There is an old saying: ' Having obtained Long, one then covets Shu 1 '. Yuxi was precisely in this state of mind right now. Having...
There is an old saying: 'Having obtained Long, one then covets Shu1'. Yuxi was precisely in this state of mind right now. Having found a gold mine, she had started worrying about Ji Xuan's family fortune again.
Yuxi asked Yun Qing, "Where do you think Ji Xuan actually hid all the gold and silver?" According to the intelligence they had gathered, the money was not in the Governor-General's Residence. However, no one knew where Ji Xuan had actually hidden it.
Yun Qing was also eager to find the money, as it would ease their financial burden considerably. Even though they had seized a considerable amount, it was still far from enough. "Unfortunately, after Ji Xuan fled to Henan, he disappeared without a trace. If we had caught him, we would have been able to locate the money."
Yuxi felt it was such a pity.
Yun Qing said with a smile, "Don't dwell on it. Being able to find a gold mine is already excellent news indeed. By the way, Yuxi, I plan to hand the task of mining the gold to Yu Cong—what do you think?" Yu Cong was his trusted aide, so Yun Qing felt reassured about leaving it to him.
Yuxi had no objection as to who would mine the gold. "But the gold that's extracted must be distributed by me." Yun Qing was fine in every other respect, except for one flaw: whenever money was involved, he prioritised the military. This one-sided focus might not cause any problems in the short term, but it would lead to serious conflict between civil officials and military officers over time.
Yun Qing asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to build a horse ranch in Xihai? The initial expenses for a ranch are still quite substantial." Yun Qing had a special emotional attachment to the army camps, so it was inevitable that he was somewhat biased.
Yuxi shot Yun Qing a glare. "I never said we would not be building the ranch. But there has to be a proper plan first. You can't just do nothing and then hold out your hand, asking for money." Starting work without proper preparation would only lead to major problems later.
After a brief pause, Yuxi exclaimed, "Oh, right! Liu Biyuan said that, if we want to raise horses, the Heyang🔗 area would be best. The water and grass there are abundant. I think it's a very good suggestion. Heyang isn't far from Haocheng either, so if anything happens, we'll be informed in time." When it comes to horse ranches, two factors must be considered: water sources and grass supply.
Yun Qing nodded and said, "Build two or three small ranches in Hexi🔗, and then two large ones over in Xihai. That way, we'll basically have enough horses." He had already thought all this through.
Yuxi glared at Yun Qing unhappily. "If you already had plans, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Yun Qing explained, "It's not that I deliberately didn't tell you—I just hadn't made a final decision yet." When it came to military matters, Yun Qing always informed Yuxi only after he had thoroughly considered and prepared everything.
Yuxi snorted coldly. "Building horse ranches isn't hard, but what about the horses themselves?" Handlers were easy enough to find, but finding suitable horses was the real difficulty. Finding horses that were both strong in endurance and easy to raise was no simple task.
Yun Qing had long planned for this. "The northern barbarians' cavalry is formidable, not only because their people grow up on horseback, but also because their horses are excellent. I plan to have Yun Shan bring more horses in from beyond the frontier for breeding."
Yuxi was surprised. "Didn't you always oppose Yun Shan selling grain beyond the frontier?" After all, good horses could only be obtained by trading grain.
Yun Qing answered somewhat awkwardly, "This is a special situation. Trading grain for horses is worth it." After all, one couldn't be too rigid when dealing with matters like this.
Only now did Yuxi understand why Yun Qing had not mentioned this matter to her earlier—he had simply been afraid she would laugh at him. Yuxi chose not to expose this little bit of his cautious thinking and said with a smile, "This year's harvest is quite good, but this amount of grain is still far from enough for our needs. I'm planning to send people to Taiyuan to purchase another batch of grain. What do you think?" Yuxi had already sent Han Ji to Jiangnan previously. Of course, sending Han Ji to Jiangnan was not solely to procure grain; he had other tasks to complete as well.
Yun Qing naturally had no objections to this. After all, no one would ever complain about having too much grain, and they still had some money on hand.
