The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Yuxi dispatched troops to surround Huaye Temple and arrest every monk inside. News of the incident quickly spread throughout Haocheng.

Meiyun entered and informed Yuxi, "Wangfei, Madam Feng requests an audience." Because of her husband, Feng Dajun, Madam Feng followed a vegetarian diet and recited Buddhist scriptures on the first and fifteenth days of every lunar month, hoping to keep him safe. Chang Shi also frequently visited Huaye Temple to burn incense and pray for her husband's well-being. So, as soon as the incident became known, she couldn't contain her curiosity and came to find out more.

Yuxi frowned slightly. She genuinely hadn't expected Madam Feng, Chang Shi, to be the first to visit her. "Please invite Madam Feng in."

Chang Shi was frank and outspoken, speaking without pretence. She didn't turn corners and skirt around bends with Yuxi either, but asked directly, "I heard Wangfei dispatched troops to arrest all the monks at Huaye Temple. May I ask why?"

Since Yuxi had already taken action, she naturally had an explanation ready. "Those people used my mother in an attempt to harm Wangye and me. Fortunately, we discovered it early. Otherwise, the consequences would have been too dreadful to imagine. I had them arrested because I want to interrogate them and find out who the hidden mastermind is."

Chang Shi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Wangfei, could there have been some mistake? The monks of Huaye Temple have renounced worldly life. Why would they want to murder Wangye and Wangfei?" Monks were supposed to remain untouched by the red dust. This simply made no sense!

Yuxi's expression turned somewhat cold. "I have no grievance or enmity against the monks of Huaye Temple. Why would I falsely accuse them? Or do you all see me as someone whose very nature is the love of killing?" If she had not been driven to desperation, why would she have wanted to arrest those monks?

Ever since Yuxi married Yun Qing, she had always treated Chang Shi and the others with exceptional courtesy. This was the first time Chang Shi had seen Yuxi's face change.

Although Chang Shi was forthright, she was not foolish. Seeing Yuxi's reaction, she hurriedly explained, "Wangfei, this humble woman was rather worried when she heard about the incident. There has been a great deal of talk about it. I am concerned that it might damage Wangfei's reputation." In everyone's eyes, Yuxi was far from bloodthirsty. On the contrary, people regarded her as kind, gentle, and magnanimous.

Yuxi's expression softened considerably. Her temper had been running high since the previous day. After being schemed against three or four times over, who could keep their cool? "As long as they confess who the hidden mastermind is, I can deal with them leniently." If Ci'en refused to speak, he could not blame her for being ruthless. It must be said that Yuxi was becoming less merciful.

At noon, Han Jianming handed Yuxi Ci'en's confession. Yuxi had said that brutal torture would be useless on a man like Ci'en because he possessed exceptionally strong willpower. Therefore, Han Jianming had intended to use the hundred or so monks of Huaye Temple to force Monk Ci'en to talk. Unfortunately, that strategy also failed. Ci'en simply watched in silence as Han Jianming took Jiexin's life.

Some people did not fear death, while others did. Jiese, Ci'en's third disciple, who had grown up by his side, revealed that he had once suffered from severe abdominal cramps and gone to Ci'en for help, only to discover that he was not in his room. The following day, however, Ci'en emerged from that very room. Finding this strange, Jiese privately questioned his fellow disciples, but they all insisted Ci'en hadn't left the room that night. This meant that there must have been a secret passage in Ci'en's room.

Once the secret passage was exposed, Ci'en could no longer hide the truth, no matter how much he wanted to.

After reading the confession, Yuxi's expression changed noticeably. The reason Ci'en had helped the person operating behind the scenes was that this person had obtained compromising information that could be used as leverage against him. Sixteen years earlier, Ji Xuan had wanted to recruit Monk Ci'en and make him work for him. When he refused, Ji Xuan devised a scheme to make him drink an extremely potent aphrodisiac. He then sent two respectable women to Ci'en's bed. Both women subsequently became pregnant and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The boy bore a striking resemblance to Ci'en.

