In the command tent, Bate'er heard his men report that there was a woman standing on the high platform. He commented, "The women o...
In the command tent, Bate'er heard his men report that there was a woman standing on the high platform. He commented, "The women of the Central Plains have tender, delicate skin. They taste quite good." He even showed an expression of endless relish after speaking.
Aoki responded, "Yes, Marshal, it is a very beautiful woman." This 'flavour' was indeed good, and not just because she was pleasing in bed. Everyone knew about Bate'er's particular tastes.
Bate'er drew the ruby-inlaid dagger from his belt and said, "It seems Yu City won't be able to hold out much longer." Though bloodthirsty, Bate'er was no fool. The beautiful woman standing on the high platform was most likely bait, intended to lure him onto the hook.
Deputy General Alatan-Ula said, "Marshal, this woman has a guard at her side who is Yun Qing's personal bodyguard. She is most likely Yun Qing's wife. Marshal, allow me to kill this woman to bolster the prestige of our Northern Barbarians."
Bate'er became even more convinced that this was bait set for him. However, he didn't take it to heart since the other side hadn't called for him. Instead, he responded to Alatan-Ula, "That isn't prestige, that's mere recklessness. Once we break into Yu City, the woman on the tower will be ours. Whether I boil her or steam her will depend on my mood at that time."
Alatan-Ula did not dare contradict Bate'er and nodded. "Yes, Marshal."
Yuxi waited on the tower for nearly a quarter of an hour, but saw no Northern Barbarian general come over.
Master Yang said, "Han Girl, it looks like that Northern Barbarian General won't be showing himself. Let's go down!"
Xu Wu actually felt a little relieved. If it had been another enemy general, he wouldn't have been so afraid. But this Bate'er was a truly terrifying figure. Looking up at Yuxi, Xu Wu urged, "Madam, let's go down! It's far too unsafe to stand here."
At that moment, a squadron of cavalry charged out of the city. Yuxi watched them rush towards the Northern Barbarian soldiers constructing the fish-weir path. Very quickly, many of those soldiers fell in swathes. However, the Northern Barbarians' arrows also rained down upon the cavalry. The struck cavalrymen rolled down from their horses, and before they could climb back up, they were hacked to pieces by the onrushing Northern Barbarians.
A strong wind blew, scattering Yuxi's hair bun and whipping her hair wildly around her face. Usually the most attentive to etiquette, now Yuxi had no mind for such things. Her eyes were fixed on the fish-weir path in the distance, where none of their cavalry could now be seen.
Master Yang turned his head, unable to bear watching any longer. Looking at Yuxi's face, drained of all colour, he pressed, "Han Girl, go down!"
After a long while, Yuxi finally returned to her senses and replied softly, "All right."
Before Yuxi could descend the tower, however, she saw a badly wounded soldier clutching a Northern Barbarian who had climbed up the wall. Together, they tumbled down from the battlements. The cloud-scaling ladderℹ️登云梯 (dēng yúntī) → idiomatic name for siege ladders used to scale walls, metaphorically likening their reach to the clouds.
also collapsed backwards.
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| Image Credit | 体元说文史 (古代攻城用云梯，守城士兵为何不推倒梯子，反而费力往下砸石头?, Jul 18th, 2022 via Sohu) |
Ah Wan wanted to support Yuxi, but she brushed her away, saying, "I can walk." With each step, her foot landed on a bloodstain. Just like that, she walked down, treading on the soldiers' blood.
After coming down from the tower, Xu Wu said, "Madam, let us return home!" He feared that Madam would have nightmares after witnessing today's carnage.
Yuxi shook her head. "I am not going back. Send someone to Yun Manor to fetch me a set of white garments."
Xu Wu was greatly startled and muttered, "Madam…"
Yuxi shook her head. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry." She was indeed unharmed, only too deeply shaken.
Master Yang also looked worried as he advised, "Han Girl, if your body can't take it, then go back! Don't try to be brave—this isn't the time to force yourself."
Wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, Yuxi shook her head again. "I just couldn't bear it for a moment. I'll be fine soon." After saying this, she looked up at Xu Wu. "You don't need to worry about me. With Master Yang and Ah Wan here, I won't be in any danger, so please attend to your duties!"
Seeing that Xu Wu was still standing there, Yuxi explained, "I only want to stay here and help in any small way I can." At that moment, Yuxi also realised how insignificant her strength was. She couldn't devise a way to drive out the Northern Barbarians, nor could she go onto the battlefield to kill the enemy.
Yuxi took Ah Wan and Master Yang to the camp of the wounded, where she stayed to help apply medicine and bandage the injured.
After crouching on the ground for half a day, Yuxi staggered two steps when she stood up. She would have fallen if Ah Wan hadn't reacted quickly to catch her. Ah Wan was so frightened that she blurted out, "Madam, your body really can't take this anymore! We'd better hurry back!"
Yuxi shook her head. "I can still hold on." Once her stubbornness flared up, Ah Wan couldn't persuade her anymore. Had she known her Madam would be this hard to deal with, she wouldn't have let her stay there in the first place.
At that moment, Hongdou brought over the medicinal food prepared by Momo Quan. Hongdou said, "Madam, Momo said wearing white is unlucky, so she didn't let me bring it."
After finishing the medicinal food, Yuxi prepared to return to the shed. Ah Wan immediately blocked her way. "Madam, in your condition, you really should go back!"
Yuxi argued, "If I go back, I won't be able to do anything either. At least by staying here I can still help these wounded soldiers…" If she went back, she would only be waiting in vain, filled with anxiety. However, she could contribute something by staying here, no matter how small.
As soon as she had finished speaking, Yuxi suddenly collapsed softly to the ground. After knocking her unconscious, Master Yang said, "With her temperament, persuasion simply doesn't work." Knocking her out and carrying her back was the simplest and most effective solution.
Ah Wan had also thought the same just now, only she didn't have the courage to do it.🦊
Back at the Yun residence, Yuxi was still unconscious. Physician Bai was treating soldiers at the wounded camp at that time, so there was no physician at the residence.
Seeing Ah Wan's anxiety, Momo Quan said, "I added calming herbs to the food she's eating, so she can sleep well." If Yuxi continued like this, she would have collapsed before the Northern Barbarians even retreated.
Ah Wan let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I should have stopped Madam today by not letting her go up the city wall…" No matter how different Madam was from others, a young lady from the boudoir would still be frightened by such a bloody scene.
Momo Quan tucked the blanket around Yuxi and said, "You don't need to blame yourself. No one can stop Yuxi from doing what she wants. Besides, I don't think she'll be frightened by such a scene."
Seeing Ah Wan's disbelieving face, Momo Quan waved her hand. "You should rest, too. I'll take care of things here." She knew very well how strong Yuxi's mental endurance was. One bloody and brutal battle wouldn't be enough to scare her into collapse.
Although Ah Wan was still distraught, she nevertheless withdrew.
Yuxi did not wake up until the evening. As soon as she did, she felt dizzy, groggy and weak in her hands and feet. At that moment, she hurriedly asked Momo Quan, who had just come in, "What's wrong with me, Momo?"
Momo Quan replied, "You went up the tower, caught the wind and got chilled." Noticing Yuxi's anxious expression, she added, "You don't need to worry about what's happening outside. The cavalry unit returned a shichen2 ago."
Yuxi's eyes lit up instantly as she asked, "Has the General returned?"
Momo Quan shook her head. "General Yun is still on the road; only the cavalry returned first. But Xinping City has conscripted another ten thousand recruits, who also arrived this afternoon. They also sent grain, cotton bedding and other supplies."
Yuxi muttered to herself, "This isn't enough!" How could they withstand the large Northern Barbarian army with only these few men? The city now had fewer than thirty thousand troops left. They wouldn't even last two more days if the fighting continued like this.
