The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Ever since Yuxi learned that the northern barbarians had assembled an army of two hundred thousand to attack Yu City, she had also become busy. Although not responsible for military affairs, she could organise the cityʼs civilians. This meant that, when battle broke out, they could be a great help too. She had done this before, albeit not personally, and had gained some experience. She and Mama Qu knew what resources were available and what needed improvement.

Gancao came over and informed Yuxi, ”Madam, Madam Feng has arrived.”

Yuxi was a little surprised and smiled. ”Please invite Madam Feng in.” Not only Madam Feng, née Chang, but also the wives of several of Yun Qingʼs subordinates rarely came to the Yun residence. Even when invitations were sent, they might not show up. Take Lin Shi, the wife of Yu Cong, for example — she hadnʼt attended a single one of Yuxiʼs banquets. This wasnʼt because of anything Yuxi did, but because they were too timid to come.

Today, Chang Shi wore a peach-pink, floral-patterned jacket with a pleated black cotton skirt. Her hair was styled in a round bun and held in place with a single gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones. She didnʼt wear any other accessories.

Before Yuxi could speak, Chang Shi laughed and said, ”Wearing clothes like this still feels a bit uncomfortable. But this was the childʼs fatherʼs kind intention — I couldnʼt bear to let it go to waste.”

Chang Shi wasnʼt foolish. She knew that, since her husband had started following Yun Qing, their lives were bound to improve. If she kept wearing the same old, coarse clothes as before, she was afraid she might embarrass her husband. Like last time, when she was so poorly dressed that people might have thought her husband was mistreating her! So, even though she felt awkward wearing this outfit, she gritted her teeth and came anyway. She knew that Yuxi was kind and wouldnʼt laugh at her, even if her clothes were inappropriate.

Yuxi smiled. ”I really envy you, Saozi. Even while heʼs out fighting battles, he still thinks of you.” The clothes were only seventy to eighty per cent new, so they were probably looted. However, even if they were taken by force, it was unusual for General Feng to think of his wife and children, let alone send jewellery back.

Chang Shi was a very simple and honest person. She smiled and responded, ”I think the General surely keeps the good jewellery and materials reserved for you!” Though the clothes were second-hand, she didnʼt mind. Back when she was still living with her parents, she could never have imagined wearing such fine garments.

Mama Qu came in from outside and whispered to Yuxi, ”Madam, Steward Han Dong has arrived.” Yuxi was in need of people right now, so she had recalled Han Dong and a few others. As for the farm estate, it was now managed by the people they had personally trained.

Seeing that Yuxi was about to get busy, Chang Shi stood up and said, ”Madam, I came this time to see if I can help with anything. I also want to do my part, however small, for the soldiers and people of Yu City.” She wasnʼt usually one for socialising, but General Feng had urged her in a letter to interact more with Yuxi, saying that if she could help, she should lend a hand.

Yuxi was shorthanded at the moment, so how could she possibly refuse? Even though Chang Shi was illiterate, she could still help out: ”No need to call me Madam — just use my name.”

Chang Shi had once thought Yuxi to be aloof and unapproachable, but she was surprised to find that this was not the case. When she heard that Yuxi wanted her to gather some older women to teach them how to care for the sick, she immediately agreed. ”Dimei, Iʼll definitely handle it properly.” She felt that she was capable of doing this task.

Yuxi smiled and said, ”Iʼll have Mama Yu explain the details later.” Mama Yu was experienced and an expert in this area.

Just as Yuxi reached the second courtyard, Xu Wu hurried over and reported, ”Madam, three people have arrived outside asking to see you. Leading them is an older woman who looks under forty and claims to be your former momo.”

Yuxiʼs face lit up with surprise. ”Where is she?” Upon hearing that the woman was in the main hall, Yuxi did not go there immediately. Instead, she told Xu Wu, ”Invite her to the back courtyard.” Having travelled thousands of li from the capital to Yu City, Momoʼs sudden appearance was indeed suspicious. Yuxi worried that her momo might have been forced to come. After the incident with Han Jianye, she had become very alert to such things. If those two women turned out to be assassins and managed to get close to her, she couldnʼt afford to get injured again — her life might truly come to an end.

Yuxi didnʼt return to the small sitting room, but waited in the yard instead. Soon, Xu Wu brought someone in.

Seeing the person standing before her, Yuxi began to cry before she could say a word. She was surprised at herself for crying, but she couldnʼt stop the tears — they flowed down her face uncontrollably.

Momo Quan questioned sternly, ”Where have all the manners and etiquette I taught you gone? What kind of behaviour is this?” Crying in front of the entire courtyard of maids and old women servants was utterly undignified.

When Mama Qu saw Momo Quan, she was both surprised and excited. With reddened eyes, she said, ”Momo, Madam is crying out of overwhelming joy.”

Hearing this, Momo Quan sighed helplessly. As a mother of two, Yuxi should have been more composed; why had she become more childish with age? Momo Quan really couldnʼt approve of Yuxiʼs behaviour at that moment. ”Letʼs talk inside.” Truthfully, she didnʼt want Yuxi to embarrass herself any further out here.

Xu Wu, perceptive as always, quietly left. Though he hadnʼt verified Momo Quanʼs identity, just hearing those scolding yet affectionate words made it clear that there was no problem.

Once inside, Momo Quan didnʼt sit down. ”Iʼm covered in dust — I need to wash up first.”

