The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0755 Bureau of Supervision (1)

Having completed the trial, Yun Qing returned to the Yun residence with Dou Ying, his facial expressionless. He handed Dou Ying over to Xu Wu before going straight to the rear courtyard.

Zaozao was playing in the yard at that time. When she saw him, she toddled towards him and threw herself into his arms. With that one pounce, Zaozao's muddy hands soiled Yun Qing's clothes.

Yun Qing picked Zaozao up, brushed the dust off her, and carried her to the kitchen to wash her hands. After cleaning her up, he smiled and said, "If your Mom sees this, she'll spank you again." Whenever Yuxi saw Zaozao covered in dirt like a mud monkey, she would spank her bottom.

In her babyish voice, Zaozao replied, "Not scared. Mom doesn't know." In truth, when Yuxi spanked Zaozao, it was all an act; how could she bear to use any real force?

Yun Qing really enjoyed talking to Zaozao, even if he didn't always understand what she said. He pinched Zaozao's nose and scolded her playfully, "You clever little imp! Come on, let's go and see your Meimei."

Zaozao raised her head and complained, "Meimei is lazy. She's so sleepy-sleepy and won't play with me." She had quite a few complaints about this.

Yun Qing stroked Zaozao's head and explained very patiently, "Your Meimei isn't lazy. She's just too little. Once she's grown up, she'll be able to play with you." Yun Qing had a headache over this matter: Zaozao had started learning to walk the moment she turned one. But as for Liu'er, never mind walking, she was not even willing to crawl. If Mama Lan and Momo Quan hadn't said that there was nothing wrong with Liu'er being like this, and if the physician hadn't examined her and also said there was no problem, he would have been worried sick.

Just as they were talking, they saw Yuxi, dressed in a royal-blue long skirt, enter the courtyard. Yuxi had received word that Yun Qing had returned, so she put aside the matter at hand and came over.

"Mom…" Zaozao reached out her arms, wanting Yuxi to hold her.

Yuxi walked over and stroked Zaozao's head. She then smiled at Yun Qing and said, "If Xu Wu hadn't told me, I wouldn't even have known you were back."

Yun Qing handed Zaozao to Mama Zeng and said to Yuxi, "Let's talk in the study." His heart had been somewhat unsettled just now, which was why he had come straight back to the rear courtyard.

After entering the study, Yun Qing said, "Yuxi, your original idea was right. We really should establish the Bureau of Supervision. With the bureau in place, they will have something to fear." The Kong Yang incident had greatly shocked Yun Qing. Merely because his tangmei had become Xiao Yongchang's concubine, Kong Yang had dared to act so arrogantly. What would happen if the culprit were someone with an even higher official rank? Yun Qing simply could not imagine.

This was also the reason why Yun Qing truly understood Yuxi's purpose in establishing the Office of Supervision. Their energy was limited, and it was impossible for them to control everything. But with the Bureau of Supervision, it was equivalent to giving them an extra pair of eyes. If the officials below did anything they should not have done, they would learn of it as quickly as possible and deal with it accordingly.

Yuxi nodded. "Uncle Huo previously said that setting up the Bureau of Supervision would cause the subordinates to become alienated. Now that the timing is right, no one will object to us setting it up." Since the Kong Yang incident happened first, no one would dare to object to the Bureau's establishment. This was also one of the reasons why Yuxi wanted to reopen the case.

Yun Qing acknowledged this and asked, "Do you have a candidate?" Since the Office of Supervision would be responsible for monitoring civil and military officials, the person filling this post would need to be honest and reliable.

Yuxi nodded. "Meng Fangjun." Noticing Yun Qing's puzzled expression, Yuxi explained, "Meng Fangjun came second in the Imperial Examination in the twenty-sixth year of Guangzong's reign. Because he was upright and outspoken, he offended the powerful in the capital and was eventually demoted to Linzhou as a subordinate seventh-rank prefectural judge." Fortunately, Meng Fangjun's uncle was a student of the former Grand Chancellor Yu and had connections in the capital, so he was able to help mediate on his behalf. Otherwise, Meng Fangjun would not merely have been demoted; his life might very well have been in danger.

Yun Qing responded, "The ways of the world are hard to predict, so we should first investigate his background." It was better to be more cautious now than to make a mistake later.

Seeing the gloomy look on Yun Qing's face, Yuxi smiled and said, "When the forest is big, there will be all kinds of birds. Don't keep troubling yourself over this matter." It really wasn't worth getting upset over someone like Xiao Yongchang.

Yun Qing hesitated for a moment before asking, "Yuxi, do you think Yuan Ying knew about this?"

Yuxi knew Yun Qing's temperament very well and knew that he wouldn't suspect Yuan Ying for no reason. Nevertheless, she shook her head and answered, "Yuan Ying is a smart man. He wouldn't do something so foolish. At that time, when you led the troops back to Yucheng, he was in charge of affairs in the northwest. If he wanted to amass wealth, all he had to do was drop the slightest hint, and people would naturally present him with large sums of silver. Why would he need to go to such lengths? So Yuan Ying definitely did not know about this matter."

Yun Qing retorted, his face darkening, "But Xiao Yongchang sent quite a lot of things to the Yuan family." He did not put Xiao Yongchang in his eyes at all; the person he was angry with was Yuan Ying.

Yuxi held Yun Qing's hand and said with a smile, "You're overthinking it. Xiao Yongchang is Madam Yuan's younger brother. If he sent some things to the Yuan residence, would Madam Yuan really go out of her way to tell Yuan Ying? Besides, after the war, you also gave them a lot of spoils. Would Yuan Ying really ruin his reputation over a mere ten or twenty thousand taels of silver?" The spoils that Yun Qing had obtained filled several warehouses. As one of his trusted generals, Yuan Ying must certainly have received many valuable items as well.

After hearing Yuxi's analysis, Yun Qing felt much better. "In Kong Yang's matter, even if Yuan Ying did not know about it, he still bears responsibility."

Yuxi nodded. "Yuan Ying bears responsibility for failing to supervise properly." In truth, there were some things Yuxi did not say directly. Yuan Ying might not have known what Xiao Yongchang had done, but Madam Yuan probably knew something.

Yun Qing sighed. "It hasn't been that long, yet they've already been blinded by money."

Yuxi smiled and commented, "Very few people can keep themselves under control when they suddenly become rich and powerful, so it will depend on you. If you strike the warning bell often enough, I believe they won't be so easily blinded by money, nor will they be so easily manipulated by others." In Kong Yang's case, Xiao Yongchang was one of those who had been exploited. But he had only himself to blame for being so brainless. He got what he deserved.

Yun Qing sighed. "I have already promised Dou Ying that I will help him find his younger brother and sister. I have already instructed Xu Wu to handle this matter."

Yuxi considered the matter more thoroughly and inquired, "Dou Ying is only eleven. Once you have found his younger brother and sister, how will the three of them continue to live?"

Yun Qing replied, "I plan to take some of the money from Kong Yang's stolen goods and give it to the three siblings. Then I will return the Dou family's house to them. Their livelihood should not be a problem."

Yuxi shook her head helplessly. Hearing Yun Qing speak like this, anyone who didn't know any better would think that Dou Ying's younger brother and sister had already been found. "Don't speak too soon. Let's find the two children first before saying any more. By the way, what are your plans for that set of blue-and-white wine cups?"

Without even thinking, Yun Qing replied, "I have already returned them to Dou Ying." They belonged to the Dou family, so naturally they had been returned to their rightful owner.

Yuxi felt somewhat powerless and pointed out, "Have you never heard the saying, 'The jade itself is innocent, but possessing jade brings guilt'?" The Dou family's situation proved this saying very well.

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• 29.06.26 :: Added missing paragraphs (again). Thanks, @virtualscreamer, for noticing them. Sorry for the incovenience.
• Actually, if the matter of the Dou family possessing treasures had not become known, naturally nothing would have happened. Since it had become known, it was very normal that others would look at them with greedy desire. It was just that the Dou family had mildew fallen on them, encountering such a conscienceless and deranged person. Not only did he obtain the items, but he also wanted to wipe them completely.Yun Qing hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then do you have any good solutions?” Having three children holding something worth a thousand pieces of gold in their hands was rather inappropriate.Yuxi replied, “If Dou Ying is willing, then the Yun residence can come forward and sell this set of wine cups.  With the money obtained from the sale, we can buy them some property, and that way they won't have to worry about their future livelihood. But if Dou Ying is unwilling, then we will not force it.” She felt that lost possessions could always be earned back. However, if one lost one’s life, then everything would truly be gone.Yun Qing remarked, “Those wine cups are very beautiful. I thought you would definitely like them.”Yuxi shook her head. “I don't drink wine, so what would I do with wine cups?” If outsiders found out, they might think she was after that set of wine cups too. What good things had she not seen before? Why would she care so much about one set of wine cups?On this subject, Yuxi felt somewhat regretful about the dowry she had received back then. “My mom prepared lots of antiques, calligraphy and paintings for me, but in the end, because the roads were unsafe, apart from bringing some jewellery and medicinal herbs, none of the rest could be brought along.” Those things were worth over a hundred thousand taels of silver! At the thought of them falling into Han Jingyan’s hands, Yuxi felt heartbroken.Yun Qing said, “I think she probably hid all those things away!” If it were him, and he had to move elsewhere, he would definitely find a place to hide the family's valuable objects. Then, when there was a chance, he would go back and retrieve them.

Yuxi smiled and agreed. "That is possible, too. But now Han Jingyan is living in the Duke's residence, so it's hard to say whether those things can be preserved." Yuxi truly did not want Han Jingyan to benefit, but getting the items back from the Duke's residence would be easier said than done.

At that moment, Yun Qing said something very philosophical: "What is meant to be yours cannot run away; what is not yours is useless to force."

Yuxi smiled and responded, "That is true in words, but how many people can truly see through it?" Those who could truly see through such things were all enlightened monks. As for a worldly person like her, even if she had lived two lifetimes, she still could not see through it.

After a moment's thought, Yun Qing said, "Regarding the establishment of the Bureau of Supervision, I'll speak with Uncle Huo about it tonight." Given what had happened with Xiao Yongchang, Uncle Huo would presumably no longer oppose it.

Yuxi suggested, "Why wait until tonight? You can go now…"

However, before Yuxi could finish her sentence, Zaozao's loud voice rang out from outside: "Dad, Mom, Meimei is crying!" Zaozao felt that her younger sister cried too much, slept too much and was too lazy to move; she was no fun at all.

Yuxi smiled. "Let's go out!"

After entering the side room, they could not see Liu'er. Mama Lan explained, "Second Young Miss is drinking milk in the inner room." The wet nurse always fed the baby in the inner room.

When Zaozao heard this, she happily patted Yun Qing. "Father, I want to drink milkies too." Zaozao had been drinking goat's milk since she was two years old, and after becoming used to it, she wanted to drink it every day.

Yun Qing smiled. "All right, let's go drink goat's milk." Zaozao ate a lot, but because she was so active, she digested food quickly too. This was precisely why Zaozao, who was not yet three years old, looked about the same size as other families' four- or five-year-olds.

As soon as the father and daughter had left, the wet nurse carried out Liu-er, who had eaten her fill. Looking at the delicate and refined Liu'er even when she was burping, Yuxi smiled and wiped the milk stain from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

Momo Quan proposed, "Let's take Liu'er outside for a short walk!" Liu-er didn't like moving around much, but on nice days, either Momo Quan or Mama Lan would carry her outside to enjoy the sunshine.

Yuxi kissed Liu'er. Liu'er, who was still nursing, smelled entirely of milk at that moment. "The sun is too strong right now. Let's go later in the evening!" After saying that, she turned to Liu'er and said, "Liu'er, let's go find Father and your elder sister. What do you say?"

Liu'er blinked, as if to say yes.