Momo Quan reminded her, "These are not things you should be worrying about. What you must do now is properly nurse your illness. If you keep neglecting your body, it will wear out and be ruined. Even if Yu City is not breached, if you're left with lasting damage, you won't have a good life for the rest of your days."
Yuxi's face showed grief. "Momo, you don't know what those soldiers..." As she thought of the scene she had witnessed, her eyes could not help but redden.
Momo Quan sighed softly. "I know you're in pain. If you feel sad, then cry it out! But afterwards, you must focus on recovering. Leave what's outside to the men." She paused, then added, "If you truly want to do something for them, then recover your health as quickly as possible. Once you're well, I won't stop you from doing whatever you want."
Yuxi responded weakly, "I know." Even if she wanted to help right now, she could do nothing.
Momo Quan spoke earnestly, "Yuxi, you must also think about Zaozao and Liu-er. They are still so young—you can't let them lose their mother so soon, can you? Don't you know how bitter life is for children without a mother?" Momo Quan knew exactly where Yuxi's soft spot lay.
Yuxi did not respond to Momo Quan's words and only said, "I'm hungry." She had only gnawed on two steamed cornbread rolls at noon and had not eaten anything else since.
Momo Quan replied, "That's more like it!"
Just after Yuxi finished a bowl of red date and bird's nest porridge, Xu Wu walked in. He came with good news: "Madam, word has just arrived—the General will be here the day after tomorrow."
Yuxi's eyes lit up again, and she asked, "Truly?"
Xu Wu nodded. "The General is bringing forty thousand reinforcements back with him. Together with the conscripts from Linzhou, Wucheng, and other places, there should be seventy to eighty thousand men in total!" However, he did not mention that the reinforcements would arrive in Yu City a few days after Yun Qing himself, as he did not want to make Yuxi anxious and worsen her illness.
Yuxi's anxious heart finally settled. "That's good, that's good." Now that Yun Qing was returning, she could relax. Over the past few days, she had lost her appetite and slept poorly, fearing that the Northern Barbarians would capture Yu City. If that happened, she would become a sinner for a thousand autumns3.
Xu Wu had deliberately come to tell Yuxi this, just to ease her mind. "Madam, rest assured—Yu City will surely hold out."
In the past, whenever Yu City was in trouble, they always had to send troops to beg Ji Xuan for help. Now, however, the local officials in the northwest all listened to the General and Madam. With such robust backing, Yu City was sure to hold out — he was confident of that.
After Xu Wu left, he went to find Huo Changqing and told him, "Yifu4, Momo Quan said Madam caught a chill from the wind, and that two doses of medicine will set her right. But her body is very weak and she needs a long period of rest to recover."
Huo Changqing replied, "That's already remarkable. Most women would have been frightened to death or at least fainted after seeing such a bloody scene in the tower. For Han Shi to walk back down steadily was already very commendable."
PS (Author): The heroine in this chapter was originally written as someone whose dominance leaked out from the sides5. She was full of overwhelming boldness, declaring with lofty pride: ‘I swear to live and die with Yu City.' But, after writing this, I thought it was so silly that I scrapped it and rewrote the whole thing—and this is how it turned out instead...
Footnotes Full List
- Master Yang: Who cares if she's the one who pays me? I'm still her elder!
- 时辰 shíchen: 2 hours
- 千古罪人 (qiāngǔ zuìrén) — meaning someone forever condemned in history.
- 义父 yìfù: adoptive father
- The phrase, 霸气侧漏 (bàqì cèlòu), is an internet slang meaning someone is so imposing, awe-inspiring, or commanding that their aura can't be contained and spills over.)
きつね's Musing
I can't see Yuxi as a domineering person since she still has a kind and gentle heart. I think what shocked her on the battlefield was seeing that their soldiers were ready to sacrifice their lives to take down the enemy. She never lives her life for revenge. She used her rebirth to better herself so that she could survive in this life. She is a schemer — there's no doubt about it. It's just that she doesn't have the intention to harm people, unless they deserve it. If I'm not mistaken, the only person she will scheme against for personal vengeance is her ex-husband—she wants him to suffer.
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