Yuxi, of course, had no objection. She immediately asked someone to heat water and sent Mama Qu to the clothing shop to buy a few outfits for Momo Quan.

Momo Quan said, ”If you go to the shop now, they wonʼt get back in time.” She intended to wear Mama Quʼs clothes for the time being. Mama Qu was a little shorter than her, but that would have to do for now.

Mama Qu had no issue with that. ”As long as you donʼt mind, Momo.” As it happened, she had a dark purple outfit she hadnʼt worn yet.

When Momo Quan stood up and saw the tear stains at the corners of Yuxiʼs eyes, she said disapprovingly, ”Go wash up, quickly.” All those years of etiquette lessons had been for nothing.

Yuxi quickly wiped her tears away and called for Gancao to fetch some water.

In the washroom, as she watched Mama Qu bring in the clothes, Momo Quan asked, ”Tell me whatʼs been going on with the girl lately.” Even in just those few minutes, she could sense that something was off with Yuxi. Not to mention, she was now the mother of two. Even back when she was at the Dukeʼs residence, Yuxi had always been calm and collected. For her to cry uncontrollably in the yard like that was extremely unusual.

Mama Qu had always held Momo Quan in deep respect. After a momentʼs thought, she began recounting the story, starting from when Han Jianye brought the female assassin. She didnʼt go into detail, just mentioning the important points. After finishing, Mama Qu added, ”She was fine during her confinement period, but since it ended, sheʼs constantly furrowing her brows, weighed down by worries.” Something was off with Yuxiʼs mood, but Mama Qu couldnʼt figure it out either.

Momo Quan paused in thought and asked, ”Do you know the reason?” Yuxi could hide things well — even at five years old, she had a belly full of secrets. There was no way that just a few incidents would shake her to the point that her spirit seemed unstable.

Mama Qu hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Momo Quan everything: ”Madam was injured during a difficult childbirth. The physician said it would take at least five years for her body to fully recover. Madam has only given birth to the eldest and second daughters, and I think sheʼs worried about not having a male heir.”

Momo Quan shook her head. She didnʼt believe it was that simple. But she wasnʼt in a rush — now that she was there, she would eventually discover the problem.

At that moment, Xu Wu was interrogating the two people who had come with Momo Quan. One was a man and the other a woman. The man appeared to be in his thirties — the prime of life. The woman also looked around thirty. Although she looked weary, she was still quite attractive.

Xu Wu first questioned the burly man. ”What is your relationship with Momo Quan?”

The man looked confused when he first heard the name ʼMomo Quanʼ, but then he seemed to understand. ”Oh, you mean Auntie Yao? My brothers and I ran into her and her companions on the road. When we found out they were also heading to Yu City, we gave them a ride.” Then he quickly added, ”My surname is Jun — Jun Yuanzhi. Iʼm from Maicheng, and Iʼve come to join the Northwest Army.” This Jun Yuanzhi was actually Jun Yuanbo. He was lucky to be alive. After the fall of Nancheng, his subordinates had hidden him in a cellar in a civilian house after he was wounded. He had narrowly escaped death and only recovered after more than a month of healing.

Xu Wu asked suspiciously, ”Joining the Northwest Army? Why not enlist locally?”

Jun Yuanzhi smiled bitterly. ”My brothers and I donʼt have household registrations. The local authorities wouldnʼt accept us for enlistment, so we decided to try our luck in the northwest.” They were lucky — they hadnʼt expected the old woman they had picked up along the way to be related to Madam Yun.

Xu Wu was no fool. How could he not tell that the man wasnʼt being entirely truthful? Most likely, they had committed crimes and been rejected by the authorities. However, manpower was needed at that time, and they had helped Momo Quan, so he asked, ”The northern barbarians are about to attack the city — arenʼt you afraid of dying?”

Jun Yuanzhiʼs eyes gleamed with murderous intent. ”Whatʼs there to fear in death? In twenty years, Iʼll be back as a brave man anyway.” When Xu Wu asked about the others, Jun added, ”Iʼve got over twenty brothers waiting outside the Yun residence.” They were all survivors like him and in good physical condition.

Xu Wu nodded, then called in Xu Daniu. With Xu Daniu around, issues such as missing household registration wouldnʼt be a problem.

After dealing with Jun Yuanzhi, Xu Wu turned to the other woman and asked, ”And what about you? What is your background?” Following the events involving Han Jianye, it was necessary to conduct thorough checks on everyone.

The woman curtsied and gave a brief explanation of her background. Her surname was Zhang, and her given name was Liniang. After being divorced by her husband and rejected by her natal family, she had nowhere to go and attempted suicide by jumping into a river. However, she survived after being rescued by Momo Quan, who introduced herself as Madam Yao at the time.

Undeterred by Zhang Liniangʼs tragic story, Xu Wu questioned her even more carefully. Following their loss last time, another mistake would cost him his life. He only stopped questioning her when a maid informed him that Yuxi had summoned Liniang.

Not long after, Xu Daniu returned. ”Boss, Old Gu asked me who these people were. He said they donʼt look like ordinary folks.”

Xu Wu had also noticed that Jun Yuanzhi didnʼt seem like an ordinary man. ”Itʼs fine. Theyʼve come sincerely to enlist — their past identities donʼt matter.” Since the leader didnʼt carry heavy murderous energy, he was unlikely to be a violent criminal or bandit.

Seeing this, Xu Daniu said nothing more.

きつねʼs Musing

Momo Quan is here! Momo Quan is here!