The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Yuxi personally escorted Chen Shi into the prepared courtyard. Having learned that Fu Tianlei had arrived with a large group, Yuxi had prepared this particular courtyard, which had nine rooms.

As Fu Tianlei entered, he saw several clusters of banana plants growing by the windows. The banana plants were lush and green at this time of year. Their leaves were spread open like gauze fans, emerald green like silk, casting a cool shade below.

The rooms had also been arranged with refined simplicity. Pale green bed curtains and silvery-red window gauze made the cluster of green banana plants outside appear even more graceful and slender. All the furniture in the rooms was made of huanghuali wood. They had been left behind by the previous occupants of the Governor-Generalʼs Residence. In fact, apart from prying up the floors and digging numerous holes while searching for gold, silver and other treasures, Yun Qingʼs army had not damaged any of the large items, such as the furniture.

A maid supported Chen Shi as she entered the inner room, and Yuxi followed them inside.

Outside, Fu Tianlei told Yun Qing, ”You and Dimei have gone to a great deal of trouble.” He preferred simple, imposing arrangements rather than this kind of delicate elegance. However, they were only going to be staying there for a few days, so there was nothing worth finding fault with.

Yun Qing smiled. ”Why be so polite between brothers like us? By the way, didnʼt you say in your last letter that Saozi had almost recovered? Looking at her today, she still seems to be in very poor health.” She wasnʼt merely seeming unwell; she truly was in very poor health.

Fu Tianlei replied helplessly, ”She had originally recovered by more than half, but when she found out that I was going to Haocheng, she threw a tantrum and insisted on coming with me. After travelling for more than a month, her health has deteriorated again.” It was precisely because Chen Shi had accompanied him to Haocheng that they had been delayed for so long. Otherwise, he would have arrived in Haocheng much earlier.

Yun Qing did not comment on the matter. ”Physician He is the best physician in Haocheng. He should be able to cure Saozi.” When she herself did not take her health seriously, it was only natural that others would care even less.

Thinking about it, Yun Qing found the situation puzzling. Chen Shi had certainly had a few shortcomings when she married Fu Tianlei, but overall, she was a perfectly reasonable woman. How had she deteriorated to this point?

Fu Tianlei shook his head. ”Let us not talk about that. I heard that you are preparing to recruit more soldiers. Is that true?” He had been very pleased to receive the news. To him, it represented an opportunity. 

Yun Qing smiled as he replied, ”There is no such thing. The Northwest already has 550,000 troops. If we recruit any more, we wonʼt be able to support them.” There were already 100,000 troops stationed in Yu City, 150,000 in Xihai and 100,000 in Haocheng, as well as 30,000 troops at various other locations, including Tong Pass and Linzhou. While this may sound like a great number, none of the Northwestʼs borders was peaceful. Once the troops were divided among all these places, there werenʼt enough to cover them all.

With an army of 550,000 troops, the cost of military salaries alone was enormous. Fortunately, the garrisons were cultivating military farmland and growing their own grain. They were also mining iron and copper and manufacturing their own weapons. Along with the support provided by the gold mine, these measures ensured that everything could continue as normal. Otherwise, the husband and wife would have collapsed under the burden long ago.

Fu Tianlei was somewhat disappointed when he heard this. He had wanted to recruit new soldiers, as this would have made the unit completely obedient to him in future.

Physician He was in the front courtyard and came over quickly after receiving the message. After taking Chen Shiʼs pulse, he informed Fu Tianlei without mincing his words, ”This lady has suffered a severe depletion of her vital energy. She needs careful treatment and must recuperate peacefully. Otherwise, she will not live for more than five years.” In truth, Chen Shiʼs health had improved considerably over the past year or so. Considering everything she had been through, she had at least five years left to live.

Fu Tianleiʼs expression darkened. He had told Chen Shi long ago not to come, yet she had stubbornly refused to listen. She had gone to all that trouble only to make herself suffer and wear herself out, implicating him in the process.

Meiyun walked over and informed Yun Qing, ”Wangye, Tan Daren has a matter to report and is waiting in the front courtyard.”

Seeing this, Fu Tianlei said, ”Go and attend to your business. Tonight, the two of us brothers can have a good drink together.” It seemed that they would not be able to drink at noon.

