Dark clouds filled the sky, and the surroundings quickly dimmed. Xu Wu came over and reported, "Madam, there's a village ten l...
Dark clouds filled the sky, and the surroundings quickly dimmed.
Xu Wu came over and reported, "Madam, there's a village ten li1. Let's stay there for the night." Whenever they travelled, he would always send someone ahead to scout the road conditions before deciding where to stop for lunch or rest.
Yuxi was travelling with two children, so giving them cold food was impossible. Moreover, her own health was poor—she couldn't eat anything cold either—so they had to cook even at noon. Except for the first couple of days, Xu Wu later always had people prepare everything ahead of time. By the time Yuxi arrived, the food would be ready to eat. This was only possible because they had a large group and thirty fine horses, which made travelling far more convenient.
Yuxi smiled and replied, "I'll follow your arrangements." Xu Wu was so thorough in handling matters that Yuxi had nothing to worry about during the journey.
The carriage moved slowly, especially when the road became rough and uneven. Even with Xu Wu's careful planning, they could barely cover a hundred li1 on a good day. If it rained heavily, they would simply stay put. Luckily, they had brought tents — otherwise there wouldn't have been enough shelter for everyone.
A quarter of an hour later, it began to rain. Although it was only a drizzle, Yuxi still closed the carriage window—but Zaozao climbed up to peek outside.
Yuxi gathered Zaozao into her arms and laughed. "This girl is such a little monkey2—she can't stay still for even a moment." One child was too lively and the other too quiet. They both gave her headaches.
The increasing darkness and rain made travelling on the road difficult. It took the caravan nearly half a shichen3 to reach the outskirts of the village. The paths into the village were too narrow for carriages, so they left their vehicles by the roadside. Yuxi stepped down, holding Liu-er, who was wrapped up tightly against the rain.
Hongdou held an umbrella for Yuxi while Hongqi supported her at the side. Meanwhile, Xu Wu, wearing a rain cape, carried Zaozao in his arms while holding an umbrella over his head.
The estate had only two large brick-tiled houses, one belonging to the village headman. At this point, they had already borrowed both.
By the time Yuxi arrived, Momo Quan and Mama Bai had been busy all day. None of the people in the group worked harder than those two. Mama Bai was responsible for Yuxi and the children's daily meals, while Momo Quan prepared tasty and nutritious dishes for Liu-er and Zaozao. The fact that the two children had remained healthy up to that point was primarily thanks to Momo Quan.
After supper, it was already past the middle of xushi4. The road had been fairly smooth that day, causing Yuxi even to nap in the carriage. Feeling refreshed, she told Xu Wu, "Please ask the village headman to come over. I have a few questions for him.
Xu Wu was slightly surprised and replied, "Madam, if you need something, you can simply tell me." After half a month on the road, Liu-er had remained in good health, with no headaches or fevers, which was a great relief to Xu Wu.
Yuxi shook her head and said, "I want to ask the headman about the spring ploughing and the villagers' current living conditions." Having lived on an estate before, she had a general sense of a farmer's life, but she wanted a more precise understanding of their situation.
The village headman arrived soon afterwards, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard. As soon as he entered and saw Yuxi, he fell to his knees and performed three kowtows, saying, "Madam, may you be blessed with good fortune and health." His body trembled as he spoke.
When Xu Wu borrowed the house earlier, he explained their true status to the headman. This was why, upon seeing Yuxi, the headman performed such a grand gesture of respect.
Yuxi gestured for Xu Wu to help the man up, saying kindly, "Elder, we have taken shelter in your house and I have not yet thanked you properly!"
The village headman dared not lift his head, replying, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare—having Madam stay in our humble home is our great fortune." Having the wife of the Great General stay in his house was a matter of honour, even just speaking of it.
Yuxi smiled slightly and, without further polite preamble, asked about the village directly, "How many households are there now on the estate?"
