The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0639 Terms (2)

Yuxiʼs first demand was for Huo Changqing to hand over control of the secret guards to her. Although there were only a few secret guards at present, they could gradually cultivate this kind of talent once they had the necessary funds. In the future, not only would she have a clear grasp of everything going on outside, but she would also have capable people she could rely on.

Huo Changqing grew wary and asked, ”What do you want the secret guards for?”

Yuxi gave the excuse she had prepared: ”If Zaozao inherits Yun Qingʼs mantle in the future, many will surely oppose it. If I control the secret guards, I can support her.” In truth, Yuxi wanted to control the secret guards for her own sake—only with power could she avoid being coerced again. Helping Zaozao was just a pretext, as she had no intention of letting her inherit Yun Qingʼs legacy. To inherit Yun Qingʼs mantle would mean Zaozao having to lead troops into battle in the future. How could she possibly let Zaozao walk such a dangerous path?

Huo Changqing asked, ”Are you telling the truth?”

Yuxi smiled sorrowfully as she asked, ”Uncle Huo, do you not trust me?” This time, Huo Changqing could exploit her lack of a son against her, but next time, he would undoubtedly use other tactics to further his own agenda. Therefore, she needed to amass enough power to protect herself.

After thinking it over, Huo Changqing said, ”Alright, I agree to this.”

Yuxiʼs second condition was that Yun Qing must not take a concubine before she turned thirty. ”If he wants to take a concubine before then, you must stop him.”

Huo Changqing found this condition interesting. ”Why until the age of thirty?” Wouldnʼt having him prevent Yun Qing from taking concubines for the rest of his life be even better?

Yuxi replied, ”If a man truly intends to take a concubine, no one can stop him. But it must not be before Iʼve given birth to a son.” She wasnʼt sure she would be able to have a son even after she had recovered, so she decided to give herself more time. If she failed to conceive by the time she turned thirty, she would accept her fate.

Huo Changqing felt that Yuxi was being forgetful and reminded her, ”Iʼve told you—if you donʼt have a son, Zaozao will inherit Yun Qingʼs mantle. Han Shi, Iʼm not joking.”

Yuxi smiled slightly and pointed out, ”No one can predict the future. What if Yun Qing takes a concubine, she bears him a son, and he and others support that son, so that even you canʼt stop it? How will I face that situation then?” The future was full of too many uncertainties.

At that moment, Huo Changqing realised that because of him, Han Shi had lost confidence in Yun Qing. More precisely, she no longer trusted him as she once did. To prevent things from deteriorating further, Huo Changqing nodded. ”All right, I can agree to that, too. Whatʼs the third condition?” His good intentions had made a mess of things. Sigh—he should have known that, given Han Shiʼs cleverness, she would overthink things.

Yuxiʼs third condition concerned Zaozao: ”In the future, when Zaozao trains in martial arts with you, she must spare a shichen a day for studying and reading, and she must sleep in the back courtyard at night...” Yuxi no longer expected Zaozao to be willing to learn skills such as playing the qin📹, qi📹, calligraphy or painting; she just hoped that Zaozao would read more and recognise more characters. As for etiquette and manners, those were essential—she absolutely didnʼt want Zaozao to become a rough and unrefined girl.

Huo Changqing nodded. ”That, I can agree to.”

Yuxi shook her head and continued, ”Iʼm not finished yet. If Zaozao grows up to be sensible and no longer wants to practise martial arts, you must not force her.”

Huo Changqing immediately refused, saying, ”Since sheʼs started learning, she must not stop. I wonʼt allow her to give up halfway through. Also, no matter how I teach her in the future, you must not interfere.”

Yuxi clenched her right hand tightly and said through gritted teeth, ”Fine. But Zaozao canʼt keep going to the front courtyard right now. Sheʼs still too young to be away from me. Children who are always crying and fussing wonʼt develop well.”

Huo Changqing gave a wry smile—Han Shiʼs cleverness was now being used against him. And it really didnʼt feel good!

After a round of discussion, Yuxi finally compromised: Zaozao would be allowed to stay in the front courtyard for half a day every other day. Once she turned three, she would be handed over to Huo Changqing for training.

When Xu Wu heard the news, he came over, but it wasnʼt appropriate for him to interrupt their conversation. After Yuxi left, he entered the room and asked, ”Yifu, what did Madam say to you?” Madam didnʼt look too pleased when she left, so he guessed it couldnʼt have been good news.

Huo Changqing explained the three conditions that Yuxi had raised: ”If Iʼd known it would turn out like this, I should have waited for Yun Qing to return before bringing it up.”

Xu Wu said, ”Yifu, except for the second one, which might put you in a tight spot, the other two are pretty easy.” The second condition wasnʼt difficult to fulfil. Still, it was somewhat embarrassing—even a biological father wouldnʼt readily interfere in his sonʼs bedroom affairs.

Huo Changqing said, ”If the secret guards are used well, itʼs like holding a bloodless killing blade in your hand.” He hadnʼt originally intended to hand the secret guards over to Yuxi. However, he knew clearly that if he disagreed, even if Yun Qing returned, he wouldnʼt be able to train Zaozao in martial arts.

Xu Wu was a bit puzzled and said, ”Yifu, didnʼt you also give the secret guards to Madam when you went to war two years ago? Madamʼs not a bloodthirsty person, so she wonʼt let the guards act recklessly. Besides, there arenʼt that many shadow guards — even if Madam wanted to act recklessly, she wouldnʼt be able to!” Even now, there were just over forty shadow guards in total. With such a small number of people, what could she possibly do?

Huo Changqing shook his head. He had to admit that Han Shi had managed her image well. ”Donʼt mention this to Yun Qing. Heʼs at war and canʼt afford distractions like this.”

Xu Wu wasnʼt stupid; he wouldnʼt dream of telling the General about this. ”Yifu, if you had let me bring it up, things wouldnʼt have gotten so tense with Madam.” The biggest issue this time lay with Yifu. Not only was his attitude too harsh, but he also approached the subject the wrong way — otherwise, Madam wouldnʼt have got so angry.

Huo Changqing also realised that he had acted too hastily this time. ”This wonʼt happen again.” From now on, he would just let Yun Qing handle things — he had no desire to go up against Han Shi again.

Half a shichen after lunch, Yuxi went to practise the Five Animal Frolics again. She practised intermittently for over an hour and ended up completely exhausted.

Mama Qu advised her, ”Madam, recovery takes time — if you push yourself like this, there will be aftereffects.” She was worried that if Yuxi continued like this, her health would deteriorate.

Yuxi slowly sat back down in her chair and said with a smile, ”Practising the Five Animal Frolics strengthens the body. How could it cause side effects? I havenʼt exercised for a long time, so my body needs time to adjust. After a few more days, once Iʼm used to it, it wonʼt hurt so much.” Seeing how worried Mama Qu looked, Yuxi reassured her, ”Donʼt worry. I know my limits—I wouldnʼt joke with my own life.”

Mama Qu could believe the Five Animal Frolics had no ill effects, but for Madam to faint while soaking in the medicinal bath? How could there be no side effects? ”Madam, those herbs are far too strong. You really shouldnʼt keep taking those baths.”

Yuxi smiled and replied, ”I wonʼt bathe every day—just once every five days. That medicinal bath is only especially painful the first time — it will get better afterwards.” The next few baths would still be somewhat unpleasant, but nothing like the first one.

Mama Qu tried to persuade Yuxi for a long time, but couldnʼt change her mind, so she eventually gave up. Madamʼs stubbornness was truly problematic.

Suddenly, Yuxi remembered something and said, ”Old Woman Yu hasnʼt been very attentive in taking care of Zaozao. Who in the outer courtyard do you think is both careful and trustworthy?”

After a momentʼs thought, Mama Qu replied, ”Zeng Shi in the outer courtyard is very meticulous. She even raised her daughter single-handedly, so she should have no problem looking after Zaozao.”

Yuxi asked, ”Where is her daughter now?”

Mama Qu replied with a smile, ”Her daughter is Jingbai, Zijinʼs nominal disciple. She went along with us to Scholar Tree Estate before. If Madam keeps her daughter close to Madamʼs side, later on, Zeng Shi surely wonʼt dare to be disloyal.”

Yuxi had a deep impression of Jingbai and said, ”Send someone to fetch her.” Zeng Shi also benefited from her daughter, which was how she got a job doing the laundry in the Yun household.

As soon as Zeng Shi entered, she knelt and paid her respects. ”Greetings, Madam.”

Zeng Shi was dressed in a refined cyan-blue uniform provided by the Yun household. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun and pinned with a silver hairpin shaped like a ruyi. Her hands were rough but clean.

Yuxi asked Zeng Shi many questions, and she was completely satisfied with her answers. She nodded. ”I want to entrust Zaozao to you. Can you handle the responsibility?” Back then, Yuxi had been too weak to manage things herself. Mama Lan had recommended Old Woman Yu, and Yuxi had a good impression of her, so she hired her. However, Old Woman Yu made many unexpected mistakes.

Zeng Shi was both surprised and delighted. Caring for the Young Miss was certainly easier than doing laundry in the outer courtyard. Nevertheless, Zeng Shi expressed some concern: ”Madam, although I did raise my daughter, I havenʼt taken care of a child in many years — there may be many things I havenʼt considered thoroughly.” The key issue was that her daughter was not like the Young Miss. She was afraid that her lack of knowledge about proper etiquette might cause her to make mistakes or, even worse, incur Yuxiʼs displeasure. This could result in her losing her current job in the outer courtyard. This would outweigh the benefits.

Upon hearing this, Yuxi was very pleased with Zeng Shi. ”You donʼt need to worry about that.” Yuxi personally cared for Zaozao now, and Zeng Shi would just assist her for the time being. By the time Yuxi became busy, Zeng Shi would have learned everything she needed to know.

Knowing there would be a transition period, Zeng Shi no longer declined. ”Madam, I will do my utmost to take good care of the Young Miss.”

Yuxi nodded. ”Come in to report for duty tomorrow morning.” She could manage on her own for half a day. This was mainly because Zaozao was easy to take care of; if it had been Liu-er, Yuxi wouldnʼt have been able to manage at all without help.

As for Old Woman Yu, Mama Qu had personally gone to speak to her.

Old Woman Yu didnʼt seem resentful — in fact, she was glad to return to her original duties in the front courtyard. Last time, when Zaozao had a fever that she failed to notice, she had already felt guilty. Thankfully, nothing happened. If something had happened, how could she have borne the responsibility?

The next morning, Yuxiʼs entire body was sore. She struggled to get up and dress herself. Seeing this scene, Gancao came over to help, but Yuxi pushed her away, saying, ”Iʼm not that weak yet.”

Her legs trembled as she walked, but the more pain she endured, the more determined she became to continue practising the Five Animal Frolics. Her body was so frail now—if she didnʼt keep exercising, even with medicine to nourish her, she would never return to how she was before.

Yuxi had only been practising the Five Animal Frolics for less than five minutes when she broke into a sweat. Clenching her teeth, she persevered for over fifteen minutes.

Seeing how hard Yuxi was working, Gancao felt a lingering fear in her heart. As she wiped the sweat from Yuxiʼs face, she suggested, ”Madam, letʼs lay down two layers of rugs in the room!” If Madam fell, she wouldnʼt get hurt with thick blankets on the ground.

Yuxi accepted the suggestion.