After finishing their discussion about the northwest, the couple turned to matters in the capital. Yuxi said, "Jing Wang2 chose the title 'Taichang3 for his reign. It's a fitting name, symbolising national stability, public safety and flourishing prosperity." Unfortunately, ideals were beautiful while reality was cruel. Setting aside distant places, just Henan and Sichuan alone saw two major uprisings last month.
Yun Qing commented, "I'd always heard that Jing Wang2 treated worthy men with courtesy and was magnanimous and benevolent. I never expected him to turn out to be someone so two-faced and deeply scheming."
Yuxi let out a small laugh and said, "The imperial family are all experts at calculation — they're the type of people who chew bones without ever spitting out the scraps4. Where would you find anyone who is truly kind-hearted among them?" Yuxi had her doubts about Jing Wang2's sudden alliance with Yan Wushuang and the overwhelming support he had gained. Although the late Emperor Tianqi had been somewhat eager for quick success, he was by no means a straw bag5. For Jing Wang2 to have built such a powerful faction right under the late Emperor Tianqi's nose without being stopped would be nothing short of a fantasy. Thus, Yuxi suspected that there must be more to the matter than met the eye.
Although Yuxi had this suspicion, she was unwilling to tell Yun Qing. If Yun Qing came to believe that Emperor Taichang was benevolent and kind, and if he were to submit to the Imperial Court one day because of it, then she would truly have cause to cry. Of course, this was highly unlikely, but Yuxi did not dare to take the risk.
Seeing that Yun Qing's expression was not very pleasant, Yuxi deliberately brought up Yan Wushuang. "The Emperor only granted Yan Wushuang a duke's title—how stingy! He Rui, if the Emperor ever tries to appease you by offering you a dukedom, you must not accept it. At the very least, it should be the rank of Wang2."
Yun Qing felt that Yuxi's suggestion was rather far-fetched. "It's already quite good that the Emperor isn't sending troops to attack us right now. You still want a noble title? Where would such good fortune come from? Besides, how could becoming a non-imperial Wang2 be so easy?" No matter how naïve Yun Qing might be, he knew that the four non-imperial Wang2 enfeoffed at the founding of the dynasty had all eventually been wiped out.
Yuxi did not think this was mere fantasy. "Right now, the Emperor fears war even more than we do, because the Imperial Treasury simply can't produce the money." If the Emperor didn't want to fight, he would have to pacify them. If he couldn't offer wealth, then he could only offer empty titles.
Yun Qing laughed in disbelief. "Even so, a Wang2 title isn't something the Imperial Court will give just because you want it." After all, a Wang2 rank wasn't a napa cabbage—you wouldn't receive one just because you wanted it.
Yuxi did not dwell on the matter; she merely wanted to remind Yun Qing.
Mama Qu walked in from outside and announced, "General, Madam, it's time to eat." Mama Qu had only arrived at the end of the sixth month, having come along with Yuxi's luggage.
Upon seeing Mama Qu, Yun Qing suddenly remembered something. "Yuxi, do you think you could ask Momo Quan to help Yu Cong's wife regulate her health? They've been married for five years now and still don't have a child."
Yuxi glanced at Yun Qing and asked, "Did Yu Cong ask you?" As far as Yuxi knew, Lin Chunxiang6 hadn't seemed anxious about not having had a child in the last five years.
Yun Qing felt somewhat suspicious and asked, "Yes? What's wrong?" Although he thought that there was something strange about Yu Cong not having had a child in five years of marriage, it was Yu Cong's private matter, and there was no way he would openly ask about it.
Yuxi smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing. If we want Momo Quan to help with conditioning the body, Lin Shi has to see a physician first to find out what the problem is." Momo Quan was skilled at regulating the body, but she was not a physician. A physician had to make a diagnosis first before Momo Quan could prepare medicinal meals tailored to the illness.
Yun Qing nodded. "I already mentioned this to Yu Cong." He was well aware of Momo Quan's particular limitations.
