, there was no way she wouldnʼt have known about Yun Qingʼs rebellion. Her teacher was right—Yuxi must have played a role in it. ”I was too naive,” she murmured. She had genuinely believed that Yuxi had helped those children simply out of compassion.

Teacher Song said, ”You werenʼt naive—you simply thought too well of her.” No one close to Yuxi would ever think of her as kindhearted. If she were truly kind, she wouldnʼt have survived until now. But Yuchen had chosen to remember only Yuxiʼs good side, selectively forgetting the rest.

Yuchen lowered her gaze to the now-cold tea in her hands and asked, ”Teacher, do you think Yuxi faked her assassination and difficult childbirth?”

Teacher Song was taken aback for a moment but quickly shook her head. ”That should be real. No one would go so far as to fake a difficult labour.”

Yuchen sighed. ”Teacher, Yuxi isnʼt as ruthless as you think. Otherwise, the Dukeʼs Household would all be in prison by now.” The fact that they were safe couldnʼt be attributed to her elder brother alone—Yuxi must have played a role in protecting them.

Teacher Song agreed. ”Thatʼs exactly why she must be eliminated. She is highly intelligent, and Yun Qing is a formidable warrior. Together, they are terrifying. Without Yun Qing, Yuxi is nothing but a paper tiger. And without Yuxi, Yun Qing is just a brute. Since they couldnʼt k*ll Yun Qing, they set their sights on Yuxi.”

Yuchen fell silent.