ROHYX Chapter 685 : Plotting

Two days after Yurong left the capital, news finally reached the Duke Han's residence. Ye Shi mentioned the matter to Qiu Shi. ...

Two days after Yurong left the capital, news finally reached the Duke Han's residence.

Ye Shi mentioned the matter to Qiu Shi. "Mom, don't you find this strange? Why would they suddenly send our Wu Guye¹ to Luoyang? And Luoyang isn't far from Haocheng either!" Ye Shi would not have cared if Jiang Hongjin had been reassigned elsewhere. But the fact that he had been sent to Luoyang made her think twice.

Qiu Shi, however, was not worried. "No matter what schemes these people are plotting, they can't possibly manipulate Yuxi anymore." Yuxi was no longer the person who could be rolled round or squeezed flat² by others as they pleased four years ago."

Ye Shi nodded. "I just wonder when Lord Duke will return." She wasn't foolish; she knew they were safest while Han Jianming was away. However, with her husband absent and no other adult males in the household, she couldn't help feeling insecure. Fortunately, Yuchen had been helping out; otherwise, life would have been impossible to get through.

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Second Madam Lu arrived. She had come to deliver good news to Lu Xiu: "Xiu-er, Jianye isn't dead."

Lu Xiu was both shocked and overjoyed. "Mom, is that true? My husband isn't dead? Is he really alive?"

Second Madam Lu frowned, sensing something off. "What do you mean, 'really alive'? Has someone else told you that your husband is alive?"

Lu Xiu wiped her tears away and replied, "It was my mother-in-law. She told me that my husband definitely wasn't dead and that the rumours outside were false." After recovering from her illness, Lu Xiu had attended to Qiu Shi a few times and quickly realised her mother-in-law was only pretending to be sick. It was then that Qiu Shi told her that, given Yuxi's temperament, it was impossible she would ever kill her own brother, and that the rumours were nonsense. Although Lu Xiu hadn't fully believed it, she had still kept a sliver of hope in her heart.

Second Madam Lu said, "Don't be too happy just yet. His Majesty already knows about this, and we don't know what punishment he'll hand down to the Han family." She was, of course, glad her son-in-law was alive, but the problem now was that he was involved with the rebel forces. If the Emperor became enraged, he could execute the entire Han family.

Seeing Lu Xiu's face turn pale again, Second Madam Lu quickly said, "Don't panic. Your father told me that the Han family won't be in immediate danger as long as the Duke Han is safe." Although Han Jianming hadn't succeeded in persuading Yun Qing to surrender in the Northwest, Yun Qing had agreed to hold his ground there and stop his campaigns. This achievement was still credited to Han Jianming. If the Emperor were to order the extermination of the Han family under these circumstances, it would send a chill through the hearts of all the other generals and soldiers.

In truth, the Emperor wanted to eliminate Yan Wushuang first, so he had to keep Yun Qing pacified. With Han Jianming still around, Yun Qing was unlikely to take any sudden action.

After a long pause, Lu Xiu stated, "My husband is seriously injured, and I can't rest easy. Mom, I want to go to Yu City to find him." She would rather go to Yu City and tend to her husband than live in constant fear in the capital.

Second Madam Lu hurriedly said, "You can't go to Yu City now. Otherwise, you and the children will lose your lives. Xiu-er, for now, just focus on taking care of your two children." She regretted marrying her daughter off to Han Jianye more than ever. If her daughter hadn't married him, she wouldn't be suffering like this.

This time, Lu Xiu had made up her mind. "Mom, I must go to Yu City." Had she not hesitated so much before, her family might already have been reunited.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and Second Madam Lu understood Lu Xiu's temperament all too well. "Don't be hasty. Even if you're determined to go to Yu City, you can't go now. Otherwise, before you even step out of the capital gates, you and the children will be dead."

This time, Lu Xiu had made up her mind to go to Yu City. "Mom, I'll wait until the ninth month at most. By then, I must go to Yu City."

Second Madam Lu nodded. "I'll talk to your father about this and let him think of a way." Children are debts³ — they never let one rest easy, not even for a moment.

