The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0831 Luck

Yuchen was talking to Momo Gui about Zhou Yan when she saw her son walk in. She was immediately both startled and delighted. "Yan-er, what brings you here?" She was about to get up, but Momo Gui held her down.

Momo Gui reminded her, "Niangniang, the Imperial Physician said you must not get out of bed. Whatever you wish to say, you can say it just as well while lying down." Imperial Physician Le had instructed Yuchen to remain in bed for a full three months and only get up once her pregnancy was stable.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Walking over to the bedside, he asked, "Mom, am I going to become a big brother?" Although Zhou Xia had passed away long ago, Zhou Yan still had a vivid impression of his younger sister because Yuchen often spoke to him about her.

Yuchen's expression grew rather complicated. Only after a long while did she ask, "That's right. Yan-er will soon become a big brother. I wonder if you'll be happy about it?"

Zhou Yan smiled and replied, "Whether it's a didi or a meimei, I'll like them both. If it's a didi, I'll teach him to read when he's older. If it's a meimei, I'll take good care of her and cherish her." Yuchen had feared Zhou Yan would be unhappy when he learned about her pregnancy, but his attitude now made her breathe a sigh of relief. "As long as you're happy about it, that's all that matters. Speaking of which, it's all Mom's fault. Mom failed to protect you properly."

Zhou Yan shook his head. "If it weren't for Mom, I wouldn't have been able to move into the Eastern Palace." Although Zhou Yan was not yet six years old, his speech and behaviour were already those of a little adult. However, given what he had experienced, it would have been hard for him not to grow up so quickly.

Zhou Yan stayed at the Yan Wangfu for half a shichen before returning. Yuchen had wanted him to stay for lunch, but Zhou Yan refused. Coming to the Wangfu was already the greatest concession he was willing to make. How could he possibly have any appetite if he had to eat there?

Feeling rather distressed, Yuchen told Momo Gui, "It's all because I'm such an incapable mother that Yan-er has had to suffer so much." Her heart ached at how sensible her son had become, and at his current situation. Yet, as his mother, she was powerless to do anything.

Momo Gui sighed inwardly and comforted her. "Niangniang must take good care of yourself. Only then can you protect His Highness." No matter how things had turned out, her mistress could not be blamed. In these troubled times, merely finding a safe place to settle was a considerable blessing for a vulnerable woman like her. Besides, her mistress had not simply stood by and done nothing. If she had not mediated with Wangye, His Highness would have suffered even more.

Even after three days of pursuit, the two assassins had still not been captured. Yan Wushuang remarked coldly, "They've certainly hidden themselves well." Both assassins had been wounded, which should have made tracking them down much easier. Yet there was no trace of them, and this made Yan Wushuang sense danger.

Meng Nian advised him, "It would be unwise to continue the manhunt." Three days was already the limit. If they continued, it would leave everyone's hearts filled with panic and harm the capital's stability.

However, Yan Wushuang persisted, "We must find this Migua." If they could not find Migua, endless trouble would follow.

Meng Nian also knew they had to find Migua, but doing so would be extraordinarily difficult. "Wangye, Han Yuxi has built up such a powerful network in the capital in just two years. Wangye, I really am rather worried." The speed at which this network was developing made his heart tremble with alarm.

Yan Wushuang corrected Meng Nian. "You're mistaken. The reason these people have managed to conceal themselves so thoroughly that we cannot find them is not Han Yuxi, but Han Jianming. Before going to the Northwest, Han Jianming was Duke Han. Even though the Duke household had fallen into decline, its accumulated resources and foundations were still beyond anything ordinary people could compare with." Clearly, Han Jianming had handed over the resources at his disposal to Yun Qing and Han Yuxi. That's why their network developed so rapidly in less than a year.

Meng Nian somewhat hesitated before asking, "Would Han Jianming really hand over all his connections to Yun Qing and Han Yuxi?" These were all Han Jianming's hidden trump cards. Handing them over was practically staking everything he had.

Yan Wushuang said, "Han Jianming has his sights set on something far greater. Otherwise, he would never have given up even his position as Lord Duke and taken his entire family to the Northwest." Yan Wushuang admired Han Jianming's willingness to abandon his existing family estate and start again from scratch. Not everyone possessed such courage and determination.

However, Meng Nian wondered aloud, "Is Han Jianming not afraid that Han Yuxi might one day k!ll the donkey once it has finished turning the mill?" Such a course of action was extremely dangerous.

Yan Wushuang answered, "Han Jianming is actually placing an enormous high-stakes gamble. If he wins, his future will be as splendid as brocade, and his descendants will also enjoy glory, splendour and riches." The connections and resources in Han Jianming's hands would be of little use if he kept them himself. However, by handing them over to Yun Qing and Han Yuxi instead, he could maximise their value.

At this point, even Yan Wushuang had to admit that although Han Jianming was not particularly outstanding in ability or talent, he had a good eye for judging people.

After discussing the Northwest, the two men turned their attention to Jiangnan. Meng Nian reported, "Last year's tax revenue from Jiangnan amounted to just a little over two million taels of silver. This year, it may be even less." Although the Yu family controlled Jiangnan, they had not broken away from the Imperial Court as the Northwest had. On the surface, Jiangnan still belonged to the Imperial Court. The Yu family had not declared independence because their family tradition was farming and scholarship, and they placed great importance on loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness. If they dared to break away from the Imperial Court, it would be tantamount to smashing their own signboard and slapping themselves in the face.

Jiangnan was the realm's wealthiest region. In peacetime, the taxes collected there each year accounted for half of the total tax revenue. However, the slightly more than two million taels of silver collected now amounted to only one-tenth of what had been collected during peaceful times. The Yu family was not entirely to blame for the declining tax revenue, either. The realm was in turmoil, bandits rose from all directions, and smuggling ran rampant. Commodities such as tea and salt were major sources of tax revenue, but they were also among the most heavily smuggled goods. Even someone like Wu Kuo was involved in these businesses. Otherwise, he could never have earned so much money in a single year.

Yan Wushuang was not surprised. "Who would willingly give someone else the money in their own pocket?" The Yu family gave that million taels of silver only to save their reputation. However, if Yan Wushuang and his team wanted to increase tax revenue, they would first have to reshuffle the balance of power in Jiangnan. Otherwise, all their efforts would be futile. To do that, they would need to take complete control of Jiangnan, something they couldn't do yet.

While they were still talking, someone arrived from the Imperial Palace with news that the Emperor had fallen unconscious again. The first time Zhou Jing lost consciousness, he awoke two days later and remained perfectly normal for the following fortnight. However, half a month later, while listening to his ministers discuss state affairs in the Imperial Study, he suddenly fainted again without the slightest warning. By now, he had lost consciousness five or six times. Unfortunately, even the Imperial Physicians were at a loss as to what to do. Yan Wushuang had even posted public notices seeking renowned physicians from across the realm. Sadly, only a handful responded.

Upon hearing this, Meng Nian suggested, "Wangye, we should start making preparations early." By 'making preparations early', he meant supporting Zhou Yan to gain power.

Yan Wushuang responded, "We can discuss that once he has breathed his last!" Whether the Emperor had contracted some strange illness that left him unconscious mattered little to Yan Wushuang. As long as the Emperor was still alive, Yan Wushuang had no wish to replace him with another emperor. It would be too troublesome.

Upon hearing that Qiu Dashan had neither died nor been left disabled, and that he could still lead troops into battle once his relatively minor injuries healed, Yuxi was disappointed. They had finally acted, losing three men in the process, only to achieve such a barely satisfactory result. Yuxi lamented, "Qiu Dashan really is fortunate." Five against three, yet they still failed to kill him.

Xu Wu remarked, "Qiu Dashan was wearing armour at the time. Otherwise, even if he hadn't died, he would certainly have been seriously wounded." Each death of Yan Wushuang's trusted confidants meant one fewer formidable enemy they'd face in the future.

Yuxi exclaimed, "That's why I say he's fortunate! Forget it. Things have already turned out this way, so there's no point dwelling on it. How are the two who were wounded? Are their injuries anything serious?"

Xu Wu replied, "Their injuries aren't serious. They'll be fine after another few days of recuperation." The two men who had escaped were hiding in the small courtyard where Yuxi had stayed when she contracted smallpox as a child. Because the place was frequently rumoured to be haunted, very few people went there, even in the past. Now that Han Jingyan had moved into the residence and only around forty people remained in the entire Duke household, no one set foot there anymore.

After a brief pause, Xu Wu continued, "Of the three men who were captured, one named Qin Wu has betrayed us. He revealed Migua's identity. Yan Wushuang is now doing everything he can to capture Migua." If their opponent caught Migua, the consequences would be extremely serious.

In fact, not only Meng Nian and his people found the codename Migua strange. Even Xu Wu and the others had worn peculiar expressions when they first heard it. Such a codename didn't sound particularly grand, impressive, or sophisticated. Compared with a codename like 'Lieying', the difference was a hundred and eight thousand li. However, they could do nothing about it. Yuxi had personally chosen the codename, so changing it was out of the question.

After thinking for a moment, Yuxi asked, "Is this Qin Wu the one who has no family left?" The five men sent to assassinate Qiu Dashan had been dispatched directly from the northwest. None of the agents hidden in the capital had been mobilised. When the five men first undertook this mission, they already knew that misfortune would far outweigh any hope of good fortune. They were all prepared to die.

Xu Wu shook his head. "It's not him who has no family. Qin Wu still has an elderly mother, a wife and children. There are five people in his household altogether." Yuxi treated those who sold their lives to her and her husband particularly well. If they died, the Wangfu would provide their families with a generous death benefit. If they became disabled or encountered other difficulties, they would be assigned less demanding duties. In addition, their children were entitled to five years of free schooling and martial arts training. If a child proved particularly outstanding, they could enter service at the Wangfu or receive priority admission to a prestigious military unit such as the Xiaoqi Battalion. These measures introduced by Yuxi greatly strengthened everyone's loyalty to her and her husband.

Yuxi was somewhat surprised. She had assumed the betrayer would be someone without ties or attachments. Although Qin Wu had confessed because he could not endure the torture, betrayal was still betrayal, regardless of the reason. Yuxi said expressionlessly, "Do not issue the death benefit, and cancel all preferential treatment for Qin Wu's family." Doing so was somewhat cruel, but without a compass, one cannot draw a proper circle. This matter had to be handled in this way.

Xu Wu nodded. "I'll give the necessary instructions."

After they had finished discussing official matters, Xu Wu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Wangfei, could I ask Momo Quan to help improve my wife's health?" He and Ling Shi had been married for about a year, but nothing had happened yet. Xu Wu wasn't anxious, but Ling Shi had begun to worry.

Hearing what Xu Wu wanted, Yuxi asked with some puzzlement, "What's wrong? Is your wife feeling unwell?"

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Xu Wu shook his head and explained, "Well, we've been married for almost a year now, haven't we? Ling Shi still hasn't conceived, and she's getting rather anxious. She heard that Momo Quan is very skilled at improving people's health, so she would like Momo to help her recuperate and strengthen her constitution."

Yuxi didn't think it was unusual that Ling Shi hadn't become pregnant after a year of marriage. Many women conceived only two or three years after getting married. Yuxi said, "Before you two married, I had already asked Physician He to examine your wife. She's in excellent health, and there's nothing wrong with her. The fact that she hasn't conceived yet probably means that the child's destined time to arrive has not yet come." Yuxi was always thorough in her arrangements. She certainly would not have allowed Xu Wu to marry a woman with health problems. So, before formalising the engagement, she asked Physician He to examine Ling Shi's pulse. Only after confirming that Ling Shi was in good health did Yuxi agree to the marriage.

Xu Wu was rather surprised. He had genuinely not known about this.

Yuxi smiled and added, "However, if you would still like Momo Quan to help improve your wife's health, please send her medical records, and I will ask Momo Quan to prepare a medicinal prescription for you." Currently, Momo Quan only personally prepared medicinal decoctions for Yuxi's immediate family of four.

Xu Wu hurriedly nodded and responded, "Thank you, Wangfei."