In the middle of the ninth month, Yuxi returned to Yu City with Zaozao. Over the past few days, Yun Qing had written her many letters, but he only talked about trivial matters and didn't bother her with any tasks. But when Yuxi finally returned to Yu City, there were many things she had to do. The first thing was the long list Han Ji had sent her.
Han Ji said, "Madam, all these things have been sorted out. What do you want to do with them, Madam?" There were too many things this time, and a lot of them were of no use to the children at the Charity Home.
Yuxi responded, "I'll tell you after I've seen it. By the way, what are your thoughts after going to the West Sea this time?" When she asked Han Ji to go to the West Sea, it was not just to buy skins and medicinal herbs.
Han Ji reported, "Madam, the West Sea has abundant materials and water resources, much richer than those in Shaanxi and Gansu."
Before Yuxi could speak, Han Ji continued, "Madam, although the West Sea is very fertile, the people there live in misery. The officials are exploiting them severely, and in addition, the Tubo1 often attack them." To put it simply, it wasn't a peaceful place either.
After hearing this, Yuxi said: "I understand. You can withdraw first. We will distribute the items on this list after I go through it." These things must be distributed at the end of the month.
It took Yuxi all afternoon to go through the thick, detailed list of items, and when she finished, she couldn't help but smile. "They even scraped off a lot of pancreas soaps."
Zijin stated: "Ordinary people can't afford pancreas soap." Only wealthy families would buy this thing.
As this was not a massive project, it took Yuxi only three days to divide everything. Books, writing brushes, inks, paper, and inkstones would all be sent to Qingming Hall; in addition, all the muslins would be delivered to the Charity Home to make clothes for the children there; silk, satin, leather, and so on would be given to Yun Qing to reward meritorious soldiers; and all the medicinal materials would be sent to the military camp. Everything was in order; even all pieces of the furniture would be placed in the Charity Home and Qingming Hall. The only troublesome thing was the old clothes, which Yuxi didn't know what to do with.
Knowing Yuxi's dilemma, Han Ji suggested, "Madam, the families of the soldiers who have died in the war are having a hard time. I believe they will be delighted if they can get one or two pieces of this clothing."
Yuxi didn't think it was a good idea. "It's not good to give people leftover clothes to wear." She never wore other people's clothes anyway.
Han Ji said, "Madam, for them, these old clothes are three times better than the new ones they made. Besides, even if they don't wear them, they can alter them themselves." According to Han Ji, this was not a big deal, but Madam treated it otherwise.
Yuxi frowned. "Let me think about it." This had to do with her temperament. Think of it like her embroidery. Even if her embroidery looked perfect, if she felt it was flawed, she would destroy it rather than use it. It was the same with clothes. It was all right to give someone new clothes, but she felt it would be unsightly to give others someone else's old clothes.
Han Ji stopped talking nonsense and asked, "Madam, shall I have someone deliver the things now?" The things had been stored for a while, and it was time to distribute them.
Yuxi nodded. "You can go and do your work."
When Yun Qing returned that evening, Yuxi told him about it. "Do you think giving away these old clothes would be bad?"
Hearing this question, Yun Qing knew what Yuxi was thinking and said, "What's so bad about it? The people in the border city have hard times, and the average family rarely makes new clothes. The Xu family is so rich and powerful that the clothes the average maids wear are much better than the new clothes the common people buy for themselves." These words were exactly the same as what Han Ji had said.
Yuxi still felt bad about it.
Yun Qing couldn't help but smile. "They'll only be happy when they get these things and won't think too much about it, so don't worry and just let Han Ji take care of it!"
Yuxi said, "Maybe I overthink it." After a pause, she asked, "What will you do with the money?"
Yun Qing pondered momentarily before answering, "I originally wanted to use it to pay out pensions, but that is too eye-catching. So, it's better to put this money away for now and take it out when things get tough next year."
Yuxi nodded. ''It is indeed inappropriate to reveal this money now. Even though the patriarch of the Xu family and some important figures are dead, there is no guarantee that no other people know these secrets. However, there is a problem with not using this money. In case the Imperial Court wants to fill the treasury with it, what then?" The patriarch of the Xu family and some important figures had died violently on the night they were imprisoned. As for who did it, it goes without saying.
Yun Qing sneered. "Unless they are trying to make Yu City rebel, they wouldn't dare to fill the treasury with this amount of money." Previously, the Imperial Court had always shrugged them off by saying they had no money, leaving the Northwestern Army with a bad taste in their mouths2. Now that there was money, the Imperial Court still wanted to take it without planning to give it to them. They really thought the Northwestern Army was spleenless, huh?
Yuxi was worried and said: ''But even if you manage to use the money from the prefect's yamen3, together with the gold, silver and jewellery from before, it will only last for two years at most. What about the future? We have to find another way out!"
When Yun Qing heard this, his expression became sombre. "Mr Xia said we can sell salt and cloth outside the pass."
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Yuxi gaped, not expecting Mr Xia to suggest this to Yun Qing. She was silent momentarily before asking, "Did you agree?" Just by looking at Yun Qing's face, she knew he hadn't agreed.
Sure enough, Yun Qing shook his head. "No."
Yuxi was well aware of Yun Qing's character. If he hadn't been pushed to the point of no return, he would never do such a thing. Yuxi also believed that Marshal Qin must not have found a way out back then, so he could only take this path. If she didn't want Yun Qing to go down the same path, she could only look for other methods.
With this in mind, Yuxi told Yun Qing, "I actually have a solution, but it's difficult to implement."
Yun Qing's eyes lit up as he asked, "What's the solution? Tell me."
Yuxi explained: "When Han Ji went to the West Sea this time, I found that the price difference between things in different places was huge. If we can form a large caravan to sell the West Sea specialities to Jiangnan or the capital and then sell the things in the capital to other places, it will definitely be profitable."
Yun Qing shook his head. "That's easier said than done. Apart from setting up a caravan, you will lose everything if you run into horse thieves and bandits." In addition to horse thieves and bandits, there were other risks, such as the need for the caravan leader to have precise vision and the timing must be good.
Yuxi said: "I know this, but if you can clean up all the bandits and thieves in Shaanxi and Gansu, then this problem will no longer be a problem."
Yun Qing froze and stated, "Yuxi, you know I don't have that right. Without a transfer order, I am unable to send out troops." If he could deploy troops, he wouldn't have tolerated these horse thieves and bandits running rampant in the northwest.
Yuxi said, "That's the fundamental problem."
Yun Qing didn't understand the meaning of her words. "Fundamental problem? What fundamental problem?" These words put him in the middle of the clouds and mist4 that he couldn't figure it out.
Yuxi glanced at Yun Qing and said, "You said that you did not have the right to send troops to exterminate those horse thieves and bandits. Have you never thought of sitting in the position where you have that right?"
Yun Qing shook his head. "The only one who can mobilise the Northwest Army is the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. The Imperial Court won't let me serve as such." This position would give him too much power, and the Imperial Court would not allow it.
Yuxi said: "If you don't have the conditions, then you can find a way to create them yourself. Instead of being like now, saying things can't be done before you even do them. If you keep thinking like that, then nothing can be done." She didn't know if it was because he came from a family of military generals, but Yun Qing was very rigid in his behaviour and didn't know how to adapt. As in the case of Qin Zhao's attempt to kill him three or four times, he still didn't make a move against Qin Zhao due to Marshal Qin's benevolence. If it were her, she wouldn't have spared Qin Zhao's life after knowing that he was going to kill her.
These words were a bit harsh, and Yun Qing's face didn't look good.
Yuxi continued: ''Although Mr Xia's approach may not be appropriate, it's good that he has a starting point. Now that you have money, you can disregard Mr Xia's words. But what if you don't have money in the future? Will you still stick to your principle, then? If your principle causes many soldiers to die in the cold, will you still stick to it?"
Yun Qing gritted his teeth and vowed, "I won't let that day happen."
When Yuxi heard these words, she said, "It's impossible to earn millions of silver in a year through normal channels. You've vetoed all other methods. How can you ensure your soldiers can still eat their fill and wear warm clothes?" She paused for a moment before adding, "Actually, there's one thing I never mentioned. You know that Qin Zhao was unfit to serve as the chief general of Yu City in terms of ability and character, and you also had the opportunity to rise. Why didn't you fight with Qin Zhao?" Before Qin Zhao took office, the Yu family had already contacted Yun Qing, but he refused the collaboration.
Yun Qing answered hoarsely, "I can't fight with him."
Yuxi said, ''I know you do not want to fight Qin Zhao because of Marshal Qin's benevolence. But have you ever thought about why Marshal Qin wanted to train you to take his place instead of letting Qin Zhao take over? It was because Marshal Qin knew you were more qualified than Qin Zhao. Even he could put his personal interests aside and look at the bigger picture, so why would you be afraid that you'd be burdened with a reputation of being ungrateful if you took over Marshal Qin's position? If you hadn't let that happen back then and instead used the Yu family's power to rise to the top, would so many people have died in Yu City during the war at the beginning of spring?" Seeing the uncertainty in Yun Qing's expression, Yuxi continued, "He Rui, why would Marshal Qin tolerate the Xu family's act of trading outside of the pass? Did he not know the consequences if this got out? He knew. He knew it all along, but he let it happen anyway. He Rui, Marshal Qin is truly a selfless person." Whether it was in vision or spirit, Yun Qing was not the least bit inferior to Marshal Qin.
In terms of eloquence, even ten Yun Qing were no match for Yuxi.
Yuxi sighed heavily and said, "Think about it for yourself! I'm going to see Zaozao." There were some things that Yun Qing had to figure out for himself. Forcing him would only be useless.
When Zijin noticed Yuxi's abnormal expression, she asked, "Madam, did you have a fight with the General?" Previously, the two of them were like glue. This was the first time Zijin had seen Yuxi's face look so ugly, so she was sure they had quarrelled.
Yuxi countered: "Why are you talking so much? Just do your own thing." In peaceful and prosperous times, Yun Qing's rigid temperament would be very popular with those in power. But they were in troubled times. If, during this time, Yun Qing still wanted to be loyal to the Emperor, serve the country and pass on this principle to future generations, then his whole family would definitely have to pay the price. Because of this thought, she was speaking so seriously just now. There was no other way. She couldn't let Yun Qing go on like this.
Footnotes Full List
- the Tibetan Tubo dynasty 7th-11th century AD
- fig. uncontrollable pent-up fury
- government office in feudal China
- (fig) puzzled
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi