ROHYX Chapter 670 : Consulting (1)

After resting for a day, Yun Qing went out again early the next morning. This time, he wasn't in a hurry to attend to official business...

After resting for a day, Yun Qing went out again early the next morning. This time, he wasn't in a hurry to attend to official business, but instead visited General Zhao and then Fu Tianlei.

When Fu Tianlei saw Yun Qing, his face was full of shame. "Yun Qing, I'm sorry. I've let down the great trust you placed in me." The cook who tried to poison him had come as part of his mother's dowry. After so many years in the Fu household, who would have imagined she was a spy?

Yun Qing found the matter suspicious. "She enjoyed so much of your trust. If she truly meant to kill you, why would she have let you live until now? This clearly has points of doubt."

Fu Tianlei looked bitter as he explained, "That cook's daughter lost her life in Chen Shi's hands." The cook had a son and a daughter. The daughter served in Chen Shi's household and was executed for making a mistake. The son had died two years earlier, but he left the cook with a grandson. The spy captured the grandson and threatened the cook into poisoning Fu Tianlei. Fu Tianlei survived only because the cook reduced the amount of poison.

Yun Qing said expressionlessly, "When the inner household is unstable, disaster is bound to follow." The spy had seized the cook's grandson, yet no one in the Fu family noticed—a sign of how chaotic the household was. Yun Qing was sure that, should spies ever reach the Yun estate, they would be discovered immediately.

Fu Tianlei also felt some regret, but it was too late now.  "The physician says that although the poison didn't take my life, traces remain in my body." The poison had left lasting effects on his body.

Yun Qing said, "I've already sent a message to General Feng, asking him to send the best physicians in Haocheng to Yu City. I believe they can remove the remaining poison from your body."

Naturally, unwilling to die, Fu Tianlei expressed his gratitude: "Yun Qing, thank you." Not yet thirty years old, he had no wish to be bedridden for life or to become a 'medicine pot¹'. He also had a wife and children to support!

Yun Qing was too busy to stay long at the Fu residence. Before leaving, he advised, "Don't overthink it—just focus on recovering."

Shortly after they stepped outside, Gao Song told Yun Qing, "General, I heard that Taisui is very effective at detoxifying poisons…" He had to swallow the rest of his words under Yun Qing's cold gaze.

Yun Qing warned him coldly, "Don't let me hear that again." If he gave some to Fu Tianlei, he would naturally have to give some to the other injured officers, such as Yuan Ying. With only a little over ten jin² of it, how much would be left to divide? There might not even be enough for Yuxi and Liu-er. Besides, Yun Qing felt that Yuxi was too unlucky, and she needed more life-saving items close at hand.

All people are selfish. If Fu Tianlei were on the brink of death and desperately needed the item to save his life, Yun Qing would certainly bring it out without hesitation. But at the moment, Fu Tianlei was merely weak, not in mortal danger. Moreover, Yun Qing had already sent for physicians—everything possible had been done.

Gao Song started in surprise, then lowered his head. "Yes, General." He hadn't meant anything by it; he just thought the Taisui was plentiful and that sharing some with Fu Tianlei wouldn't make a difference. After all, Yun Qing had never hoarded things before and had always shared valuable items with others. Who would have thought that, this time, after acquiring a treasure, Yun Qing wouldn't consider using it?^🦊

Yuxi was reading in her room when Momo Quan came in and relayed that Yun Qing had agreed to take the contraceptive pill. "I only meant to give the General a gentle reminder. I didn't expect him to agree right away."

When Yuxi heard this, she said, "Momo, I've troubled you. But if anything comes up in the future, please talk it over with me before making a decision." She knew Momo Quan meant well, but she disliked those around her taking matters into their own hands. Moreover, such behaviour was not something to encourage—if others followed suit, everything would become chaotic.

Of course, Momo Quan understood Yuxi's concerns. "Madam, don't worry, it won't happen again." She too felt that this was something Yuxi could not easily mention herself. If Yuxi were to bring it up, and Yun Qing were to harbour a knot in his heart⁴, it would not end well.

Yuxi nodded. "Go and summon Zijin." Zijin's hand was injured, and she was still recuperating in the residence. Yu Zhi, however, was completely unscathed—foolish people have foolish luck⁵. Of all those who had endured this battle, very few were uninjured.

After going through such a brutal campaign, Zijin now appeared noticeably more composed and mature.

Yuxi asked, "Did you hear any news of my Er Ge⁶ while you were outside?" Although Xu Wu said that Han Jianye was unharmed and that Physician Bai had confirmed it, Yuxi still felt uneasy.

Zijin hesitated, but decided to tell the truth. "Madam, Master Er Jiu⁷ has been injured and has not yet regained consciousness."

Yuxi immediately had Gancao summon Xu Wu. She did not blame him when she saw him, only asking, "Can my Er Ge⁶ still be saved?" Although death on the battlefield was inevitable, she still hoped Han Jianye would survive.

Glancing at Zijin, who was clearly incapable of keeping a secret, Xu Wu answered, "Madam, as long as Master Er Jiu⁷ regains consciousness, he won't be in any danger. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, it would be useless unless he woke up."

Yuxi clenched her fist and ordered, "Send someone to bring my Er Ge⁶ to this residence! He will receive better care here." The Marshal's residence was full of wounded soldiers and had only a few medics, so it certainly could not compare to the Yun household.

Momo Quan looked at Yuxi's pale face and said, "The Old Lady's virtue and blessings run deep; she will surely protect Second Lord—a good person is under the heavens' protection⁸."

Yuxi pressed her chest and murmured, "Let's hope so." She remembered that in her previous life, her Er Ge⁶ had died when she was twenty. If he could overcome this hurdle, he would escape this doom of death.

That night, Yun Qing returned from outside. Instead of going straight to the inner courtyard, he first sought out Huo Changqing and asked him, "Has Xiang Weiguo really caused trouble?"

Huo Changqing nodded. "Yan Shi took bribes from those merchants. At first it was only a few hundred or a thousand taels, but in the end… I've confirmed that she received over forty thousand taels in total." This payoff did not just come from the past few months but dated back to when Xiang Weiguo began overseeing logistics. All told, his greed was not especially great by official standards.

In truth, if Xiang Weiguo and his wife had quietly pocketed these benefits, it would have passed unnoticed. After all, Yun Qing was rebelling, and every general following him had gained outside wealth. Had Xiang Weiguo revealed it later, it would not have stood out. However, he happened to marry a wife who loved to show off, and before long, everyone in Yu City knew that he had struck it rich.

Yun Qing's face darkened.

Huo Changqing said, "Although Xiang Weiguo took the benefits, the supplies he purchased were all of good quality." This was why Huo Changqing had remained silent—if a man holding a fat assignment⁹ scooped some oil and water¹⁰ but still bought proper goods, it was still tolerable.

Yun Qing remarked, "The only reason nothing has happened yet is because it's been a short time and someone is watching. But if this continues, it will surely lead to disaster. Which of those officials didn't start with small greed that grew into great greed?"

Huo Changqing asked, "How do you plan to deal with him? After all, he has followed you for many years, so don't be too harsh on him." If the punishment were too severe, it would chill the hearts¹¹ of those who follow Yun Qing.

Yun Qing didn't tell Huo Changqing how he planned to handle it because he hadn't yet thought of a good solution. A punishment that was too severe would discourage everyone, while one that was too light would fail to serve as a warning.

Huo Changqing gave no advice on that matter, instead bringing up Yuxi's matter. "I told your wife that when Zaozao turns three, she should learn martial arts with me. Your wife agreed."

Even if Huo Changqing hadn't mentioned it, Yun Qing would have anyway. "Yifu¹², please tell me about anything like this in future. Even if I'm away, wait for me to come back." He didn't object to Zaozao learning martial arts with Huo Changqing, but he felt that Huo Changqing shouldn't have spoken to Yuxi directly.

Huo Changqing responded helplessly, "I only wanted Zaozao to train with me. Who knew she'd think I was using it to pressure her into agreeing to you taking a concubine?" He admitted that his tone had been poor and somewhat forceful, but Yuxi's reaction still seemed puzzling.