Yun Qing smiled and shook his head. “Itʼs no problem. Wangfei can meet Tan Daren.” Yun Qing knew that Yuxi disliked Chen Shi. This was a convenient opportunity for Yuxi to return to the front courtyard and attend to official matters, meaning she would no longer have to face Chen Shi.

Yuxi had long since grown tired of entertaining Chen Shi, but it would have been impolite to walk out halfway through. So, when she heard Yun Qing tell her to attend to matters in the front courtyard, she breathed a sigh of relief. She told Chen Shi, “Saozi, rest well. Whatever you need or lack, have someone speak directly to Mama Qu.”

Tan Tuo had come this time because of the dam. The project in Tongzhou was almost complete. The next step was to shift operations to Yanzhou.

Yuxi carefully reviewed the plan that Tan Tuo had prepared. After finishing it, she nodded. “Jiang Hongfu has held office for more than two months. What do you think of him?” Yuxi wanted to transfer Tan Tuo back and have Jiang Hongfu take over the project. Following their previous conversation, Yuxi could sense that Jiang Hongfu was genuinely eager to get things done in the northwest. Since that was the case, she decided to give him the opportunity. 

Tan Tuo quickly understood what she meant and replied, ”He is composed, capable and efficient. Most importantly, he is dependable and hard-working. He is not afraid of hardship or exhaustion. When he encounters a difficult problem, he does everything in his power to find a solution. If he doesnʼt understand something, heʼs also willing to ask the subordinate officials. He is very capable. Having him there this time made my burden considerably lighter. Wangfei, if we can make use of him, he will be a huge help.” For the son of a prominent aristocratic family to behave this way was truly rare and commendable.

Yuxi smiled when she heard this. ”From what you are saying, Tan Daren, you admire him greatly.” It was actually easy to tell whether someone had been doing real work. After not seeing Jiang Hongfu for more than two months, Yuxi found that he had become darker and thinner when he returned to Haocheng, and that his hands had even developed calluses. Although Yuxi said nothing, she clearly understood the situation. It was precisely for this reason that she was considering entrusting the assignment to Jiang Hongfu. He genuinely had the will to accomplish something.

Tan Tuo nodded. ”I do admire him. I especially envy Minister Jiang for having such an outstanding son.” If his own son were as steady and dependable as Jiang Hongfu, he would no longer have to worry.

Yuxi nodded slightly. ”What do you think about entrusting this assignment to him?”

Tan Tuo nodded and replied, ”Although he has only been here for two months, he already understands all the procedures. With the assistance of the officials beneath him, there should be no problem.” Once someone had taken over the assignment, Tan Tuo would only need to handle matters concerning the overall situation.

Yuxi nodded. ”Very well. After I speak to Wangye, I will hand this assignment over to him.” She could only hope that Jiang Hongfu would not betray the trust she had placed in him.

Naturally, Tan Tuo had no objection.

Yuxi said, ”I want to select a group of capable people through the civil service examinations to address the shortage of officials.” Lower-ranking officials were having an extremely difficult time because each person had to perform the duties of several posts. They might be able to endure it for a year or so, but their bodies certainly could not withstand it month after month and year after year. Previously, they had to stabilise the situation in the northwest, so they lacked the time and energy to address this matter. Now that everything had settled onto the proper track, it was time to consider filling the vacant positions.

Tan Tuo had waited a year and had finally lived to see this day. ”Wangfei, when will the examinations be held?” Since she had discussed the matter specifically with him, it was clear that she was preparing to entrust the assignment to him.

Yuxi answered, ”The examinations will be held on the sixteenth day of the sixth, ninth and eleventh months. The government will provide travel expenses, food and accommodation for the candidates travelling to Haocheng.” The examinations would be divided into three stages, following the same procedure as the Imperial Courtʼs civil service examinations. The first round would be held in the individual counties, the second in the prefectural capitals, and the third in Haocheng.

Tan Tuo frowned slightly. ”Wangfei, there is only one month remaining before the sixteenth day of the sixth month. Is that not a little too rushed?” The candidates needed time to study, and selecting the examiners would take time as well. Trying to do everything within a month would be far too rushed.