Ci'en was a highly respected Buddhist monk. If this matter came to light, his reputation would be ruined. To protect his reputation and prospects, Ci'en compromised and fell under Ji Xuan's control. Once someone takes the first step, a second and a third inevitably follow. Fifteen years earlier, Ci'en helped Ji Xuan eliminate his opponents, enabling him to quickly establish a secure position in the northwest. However, because he was highly skilled in medicine and extremely cautious, Ci'en had only k!lled three people. Furthermore, his reputation was so excellent that no one had ever suspected him.

Putting down the confession, Yuxi said, "What enlightened and accomplished monk? They are nothing more than a bunch of scoundrels." Anyone who helped the tyrant Zhou commit evil was a scoundrel, whether they had been threatened or tempted with rewards.

Han Jianming asked, "Yuxi, how should this matter be handled?" Even he had been deeply frightened when he heard Monk Ci'en's confession.

Yuxi replied expressionlessly, "Handle it however it should be handled. By the way, have you caught the person who was in contact with him?"

Han Jianming shook his head. "Dead. Everyone who had been in contact with Monk Ci'en is dead. However, I don't think this matter has anything to do with Yan Wushuang. It's quite possible that the Yu family was responsible." After all, Yu Chunhao was the last person to meet Ji Xuan. Although he was ostensibly observing the mourning period, Jiangnan was actually under his control.

The Yu family bore no direct grudge against Yuxi. However, the stronger the Northwest became, the greater the danger it posed to the Yu family. Therefore, it was perfectly understandable that the Yu family would want to eliminate that danger while it was still a sprout.

Yuxi shook her head. "It probably wasn't the Yu family." She still suspected that Yan Wushuang was the hidden mastermind, although she had no evidence. Speaking of which, Yuxi felt rather stifled and frustrated. Why did Yan Wushuang keep targeting *her? Did he really think she was some soft persimmon?

Han Jianming said, "It is much easier to assassinate you than to assassinate Wangye." Yun Qing had been the target of assassination attempts since childhood, so he was extremely cautious in everything he did. Unless someone bribed one of his trusted confidants, harming him would be very difficult. In comparison, Yuxi was a much easier target.

Yuxi sighed.

Han Jianming reminded her, "You're still carrying a child! Stop sighing at every little thing. If the child picks up that habit from you, you'll have plenty to worry about when the time comes."

That evening, Yuxi told Yun Qing what had happened afterwards. "Herui, Yan Wushuang has tried to murder me more than once. If we do nothing, he'll truly think we're soft persimmons whom he can squeeze and do whatever he pleases with!"

Yun Qing recalled the scene when Yuxi and Liu-er had nearly died, and his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Yan Wushuang has experts around him as numerous as clouds. K!lling him won't be easy." When the Song family previously tried to assassinate him, Yun Qing had end the life of every man they sent. Therefore, the couple had to devise a sound strategy. Otherwise, if they lost their own men without managing to k!ll Yan Wushuang, the cost would be far too great.

After a moment's thought, Yuxi spoke, "We won't kill Yan Wushuang. I remember that there is a man named Tang Xingping by his side. This person is very important to Yan Wushuang." The Tang Xingping Yuxi was referring to was Tang Bo, the chief steward of Yan Wangfu. His relationship with Yan Wushuang was similar to Huo Changqing's with Yun Qing.

After saying this, Yuxi shook her head again. "Although killing Tang Xingping would cause Yan Wushuang grief and sorrow, it would not result in any significant loss for him. However, if we k!lled Qiu Dashan, that would be equivalent to severing one of Yan Wushuang's arms." Qiu Dashan was a formidable military commander. If something were to happen to him, not only would Yan Wushuang suffer a major loss, but they themselves would also have one fewer enemy to contend with. Furthermore, if Qiu Dashan were to lose his life, perhaps her uncle, Tie Kui, might even advance further!

Yuxi had become increasingly rational since assuming power. Whenever she did something, her foremost consideration was no longer her personal joys, anger, sorrows, or pleasures, but rather the overall balance of gains and losses. This change had its pros and cons, though.

Yun Qing frowned slightly. However, upon seeing Yuxi's troubled expression, he eventually nodded in agreement. "All right." The price of k!lling Qiu Dashan would undoubtedly be higher than eliminating someone like Tang Xingping. Nevertheless, Yan Wushuang had plotted against them three or four times over. Yuxi could no longer tolerate it, nor could Yun Qing. If he failed to avenge his wife after everything that had happened to her, he would be unworthy of being called a man.

Yuxi made no attempt to hide what Monk Ci'en had done. Instead, she instructed the authorities to post an official notice that clearly explained the entire course of events. As soon as the notice appeared, it caused a huge public outcry. From then on, temples everywhere became so deserted that people could spread nets at their gates to catch sparrows.

As evening approached, Yuxi received news that Qiu Shi had fallen ill. Under ordinary circumstances, Yuxi would certainly have gone to visit her personally. However, now that she was pregnant, how could she dare venture out so late at night? Therefore, Yuxi sent Mama Lan to visit Qiu Shi with some medicinal ingredients, while she herself stayed behind.

When Mama Lan saw Qiu Shi, she explained, "Wangfei originally intended to come in person, but Momo Quan and I persuaded her otherwise. It is already dark, and Wangfei is still pregnant. It would be terrible if she suffered even the slightest mishap." Besides, travelling at night was unsafe, even in a carriage.

How could Qiu Shi have any energy left to criticise Yuxi over this matter? "Tell her to take good care of her pregnancy. She needn't worry about me. There is nothing seriously wrong with me." Indeed, there was nothing seriously wrong with Qiu Shi. She had merely suffered a shock. She had always believed Great Master Ci'en to be an enlightened and accomplished monk. She had never imagined he could be so utterly despicable behind closed doors, and this revelation deeply wounded her, a woman who had always striven to do good.

When Qiu Shi remembered that she had believed Monk Ci'en's words and concluded that Yuxi and Yun Qing had accumulated so much evil karma through killing, she felt deeply ashamed.

Mama Lan sat on an embroidered stool beside the bed and comforted Qiu Shi. "Old Madam, you may know a person and recognise their face, but you cannot know their heart. You were deceived as well. Wangfei will not blame you."

Mama Lan spent a long time consoling Qiu Shi, but she remained listless and utterly devoid of energy. This incident had hit Qiu Shi exceptionally hard. There was nothing more Mama Lan could do about it.

As Mama Lan was leaving, she happened to encounter Han Jianming, who had just returned from outside. She said nothing further. She merely bowed respectfully before returning to Wangfu.

Seeing his mother's haggard appearance, Han Jianming felt distressed too. "Mom, when it comes down to it, I am also to blame. I failed to realise there was something wrong with that monk." No matter how he looked at it, he had simply paid too little attention to his mother. If he had noticed it earlier that something was wrong, none of this would have happened.

Qiu Shi smiled bitterly. "How can you be blamed for this? That man had hidden himself so well. If not for this incident, who would have known that a supposedly enlightened and accomplished monk actually had the face of a human but the heart of a beast?" What kind of enlightened monk was that? Merely looking at such a person once more would make her feel as though her eyes had been dirtied.

Han Jianming said, "Mom, if you must blame someone, blame Yan Wushuang for being so vicious. He actually sent that demonic monk to mislead Mom, intending to use you against Yuxi. Last time, Han Jianye was also manipulated by Yan Wushuang, which nearly resulted in the deaths of Yuxi and Liu-er, mother and daughter. That man has always wanted Yuxi dead." Speaking of which, even Han Jianming felt that Yuxi was terribly unfortunate. Why did Yan Wushuang behave as though his conflict with Yuxi would never end until one of them died? Anyone who didn't know better would think they shared a deep-seated grievance and bitter hatred!

Qiu Shi's expression changed as she asked, "Was Yan Wushuang the hidden mastermind? Neither Yuxi nor I have any grievances or enmity with him. Why would he want to harm our entire family like this?"

Han Jianming said, "He probably regards Yuxi as a threat and therefore wants to eliminate her." That man had an exceptionally sharp eye. He had recognised long ago that Yuxi was a potential danger. However, Yuxi was lucky enough to escape disaster.

Qiu Shi sighed. "I've told her not to be so headstrong, but she simply refuses to listen." If Yuxi hadn't involved herself in affairs outside the household, none of this would have happened.

Hearing this, Han Jianming was somewhat at a loss for words.

きつね's Note

The title comes from the Chinese idiom 水落石出 (shuǐ luò shí chū), which literally means 'when the water recedes, the stones appear'. It refers to the idea that the truth is revealed or the facts come to light.