The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0813 Allegiance

After only two days of recuperating from his injuries, Jiang Hongfu could no longer restrain himself and asked to see Yuxi.

Yuxi was reviewing memorials in the study when she learned Jiang Hongfu was waiting outside. She replied indifferently, "Let him in." It was also time for her to recover the principal on what she had invested all those years ago.

After entering the study, Jiang Hongfu asked Mr Gao, who had been supporting him, to leave. Once they were alone, Jiang Hongfu pulled half a banknote from his sleeve and asked, "Why was this half banknote in your possession?"

Yuxi did not answer his question. Instead, she put down the memorial she was holding and asked, "I was the one who saved your life. What do you intend to give me in repayment?"

Jiang Hongfu blurted out, "Impossible." Yuxi had only been a five- or six-year-old child back then. How could she possibly have saved him?

Yuxi was not angry, and her gaze remained calm. "If you do not wish to acknowledge the debt, then I have nothing to say." Her plan then had been simple: save Jiang Hongfu in the hope that, if Jiang Hongjin still wanted to marry her, she could turn to him for help. She had been too immature at the time and hadn't thought things through. Even if Jiang Hongfu had been willing to help her, he might not have been in the capital when Jiang Hongjin came to ask for her hand in marriage.

Jiang Hongfu's expression changed slightly. All these years, he had never stopped wondering who his lifesaving benefactor was. He had even speculated that the person who saved him might have been someone his maternal grandfather had left behind. Yet more than ten years had passed without his benefactor ever appearing. Just when he was almost beginning to forget the matter, his benefactor finally emerged. Looking at Yuxi, Jiang Hongfu asked, "How did you know back then that Yu Shi wanted me dead?"

Yuxi responded, "Didn't you ask me why I poisoned Jiang Hongjin? His mother wanted to k!ll you, and yet you still intend to stand up for him? Even if you lost your life for his sake, Jiang Hongjin might not appreciate it."

Jiang Hongfu's heart sank. "He is my Er Di." Precisely because they were brothers, there were some things he felt he ought to clarify.

Yuxi smiled. She knew that Jiang Hongfu and Jiang Hongjin did not have a good relationship. For Jiang Hongfu to sacrifice his life for Jiang Hongjin, he must have been kicked in the head by a donkey. There must be another reason why Jiang Hongfu had come to question her.

Yuxi could not be bothered to waste time on pointless questions. "You owe me one life. What do you intend to use to repay it?"

Jiang Hongfu asked back, "How does Wangfei wish me to repay it?"

Yuxi's demand was simple. "The Northwest is currently short of capable people. If you are willing to serve me, this debt will naturally be waived. If you are unwilling, then return your life to me. If you are unwilling, then return your life to me." If it hadn't been for her, Jiang Hongfu wouldn't even have had any bones left to bury by now.

Jiang Hongfu did not want to die. If he died for a righteous cause, at least his fragrance could flow through a thousand ages. To die for some inexplicable reason instead would be far too unjust. Jiang Hongfu said, "Let me think about it."

Yuxi demanded, "You may think about it for one day. If you are unwilling, then be straightforward about it and do not make me act personally." She was effectively telling Jiang Hongfu to end his own life .

She certainly wouldn't k!ll Jiang Hongfu herself, because doing so would inevitably affect her relationship with her husband. However, if Jiang Hongfu took his own life, that would be none of her concern.

Jiang Hongfu looked at Yuxi. It was clear that she was talking about him taking his own life, yet she spoke about it as casually as if she were discussing what to eat for lunch. After a long while, Jiang Hongfu replied, "Very well." He no longer asked the two questions he'd asked before. He knew that even if he did, he would receive no answers.

Yuxi waved her hand. "You may go." With that, she sat down and resumed reviewing the memorials, as though nothing had just happened.

Mr Gao supported the unsteady Jiang Hongfu and asked, "Eldest Young Master..." Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Hongfu shook his head. Mr Gao was perceptive enough to know when to stop asking questions, so he did so immediately.

In truth, Yuxi was not nearly as relaxed as she appeared. She was considering how to explain the situation to Yun Qing. As the saying goes, if you don't want others to know, the only way is not to do it yourself. Even if Jiang Hongfu said nothing, someone with an ulterior motive would eventually bring the matter to Yun Qing's attention. At that point, she would have no choice but to explain. By then, she would be in a passive position.

Yuxi felt somewhat agitated and summoned Momo Quan. "Momo, there is something I do not know how to handle." She could not bring herself to tell the truth. However, if lying to Yun Qing was the alternative, she would rather say nothing at all.

Anything that could trouble Yuxi this much could not be trivial. Momo Quan asked, "What has put you in such a difficult position? Tell me the entire cause before and consequence after."

Yuxi told her about having Yang Duoming cripple Jiang Hongjin. Strictly speaking, Yang Duoming was not entirely to blame for what had happened this time; she was partly responsible too. Had she entrusted the matter to Black Widow, there certainly would not have been a trace left behind. Although Yang Duoming was capable, he hadn't been working in this trade for long and lacked experience. Unfortunately, at the time she feared Yun Qing would learn of it and ask why she had done it, so she did not send Black Widow.

Momo Quan asked, "Then why did you deal with Jiang Hongjin? As far as I know, Jiang Hongjin has neither grievance nor enmity with you."

Yuxi lowered her head. "Momo, I cannot bring myself to explain this." She trusted Momo Quan, so she didn't want to make up an excuse just to stop her from asking questions. Besides, if she lied, Momo Quan would hear it in her words. That would damage their relationship too much.

After a long silence, Momo Quan said, "Yuxi, I know there are many secrets in your heart. If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask."

After a pause, Momo Quan continued, "But what you were thinking just now was correct. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but you can't lie. One lie needs countless more to hold it together. And every lie has a day when it will be exposed. When that happens, the price you pay may be more than you can bear." Given Yuxi's current position, the only person she would have reason to lie to was Yun Qing. Yet once the lie was exposed, it would inevitably create a rift between husband and wife. Momo Quan didn't want that to happen.

Yuxi smiled bitterly. "It isn't that I don't want to tell him. I just don't know how to explain it. It's just too unbelievable."

Momo Quan had never been interested in other people's secrets. Otherwise, she would surely have asked about the many things she knew were unusual about Yuxi. Momo Quan advised her, "I'll say the same thing again: if you don't want to tell him, then don't. But don't lie. The closer someone is to you, the less room there is for deception. And if someone with malicious intent exploits this, the problem will become even more serious than you imagine." Yun Qing and Yuxi had many enemies, and the man in the capital was particularly ruthless. If a rift arose between husband and wife and someone deliberately exploited it, the consequences would certainly be extremely serious.

Yuxi nodded. "I will think it over carefully."

The following evening, Jiang Hongfu came to see Yuxi and asked her one question: "Have you ever considered contending for this realm?"

Yuxi gave him the same answer she had previously given Momo Quan. "No one knows what the future will bring. For now, I only want to govern the Northwest well."

Jiang Hongfu then knelt and pledged, "Wangfei, I will spend my entire life repaying Wangfei for this grace of saving my life."

Yuxi assured him, "Do not worry. For now, you only need to do your current work well. I will not put you in a difficult position." Jiang Hongfu had probably already harboured such thoughts for some time before readily pledging allegiance. He had merely been hesitating because of his father, Jiang Wenrui, and the Jiang family. What Yuxi said yesterday simply gave Jiang Hongfu the push he needed to stop hesitating.

Jiang Hongfu responded, "Many thanks, Wangfei."

Yuxi shook her head. "If you break your oath, I think you already know what the consequences will be." If Jiang Hongfu dared to go back on his decision, she would show him no further mercy.

Jiang Hongfu shook his head. "Rest assured, Wangfei. I will keep my oath." Once he took this step, there was no turning back. If he betrayed Yun Qing and Yuxi after this, he might not even have a place where his body could be accommodated. He was not a fool. How could he possibly do something like that?

Methods such as swearing poisonous oaths were far too beneath Yuxi, and she disdained making Jiang Hongfu do so. Looking at the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Yuxi advised, "Take good care of your injuries for the time being."

Not long after Jiang Hongfu returned to the guest courtyard, Xu Wu arrived as well. He had come to deliver medicine for Jiang Hongfu's injuries, and this time it was high-quality medicine.

After Jiang Hongfu had finished applying the medicine, Mr Gao asked, "Eldest Young Master, what did you discuss with Pingxi Wangfei?" Ever since that maid delivered the book, Jiang Hongfu had been acting strangely. He had even disregarded his physical condition twice to go and see Han Shi. The matter seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.

Jiang Hongfu shook his head. "We didn't discuss anything in particular." He wouldn't bring this matter up. Telling Mr Gao would be like telling his father, and once his father knew, the Imperial Court would not be far behind.

Mr Gao was filled with doubts. "Then what about Second Young Master's matter?"

Jiang Hongfu smiled bitterly. "I failed to think things through this time. Han Shi is Pingxi Wangfei. What right did I have to question her?"Questioning her had resulted in twenty strokes of the board. He had miscalculated. He had known that the matter might anger Yuxi, but he had never expected the consequences to be so severe.

Despite asking so many questions, Mr Gao still couldn't get a clear answer. He gave Jiang Hongfu a long, searching look and said, "Eldest Young Master, I hope you will not do anything that harms Master or the interests of the Jiang family." He could not shake the feeling that events had departed from what he had expected.

Jiang Hongfu responded, "You do not need to worry about that. I know what I should do."

The medicine was quite effective. In only five or six days, Jiang Hongfu's injuries had healed by half. Of course, this was also because Jiang Hongfu was young and strong. Once he felt better, he took a carriage back to Tongcheng.

That same afternoon, Xu Wu brought Yuxi some news. "Wangfei, Ji Xuan is dead." This news was not good for them. The fortune Ji Xuan had hidden still hadn't been found.

Without changing his expression, Yuxi asked, "When? And who laid hands on him?" She didn't even bother to ask how Ji Xuan had died, because there was no need.

With a grim expression, Xu Wu replied, "He died in the twelfth lunar month last year. The one who did it was Yu Chunhao of the Yu family." They hadn't expected Ji Xuan to be hiding in Jiangnan. The information they had uncovered had clearly indicated that he was hiding in Lingnan.

Yu Chunhao had escorted his father's spirit back to Jiangnan and was now observing the mourning period there. Although Yan Wushuang had almost eliminated the Yu family's influence in the capital, Jiangnan was the Yu family's main camp. Thus, the Jiang family's roots had not been completely destroyed. Ji Xuan had hidden himself extremely well this time, but it was no mean feat for the Yu family to finally find him after so long.

Yuxi remarked, "If we can find that money, then we are fortunate. If not, it's not the end of the world." They currently had a small annual surplus and were not urgently short of funds.

However, Xu Wu pointed out, "But that's more than ten million taels of silver!" Due to the mere three melons and two dates they had seized from the Governor-General's residence, Xu Wu had not relaxed his search during the past two years. Based on all the information they had gathered, Ji Xuan had amassed more than ten million taels of silver during his more than ten years in the Northwest. If that money fell into Yu Chunhao's hands, Xu Wu would truly find it difficult to accept.

Yuxi understood what Xu Wu was thinking and smiled. "Even if Yu Chunhao knows where that enormous sum of silver is hidden, he will not be able to get his hands on it." The Northwest was their territory. If Yu Chunhao wanted to come to the Northwest and take such a vast fortune, he would first have to see if she would allow it.