The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0761 Jiang Hongfu Arrives (3)

Xu Wu walked in and reported, "Wangfei, Jiang Hongfu has already entered the city and will arrive at the residence shortly." Yun Qing's regard for Jiang Hongfu made Xu Wu somewhat worried. Now, he could only hope that Jiang Hongfu was a good man and had not come with evil intentions to harm them.

Yuxi put down the memorial she was holding and returned to the rear courtyard.

Seeing how the father and daughters were dressed made Yuxi smile. Yun Qing was wearing a long sapphire-blue robe, while Zaozao and Liu'er were dressed in peach-red outfits. They were dressed so festively that anyone who did not know better would think they were celebrating the New Year.

Yun Qing looked at Yuxi's clothes and requested, "Please change into another outfit." Yuxi was wearing plain bamboo-green clothing.

Yuxi smiled and said, "All right, I'll go change now." However, she had to do more than just change her clothes; she also had to put on makeup.

Mama Qu, together with Gancao, spent about twenty minutes styling Yuxi's hair and doing her makeup.

Once Yuxi had changed her clothes, Banxia could not help exclaiming, "Wangfei is truly beautiful." Banxia and Banqin were twin sisters. The four new maidservants who attended Yuxi were all very reliable.

Yuxi chuckled softly. "That little mouth of yours is truly sweet."

Yun Qing looked at Yuxi's outfit and also nodded with a smile, complimenting her: "You look very good dressed like this." On ordinary days, Yuxi had to handle external affairs, so she wore clothes that made her look mature and gave her an imposing presence. It was only in the rear courtyard that she would wear such bright and delicate clothes.

Yuxi wore a long, peach-red kesi brocade📹 dress adorned with twin-lotus patterns and soft colour shading. Her hair was arranged in a flying-cloud bun, and she wore a full set of jadeite head ornaments. Her skin was as radiant and smooth as warm jade, glowing with a tender lustre. Around her eyebrows and eyes, there was an intrinsic, quiet authority—the hidden force of spring, never flaunted but unmistakably present.

When her husband praised her, the corners of Yuxi's mouth lifted slightly.

Very soon, Xu Wu walked in from outside and announced, "Wangye, Wangfei, Jiang Daren has already arrived at the main gate."

Yun Qing held Zaozao in his arms and said with a smile, "Let's go welcome my Biaodi." They had not seen each other for more than ten years, and without realising it, he walked a little faster. Yuxi, who was carrying Liu-er, could hardly keep up with him.

The husband and wife welcomed Jiang Hongfu at the second gate.

When Jiang Hongfu saw Yun Qing, he became very emotional. "Biaoge, I've finally seen you." When he received news of Yun Qing back then, he had written letters to him, but unfortunately those letters all sank like stones into the great sea. Over the years, he had not taken the initiative to contact Yun Qing again, yet he had not expected the Ministry of Personnel to transfer him to the northwest.

Jiang Hongfu was dressed in plain blue garments, with a greenish kerchief wrapped around his head, and he wore no accessories at all. His attire was extremely simple.

Looking at Jiang Hongfu, Yuxi could not help sighing inwardly. Although his appearance had not changed much, he had become more refined and reserved.

When Yun Qing heard these words, his eyes immediately reddened, and even his voice changed slightly. "I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime!" When he fled the capital all those years ago, he never imagined that they would be reunited.

Zaozao sensed the change in Yun Qing and touched his eyes, saying, "Daddy, don't cry..." Then she turned to Jiang Hongfu and said, "Bad person, big bad person."

As soon as those words were spoken, all the bitterness and ache in Yun Qing's heart vanished. Stroking Zaozao's head, he said, "Daddy isn't crying. Daddy is happy."

Zaozao showed that she did not understand.

Yun Qing did not explain further. Instead, he pointed to Yuxi, Zaozao, and Liu'er, and introduced them to Jiang Hongfu. "This is your saozi, and these are Zaozao and Liu-er..."

Jiang Hongfu greeted Yuxi, "Greetings, Biaosao."

After Yuxi smiled and returned the greeting, Yun Qing said to Zaozao, "Zaozao, this is your Biaoshu. Come, call him Biaoshu!"

Zaozao hugged Yun Qing's neck and didn't move.

Yun Qing stroked Zaozao's head and grinned. "The child is still so young. What does she know? Come on, let's go inside and talk!"

If this had been any other time, Yuxi would definitely have disciplined Zaozao. However, with a guest present, it would not have been appropriate for her to contradict Yun Qing or discipline a child.

Yuxi looked regretfully at Jiang Hongfu and apologised. "I'm sorry. This child has been spoiled by us." Zaozao did have quite a temper, but today was the first time she had been so rude to an outsider.

Smiling, Jiang Hongfu replied, "At such a young age, she already knows how to protect Biaoge. This is Biaoge's good fortune; even I feel envious seeing it!" As for what he was really thinking, only Jiang Hongfu himself knew.

As they walked along the road, Yuxi noticed Jiang Hongfu's gaze unconsciously fall on the wooden beams, which were carved with exquisite patterns.

Glancing at Jiang Hongfu, Yuxi commented casually and subtly, "This residence was built very extravagantly. The layer upon layer of beautiful scenery is enough to dazzle and confuse anyone. The garden is especially impressive, with rare flowers, unusual plants, precious artefacts, and exotic animals, not to mention the bridges and stone hills formed by diverted water. Who knows how much silver was spent building this residence back then?"

