Chapter 290 : Vomiting Blood (1)

Song Guifei spearheaded the fundraising, and all the ladies from the wealthy families in the capital were scrambling to donate money and materials. Yuxi originally wanted to donate 2,000 taels, but she didn’t contribute a single penny when she found out that Song Guifei had taken the lead. The more people donated, the more Song Guifei’s name would be known. Yuxi did not want to add flowers to Song Guifei’s brocade.

Speaking of which, Yuxi was particularly puzzled. Why did the Emperor obey and act docile with Song Guifei, but he didn’t make her the Empress and the 9th Prince the Crown Prince? She had also asked Han Jianming about this question. Unfortunately, even he couldn’t guess the Emperor’s mind.

Yuxi didn’t spend her two thousand taels of silver, but she did want to make some quilts for these refugees and send them over. Two thousand taels would have been enough to buy ten or twenty thousand quilts last year, but now that the price of everything had gone up, the purchasing power of two thousand taels was only half of what it was before.

Han Jianming disagreed with Yuxi’s plan to buy quilts. “The Imperial Court already bought them.” There was no need for them to donate when the Imperial Court had already done so. Otherwise, it would make people think they were not doing a good job.

Yuxi thought for a moment and said, “Dage, since we can’t buy quilts, then, let’s buy some herbs and send them over! It’s already freezing cold. At least they can boil some herbs to prevent themselves from getting sick.” Once these refugees fell ill, they couldn’t survive and only had to wait for death. So Yuxi felt it was necessary to purchase some herbs to send over there. Of course, they should buy cheap herbs to prevent colds and other kinds of things.

Han Jianming said, “I will have Han Hao buy the herbs, but not in your name. It should be under Mother’s name.” Yuxi was the one who had caught Song Guifei’s eyes, so they could not use her name. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if Song Guifei heard about it and thought of her.

It was not that Yuxi wanted to use her name. She just wanted to help the refugees. Back then, she had waited with bated breath for relief. She still remembered how she felt when she drank that bowl of porridge. Now that she could do something, she would do more to help them.

After Qiu Shi knew about this, she also took out 2,000 taels of silver from her private coffers. “This is also a token of my appreciation.” In fact, she had already donated a thousand taels of silver when she collected donations earlier. Luckily, she had a thick private saving, so three thousand taels of silver weren’t too much for her.

Han Jianming did not like to stand out. He submitted a formally folded booklet to the Emperor, proposing that the Imperial Court buy some medicinal herbs. Of course, he knew very well it would not lead to any result. He was just making a statement. So when he saw that the Emperor had not written any approval to his proposal, he had people buy some herbs such as Banlangen and Huo Xiang and send them outside the city. This move of his received a lot of praise.

It was not long before Yuxi heard from outside that most of the rice sent to the refugees was old rice, and some even had wormholes. Yuxi was not surprised by this rumour. “It was to be expected.” But even if they were old rice, to the refugees, it was enough to fill their stomachs. She just wondered if those who had corrupted the money were not afraid of retribution.

That day, Qiu Shi called Yuxi over and told her about something. She disclosed to her that Second Lady Lu had a nephew who was very good in every way, and Second Lady Lu intended to match Yuxi to the other party.

When Yuxi heard that the other party was Lu Xiu’s biaoge, she blinked and asked, “Mother, Er Sao is twenty-one this year, so how old is this person?” Since he was Er Sao’s biaoge, he must be older than Lu Xiu.

Qiu Shi coughed and said, “Young Master Fu is twenty-two years old, one year older than your Er Sao. But he has been fighting in Liaodong, which is why he has put his marriage on hold.” Qiu Shi also thought that the other party’s age was a bit too old. He was seven years older than Yuxi! But then she felt that there was an advantage to being older. At least he knew how to dote on his wife.

Yuxi was not interested. He was seven years older than her, which was too much.

Qiu Shi stroked Yuxi’s head and said, “It’s good that he is older. He somewhat knows how to care for other people. Besides, your Dage also thinks the other party’s condition is pretty good and says he can go and have a look at him. If he is not bad looking, they can settle this matter down.”

Yuxi nodded as she accepted. “It’s up to Mother and Dage to decide.” Yuxi wasn’t too sure about Qiu Shi’s eye for people, but she was still confident with Han Jianming. If the other party did not meet Han Jianming’s requirements, it would be impossible to get his approval.

Qiu Shi was satisfied with Yuxi’s attitude, and she did not want to hear Yuxi say something like she didn’t want to get married. Unless she was unmarriageable, which young lady would want to stay at home? “I heard from Second Lady Lu that the Third Young Master Fu will return to the capital once next year at the beginning of spring. By then, if your Dage thinks the other person is good, then the marriage can be arranged.” If her son fancied him, then the marriage should be done without losing time, and there must be no more mishaps.

Yuxi looked up and asked, “Then, should I also follow him to Liaodong when the time comes?” Because she knew so much, she was resistant to make a trip to Liaodong.

Qiu Shi couldn’t bear the thought of marrying her away, but it was hard to find a suitable match in the capital with her reputation, and that could satisfy her son. If she were to turn down the wealthy family’s third young master, who knows how long she would have to wait to find the right one for Yuxi. Hence, as long as the other party was good, she could marry Yuxi away from the capital.

Unfortunately, Yuxi did not need to wait for Fu Gongzi (son of nobility) anymore since an Imperial Decree sanctioning her marriage had arrived instead.

Yuxi was reading a book in her room when she heard Caidie rushing in. She couldn’t even speak clearly and was so excited. “Miss, the Imperial Decree. The Emperor issued an Imperial Decree. Asking Miss to receive it.”

Yuxi’s mind was suddenly filled with bad things. “Receive what Imperial Decree?” It could not be a good thing if it were an Imperial Decree for Dage. At the same time, it would be strange if it was a good thing for her to receive it.

Caidie shook her head as she answered, “I’m not sure.”

The two of them were talking about this when Qiu Shi arrived. The Emperor had issued an Imperial Decree, and it was addressed to Yuxi by name, so naturally, Qiu Shi had to come over and give Yuxi some pointers. “What are you doing? Quickly take a shower and change your clothes.”

To receive the Imperial Decree, one had to bathe and dress, and incense had to be burned as well. Incense was already burning in the main hall in the front yard. She was only waiting for Yuxi to go there.

Yuxi suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and freshened up as quickly as she could, then went with Qiu Shi to the front yard to receive the decree. As soon as she reached the main hall, she saw a white and clean eunuch shout in a shrill voice, “Receive the decree.”

Yuxi followed Qiu Shi and knelt, her head on the ground, not daring to move. Then she pricked up her ears and listened to the eunuch read the Imperial Decree. The eunuch read in a loud voice, “By the grace of Heavens, the Emperor had issued an Imperial Decree that said: Zhen has heard that Han Yuxi, the younger sister of the Duke Han, is skilful, generous, gentle, kind, and also with outstanding character, which Zhen is very pleased to hear. As General Pingbei is now at the right time for marriage, he should be matched with a virtuous daughter. Since such a worthy person, Han Yuxi, has been waiting patiently in her boudoir, together with General Pingbei, they become a match made in heaven. And for the sake of her beauty, with this, Zhen betrothed you to General Pingbei as his wife. Thus, you are required to leave for the northwest at once to complete your marriage. As written by the Emperor, himself.”

When Yuxi heard that she had to head northwest to complete her marriage, how could she have not known that this General Pingbei was Yun Qing? She just didn’t know what the Emperor was singing by giving her to Yun Qing as his wife? She had nothing to do with him! Moreover, hadn’t Dage said that Yun Qing was already looking for an alliance and that this marriage would only disrupt Yun Qing’s plans? If Yun Qing got angry, her life would be at stake.

Qiu Shi was also dumbfounded. Who was this General Pingbei? Why did the Emperor give Yuxi to him as his wife? However, Qiu Shi was old enough to have experienced many things, so she quickly realised that the most important thing right now was to receive the decree, and it was not too late to find out who this General Pingbei was later on. At that moment, she tugged at Yuxi’s arm. It was called a tug, but in reality, it was a pinch, as she saw that Yuxi was still in a daze.

Yuxi felt the pain in her arm before she came back to her senses. She collected all her thoughts, kowtowed and then shouted, “May the Emperor lives and reigns for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years.” Then she stood up and held the Imperial Decree in both her hands.

It was the first time she had received an Imperial Decree in her last two lives, but unfortunately, she did not feel any joy at this moment. This decree, if Song Guifei had not been the mastermind behind it, she could have torn her head off and kicked it like a ball. She thought it was over, but it turned out she hadn’t forgotten and was just looking for the right opportunity to fix her! Momo Quan was right. This was the type of vengeance that Song Guifei would give to her.

The eunuch said with a smile on his face, “It is also because Guifei Niangniang loves the Fourth Miss and has spoken many good things about the Fourth Miss in front of the Emperor. Otherwise, the Fourth Miss would not have gotten such a good marriage.”

First, Song Guifei had tried to kill her twice, with her last attempt was to poison her. This time, she pushed her into the pit fire, and now she wanted her words of gratitude? Yuxi used her utmost willpower to restrain herself and said with a smile, “Many thanks to Guifei Niangniang for her kind thoughts. Yuxi owes Guifei Niangniang a debt of endless gratitude.”

Qiu Shi sort of understood that this Imperial Decree was issued with bad intentions; it was just that she did not know until now who this General Pingbei was.

The eunuch looked at Yuxi, who had a smile on her face and didn’t say anything more, without knowing whether Yuxi smile was genuinely authentic or not. Han Yuxi showed no disgust and was still looking joyful that he couldn’t pick any fault with her. At that moment, he snorted and walked out with the other two young eunuchs.

As soon as the eunuchs left, a fishy smell gushed out from Yuxi’s throat. “Oh……” She vomited a mouthful of blood and fell limply to the ground.

Qiu Shi looked at a bright red mass on the ground and was horrified. She rushed forward and hugged Yuxi while calling out, “Yuxi, Yuxi, what happened to you? Quickly, have someone get a physician. Hurry up, get a physician……”

The eunuch who issued the decree had not yet gone far, and Qiu Shi’s screams were so loud that he naturally could hear it. The corner of the eunuch’s mouth curled up into a sneer. Going against Guifei Niangniang was the same as seeking death for oneself.

Physician Bai soon came and took Yuxi’s pulse, then listened to Qiu Shi’s detailed description of the scene. He nodded and comforted, “Don’t worry, Old Lady. Although for the Fourth Miss to vomit blood is appalling, it is good for her. By vomiting it out, the depression in the Fourth Miss’s heart has also been dispersed.” Some people said that young people who vomit blood do not live long, but this was not entirely true. One could only say this to those who were naturally not well. Yuxi’s body was fine. She only had depression in her heart. He also knew where her depression came from, and no one else could guide her on such matters. She could only figure it out herself.

Qiu Shi was stunned. “Depression in the heart? My Yuxi has always been……” said Qiu Shi, revealing a look that was more unsightly than when she cried. Although Yuxi had withdrawn from the marriage, as usual, she didn’t show her grief, so Qiu Shi thought she didn’t care about it. But to her surprise, this child deliberately showed that she was fine in front of her while suffering her grief alone by hiding it deep in her heart.

After Physician Bai had given Yuxi a few acupunctures, Yuxi opened her eyes. When she looked at Physician Bai, she remembered what had just happened. She asked, “Did I just faint?”

Physician Bai responded, “Miss vomited blood just now. But Miss has derived blessing from the disaster this time. By vomiting, it has also dispelled the depression in Miss’ heart.” After saying that, he could not help but say a few words of advice, “Miss, you should relax even if you encounter difficult things in your life. Miss should know that even the biggest hurdles in this world will pass.”

Physician Bai had also watched Yuxi grow up. The first time he saw her was when she had smallpox, and over the years, he knew everything she had been through. He could only say that the Fourth Miss was indeed unlucky. But, even if she had terrible luck, she still had to take care of her health.

Yuxi sincerely expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, Physician Bai.”

Physician Bai nodded once, then called for Momo Quan to follow him out. Yuxi was not ill, so she did not need a prescription. However, some things required Momo Quan to pay attention to.