It snowed heavily and continuously for three days, blanketing everything outside the house in white. Zaozao was playing in the courtyar...
It snowed heavily and continuously for three days, blanketing everything outside the house in white.
Zaozao was playing in the courtyard, building a snowman. Once she had finished it, she happily called Yuxi over to take a look. "Mom, my snowman is finished! Hurry and bring Meimei over to see it!" Hongdou, Hongqi and the others had helped her build the snowman, too.
Seeing Yuxi standing there holding Liu-er, Momo Quan smiled and told her, "The weather is nice today, and it's not windy. You can take Second Young Miss outside for a little while." If it had been windy, they couldn't have done that.
Yuxi carried Liu-er into the courtyard and pointed at the snowman. "Liu-er, this is a snowman. Look, isn't this snowman pretty?" The snowman was plump and chubby, like a little fortune doll🖼️.
Liu-er looked at the snowman and suddenly struggled. "Mom, snowman." What she meant was that she wanted to play in the snow, too.
Yuxi did not dare let her play with it, though. "Your body is too weak. You can't play with snow." Even if Zaozao were exposed to a little cold wind, drinking a bowl of ginger soup afterwards would be enough to set her right. But if it were Liu-er, she would need at least half a month to recover. That was why everyone around her was usually extremely careful.
Liu-er didn't understand what Yuxi was saying and merely struggled with all her might to break free from Yuxi's arms. For Liu-er, who was usually so languid, this could be considered her first act of rebellion since she was born! What made it impossible not to smile was that she was rebelling for the sake of playing and nothing else.
When Yuxi refused to let go, Liu-er started crying. Her crying was completely different to Zaozao's. Zaozao would howl so loudly that she could practically deafen someone, whereas Liu-er's cries were very soft, yet her expression looked incredibly pitiful.
Watching Liu-er sob in little gasps, Yuxi could not help but soften her heart. It was rare for the girl to like something so much, so Yuxi decided to indulge her this once.
Although Zaozao was reckless in her actions, she was still a good elder sister. She took Liu-er by the hand, led her over to the snowman, and let her touch its carrot nose.
Holding the red carrot tightly in both hands, Liu-er stopped crying and smiled.
Seeing this, Momo Quan said, "Wangfei, I think you should let the sisters spend more time together. Under Eldest Young Miss's influence, Liu-er might start walking and talking of her own accord, without anyone having to force her."
From what had happened recently, Yuxi had also realised that Zaozao exerted considerable influence over Liu-er. "Mm. From now on, I'll let Zaozao take Liu-er with her when she plays."
Momo Quan was very surprised and asked, "Didn't you say that after the New Year, you would hire a teacher to teach Zaozao to read and write?" Wangfei's change in demeanour was so sudden that Momo Quan couldn't keep up.
Yuxi smiled. "There's no hurry about that." Yuxi had an idea in mind and felt this method should work. However, she would wait until after the New Year to deal with it.
While they were talking, Xu Wu walked in and reported, "Wangfei, a memorial has arrived from Xihai. It's marked urgent." Memorials marked with the two characters 'urgent' generally concerned matters that required immediate attention.
Yuxi handed Liu-er to Momo Quan and went straight to the front courtyard. As she read the memorial sent from Xihai, her expression became somewhat grave.
Xu Wu asked, "Wangfei, what has happened in Xihai?" Most of Xihai's inhabitants were tribal peoples with rebellious natures who refused to submit to discipline.
Yuxi placed the memorial on the table and replied, "The heavy snow has frozen many cattle and sheep to death. If this isn't handled properly, not only will the herdsmen have a difficult life next year, they might not even make it through this winter." After saying that, she added, "Summon Tan Daren, An Daren, and my Dage."
The three of them arrived very quickly.
Tan Tuo suggested sending someone to Xihai to provide disaster relief. He did not volunteer for the assignment, though. He was already advanced in years, and travelling in such bitterly cold weather would be difficult for him. Given his health, he would probably collapse before even reaching Xihai.
An Zike had caught a chill two days earlier and still hadn't recovered. Sending him to Xihai in his current state would be inhumane.
Yuxi looked at Han Jianming and said, "Dage, I'll have to trouble you to make this trip." Having to send her elder brother all the way to Xihai around the New Year made Yuxi feel quite apologetic towards Han Jianming.
Han Jianming nodded. "I'll go back, pack my things, and set out." As Yuxi's elder brother, Han Jianming actually had many matters of his own to deal with as well.
When Yun Qing returned, his expression was extremely grim. Yuxi initially thought it was because of the snow disaster in Xihai, but after asking him, she learned it wasn't.
Yun Qing said, wearing a cold expression1, "Yuxi, quite a few horse sheds in Xihai have collapsed. More than forty horses died and over seventy were injured." Every single one of these horses was precious. With more than a hundred horses suddenly lost or injured, it would have been strange if Yun Qing were in a good mood.
Yuxi was somewhat surprised. "Weren't those horse sheds only built this year? How could they have collapsed?" When the sheds were constructed, factors such as protection from rain and snow should have been considered. Under normal circumstances, they should not have collapsed after only three days of snowfall, unless there was an underlying cause.
Yun Qing said, "I'm planning to go to Xihai tomorrow to see what happened." If it was an accident, there was nothing that could be done. But if it were a man-made disaster, he certainly wouldn't spare those responsible.
Yuxi rejected the idea without even thinking. "Just find someone capable and send him over to investigate. There's no need for you to personally make the trip."
Yun Qing shook his head. "This is a matter of great importance. I have to go." He would not feel reassured unless he inspected it himself.
Yuxi suggested, "Just leave this matter to General Feng." Although she was also distressed by the dead and injured horses, Yuxi did not agree with Yun Qing going to Xihai in person. "Herui, if you do everything yourself, then what are the people beneath you there for?" One person's energy was limited. If he insisted on personally handling everything himself, wouldn't he eventually work himself to death?
After a moment's thought, Yun Qing said, "Then let's send Yu Cong!" He accompanied Yun Qing there last time and is therefore well acquainted with the situation.
Yuxi nodded. "Leave this matter to General Feng and have Yu Cong assist him." Yuxi recommended Feng Dajun because he was currently the commander of the Northwestern garrison. The horses raised at the stud farms were intended for military use and were not their private property, so Feng Dajun was the most appropriate person to step forward and handle the matter.
Yun Qing agreed. "I'll go to Tong County tomorrow and take a look." A tremendous amount of effort and money had been spent on these three stud farms. There absolutely could not be any more mishaps.
Yuxi felt somewhat helpless. However, after turning him down the first time, she feared refusing him again would upset him. Yuxi nodded. "You must be back before Lunar New Year's Eve." Yuxi agreed only because Tong County was nearby; otherwise, she would not have allowed it.
Yun Qing was an impatient man. He packed a few items of clothing and immediately set off for Tong County with some men.
After returning to the inner courtyard, Yuxi held Liu-er and murmured, "With your Dad being like this, Mom really does have to think carefully about things!" If they only intended to hold the Northwest, Yun Qing's behaviour wouldn't be much of a problem. At least she could help him with governmental affairs. However, if they wanted to progress further, it was still uncertain whether Yun Qing could take on a greater political role.
Liu-er touched Yuxi's face and said with a smile, "Mom, snowman, red carrot."
Hearing this, Yuxi stroked Liu-er's face and said, smiling broadly, "Oh! Our Liu-er can say more words now." Previously, Liu-er could say at most two words, and even then, they weren't always very clear.
Seeing Yuxi smile, Liu-er smiled along with her. Her silly little expression was still extremely endearing. Yuxi could not resist leaning over and giving her a loud, smacking kiss. "When our Liu-er grows up, the men coming to ask for her hand in marriage will probably form a line all the way to the city gate."
