The weather in early spring changed quickly. Yesterday was bright and sunny, with a clear blue sky stretching for miles. Today, however, th...
The weather in early spring changed quickly. Yesterday was bright and sunny, with a clear blue sky stretching for miles. Today, however, there was an endless drizzle.
Watching the delicate strands of rain drifting down from the sky, Yuxi frowned. Light rain was manageable, but if it turned into a downpour, it would inevitably make life harder for the soldiers. Nevertheless, such things cut both ways—the hardship they faced here would surely be even worse for the Northern Barbarians.
Xu Wu strode in quickly and reported, "Madam, twenty thousand recruits have arrived, and Wei Guo is making arrangements. The remaining thirty thousand should arrive the day after tomorrow."
Yuxi noticed the smile on Xu Wu's face and felt slightly puzzled.
Xu Wu quickly explained, "Madam, the recruits all brought their own weapons this time. On top of that, they even have strong crossbows!" Xu Wu had been worried about defending Yu City because no extra weapons had been left there. In war, victory depended not only on men, but also on arms.
Yuxi's heart eased slightly. "That's good." Still, she suspected the weapons in the recruits' hands had probably been confiscated from others.
Xu Wu then brought up another matter: "Madam, Yifu1 said he wanted to assign someone to you. This way, you'll be safer when you go out. Madam, she's waiting outside—why don't you meet her?"
Yuxi was a little surprised and asked, "What is this person's background?" Anyone placed at her side must be both trustworthy and highly skilled in martial arts.
Xu Wu lowered his voice as he replied, "Madam, it's the Black Widow." Yuxi had heard the name before and had hired this person for a few tasks, but had never met her in person.
When the woman entered, Yuxi studied her carefully. The Black Widow looked about thirty years old. She wore a plain white silk jacket and a pale-blue mamian skirt📹. Her hair was tied in a 'falling-horse bun📹', adorned with a pair of porcelain buyao hairpins that swayed as she moved. She looked very ordinary, and her eyes showed not the slightest ripple of emotion.
Yuxi felt the woman before her looked completely harmless and wondered why she had taken such a name. She asked, "How should I address you?"
The woman replied, "Madam, you may call me Ah Wan." She herself could not remember how many aliases she had used; this name, 'Ah Wan', was simply one she had made up on the spot.
For a woman to call herself by a codename like 'Black Widow', there must surely be quite a story behind it. However, Yuxi was not a curious person, so she did not dig deeper. All she needed to know was that Ah Wan could protect her. Yuxi nodded. "Ah Wan, I'm going out later. Come with me." This was how she acknowledged Ah Wan as someone who would always be by her side.
Ah Wan nodded. "Alright."
That same afternoon, Yun Qing received an urgent dispatch from Yu City. His expression darkened—he had not expected Bate'er to have tricked them.
Yun Qing immediately ordered Gao Song to send a message summoning Feng Dajun back. Only by having Feng Dajun guard Haocheng could he feel at ease. Yu City was important, but Haocheng was equally important.
Knowing that the Northern Barbarians had reached the walls of Yu City, Cui Mo said, "General, Yu City only has forty thousand men, and the recruits' fighting ability is weak. We must rush back to reinforce them immediately."
Yun Qing nodded. "You lead forty thousand back to Yu City first." However, he had to resolve matters in Haocheng properly before he could return himself.
Cui Mo hesitated before asking, "General, Haocheng only has seventy thousand soldiers in total. If I take away forty thousand and leave just thirty thousand behind, won't that be a bit unsafe?"
Yun Qing replied, "There's no need to worry about that. Guan Tai is in Jinzhou, Du Zheng is in Tongguan, and I trust that General Feng can handle things in Yanzhou." Even if Yanzhou wasn't properly organised and the city was lost, they could always return and retake the territory once the Northern Barbarians had been defeated.
Cui Mo had nothing more to say, so he turned around to make the arrangements.
By evening, Yun Qing had gone to find Han Jianming to tell him about the Northern Barbarians' attack. "Dage2, you should return to the capital earlier." If Han Jianming had been alone, Yun Qing would have kept him there. However, as the rest of his family was still in the capital, he had to go back.
Han Jianming said anxiously, "Aren't Yuxi and the children still in Yu City? Doesn't that mean they're in great danger now? With that girl's temperament, she surely wouldn't leave at such a critical moment. If the city were to fall, both adults and children would lose their lives."
Yun Qing responded, "Yuxi and the children will be fine."
Realising that he couldn't be of much help by staying there, Han Jianming stated, "In my condition, I'm unfit for long journeys, but I can't stay in Haocheng either. Tomorrow, have someone send me to Henan." After all, he was an Imperial Commissioner, appointed by the Emperor and here on official business in the northwest. Although he hadn't completed his mission, at least he hadn't worsened the situation. The Emperor had no reason to punish him.
Yun Qing didn't waste words and simply said, "Alright."
Han Jianming hesitated before expressing, "The Imperial Court may not agree to your request at this time. However, once you have resolved the situation in Yu City and submitted another memorial yourself, the chances of success will be much higher. The Emperor will never agree to this matter unless he is forced to."
Yun Qing recalled the news he had received at noon. "Yan Wushuang has already captured Marquis Chiang alive. Given Yan Wushuang's abilities, Liaodong will fall into his hands soon. He has endured in silence for more than ten years, all to avenge the Yan family. Once he controls Liaodong, he will surely lead troops straight to the capital. By then, the Emperor's survival will be uncertain." With Yan Wushuang's temperament, he would certainly k*ll the Emperor once he entered the capital.