After a pause, Yun Qing said, "I've been feeling a bit hot internally lately. Could you ask Momo Quan to prepare some cooling medicinal dishes?" Momo Quan's medicinal meals were delicious, and Yun Qing particularly enjoyed them.
Yuxi replied, smiling mischievously, "There's no need for Momo Quan — I'll make them for you."
Yun Qing's expression instantly cracked. Yuxi's medicinal cooking was more terrifying than poison — forget eating it; just thinking about eating it made Yun Qing shudder with fear.
Seeing this, Yuxi wrapped her arms around Yun Qing's waist and laughed. There was no way she would actually make medicinal food for him — even she didn't dare eat it herself. She had only said it to tease him.
Only then did Yun Qing realise he had been tricked. "Such audacity — you actually dared to toy with me!" Although he shouted like that, he was actually very pleased. Yuxi was far better than before; in the past, he couldn't even tell when she was angry.
Hearing Yuxi's laughter from outside, Mama Qu stopped urging the couple to come out. After all, it was summer, and the dishes wouldn't go cold if left out for a bit longer.
Qiu Shi travelled with Ye Shi and the children, but Ye Shi's health was truly poor. She could barely manage to hold on until they reached Quanzhou City before collapsing from illness.
After examining Ye Shi, the physician said that she must quietly rest and could no longer endure exertion. Otherwise, her body would not be able to take it. The implication was clear: if she continued travelling, her life would be in danger.
Therefore, Shang Da proposed that Qiu Shi should take the children and continue the journey without Ye Shi. Two people would stay behind to care for Ye Shi and accompany her to the northwest once she had recovered. Seeing Qiu Shi's reluctance, Shang Da said, "Old Lady, the Eldest Lady won't recover in three to five days. If we stay here any longer and fail to reach the northwest, it will draw attention, and the Duke will grow anxious."
Qiu Shi was unwilling to leave Ye Shi alone behind.
However, after waking up, Ye Shi was the one who took the initiative to persuade Qiu Shi. "Mom, take the children and go ahead first. If you and the children reach the northwest safely, I'll be more at ease." She didn't want to be a burden to Qiu Shi and the two children.
Qiu Shi still refused.
Ye Shi grasped Qiu Shi's hand and begged, "Mom, Shanxi is in chaos as well. Staying here is far too unsafe. Take the children and leave first — once I have recovered, I will join you."
Seeing this scene, Mama Li stepped forward and said, "Old Lady, if you're worried, I'll stay behind to care for the Eldest Lady." This place was far too dangerous. En route from Baoding to here, their group had encountered two bands of bandits. Although they survived the ordeal unharmed, Mama Li felt it would be safer to reach the northwest as soon as possible.
Qiu Shi hesitated briefly, but ultimately nodded for the sake of the two children. With Mama Li looking after Ye Shi, Qiu Shi truly felt much more at ease.
Shang Da left behind someone who could speak the Shanxi dialect to care for Ye Shi while she recuperated in the city. No matter how chaotic Shanxi was, the prefectural city was still relatively safe. Shang Da explained his plan to Qiu Shi: "Once we have escorted you to the northwest, we'll come back to fetch the Eldest Lady." Ye Shi's illness would take at least one or two months to recover—more than enough time for a round-trip.
Footnotes Full List
- 得陇望蜀 (dé lǒng wàng shǔ): Figurative meaning for being greedy or dissatisfied—wanting more even after already achieving something.
- 王 wáng: king. Second only to the Emperor, higher than a prince.
- 泰昌 (Tàichāng)) ', literally meaning peaceful and prosperous. Actually, the characters are taken from two phrases, 国泰民安，繁荣昌盛 (guó tài mín ān, fán róng chāng shèng), which are mentioned in the latter part of Yuxi's dialogue—national stability, public safety and flourishing prosperity.
- 吃骨头不吐渣 (chī gǔ tou bù tǔ zhā): Metaphor for being extremely calculating and exploitative, leaving nothing behind for others.
- 草包 (cǎo bāo): Slang for a fool or an incompetent person.
- Yu Cong's wife
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