The fifth month was the season when the scholar flowers were in full bloom. When one lifted the carriage curtain, one could see the slopes ...
The fifth month was the season when the scholar flowers were in full bloom. When one lifted the carriage curtain, one could see the slopes covered in endless white blossoms, swaying in the breeze and filling the air with their fragrance.
MomoQuan took a stack of scholar flower cakes📹 out of the food box, preparing to feed them to Zaozao.
Yuxi stopped her. "Let her eat by herself!" The child was already two years old and could eat by herself. Though every time she finished, she was covered in crumbs from head to toe.
Smiling, Momo Quan handed Zaozao a piece of the scholar flower cake. "You should have a few pieces as well!" Sometimes she felt that Yuxi tended to correct the crookedness so much that it exceeded the straightness1 that she became overly self-restrained. No matter how delicious something was, she would always eat just a tiny bit to taste it. But Zaozao was the exact opposite—she loved everything except vegetables, and wasn't afraid of eating until she was stuffed.
Yuxi placed a pale-blue cushion behind her back and leaned against the carriage wall. "We're still more than fifty li2 from Haocheng. I'll rest my eyes a bit." It was already noon, and they wouldn't reach Haocheng until after dark. By the time they had settled in, she would probably only get to sleep around midnight.
Zaozao finished a piece of cake, then reached out to Momo Quan. "Very good. Want more." Mama Bai's pastries were truly getting over time.
But Momo Quan had already put the cakes away. With Zaozao's tiny stomach, one piece was more than enough. "There's no more—they've all gone."
Although Zaozao was still young, she was not easily fooled. She pointed at the food box beside them. "Want more. Tasty." Being allowed only a little of the good stuff each time filled her with resentment.
Momo Quan wasn't the type to spoil children, so ultimately, Zaozao didn't get her wish.
As the sun gradually set, Yuxi became increasingly worried. "An adult can skip a meal and bear it, but a child really shouldn't go hungry."
Xu Wu looked relaxed. "There's a small teahouse a few li2 ahead. Daniu has already gone ahead and asked them to prepare dinner. Once we reach that place, we can eat."
Hearing that there was a teahouse on the route, Yuxi was very pleased. "It seems this area has recovered quite well." If the area hadn't recovered, it would have been impossible for a teahouse to be operating out in the middle of their journey.
Xu Wu looked up—the sky was already growing dark. The General was the kind of person who lost track of time when he was busy, and judging by Madam's manner, she was no different.
Momo Quan shook her head without speaking. She had long known that Yuxi couldn't sit still. Since that was the case, it was better to let her be. Besides, Yuxi had a good sense of propriety and was open to advice, so Momo Quan wasn't too worried.
As dusk deepened, the guards around the carriage all lit torches to illuminate the road. Yuxi was holding Liu'er when she heard Xu Wu call out, "General!"
Yuxi lifted the carriage curtain with one hand and saw Yun Qing outside, mounted on a tall horse. She kissed Liu'er and smiled. "Your Dad has come to pick us up."
Yun Qing didn't enter the carriage; he simply guided his horse to walk alongside it. "Something held me up, or I would have arrived much earlier." With all the military affairs and administrative matters he had to deal with, he didn't even have time to catch his breath.
Yuxi didn't mind at all and said with a smile, "It's fine as long as you're here." In fact, even if Yun Qing hadn't come, she wouldn't have minded. With everything in ruins and in need of rebuilding, there were too many things to do.
When Zaozao heard Yun Qing's voice, she cried out for her father. As it was nighttime, Yuxi didn't want to let Zaozao go outside in case she would be frightened by the pitch-dark surroundings.
Momo Quan said with a smile, "Let me and the others move aside!" clearing the space for the family of four.
As soon as Yun Qing got into the carriage, Zaozao threw herself at him. However, she lost her footing and fell. Just as her head was about to hit the carriage wall, a pair of strong arms caught her in time.
Clinging to Yun Qing's neck, Zaozao happily called out, "Dad, Dad…" several times in a row, showing how much she had missed him.
Yuxi felt Zaozao was quite a little human spirit3. Yun Qing kissed Zaozao on the cheek—he had purposely shaved beforehand, so she didn't push him away in disgust this time.
Holding Zaozao with one arm and wrapping the other around Yuxi, he expressed, "You've worked hard." Travelling thousands of li2 with two children was no easy task.
Leaning into Yun Qing's embrace, Yuxi responded softly, "The trip was far too peaceful—more than I expected." She had thought they would encounter assassination attempts, poisonings, or something of the sort, but nothing happened at all.
Yun Qing had no idea what Yuxi was thinking. He said, "The back courtyard of the Governor-General's Residence has been completely tidied up. You can move in right away." He himself was now living at the Governor-General's Residence, though previously only in the front courtyard. The back courtyard had only recently been refurbished.
Yuxi smiled and nodded. "I heard the Governor-General's Residence is very large?"
The smile faded from Yun Qing's face as he replied, "The Governor's Residence covers more than forty mu4, with sixteen courtyards front and back. It has carved beams, painted rafters, artificial hills, and water features. Renovating the whole place will cost no less than over a million taels of silver." Back then, even their military pay was often in arrears, yet Ji Xuan lived in such extravagance. How could Yun Qing not feel angry?
Yuxi laughed and asked, "So that means there must be plenty of flowers and plants in the gardens?" In Yu City, the weather had been too poor, and the residence had been too small to grow anything well.
Yun Qing answered regretfully, "There were indeed many flowers and plants, but the gardens have all been dug up and turned over—more than half of them died." The gold and silver found in the Governor-General's Residence didn't match the records. With Yun Qing's approval, Guan Taizheng had the entire estate dug up to a depth of three feet. Even so, they found nothing.
Recalling what had happened in Linzhou, Yuxi asked with a smile, "Has the well water in the Governor-General's Residence been checked?" That amount of money must have been hidden in a very secret place.
Yun Qing nodded honestly. "It's already been checked, but nothing has turned up yet. Oh, right, about the message you sent earlier regarding the gold mine in Yongzhou, I've sent people to investigate, but there's still no news." If they could find both the money that Ji Xuan had hidden and the gold mine, he wouldn't need to worry about funding for at least ten years.
Yuxi said, "Don't get your hopes up. Ji Xuan isn't a fool—he must have hidden such a huge sum extremely well. If we're lucky, we'll find it. If not, never mind." It was precisely because Yuxi had this mindset that she wasn't anxious about it.
Yun Qing made a sound of acknowledgement, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Seeing his reaction, Yuxi said distressedly, "Close your eyes and rest for a bit." Having said this, she placed Zaozao next to Liu-er so that the two sisters could play together.
Yun Qing replied, "I'm fine." Since returning to Haocheng at the beginning of the month, he had been so busy every day that he had only slept for a little over two shichen5 — and even so, there were still many things he hadn't managed to take care of.
Yuxi urged softly, "Don't pretend to be strong. Lean against me and sleep for a while!" Yun Qing knew nothing about administrative affairs, and, unlike her, had no foundation to build on—he was literally learning from scratch. Exhaustion was inevitable; that kind of strain would make anyone want to scream.
Unable to resist Yuxi's insistence, Yun Qing lay down and leaned against the pillow, ready to nap. Seeing this, Zaozao crawled onto him and said, "Dad, I want to sleep-sleep too."
Yun Qing didn't put her down either. Smiling, he said, "All right, sleep with Dad."
But Yuxi disagreed. "If she sleeps now, she won't be able to sleep tonight." If Zaozao didn't sleep at night, she would make a fuss again. After travelling for more than two months, Yuxi wanted a good night's sleep.
Relying on Yun Qing to back her up, Zaozao ignored Yuxi. Naturally, Yun Qing sided with his daughter. "It's fine. If she can't sleep, she can't sleep. It's not like there's no one to watch her."
Zaozao had already napped at noon, so there was no way she could fall asleep now. She just lay on top of Yun Qing and played around! But despite her non-stop crawling all over him, Yun Qing was too exhausted to wake up.
The carriage drove straight into the Governor-General's Residence. It was only once they reached the second courtyard that Xu Wu announced, "Madam, we've arrived. You may get off now."
Yuxi nudged Yun Qing, but when he didn't react, she muttered to herself, "So tired… he must have gone quite some time without proper rest again." He relied too much on his youth that he didn't take his health seriously.
In the end, it was Zaozao who woke Yun Qing.
Yun Qing sat up and said with a smile, "How did I end up sleeping for more than a shichen5 just like that!" It felt as if he had barely lain down.
Yuxi replied disapprovingly, "How many days have you gone without proper sleep? You really don't cherish your health. While you're young, it's fine, but once you grow older, all the illnesses will come looking for you. By then, it'll be too late to regret it." She was busy, too, but she always made sure to get enough sleep.
Yun Qing smiled, carried Zaozao out of the carriage, and said, "I was afraid you wouldn't like the room they arranged for you, so I didn't let them touch anything."
As Yuxi walked inside and looked around, she saw that the bed, the tables, the chairs, and the Treasure Cabinet were all made entirely of red sandalwood, each piece intricately carved with exquisite patterns. One glance made it clear that they had been crafted by a master.
Following Yuxi's gaze towards the slightly old furniture, Yun Qing said, "In a while, I'll have people make a completely new set for you."
Yuxi shook her head. "These pieces are perfectly fine. There's no need to waste money on making new ones. I was just thinking of the furniture my mother prepared for me—it's still stored in the warehouse even now!" Most of that furniture was made of huanghuali wood. Unfortunately, she had never gotten to use it.
Yun Qing gently patted Yuxi, comforting her. "I've spoken with Dage6 and asked him to bring Mother-in-law and the others to the northwest when there's a chance."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Gao Song announced from outside, "General, a message has arrived from the capital." Gao Song had no idea what the letter contained.
When he heard the news that Huangzhou had fallen, Yun Qing's expression darkened. "Huangzhou has fallen—what can possibly stop Yan Wushuang's advance now? In three months, he will be able to march his troops all the way to the capital."
Yuxi shook her head. "If Yan Wushuang is colluding with people in the Imperial Court, he might not even need three months. But perhaps it's for the best—at least the hundreds of thousands of wronged souls who died unjustly in Tong City will finally get some sort of closure." However, given what the Emperor and the Song family had done, their deaths would be far from enough to atone for their crimes.
Yun Qing's voice was low and serious as he spoke, "If the capital is breached and the Emperor is killed, the entire nation will surely be torn to pieces."
Yuxi looked worried after hearing his words. "Once the capital is breached, it will certainly fall into utter chaos. I'm afraid Mom and Dasao7 might meet with misfortune." If a household full of elderly people, women and children encountered looters taking advantage of the turmoil, disaster would be inevitable.
Yun Qing comforted her by saying, "I think Dage6 must have made preparations long ago." Those words comforted Yuxi. Once the city was breached and chaos broke out in the capital, not to mention that the Duke's household currently had no adult male member, even if it did have one, they might still not be able to escape this disaster.
Yuxi nodded. "I hope Dage6 has arranged things properly so that he can bring Mom and Dasao7 to the northwest when the time comes."Once they arrived in the Northwest, with her there, the Han family's safety would be guaranteed. Furthermore, with Dage6's help, it would be as if she had gained an extra arm.
P.S. (Author June): (⊙﹏⊙)b8 My moral integrity has already been completely thrown away.
Footnotes Full List
- This idiom, 矫枉过正 (jiǎowǎng guòzhèng), is used to describe a situation where an attempt to correct an error or wrong is carried out with so much zeal, force, or extremism that the correction itself becomes an error.
- 里 lǐ: a traditional unit of length, equal to 150 zhang (市丈), and equivalent to 0.5 kilometre or 0.311 mile
- 小人精 (xiǎo rén jīng) — literally 'a little human spirit', meaning a clever, perceptive, somewhat mischievous child.
- 亩 mǔ: a traditional unit of area, equal to 60 square zhang (平方市丈), and equivalent to 6.667 ares or 0.165 acre
- 时辰 shíchen: 2 hours. 2 shichen means 4 hours.
- 大哥 dàgē: Eldest Brother
- 大嫂 dàsǎo: eldest brother's wife; eldest sister-in-law
- The core feeling this emoticon conveys is being put on the spot, feeling embarrassed, overwhelmed, or caught in an awkward situation. It's the visual equivalent of breaking out in a cold sweat.
COMMENTS