Hongshan knew that there was a grudge between Yuxi and Concubine Rong. Seeing
that Yuxi didn't take Concubine Rong's news to heart, she felt a little
strange, "Miss, I heard that Concubine Rong had asked the Lord Duke to let
Second Miss out."
Yuxi remained unmoved and only said, "Did Grandmother agree?" With the Old
Lady's temperament, she couldn't go back on her own words since this act would only damage her prestige inside the residence.
Hongshan shook her head and said, "The Old Lady disagreed. She said it would take another six months for her confinement to be complete. But, I'm afraid
the Old Lady will be persuaded by the Lord Duke. "
There were things in one's mind one should not have said out loud. If not, something would come sooner than one expected.
In the evening of that same day, Concubine Rong started having pain. When Yuxi
heard the news, she looked a little odd. "Is she going to give birth?"
Mama Shen said, "Well, usually, the birth of a son will be ahead of schedule,
and the birth of a daughter will be delayed for a few days." This confirmed that Concubine Rong was going to give birth to a son.
Yuxi responded with a simple 'Oh'.
Mama Shen could not understand what Yuxi meant, so she did not dare to say
much more.
On the other hand, Zijin had learned to write her own name. Yuxi looked at the name written by her, nodded, and praised her, "That's very good."
Zijin was somewhat shy. "No. Miss writes much better." She was too ashamed to face anyone with these written characters that looked like a dog scrawl.
Yuxi laughed. "Just learn to write like this and take your time.
Don't mind it much. Now, go and look for Moju!" Zijin was a shy girl, but she had a good relationship with Moju. In such a short time, they got along so well, like they were actual sisters. It also helped her integrate well into the Rose
Courtyard.
As Yuxi watched Zijin go out cheerfully with her lighthearted steps, she couldn't help laughing. She knew that studying and reading were very painful for Zijin, which reminded her of Er Ge[1], Han Jianye. Thinking till here, an idea emerged in her mind. If she could
ask Er Ge[1] to guide Zijin in martial arts, and when Zijin finally learned it, her safety
would be more guaranteed.
Han Jianye, far away on the mountain, suddenly sneezed. "I don't know
who is missing me?"
Han Jianye's senior, Lin Fengyuan, said with a smile, "I think that person should be your mother?
The Mid-Autumn Festival will begin next month. I believe the Master will give us a few days off, and then we can return home." He could also go back to visit his
mother.
Han Jianye really wanted to go down the mountain. It was also quite boring to
always be stuck up here every day.
After Yuxi finished her homework in the evening, she went to sleep.
While lying on the bed, she saw Hongshan kept staring at her, so she asked, "What's the matter?"
Hongshan said, "Concubine Rong has not yet given birth."
Yuxi broke into laughter. "What does it have to do with you if Concubine Rong already gave birth or not? Go to bed. I need to get up early tomorrow!" She had to get up early tomorrow morning to review her lessons!
Concubine Rong and she did have animosity with each other, and she also wanted to take her revenge very much. Nevertheless, she couldn't use trickery while Concubine Rong gave birth. Even if she had the ability, she still wouldn't do it. Yes, Concubine Rong deserved to die, but the unborn child had no enmity with her. Therefore, she would not commit such a hideous crime on an innocent child.
Hongshan blew out the lamp and went out softly. She said to Mama Shen, waiting outside, "Miss has fallen asleep."
Actually, Yuxi wasn't asleep yet. She was thinking about things, especially about Yujing. In her previous life, Yujing always went with the flow until she married. However, now, she was locked up in the family's Buddhist hall. It was already unbearable to be locked up in a room for three days, let alone in a Buddhist hall. Because of Yuxi, many things changed. In the end, she fell asleep as she was thinking about it.
By noon the next day, Yuxi heard after class that Concubine Rong still had not given birth. Hongshan said, "Miss, the child has not yet been born. People in residence said that Concubine Rong would have difficulty while giving
birth."
Yuxi responded with a simple 'Oh'.
When Concubine Rong still didn't give birth to a child after waiting for a
long time, the midwife came out of the delivery room and asked Qiu Shi, "My
Lady, should we save the mother or the child?"
