The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0826 Making Peace (2)

The journey from Pingxi Wangfu to the Han residence took only a quarter of an hour. Yuxi usually walked there, but it was now midday, the hottest time of the day, and she didn't want to arrive at the Han residence drenched in sweat.

Whenever Yuxi went out these days, she travelled with quite an imposing entourage. She was accompanied by four highly skilled, combat-trained maidservants.

With no advance notice for Yuxi's visit, Qiu Shi was still chanting Buddhist scriptures in the prayer hall when Yuxi arrived. Mama Li welcomed Yuxi inside and smiled, "Wangfei, the Old Madam will be out shortly." After taking Yuxi in, Mama Li went to the prayer hall to summon Qiu Shi. However, Qiu Shi insisted on finishing her scripture recitation first.

Yuxi smiled back. "There's no hurry. I'll take my time and wait." Few people could make Yuxi wait these days, but Qiu Shi was one of them.

After waiting for a little over a quarter of an hour, Qiu Shi finally emerged from the prayer hall. Seeing Yuxi approaching her, Qiu Shi hurriedly said, "You're still pregnant! Quickly, sit down."

Qiu Shi wore lotus-blue garments, and her hair was arranged in a round bun, secured at the back with nothing more than a peachwood hairpin. Her appearance was exceedingly simple. Perhaps because she had devoted herself to Buddhist worship for so many years, she also carried an air of serene detachment that made others feel remarkably comfortable in her presence.

Yuxi smiled and remarked, "Pregnant women should walk about more. Mom, you told me that yourself!" With that, she stepped forward and helped Qiu Shi to sit down.

Qiu Shi frowned and reminded her, "I also told you that pregnant women should take proper care of themselves and their unborn children. Did you listen to that? Who else behaves like you, still keeping busy from morning until night even while pregnant?" These matters should originally have been handled by men, yet Yuxi insisted on being so strong-willed.

Yuxi was not offended. Instead, she smiled and replied, "Mom, there are simply too many things to do. Wangye cannot possibly manage everything on his own! Besides, doing these things doesn't tire me out. Otherwise, neither Wangye nor Momo Quan would have agreed to it."

Qiu Shi sighed. "You really are something. I wonder who you take after. You've been this strong-willed since you were a child." That said, Qiu Shi couldn't help starting another round of admonishments.

Yuxi showed no impatience. Instead, she coaxed Qiu Shi with gentle, reassuring words. She knew telling Qiu Shi about her pregnancy would produce precisely this reaction. Fortunately, the pregnancy was now stable, so Qiu Shi merely offered a few words of admonishment.

The mother and daughter had not been talking for long when Meiyun entered and announced, "Wangfei, An Daren has an important matter to report to you. He is currently waiting at Wangfu."

Hearing this, Qiu Shi sighed and said, "Since it's an important matter, you should go back!" She then added, "Yuxi, you're carrying a child now. You must take good care of yourself." For a woman, pregnancy and childbirth were like passing through the Gates of Ghosts. Yet Yuxi was treating the matter far too much like child's play. However, Qiu Shi was no fool. What had happened previously had already created a barrier between mother and daughter. It was acceptable for her to offer a few words of advice, but she could no longer put her hand into Yuxi's affairs. After all, Yuxi was now a member of the Yun family.

After returning to Wangfu, Yuxi spent a long time discussing official matters with An Zike in the study. By the time An Zike left, darkness had already fallen.

When Yuxi returned to the rear courtyard, Zaozao immediately complained. "Mom, why have you only just come back? I'm practically starving to death!"

Both Momo Quan and Mama Bai were dependable and would never let Zaozao go about with an empty stomach. The only explanation was that Zaozao had deliberately remained hungry because she wanted to wait and eat with her.

Yuxi pulled on a stern face and told her off: "You're not allowed to talk about life and death at every turn. If you do it again, Mom will punish you." This girl always spoke without thinking.

Zaozao feared Yuxi's punishments the most because she always made her copy out large Chinese characters. That was even more exhausting than holding a martial arts stance with a bowl of water balanced on her head! "Mom, I won't say it again. But I'm really hungry. My stomach is even rumbling." As soon as she finished speaking, Zaozao's stomach rumbled audibly.

Patting her little tummy, Zaozao said, "Mom, see? I wasn't lying! I really am hungry."

Yuxi had already grown numb to Zaozao's rough behaviour. As she washed her hands, she asked Zaozao, "Where's your Meimei?"

Zaozao replied, "Liu-er can't bear being hungry, so she's already eaten. Momo has taken her into the garden for a walk to help her digest her food." Having a garden really was wonderful. After eating, one could go outside for a stroll. Walking leisurely while admiring the scenery was rather delightful.

Yuxi smiled and asked, "Then why didn't you eat with your Meimei?"

Zaozao shook her head and replied, "I wanted to wait for Mom." Although Zaozao was mischievous and unruly by nature, she was nevertheless a good, filial child.

Yuxi picked up a towel and dried the water droplets from her hands. Then, gently stroking Zaozao's head, she said softly, "Mom was wrong. Next time, I'll make sure to come back in time for dinner." Just as they finished supper, Yuxi saw Yun Qing enter the courtyard, holding Liu-er in his arms. Looking at Liu-er, she asked, "How far did you walk by yourself today?"

Liu-er replied, "Mom, I walked a very, very long way today. I walked so much that my legs are aching."

Yuxi didn't believe him, of course. Turning to Qiuhe, who was standing nearby, she asked, "How far did Second Young Miss walk today?" This girl really could not be left alone without Yuxi keeping an eye on her. Even someone as ordinarily strict as Momo Quan would lose the battle when confronted with the girl's pitiful, pleading eyes.

Qiuhe was an exceptionally honest person. Lowering her head, she replied, "Second Young Miss walked from the garden entrance to the old locust tree." Even Yuxi needed nearly half a quarter of an hour to walk from the garden entrance to the old locust tree. For Liu-er, the journey would take more than a quarter of an hour.

Only then did Yuxi nod and say, "You must do the same next time, too. Understand?" In her previous life, she had spent most of her time confined indoors, rarely going outside for a walk, and consequently developing a temperament similar to Liu-er's. Although Liu-er would never walk the same road as Yuxi, refusing to go outside and staying shut away in the house would still harm her physical and mental well-being, even with Yuxi and Yun Qing protecting her.

Yun Qing found the situation rather amusing. "If there's something to discuss, let's take it inside instead of standing around in the courtyard." In his opinion, Yuxi was simply worrying unnecessarily.

Even after entering the room, Yun Qing didn't put Liu-er down and kept her in his arms. Yuxi smiled and said, "Hurry up and put her down. Aren't you feeling hot?" Yun Qing could tolerate the cold weather, but he disliked the heat. Although the fifth month wasn't particularly hot, he always came home sweating.

Yun Qing chuckled and replied, "I'm not hot." It was unusual for his daughter not to complain about the smell of sweat on his body, so even if he felt hot, he wanted to hold her a little longer.

Unfortunately, Liu-er refused to give Yun Qing any face. She pushed against him and cried, "Dad, I want to get down." If she hadn't wanted to avoid walking all the way back, she would never have let Yun Qing, who reeked of sweat, carry her!

Yuxi pressed her lips together to stop herself from smiling.

Meanwhile, Zaozao nestled against Yuxi's side and reached out with her little hands to touch Yuxi's belly. "Mom, when will Didi come out?" Zaozao was astonished to find her Didi was actually inside Mom's belly, and that she would have to wait a while before she could meet him.

Yuxi smiled and replied, "You'll have to wait until the New Year!" The baby was due in the twelfth month.

After saying this, Yuxi stroked Zaozao's head and asked with a smile, "How do you know it's a Didi? Did someone tell you that?" What could a child possibly know about whether an unborn baby was a boy or a girl? Someone around her had most likely taught Zaozao to say such things.

Zaozao hadn't thought much about it. She replied, "Mom, nobody told me. I just feel that the baby in Mom's belly is a Didi." After pausing for a moment, Zaozao shook her head and continued, "I want a Didi, not another Meimei. Meimei is too lazy! She can't play with me or practise martial arts with me." The reason Zaozao often accompanied Liu-er when she played was that Huo Changqing had told her that, as the Jiejie, she should take good care of her Didi and Meimei.

Yuxi couldn't help but laugh. So that was the reason! "All right. Once your Didi is born, I'll let him practise martial arts with you." If the child were a boy, he would certainly have to learn to ride and shoot arrows. However, if it were a girl, she would rather forget about it. One Zaozao was quite enough; she could not possibly manage another.

That evening, Han Jianming returned home. The chief steward immediately informed him that Yuxi was pregnant. This was certainly wonderful news.

Han Jianming smiled upon hearing the news. After all, it was a good thing. However, when he learnt that Yuxi had returned to the Han residence at noon to visit Qiu Shi, his expression darkened.

By the time Han Jianming arrived at the main courtyard, Qiu Shi had just finished reciting her scriptures and was coming out.

Seeing Han Jianming's expressionless face, Qiu Shi asked, "Ming-er, what's the matter?" One look at his face told her that he was in a bad mood.

Qiu Shi had actually planned to visit Huaye Temple that day to worship the Buddha and hear an eminent monk expound on the Buddhist scriptures. However, the carriage had broken down, so she couldn't go. Otherwise, Yuxi would not have come over at noon.

Looking at Qiu Shi's serene expression only worsened Han Jianming's mood. "Mom, Yuxi sent someone over this morning with the good news. Why didn't you go straight to Wangfu to see her? Why did you make Yuxi come and visit you instead?" Her daughter was pregnant, yet instead of visiting her pregnant daughter herself, she had allowed her daughter to come and visit her. No matter how you put it, there was no justifying it.

Qiu Shi explained the circumstances before saying, "I was originally planning to visit her tomorrow. I didn't expect Yuxi to come over at noon today." There was nothing particularly wrong with Qiu Shi's thinking. It was perfectly normal for a mother to visit her pregnant daughter a day or two later.

After a moment's silence, Han Jianming asked, "Mom, do you know why I gave up my Duke title and the Han family's property and estate to seek refuge with Yuxi?"

Qiu Shi was taken aback. After a moment, she asked, "Didn't you previously say that we could live peaceful lives if we came to the northwest?" From Han Jianming's expression, she could tell it had been an excuse. There must have been another reason for their move to the Northwest.

Han Jianming replied, "I came to the Northwest to seek refuge with Yuxi because only by following her could I secure a promising future." If stability was all he wanted, he could have pledged allegiance to Yan Wushuang and spared his entire family any danger. However, Han Jianming understood Yan Wushuang's temperament and believed he had no future following such a man. That was why he abandoned Yan Wushuang and risked bringing his wife and little ones to the Northwest.

Qiu Shi was stunned by his words. "What do you mean, you can only secure a promising future by following Yuxi? Are you saying that your future path as a Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of the lower third rank is better than that of a Minister of War?" The Minister of War was a high-ranking second-rank official, and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner position simply couldn't compare. Even so, Qiu Shi was perfectly content. After all, she didn't have to spend her days worrying and living in fear in the Northwest.

Han Jianming nodded. "Yes." Seeing the confusion on Qiu Shi's face, he continued, "Mom, all under heaven has already fallen into chaos. Yet Yun Qing and Yuxi possess the ability to pursue the deer across the realm." Once Yun Qing and Yuxi succeeded, his future path would speak for itself.

Qiu Shi was so horrified by these words that her face turned pale. "I heard that more than two hundred thousand people died when Yun Qing captured Haocheng. If another war breaks out, how many more lives will be lost?" She was only a step away from branding Yun Qing a terrible sinner.

If Yuxi had been present to hear Qiu Shi's words, she would certainly have admired Momo Quan so profoundly that she could have prostrated herself with all five parts of her body touching the ground.

Han Jianming's expression changed immediately upon hearing those words.