Upon receiving the news that the Imperial Court had bestowed the title of Pingxi Wang upon him, Yun Qing immediately rushed back to the Yu...
Upon receiving the news that the Imperial Court had bestowed the title of Pingxi Wang upon him, Yun Qing immediately rushed back to the Yun residence. At that moment, however, the residence was not decorated with lanterns and streamers to celebrate his ennoblement; quite the contrary, the servants in the household were acting even more cautiously than usual.
Yun Qing went into the study only to find it empty. He immediately turned around and went back to the back courtyard. At that moment, Yuxi was holding Liu-er and talking to her, her expression indescribably gentle.
Yuxi nodded and pointed inside the room, saying, "The Imperial Edict appointing you as Pingxi Wang is in the room—take a look at it yourself." After speaking, she went back to talking with Liu-er.
They had been married for over three years, and hearing the coldness in Yuxi's tone, Yun Qing could tell that she was unhappy. "What's wrong? You don't like this title?"
Yuxi replied calmly, "I don't like it, but I know I can't refuse it. By the way, besides the edict appointing you as Pingxi Wang, there's also an appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel appointing Jiang Hongfu as the Vice Prefect of Haocheng." Pingxi Wang sounded far more impressive than the Governor of the Northwest. But, truth be told, it was merely a temporary tool to placate them.
Yun Qing said to Yuxi, "Let's go inside and talk." He didn't understand why Yuxi was unhappy; they had known about this matter for a long time, so it shouldn't have affected her mood.
After entering the room, Yun Qing asked, "Is it this appointment document that's making you unhappy?"
Yuxi had no intention of telling anyone about her rebirth, not even Yun Qing or her own children. She asked, "If Jiang Hongfu came to harm us, how would you deal with him?" Given Yun Qing's temperament, even if Jiang Hongfu did something harmful, he likely wouldn't go so far as to k!ll him; at most, he would drive him out of the Northwest. Of course, Yuxi had her own ways of dealing with Jiang Hongfu, but she needed to know Yun Qing's attitude first, so that their relationship wouldn't be affected by him.
Yun Qing remained silent for a while before answering, "If he harms the soldiers and civilians of the Northwest, I will take his life." The implication was clear: if Jiang Hongfu didn't cause any major trouble, it would be overlooked.
Seeing that Yuxi didn't look very pleased, Yun Qing explained, "Yuxi, Hongfu is my cousin. We haven't seen each other for fifteen years. I'm very happy that he can come to the Northwest this time."
Yuxi lowered her eyes, looking down at Liu-er, and spoke calmly, "Before we understand his background, even if he comes to the Northwest, he must not be allowed to get involved in political affairs." Simply put, Jiang Hongfu, as Vice Prefect, would be nothing more than a figurehead with no real power in the Northwest.
Yun Qing put his arm around Yuxi's shoulders and said softly, "Don't overthink it. If he truly comes under orders from the Imperial Court to deal with us, I won't show him any mercy. To me, you and the children are the most important."
Yuxi gave a soft acknowledgement. "I have matters to attend to this afternoon. You handle the government affairs." Though there were only three provinces, there was certainly no shortage of work. Fortunately, there were capable officials like Han Jianming and An Zike; otherwise, she would have been exhausted.
Yun Qing nodded. "Then have a good rest."
In the afternoon, Yuxi selected several pieces of fabric and brought them to the bedroom to begin cutting them. She planned to make winter clothes for Yun Qing and the children herself.
Liu-er lay on the bed, quietly watching Yuxi. Yuxi couldn't help but smile at her serious expression.
After finishing his matters, Yun Qing called Xu Wu over and asked, "Go see what Madam is doing now." When he heard that Yuxi was making clothes, Yun Qing muttered, "Why is she making more clothes? There are already so many that they can't even all be worn." He felt it was somewhat wasteful.
Xu Wu thought that this was a blatant act of attracting resentment1. Fortunately, he had only two more months to endure before he would have a wife. Once he had a wife, she would naturally make clothes for him to wear.
After cutting the fabric, Yuxi saw that the weather was nice, so she took Liu-er for a walk in the courtyard. When Liu-er fell asleep, Yuxi took out her needle and thread and resumed making clothes.
When Yun Qing returned to the rear courtyard for dinner and saw Yuxi still sewing with her head lowered, he couldn't help saying, "I told you to rest for a day—why are you making clothes again?"
Yuxi put down the thread in her hand and replied, "I'm not doing anything else anyway, so why not?" Having something to do would keep her from letting her thoughts run wild.
Usually, when the couple went to bed and there was nothing else to do, they would chat a bit before falling asleep. But today, after getting into bed, Yuxi didn't say a single word.
Yun Qing hugged Yuxi from behind and said, "Yuxi, if there's anything on your mind, tell me—don't keep it hidden. We'll find a way to solve it together."
Yuxi shook her head. "Herui, I don't know what methods the Imperial Court will use against us this time. I'm a bit worried."
Yun Qing responded, "If their soldiers come, we'll block them; if water comes, we'll cover it with earth2. Don't worry—I'm here for everything!" The Northwest was home to his entire family, including his brothers, so allowing it to be destroyed was absolutely out of the question.
Yuxi responded softly, "Let's sleep!" She was tired, too.
Having not napped at noon and been busy all day, Yuxi quickly fell asleep once she lay down. In her hazy state, she saw herself being helped into a bridal sedan chair, while dressed in a bright red wedding gown embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.
The scene shifted again, and she found herself sitting in a wedding chamber adorned with red decorations, where dragon-and-phoenix candles burned brightly. Yet still the groom had not arrived, even though the sky had gradually darkened. Her hands twisted together uneasily, and she became increasingly afraid and panicked.
It was frighteningly silent outside, but she didn't dare speak or call for anyone. She sat motionless on the wedding bed, waiting, too afraid to sleep in case her husband would be displeased when he returned.
The night was long—especially long. She sat alone in the emptiness until dawn. And this was only the beginning of her suffering. Every day that followed was torment. Gradually, her heart grew numb, her tears dried up, and she went through the motions of life like a walking corpse.
In the end, she saw herself being dragged onto a pile of firewood. The wood was lit, and uncontrollable flames quickly consumed her. Before closing her eyes, she summoned her last remaining strength to shout, 'Jiang Hongjin, I will make sure not even your bones remain—I will grind your bones to dust and scatter them!"
Yun Qing was a very alert person; he immediately opened his eyes upon hearing a voice. At that moment, he heard Yuxi's trembling voice saying, "Grind your bones to dust and scatter them."
Yun Qing immediately realised that Yuxi was having a nightmare. He quickly patted her face and called out, "Yuxi, Yuxi, wake up, wake up!"
Yuxi opened her eyes and looked at Yun Qing, her gaze filled with hatred.
Yun Qing knew she had been frightened by a nightmare. He quickly held her close and comforted her in the same soothing tone he used to comfort Zaozao, "Don't be afraid, Yuxi. It's just a nightmare—there's nothing to fear."
When Yuxi heard Yun Qing's words, she gradually came to her senses. After a while, she finally shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry." She didn't want to say or do anything at that moment.
Gently holding Yuxi's icy hand, Yun Qing asked, "What kind of nightmare did you have, Yuxi? You even said you wanted to grind someone's bones to dust and scatter their ashes." For her to say something like that, the nightmare must have been extremely terrifying.
She definitely couldn't tell the truth. After a moment of silence, Yuxi said, "I dreamed that Yan Wushuang led troops to attack the Northwest. You, Zaozao, and Liu-er all died at his hands. I was the only one left alive, and my only purpose in living was to seek revenge." Now, when Yuxi lied, her face didn't redden, and her heart didn't race; she spoke very calmly.
Hearing this, Yun Qing's body stiffened. He quickly comforted her, "Dreams are the opposite of reality. Our family will be safe, and everything will go smoothly."
Yuxi hugged Yun Qing tightly and said, "I also hope the dream is the opposite. I would rather die myself, as long as you, Zaozao, and Liu-er are safe and well."
Yun Qing quickly scolded her, "Nonsense! You're not allowed to come to any harm either!" Without Yuxi, this family wouldn't feel like a family anymore.
Seeing how uneasy Yuxi was, Yun Qing deliberately started talking about amusing childhood memories to help her relax. Hearing his voice, Yuxi gradually fell asleep again.
Gently stroking Yuxi's face, Yun Qing murmured, "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to me, and I definitely won't let anything happen to you or the children." In the past, he had only wanted to climb higher in status in order to avenge his family, but now he just wanted to stay by Yuxi's and the children's side.
Yuxi slept until the sun was three poles high3. When she got out of bed, the first thing she asked was, "Has the General gone to the military camp, or is he in the front courtyard?" Upon hearing that Yun Qing was dealing with matters in the front courtyard, she didn't hurry over.
As the sun was out and there was no wind, Momo Quan carried Liu-er into the yard to bask in the sun. Mama Zeng was also in the yard, playing with Zaozao.
Looking at Yuxi's poor complexion, Momo Quan frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Your complexion looks so bad." Not only did she look unwell, but there was also an unshakable gloom between her brows.
Yuxi replied, "I had a nightmare last night—it frightened me."
Momo Quan knew Yuxi's temperament well; she was very bold and not easily frightened. "What kind of nightmare did you have?"
Yuxi shook her head, unwilling to speak. "Although it was a bit frightening, it was just a dream."
Momo Quan brought Liu-er to Yuxi and said, "Look at her, and you won't be afraid anymore." There was a saying: once a woman became a mother, she became strong. For the sake of her child, a mother could become especially resilient.
Liu-er blinked her eyes at Yuxi, as if to ask, "Mom, what's wrong?" The sight melted Yuxi's heart with tenderness.
They had only been in the yard for less than fifteen minutes when someone came from the front yard to announce, "Madam, An Daren4 has arrived. The Master asks you to come to the study."
When An Zike saw Yuxi, he started suggesting, "Wangye, Wangfei, the Northwest has a sparse population. If we can encourage people from Henan and Hubei to migrate here, it would be greatly beneficial." He would not have dared to make such a suggestion in the past, but now that Yun Qing had been officially enfeoffed as a Wang by the Imperial Court, he could use this to his advantage.
Yuxi said with a smile, "Your idea is good, but will the authorities let people leave?" Life was hard for ordinary people in Henan and Hubei, but how could the local governments possibly allow them to leave?
An Zike responded, "As long as we open the checkpoints and introduce some policies that benefit the people, I believe the common folk will find their own way to come." This solution would be the fastest way to rapidly increase the population in the Northwest.
Yun Qing nodded. "I think this method is feasible." In just over half a year, Yanzhou City had already taken in more than twenty thousand people. If checkpoints like Tong Pass were further opened, the numbers would surely multiply several times over.
Yuxi also nodded. "It's worth a try."
Footnotes Full List
- 赤果果的拉仇恨 (chì guǒ guǒ de lā chóu hèn): Openly showing off in a way that provokes jealousy or envy in others.
- 兵来将挡，水来土淹 (bīng lái jiàng dǎng, shuǐ lái tǔ yān): Literal meaning: "When soldiers come, generals block them; when water comes, earth covers it". Meaning: Deal with problems as they arise; respond calmly to any situation.
- 日上三竿 (rì shàng sān gān): It's already late in the morning.
- 大人 (dàren): title of respect toward superiors
きつね's Musing
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