TGPSAC – Chapter 31

Chi Wan genuinely thought the snowman was good-looking, approving of her own handiwork.

It was just that she was a little too frank, and Yu Jiuzhou fell silent once more.

Chi Wan looked at Yu Jiuzhou in confusion. “Why didn’t Your Highness spend more time with Her Majesty the Empress?”

She had assumed that since Yu Jiuzhou had entered the palace, she would stay with the Empress the whole time.

“Mother Empress is tired.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s tone was flat, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

There wasn’t much for the two of them to say. To be blunt, Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou’s relationship couldn’t even be considered a partnership yet.

Chi Wan wanted to achieve a deep level of cooperation with Yu Jiuzhou, to bind them together. At least until Yu Jiuzhou succeeded, her own life would be guaranteed.

Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t kill her, nor would she let anyone else kill her.

“Your Highness, do you like the snow?”

Chi Wan looked at the snow on the potted plants. The combination of snow with green plants and fresh flowers was a refreshing sight.

“Do you?” Yu Jiuzhou asked in return.

She neither liked nor disliked snow. It was just that the thoughts of a superior must never be known to outsiders.

Chi Wan nodded. “It’s alright.”

“A moderate amount of snow is an embellishment, a favorite of scholars and poets, and a symbol of the common people’s hope for a bountiful harvest. But this year’s snow has become a death warrant for the people.”

The official business Yu Jiuzhou had handled that morning was about the snow disaster in Wucheng.

Qiu Lai had remained in Wucheng, and Dong Ying had taken people to assist her. She received firsthand news every day.

It wasn’t just Wucheng; the entire Yanbei region was affected. People were dying every day, yet the capital had only sent a hundred thousand taels of silver for disaster relief. According to the Grand Secretariat, if the silver wasn’t enough, funds were to be procured locally.

The main reason Gao Zheng had won Emperor Shengyuan’s favor was his ability to make money and save money, deeply understanding the emperor’s mind.

Great Zhou’s finances were in steady decline, borrowing from next year’s budget this year, and from the year after’s the next. There was never enough.

Chi Wan didn’t know how disaster relief was handled in ancient times. Generally, a snow disaster meant distributing supplies and using salt to melt the snow. Her knowledge of history was decent, so she knew that salt was very precious in ancient times, especially fine salt. It wasn’t until much later, when salt production technology had advanced to a certain point, that the common people could afford fine salt. Using salt to melt snow was still far too extravagant.

“Does Your Highness know what kind of salt is consumed in Great Zhou?”

Her question made Yu Jiuzhou raise an eyebrow, thinking how out of touch she was for someone from a noble family.

Xia Qu, standing to the side, scoffed. “The Fuma is truly… ignorant. Great Zhou has well salt, pond salt, and lake salt. The Fuma eats salt every day, yet doesn’t know where it comes from.”

Speechless, Chun Gui stepped on Xia Qu’s foot, thinking only one thing: Can you please shut up?

“What did you step on me for?” Xia Qu grumbled in a low voice.

Chun Gui couldn’t be bothered with her. If it weren’t for Her Highness’s protection, Xia Qu’s mouth would have offended countless people by now.

Chi Wan didn’t mind at all. She truly didn’t know what kind of salt they ate in ancient times. “What about sea salt?”

The sea was an inexhaustible resource. Why not use it?

“Sea salt is poisonous and cannot be eaten,” Chun Gui said, pulling Xia Qu back and speaking up herself.

Chi Wan was puzzled. “Is it in large crystals, or fine grains like sand?”

“Large crystals, of course.”

So it wasn’t purified?

Xia Qu continued, “Ordinary households rarely eat fine salt. The price of fine salt is lower than in the previous dynasty, but it’s still not something common people can eat daily.”

“Since sea salt can’t be eaten, why not produce it to melt snow?” This was what puzzled Chi Wan. The imperial family and nobility all ate fine salt, which could only mean the cost of purification was high, preventing it from being widely available.

When she had time, she would have to look into the ancient purification techniques. If they were what she imagined, she wouldn’t make a fool of herself by offering suggestions.

“Melt snow?” Only then did Yu Jiuzhou become interested in their topic.

That’s right. Refined salt was precious, but crude salt was manageable. If not used for the entirety of Wucheng, but only in key areas, it shouldn’t cost too much.

Chi Wan nodded. “Table salt is expensive. But by boiling or sun-drying seawater, a large amount of crude salt can be produced. If the cost is not high, it can be used for disaster relief.”

For the first time, Yu Jiuzhou sensed Chi Wan’s usefulness. “Sun-drying can produce salt?”

