The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0811 Growth

Ye Shi wanted Momo Quan to help nurse her body back to health, for she knew what Momo Quan was capable of. What she hadn't expected was that although Yuxi hadn't refused her, Momo Quan did.

Momo Quan refused because she didn't want to get involved in the matter. She said indifferently, "I am getting on in years, and my energy is no longer what it once was. How could I possibly manage to care for Madam? Madam should ask a physician to help nurse your health instead."

Ye Shi stroked her belly and responded, "Momo, this child is my life. I cannot be without him. Please help me save this child." For her child's sake, she didn't care even if it damaged her face and reputation.

Momo Quan replied expressionlessly, "When it comes to saving lives, Madam should consult a physician. This old woman is also powerless to do anything. There are still many matters awaiting me at the residence, so I shall not disturb Madam any longer." With that, Momo Quan turned and left.

Ye Shi watched Momo Quan's retreating figure, seething with anger. She was just a palace maid, yet she actually dared to behave so arrogantly.

Mama Li, who had been assigned to care for Ye Shi, saw this and reminded her, "Momo Quan is not just Wangfei's governess; she is also the honoured teacher who instructed her." Compared with Momo Quan, even Ye Shi, Yuxi's sister-in-law, had to stand further back.

Ye Shi's pregnancy was already unstable, and now that she was angry, her abdomen began to hurt. Alarmed, Ye Shi hurriedly called to Mama Li, "Quick, quickly fetch Physician He!" Since one matter should not trouble two masters, and Physician He had diagnosed her the previous time, it was best to let him continue to care for her health.

After taking Ye Shi's pulse and examining her, Physician He prescribed another medicinal formula to help stabilise her pregnancy. He then told her to rest in a quiet environment and avoid drastic emotional fluctuations. He also advised her to stay in bed until her pregnancy was over three months old.

Ye Shi hurriedly nodded.

As soon as Momo Quan returned to the residence, Yuxi heard about it. After thinking for a moment, Yuxi put aside what she was working on and returned to the rear courtyard as well.

As soon as Yuxi entered the room, she saw Momo Quan tap Liu-er on the forehead and say, "You mustn't be as foolish as your mother and let other people lead you around by the nose."

Yuxi knew those words were meant for her, so she hurriedly told Qiuhe to carry Liu-er out. Once they were alone, Yuxi asked, "Momo, you've found out about it?" Yuxi hadn't told Momo Quan beforehand because she assumed Momo Quan would learn about it once she reached the Han residence.

Momo Quan glared fiercely at Yuxi and snapped, "Is this the sort of matter you should be putting your hand into? Once you get your hands on something like this, you will end up with a fishy stench all over you."

Yuxi was helpless about it as well. She protested, "I couldn't truly stand by and watch Ye Shi take the child with her to her death, could I?" She knew it was wrong to get involved, but the problem was that even if she had another chance, she still wouldn't have been able to stop herself from doing so.

Momo Quan stared at Yuxi until Yuxi felt a prickling in her heart. Only then did Momo Quan say, "If your eyes were fixed only on this little corner of the northwest, I would say nothing." Momo Quan had managed to avoid aligning herself with any imperial consort or faction, surviving the imperial harem until she could leave the palace. No need to say how deep her thoughts ran. Moreover, she had personally taught Yuxi, so how could she possibly fail to see what Yuxi was thinking?

Yuxi's heart gave a sudden jolt, but not even half a ripple appeared on her face. "Momo, no one knows what the future will bring. We should simply take care of the present." What she meant was that, yes, she did have certain ideas, but everything would still depend on how circumstances developed.

Hearing this, Momo Quan advised her, "Since you harbour such intentions, you cannot continue to be soft-hearted. If your heart is compassionate and your hand is soft, in the end you will harm not only yourself, but Wangye and your two children as well." She had seen far too many such precedents.

Yuxi said, "Dage will handle this matter properly. Otherwise, I would never have become involved." Han Jianming would undoubtedly take care of everything that followed.

Although Yuxi was soft-hearted, she had thought the matter through clearly and had not acted rashly.

Momo Quan said softly, "Yuxi, you need to make Old Madam Han and Ye Shi understand that you are now Pingxi Wangfei; you're not the unmarried daughter of the Han family anymore. A married daughter is like water that has been poured out. If you are willing to help the Han family, that is because you are filial and still care about your maiden family. If you choose not to help, that is also the principle of Heaven and the righteousness of Earth. A married daughter has no reason to constantly support her maiden family. Yuxi, you are now not only the Yun family's daughter-in-law, but also the ruler of the Northwest. They should be the ones accommodating you, not the other way around." Momo Quan had already wanted to say this when Yuxi took her husband and daughter to the Han residence for New Year's Eve dinner, but it was the festive season, and she was afraid Yuxi would be upset if she said it then. Besides, Yuxi had already agreed to go, so going back on her word would not have been good either.

There was nothing wrong with Yuxi being filial towards Qiu Shi, but she was now the Yun family's daughter-in-law. Even if she felt that Old Madam Han would be lonely on her own, she should have invited Qiu Shi to the wangfu for New Year's Eve dinner rather than going to the Han residence.

After a pause, Momo Quan continued, "I do not deny that Old Madam Han raised you and that you owe her for that. But her treating you so well did not come without cause or reason. It was because your birth mother saved her son. And everything you have today has been achieved through your own efforts, not because of the Han family. A sheng of rice brings gratitude, but a dou of rice breeds resentment. If you continue like this, the Han family will not be grateful. They will merely think that your kindness towards them is what is naturally expected of you. By then, your filial devotion will have become the means by which they indulge themselves." There was nothing wrong with Yuxi being filial to Qiu Shi. Even if Qiu Shi had originally been kind for a reason, she had indeed treated Yuxi well all these years. But filial devotion should also have its limits.

Yuxi had never considered the matter from this perspective before and was stunned by Momo Quan's words.

Seeing Yuxi's reaction, Momo Quan continued, "Why do you think Ye Shi told you to your face that there would be one corpse but two lives lost? It was because she could see what you were thinking. It wasn't just because you're soft-hearted and afraid of having a reputation for malicious intent. More importantly, she knew that, for Qiu Shi's sake, you would intervene in the matter. Yuxi, first there was Han Jianye, who nearly cost you and Liu-er your lives, and now Ye Shi is scheming against you. If you continue indulging them like this, something else will certainly happen in the future." At this point, Momo Quan added, "Ye Shi is a pregnant woman in poor health, and she was travelling in a carriage. With so much time available, how could Han Jianming have possibly failed to catch her if he had truly pursued her?" Han Jianming could ride, and a horse was much faster than a carriage. The only reason he had failed to catch up was that he had deliberately released the water.

Momo Quan was truly wronging Han Jianming with that accusation. He had spent several days travelling in bitterly cold weather and was utterly exhausted. After bathing, he had someone massage him, which felt so good that he fell asleep. Had Yuxi not sent someone to call him over, he would still have been dreaming!

Yuxi sank into deep thought. After a long while, she smiled bitterly and admitted, "Momo is right. In this matter, I was caught behind a barrier of delusion." Not only had she underestimated Ye Shi, but she had also underestimated the seriousness of the matter.

Momo Quan was gratified to see Yuxi change her way of thinking so quickly. "Ye Shi has really exhausted every ounce of her thought to preserve this child." From Ye Shi's perspective, her dedication to her child was admirable. But from Yuxi's perspective, being schemed against in this way was naturally infuriating.

Exhaling the murky air in her heart, Yuxi stated, "Momo, I know what to do now." She would certainly continue to look after the Han family, just not in the same way as before.

Momo Quan nodded. "Yuxi, there is one saying you must firmly remember: the merciful do not command troops, and the benevolent do not wield power. If you wish to become a qualified ruler, you must be able to harden your heart when necessary."

