The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0637 Compromise

Seeing the change in Yuxiʼs expression, Xu Wu thought there was hope. ”Yifu is getting old and shouldnʼt overexert himself. He only had this idea because he truly cherishes Zaozao.” Training a disciple required a great deal of effort and dedication.

Back at Scholar Tree Estate, Huo Changqing was only responsible for providing guidance, while Guo Xun handled the actual training. Now, Guo Xun manages all matters at the estate. Having received Huo Changqingʼs true teachings, Guo Xun was fully capable of taking on the task.

Yuxi didnʼt give an immediate answer, saying, ”Let me think it over.” Neither she nor Huo Changqing was wrong in this matter; they simply had different perspectives. Although Yuxi had suffered greatly and had grown solely through her own efforts, she didnʼt want her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Furthermore, as Yuxi had received a traditional education, she hoped that Zaozao and Liuer would grow up to become refined young ladies from prestigious families and marry well.

Xu Wu hadnʼt expected Yuxi to agree right away—he was already satisfied with the current response. ”Madam, Yifu truly has Zaozaoʼs best interest at heart. Please donʼt hold it against him if he was out of line.” Xu Wu didnʼt want to see Huo Changqing and Yuxi at odds, as they were both indispensable to the Yun household. If their hearts were no longer aligned, the Yun household would suffer.

Yuxi admitted calmly, ”Iʼm also at fault here.” Huo Changqing didnʼt handle this well, but her own issues were no better. Recently, under the influence of Chen Shi and Tu Shi, she had become overly suspicious. Otherwise, she wouldnʼt have fallen out with Huo Changqing this time.

Hearing this, Xu Wu felt completely relieved.

That night, Yuxi tossed and turned in bed. Hearing a noise in the side room, she got up and walked over. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Shiliu preparing to feed Liu-er. Yuxi offered, ”Let me do it.”

Without hesitating, Shiliu handed Yuxi the small bowl of milk. Madam already knew how to feed the baby, so no further explanation was necessary.

Even after feeding the baby, Yuxi still couldnʼt sleep. Stroking Liu-erʼs little face, she whispered, ”Liu-er, you must get better. You must grow up safe and sound.”

Mama Lan lowered her voice and urged, ”Madam, itʼs getting late. You should get some rest.” Given Yuxiʼs current state of health, she really couldnʼt afford to overexert herself — one careless moment and she could fall ill.

Back in her room, Yuxi carried Zaozao onto the bed and stroked her head. Her eyes were full of inner struggle. Logically, it would be best for Zaozao to train with Huo Changqing, but emotionally, Yuxi couldnʼt bear to see her suffer.

After a long struggle, she finally drifted off in a daze. When she opened her eyes, it was almost noon. Yuxi smiled bitterly—her body was really failing her. In the past, she would never have slept for so long, no matter what.

Instead of having separate meals, she had a late brunch.

Mama Qu walked in and reported to Yuxi, ”Madam, General Fu is here. He says he wants to see you.” She didnʼt look pleased as she spoke.

Yuxi smiled slightly and said, ”Then please ask General Fu to wait a moment.” She just hoped Fu Tianlei wasnʼt here to ask Mama Lan to look after his son again. Otherwise, she wouldnʼt show him any courtesy at all.

Fu Tianlei had come to apologise. He had only found out at noon that Chen Shi was once again targeting Mama Lan. During the difficult labour, it was understandable — after all, life was at stake — but how could she bring it up again now?

Yuxi walked in and gave Fu Tianlei a respectful salute. ”General Fu, may I ask what brings you here?”

Yuxi wore a blue dress, draped with a white feathered cloak lined with white fox fur. Her hair was coiled into a simple bun, adorned with a red-gold filigree phoenix hairpin inlaid with enamel and beads. Despite her pale complexion, she remained dignified and composed.

Fu Tianlei glanced at Yuxi, then quickly looked away as he said, ”Dimei, I came to apologise. I truly didnʼt know Chen Shi had such intentions.”

Yuxi paused in silence, then said, ”General Fu, as fellow mothers, I understand your wifeʼs intentions. But Liu-erʼs condition is already poor—she cannot manage without Mama Lan.” She gave a bitter smile, then added, ”I wonʼt hide it from you—when Mama Lan went to help your wife deliver the baby, I took care of Liu-er myself for two days. After what happened last time, I canʼt trust anyone else with her. But now, my health is far worse than before, and after just two days, I fell ill.” The fact that Fu Tianlei came in person to apologise at least showed that he still had a clear head.

Fu Tianlei looked a bit ashamed. ”I didnʼt mean for you to suffer because of this.” Yuxiʼs use of the term ʼyour wifeʼ instead of ʼsaoziʼ clearly showed how distant and strained their relationship was.

Yuxi smiled and shook her head. ”General Fu, itʼs not that I wonʼt let Mama Lan go, but Liu-er truly canʼt manage without her. She was born prematurely and is too frail—if her carer makes even one mistake, she could fall ill…” She dared not say anything too ominous.

At this point, Yuxiʼs tears started to fall. She took out a handkerchief, wiped her tears away, and looked up sheepishly. ”Forgive me. I was thinking about all the suffering Liu-er has endured lately. It breaks my heart.” She would be overwhelmed with sorrow whenever she saw how frail Liu-er was.

Not knowing how to comfort her, Fu Tianlei said, ”Yun Qing has already taken Maicheng. Once he captures Haocheng, we wonʼt have to fear ambushes or betrayals anymore.” But in truth, once Yun Qing took Haocheng, there would only be more assassinations and poisonings.

Yuxi nodded. ”Yun Qing has been at war constantly lately. Iʼve been terrified and unable to sleep, just hoping this war will end soon.”

Fu Tianlei said, ”At this pace, we should be able to take Shaanxi before the third lunar month.” With over a month to go, that should be enough time to capture the entire province.

After exchanging a few more words, Fu Tianlei prepared to leave.

Yuxi gathered her thoughts, then asked, ”General Fu, I heard from Mama Lan that your wifeʼs body has been completely drained, and she may only have a few years left. Is that true?” Though the question was abrupt, Yuxi had her reasons.

Fu Tianlei gave a quiet acknowledgement. ”Yes. The physician said that even with careful care, sheʼll live for at most five more years.” They had been married for nearly a decade, and this news weighed heavily on his heart.

Yuxi smiled bitterly—compared to Chen Shi, she was still the lucky one. After all, she had only been forbidden to have children for five years, not have her life cut short by the same timespan. Yuxi suggested, ”That Imperial Physician Hong, who came with the Imperial Envoy last time, is highly skilled. If you could get him to treat your wife, her condition might improve.”

Fu Tianlei gave a bitter smile. ”Letʼs not mention that Imperial Physician Hong is far away at the Imperial Medical Academy in the capital and canʼt be summoned. With all the chaos of war right now, how would we even go about inviting him?”

Yuxiʼs heart clenched, but her expression remained impassive. She said, ”We donʼt need to invite him now. Once the situation in the Northwest has settled down, then we can try. Matters depend on human effort—maybe then we really can bring him here.”

Fu Tianlei felt this was somewhat unrealistic. After all, Imperial Physician Hong was an Imperial Court physician—he couldnʼt leave the capital without an official decree. Besides, they were now considered rebels and traitors by the Imperial Court. Imperial Physician Hong wasnʼt foolish—why would he associate with them? Fu Tianlei said, ”Iʼve already written to Yuan Ying, asking him to bring the best physician in Lanzhou to treat Chen Shi.”

Yuxi nodded. ”The best physician in the northwest is in Haocheng. You should write to Yun Qing about this—he might be able to find a good physician and send him over.”

Looking at Yuxiʼs deeply concerned expression, Fu Tianlei was moved. He had thought that bothering Han Shi so often would have annoyed her. ”Thank you for your concern, Dimei.” If his own wife had even half of Han Shiʼs virtues, their life together wouldnʼt have been so complicated over the years.

Upon returning to the inner courtyard, Yuxi didnʼt go straight to her bedroom but entered the study instead. Mama Qu was slightly surprised—clearly, Madam had encountered something significant.

Yuxi picked up the wolf-hair brush but couldnʼt calm her mind, and her writing turned out poorly. After writing a dozen characters, she simply placed the brush back on its stand and walked to the window. Looking at the budding willow tree outside, Yuxi was reminded of something Tu Shi had once told her. Tu Shi said that Fu Tianlei had once promised Chen Shi a lifetime as one loving pair, yet now, even knowing that she only had a few years left, he wouldnʼt make an effort to find a skilled physician for her. Yuxi knew that inviting Imperial Physician Hong to the northwest would be difficult, but the fact that Fu Tianlei had given up without even trying made her feel truly disheartened. Yun Qing was sincere and genuine towards her now, but what about the future?

The fact that she had been unable to conceive for five years already made Yuxi uneasy, and on top of that, Huo Changqingʼs words—”because you have no heir”—felt like a sharp blade piercing her heart. This plunged her into an unprecedented state of anxiety, causing her mind to run wild with thoughts. Yuxi thought that once Yun Qing took the northwest, he would essentially become a local overlord of the region. At that time, faced with all kinds of beautiful women and with Huo Changqing pressuring him to continue the Yun family line, not to mention the constant persuasion of sworn brothers like Feng Dajun, with whom he had fought through life and death — it would be hard to guarantee that Yun Qing wouldnʼt waver.

Yuxi couldnʼt help but think of her Dasao, Ye Shi. Fortunately, her Dage had always remained clear-headed, knowing that treating concubines equally with the wife would cause chaos in the household. Therefore, although Concubine Jia had borne him two sons, he had always kept his distance from her. Otherwise, how could Dasaoʼs days at the Dukeʼs household have been so easy?

Mama Baiʼs voice interrupted Yuxiʼs thoughts: ”Madam, the medicinal meal is ready. Itʼs time to eat.” The medicinal food Yuxi had prepared was quite effective — it was just that it tasted awful.

Yuxi walked out, ate the medicinal meal, and didnʼt return to the study. She picked up Zaozao, went into the bedroom, and told Old Woman Yu, ”You can withdraw now—I can manage her alone.”

Zaozao tilted her little head and smiled sweetly, ”Mom, Meimei.” It was clear that she wanted to see her younger sister, Liu-er.

Resting her cheek against Zaozaoʼs, Yuxi said softly, ”Zaozao, Mom has no choice but to let you endure some hardship.” Huo Changqing was right about one thing: if you lack the means to defend yourself and spend your life relying on others for protection, you just place yourself in a vulnerable position. The same principle applied here: Yun Qing was kind to her at the moment, and she believed that what he had said to her before was sincere. But what if he were to change his mind and abandon her in the future? Wouldnʼt she end up in the same situation as Chen Shi? Even if Yun Qing treated her with as much respect as her Dage did out of consideration for their shared hardships as husband and wife, she still wouldnʼt be willing to make wedding clothes for someone else.

Zaozao stroked Yuxiʼs face and softly called out, ”Mom…”

Yuxi kissed Zaozao and said with a smile, ”All right, letʼs go see your Meimei.” She had overthought things—with Zaozaoʼs personality, the things she worried about probably wouldnʼt happen.