The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0691 Arriving In Haocheng

The fifth month was the season when the scholar flowers were in full bloom. When one lifted the carriage curtain, one could see the slopes covered in endless white blossoms, swaying in the breeze and filling the air with their fragrance.

MomoQuan took a stack of scholar flower cakes📹 out of the food box, preparing to feed them to Zaozao.

Yuxi stopped her. ”Let her eat by herself!” The child was already two years old and could eat by herself. Though every time she finished, she was covered in crumbs from head to toe.

Smiling, Momo Quan handed Zaozao a piece of the scholar flower cake. ”You should have a few pieces as well!” Sometimes she felt that Yuxi tended to correct the crookedness so much that it exceeded the straightness that she became overly self-restrained. No matter how delicious something was, she would always eat just a tiny bit to taste it. But Zaozao was the exact opposite—she loved everything except vegetables, and wasnʼt afraid of eating until she was stuffed.

Yuxi placed a pale-blue cushion behind her back and leaned against the carriage wall. ”Weʼre still more than fifty li from Haocheng. Iʼll rest my eyes a bit.” It was already noon, and they wouldnʼt reach Haocheng until after dark. By the time they had settled in, she would probably only get to sleep around midnight.

Zaozao finished a piece of cake, then reached out to Momo Quan. ”Very good. Want more.” Mama Baiʼs pastries were truly getting over time.

But Momo Quan had already put the cakes away. With Zaozaoʼs tiny stomach, one piece was more than enough. ”Thereʼs no more—theyʼve all gone.”

Although Zaozao was still young, she was not easily fooled. She pointed at the food box beside them. ”Want more. Tasty.” Being allowed only a little of the good stuff each time filled her with resentment.

Momo Quan wasnʼt the type to spoil children, so ultimately, Zaozao didnʼt get her wish.

As the sun gradually set, Yuxi became increasingly worried. ”An adult can skip a meal and bear it, but a child really shouldnʼt go hungry.”

Xu Wu looked relaxed. ”Thereʼs a small teahouse a few li ahead. Daniu has already gone ahead and asked them to prepare dinner. Once we reach that place, we can eat.”

Hearing that there was a teahouse on the route, Yuxi was very pleased. ”It seems this area has recovered quite well.” If the area hadnʼt recovered, it would have been impossible for a teahouse to be operating out in the middle of their journey.

Xu Wu looked up—the sky was already growing dark. The General was the kind of person who lost track of time when he was busy, and judging by Madamʼs manner, she was no different.

Momo Quan shook her head without speaking. She had long known that Yuxi couldnʼt sit still. Since that was the case, it was better to let her be. Besides, Yuxi had a good sense of propriety and was open to advice, so Momo Quan wasnʼt too worried.

As dusk deepened, the guards around the carriage all lit torches to illuminate the road. Yuxi was holding Liuʼer when she heard Xu Wu call out, ”General!”

Yuxi lifted the carriage curtain with one hand and saw Yun Qing outside, mounted on a tall horse. She kissed Liuʼer and smiled. ”Your Dad has come to pick us up.”

Yun Qing didnʼt enter the carriage; he simply guided his horse to walk alongside it. ”Something held me up, or I would have arrived much earlier.” With all the military affairs and administrative matters he had to deal with, he didnʼt even have time to catch his breath.

Yuxi didnʼt mind at all and said with a smile, ”Itʼs fine as long as youʼre here.” In fact, even if Yun Qing hadnʼt come, she wouldnʼt have minded. With everything in ruins and in need of rebuilding, there were too many things to do.

When Zaozao heard Yun Qingʼs voice, she cried out for her father. As it was nighttime, Yuxi didnʼt want to let Zaozao go outside in case she would be frightened by the pitch-dark surroundings.

Momo Quan said with a smile, ”Let me and the others move aside!” clearing the space for the family of four.

As soon as Yun Qing got into the carriage, Zaozao threw herself at him. However, she lost her footing and fell. Just as her head was about to hit the carriage wall, a pair of strong arms caught her in time.