That same day, Grand Chancellor Yu's seventh grandson, Yu Chunhao — whom he had sent to negotiate with Yan Wushuang — returned. Yu Chunhao has always been a pleasure-seeking, irresponsible, and frequently absent-from-home son of silk trousers⁴. In truth, though, his ability and resourcefulness were no less than those of his brothers. His reputation as a son of silk trousers⁴ was merely an act; otherwise, Grand Chancellor Yu would not have entrusted him with such an important mission.

Lowering his voice, Yu Chunhao said, "Zufu⁵, Yan Wushuang has agreed to our terms." Grand Chancellor Yu's condition was that Yan Wushuang must support his great-grandson Zhou Xuan in his rise to the throne. As for the current Emperor, Yan Wushuang could deal with him however he pleased.

However, the Eldest Master Yu was distraught. "Dad, what if Yan Wushuang goes back on his word? He controls the military. If he turns against us, we won't be able to restrain him." Their talk of putting Zhou Xuan on the throne was merely a plan to set up a puppet ruler.

Yu Chunhao thought his Dabo⁶ was overthinking it. "Dabo⁶, leaving aside whether Yan Wushuang keeps his word, Lin Fengyuan isn't on our side right now. If he doesn't ally with us, all our plans will be for nothing."

Grand Chancellor Yu said, "If we can win Lin Fengyuan over, he can balance out Yan Wushuang's power." Lin Fengyuan's abilities were in no way inferior to Yan Wushuang's; he just lacked resources and connections.

Yu Chunhao thought it was a good idea, though Lin Fengyuan might not be willing to join the Yu family. Only then did he realise that, although the Yu family wielded significant political influence, they had no military power. Once fighting broke out, they would immediately fall into the lower wind⁷.

The Eldest Master Yu expressed his concern, saying, "Lin Fengyuan's concubine mother is gone, and he has no full siblings. The rest of the Lin family mistreats him, so threatening him with his family would be useless."

Grand Chancellor Yu was not surprised. "Lin Fengyuan is an ambitious man. As long as we offer him enough benefits, he'll agree. If coercion doesn't work, then we'll have to tempt him with profit."

Having said this, Yu Xiang looked at Yu Chunhao and said, "I'm still entrusting this matter to you." Such secret dealings could only be handled safely by family members.

Yu Chunhao nodded. "Don't worry, Zufu⁵. I'll convince Lin Fengyuan." As long as Lin Fengyuan was ambitious, persuading him would be easy.

After discussing the affairs in Liaodong, the three — grandfather, father, and grandson — turned to the situation in the Northwest. The Eldest Master Yu said, "Dad, we've received word that Yun Qing has ordered Chu Shaoguang and Cui Mo to guard Yu City for now, while Han Shi is taking her two daughters to Haocheng."

When Yu Chunhao heard the name 'Han Shi', he interjected, "Zufu⁵, that woman is too dangerous — she must be eliminated quickly, or the consequences will be dire."

Grand Chancellor Yu glanced at Yu Chunhao and responded coolly, "The northwest must remain stable right now; otherwise, we'll lose control of the situation." He was already fully aware of Yuxi's danger. But the problem was that Han Shi's feathers and wings were now fully grown⁸ — he simply couldn't kill her. So far, he had miscalculated two things: first, Han Yuxi had not only won people's hearts but also incited Yun Qing to rebel; and second, the sudden emergence of Yan Wushuang.

Yu Chunhao, however, couldn't understand his grandfather's hesitation. "Zufu⁵, even if we can't kill Han Shi now, the rest of the Han family shouldn't be spared." In his opinion, when news of Han Shi's rebellion reached the capital, the Emperor should have executed the entire Han clan — that would have served as a warning to others.

Grand Chancellor Yu had never allowed Yu Chunhao to participate in state affairs because he thought his temperament was too impatient and unstable. "The Emperor didn't wipe out the Han family — not because of mercy or because the Hans disowned Han Shi, but because Han Jianming is still useful. If he weren't, His Majesty would have crushed the Han clan long ago."

Yu Chunhao asked, "Zufu⁵, how useful is that Han Jianming? You sent him to persuade Yun Qing to surrender, yet he returned with a memorial suggesting that Yun Qing be appointed Governor-General of the Northwest! I think he and Yun Qing are in cahoots."

Showing rare patience, Grand Chancellor Yu asked, "Did you notice anything fishy about the memorial that Han Jianming submitted to appoint Yun Qing as Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu?"

Yu Chunhao replied, "At that time, the Northern Barbarians were attacking. Yun Qing didn't want to be caught fighting on both fronts, so he used this as a delaying tactic. Once the situation in Yu City has stabilised, he'll definitely attack Henan."

Grand Chancellor Yu shook his head. "Yun Qing won't attack Henan. He truly wants to be the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu." Seeing Yu Chunhao's puzzled look, he continued, "The Northwest is sparsely populated. After years of war and natural disasters, countless people have died. If Yun Qing wages another campaign against Henan, there may be no men left to conscript." Nearly three hundred thousand had died in the Northwest, a fact that Grand Chancellor Yu could not ignore.

Yu Chunhao immediately understood. "So, Yun Qing and Han Shi want the Northwest to rest and recover? Zufu⁵, if that's the case, we mustn't agree to it!"

Grand Chancellor Yu shook his head. "Even knowing their intentions, we still can't refuse. The commanders of Henan and Shanxi each have their own private plans. It's impossible to wipe out the Northwest Army." Since they couldn't destroy them, they could only agree to Yun Qing's request. At least it would make them look better on the surface.

Yu Chunhao was reluctant to accept the situation, but he couldn't think of a better solution for now.

At that moment, a guard announced from outside the door, "Grand Chancellor, an urgent dispatch has arrived from the Northwest!" 'Urgent' meant that the matter was of great importance, which explained why the guard dared to interrupt, even though he knew that Grand Chancellor Yu was in the middle of a meeting.

Grand Chancellor Yu, who usually remained unflustered even if Mount Tai were collapsing before him, turned ashen after reading the report from the Northwest. "Han Shi has dismissed a sixth-rank official." To him, this was terrible news — it meant that the Han Shi was interfering in the Northwest's governmental affairs.

Grand Chancellor Yu knew Yun Qing to be a forthright and upright man, someone incapable of rebellion. Yet Han Shi had upended his understanding and somehow persuaded Yun Qing to revolt. Not only was her talent far beyond what he had expected, but her influence over Yun Qing was also greater than he could have imagined. Now that she was interfering in the Northwest's administration, he could no longer foresee what might happen.

Yu Chunhao exclaimed incredulously, "How can that be? Han Shi is just a woman! How does she have the power to appoint and dismiss officials?"

Yu Xiang replied, "It's an authority granted by Yun Qing. Now that Yun Qing is king of the Northwest, as long as he consents, no one dares to oppose whatever Han Shi wishes to do."

At this point, even the Eldest Master Yu also lost his composure as he inquired, "Dad, do we have anyone close to Han Shi?" This Han Shi was too demonic; it would be better to get rid of her as soon as possible.

Grand Chancellor Yu shook his head. "No." He had never thought Han Shi was worth paying attention to, so he hadn't placed any spies around her. He looked down on women in general—even someone as clever as Yuxi had never been taken seriously by him.

Yu Chunhao said, "Now we can only pin our hopes on His Majesty." Yun Qing's favouritism towards Han Shi was comparable to Emperor Zhongzong's indulgence of Empress Wei🔗 — both were equally lacking in principle and restraint, allowing their women to do as they pleased.

Footnotes Full List

1. 五 wǔ: fifth, 姑爷 gūye: son-in-law (used by wife's family)
2. "搓圆捏扁的人 (cuō yuán niē biǎn de rén)" (literally "someone who can be rolled round or squeezed flat") is a vivid metaphor for a person easily manipulated or controlled by others.
3. "儿女都是债 (cuō yuán niē biǎn de rén)" (lit. "children are debts") — a common metaphor meaning that children are lifelong burdens or obligations; they constantly worry their parents, like debts that must always be repaid.
4. 纨绔子弟 (wánkù zǐdì): A formal term for a "dissolute son of a rich family," a "dandy," or "fop" (implying that they are idle, spoiled, and hedonistic).
5. 祖父 zǔfù: paternal grandfather
6. 大伯 dàbó: father's eldest brother; eldest paternal uncle
7. "落入下风 (luò rù xià fēng)" (lit. "fall into the lower wind") — means to fall into an inferior position or to lose the upper hand.
8. "羽翼已丰" (yǔ yì yǐ fēng) lit. "her feathers and wings are full") — a metaphor for someone who has matured, gained full power and influence, and can no longer be easily controlled.

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