Could it be that they had always boiled it? That would indeed make the cost high.

“Yes.”

Seeing Chi Wan nod, Yu Jiuzhou immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her into the study. “Write down all the salt-making methods you know. I will have someone carry them out.”

Chi Wan felt the force on her wrist and the coldness of Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. Standing before the desk, she didn’t hesitate and immediately wrote down the methods.

She wrote down everything she knew. Whether it was useful or not would be up to the experts to decide. While she was at it, she also wrote down the purification method.

Purified sea salt could be used as table salt.

Yu Jiuzhou looked at the paper filled with salt-making methods on the desk. Amid her surprise, she couldn’t help but admire Chi Wan’s calligraphy. Such handwriting couldn’t be achieved without twenty years of practice, unless she was a genius.

But she had investigated Chi Wan. She was unskilled in both literary and martial arts. Yet according to Chen Yuan, Chi Wan also knew internal martial arts, and now there was this fine calligraphy.

She knew medicine and salt-making. It was impossible for such a talented person to have shown no signs of it before.

In her past life, Chi Wan could have used these skills to gain an important position in any faction, yet she chose a crooked path. This could only mean one thing: what Chi Wan had said was all true.

It wasn’t that the scumbag didn’t want to use these skills, but that she simply didn’t know them. The one who knew these things was the Chi Wan of today.

Yu Jiuzhou handed the paper filled with salt-making methods to Chun Gui. “Send this to my fiefdom.”

As the Grand Princess of Qin of Great Zhou, she naturally had her own fiefdom. It was located in a prosperous region, Mingzhou, which bordered the sea. She had her own saltworks.

Chun Gui immediately went to carry out the order. Chi Wan thought for a moment, then picked up a brush and drew a machine on a piece of Xuan paper.

Yu Jiuzhou was slightly taken aback as she watched her label the parts—pressing handle, handle grip, thickened seamless iron sheet, thickened striker, and an iron pipe.

It was a pity there was no stainless steel, otherwise she wouldn’t have to use iron.

Ironware was a controlled item. Without the proper permits, blacksmiths were unable to produce many things.

If Chi Wan weren’t the Fuma, there were many things she couldn’t create even if she knew the principles. Although her knowledge was only superficial, some things she learned in her studies were limited by the technology of this ancient era. However, many things already had a foundation in this era; as long as she provided the idea, they could eventually be made.

When she had time, she would sift through the things she remembered, write down the formulas, and give them to Yu Jiuzhou. Whatever could be made would be made, and what couldn’t would be researched slowly.

Of course, she planned to provide them on an as-needed basis. Things that would benefit the common people, she would give to Yu Jiuzhou as soon as possible. The sooner they were made, the sooner the people could enjoy them.

Chi Wan knew that the more she held in her hands, the safer her life would be. But on matters of great importance, she wouldn’t be so selfish.

She had studied a little ink wash painting. She had no great talent, but she could draw something that wasn’t too abstract.

A trace of doubt flashed in Yu Jiuzhou’s eyes as she looked at the drawing on the paper. From the labels, she could tell it was made of iron. Could it be a weapon?

Yu Jiuzhou remained silent, but the impatient Xia Qu immediately asked, “Fuma, is this a weapon? It doesn’t look very useful.”

“No, it’s for making honeycomb briquettes.”

“What are honeycomb briquettes?”

They all knew what coal was, but adding “honeycomb” to it left Xia Qu puzzled. “Don’t tell me it’s coal that looks like a honeycomb.”

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “General Xia, it seems I’ve stereotyped you.”

“What’s a stereotype?”

“It means I mistook you for a genius.”

Xia Qu had a feeling that wasn’t a compliment, but it sounded like one. “I think I’m smart too.”

Chi Wan couldn’t help but laugh. Although Yu Jiuzhou, standing nearby, didn’t understand the term, she knew Chi Wan was being sarcastic. A faint smile touched her lips, but it vanished in an instant.

Chi Wan thought she had imagined it. She paused for a moment before saying, “Honeycomb briquettes are made by mixing coal with yellow clay, adding water, and stirring it evenly. When it can be formed into a ball, you use this machine to press it out, and you have a honeycomb briquette. I’ve written down the specific process.”

She remembered that honeycomb briquettes could burn for more than ten hours, so to be conservative, she said, “One honeycomb briquette can burn for more than five shichen. It can be used for boiling water, cooking, and heating. However, it must be used in a ventilated area. It can be fatal in a sealed space.”

Chi Wan had read the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) and The Exploitation of the Works of Nature (Tiangong Kaiwu). Combined with the knowledge from her studies, she was confident that honeycomb briquettes could be produced.

Yu Jiuzhou immediately understood the benefits of honeycomb briquettes. The charcoal currently in use was made from wood and other plants, making it expensive, and the price was trending ever higher.

If Chi Wan knew, she would have told her this was a fuel crisis.

The red charcoal and silver-thread charcoal used in noble households were terrifyingly expensive. Before winter even arrived, the Princess’s Residence had to purchase a large amount of charcoal, which was a considerable expense. The common people could forget about ever using it.

And what was coal? Great Zhou had many coal mines. The extracted coal was mainly used for iron smelting, metallurgy, ceramics, and so on. It wasn’t that no one had thought of using it at home, but the result was an unbearable amount of smoke.

But according to Chi Wan, honeycomb briquettes could be used at home.

Whether Chi Wan’s method worked or not, they would know once they tried.

Chi Wan wrote down the detailed requirements for the honeycomb briquettes and even drew a stove.

Yu Jiuzhou gave Chun Gui a look, and Chun Gui took the drawings and left again. When the Grand Princess wanted something done, a single order was all it took.

For now, Chi Wan couldn’t think of anything else. She would think more on it when she returned.

Yu Jiuzhou was not one to take things for free. “If your methods prove effective, I will reward you handsomely. In addition, from this day forward, you may draw one thousand taels of silver from the Princess’s Residence’s accounts each month.”

A thousand taels of silver every month? Was this Yu Jiuzhou’s payment to her?

Chi Wan’s eyes lit up. A thousand taels a month was over ten thousand a year. Why would she need to do business? She could just take the money and run.

Unfortunately, what she needed most wasn’t silver, but a household registration and a travel permit—preferably a new identity.

Chi Wan temporarily pushed aside thoughts of escape and thanked her cheerfully, “Many thanks, Your Highness.”

With silver, she could do many things. She had earned this by trading her formulas, so she felt no shame.

It was unlike the reward from that morning. One should not be rewarded without merit.

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t mention the reward. In her view, both thunderous wrath and gentle rain were expressions of the sovereign’s grace. That was her Mother Empress’s reward, and reprimanding Chi Wan was also for her own sake.

Between her Mother Empress and Chi Wan, she would, without a doubt, choose to uphold her Mother Empress’s authority.

Since Chi Wan said she wanted to convert everything into silver to buy supplies for disaster relief, then she would give her silver. A thousand taels a month was more than enough for her.

If those two formulas proved useful, Yu Jiuzhou’s next reward would be something that silver couldn’t buy.

Yu Jiuzhou acknowledged her thanks and turned to walk into the inner chamber.

Xia Qu immediately walked over to Chi Wan. “Fuma, come, this servant will take you to your room.”

Why was this person still referring to herself as “this servant” and speaking so pleasantly? It was so unlike her explosive temper.

Chi Wan took a step back, somewhat reluctant to go with her.

But Xia Qu continued, “Fuma, this servant was wrong about you before. You have real skills. You’re not the type I thought you were, someone who eats soft rice to get ahead, always resorting to crooked ways and scheming against Her Highness. You shared those two excellent formulas in front of us without any reservation. That shows you trust us. From now on, I, Xia Qu, if the Fuma tells me to go east, I will never go west. If you tell me to slaughter a pig, I will never slaughter a chicken.”

Chi Wan: “…”

Before she could speak, Xia Qu added, “But the things you ask me to do can’t conflict with Her Highness’s orders.”

Chi Wan gave her an amused look. Xia Qu was a person who despised evil, with a temper that wasn’t the best, but she admitted her mistakes and was very forthright. Once she recognized someone, she would be genuinely convinced.

Xia Qu was a chatterbox, her mouth buzzing nonstop in Chi Wan’s ear. “Fuma, I’ll just assume you were muddle-headed and ignorant before, and now a prodigal’s return is more precious than gold. You have to keep it up. Although I’m convinced by you, if you do anything to harm Her Highness, I’ll still beat you up.”

“By the way, Fuma, you know medicine, so do you know how to make medicinal wine? The kind that can be used as medicine but also satisfy a craving. There are many old soldiers in our army with lots of injuries. Taking medicine every day doesn’t help, and they can’t drink alcohol. They all say there’s nothing left to live for in their remaining days.”

“I grew up with them, and I learned all my skills from them. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do for them. But Fuma, don’t worry, I’ll pay you. I’ve saved up a lot of money over the years. It’s all yours.”

Listening to the voice in her ear, Chi Wan thought for a moment. “It’s not impossible. I’ll look into it when I get back.”

“Thank you, Fuma! If you need anything in the future, just give the order.”

Xia Qu was very excited. An idea occurred to Chi Wan, and she asked, “Have they retired from the army?”

“They have. They can no longer fight on the battlefield. They haven’t married or had children, and they don’t have much money. Thanks to the Xu family building a shelter for veterans, they can live out their later years in peace. But they were impeached by the censors for buying people’s hearts.”

Speaking of this, Xia Qu became very angry. These old soldiers were either injured or disabled. Even if someone bought their loyalty, they couldn’t stir up much trouble. The imperial court wouldn’t support the old soldiers who fought for the country, and they wouldn’t let others support them either. It was truly infuriating.

Chi Wan nodded, roughly understanding the situation. “I’ll go see Her Highness.”

“It’s no use. Every time Her Highness gets involved in this, she gets scolded by His Majesty. His Majesty doesn’t like Her Highness speaking up for the Xu family.”

Even though the Xu family was Yu Jiuzhou’s maternal family.

But Chi Wan had another idea. She entered the inner chamber. Yu Jiuzhou had just taken off her outer coat and was about to undress for a noon nap when she heard Chun Gui trying to stop Chi Wan.

“Fuma, Her Highness is about to take a short rest.”

Chi Wan looked at Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, this servant has something more to say.”

Thinking of the salt-making method and the honeycomb briquettes, Yu Jiuzhou gestured for Chun Gui to let her in.

Appropriately displaying her abilities was useful after all. Previously, Chi Wan could see her daily because she was treating her. Once Yu Jiuzhou recovered, she certainly wouldn’t see her anymore.

Now that Chi Wan was continuously demonstrating her usefulness, no matter how much Yu Jiuzhou disliked her, she couldn’t ignore her existence.

After Chi Wan approached, Yu Jiuzhou sat down on a nearby arhat bed and said impassively, “What is it?”

A Yu Jiuzhou like this exuded a powerful sense of authority. She understood what it meant to be born noble, what it meant to be of imperial blood.

A flower of wealth and honor in the mortal world. Chi Wan suddenly understood the meaning of this phrase. “Your Highness, this servant heard from Xia Qu that the court does nothing for retired veterans who have no family.”

Before Yu Jiuzhou could ask, she took the initiative to explain, “Your Highness, if the salt and honeycomb briquettes can be produced, along with the medicinal pills, we will build many workshops. Could we invite these old soldiers to work in the workshops? Their wages would be three times that of ordinary workshops.”

Let the old soldiers be re-employed, allowing them to contribute in their twilight years and feel less lonely. Moreover, the workshops would require secrecy. The old soldiers had all received kindness from the Xu family, so they should be self-motivated when it came to confidentiality.

But she still laid out the harsh realities first. “Once the workshops are built, they will live and eat there. They will also have to sign a confidentiality agreement, guaranteeing they will not leak what they see and hear.”

Yu Jiuzhou gave her a deep look. “I will do as you say.”

Trusting these old soldiers was one thing, but rules could not be neglected. Rules were rules, and feelings were feelings. She understood.

“Your Highness, this servant will separate each step of the process. One group of people will be fixed on one task.”

Assembly line production. Just don’t let one person have contact with the entire process.

It was like the difference between a hundred taels of gold being hidden versus being placed right in front of you. Would you take it or not? Even if only ten out of ten thousand people chose to take it, those ten were still part of the group, representing the veteran community. It would inevitably damage the relationship between both sides.

If some rules were set in advance, even if someone broke them in the future, handling it wouldn’t breed resentment.

“Establish strict rules, but allow for human sentiment in the law.”

Chi Wan’s meaning was clear: when establishing the rules, make the punishments severe. This would make people hesitate. When it came time to actually enforce them, they could decide whether to show leniency based on the situation.

Yu Jiuzhou lowered her eyes. There were almost no flaws in this person’s thinking, especially the point about separating each process. Chi Wan had a very thorough understanding of human nature.

With all the unpleasantries stated upfront, anyone who broke the rules would be knowingly violating the law, and their crime would be even greater.

Seeing Yu Jiuzhou’s silence, Chi Wan thought she felt she was being too harsh on the old soldiers and quickly added, “Your Highness, we can give them higher wages, build a medical clinic inside the workshops, and also provide places for them to relax. Each person will work no more than three shichen a day, and we can have two shifts.”

There were no electric lights in ancient times, so they could just work from day to night.

“If veterans with families return, we can also build a school to let their children study for free. In the future, their children can choose to take the imperial examinations or to inherit their parents’ work in the workshops.”

Such treatment was truly first-class in this era. Even minor officials in many places couldn’t compare.

Hearing this, Yu Jiuzhou finally spoke. “The children of military households must also serve in the army.”

Chi Wan was surprised. “Why?”

“When the founding ancestor established the country, he divided the people of the world into nine classes: scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant, soldier, commoner, physician, craftsman, and salt-worker.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s words surprised Chi Wan. “If one is confined to a single status for their entire life, then why should the people strive?”

This left Yu Jiuzhou speechless. She wanted to say that farmers could take the imperial examinations, and soldiers could also rise through the ranks. But looking at the entire imperial court, how many were common people?

“One general’s success is built on ten thousand bleaching bones,” Chi Wan murmured. No matter which path of advancement one took, it was paved with blood.

“One general’s success is built on ten thousand bleaching bones?”

Yu Jiuzhou repeated the phrase, then said, “The founding ancestor did it for the sake of order in the world.”

“Even if a decision was correct at the beginning, the world has been at peace for a long time. Why didn’t later emperors change it?”

Chi Wan subconsciously retorted, then realized that things like ancestral laws were not the only obstacle. Those with vested interests would never let the emperor change it.

Only an emperor who had completely grasped imperial power could order such a change, ignoring ancestral laws and the scholar-officials.

Yu Jiuzhou gave Chi Wan a cold look. “You are just the Fuma.” And I am just a princess.

To bring about change, one had to reach the position of Grand Secretary, and a Grand Secretary who had the final say, one that even the emperor could not obstruct.

Chi Wan bowed. “Your Highness is right. This servant has said all that I can think of. Your Highness may make the decision. This servant takes my leave.”

“Chi Wan.”

Yu Jiuzhou stopped her. “Be careful tonight.”

Today, Chi Wan had given her a tremendous shock. She was now certain that Chi Wan must be a lone soul who had seized this body.

She was reborn, so Chi Wan must have been reborn through possession.

She just didn’t know Chi Wan’s identity. She knew about her and Prince Bao’an, and the occurrence of some major events, but she was ignorant of many of Great Zhou’s rites, rules, and other matters.

She had initially thought Chi Wan might be someone close to her or Prince Bao’an. But there was no one around her who knew these things, nor around Prince Bao’an. Besides, if it were someone close to them, they should have known Great Zhou’s systems.

Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t figure it out for the moment, but she was certain that this Chi Wan was not that scumbag.

Chi Wan was stunned, then immediately asked, “Is Your Highness concerned about this servant?”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…Get out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Only then did Chi Wan leave, satisfied. She was getting unaccustomed to Yu Jiuzhou not yelling at her to be beaten or killed.

After she left, Yu Jiuzhou said softly, “Someone.”

A black shadow landed and knelt. “Your Highness.”

“Find me a sample of the former Chi Wan’s handwriting.”

“Yes.”

Although she was already certain in her heart, she still needed to find some evidence to prove her thoughts.

“Also, pass on the word. Prince Zhongshan’s people will definitely impeach me today. After Chi Wan argues, arrange for everyone to speak for Prince Zhongshan.”

The shadow guard was confused. “Your Highness, if the Fuma is speaking for Your Highness, shouldn’t we help the Fuma?”

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t blame her for being talkative, but merely narrowed her eyes. “Father Emperor is old. What he fears most is others eyeing his throne. If the entire court speaks for Prince Zhongshan, what will Father Emperor think?”

The shadow guard’s scalp tingled. Her Highness was becoming more and more unfathomable.

“Yes.”

Yu Jiuzhou tapped the desk beside her. She just wondered if Chi Wan would become too angry after being refuted by so many people.

Never mind.

“Arrange for one more person to help her, but not too obviously.”

Thinking for a moment, Yu Jiuzhou added, “Chun Gui, bring the heart-saving pills to the banquet tonight.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Chun Gui didn’t understand why, but she obediently placed the heart-saving pills in her small pouch.

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Meanwhile, Chi Wan returned to the side hall, her mind on returning to Qingyuan County after the New Year. She was now the magistrate of Qingyuan County; this was her job. No matter what, she had to do her job well.

After the New Year, the people who had filed complaints against the Princess’s Residence would surely return. This time, she had released them and had them watched. They probably wouldn’t try to ram the palace walls to file a complaint again. When they returned to the county yamen, what she should do was something she needed to consider.

And then there was Yu Jiuzhou. Her attitude towards her had improved considerably today. She should have pressed her advantage, but she didn’t know where to start. Serving someone was a mentally taxing job!

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