Yuxi's heart trembled, and she said gratefully, "Momo, fortunately I have you by my side." Whenever her actions strayed off course, Momo would always tap her awake in time.

Momo Quan did not take the credit for herself. Instead, she smiled and remarked, "Making mistakes is not a serious problem. As long as you recognise your mistakes and correct them, that is enough. In this respect, you have always done very well." Yuxi had made her fair share of mistakes before Momo Quan arrived in the northwest, but she had always tried to better herself.

Hearing this, Yuxi could not help laughing. "Momo, if you praise me this much, aren't you afraid I'll become complacent and conceited?"

Momo Quan countered, "Would you become complacent and conceited?" She had never once seen Yuxi behave arrogantly. On the contrary, Yuxi always said modestly that she had not learnt much and knew only a little skin and fur. If anything, she was almost excessively modest.

As they were speaking, they suddenly heard faint crying. Seeing the bumps that had risen on Liu-er's forehead, Yuxi immediately told Gancao to find some medicine to apply to them.

Momo Quan asked Qiuhe coldly, "What happened to Second Young Miss?"

Qiuhe knelt on the floor, trembling as she answered, "This servant failed to take proper care of Second Young Miss and allowed Young Miss to knock herself against the table." Liu-er usually did not move around much and could amuse herself with pieces of paper for half a day. Just now, Liu-er had been playing with the paper while Qiuhe sat nearby, dozing off.

After hearing Qiuhe's explanation, Momo Quan reprimanded her coldly, "You failed in your duty to protect your mistress. Slap your mouth ten times, and your wages will also be withheld for three months."

Qiuhe did not dare object. Since Second Young Miss was injured, Qiuhe had originally thought that she would be thrown out. She was an orphan, and if she were expelled, she would have nowhere to go. Therefore, receiving only this punishment was an unexpected stroke of good fortune.

Yuxi took the medicine, applied it to Liu-er, and gently rubbed the injured areas. The pain made Liu-er cry even louder.

After applying the medicine, the two little bumps quickly shrank by more than half. However, it would still take several days for the redness and swelling to disappear completely.

When Yun Qing returned that evening and saw the little bumps on Liu-er's forehead, his heart ached for her too. Watching him, Yuxi could scarcely say anything.

Over the following period, Yuxi kept sending nice things to the Han residence whenever she got them, but she stopped going there herself. She already had a ready-made excuse: she was busy.

Qiu Shi was not foolish either. In the past, Yuxi had always been able to spare a day every month to sit and talk with her. Yet now, during the first lunar month when there was supposedly little going on, she somehow had no time at all. After all was said back and forth, Yuxi was simply angry with her because of Ye Shi's affair. Feeling somewhat hurt, Qiu Shi complained to Han Jianming: "How could that girl get angry with me just because of Ye Shi?"

Han Jianming smiled and responded, "Mom, Yuxi is, after all, a married daughter. It wouldn't be good for her to keep going back to her maiden family all the time. Besides, she truly is very busy now. Spring ploughing is about to begin, and many matters require Yuxi to strike the board and make the final decision. She genuinely cannot get away."

Qiu Shi was a traditional woman who believed that a woman's proper duty was still to support her husband and educate her children. Thus, she could not help nagging, "Honestly, that child Yuxi—why does a woman need to push herself so hard? The most urgent matter at hand is for her to hurry up and have a son." Only after giving birth to a son would she be considered to have completely planted her heels firmly on the ground.

Han Jianming was not worried. There was nothing wrong with Yuxi's health, so she would have a son sooner or later. Han Jianming reassured her, "Mom, Yuxi is no ordinary woman. With all her abilities, it would be a waste to keep her confined to the inner residence." Yun Qing's abilities were sufficient to control the northwest region, but it would be very difficult for him to expand his influence. Yuxi happened to make up for Yun Qing's weaknesses, so the husband and wife were complementary in that neither could be lacking."

Qiu Shi shook her head. "In any case, nothing I say will be of any use, so I simply won't invite this dislike upon myself."