Clinging to Yun Qingʼs neck, Zaozao happily called out, ”Dad, Dad…” several times in a row, showing how much she had missed him.

Yuxi felt Zaozao was quite a little human spirit. Yun Qing kissed Zaozao on the cheek—he had purposely shaved beforehand, so she didnʼt push him away in disgust this time.

Holding Zaozao with one arm and wrapping the other around Yuxi, he expressed, ”Youʼve worked hard.” Travelling thousands of li with two children was no easy task.

Leaning into Yun Qingʼs embrace, Yuxi responded softly, ”The trip was far too peaceful—more than I expected.” She had thought they would encounter assassination attempts, poisonings, or something of the sort, but nothing happened at all.

Yun Qing had no idea what Yuxi was thinking. He said, ”The back courtyard of the Governor-Generalʼs Residence has been completely tidied up. You can move in right away.” He himself was now living at the Governor-Generalʼs Residence, though previously only in the front courtyard. The back courtyard had only recently been refurbished.

Yuxi smiled and nodded. ”I heard the Governor-Generalʼs Residence is very large?”

The smile faded from Yun Qingʼs face as he replied, ”The Governorʼs Residence covers more than forty mu, with sixteen courtyards front and back. It has carved beams, painted rafters, artificial hills, and water features. Renovating the whole place will cost no less than over a million taels of silver.” Back then, even their military pay was often in arrears, yet Ji Xuan lived in such extravagance. How could Yun Qing not feel angry?

Yuxi laughed and asked, ”So that means there must be plenty of flowers and plants in the gardens?” In Yu City, the weather had been too poor, and the residence had been too small to grow anything well.

Yun Qing answered regretfully, ”There were indeed many flowers and plants, but the gardens have all been dug up and turned over—more than half of them died.” The gold and silver found in the Governor-Generalʼs Residence didnʼt match the records. With Yun Qingʼs approval, Guan Taizheng had the entire estate dug up to a depth of three feet. Even so, they found nothing.

Recalling what had happened in Linzhou, Yuxi asked with a smile, ”Has the well water in the Governor-Generalʼs Residence been checked?” That amount of money must have been hidden in a very secret place.

Yun Qing nodded honestly. ”Itʼs already been checked, but nothing has turned up yet. Oh, right, about the message you sent earlier regarding the gold mine in Yongzhou, Iʼve sent people to investigate, but thereʼs still no news.” If they could find both the money that Ji Xuan had hidden and the gold mine, he wouldnʼt need to worry about funding for at least ten years.

Yuxi said, ”Donʼt get your hopes up. Ji Xuan isnʼt a fool—he must have hidden such a huge sum extremely well. If weʼre lucky, weʼll find it. If not, never mind.” It was precisely because Yuxi had this mindset that she wasnʼt anxious about it.

Yun Qing made a sound of acknowledgement, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Seeing his reaction, Yuxi said distressedly, ”Close your eyes and rest for a bit.” Having said this, she placed Zaozao next to Liu-er so that the two sisters could play together.

Yun Qing replied, ”Iʼm fine.” Since returning to Haocheng at the beginning of the month, he had been so busy every day that he had only slept for a little over two shichen — and even so, there were still many things he hadnʼt managed to take care of.

Yuxi urged softly, ”Donʼt pretend to be strong. Lean against me and sleep for a while!” Yun Qing knew nothing about administrative affairs, and, unlike her, had no foundation to build on—he was literally learning from scratch. Exhaustion was inevitable; that kind of strain would make anyone want to scream.

Unable to resist Yuxiʼs insistence, Yun Qing lay down and leaned against the pillow, ready to nap. Seeing this, Zaozao crawled onto him and said, ”Dad, I want to sleep-sleep too.”

Yun Qing didnʼt put her down either. Smiling, he said, ”All right, sleep with Dad.”

But Yuxi disagreed. ”If she sleeps now, she wonʼt be able to sleep tonight.” If Zaozao didnʼt sleep at night, she would make a fuss again. After travelling for more than two months, Yuxi wanted a good nightʼs sleep.

Relying on Yun Qing to back her up, Zaozao ignored Yuxi. Naturally, Yun Qing sided with his daughter. ”Itʼs fine. If she canʼt sleep, she canʼt sleep. Itʼs not like thereʼs no one to watch her.”

Zaozao had already napped at noon, so there was no way she could fall asleep now. She just lay on top of Yun Qing and played around! But despite her non-stop crawling all over him, Yun Qing was too exhausted to wake up.

The carriage drove straight into the Governor-Generalʼs Residence. It was only once they reached the second courtyard that Xu Wu announced, ”Madam, weʼve arrived. You may get off now.”

Yuxi nudged Yun Qing, but when he didnʼt react, she muttered to herself, ”So tired… he must have gone quite some time without proper rest again.” He relied too much on his youth that he didnʼt take his health seriously.

In the end, it was Zaozao who woke Yun Qing.

Yun Qing sat up and said with a smile, ”How did I end up sleeping for more than a shichen just like that!” It felt as if he had barely lain down.

Yuxi replied disapprovingly, ”How many days have you gone without proper sleep? You really donʼt cherish your health. While youʼre young, itʼs fine, but once you grow older, all the illnesses will come looking for you. By then, itʼll be too late to regret it.” She was busy, too, but she always made sure to get enough sleep.

Yun Qing smiled, carried Zaozao out of the carriage, and said, ”I was afraid you wouldnʼt like the room they arranged for you, so I didnʼt let them touch anything.”

As Yuxi walked inside and looked around, she saw that the bed, the tables, the chairs, and the Treasure Cabinet were all made entirely of red sandalwood, each piece intricately carved with exquisite patterns. One glance made it clear that they had been crafted by a master.

Following Yuxiʼs gaze towards the slightly old furniture, Yun Qing said, ”In a while, Iʼll have people make a completely new set for you.”

Yuxi shook her head. ”These pieces are perfectly fine. Thereʼs no need to waste money on making new ones. I was just thinking of the furniture my mother prepared for me—itʼs still stored in the warehouse even now!” Most of that furniture was made of huanghuali wood. Unfortunately, she had never gotten to use it.

Yun Qing gently patted Yuxi, comforting her. ”Iʼve spoken with Dage and asked him to bring Mother-in-law and the others to the northwest when thereʼs a chance.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gao Song announced from outside, ”General, a message has arrived from the capital.” Gao Song had no idea what the letter contained.

When he heard the news that Huangzhou had fallen, Yun Qingʼs expression darkened. ”Huangzhou has fallen—what can possibly stop Yan Wushuangʼs advance now? In three months, he will be able to march his troops all the way to the capital.”

Yuxi shook her head. ”If Yan Wushuang is colluding with people in the Imperial Court, he might not even need three months. But perhaps itʼs for the best—at least the hundreds of thousands of wronged souls who died unjustly in Tong City will finally get some sort of closure.” However, given what the Emperor and the Song family had done, their deaths would be far from enough to atone for their crimes.

Yun Qingʼs voice was low and serious as he spoke, ”If the capital is breached and the Emperor is killed, the entire nation will surely be torn to pieces.”

Yuxi looked worried after hearing his words. ”Once the capital is breached, it will certainly fall into utter chaos. Iʼm afraid Mom and Dasao might meet with misfortune.” If a household full of elderly people, women and children encountered looters taking advantage of the turmoil, disaster would be inevitable.

Yun Qing comforted her by saying, ”I think Dage must have made preparations long ago.” Those words comforted Yuxi. Once the city was breached and chaos broke out in the capital, not to mention that the Dukeʼs household currently had no adult male member, even if it did have one, they might still not be able to escape this disaster.

Yuxi nodded. ”I hope Dage has arranged things properly so that he can bring Mom and Dasao to the northwest when the time comes.”Once they arrived in the Northwest, with her there, the Han familyʼs safety would be guaranteed. Furthermore, with Dageʼs help, it would be as if she had gained an extra arm.

P.S. (Author June): (⊙﹏⊙)b My moral integrity has already been completely thrown away.