Han Jianming's expression changed. "Then I must hurry back to the capital." The elderly, women, and children were all that remained at home; if turmoil broke out in the capital, no one would be there to protect them.
Yun Qing reassured him: "There's no need to worry. However much resentment Yan Wushuang harbours, he won't slaughter the innocent. He will only target the Emperor and the Song family when he seeks revenge. He wouldn't be so mad as to lay hands on the defenceless elderly, weak, women, and children."
Han Jianming said worriedly, "If there's turmoil in the capital, there won't be anyone in the household to take charge. I'm afraid some people will take advantage of the chaos to loot." In the eyes of those people, the Duke's residence was a fat sheep3. If thugs and rogues set their sights on it, losing money and possessions would be the least of their concerns — it was the harm that could come to the elders and children that he truly feared.
Yun Qing calmly said, "This isn't something that can be rushed. If you're worried, write to them and suggest they move to a safer place, or spend a large sum hiring guards. Given your condition, if you insist on returning to the capital, you might lose your life on the road." Having wealth but not the means to protect yourself truly does invite bandits. Ultimately, everything must be done according to one's capabilities.
Han Jianming knew Yun Qing was right. In his current frail state, if he tried to return to the capital, he really would die on the road. He smiled bitterly. "For now, this is the only way."
Yun Qing said, "Dage2, once things here have stabilised, I'll send people to fetch you all. Yuxi tends to let her imagination run wild, so having family by her side should make her feel better."
Han Jianming's face lit up with joy as he exclaimed, "Alright." Although it was unrealistic for the whole family to move to the Northwest, Yun Qing's words gave him hope.
Yun Qing had many matters to attend to, and after talking for half a day, he had fallen behind on quite a few things. "Dage2, get some good rest!" he said, then turned to leave.
Seeing Yun Qing about to leave, Han Jianming said hoarsely, "Meifu4, Yuxi has suffered too much since childhood. I hope you will treat her well." At her natal home, she hardly had a few days of peace; after marrying Yun Qing, she hardly had a few days of stability either. Sometimes Han Jianming felt that Yuxi's luck could not have been worse. That bald donkey Liaotong, though detestable, really did have some ability.
When Yun Qing heard this, he asked, "Yuxi said that she had always lived well in the Han household, though." Just from her temperament alone, it was clear that she had not lived well in her natal home. A girl raised in luxury would not usually be so strong and independent. However, Yuxi never mentioned her hardships in the capital; she only spoke of Qiu Shi and Han Jianming's kindness. She never mentioned anything about what Han Jingyan and the Old Lady had done to her.
Han Jianming was taken aback. "Yuxi never told you?" Then, with a bitter smile, he shook his head. "No matter how much she suffers or how exhausted she is, that girl always keeps it to herself, never speaking of it to anyone."
Han Jianming then recounted everything that Yuxi had been through over the years, up to the point when Han Jingyan had almost driven her to her death.
Han Jianming said with deep sorrow: "When my Mom took Yuxi back to the residence, she didn't say a single word for half a month. She was utterly heartbroken by my San Shu5." This was a bit of an exaggeration on Han Jianming's part. After being adopted, Yuxi was too happy to be heartbroken; she simply hid in the courtyard so that others would not find fault with her.
Yun Qing's eyes blazed with fury, and he clenched his fists so tightly that they cracked audibly. Had Han Jingyan been there, Yun Qing would probably have beaten him to death on the spot.
Han Jianming looked full of guilt as he continued, "As her elder brother, I failed to take proper care of her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much hardship and endure so much misery."
Considering how Yuxi had also faced so many disasters and hardships since coming to the Northwest, Han Jianming added, "Meifu4, Yuxi has suffered so much. I only hope that she can live well from now on."
Yun Qing promised him: "Dage2, you don't need to worry about that. I won't let her suffer any harm again." Although he blamed himself deeply for Yuxi's two injuries, believing he had failed to protect her fully, both times the cause had been her own actions, not his fault.
Han Jianming nodded. "Then I can be at ease." He had deliberately told Yun Qing all this so that Yun Qing would treat Yuxi more tenderly.
Gao Song came over and reported, "General, a battle report has arrived from Tongguan."
Han Jianming quickly interrupted: "Meifu4, go ahead with your work!" Yun Qing's time was precious now; he had only listened to him for half a day because it concerned Yuxi.
Back in the study, Yun Qing read the battle report, and his expression was grave. Governor-General He of Henan had dispatched troops to attack Tongguan. He Ye had most likely already learned that the Northern Barbarians were preparing to attack Yu City. Anticipating that Yun Qing would return to reinforce Yu City, He Ye wanted to seize the chance to profit from the ensuing chaos.
Gao Song cursed angrily. "That scum, He Ye! If I ever get the chance, I'll cut him down." After venting his frustration, he asked, "General, what should we do now?"
Yun Qing put down the battle report as he replied, "Du Zheng merely sent the report; he did not say he needed reinforcements. He should be able to hold out." With fifty thousand soldiers under his command and Tongguan being easy to defend but hard to attack, Yun Qing was not overly worried.
Footnotes Full List
- 义父 yìfù: adoptive father
- 大哥 dàgē: eldest brother
- 肥羊 (féiyáng) → metaphor for an easy target for plunder or exploitation.
- 妹夫 mèifu = younger sister's husband; brother-in-law
- 三 sān: three/third, 叔 shū: father's younger brother/uncle
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