Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 87

Gu Yu Qi stayed awake all night, and so did Du Xia. He stood blankly in the corner where he and Gu Yu Qi had laughed and talked almost an entire night. He wore a small jade pendant close to his heart and in his hand, he held the silver hairpin.

It was the first time he had ever bought something for someone else and he had no idea how to give it to her.

That night, she had affectionately touched his hair and her smiling face remained vivid in his memory. Was it because he had temporarily left that she did not want to see him again?

Was she angry? Angry with him for leaving without saying a word?

The young man’s heart was as chaotic as the night wind, unable to fathom the meaning of Gu Yu Qi’s actions. One thing he was certain of was that she had intentionally avoided him just now and it left him feeling anxious.

He did not know what had happened to make Gu Yu Qi suddenly so distant towards him. Was it because of his identity? He clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall. He had witnessed the prince carrying her back step by step. Had she chosen the prince? Or was there some hidden secret?

No, he could not remain just a mere secret guard. He needed to become stronger. Someday, he would amass enough power and then perhaps she would not avoid him anymore.

Gu Yu Qi, you must wait for me. The young man looked up at the sky, gazing at the slightly imperfect full moon on the horizon as he made a resolute vow. Someday, he would return to her side with a different identity. At that time, he would tell her in person not to hide from him anymore, for he would protect her and ensure her lifelong happiness.

After a sleepless night, Yun Ke and his entourage embarked on the journey back to the capital under the bright spring sunshine.

Gu Yu Qi remained hidden in her room, pretending as if she did not exist. She wanted to bid farewell to Du Xia, not knowing how long it would be before they saw each other again after saying goodbye this time. However, Du Xia was Yun Ke’s bodyguard so if she saw Du Xia, she would inevitably encounter Yun Ke as well.

Moreover, she had promised Yun Ke that she would not see Du Xia again in the future. Since she had foreseen that their relationship had no future, why bother disturbing his heart now?

Outside the city gates, Yun Qing saw Yun Ke off.

Under the morning sunlight, Yun Ke’s cool face was graced with a touch of warmth as it reflected off his white attire.

Yun Qing cupped his hands to Yun Ke and said, “Seventh Brother, you have achieved great achievements on this journey. After returning to the capital, Father the Emperor will surely reward you personally. As Elder Brother is often away from the capital, Elder Brother hopes Seventh Brother can take good care of things there.”

Yun Ke could not help but sneer inwardly, but he maintained a calm demeanour, “Brother’s words are too exaggerated. I received your assistance in Jiangxia, for which I am yet to express my gratitude. After parting today, I do not know when we will meet again.”

After some more superficial polite exchanges, Yun Ke mounted his horse and left.

Did he think he was unaware of how much of the disaster relief resources he had embezzled? He had seized fertile lands in Jiangbei Camp for his army’s use, did he truly believe his actions were flawless?

This time, Yun Ke unexpectedly obtained some information he had been unaware of in his previous life.

The dozen or so villagers Gu Yu Qi had brought back and were living in the front courtyard unintentionally revealed some news to Yun Ke.

It happened quite by chance as Yun Ke was idly strolling around the courtyard, waiting for Gu Yu Qi. At first, he could not understand why Gu Yu Qi would turn such a beautiful garden into a vegetable patch so he walked closer to take a look. However, his curiosity led to him stumbling upon another secret.

Yun Qing was maintaining a private army.

The vegetable patch was meticulously taken care of, with thriving crops that indicated the work of experienced farmers, not the household servants. Yun Ke was curious, so he struck up a conversation with the gardeners who revealed their true identity. They really were not typical household staff but villagers that Gu Yu Qi had rescued from nearby mountain villages. Yun Ke now understood why she had converted the garden into a vegetable patch. She needed to support this extended family and careful planning was essential.

During the flood, plague, and famine that had afflicted Jiangxia City, the people living in this courtyard seemed like they were in a paradise, unaffected by the outside world at all. This all depended on Gu Yu Qi’s careful planning and foresight. While people outside were fighting over a mere scoop of rice or basket of vegetables, everything here was self-sufficient and they even had enough to spare. Gu Yu Qi was really quite talented.

Yun Ke could not help but look at Gu Yu Qi with newfound respect. He had really been such a scoundrel in his previous life. He had such a wonderful woman who was right by his side but he still misunderstood her and hurt her.

These matters aside, what was most crucial was Yun Ke’s discovery that the fertile farmlands owned by those villagers had been entirely consumed by the grazing of the Jiangbei Camp’s warhorses. They had effectively been transformed into pastureland. This raised serious concerns for Yun Ke.

The imperial court had a Horse Breeding Department responsible for the husbandry and maintenance of military horses. The Horse Breeding Department had regulations in place that strictly prohibited the encroachment of civilian lands. Moreover, the care of the Jiangbei Camp’s warhorses was overseen by specialised personnel. Why would they share the duty with the Jiangxia governor? Even if they needed to use civilian land, the government had stipulated that other land must be designated to the villagers as compensation. Yet these people were not only occupying the land without compensation but they only offered a mere two taels of silver, in complete violation of the imperial rules. What was the hidden agenda behind all of this?

Fueled by his doubts, Yun Ke sent someone to investigate and the results were astonishing. It turned out that Yun Qing had secretly purchased military horses and recruited private soldiers. These so-called military horses were not officially registered warhorses but horses of uncertain origin so they could not be brought into the jurisdiction of the Horse Breeding Department, so they had to collude with the Jiangxia governor to seize the farmlands of the nearby mountain villagers. Both Yun Qing and the Jiangxia governor profited handsomely from this arrangement.

The Jiangxia governor had taken advantage of this situation to acquire a significant area of cultivated land. Yun Qing, on the other hand, had a place to discreetly raise his warhorses. These horses were kept hidden from the public eye, so he chose the fields in the mountains because they were relatively hidden and the simple mountain folk were easily deceived. The lands closer to Jiangxia City became owned by the Jiangxia governor.

It turned out that Yun Qing had harboured treasonous intentions for some time. In the previous life, he was only temporarily suppressed but his actions seemed to have occurred earlier in this life.

The depths of the waters in Jiangxia City were truly unfathomable.

Yun Ke had yet to find out how many soldiers and horses Yun Qing was keeping. However, he vaguely felt that many subtle changes were occurring in this life compared to the previous one.

Yun Qing might not wait for ten years after Yun Ke ascended the throne to rebel. He might choose to act earlier.

As for the exact timing of his rebellion, Yun Ke needed to continue pondering. He felt that he would not wait as long as he did in the previous life.

Armed with this secret, Yun Ke bid farewell to Yun Qing. He now held two pieces of leverage against Yun Qing. The first was his embezzlement of disaster relief funds, and the second was the gift unintentionally given to him by Gu Yu Qi, revealing Yun Qing’s raising of private troops and intent to rebel. While Gu Yu Qi was busy, Yun Ke had not been idle. He had already sent someone to gather all the evidence. In fact, these pieces of evidence were irrefutable and Yun Qing would not be able to deny them even if he wanted to. Yun Ke had even located the positions of Yun Qing’s secretly built stables and barracks. However, Yun Ke remained very cautious. Yun Qing had spent a considerable amount of time in the Jiangbei Camp, and it was unclear how many generals had been influenced by Yun Qing. Yet, he knew this was a chance, a golden opportunity handed to him by Gu Yu Qi.

On his return to the capital this time, if Yun Ke chose to disclose this information to the emperor, the situation in Jiangxia City would undoubtedly change by the time he returned. This opportunity would also allow him to quickly break free from the influence of Yun Yi and the Virtuous Consort. Once he had military power in his hands, even Yun Yi would have to speak to him with respect.

He had already taken a job at the Ministry of War and this time, it seemed like this idle task would soon become a real assignment.

Gu Yu Qi was truly his lucky star! It was just that in the previous life, he had failed to realise it and attributed all the credit to Zhang Wan Yi.

Gu Yu Qi had no idea that her act of rescuing the villagers would lead to such a significant achievement for Yun Ke. After Yun Ke’s departure, she continued to expand her cargo shipping business.

Ever since meeting Chun Xing, Li Da, whom she had met at the He Feng Tea House, had been coming up with various excuses to visit her courtyard. He would bring fish one day, wild game the next, and it had eventually escalated to the point where he wanted to linger at Gu Yu Qi’s residence. Gu Yu Qi had been dressing in men’s clothing since Yun Ke’s departure. For one, she had met Li Da in men’s attire and secondly, she was not entirely sure of Li Da’s background, so she did not want him to discover their courtyard was full of women only, which might lead to derogatory or inappropriate behaviour.

In this era, a household needed a man to maintain appearances even if it had to be a fake one.

Gu Yu Qi knew that his real intention was to catch a glimpse of Chun Xing. At first, she found it amusing but his visits had become too frequent. It was not just Chun Xing, even Gu Yu Qi felt that this man was a bit too thick-skinned… Since he was Ji Shun Express’ business partner, Chun Xing could not show her displeasure towards him. Otherwise, with her temper, she would have picked up a big broom and swept this person out.

Nowadays, whenever anyone saw Chun Xing, they would say, “Sister Chun Xing, that Li Da is here again.”

“Sister Chun Xing, why don’t you go see him? He keeps looking inside.”

“Sister Chun Xing, Li Da is here. Do you want to serve him tea?”

“Sister Chun Xing, Li Da brought some carp and said it was for you. We’re all benefiting from your good fortune.”

These phrases echoed through the back courtyard multiple times a day. Chun Xing was so frustrated that she would grab a rolling pin and chase after the messenger girls, creating a commotion throughout the entire courtyard.

Liang Huai Yu also felt that this situation was not ideal. She wanted to say a few words to Li Da, but the man was not only thick-skinned but also extremely courteous, making it difficult for her to find any fault with him. Every time she saw Li Da, Liang Huai Yu felt suffocated… so frustrating!

On this particular day, Li Da cheerfully brought a wild chicken with him. This was a gift from his subordinates. He promptly came here to deliver it. Knowing that Chun Xing was on the verge of exploding, Gu Yu Qi did not call out Li Da by name. She simply instructed Dai Mei to bring the chicken inside. Dai Mei was a more gentle and composed person. She handed the chicken over to one of the village women who would help cook it. Then she boiled water and began to prepare plucking the feathers off the chicken.

Bai Fu, who was passing by, saw the chicken. She leaned over, her face filled with excitement, “Oh, we have wild game again? Is it from that person?”

Dai Mei nodded. Everyone understood who “that person” referred to without him needing to be mentioned.

“That guy seems to come here every few days. Could it be that he’s really interested in my master?” Bai Fu ran to Dai Mei’s side and asked with a mischievous grin.

“How would I know? You should ask your master about it,” Dai Mei smiled and said.

“How would I dare?” Bai Fu stuck out her tongue playfully, “Every time my master hears that guy’s name, she gets furious. If I were to ask her, wouldn’t that just be asking to be beaten up?.”

“Yes, I can see you’re asking to be beaten up right now!” Just as Bai Fu was talking, they heard Chun Xing’s voice from behind her. Frightened, Bai Fu turned her head quickly, only to let out an exclamation and clutch her neck in pain. She then crouched down on the ground, writhing in agony.

“What’s wrong?” Dai Mei was startled and dropped the water ladle she was holding in fright. She hurriedly took Bai Fu’s hand and checked her neck.

“I twisted it…” Bai Fu frowned in pain and complained, “Master! Don’t you know that when scaring people, you can scare them to death?! What if my neck broke?” It hurt, she had twisted her neck and there was a bulge where her hand was covering.

“Serves you right to twist it!” Chun Xing glared at Bai Fu fiercely, “See if you dare to talk behind Master’s back in the future!” Although she said this, she came over and held up Bai Fu’s head for examination. “It’s fine! Just rest for two days and it’ll be alright.”

“What?” Bai Fu was anxious and tugged at Chun Xing’s sleeve, “Master, help me straighten it out, otherwise, won’t my neck be crooked?”

“You deserve it!” Chun Xing glared at her and looked around, then picked up a kitchen knife from the table, tucked it behind her back at the waist, and walked out of the kitchen.

“Oh no, is Master so angry that she’s going to chop that person up?” Bai Fu had sharp eyes and saw Chun Xing’s actions, causing her to cry out in alarm, “Hurry and call Young Miss. Ah, no, call Madam, call Eldest Miss to come!” In her panic, she shouted randomly, unsure whether to address Liang Huai Yu as Madam or Eldest Miss.

Dai Mei naturally could not care less about plucking feathers off the chicken anymore and left Bai Fu to find Liang Huai Yu in the backyard.

She spoke urgently, only mentioning that Chun Xing had gone out with a kitchen knife, which shocked Liang Huai Yu.

Chun Xing had followed her for so many years. Liang Huai Yu understood her temperament and personality the best. She had always been strong-willed with a straightforward temper. In the past few days, everyone in the courtyard had been making fun of her. She was already very irritated. Li Da was probably going to have a bad day today.

Do not get too angry, it is better to deal with the matter calmly. Liang Huai Yu did not have much time to spare and quickly tidied up her appearance before running towards the front courtyard.

In the front courtyard, Gu Yu Qi was entertaining Li Da. She had a bit of a headache too. In fact, she really wanted to tell Li Da, it you want to see Chun Xing, just say so. Every time it ends up like this. As Chun Xing’s young master, it’s difficult for her too…

Li Da was not unpleasant to look at, especially if you did not consider the scar on his face. He could be considered a handsome middle-aged man… But what were his real feelings towards Chun Xing? Since he did not say, Gu Yu Qi could not ask directly.

However, Chun Xing was someone close to her mother. Although not young, she was still quite beautiful. Moreover, in Gu Yu Qi’s heart, Chun Xing and the others were her closest family members So, Gu Yu Qi had already made up her mind that if this man proposed taking Chun Xing as a concubine, Chun Xing would not need to intervene. She would shoo him away first.

For the people around Gu Yu Qi, she would allow anyone to belittle them. Even if someone wanted to marry them, they needed to go through a proper proposal with three letters and six etiquettes and only with their consent.

Based on her experiences from her previous life, Gu Yu Qi deeply understood that people in ancient times did not consider concubines as human beings. They were treated like half-servants, lacking freedom. Not only that, their life and death were in the hands of their husbands and main wives. If a household claimed to have accidentally killed a serving maid, they could easily get away with it using any excuse and the officials would turn a blind eye.

“Boss Liang,” Li Da naturally did not know that Chun Xing was on her way to the front yard with murderous intent. He sipped his tea leisurely and said, “I wonder about the maid you brought with you last time…”

Was he finally asking about Chun Xing? Gu Yu Qi felt a jolt in her heart. She put down her teacup and looked at Li Da. She thought to herself, Boss, you dawdle too much. You have been coming here for so many days, bringing so many gifts. Even the most slow-witted Yan Zhi knows your intentions. Why are you still playing around here?

Li Da appeared hesitant and Gu Yu Qi became impatient.

“Boss Li, are you asking about Chun Xing?” Gu Yu Qi asked, “I wonder why Boss Li suddenly mentioned my maid?” If half a disrespectful word came out of his mouth, Gu Yu Qi vowed to slap him until his face was bruised.

“Sigh”, Li Da let out a sigh, “I won’t hide it, Boss Liang. I am indeed interested in your maid.”

Everyone in the world already knows, alright? Gu Yu Qi rolled her eyes in her heart but maintained an appearance of listening attentively.

“No need to be interested!” Chun Xing arrived just in time, rushing in from a side door. She curtseyed respectfully to Gu Yu Qi and then greeted Li Da with cupped fists, following the traditional etiquette of the martial arts world. “Mister, this girl is nothing special, but I am determined not to marry. Please put your feelings aside.” After saying that, she pulled out a gleaming kitchen knife from behind her and slammed it on the fine rosewood table with a loud bang. “This girl knows that Mr Li is half a man from the martial arts world. Today, let’s settle this according to the rules of the martial arts world. If you can’t win against this kitchen knife in my hands, don’t mention my name again! And don’t harbour any feelings for me!”

Li Da was initially stunned by Chun Xing’s imposing aura and sat motionless in his chair. However, he slowly started to laugh. The woman before him had her eyebrows raised and her almond-shaped eyes were full of heroic energy. She was clearly furious, but her cheeks were flushed, giving her a unique and captivating charm.

“Miss, please don’t be angry,” Li Da smiled as he stood up. He cupped his fists respectfully to Chun Xing, then said, “I did indeed have intentions when coming to see you, Miss, but I wanted to inquire about your background.”

“My background?” The situation had changed so rapidly that even Chun Xing could not keep up.

“Background?” Gu Yu Qi also stood up. My god, it seemed that they had all misunderstood. He had come to inquire about their family connections, not to propose marriage!

“Why is this gentleman interested in my maid’s background?” Liang Huai Yu had also arrived from the back courtyard and overheard their conversation. She entered the room and inquired curiously.

Li Da had seen Liang Huai Yu before and recognised this beautiful and gentle lady as Boss Liang’s mother. He promptly bowed and said, “I won’t hide it from Madam. I came here fleeing from elsewhere,” he said slowly, “Several years ago, my hometown suffered from a severe drought. My entire family perished, we really couldn’t survive. So, my mother took my younger sister and I to seek our relatives in Jiangxia City. Little did we know that on the way, we would encounter bandits. They not only killed my mother but also tried to sell my sister. She fought tooth and nail desperately, and one of the bandits stabbed a sword into her chest. She fell into the Heng River and out of desperation, I tried to fight them. But I was young, how could I oppose them? I was cut several times by the bandits and thrown into the Heng River as well. Miraculously, I survived and was rescued by an old dockworker. From then on, I’ve been following him to make a living ever since. Until now after so many years, I’ve held onto one hope that maybe my sister fell into the river like me but didn’t die. I eventually started a shipping business and also sent people to search for my sister’s whereabouts. Whenever we saw a girl who resembled her, we would take a closer look.” Li Da sighed deeply, “When I saw Miss Chun Xing in the teahouse that day, I couldn’t help but notice her striking resemblance. Her eyes and eyebrows were identical. So, I could not help but come to your residence these days and bother you all. While I know that Miss Chun Xing doesn’t have the red mole and cannot be my younger sister, Ling’er, my heart has held onto this hope for so long that I couldn’t resist coming here. I’ve caused a misunderstanding with Miss Chun Xing and incurred ridicule from everyone.”

“So… You came here every day because you think Chun Xing looks like your sister? No other intentions?” Gu Yu Qi asked faintly.

“Yes,” Li Da said with cupped fists, “I wanted to see Miss Chun Xing a bit more. All my family members have passed away, and when I saw Miss Chun Xing, I felt a strong sense of familiarity.”

Uh… What a misunderstanding. Gu Yu Qi glanced at Chun Xing and almost could not suppress a laugh.

Chun Xing’s face changed colours like a palette, turning red, black, and then green… She had only thought this man was interested in her, but who would have imagined he was looking at her more because she looked like his sister? This was simply… It was too embarrassing! Chun Xing felt utterly foolish for brandishing a kitchen knife and challenging him to end his affectionate thoughts, only to find out he did not have any such thoughts in the first place. She felt deeply embarrassed. She had not only punched a pile of cotton, she had flung it to the four winds.

She was so embarrassed!

After being embarrassed for a long while, Chun Xing pretended to be calm and put away the kitchen knife back in her belt. She said expressionlessly, “I’ll go prepare the meal!” She swiftly turned and ran away, disappearing without a trace.

Li Da watched Chun Xing’s disappearing figure and said regretfully to Gu Yu Qi, “Young Master Liang, did I say something wrong? Why did Miss Chun Xing leave so quickly?”

Gu Yu Qi stifled a laugh and shook her head, “No, no, it’s just that what you said was so touching that Chun Xing was deeply moved. That’s why she went back to cry!”