Qiu Shi originally wanted her to save the mother, but Mama Li answered faster than her. She hastily said, "My Lady, it is still up to the Old Lady
to make decisions, along with Lord Duke." Duke Han had some matters to be done outside during the day, so he wasn't inside the residence, but the Old Lady was.
Qiu Shi suddenly woke up then hurriedly ordered Mama Li to ask the Old Lady personally. The Old Lady's answer was obvious—saved the child.
Meanwhile, Yuxi was holding a brush. She dipped it in ink and then started writing on the paper pasted on the wall. Every time she practised calligraphy,
blankets would be spread on the ground. Otherwise, the floor would be filled with a mass of black ink.
Hongshan walked in softly. When Yuxi finished writing a character and
lowered her head to dip her brush in ink again, she reported, "Miss, Concubine
Rong has given birth to a son. Lord Duke was thrilled that he named the child Chao Ger[2]."
When Yuxi heard the name, her expression was very odd. Chao Ger[2]? Who was he going to surpass? His Dage[3] or his Er Ge[1]? She smiled as she did not know what Concubine Rong was thinking. The child was just being born, but yet, he had already offended a large number of people. "How is the child?"
Hongshan shook her head and said, "Miss, Ninth Young Master is not in good
health."
Yuxi was not surprised to hear that. Although the child was born full-term,
Concubine Rong had met with two incidents while she was pregnant. Although there was no danger, in the end, it was still harmful to the child.
Chao Ger[2]'s health was not good. He couldn't even drink milk. Whenever he had one, he would immediately vomit it out. So, to treat Chao Ger[2], the physicians had to come and leave without stopping. The birth was supposed to turn
the courtyard into a joyful atmosphere, but it ended up with
both men and horses being thrown off their feet[4].
Because of Chao Ger[2]'s poor health, the xishan[5] ceremony was done small, and also on that day, Yujing was finally released from her confinement.
Hongshan said, "Miss, it was Concubine Rong who had asked the Lord Duke. She said today was a good day for Chao Ger[2], and it ought to be a good time to let Yujing finally see her younger brother. When the Lord Duke found this argument reasonable, he ordered an immediate release of Second Miss."
Yuxi laughed, saying, "Uncle Duke had
treated Grandmother's words as winds pass his ears[6]!"
Hongshan did not dare to comment anything on this matter between the masters.
She was only responsible for reporting these matters to Yuxi. She then told Yuxi a topic that would interest her. "Miss, my brother said that the business of the baozi[7] shop is becoming
more and more prosperous, and so does the grocery store business."
Pastries, candies and other snacks in the grocery stores were delicious and inexpensive. For that reason, they became very popular with people in that
area.
Yuxi let out a cry; oh! She agreed to open the grocery store not only because of the glorious prospect described by Mama Fang but also because she knew how to prepare several kinds of fresh food in advance. As long as she had people help her prepare them, by that time, she could earn a
lot of money by selling them. If one had enough money to do things well, one wouldn't worry about having any money in the future.
Yuxi said, "I would like to look for an opportunity to visit the hamlet." She did not care much about the baozi[7] shop or the grocery store, so she left them to her servants to manage. This way, she would earn
more money rather than lose them.
Hongshan smiled and said, "The Lady said when the weather got cooler, she
would let Miss look at the hamlet." It was a pity she knew about the grocery store news too late. Otherwise, she could recommend her little brother to help Miss run it.
Yuxi smiled.
The next day after the day Yujing was released, she came to Rose Courtyard.
Moju walked in nervously and announced, "Miss, Second Miss is here."
Yuxi stood up with a smile and said, "Er Jie[8] is not a tiger. Why are you so afraid?" In the beginning, when she was pushed down to the ground by Yujing, she was unprepared. However, it would not be easy if Yujing thought of hurting her again.
However, when Yuxi saw Yujing, she got a fright. Yujing's once ruddy little face had lost two ounces of flesh, making her face much thinner, and she also did not look disdainful as before. She used to be as proud as a peacock, but now she bowed her head and even apologised to her.
Yuxi secretly admired the Old Lady's method. However, she didn't expect that in less than half a year, Yujing could turn around this much. She called out to Yujing to sit down. She then answered with a smile, "Er Jie[8], the original incident is already in the past. I have long forgotten about
it."
Yuxi accompanied Yujing for a little while before sending her out.
When they arrived at the gate of Rose Courtyard, Yujing said sincerely, "Si Meimei[9], when
you have time, come and play in my courtyard."
Yuxi did not directly answer the offer; she instead said, "These days, I'm swamped. There is even no time for me to walk around."
The smile on Yujing's face froze. That darn girl was showing off that she could learn from Teacher Song. However, Yujing still remembered her current situation, so she did not dare to let her temper prevail. She suppressed her
anger and said, "Then, I'll wait until you have time to come."
At first, when Yuxi looked at the changes in Yujing through her eyes, she thought it was true. It turned out to be just a mask. "Well, I will surely
visit Er Jie[8] when I have the time."
Yunqi had served Yujing for many years, so she knew her temper best. When
she saw that the veins stood out on Yujing's hand, and she could not help but let
out a small cry, "Miss..."
Yujing gritted her teeth. "I'm all right." In order not to be locked up again, she had to endure. She had no one she could rely on, not even her mother. She could only rely on herself.
After the group of people left, Hongshan said, "Miss, it seems like Second
Miss has changed into a new person?" Second Miss had truly shed her mortal body and exchanged her bones[10].
Yuxi said indifferently, "Whether she has changed or not, it will soon be
known." Yujing had only learned to pretend now. The old wisdom even said it was easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character[11]. Sooner or later, her act would indeed be exposed.
However, Yujing's change also alerted Yuxi. First, it was Mama Fang who changed; now, it was Yujing. The people and things around her had changed because of her. As she secretly warned herself to be more cautious, she heard that Chao Ger[2] had a fever.
Hongshan said, "Miss, Ninth Young Master has a fever after being exposed to
the blowing wind." He was already weak. Nowadays, even with his nickname, he hanged entirely on medicines. Now that he had a fever, Hongshan guessed he wouldn't stand it.
Even when it was already evening, Chao Ger[2]'s fever still would not subside. After seeing this situation, Physician Bai
immediately said, "Prepare for the worst!" Since physicians often saw children die young, the sad situation didn't affect them much.
Concubine Rong passed out when she heard Physician Bai's words. When she woke up, she knew her son, whom she had worked so hard to get, had finally gone. She vomited one mouthful of blood and passed out again.
Yuxi's look didn't change even for a bit after she heard the news.
Hongshan looked at Yuxi and felt that she could not grasp Miss' current emotion even if she dug deep inside her Miss' heart, "Miss, Concubine Rong gave birth to a child while in her old age. This is very dangerous for her. Now that she is too sad and heartbroken, I'm afraid she will suffer from an illness in the future. "This was what she heard from those experienced mamas.
"The debt owed is finally being paid," said Yuxi indifferently. Concubine
Rong's victims were not only her but also her uncle's dead concubines and
their unborn children.
Hearing this, Hongshan shuddered and did not dare to speak anymore.
Chao Ger[2] died young.
Children who died young weren't eligible for formal funerals and could not be buried within family ancestral graves. They had to be packed into a
thin little coffin and sent outside to be buried instead.
Concubine Rong cried for half a day when she knew her son's funeral was so shabby. She even begged Qiu Shi to invite monks to chant sutras for her son to cross over. Since Qiu Shi wasn't a person who would throw stones at Concubine Rong, who fell down a well[12], she didn't stop her. She just went along with Concubine Rong's flow.
Footnotes Full List
- er=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege
- lit surpassing brothers
- eldest brother
- Chinese idiom: in a pitiful state
- give a baby a bath on the third day after birth
- to completely disregard
- steamed stuffed bun
- er=second, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- si=fourth, meimei=younger sister
- Chinese idiom: turn over a new leaf
- Chinese idiom: you can’t change who you are
- Chinese idiom: hit a person when he’s down
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi