Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Wei Huiqing and Kong Yan’er

Kong Yan’er thought Du Yinsui and Jiang Wu must have had something seriously wrong with them! Otherwise, why would they reappear in the ruined temple after fleeing for a while, even carrying off a "pig" from the Liu family!

Annoyingly, that "pig" was Jiang Wu’s uncle, but what good uncle’s deeds had he done along the way? Why risk retrieving him!

Kong Yan’er wanted to leave, desperately. She longed to escape this group with deranged guards and flee her father, who saw her only as a rare commodity.

Those two should’ve taken… taken her instead!

At sixteen, while no stunning beauty, she still had bright eyes and white teeth after washing up, and smooth skin after a scrub. Whether used to pave connections or kept as insurance, taking her beat hauling that useless old boar!

Of course… she knew they wouldn’t use her that way. Knowing this only made her want to follow them more!

Kong Yan’er burned to go, nearly begging the pig-carriers to take her. But finally she lowered her head, avoiding attention as tears silently hit the ground.

Fine, let them leave, quickly…

How hateful!

Yet the next day, the exile convoy halted outside a terrifying village, learning the escapees had been eaten.

Even when Tan Wang returned with "evidence," face grim, Kong Yan’er refused to believe it.

She couldn’t accept that the daring duo who’d returned for the "pig" died so fast and foolishly to mere refugees.

Impossible!

They’d shaken off shackles, cleanly killed two guards, and staged the scene! How could they perish so quickly, so stupidly…

Though their numbers dwindled, Linzhou still awaited them.

Tan Wang turned gloomy, and the guards grew tense after losing key prisoners, casting a pall over the journey.

After catching a guard’s smothered glare yet again, Kong Yan’er sought Wei Huiqing.

Having observed the journey, Kong Yan’er knew Wei Yuting was all bluster. Clearly, Wei Huiqing was the reason the Wei family twice survived exile and returned honored to the Capital.

Wei Huiqing was shrewd—a former strategist for the Han army in Linzhou.

But without power, even the cleverest struggled.

Initially, Wei Huiqing offered Agu’s contract for him to protect Kong Yan’er from the guards. Yet Agu, as if addled, now insisted the Wei family alone were his masters, refusing to go despite his earlier vow to serve the contract-holder.

Forced protection meant nothing.

Finally, Wei Huiqing gave Kong Yan’er the sharp stone slab from Chu Xiulan and shared what she knew of the Han army and family.

As Kong Yan’er left, she overheard Wei Yuting sidle up furtively, whispering, "Is your father gifting you to General Han? What about our Huiqing—could she join?"

Kong Yan’er froze, then spat at him. Tossing her hair, she snapped, "Dream on! Look at your daughter—expecting shortcuts like mine? Offering Wei Huiqing would only offend nobles and brew you exile misery!"

Wei Yuting touched his cheek, nearly fainting from rage but too cowardly to shout at her. Wheeling on Wei Huiqing, he hissed, "See? You kindly shared Northern knowledge, and she spits on you!"

Wei Huiqing ignored him, only meeting Kong Yan’er’s eyes gently.

That glance told Kong Yan’er Wei Huiqing saw through her act. Eyes stinging, she hurried off before Wei Yuting noticed—just as Wei Huiqing, with nothing to spare, had shared that single stone…

Kong Yan’er had nothing left but her words to curb Wei Yuting’s schemes. This was all they could manage. It was their only recourse.

After learning the Kong family’s plans, Wei Huiqing spent the northward journey contemplating the young officers she’d known years ago in the Northern lands. Back then, she had proposed reforms to the military farming system. She suggested the idle Han army cultivate land during peacetime, allowing both the army and individual soldiers to earn extra income. This eased tensions caused by the court’s delayed wages. Her practical, effective strategy brought the Wei family back to the Capital, and the young officers who helped present her ideas were promoted.

She wondered if those past gains could offer a lifeline now.

Wei Huiqing pondered many things, yet she never anticipated the Kong family’s haste. She didn’t know what leverage Kong Fangqiu possessed, but before the exile group could be assigned duties in Linzhou, the Kong family members were taken away by the Han army.

Inside the exile camp, Wei Huiqing managed to locate one of the former "young officers." Thanks to this connection, the Wei family secured slightly lighter duties. But when she asked about the Kong family’s fate, he dodged the question. He urged her to devise another "excellent strategy" for an early return to the Capital and to avoid meddling in others’ affairs.

Thus, four months passed before Wei Huiqing saw Kong Yan’er again. The "young officer" had assigned Wei Huiqing to cook for the exiles. Though the work was lighter, the presence of vile people didn’t decrease.

As Kong Yan’er’s carriage arrived, Wei Huiqing was pushing a cart of food towards the mines, harassed by two exiles demanding their share early.

The men banged their bowls, spouting crude remarks. It was unclear if they wanted food first, or something else entirely… Wei Huiqing, having endured these men for days, was at her limit. She was ready to tip the cart and drench them in scalding soup when they were suddenly kicked away.

Such is the strangeness of fate. What descends might be a hero, or it might be the driver of a former companion.

Kong Yan’er, now dressed as a married woman in luxurious robes and sparkling jewels, was helped from the carriage by a maid. Her hands, restored to some softness and fairness, gently touched Wei Huiqing’s rough fingers.

A soft command to "hit," and the driver, clearly skilled, beat the two men until they were crawling on the ground. Kong Yan’er watched with disdain, unsatisfied. Supporting her belly with one hand, she used the other to tip the food buckets from the cart herself, showering the men in hot soup and rice.

Seeing someone suddenly appear and do what she longed to do, Wei Huiqing couldn’t help but smile for the first time in ages.

Lifted by this momentary relief, Wei Huiqing listened as Kong Yan’er sent her driver and maid to chase the men further away. Alone with Wei Huiqing, Kong Yan’er whispered urgently: she was married, she was pregnant, her household was complicated, and she needed Wei Huiqing to come back with her and lend her strength. Normally averse to inner-household conflicts, Wei Huiqing found herself unable to refuse outright.

But Wei Huiqing truly hadn’t expected that her slight hesitation in that moment… would commit her to a lifelong scheme.

Married? True.

But not as Kong Fangqiu had schemed – becoming General Han’s concubine. Seizing chances during their repeated interrogations by the Han family, Kong Yan’er had taken matters into her own hands. Before her father’s plot succeeded, she had charmed a sickly man, not from the main Han family line, into marriage.

Pregnant? True.

Her sickly husband was the only son of a Han family branch. Gentle and sentimental, he was also too ill to perform his marital duties. Yet he was kind. Facing death within months and utterly enchanted by Kong Yan’er, he agreed to her plan to "borrow seed." This way, his branch line would have an heir.

Household complex? True.

The child was conceived, but its nominal father was on death’s door. Without an heir, the branch’s wealth would inevitably be swallowed by other Han family members. But with a child conceived yet unborn, danger was imminent.

"It was only after recalling the Han family stories you told me that I could win over my husband so quickly," Kong Yan’er explained, her face flushed with indignation. "My father insisted on delivering me to the Han family. If I couldn’t escape, couldn’t I at least choose between being a concubine or a mistress? Hmph! So what if the branch lacks the General’s power? My household only has my mother-in-law now, and she’s kind. Once this child is born and the gates close, I’ll rule that household." Her expression softened slightly as she spoke of the present. "My husband is simple-minded. Though I feel no love for him, this arrangement serves us both. I protect his elderly mother, and the child in my belly will continue his line. That’s a decent end, isn’t it?"

Wei Huiqing listened, speechless for a long moment.

Seeing this, Kong Yan’er reached out and slapped her arm in annoyance. "What? Do you look down on me? For marrying like this? For borrowing a child? I—"

"I don’t! I didn’t! I said nothing!" Wei Huiqing yelped, grabbing Kong Yan’er’s hand (carefully avoiding her belly). The slap had stung.

"Then why stay silent! You pity me, don’t you? Unlike you, escaping by clever schemes! Not like I…" Kong Yan’er, always fiery and now hormonally volatile, began struggling with surprising strength.

First exiled and then forced to work, Wei Huiqing was no match for Kong Yan’er. Out of options, she simply sat down on the ground: "Go ahead, hit me! Beat me to death! I haven’t even spoken, yet you’re about to kill me. Did you bring me back just to beat me dead?"

The fierce fear the crazy. Seeing Wei Huiqing act this way, Kong Yan’er flushed red and reached out to pull her up.

But Wei Huiqing… truly wouldn’t budge.

"Where did you learn such shameless tricks! How dare you make a pregnant woman pull you up!" Kong Yan’er fumed.

Where had she learned it? The women assigned to cook for exiles weren’t exactly paragons of innocence.

"I don’t look down on you. Everyone has their circumstances. I was young and fortunate back then—my father wasn’t such a scoundrel then. Your father was determined to marry you off to the Han family; since concubines are traded like goods, you carved your own path when trapped. Why would I scorn you? Because two fools pestered me earlier? Or because my own fool father is finding me a husband in the army?" Wei Huiqing stood, dusting off her clothes. "Why stand here? Let’s return. The path is rough—why come yourself while pregnant? Summon a carriage driver next time."

That day, the overwhelmed Kong Yan’er brought Wei Huiqing back from the exile camp.

For the rest of their lives, Wei Huiqing stood by Kong Yan’er. They endured the Han family’s rebellion, weathered its internal power struggles, and labored tirelessly to consolidate their forces. Once certain Jiang Wu had secured Prince Cheng’s faction, they pledged their gathered strength—along with the ancient treasure map the Kong family had offered the Han army—to Prince Cheng. After Jiang Wu’s triumph, they received Fengzhou’s governorship as reward.

Under their rule in Fengzhou, Jiang Wu granted them authority with one demand: care diligently for an elderly woman named Tian Sui and her family in He Township.

He Township—where Kong Fangqiu had once extorted wealth and embezzled disaster relief—finally fell into Wei Huiqing and Kong Yan’er’s hands. Though Kong Yan’er couldn’t bring herself to kill her father, she confined him and returned the ill-gotten riches she’d benefited from.