Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 73

Yu qi waited anxiously for her return. 
She had gone to the town nearby to try and see if she could fetch Hai Lin back home, since sending any of the men in the home would risk them getting drafted. It was clear that she was reluctant to involve herself in the affairs of the Wei again, but she made it clear that she didn't want her family to be tangled up in the messy world of war. 

By she, Yu qi obviously meant her highness, who she had struggled to name throughout their time here. On one hand, she wished to follow her wishes and call her by the name she had adopted while she was in the Wei, but it felt wrong for her to do so. After all-- her father made her when she was young to forever serve the royal family, and it was out of place for her to be calling the crown princess by a name that was not hers. 

But if it was her wish to leave her identity behind, then it's her duty as a servant to follow it. 

Some servant she is, following the wrong royal for years believing the main royal family was dead. Now she can't even help her in her time of need in any meaningful way. Yu Qi looked back at the family she had entrusted her to protect while she was gone. That lady from the Wei, Xue Hua, had gone back the same day she had left for town, which meant that things went back into relative normalcy. Winter was coming, and they needed to prepare. 

"Auntie, I finished organizing the last of the harvests. Is there anything else I should do?"

The old woman smiled pleasantly, happy to be addressed in such a younger way. She reminded Yu Qi of the late empress-- her highness' mother.  Though they had a significant age difference, both of them had a sort of twinkle in their eyes. The only difference between that gaze was the late empress had a more mischievous glint to it-- something that her highness had inherited, but this elderly woman was gentler. "Good girl. If only Xin er was as dutiful as you are! You must be tired-- would you like to take a break?"

A pot of porridge and the wolfberries they have harvested were simmering on the outdoor stove the two remaining men in the home had set up, and one of her highness' maids-- Ye Bing-- was tending to it. Though there was no aroma to the concoction, Yu qi could feel her stomach rumble. It wasn't lunchtime, and she needed to fulfill her promise to her highness. 

"I'll eat later, thank you. Where are the children?"

"They went with Bai Yan in the forest to collect the last of the chestnuts of the season," Ye Bing answered, stepping away from the stove to give the old woman a cup of warm water to warm her hand and tugged on Yu Qi's sleeves to beckon her over to take a seat. "They should be back soon. Why don't you take a seat? Ten minutes won't be much of a difference." Though her words were merely suggesting a rest, her actions told Yu Qi that she had no other choice but to take her on her offer. 

 Now that Yu Qi was settled onto a still propped next to the fire, she realized how sore she was. Who knew peasant work could be so hard on your body? She couldn't help but think about the fires she and her highness had set in the Song. Farmers had poured their blood and sweat into those fields to produce that harvest, and yet they had burned it so easily. She didn't think too much of it at the time as she was just following orders, but now she was starting to feel bad. All that hard work over the course of a year is gone with the light of a match. If all this food was going to be barely enough to feed them, how much did they put the Song at a loss for food? 

Her highness must have foreseen that outcome, she reasoned with herself. Without food, the Song will be forced to surrender early. More lives would be saved that way. I must believe in her actions. 

A bony, wrinkled hand pressed against her icy cheek. She could hear the old woman click her tongue and shake her head in disapproval. 

"Goodness, child. Lean in closer to the fire. You're not saving us any warmth from us by leaning away." She chuckled.