Yuxi smiled. ”The weather in the sixth month is not too hot. If we arrange it for the seventh or eighth month, some people may be unable to endure the heat. Furthermore, for those with genuine talent and knowledge, an additional month or two will make no difference. Those without ability or learning are not needed.” As for the difficulty of selecting examiners, Yuxi did not consider it a serious problem. After all, it was only the preliminary examination, so it could be entrusted directly to the prefects.

Tan Tuo understood Yuxiʼs temperament. Since she had already made her position so clear, it was evident that the decision could not be changed. ”I cannot manage this matter alone. I will need to discuss it with An Daren.” The schedule was too tight, and if he handled it alone, mistakes would be easy to slip through.

Yuxi nodded. ”Submit the detailed plan to me in two days.” After administering government affairs for over a year, Yuxi no longer panicked when dealing with unfamiliar matters.

After seeing Yun Qing off, Fu Tianlei entered the room and looked at Chen Shi, who was lying on the bed. ”What happened to you today? Why did you bring up Qi-er in front of Yun Qing and Han Shi?” Saying something like that to their faces was obviously bound to offend them! At the time, he had also seen a flash of displeasure in Yun Qingʼs eyes.

Yun Qingʼs affection for Zaozao and Liu-er was well known throughout the Northwest. After all, fathers who changed their daughtersʼ nappies, fed them, and played with them were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

With reddened eyes, Chen Shi replied, ”They were both premature babies, born at seven months. Yun Liu is perfectly healthy, but my Qi-er is gone. I could not control myself at the time, and the words simply burst out of my mouth.”

Fu Tianlei was both furious and exasperated. ”Do not forget how Qi-er died. If it hadnʼt been for you, the child might be alive and well like Liu-er now.” If Chen Shi had not heard that the medicine was miraculous and forced it down the childʼs throat as though she had completely lost her mind, the child might have recovered with proper care.

Chen Shi began to cry. ”It was my fault. It was all my fault. I would rather have died myself than have anything happen to my Qi-er.”

Fu Tianlei snapped, ”Until we move elsewhere, stay in this courtyard and recuperate properly. Do not go anywhere.” After saying this, he walked out.

Mama He brought water over to wash Chen Shiʼs face and then advised, ”Madam, if you anger the Pingxi Wang and his Wangfei, the General may be unable to obtain a good appointment. Would it not ultimately be you who suffers the loss?” Although their General and the Pingxi Wang had once been close friends, even the closest relationship needed to be maintained. Her Madam had started insulting their child as soon as she arrived at their door. Who would be pleased by that?

Chen Shi spoke miserably, ”I know, but when I looked at Yun Liu, I simply could not control myself.” The death of her son was the deepest pain buried in her heart.

In fact, Chen Shi had not behaved like this when she was in Yu City. She had cooperated with the physicians to improve her health and had also done her best to maintain her relationship with Fu Tianlei. After more than a year, the results were fairly good. However, the moment she arrived in Haocheng, all her restraint collapsed, undoing all her previous progress.

Mama He reminded her, ”Madam, our main purpose in coming to Haocheng was to ask Momo Quan to nurse you back to health. If you offend these people and she refuses to treat you, what will you do?”

Chen Shi promised, ”I wonʼt make this kind of mistake again.” In fact, besides wanting Momo Quan to help restore her health, Chen Shi had another reason for coming to Haocheng. She wanted to ask Yuxi for more of the miraculous medicine. She had experienced its effects first-hand. If she could obtain another portion, her body would certainly recover very quickly. However, Chen Shi was not foolish. She knew that the request would be extremely difficult to fulfil, so she did not voice it.

きつねʼs Musing

The title, 糟心 (zāoxīn), literally means ʼa rotten heartʼ or ʼa messed-up mindʼ. In practice, however, it is used as an adjective to describe feeling annoyed, upset, frustrated, worried, or mentally troubled by an unpleasant, messy, or stressful situation. Itʼs like a dull, nagging frustration that sits in your chest. Itʼs the feeling you get when life throws lots of annoying little problems at you all at once, or when youʼre upset about something thatʼs difficult to fix or beyond your control. Do you get that feeling? I suppose all the characters feel this way in these two chapters.