Chapter 173: Chapter 174 - More Dead Than Alive

The 9th Prince heard Chen Shizi tell him that Yuxi had spent her money to bribe the yamen officers escorts. He questioned, “Do you think that thing could be with that girl from the Han family?”

Chen Shizi shook his head as he said, “No. Han Yuxi was not the only guest of the Duan family. There were also the girls from the Marquis of Changping and the Marquis of Pingqing. I have also interrogated the maids around Duan Xinrong, and they all said that Han Yuxi did not have any contact with anyone else in the Duan family except Duan Xinrong that day. Moreover, the Han family was not that close to the Duan family. That thing was so important that it would not have been handed over unless it was to someone whom they extremely trusted.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The 9th Prince also knew this. He was just a little anxious. “Everyone in the Duan family is dead except that girl. And that girl doesn’t know about that stuff? Who do you think that old pipsqueak will give the thing to?”

What Yuxi didn’t realise was that she had just turned around from the gate of hell.

Chen Shizi didn’t answer the 9th Prince’s question, as he had no answer for it, “After the Duan family’s incident, not a single person in the court interceded for the Duan family.” It was sad to say that, with so many students under Imperial Censor Duan and Eldest Master Duan, and countless friends of the Duan family by marriage, it was a twelve-year-old silly little girl who finally stepped forward to help.

The 9th Prince calmly stated, “That thing must be recovered. It must not fall into the hands of others.”

Chen Shizi did not know exactly what that thing was, but the fact that the 9th Prince was so eager, that he even went so far as to kill Imperial Censor Duan, showed how important the thing was, “I will try my best to track it down.” [T/N]

Han Jianming was also aware that Yuxi had helped Duan Xinrong pay for bribing the yamen officers. When he got the news, he shook his head helplessly as he said, “This girl, she’s too bold.” For a matter that no one dared to get involved in, she dared to hide her act of using her private money to use as bribes from her family members. [T/N]

Mr Zhao felt that Yuxi had done a good job in this matter, “The Fourth Miss has used her private money to pay for it. Even if it was traced, it wouldn’t involve the State Residence. I think Fourth Miss has thought things thoroughly before doing so.” Even if the matter was traced, it would be the Fourth Miss who would be helping out for old time’s sake and this would not involve the Duke’s family.

On this point, Han Jianming nodded in agreement. Since Yuxi did not come to ask him to help the Duan family, it could be seen that she had a sense of measure. “I don’t even know, in the end, what is the actual crime the Duan family has committed?”

Mr Zhao pondered for a moment before saying, “Master Shizi, Imperial Censor Duan can’t be an accomplice of the late Crown Prince.”

Han Jianming also nodded. When Imperial Censor Duan impeached the Crown Prince back then, he made the Emperor so furious that the Emperor almost abolished the Crown Prince. From that incident alone, it was enough to see that Imperial Censor Duan could not be the Crown Prince’s man. “It’s just that I can’t figure out why the 9th Prince would plant evidence to frame the Duan family? And he even used such drastic means. What kind of secrets did the Imperial Censor Duan hide?”

Mr Zhao thought about it, but he also couldn’t figure it out. This matter had temporarily reached a deadlock.

Ever since Yuxi had that dream, she had been sickly, unable to concentrate on anything, and always in a daze.

Qiu Shi was so anxious when she saw Yuxi looking like this. No matter how much she tried to persuade her, it was to no avail. Because of her anxiousness, she even asked the Imperial Physician to come over to check on her. The Imperial Physician told Qiu Shi, ” Her heart disease responds only to heartening news.” As for what had caused her to suffer heart disease, Qiu Shi was unable to say. So the Imperial Physician, in the end, said that he couldn’t do anything about it.[+]

When Yuchen entered Taoran House, she saw Yuxi, who always had great momentum, looking listless, “Si Meimei, didn’t you use to like cherries and pomegranates the most, I brought them for you. So get up and eat them.”

Yuxi looked breathless, “No appetite. Why don’t you eat them yourself, San Jie?” She didn’t even want to eat rice, so what was the point of eating cherries and pomegranates?

After talking for a good half-day, it did not affect Yuxi at all. Yuchen couldn’t help but say, “Are you the one in charge of the Duan family’s affairs? How long are you going to look more dead than alive like this?”

Yuxi bowed her head and said, “No one cares whether I am dead or alive.” That look of her was unspeakably helpless and sad.

Hearing these words, Yuchen almost gave in to her anger. But looking at Yuxi’s appearance, there were no words of blame that could be said, “Si Mei, what is wrong with you? What’s going on in your heart? Just say it out loud and we’ll figure it out together.”

Still, with her head lowered, Yuxi responded, “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

When Yuchen looked at Yuxi who was still acting like this, her anger rose once more. Shiqin, who stood beside her, tugged at her and shook her head. Fourth Miss had drilled herself into the tip of a bull’s horn, it was useless for her Miss to scold her.

Yuxi continued to look like she was looking like this for several days. During this time, not only did the Old Lady come over to see her, even Han Jingyan came over too. Unfortunately, Yuxi was indifferent to them all. When she talked, she would tear up, but she didn’t cry loudly either. She would just sit on the bed and wipe her tears. Her look couldn’t have been more pitiful.

The Old Lady left with a sigh, while Han Jingyan left the Taoran House in a huff. As for Wu Shi and Yurong, they were busy clapping in high glee, so why would they come to comfort Yuxi. [T/N]

With both of her reds, Kufu asked, “Zisu Jiejie, what do you think we should do about this? It’s been five days. We can’t just let Miss go on like this any longer.”

Zisu was also looking haggard because of Yuxi’s condition that she even thought of a solution that could not be treated as a solution, “Why don’t we go ask Miss Zhou and Miss Chiang to come and cheer up Miss?”

They didn’t know if this would work or not, but if they didn’t give it a try, how would they know, right? When Qiu Shi heard Zisu’s words she immediately posted invitations to Chiang Xin and Zhou Shiya.

Once Zhou Shiya and Chiang Xin received the invitations, both of them came over the next day. The two of them said a bucketload of comforting words to Yuxi, but unfortunately, they were still useless. The two eventually left the Han family residence with red eyes.

Qiu Shi was almost dying of anxiety because of Yuxi’s illness, “The physician said that this girl is suffering heart disease, but what has caused her to have this heart disease?” They still needed to find a cure for Yuxi’s heart disease, but the problem was that even she didn’t know what the cause of this heart disease was!

Mama Li thought for a moment and finally suggested, “My Lady, do you think we should let Master Shizi come and talk with Miss? Miss used to like to ask Master Shizi about things, so if we let Master Shizi speak to Miss, maybe Miss will finally be willing to talk?”

Qiu Shi didn’t think this was a good idea, but at this point, it was already like giving medicine to a dead horse. Who knew, maybe her eldest son could help in comforting this girl?

Han Jianming thought that Yuxi was just feeling a bit unwell, but he didn’t expect that she would be suffering from heart disease. “Mother, I’ll go and see Si Meimei now.” Seeing Qiu Shi’s face full of worry, he comforted her, “Mother, don’t worry, she will be fine.”

Qiu Shi lamented with a distressed expression, “How can I not help myself from worry? That girl, when she loses her soul and drops her spirit, she looks like a different person.” Yuxi used to walk out with an air of energy, but now she looked so spiritless, it gave Qiu Shi a sense of panic. Qiu decided that if Han Jianming’s persuasion was also useless, then…

When Han Jianming entered Yuxi’s room, Yuxi was lying on the bed in a daze, with a lifeless look. Han Jianming was stunned. He thought that Yuxi had just drilled herself into the tip of a bull’s horn for a moment, but he didn’t expect it to be this serious. This was not the Yuxi he knew. No wonder his mother was extremely anxious.[+]

Yuxi’s expression didn’t even fluctuate. When she looked up and saw it was Han Jianming, she called out to her Dage in a low voice then lowered her head again.

Sitting on a stool in front of the bed, Han Jianming looked at Yuxi and asked, “You, this girl, how did you get yourself into this state?”

Yuxi remained the same as before, not speaking, and her head was still being lowered.

Han Jianming asked, “Yuxi, what exactly has scared you like this? I don’t believe that the Duan family’s matter could scare you into such a state. Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll help you out.” Han Jianming did not think that the Duan family’s affair had frightened Yuxi. The Yuxi he knew, did not even turn pale in the face of bandits, and she even dared to kill one of them, so how could she be scared out of her wits just because she saw a few officers and soldiers raiding the Duan family’s residence?

When Yuxi heard his words, she raised her head and looked at Han Jianming. Seeing him nod his head at her, she bowed her head once more and told him, “I had a dream a few days ago in which my father married me to Jiang Hongjin, but Jiang Hongjin didn’t like me. He didn’t even enter our bridal chamber. For six years he treated me as nothing, while everyone in the Jiang family continuously hated, humiliated and mocked me. Later, Madam Jiang slandered me for poisoning Jiang Hongjin’s son and immediately drove me to a hamlet in the countryside. Then, natural disasters happened continuously and refugees came from every direction. Bandits came to kill and set fire to the hamlet after that. I fled to the gates of the capital, but the gatekeeper said that the Second Jiang Daughter-in-law had passed away and her coffin had been placed in the nunnery. The gatekeepers wouldn’t let me enter the capital, so I died of hunger and cold at the city gates. Those men, fearing that I had the plague, burned me along with the other dead bodies.”

Han Jianming did not expect Yuxi to be frightened like this just because of a dream. “It was just a dream. No need to take it seriously.”

Yuxi cried, “Dage, I still remember the feeling of being burned by the fire. It hurts so much that I shudder whenever I think about it. Dage, before, I also dreamed that bandits would enter our residence, and it turned out that bandits indeed entered. The nightmare I just had that day will come true too. Dage, I will be burned to death later, and I will die without a place of burial.” The reasons Yuxi spoke of these words, half was for her to vent and half was as a warning to Han Jianming. If the Jiang family really came to propose marriage, she was hoping that Han Jianming could help her block it.

Han Jianming also thought the dream was a bit strange. There was even her groom in it that it couldn’t feel more real. Putting aside those mixed thoughts, Han Jianming asked, “Okay, even if your dream is true where you were really going to marry Jiang Hongjin, he didn’t consummate your marriage even after six years, why do you have to let yourself suffer like that? You could just have asked for a divorced! Even if the Jiang family did not agree to the divorce and the Han family did not come forward to back you up, you can go to the Shuntian Palace, and file a petition for a divorce. In your case, the government will surely award a divorce in the end. It is the Jiang family that would have to agree to the divorce for the sake of saving their face.” After saying that, Han Jianming glanced at Yuxi and wondered in amazement, “In the house, you controlled all the old servants for years and even Wu Shi has been so controlled by you that she no longer dares to provoke you. How come in the dream you are the one who is on the receiving end? How could you put up with such a big grievance? And you put up with it for six years?”

How could it be possible that Yuxi, with such an uncompromising nature, would become a victim when she arrived at the Jiang family? This dream was too unreal. Well, it could only be said that dreams were the opposite of reality.

Han Jianming didn’t believe that this dream would become a reality at all. Not to mention that Yuxi was not someone who could bear the grievance, even he would not allow the Jiang family to bully Yuxi like this.

Yuxi was dumbfounded by Han Jianming’s words, as she turned to a sudden realisation, “Yes, I can submit a petition to the court and ask for a divorce!” How could she not know how to use this method in her previous life? Well, in her last life, she was just a baozi. She only knew how to cry when things went wrong, and if her crying and begging turned useless, she would have to resign herself to her fate. Where would she have the mind to think of another way!

Han Jianming helplessly stated, “You’ve been looking more dead than alive for so many days because of such an inexplicable dream…It feels like what you’ve been learning all these years have been for nothing.”

Yuxi laughed embarrassedly.