Yun Qing paused and explained, "Yuxi was under too much pressure at the time, and I wasn't there to support her, which led to her becoming ill with worry. Momo Quan said mild cases change one's temperament, while severe ones can be life-threatening. Luckily, we discovered it in time; otherwise…"

Huo Changqing was startled. "Wasn't she just said to be drilling herself into a bull's horn¹³? How can it be an illness? Is she better now?" On further reflection, however, Han Shi's words and actions back then were indeed unusual.

Yun Qing replied guiltily, "She's better now. Once she let things go, she recovered. It's my fault. If I had been here with her at the time, she wouldn't have fallen ill."

Huo Changqing sighed, thinking that being too clever was not necessarily good—one could even worry oneself sick. No wonder the old saying goes, 'Extreme wisdom brings harm¹⁴'. He advised, "Yun Qing, from now on, live wholeheartedly with Han Shi, and don't get involved in flowery affairs¹⁵."

Yun Qing said helplessly, "Yifu¹², I have no such intentions." He knew well what Yuxi feared. But such things weren't settled by swearing oaths; only time would tell.

Huo Changqing advised, "It's best if you truly have no such thoughts. Even if you do, cut them off early. If you don't want you and your wife to become people on different roads¹⁶ and you want a peaceful, quiet life, you mustn't entertain them." After this incident, Huo Changqing realised that with Han Shi's jealous nature, if Yun Qing ever dared to take a concubine, there would be a scene of 'chickens flying and dogs jumping¹⁷' in the Yun household, and this place would never be at peace. For the sake of a calm old age, even if Yun Qing ever had such an idea, he must pinch it off¹⁸.

Yun Qing gave a soft 'Mm' and said, "Uncle Huo, my grandfather often told me that a person must cherish his blessings. Now that I have a wife and a daughter, that is already an immense good fortune." He had once lived as if he were treading on thin ice¹⁹, thinking he would die either in battle or at the hands of the Song family. For him to live until today…

Huo Changqing was very satisfied. "I'm glad you can think that way. By the way, your wife has brought Han Jianye back to the residence and arranged for people to look after him."

Yun Qing nodded. "I know." In fact, he had wanted to tell Yuxi about Han Jianye yesterday, but didn't know how to broach the subject. He truly felt that one trouble kept following after another. How could Yuxi possibly recuperate in peace under such circumstances?

Footnotes Full List

1. 药罐子 (yàoguànzǐ) — an idiom meaning a person who must constantly take medicine—a chronic invalid.
2. 斤 jīn: a traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilogram or 1.102 pounds
3. Didn't he know how important Yuxi was to Yun Qing? 🤔
4. 心里有疙瘩 (xīnlǐ yǒu gēdā)—meaning lingering resentment
5. 傻人有傻福 (shǎ rén yǒu shǎ fú)—idiom meaning the naïve are often spared misfortune
6. 二 èr: second, 哥 gē: older brother
7. 二 èr: second, 舅 jiù: wife's brother
8. 吉人天相 (jíréntiānxiàng)—an idiom meaning 'good fortune will favour the virtuous'
9. 肥差 (féichà)—slang for a lucrative post
10. 捞点油水 (lāo diǎn yóushuǐ)—idiom for taking a cut
11. 寒心 (hánxīn) means discourage or dishearten others.
12. 义父 yìfù: adoptive father
13. The phrase 钻牛角尖 (zuānniújiǎojiān) means obsessing stubbornly over a dead end.
14. The phrase 慧极必伤 (huì jí bì shāng) means overthinking can hurt you.)
15. The phrase 花花事 (huāhuā shì) means romantic dalliances.
16. The phrase 夫妻成为陌路 (fūqī chéngwéi mòlù), literally 'husband and wife become people on different roads', means to become estranged.
17. 雞飛狗跳 (jī fēi gǒu tiào): to cause a total mess
18. The phrase 掐了 (qiā le) means to cut the thought off completely.
19. 如履薄冰 (rúlǚbóbīng) literally "as if walking on thin ice," meaning "living in constant danger or caution.

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