chapter 130

Everyone thought that Yuxi would wake up soon, but they did not expect that Yuxi would suddenly have a high fever and start to talk nonsense.

Yuxi was lying in bed, looking very miserable, and her mouth kept on shouting, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die…..” She had been repeating these sentences only.

Qiu Shi’s hair had turned white with anxiety. She asked Physician Bai, “Mr Physician, what’s wrong with the Fourth Girl?”

Physician Bai also felt that it was very strange. “For Fourth Miss to be like this, it is usually the consequence caused by a great stimulation. In principle, she just only saw her yard in ruins, so she shouldn’t have this kind of serious consequence! First Lady, is there anything being left out that hasn’t been told to this laoxiu¹means ‘I’ and usually used by old men?”

Qiu Shi remembered that moment when Yuxi inserted the sword into the bandit’s chest, “This child, this child…..” Yuxi was too calm at that time, so calm that Qiu Shi thought the act wouldn’t interfere with Yuxi’s emotion, but she didn’t expect this child had just buried her fear in her heart.

When Physician Bai heard that Yuxi was forced to kill a person under duress, he nodded. “Because of the emergency situation at that time, it was a natural tendency for Fourth Miss to have an emotional strain. Once she relaxed, she then saw that her yard had been burned down, thus the hidden terror had floated back to her mind. She has remained unconscious because of this acute anxiety.” It was contrary to what he expected, that Fourth Miss would be so brave during that critical moment. Though he admired Yuxi’s quick ability to make a prompt decision to kill the bandit.

Qiu Shi felt so anxious and irritated. “Mr Physician, what should we do now? The child has continuously been talking nonsense. Can you please save her?”

Physician Bai immediately wrote down a prescription for someone to prepare the medicine, and then he told Qiu Shi, “When Fourth Miss wakes up, try to uplift her mood and don’t let her think about the killing.” A bad thing like killing a person could become a shadow in person’s life that could last for a lifetime.

When Zijin knew the reason for Yuxi’s unconsciousness, she really regretted it, “If I hadn’t hesitated, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Deng Shuang had a different view. If Fourth Miss was forced to kill, it would surely leave a shadow, but at that time, Fourth Miss herself took the initiative to kill without anyone forcing her, so Deng Shuang was not worried at all. “Zijin, you don’t have to worry. Fourth Miss will be fine.” If it wasn’t for the physician himself who said that Yuxi had gotten a scare and was currently unconscious, Deng Shuang would have suspected that Yuxi was faking it. Compared with the braveness that Yuxi showed that night, the present Yuxi was indeed weak!

When Zijin saw Yuxi didn’t seem to wake up soon, she had to continue carrying her heart²be very worried.

At the time when Yuxi finally opened her eyes, she saw a golden sun shining through, filtered into dappled shadows by the window thin screen with hollowed-out flower pattern.

Looking at Zijin, who had fallen asleep at the edge of the bed, Yuxi tried to softly call her a few times. When she saw Zijin being unresponsive, she stopped calling for her.

Even though Zijin didn’t wake up, Zisu, who was waiting outside, had sharp ears and could hear Yuxi’s small yelp. When she strode in, she was surprised to see Yuxi awoke. “Miss, you finally woke up?”

Yuxi looked at Zisu in confusion, wondering why Zisu just said that she finally woke up.

At this moment, Zijin also roused up, and when she saw that Yuxi had finally awakened, her tears started to fall, “Miss, you scared me to death.” If Yuxi didn’t wake up, Zijin would rather die to apologise to Yuxi for her sins.

Yuxi tried to smile, but she was too weak to do so. Even when she managed to smile, it was looking particularly depressing. “What with these nonsense words? As a matter of fact, I am all right.”

Zisu wiped away her tears and grumbled, “Miss, how can you be all right? You have been sleeping for three days.” If Miss didn’t wake up, they would all be worried to death.

Yuxi was very surprised, “I have been sleeping for three days?”

Zisu nodded, “Uh-huh, today has been the third day.” Actually, if she had to say it precisely, Yuxi had only been unconscious for two whole days.

When Zijin noticed that Yuxi wanted to talk more, she hurriedly said, “Miss, please hold your tongue. This talk can be put off later, so please eat something first.”

Yuxi caught sight of Zijin’s bloodshot eyes and asked, “Have you not been sleeping for the past three days?” In terms of loyalty, Zisu always be behind Zijin. No matter what happened, Zijin would consistently put Yuxi first.

Zisu said beside her, “Miss, Zijin has been staying by your bedside for the past few days. She’s simply unwilling to leave. Miss, please persuade her! At this rate, even a strong man’s body won’t be able to stand it.”

Yuxi looked at Zijin and urged, “Go eat something yourself, then get some sleep.” When Yuxi saw Zijin’s reluctant look, she continued to say, “If you don’t take care of yourself, who will protect me if something happens in the future?”

Once Zijin heard this, she earnestly went out to eat.

Yuxi felt a lot better after eating two bowls of rice congee. As she laid in bed, she took the opportunity to ask Zisu, “What actually happened that night?”

Two Quick Methods of Cooking Rice Congee/Porridge

There was still a lingering fear in Zisu’s face as she retold the night event to Yuxi, “That night, the Crown Prince had staged a rebellion. When the capital local ruffians got wind of it, they seized the chance to band together in looting the properties of the rich and influential families. The State Residence was also the target that had caught these people’s eyes.”

Yuxi nodded and then asked, “How is the condition outside now?”

Zisu told Yuxi everything that she knew, “The Crown Prince failed in his rebellion and committed suicide. All those who were responsible and participated in the rebellion were executed with three generations of their families. I heard that the blood on the execution ground by the vegetable market could not be washed clean in the past two days.” Thousands of heads were cut off every day, thus it would be odd if the ground was able to be washed clean!

Before Yuxi could even ask another question, she saw Qiushi coming over in a hurry. As soon as Qiu Shi got the news that Yuxi had woken up, she immediately rushed over. “Fourth Girl, you finally woke up.” These days, because of Yuxi being unconscious, Qiu Shi’s heart was filled with regret and guiltiness. As an elder, she even made Yuxi, who was still a child, protect her. When she thought of this, it had made her unable to eat nor sleep.

Yuxi said with her face full of regret, “I’ve made Eldest Aunt worry.”

Hearing Yuxi’s words of regret, Qiu Shi felt distressed and sad at the same time, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about? If it wasn’t for you, Aunt don’t know what Aunt will be right now.” She still had a lingering fear every time she remembered that night. Fortunately, she didn’t rashly take a bunch of maids to the main room, or else, they would have encountered a bandit on their way. At that time, how could they still be able to live till now. This noob translation was translated by a noob translator きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.

Yuxi didn’t claim the credit herself, but asked her aunt questions instead, “Eldest Aunt, where did those bandits come from? Have you checked it out?” She could guess in her heart that the bandits that night had been brought in by Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang, but she must not say these words openly. She could only guide Qiu Shi to suspect it without leaving behind any traces.

Qiu Shi gnashed her teeth⁴Chinese idiom : displaying extreme anger in hatred, “It has been found out that these people climbed over the wall of the small Green Bamboo building. Judging from the situation that night, these people were very clear about the pattern of the State Residence backyard. This shows that there is a traitor inside the residence.”

Yuxi pretended to find it strange and asked, “Why did Eldest Aunt say so?” She really couldn’t understand. She really felt that she had not been at odds with Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang, so why didn’t Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang just leave her alone? Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang even went so far as to direct such a big show.

Qiu Shi explained, “They had successfully robbed the main room, Tingyun Pavilion, Biteng Courtyard and Rosin Courtyard, except for my yard which they failed to rob.” Having said that, she added, “These bandits probably saw nothing of value in your yard that they set it on fire in anger?” Gold, silver and jewellery were light and easy to carry, which was why bandits like to rob them the most. They were not interested in other things that were not easy being carried. In Yuxi’s Rose Courtyard, Zisu and the others had taken all the valuables when they escaped. It was normal for these people to burn the Rose Garden in a fit of anger when they were aware that the yard was as empty as anything⁵Chinese idiom : completely bereft.

Yuxi was quite puzzled, “There are actually many valuable things in my yard!” Over the years, she had accumulated a lot of jewellery and silvers. Also, there were many valuable things in the warehouse.

Zisu said next to her, “Miss, we have taken all the jewellery and other valuables with us.” Until now, she did not know if she had done the right thing to take the jewellery away. If she had not taken them away, Rose Courtyard might not have been burned by the bandits.

When Yuxi heard this, she quickly asked, “In that case, did you also get the shop title deed, land deed and in addition the silver tickets?” These were the foundations of her existence. Others were only movable properties, that could be bought back with money.

Zisu nodded, “I also took them with me.” Those were the most important things for her Miss. How could she not take it with her!

Qiu Shi looked at Yuxi’s relaxed expression and said with a smile, “You silly girl, even if the shop title deed and the land title are burned, you can just go to the yamen to make them up again. Why do you need to be so worried about them?”

Yuxi was a little embarrassed when she heard this. She really forgot about it that she immediately changed the subject, “Eldest Aunt, have you found out about the traitor?”

Qiu Shi nodded and said, “The traitor has been found. It’s old woman Cao from the inner courtyard. Your father has arrested her for further questioning.”

Yuxi was not that interested in this. Even if there was anything to be questioned, it had nothing to do with Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang, “How are Grandmother and San Jie⁶san=third, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie? Are they okay?”

Qiu Shi slightly sighed, “The Old Lady and Yuchen are fine, but a few maids of the Old Lady are either dead or crippled. There are another two more but they are totally useless. I have sent Liuyin and Liuyue over to serve the Old Lady.”

Yuxi didn’t need to think about it, since she knew the outcome would be like this. “How are the maids around Yuchen? Are they not okay?” Those maids were all carefully trained by Momo⁷wet nurse Gui. It would be a pity if they just died like this.

Qiu Shi shook her head and said, “The maids of the Tingyun Pavilion are all pretty clever. Knowing that the bandits were coming, they all ran to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Those thieves stole their belongings but didn’t bother with the maids.” Momo⁷wet nurse Gui had followed Yuchen to the main courtyard, but they were still seasoned and experienced people stayed in Tingyun Pavilion like Momo⁷wet nurse Sha. At that time, Momo⁷wet nurse Sha saw that the situation was not right, and immediately had all the maids and old women servants of Tingyun Pavilion run to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Then they were divided into two groups, with one group was for those who could swim, while the other group was for those who couldn’t swim. The ones who could swim stayed in the pavilion, and if the bandits came towards them, they would jump into the lake while it was still dark. Those bandits would surely not be able to follow them by jumping into the cold lake. The ones that couldn’t swim sat on the two boats that had been left in the lake, and then rowed them to a very secluded place. Those two boats were reserved for Yuchen and others to play and frolic. No one thought that they would be used during this kind of time.

These bandits had first arrived at Rose Courtyard, but they couldn’t see a single person there; when they arrived at Tingyun Pavilion, they also didn’t manage to see a single person. This made them do a thorough search around the yard. The result was they able to catch a maid who hadn’t escaped, thus knowing that there were groups of people hiding in the lake pavilion.

When the people in the lake pavilion saw that the bandits were being vicious, they all jumped into the lake. The nights in the fourth lunar month were very cold, thus also made the lake water also become cold, and the water could even turn much colder as time passed by, though it was much better than directly being killed by the bandits. As Momo⁷wet nurse Sha had predicted, when the bandits saw the maids jump into the lake, they left the lake pavilion after leaving behind some swearing words. Then, as they saw so many gold and silver jewellery in Tingyun Pavilion, they immediately became so happy that they couldn’t even care less about those maids. Therefore, the final outcome for more than 40 maids and old women servants in Tingyun pavilion was much better than those in the main house, with only three people had died, while six people were injured, and more than a dozen had caught a cold.

Yuxi remarked, “That’s good.” It was estimated that Heshou Xianzhu³he = harmonious, shou = long life, xianzhu=Princess of the Fourth Rank/usually granted to daughter of a Junwang not only wanted to kill her, but she also wanted to kill Yuchen. Her plan was like using one arrow to kill two golden eagles⁸Chinese idiom : a situation where one action can accomplish two goals.

Qiu Shi also shared one happy news with Yuxi, “Your Er Ge⁹er=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege has made great achievements this time. Although the order of commendation has not yet come, he will certainly be promoted.” This time, when the Crown Prince rebelled, Han Jianye had killed a lot of rebellious ministers and traitors, which displayed his great bravery. With the Lu family also there, Qiu Shi didn’t worry about anyone erasing Han Jianye’s credit, so this promotion was a matter of certainty.

Yuxi’s smile was much more genuine this time around, “This is truly a big happy event.” Currently, her Er Ge⁹er=second, ge=elder brother, short form for Gege was a sixth rank official, and if he was promoted, he would move up a rank, to a fifth rank official, which was a pretty good situation.

Qiu Shi was also very pleased and felt that it was absolutely right to let him marry into the Lu family. Otherwise, this younger son of her would not have stayed in the capital, nor would he be able to make any achievements. Naturally, he would not also be promoted.

Yuxi then asked, “How about Dasao¹⁰eldest sister-in-law? Is the child all right?”

Qiu Shi smiled, “The physician has taken a look at her, and reported that she was just suffering a little bit of fright, nothing serious. Rather, old woman Hua, who saw a lot of dead people on the road at the time, was so scared that she lost her soul, and she’s currently dumbfounded.” After a pause, she continued, “Yuru and Yujing are also fine. It’s just that, your mother has been injured in the chaos.” The only master in the residence who had been injured was Wu Shi.

Yuxi didn’t want to know anything about Wu Shi, but it would be inappropriate if she didn’t answer since Qiu Shi had personally told her about it. Hence she asked, “Is the injury serious?”

Qiu Shi shook her head, “She only suffered a flesh wound, thus her life is not at stake. Instead, one of your father’s concubines had died. She had been hacked to death by the bandits.”

Yuxi asked, “Was Concubine Wen the one who died?” Concubine Wen was a thorn in Wu Shi’s side, so it was not impossible for Wu Shi to take the opportunity to kill Concubine Wen during the disorder.

Qiu Shi nodded, “You’re right, it is Concubine Wen. Well, you must have been tired after all this talk, so just lie down and have a rest.”

Yuxi remembered that there was something she wanted to tell Qiu Shi, but she didn’t know where to start.

When Qiu Shi noticed Yuxi’s manner of wanting to say something but hesitated, she said, “Silly child, if you have anything to say, just tell it to Eldest Aunt. Eldest Aunt will do it for you as long as Eldest Aunt can.”

It was only then did Yuxi stammer, “Eldest Aunt, I don’t want too many people to know about what happened that night.” Originally, she already lacked any advantages. If outsiders knew that she dared to kill someone, she was afraid that it would be even harder for her to have a good marriage.

Qiu Shi laughed, “What to do then? You actually don’t have to worry. I’ve already instructed them. They won’t dare to speak carelessly about it.” Most of these people in the master courtyard were Qiu Shi’s trusted subordinates. Even if they weren’t her trusted subordinates, they all had received life-saving favour from Yuxi, so how would they still dare to gossip about her.

Yuxi was relieved, “Then, that’s good.” She didn’t want other people to think that she had the guts to do anything murderous.

Qiu Shi assured her with a smile, “You don’t have to worry about it. If anything happens, I’ll take care of it. I won’t let you be affected in the slightest.”

Yuxi obediently lay down and said, “Eldest Aunt, the residence is in a mess right now, so there must be a lot of things for Aunt to deal with. I’m really fine here. It’s okay if Aunt has to hurriedly leave.”

Qiu Shi nodded and went out. The outside of the State Residence was fine, but the inner courtyard was now a mess. Not only did they have to replenish people to come in, but they also had to reacquire many things, plus those who died had to be buried and be given pensions. While those who survived had to be given silvers for them to see the physicians. Qiu Shi was so busy that she wished she could split herself into two. In the end, she had no choice but to ask Yuru to come over and help.