Han Jianye had been unconscious for seven days and seven nights, and still showed no signs of regaining consciousness. Both the maids atten...
Han Jianye had been unconscious for seven days and seven nights, and still showed no signs of regaining consciousness. Both the maids attending to him and the local physician who had treated him believed he was beyond saving.
Yuxi asked Physician Bai, "Is there truly no way to save him?"
Physician Bai answered bluntly, "Second Lord Han is only alive because Madam has been keeping him going with ginseng." Without the century-old ginseng that Yuxi had been using to keep him alive, Han Jianye would already be dead.
Yuxi's heart sank. "You may go." If Mother learned that Er Ge2 was in trouble, who knew how she would react?
Physician Bai offered her some comfort: "Madam, please restrain your grief." There was truly no way to save Han Jianye.
After seeing Physician Bai out, Yuxi summoned Momo Quan. "The physician just said Er Ge2 may not survive." Although she did not regret sending Han Jianye to fight on the battlefield, Yuxi could not simply stand by and watch him lose his life; she wanted to take a gamble.
Momo Quan asked, "Would you like to give the Second Lord the 'fleshy lingzhi'?" She preferred the term 'fleshy lingzhi', as saying 'taishui' felt almost disrespectful.
Yuxi nodded. "Yes. I want to grind it into powder and feed it to him—maybe it will help." Previously, she had not dared to use it, as she was unable to gauge its effects. Now that Han Jianye was near death, she could no longer worry about such things.
Momo Quan understood. "Leave this to me!" Yuxi seemed to have endless worries. Usually, an older brother would protect a younger sister, but with Madam, it had turned the other way around.
Yuxi said, "I have to trouble you yet again, Momo Quan."
Momo Quan replied, "It's nothing, just a small task. I only hope that fleshy lingzhi works." She had originally agreed to follow Momo Gui to the Duke's household because of Yuchen's renowned reputation, hoping to form a good connection for future needs, but unexpectedly, she ended up serving the little-known Yuxi.
After giving instructions to Momo Quan, Yuxi went to the front courtyard to visit Han Jianye. His external wounds had been treated with medicine, the smell of which she could detect as soon as she entered the room.
She walked to the bedside. Seeing Han Jianye with his eyes half-closed and completely unaware, with most of his body swathed in bandages, Yuxi felt her eyes sting with tears.
Master Yang seemed to have aged ten years in these past few days. He and Han Jianye had been master and disciple for many years, creating a deep bond between them. Looking at his disciple now, how could he not grieve? "Han girl, how much ginseng do you still have?"
Yuxi smiled bitterly. "Not much. We've used a great deal over the years. At most, it can keep him going for two more days." That rare wild ginseng, which was impossible to find even once in a century, was almost gone.
Master Yang's eyes reddened. Of the five disciples he had taken, Han Jianye had been the least troublesome. Yet now, the elderly white-haired man was about to send the younger black-haired man off1.
Yuxi did not cry, but her face looked ashen. She turned to Yu Zhi and said, "Help Master Yang down to rest. I need to speak with my Er Ge2 alone."
Once they had left, Yuxi whispered, "Er Ge2, I always feared that, given your temperament, you would be taken advantage of. But I held back, afraid of being seen as a monster. In the end, you were truly used—used to strike at me."
Thinking of how Han Jianye had protected her when they were young, Yuxi's eyes prickled again. "Er Ge2, if only I had stopped Dage3 from sending you to Master Yang for training, things would have been so much better." Han Jianye's character was shaped by his surroundings. Unfortunately, when she first returned to the Han household, she focused only on securing her own position in the inner courtyard and had no time or energy to try to change him. Otherwise, he might have turned out entirely differently.🦊
When Momo Quan arrived, she saw Yuxi weeping as though she was made of tears5. Momo Quan sighed. "Madam, don't cry. First, let's get the medicine down Second Lord's throat." Momo Quan had come fully prepared: she had ground the fleshy lingzhi into powder and even brought a tube to administer it.
The medicinal powder was mixed with water and slowly fed down the tube. Because the tube was pretty long, no drop was spilt.
Momo Quan wiped Han Jianye's mouth clean and said, "The rest depends on Second Lord himself." Whether he would live or not sometimes depended not only on medicine but also on sheer willpower.
Yuxi responded dryly, "It will work." Han Jianye was now down to his last breath. If even after taking this medicine, there was still no effect, there would truly be no way out6 for him.
Yuxi remained by Han Jianye's side until noon.
Momo Quan urged, "Madam, please go and eat something! You mustn't neglect your health." Although Yuxi looked much better than before, she was still too weak. Even with the fleshy lingzhi, it would still take time for her body to recover.
No matter how deep the sorrow, one still had to eat. Following this advice, Yuxi returned to the rear courtyard. She had barely picked up her chopsticks when Gancao entered, joyfully announcing, "Madam, Master Er Jiu7 is awake!" If Master Er Jiu7 were safe, then surely Madam would be able to smile again.
Yuxi could no longer concern herself with proper etiquette at that moment; she dropped her chopsticks and hurried towards the front courtyard. Entering the room, she saw Physician Bai taking Han Jianye's pulse.
Seeing Han Jianye's eyes open, Yuxi felt both joy and heartache. "Er Ge2, Er Ge2, you're awake… It's enough that you're awake."
Han Jianye looked at Yuxi, trying to speak, but no sound came out. He was far too weak. The fact that he had picked up another life8 was already fortunate enough.
Yuxi asked Physician Bai, "My Er Ge2—he's out of danger, right?"
Physician Bai stroked his beard and replied, "No danger to his life, but he'll need a lot of rest for a full recovery." Since he had awoken, naturally, his life was no longer at risk. Yet earlier, when Physician Bai had taken Han Jianye's pulse, he had felt no sign of life—he never expected such a twist in the mountain path9. As for whether some hidden cause lay behind this, Physician Bai did not inquire further. What should be asked, he would ask; what should not be asked, he would wisely keep his mouth shut tight10.
This incident stirred up a small wave11 in the Yun household.
Xu Daniu muttered to Xu Wu, "You have to say Han Jianye really has great luck. With injuries that severe, even the physician said he couldn't be saved, yet he's alive again."
Xu Wu had an idea why Han Jianye had woken up, but matters concerning the Taisui were not for public ears. Xu Wu said, "Although Han Jianye has done some foolish things in the past, he got wounded for Yu City's sake this time. From now on, when we meet him, be more courteous." Han Jianye may have been muddled in certain respects, but he was sound in the grand scheme of things.
Xu Daniu laughed and responded, "We're about to head to Haocheng anyway, so we won't be seeing him." Once the General had finished handling Yu City's affairs, they would have to accompany Madam to Haocheng. By then, Han Jianye would surely still be recuperating in Yu City, and they would not meet again.
However, Xu Wu countered, "That's not certain—what if Madam decides to take him to Haocheng?" If it were anyone else, after nearly losing her own life and her child, she would surely harbour resentment. But their Madam held no such grudge; she was constantly concerned for Han Jianye's well-being.
Xu Daniu's face tightened as he exclaimed, "No way! With injuries that serious, how could we bring him to Haocheng? If we tried, we wouldn't arrive there until the Year of the Monkey, Month of the Horse12!"
Xu Wu said, "We'll do whatever Madam instructs. It's hardly your place to nitpick here."
Hearing this, Xu Daniu felt somewhat deflated.
When Yun Qing returned home that evening, he immediately learned that Han Jianye had regained consciousness. Xu Wu informed him, "I fear Madam must have used that Taisui on Second Lord Han."
Yun Qing said, "Legends only claim that Taisui can prolong life, not bring the dead back to life. It's just a coincidence!"
Despite sensing Yun Qing's displeasure, Xu Wu nonetheless said what needed to be said, "General, I'm just worried that if others learn you had Taisui and used it on Han Jianye but not on them, they'll have mustard-seed thorns in their heart13." To Xu Wu and the others, Yuan Ying and Xiang Weiguo were 'their own people', while Han Jianye was merely an outsider.
Yun Qing paused and said, "I'll handle it." Too many eyes had witnessed the Taisui affair, so keeping the news hidden was impossible.
With Han Jianye out of mortal danger, Yuxi had the energy to turn to other matters. That afternoon, she instructed some people to pack all the useful items into crates.
Looking at the large crates in the room, Yun Qing advised, "Only bring what's essential. Don't pack too many clothes—we can buy more once we reach Haocheng."
Yuxi smiled and shook her head. "Even though we've come into quite a bit of money, there are many demands on it—we must still be frugal." She added, "Even once we're in Haocheng, we can't live extravagantly. Otherwise, those below will follow the example of their superiors, and the atmosphere will sour."
Yun Qing held Yuxi's hands and said, "I just don't want you and the children to suffer." All his striving was only to give his wife and children a better life.
Yuxi smiled. "Brocade clothes and jade-like food14 don't necessarily make life comfortable, and plain tea with simple meals doesn't mean life is bad. I believe that as long as our family is well, that's all that matters. Every beginning is hard. Once the northwest is settled, I'll have someone build a warm greenhouse so that we can still have fresh greens to eat in winter." She wasn't opposed to enjoying life; she just prioritised what mattered.
Yun Qing laughed—whatever the topic, Yuxi could always reason it through. "There's still plenty to deal with in Yu City. I can't finish here in less than half a month. You take Zaozao and Liu-er and go on ahead. I'll follow you guys later." With Yuxi travelling with the children, they would have to travel slowly. He could easily catch up with them even if he left half a month later.
Yuxi had no objection. "Once everything is packed, I'll take the children and set out first." The weather in the third month was ideal for travelling, and even at a slow pace, they should reach Haocheng before the sixth month.
Yun Qing then spoke to Yuxi about the flesh lingzhi, saying, "Take half of this out, then divide that half into twelve portions. Whether anyone is injured or not, each person gets one share—there's nothing to argue about."
Yuxi was no fool; she understood why Yun Qing acted this way after hearing his words. "All right." Although she was reluctant, Yun Qing's tone made it clear that there was no room for negotiation.
Seeing Yuxi's displeased expression, Yun Qing explained, "Many people know about the Taisui. Since you've used it now, it wouldn't be right not to share some with them."
People resented unfairness, not scarcity — how could Yuxi not understand this truth?
Footnotes Full List
- 白发人送黑发人 (báifàrén sòng hēifārén)—literally "white-haired sending off black-haired," an idiom for the tragedy of a parent or elder burying a younger generation.
- 二 èr = second, 哥 gē = Elder brother
- 大哥 dàgē: Eldest Brother
- Yuxi, it was not your responsibility. You could have guided him, but whether he followed your guidance or not was entirely up to him. Even if you had prevented him from training under Master Yang, his mother and late grandmother would still have pampered him. You can't change that.
- 哭得跟个泪人似的 (kū dé gēn gè lèirén shìde), a vivid simile meaning 'so drenched in tears she seemed made entirely of them'
- 真没辙 (zhēn méizhé), a colloquial expression meaning 'there's nothing more that can be done'.
- 二 èr = second, 舅 jiù = wife's brother
- 捡回一条命 (jiǎnhuí yītiáo mìng), an idiom meaning "to have escaped death by a hair's breadth"
- 峰回路转 (fēnghuílùzhuǎn), literally 'the peaks turn and the road bends', an idiom for an unexpected favourable turn of events
- 将嘴巴闭紧 (jiāng zuǐba bì jǐn), figurative for keeping silent
- 掀起一点小波澜 (xiānqǐ yīdiǎn xiǎo bōlán), a metaphor meaning 'a minor commotion'.
- 猴年马月 (hóuniánmǎyuè): a humorous way to say 'an indefinitely long time' or 'who knows when'.
- 心里会有芥蒂 (xīnlǐ huì yǒu jièdì): means to harbour resentment or ill will.
- 锦衣玉食(jǐnyīyùshí): literally 'brocade clothes and jade-like food', meaning luxurious living.
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