The headman replied, "Our estate once had eighty-six households. These past years have been hard—some left and some died. Now only forty-one remain, with two hundred and twenty-nine people in total." Having even forty-one households left was more than one could have hoped for.
Yuxi then asked about the spring ploughing and land reclamation.
The headman was a genuinely honest old farmer recommended for his fairness and seniority. Wiping his eyes, he answered, "The families in our village have reclaimed as much as twelve mu of land, at least three mu for the smaller households. When it was time to sow, they all went to the government to collect improved seeds, and now the crops are all in the ground. This year, we won't have to worry about going hungry." Not only did the government encourage reclamation and lend out good seeds and oxen, but it also reduced taxes — as long as one wasn't lazy, one could fill one's stomach.
Upon hearing this, Yuxi nodded. It seemed that the prefect of Linzhou was doing something right, at least. She asked several more questions, to which the headman responded in turn.
After the headman left, Yuxi's expression grew grave. Of the village's two hundred and twenty-nine population, only a little over fifty were young and able-bodied; the rest were elderly, infirm, women and children. In other words, barely one-fifth of the population was of working age. These figures were startling to the eyes and shocking to the heart5.
Seeing Yuxi's expression, Xu Wu said, "Madam, it's the third month now—there's food everywhere. As long as they're not lazy, no one will starve. Once summer comes and the harvest is in, they won't have to worry about hunger anymore."
Yuxi shook her head. "The grain yield is too low. If a natural disaster strikes, it still won't be enough to fill the bellies6 of the common people." At this, she naturally thought of the potatoes Mr Chen had given her. However, Tian Yang had been away in Fujian for a long time and still hadn't returned – perhaps something had gone wrong on his journey. Once they reached Haocheng, and he was still missing, she would send someone else to Fujian to find out what had happened.
Xu Wu reminded her, "Madam, we have to travel again tomorrow—you should rest early. Disasters and misfortunes—no one can avoid them. Worrying won't help."
Yuxi nodded. "Once we reach the city of Linzhou, we'll stay there for two days." It was only a little over a hundred li1 from their current location, so they would arrive there the day after tomorrow.
Xu Wu nodded. "Alright." He obeyed all of Yuxi's arrangements without question. In Yuxi's service, he was as reliable and useful as one could hope for.
Momo Quan watched Yuxi poring over a thick book once again, reading and writing simultaneously. Sighing, she handed her a cup of warm water and told her, "Enough reading, go to bed early!" If it weren't so inconvenient in the carriage, Momo thought, Yuxi would probably have her books spread everywhere. Sigh, I just don't know how I ended up raising such a book-obsessed fool.
Yuxi shook her head. "I'm not sleepy yet, Momo. Please take the children and go to sleep." After speaking, she finished her water, swallowing even the dregs. Because she drank a tonic brewed with fleshy lingzhi every day, her complexion looked even better than before after half a month of travelling.
Momo Quan asked helplessly, "Why do you still work yourself so hard?" By now, Yuxi only needed to hold firmly onto Yun Qing's affection, care for their two children, and manage the household—that would have been enough. There was no need to make herself suffer like this.
Yuxi smiled. "There are troubles within and threats without—it takes a great deal of thought to manage it all properly." The more one understood, the less easily one could be deceived.
Momo Quan advised, "Yuxi, a woman shouldn't be too strong. Matters outside the household should still be left to the General to handle." When it came to strategic thinking, Yuxi had left Yun Qing several streets behind7. However, Momo Quan did not approve of Yuxi's involvement in external affairs. When a woman was too capable, to the extent that she even overshadowed her husband, it was easy for a couple to grow distant. After all, men didn't like wives who surpassed them.
Yuxi smiled and shook her head. "When a husband and wife are of one heart, they can cut through metal8." Yun Qing wasn't skilled in governance, but Yuxi could compensate for that shortcoming. She firmly believed that as long as they worked together, they could govern the Northwest effectively. Once the situation there had stabilised, it would be time to settle accounts with the Song family and the Empress Dowager Song.
Momo Quan's heart tightened, and she said sternly, "Yuxi, men don't like women to meddle in outside affairs. If you insist on this, and once you and your husband quarrel, others will surely exploit the situation." She believed a woman's first priority should be her husband and family. If another woman took advantage of her distraction, Yuxi would find herself picking up sesame seeds while dropping a watermelon9.
Yuxi smiled slightly as she responded, "This was He Rui's idea." Accepting something voluntarily was utterly different from asking for it yourself — it conveyed a sense of willing cooperation rather than grasping ambition.
Momo Quan asked instinctively, "Really? Yun Qing himself asked you to handle the external affairs?"
Yuxi smiled and explained, "He Rui has never had much patience for managing external affairs. He let me take care of it since he saw that I was good at it. That's fine — it stops me from getting bored." Little did she know that Yun Qing had actually given her these tasks because he feared she'd grow idle and start overthinking things.
Momo Quan frowned and said, "If you deal with external affairs, there will be plenty of gossip." In the eyes of men, a woman's duty was to manage the household and raise the children — nothing more. However, Yuxi was now venturing into areas beyond the ordinary, and Yun Qing's subordinates would undoubtedly have opinions about it. Even the most steadfast person will eventually be influenced when people talk too much.
Yuxi still had great faith in Yun Qing, though. "He Rui isn't the kind of man who changes his mind with just a few words." He was a man of principle: if something made sense, he would consider it, but not if it was malicious gossip or slander.
Momo Quan fell silent for a moment, then said, "No matter what happens, your husband and children are what truly matter. Power and authority come second. You must keep that distinction clear."
Yuxi smiled. "Don't worry, Momo — I know my limits." She and her husband both wanted to govern the Northwest well. With that shared goal, there would be no real conflict, and their bond as a couple would remain unharmed.
Momo Quan sighed sentimentally. "When the Emperor bestowed this marriage, I was terribly worried. But now I have met him, I realise that all the rumours and misunderstandings were unfounded." Plenty of men dote on their wives, but to spoil one this much — this was the first she had ever seen.
Yuxi couldn't hide her smile. "Yes! Being able to marry He Rui is my good fortune." She remembered how she had once wanted to flee from the marriage — thank goodness she hadn't. Otherwise, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.
Momo Quan no longer urged Yuxi, saying, "Then read a bit more, I'll look after Liu-er and Zaozao." She now devoted her full attention to the two children.
However, Yuxi didn't return to her book; instead, she fell into deep thought. They now controlled only two of West Sea's counties. To take them all, another war would be inevitable — and war meant death. Given the current state of the Northwest, she needed to minimise casualties. "How can I achieve my goal at the lowest cost?" It was truly a brain-racking problem.
It was already past midnight, and Yuxi was still awake.
Helpless, Momo Quan walked over and said, "Go to sleep already — we have to travel tomorrow!" She just didn't fathom how Yuxi could be so fascinated by these things.
Outside, the cicadas sang endlessly, yet Yuxi slept soundly.
Footnotes Full List
- li (里) is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, equivalent to around 0.5 km.
- 一只猴子 (yīzhī hóuzi) — a metaphor comparing a restless child to a monkey, a common Chinese idiom for playful mischief.
- 时辰 shíchen: 2 hours
- 戌时 xūshí: around 8–9 pm
- 触目惊心 (chùmùjīngxīn) means alarming or deeply distressing.
- 填不饱肚子 (tián bù bǎo dùzǐ), idiomatically still can't meet basic needs.
- The idiom 甩开几条街 (shuǎikāi jǐtiáo jiē) means she was far superior or outclassed him completely.
- This classical idiom, "夫妻齐心，其利断金 (fūqī qíxīn, qílìduànjīn)", means that when a couple works together with one mind, their combined strength is unbreakable.
- "捡了芝麻丢了西瓜 (jiǎnlezhīmá diū le xīguā)" — meaning losing something big while focusing on something trivial.
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