When Yun Qing heard this, his expression became rather unpleasant. All the money spent on this residence had all been squeezed out by Ji Xuan from the people's fat and marrow. "Who knows where that old dog Ji has hidden himself?" He had sent many people to search for Ji Xuan, but he seemed to have vanished without a trace. No matter how hard they searched, they could not find him. Without him, they would never find out where the gold, silver and treasures were hidden. For Yun Qing, who was short of money, this was indeed a vexing matter.

Upon hearing Yun Qing's statement, Yuxi could not help but cough a few times.

Jiang Hongfu interjected, "I have heard that Ji Xuan fled to Minnan. But whether this rumour is true or not, I cannot be certain."

Yun Qing frowned. "If he really fled to Minnan, then he will be very difficult to find." It was too far away, and searching for him would be costly in terms of both money and effort. If they failed to find him, it would be a huge loss.

Yuxi smiled and suggested, "You two brothers haven't seen each other for over ten years. Talk about something happy." Yuxi didn't think that Ji Xuan would have fled to Minnan, as he was unfamiliar with the area. If he had *really fled there, it would be very difficult for him to hide his movements.

Jiang Hongfu smiled and nodded. "saozi is right. Today, let's talk about something happy. Biaoge, I remember you used to be able to drink nearly one jin of white liquor. Your drinking capacity must be even better now, right?"

Yun Qing was in a very good mood and replied, "Two jin is no problem. What about you? Has your tolerance improved?" He remembered that Jiang Hongfu's tolerance was not considered good. Of course, that was just by his standards. The men of the Yun family were all excellent drinkers.

Yuxi smiled and said, "Herui, haven't you always wanted to drink that jar of sixty-year-old pear-blossom wine? Today, I'll fulfil your wish."

Yun Qing looked at Jiang Hongfu and smiled. "Today, I'm basking in Ah Fu's light. Ah Fu, you don't know this, but I've been thinking about this jar of wine for a whole year. Yet your saozi just wouldn't let me drink it." Yuxi generally did not allow Yun Qing to drink at home, unless he was entertaining a guest.

Jiang Hongfu expressed his gratitude to Yuxi: "Many thanks, saozi." Sixty-year-old pear blossom wine was a rare find. Under normal circumstances, a wine like this would be sealed and stored away.

Yuxi smiled. "Now that you are here, just treat this as your own home. There is no need to be polite with us." Since Yun Qing valued Jiang Hongfu so much, she would naturally make sure he was well entertained.

At lunch, seeing that more than half the dishes on the table were his favourites, Jiang Hongfu was moved. "I didn't expect Biaoge to still remember the dishes I like?"

Yun Qing pointed at one of the dishes and answered with a smile, "How could I not remember? Especially this dish of lion's head meatballs; those were your favourite."

The meal between the two brothers lasted nearly two shichen. When they came out, both of their eyes were red. Clearly, both of them had drunk until they cried.

Yuxi fed Yun Qing a bowl of sobering tea, washed his face, and changed his clothes. Only then did she cover him properly with a quilt and let him sleep.

Gancao, who had served them throughout the meal, said, "Wangfei, just now Wangye told Jiang Daren that he had never been able to return to the capital all these years to pay his respects at the graves of the Old Master and the others. As he continued to speak, tears began to fall from his eyes."

Yuxi sighed. In truth, she had always known that Yun Qing wanted to pay his respects to Old Master Yun very much. Previously, he could not return to the capital because he had not received an Imperial Decree authorising his return. Now, however, he could no longer return.

Meiyun walked in from outside and whispered, "Wangfei, Mr Yang says he has an important matter and requests an audience with you."

Upon hearing that it was an urgent matter, Yuxi did not hesitate and went straight to the front courtyard.

This time, Yang Duoming had brought bad news. "Wangfei, the Jiang family's people have already discovered Yan Xi's identity." He had also only received the news at noon, and upon learning that the Jiang family were looking for Yan Xi, he realised that this matter was very thorny indeed.

After hearing this news, Yuxi asked, "Was it Yan Xi who came forward to handle the matter in Luoyang?"

Yang Duoming nodded. "When Yan Xi went to invite people on the road, he had disguised himself and changed his appearance. Yet unexpectedly, they still managed to trace him. Wangfei, if Jiang Hongfu asks Wangye to come forward and help arrest Yan Xi, this matter will become troublesome." As long as the Jiang family knew that Yan Xi was working for Yuxi, they could guess that the matter involving Jiang Hongjin was connected to Yuxi. However, as for Yuxi and Yang Duoming, it was not the Jiang family that they feared, but Wangye.

No man liked his wife to be cruel and ruthless. If Wangye found out that not only had Wangfei given Jiang Hongjin a sterilising drug, but she had also caused his disfigurement, this matter would definitely not end peacefully.

Yuxi glanced at Yang Duoming and inquired, "Didn't I say that a third person must not know this matter?" What she meant was that Yang Duoming should personally handle it, but she had not expected him to actually send someone else to do it.

Yang Duoming did not explain either. Instead, he knelt and pleaded, "Please forgive me, Wangfei." He could have handled this matter on his own, but it was very dangerous. Luoyang wasn't the Northwest, after all. One careless mistake and you could end up buried there. Having Yanxi as the frontman meant he had a fallback if anything went wrong. However, he could not tell Yuxi that.

Yuxi retorted coldly, "Forgive you? Do you know how much trouble you have caused me?"