Momo Quan laughed and scolded her from the side. "You're far too cheeky! She's only two years old, and you're already talking about marriage proposals. Besides, if you're going to worry about anyone, you should worry about Zaozao first!"
At the mention of Zaozao, Yuxi began to worry. "Just look at what a tomboy Zaozao is. Who would dare marry her and bring her home?" Even if someone wanted to marry Zaozao, Yuxi would still worry whether he wanted their power and status rather than Zaozao herself.
Momo Quan smiled. "Look at Zijin. Even men can't compare to her, yet doesn't Yu Zhi comply and obey her a hundred times2? He even joined the army for her. So you really don't need to worry."
Yuxi said, "That was because Zijin was fortunate enough to meet Yu Zhi, someone who could accept her for who she is. But Zaozao may not be so fortunate..."
Momo Quan smiled. "You're just worrying for nothing. Does Zaozao really need to worry about finding a husband?" There were so many fine young men in the northwest. How could they fail to find one she liked?
Yuxi shook her head. "I only hope that Zaozao can marry someone who sincerely treats her well." It would naturally be easy for Zaozao to marry, but Yuxi wanted her to marry someone who genuinely wanted Zaozao herself rather than someone marrying her for some other reason.
Momo Quan felt utterly helpless. "You'd better go and read your books!" She had never noticed before that Yuxi seemed born to worry about everything.
Yuxi couldn't help laughing as well. In truth, she sometimes felt her worries were unfounded, but she couldn't stop herself.
The heavy snow had crushed quite a few houses, though the total number was small. For the past two years, the winds had been favourable, and the rains had come at the right time3, so the common people's lives had improved, and they had been able to repair or rebuild their homes. The authorities were also competent, and those affected were properly resettled.
One day before the New Year, the memorials from Xihai arrived. Yuxi first read the memorial sent by Han Jianming. He reported that, by the time he reached Xihai, the herders affected by the disaster had already been properly resettled with the help of the local authorities.
The second memorial was sent by Yu Cong. After reading it, Yuxi's expression darkened. With a cold face, she spat, "They've certainly got a lot of nerve."
Seeing her expression, Xu Wu asked, "When the stud farms were built, only the finest timber was selected! The General personally went to inspect them at the time, so there shouldn't have been any problems." Yun Qing might not have been as learned as Yuxi, but he was very experienced and had extensive practical knowledge. If anyone had tried to pass inferior timber off as high-quality timber, they certainly could not have fooled his experienced eye.
Yuxi shook her head. "The materials aren't the problem. It was because they neglected their duties that so many horses froze to death or were injured by the cold. They used this method because they wanted to escape responsibility."
Xu Wu's face flushed red with anger. "Wangfei, these people absolutely cannot be let off lightly." Not only had they neglected their duties, but they had also dared to deceive their superiors and hide the truth from everyone. They truly had enormous nerve.
Yuxi ordered that everyone involved in the case be executed and that their families' property be confiscated to compensate for the losses. Such a punishment was extremely severe by any measure. However, there was no other way; chaotic times required severe laws. Only then would others be deterred and similar incidents prevented.
Xu Wu did not object to Yuxi's punishment, but he felt it should not be carried out at this particular time. "Wangfei, there are only a few days left until the New Year. Let's wait until after the New Year to execute them!" It would be inauspicious to see blood during the New Year celebrations.
Yuxi nodded. "Have General Feng wait until after the Lantern Festival before executing them!"
Footnotes Full List
- 冷着脸 (lěng zhe liǎn) — wear a cold face; look stern, angry, or displeased
- 百依百顺 (bǎi yī bǎi shùn) — comply a hundred times and obey a hundred times; indulge or obey someone in virtually everything
- 风调雨顺 (fēng tiáo yǔ shùn) — the winds are favourable and the rains timely; favourable weather and good agricultural conditions
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