Snowflakes drifted gently down from the vast, endless sky. As the snowfall intensified, the trees in the courtyard were covered in a layer of silver frost by midday.
Zijin looked at the snow falling outside and said, "This snow is really untimely. If the army encounters heavy snowfall, they'll suffer."
Yuxi shook her head, "You're wrong. This snowfall is actually quite good. Since the General and his troops set out, this is the first snow they've encountered." The army had already set up camp in a small town, so even if it snowed, the soldiers wouldn't have to endure the cold while marching. If heavy snow had fallen while they were travelling, that would have been disastrous.
Hearing Yuxi's explanation, Zijin said, "It would be even better if it didn't snow at all." She began to regret not requesting to go with Yun Qing to conquer cities and expand territory.
Yuxi smiled, "The fact that the snow is only falling now is already fortunate enough." As far as she was concerned, heaven had been quite kind to them, so there was no need to be too greedy.
During lunch, Xu Wu came over and said, "Madam, Master Er Jiu1 is sick. Do you think we should call for a physician?" Han Jianye had a slight fever, and Xu Wu was worried it might worsen, so he thought it best to report it to Yuxi.
Yuxi was puzzled and asked, "How did he get sick?" Given her Er Ge2's strong constitution, it didn't make sense for him to get sick after only half a month of confinement.
Lowering his head, Xu Wu replied, "Yifu3 ordered that he be given only two steamed buns and a bowl of plain vegetables per meal, nothing more." In other words, he had eaten too little, and combined with the burden of his worries, he had fallen ill.
Yuxi fell silent when she heard this.
Noticing her reaction, Xu Wu cautiously added, "Yifu3 was furious. If not for Master Er Jiu1, you and Liu-er wouldn't have suffered so much." It wasn't just Huo Changqing who resented Han Jianye; even Xu Wu didn't like him.
Yuxi rested her hands on the brocade quilt and said, "I know my Er Ge2 was wrong this time, but for my mother's sake, let's not go too far. If she knew he was being mistreated, she'd be heartbroken." It was impossible for Yuxi not to feel resentment. If it weren't for Mama Lan's careful care, Liu-er probably wouldn't have survived. For that alone, she couldn't forgive Han Jianye. However, no matter how much she resented him, she couldn't justify it by mistreating him.
Seeing that Yuxi didn't blame anyone or say that Huo Changqing had gone too far, Xu Wu felt relieved and promised, "Don't worry, Madam. This won't happen again."
Yuxi nodded, "When my Er Ge2 wakes up, bring him to see me. There are some things that need to be said."
Xu Daniu personally escorted Physician Bai to diagnose Han Jianye. After prescribing medicine, he had someone fetch the herbs and prepare a decoction.
After spending half the afternoon on this task, Xu Daniu grumbled to Xu Wu, "Boss, how could a grown man like this fall ill so easily without even being mistreated? He's too delicate." Considering Han Jianye's mistake—which not only caused Yuxi and Liu-er to suffer but also caused trouble for everyone in the Yun household—Xu Daniu's resentment was understandable.
Xu Wu replied, "He's a young master from a noble family—what else would you expect?"
Xu Daniu clicked his tongue and said, "That's not right. Madam was also born a noble lady and should be even more delicate than Han Jianye, the young master. But look at Madam—aside from when she was injured, when has she ever fallen sick so easily?" Yuxi's health was robust, and compared to the women in Yu City, she was no worse.
Xu Wu shook his head with a smile, "Comparing him to Madam is an insult to her character." Although Han Yuxi and Han Jianye were siblings, they were worlds apart.
Surprisingly, Xu Daniu didn't argue with him this time and simply agreed, "That's true."
An old servant woman sweeping the courtyard overheard their conversation, and soon, Yuxi heard about it. She smiled bitterly, "Dage4's efforts have been wasted." After this incident, Er Ge2 would never be accepted by Yun Qing and his subordinates. Han Jianye had already been pushed aside, and trying to achieve anything now would be extremely difficult—at least in the Northwest, it was impossible.
Mama Qu advised, "Madam, overthinking will only wear you out. You need to rest." Although Madam rested most of her time, she still worried a lot.
Yuxi felt a deep ache in her heart and couldn't help but close her eyes. As Mama Qu turned to leave, she heard Yuxi say, "Tell Xu Wu to bring Er Ge2 to see me as soon as he wakes up, no matter what time it is."
Han Jianye woke up at nightfall. Although the past half-month had been rough, he was still in his prime and had always been physically strong.
When Xu Daniu heard he was awake, he coldly said, "Get up!" When he saw Han Jianye looking at him, he added, "Haven't you been asking to see Madam? I'll take you to her now."
Han Jianye said, "All right." But his legs felt weak when he tried to stand, and he almost fell to the ground.
Xu Daniu glanced at the nearby guard and instructed, "Xiao Wu, help him." Honestly, even Madam wasn't as frail as this.
Han Jianye didn't go to see Yuxi right away after leaving the dungeon. He hadn't bathed or shaved for more than half a month, and he knew he would look terrible in such a state.
After cleaning himself up, Xu Wu had someone bring him a bowl of meat porridge and small dishes. Once he had eaten his fill, Xu Wu took him to the inner courtyard.
When Han Jianye stepped out of the room, he shivered because of the cold. Noticing this, Xu Wu took off his thick cloak and draped it over him. "Madam is still recovering and can't be upset. When you see her, don't complain about your hardships."
Han Jianye smiled bitterly. "I'm not as pathetic as you think." A man sheds blood, not tears—no matter how much he suffered, he wouldn't complain to a woman, let alone to Yuxi.
Xu Wu's expression darkened. "That better be true."
When they reached the inner courtyard, Xu Wu called to Gancao, standing by the corridor. "Take him to Madam." Shiliu had been reassigned to look after Zaozao, so Gancao was now highly trusted. Along with her, Hongqi and Hongdou were also assigned to the inner courtyard.
Gancao nodded. "Understood."
Han Jianye stepped into the room and saw Yuxi lying in bed, her face devoid of colour. Guilt washed over him as he said, "Yuxi, I'm sorry."
Yuxi wouldn't let things go with just a few light words this time. She asked, "If that female assassin had succeeded and my child and I had died in the reception hall, what would you have done?"
Han Jianye froze, his blood turning cold. He hadn't expected Yuxi to ask such a question. He bowed his head and once again said, "Yuxi, I'm sorry."
Yuxi's expression remained indifferent. "I asked you—if Liu-er and I had died, what would you have done?"
Han Jianye raised his head and looked at her serious expression. "I would have taken my own life to atone for it." Even if he hadn't k*lled himself, he would have spent the rest of his life in endless guilt and torment.
Yuxi let out a cold snort. "I die because of you, and then you k*ll yourself—do you think our mother would survive that?"
Something similar had happened in her previous life. After being tricked by Qiu Yanfu, Han Jianye felt responsible and forced their mother to agree to the marriage, never considering the pain he was causing her. When his marriage turned sour, he ran away to join the army in Liaodong, where he eventually died. But while he thought death would free him, their mother fell severely ill from grief and was never the same afterwards.
In her past life, Yuxi had blamed herself for his death, thinking that if she hadn't told Qiu Yanfu about his preferences, Qiu Yanfu wouldn't have been able to set him up. If they hadn't married, he might not have died. But in this life, Yuxi knew she had no reason to feel guilty—someone like Han Jianye was destined to be manipulated and used as a pawn sooner or later.
Han Jianye's face turned pale.
Yuxi sneered. "Not only have you never thought about Mother, but you also never considered what would happen to your wife and children if you died. Do you think you deserve to be called a son or a father?"
Han Jianye was so ashamed that he wished he could disappear into the ground.
Yuxi leaned back against the bed. "I know what you're thinking. You think that since Dage4 is around, he can take care of Mother and raise your two sons. Am I right?"
Han Jianye immediately refuted, "I never thought of that!"
Yuxi scoffed. "Then tell me—if you were to d*e, who else besides Dage4 would take care of your children? Who else?"
Han Jianye was left speechless.
Yuxi shook her head. Their Dage4 had to support the entire Duke's household before he even reached adulthood—an unimaginably difficult responsibility. But Han Jianye had never faced such hardships. He had grown up carefree in the mountains, which made him simple and naive. In a way, it wasn't entirely his fault that he had become this way.
Yuxi decided to drop the subject—it was pointless to continue. Instead, she asked, "Do you blame me for putting you in the dungeon?"
Han Jianye shook his head. "I know that wasn't your decision. It was Yun Qing who imprisoned me." He admitted it was his fault but couldn't believe Yuxi would be heartless enough to order it herself.
Yuxi chuckled. "You're wrong. It was my decision. I personally ordered Xu Wu to imprison you."
Even though Han Jianye knew he had made a mistake, it still hurt to hear that Yuxi had given the order. He said, "If this was what you needed to vent your anger, I have nothing to say." But deep inside, he felt an emptiness he couldn't shake.
Yuxi responded, "So you do blame me, after all." She had locked him up partly to remove him from the chaos but also to teach him a lesson. But now she realised she had been wrong. Rivers and mountains were easy to change, but a man's nature was hard to alter5—expecting him to become like their Dage4 was an impossible dream.
Han Jianye shook his head. "No. I have wronged you. No matter what you do to me, I have no complaints." He meant it sincerely.
(PS (Author June): Sigh... I've been staring at the computer for half a day and still haven't managed to type a single word... I don't know what's wrong with me...)
🦊: Writer's block?
Footnotes Full List
- èr (二) = two/second, jiù (舅) = can mean either maternal uncle or wife's brother; brother-in-law. In this sentence, it is the latter.
- èr (二) = two/second, gē (哥) = elder brother, short form for gēge (哥哥))
- adoptive father
- 大哥 = eldest brother
- The phrase means that while external things (like landscapes or political power) can change, a person's fundamental character rarely does.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi