TGPSAC – Chapter 35

On the first day of the new year, the heavy snow from the night before had blanketed Shengjing in a layer of white.

With such a beautiful scene in Shengjing, it should have been a time for scholars and poets to compose verses.

However, the entire city was abuzz with the events of the New Year’s Eve banquet: the death of a marquis and his heir, and the Marquis of Huai’an being demoted to an earl.

The crucial point was that the person who had brought all this about was the Marquis of Huai’an’s own daughter, the consort of the Grand Princess of Qin, the current Fuma, Chi Wan.

In a tavern, people sat in small groups, all discussing the previous night’s events. Some spoke as if they had witnessed it firsthand, while others used the opportunity to guide the conversation toward treasonous remarks.

Among them was a scholar preparing for the provincial examinations this year, who eagerly hoped his classmates would say something taboo, thus eliminating a competitor.

“The New Year’s Eve banquet was truly spectacular. It’s a pity I couldn’t see it with my own eyes, but just hearing about it makes my heart race.”

“Brother Zhang, are you hoping to sell out your father for glory, or do you wish to denounce the Fuma?”

“Insolence! His Majesty has already decreed that the Grand Princess’s Fuma holds a rank equivalent to a Commandery Prince. How dare you be so disrespectful!”

“We scholars are loyal to the sovereign above and serve the people below. When we encounter injustice, we should draw our swords and charge forward. Has the scholar’s sword lost its edge?”

“Brother Zhang, you are mistaken. The Fuma was not in the wrong in this matter. There are inside details that many do not know. It is not that I think your sword has lost its edge.”

“Then tell me.”

Chi Wan, thinking about how to pursue Yu Jiuzhou, had gone out early in the morning to buy a few things. The sugar in the Princess’s Residence was good, but not fine enough. She wanted to see if she could find any white sand sugar.

But after searching all over, she found no fine sugar at all; it was no better than what the Princess’s Residence already had. So, she decided to eat at a restaurant and try experimenting with the ordinary sugar when she returned.

While she ate, she heard many people cursing her and some praising her. But almost no one said the Emperor’s judgment was wrong; the discussion centered almost entirely on her.

It had to be said, Yu Jiuzhou worked quickly. The news that her birth mother was actually her second aunt had already spread throughout Shengjing.

Whether the scholar who was speaking had been deliberately arranged by someone or had simply heard it from others, she did not know.

She only heard the man say in a low voice, “Actually, Fuma Chi Wan’s birth mother is her second aunt, the one from the House of Huai’an who died in battle twenty years ago.”

“That’s not right. Isn’t the Fuma only nineteen this year? There’s a year’s gap.”

“Are you a fool? Your mother is pregnant for nearly a year. Ten months of pregnancy, and the child would be about this age when born.”

“So you’re saying the Fuma is the posthumous child of her second aunt? But that’s not right either. Why would the Marquis of Huai’an raise her as his own child?”

“For the title, of course. His Majesty at the time, grateful for her merits, discussed with the old Marquis of Huai’an about giving the title to the second child, Chi Mingwen. Who knew she would die in battle? With such a great contribution, if only a posthumous child remained, do you think His Majesty would let that child inherit the title?”

“You mean, in order for his own child to inherit the title, Chi Mingwu pretended Chi Wan was his child.”

“Yes. And not only that, he secretly registered the Fuma under Chi Mingwen’s name, while on the surface making her his own child. This was a two-pronged preparation to prevent the Fuma from competing with his own children for the title in the future.”

“Shameless!!!”

“That’s nothing. It’s said that he orchestrated Chi Mingwen’s death. In her actions, the Fuma has not failed the sovereign, the people, or her own birth mother.”

“Well said!” Scholar Zhang shouted.

The other scholar teased, “Brother Zhang, are you still going to take your sword to the Fuma?”

“Whoever wishes to harm the Fuma must first step over my dead body.”

Chi Wan was stunned. Unwittingly, she had gained a loyal fan.

“The Fuma is good, but what about the commoner who died by crashing into the palace wall last night? What will happen to his family? Has the court made a decision?”

“His Majesty said to wait until the court reconvenes.”

“Reconvenes? That’s not until the sixth day of the new year.”

“Indeed. But the Fuma is the magistrate of Qingyuan County. Perhaps she can handle it.”

“I hope the Fuma can give the people of Qingyuan County an answer and restore justice for them.”

Chi Wan fell completely silent. She didn’t have that kind of power. Qingyuan County was carved up by powerful noble clans. She wasn’t afraid of offending them, but she lacked the strength to do so. Even if she died, nothing would change.

She could only do her best to subsidize the people of Qingyuan County before her term ended.

From submitting the memorial to the Emperor, to her first trip to Qingyuan County, to gathering evidence and biding her time, and then waiting through the New Year’s Eve banquet—it was all to wait for the final moment, for Prince Zhongshan to strike first, so she could flip the table in response.

This would make the Emperor think she understood his intentions and would no longer pursue the matter. But since a mad dog insisted on biting and not letting go, the Emperor would surely be displeased with Prince Zhongshan.

Coupled with her constant proclamations of loyalty to His Majesty and obedience to his will, the Shengyuan Emperor was very pleased. And so, in front of everyone, he had granted her an official post.

Chi Wan had thought the Shengyuan Emperor would look upon her favorably, but she hadn’t expected him to be this favorable. It seemed she had the potential to be a treacherous official.

Furthermore, to make her a pawn to monitor Yu Jiuzhou, he had elevated her status without limit, making her a Fuma of the first rank—the first in the history of Great Zhou.

The outcome was already very good, but she still had regrets. The mastermind, Prince Zhongshan, had gotten away with everything. According to the Emperor’s wishes, the matter was to end here. If she stirred up more trouble, the Emperor would surely be displeased, and it would affect not only her but Yu Jiuzhou as well.

There were some things she was powerless to change. This was the tragedy of the era. When the emperor was fatuous, the people suffered. A wise ruler attracted worthy ministers; with a fatuous ruler, worthy ministers dared not show their faces.

Heaven favors a wise sovereign, and worthy ministers will serve a wise sovereign with a pure heart.

Just then, a scholar suddenly said, “We all know that all the land in the realm belongs to the gentry, and behind them are the officials of the court. Qingyuan is a capital county, so most of its fields are in the hands of noble clans. The Fuma can help one family, but she cannot help too many.”

“You mean, if the Fuma helps one family, many other oppressed commoners will seek her out to file complaints. If the Fuma does nothing, she will lose the people’s hearts and fail both the sovereign and the people. If she does act, she will be making an enemy of the entire court.”

“That is the logic.”

Scholar Zhang said angrily, “No, we cannot let all the pressure fall on the Fuma. We scholars would rather spill our blood at the palace gates than sit by and do nothing.”

“Indeed. We come from humble backgrounds, with no relatives in official positions, but we still have this burning passion.”

“Let’s go! We will go to the palace gates and implore His Majesty to dispatch an imperial commissioner to thoroughly investigate the cases of land annexation throughout all of Great Zhou.”

Chi Wan was shocked. She watched as these scholars walked out of the tavern. In a short while, dozens had gathered, then hundreds. There were scholars and commoners alike, all heading out to seek justice.

This world truly could not do without scholars, especially young ones.

Young scholars still had ideals and ambitions, still had pursuits. Their hearts were still clear, and they held to the purpose of their studies: to bring peace to the world, to ease the sovereign’s worries, and to plead for the people.

Chi Wan was a scholar too. What was the harm in joining them in this uproar?

She tossed a tael of silver on the table and hurried toward the Grand Princess’s Residence. These scholars were from humble or common families, with very few from official households. If the Emperor became ruthless and did something to them, only Yu Jiuzhou could possibly stop him.

When she returned to the Princess’s Residence and inquired, she learned that Yu Jiuzhou had gone to the palace and was not there.

Chi Wan could only think of a solution herself. She would go to the palace first.

Riding a horse, she was faster than the walking scholars. When she arrived at the palace gate, the Imperial Guard looked at her, bewildered. The Grand Princess had just arrived, so why was the Fuma here right after her? Could they have had a fight?

Did the Grand Princess go to the palace to complain, and the Fuma was chasing after her to make amends?

The Imperial Guard defending the palace was divided into five divisions: Center, Front, Rear, Left, and Right. There were fifty thousand troops in total, responsible for the protection of the Imperial City, serving as the Emperor’s personal army.

The Emperor’s personal bodyguards were also from the Imperial Guard, holding a higher status than the Jinwu Guard who protected the capital.

Shengjing had two hundred thousand troops stationed in and around it: fifty thousand Imperial Guards, fifty thousand Jinwu Guards, and one hundred thousand in the Capital Camps. As for units like the Huben Guard, which were filled with the sons of nobles, they were mostly chosen for their good looks to serve as a facade. They were not numerous and were essentially a way for the Emperor to support the nobility.

When the Emperor went out, they would don handsome uniforms and follow alongside the main guard, or maintain order during large ceremonies, and occasionally manage the capital.

The Jinwu Guard maintained law and order in the capital and guarded the city gates, while the Huben Guard maintained the city’s appearance.

The Imperial Guard reported directly to the Emperor. In the past, when her predecessor entered the palace, they would look down their noses at her. Today, upon seeing Chi Wan, they bowed their waists and their smiles were friendly.

However, some still harbored a sense of schadenfreude, perhaps mixed with a bit of jealousy, so they secretly hoped Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou were fighting.

Whatever they thought in their hearts, they dared not show it on their faces.

After a short while, a middle-aged woman in full armor walked out from behind the gate. According to the customs of this world, she was certainly a Qian Yuan.

The woman approached and bowed. “This subject, Gu Cheng, Commander of the Imperial Guard’s Right Division, pays respects to the Fuma.”

A commander of the Imperial Guard was a major third-rank official, a general with real power, and someone trusted by the Emperor.

After all, they were responsible for guarding the Imperial City. Without trust, how could the Emperor dare to hand over the security of his own bedchamber?

Chi Wan immediately moved to support her. “Commander Gu, why such a grand ceremony?”

If she remembered correctly, a general in armor was not required to bow to a superior officer.

Gu Cheng laughed heartily. “We have already received the decree. From now on, the Fuma’s rank is equivalent to that of a Commandery Prince.”

This was indeed a good thing. It would save her from having to bow to everyone she met. Not bowing would be disrespect to a superior, which could be pursued as a crime if one looked closely.

She no longer had to bow to others, but she was also not used to others bowing to her, especially since Gu Cheng looked to be twenty years her senior.

“Commander Gu, there is no need for such ceremony.”

The Emperor himself had said her rank was equivalent to a Commandery Prince. The imperial family held a special status. Chi Wan accepted the bow, and in the next second, she supported Gu Cheng’s arm.

Gu Cheng nodded in acknowledgment, then asked, “May I ask for what purpose the Fuma has come to the palace?”

“I am here to see His Majesty.”

“Her Highness is in…? His Majesty?”

Gu Cheng had subconsciously assumed she was there to see Yu Jiuzhou. Hearing her say she was there to see the Emperor, a look of confusion crossed her face.

But whether it was the Emperor, the Grand Princess, or the Fuma, there were some things she could not inquire about.

“Fuma, please proceed.”

After the decree granting her a rank equivalent to a Commandery Prince was issued, Chi Wan had the right to enter the palace at any time. However, the Imperial Guard had the right to ask, so they could answer if the Emperor inquired.

Chi Wan nodded to Gu Cheng and stepped through the palace gate.

She felt a gaze on her back for a long time before it was withdrawn.

Gu Cheng watched her retreating figure and murmured to herself, “The winds in this capital are about to change again.”

Perhaps the winds in the capital had never ceased.

Following her memory from the previous day, Chi Wan found Daming Palace. The Imperial Guard outside looked at her with some confusion. “Fuma, allow this subject to go in and report.”

She waited outside for a while before a young eunuch ran out. “Fuma, His Majesty bids you enter.”

Chi Wan slipped a few taels of silver into the young eunuch’s hand. “Go tell Her Highness to wait for me to leave the palace together.”

The young eunuch was taken aback. “?” Was the Fuma this bold, daring to make the Grand Princess wait for her?

He glanced at the silver in his hand and decided not to refuse it.

Yu Jiuzhou must have gone to see the Empress, and the Empress was unwilling to see her. Since she couldn’t see Yu Jiuzhou for the time being, she might as well try to find a solution herself.

Chi Wan clutched the medicinal pills at her waist, a plan forming in her mind, and strode into the Emperor’s bedchamber.

The moment she saw the Emperor, she immediately bowed. “This subject respectfully inquires after Your Majesty’s health.”

“We are well. What is it? Do you have an answer so soon for the task We gave you?”

The Shengyuan Emperor assumed something had happened on Yu Jiuzhou’s end. They had just met last night, and here she was again today.

Chi Wan shook her head. “Her Highness has entered the palace.”

“Then go find her at the Empress’s palace. What are you doing here?”

She certainly didn’t want to be here. Accompanying a ruler was like accompanying a tiger. The Emperor was a great tiger, far more terrifying than the little tiger Yu Jiuzhou was.

Yu Jiuzhou still had to consider the repercussions of killing her, but the Emperor did not; he only needed an excuse.

Chi Wan quickly said, “This subject knows some medicine. Seeing Your Majesty’s condition yesterday, I was uneasy. After returning and thinking it over carefully, I brought some medicine. Whether it is effective will depend on Your Majesty’s condition.”

Then she added, “Has Your Majesty recently been feeling dizzy, with numbness in the limbs, occasional slurred speech, and blurred vision?”

And also constant drowsiness and brief periods of unclear consciousness.

She didn’t finish, knowing it was best to stop there.

Before Chi Wan’s words had even faded, the Shengyuan Emperor’s eyes turned icy. He would not allow outsiders to know of his illness; it would have a huge impact on the power he held.

But on the surface, he remained pleasant. “Chi Wan, don’t tell me you can cure Us.”

Other than that, he couldn’t think of any other reason why Chi Wan, who already held a rank equivalent to a Commandery Prince, would come to him with this.

But his illness… the imperial physicians had all examined him and could do nothing but prescribe some formulas to clear heat and advise him to think less and anger less.

A bunch of quacks. If he couldn’t be cured, the entire Imperial Medical Academy would be buried with him.

If even the Imperial Medical Academy couldn’t cure his illness, on what basis could Chi Wan? Even if she knew medicine, how old was she? What research could she have done on medical arts?

This was a sore point for Chi Wan. In her past life, she had often been questioned because of her age, but things were different now.

“This subject has a way.” Chi Wan took out the pills from her waist. “These are pills this subject developed. They are quite effective for Your Majesty’s symptoms. Your Majesty can have the imperial physicians test them. Although they cannot provide a complete cure, when Your Majesty feels unwell, you can take one to suppress the symptoms.”

These pills were actually for pacifying the passions. It was a new formula she had thought of two days ago, which would also be beneficial for the Shengyuan Emperor’s condition.

Presenting medicine to the Emperor was a very unwise act, but outside, so many scholars were already preparing to go to the palace gates to force the Emperor to investigate the cases of land annexation across the country.

In fact, the biggest annexer of land was the Emperor himself. A casual decree from the Emperor granting land could cause countless commoners to lose their fields. The Emperor also relied on the imperial estates to fill the Lesser Treasury, which was his private purse. The Emperor, too, was short on money.

The question was, where did the imperial estates come from? They came from annexing the people’s land.

That being said, a thorough investigation into land annexation would certainly not include the Emperor, but there was no guarantee the Emperor wouldn’t take it personally. Even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t dare to confront all the noble clans, officials, and gentry of the realm.

Unless he was an emperor like Taizu or Taizong, who would slaughter until rivers of blood flowed. The Shengyuan Emperor would never dare to kill so many people.

If there was no investigation, those scholars from common backgrounds would be sacrificed.

When she entered the palace, a large crowd had already gathered outside. So many lives were at stake.

How could Chi Wan watch them die, a group of scholars filled with ideals and ambitions, who were nothing like the officials of the court?

If she truly did nothing and just watched these scholars die, it would surely become her nightmare, trapping her for days to come.

The path she cultivated was the Dao. For her now, it meant constantly exploring the court of Great Zhou, mastering power, grasping the rules, making all resources around her serve her own ends, predicting the great tides of events, understanding the development of all things, and being able to respond with ease.

She had not yet reached that level, but she had cast a divination for herself, and today’s reading was auspicious.

Of course, offering medicine to the Shengyuan Emperor was not exactly a gamble. Yesterday, the Shengyuan Emperor had endured his illness to summon her for so long mainly to prove to the outside world that his health was fine. Otherwise, he could have said those things today; there was no need to say them yesterday.

The Emperor was very concerned about his health, and even more concerned about fainting in front of his ministers. Last night, it was Yu Jiuzhou’s heart-saving pill that had revived him. What if there wasn’t time to take the pill, or if the pill stopped working?

Chi Wan’s medicine was a lifeline for the Emperor. With such a medicine available, she didn’t believe the Emperor wouldn’t be tempted.

As long as the Emperor was tempted, she would be fine. The next step was to deal with the scholars outside.

Just as she had thought, the Emperor gave a look to a nearby eunuch. The eunuch took the pill and swallowed one himself. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, nothing had happened to the eunuch.

“Summon the imperial physicians,” the Shengyuan Emperor said, still not at ease, worried that the pill’s ingredients might be harmful to him.

The Director of the Imperial Medical Academy was waiting outside and quickly entered. The old eunuch, Cheng Jiao, handed the pill to the physician. “Director Chen, take a look at this medicine.”

Director Chen took the pill, sniffed it, then bit off a piece with his teeth and chewed it for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “This medicine clears liver fire, dispels wind, and scatters heat. It is effective for heat-related syndromes. Your Majesty…”

He looked at the Emperor with pleasant surprise. “Taking this medicine will greatly alleviate Your Majesty’s symptoms. When your qi and blood surge upwards, it can sustain Your Majesty for two hours. As long as you receive proper treatment within those two hours, Your Majesty will not experience a loss of consciousness.”

Loss of consciousness was the diagnosis the entire Imperial Medical Academy had reached. They hadn’t dared to say it at first, only speaking up when the Emperor held a sword to their necks.

After they spoke, their heads were on the line. They feared that one day the Emperor would have an episode in a fit of rage and have them all buried with him. Yesterday, when they heard the Emperor had lost his temper at the New Year’s Eve banquet, they were scared to death.

If he hadn’t seen Yu Jiuzhou give the Emperor a heart-saving pill, Director Chen, who was hiding nearby, would have wanted to rush out and examine the Emperor himself. But if he had appeared, the ministers would have known the Emperor had an imperial physician in tow, and that the situation was not good.

Director Chen had been both anxious and afraid at that moment. He could only say that Her Highness the Grand Princess was truly their lucky star.

So, after confirming the pill’s efficacy, he was overjoyed. He wouldn’t say the medicine was a panacea, but at least for a short time, their lives were not in danger.

“Your Majesty, may I ask which physician created this pill? This subject has some matters to consult with them.”

Director Chen was very respectful, wanting to meet the physician who had saved his life and ask if there was any other way to treat the Emperor’s illness.

In truth, the pharmacology was simple. Given time, the Imperial Medical Academy could have concocted it as well. But many things were just a hair’s breadth away—sometimes you stumbled upon a discovery, and sometimes you missed it for a lifetime.

The Shengyuan Emperor was very happy. As long as the pill worked, he wouldn’t have to constantly worry about fainting during court sessions or when meeting with ministers.

“This pill was brought by the Fuma. You should ask the Fuma.”

The Emperor’s words were a hint for her not to tell the truth. Chi Wan immediately said, “This medicine was given to me by a traveling physician. I usually take it during my susceptibility period. Yesterday, Your Majesty felt better after taking it, so I brought all of them today.”

“Eh? Didn’t His Majesty take a heart-saving pill yesterday?”

Hearing Director Chen’s question, she laughed it off. “He took both.”

“Is that so?”

Before Director Chen could ask further, a eunuch hurried in. “Your Majesty, several hundred scholars have come to the palace gates and are kneeling. They say… they say…”

“Say what!” the Shengyuan Emperor barked.

“They say they request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the cases of land annexation throughout all of Great Zhou.”

“Insolence!” The Emperor slammed his hand on the table, his face red and neck thick with anger. “Bastards! Do those bastards know what they are saying?”

Land annexation throughout all of Great Zhou? They might as well just ask for a change of dynasty.

The Emperor was so angry he couldn’t catch his breath and began to cough incessantly. Director Chen quickly placed the pill in the Shengyuan Emperor’s mouth.

Chi Wan reached out to stop him, but his movements were too fast. The pill he fed to the Emperor was the one Director Chen had bitten a piece from. Now, Director Chen’s saliva was all in the Emperor’s mouth.

Director Chen also realized his mistake and glanced at Chi Wan awkwardly, giving her a pleading look. She had no choice but to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.

After taking the medicine, the Shengyuan Emperor’s anger quickly subsided. Feeling the pill’s effect, he gave Chi Wan a surprised look, then said to the old eunuch Cheng Jiao, “Go tell Gao Zheng to handle this as the Grand Secretary.”

Seeing that the Emperor didn’t order any direct action against the scholars, Chi Wan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her pill had done its job.

The Shengyuan Emperor waved for Director Chen to leave. The remaining young eunuchs also withdrew, leaving only the old eunuch Cheng Jiao and Chi Wan in the bedchamber.

“We just heard you say that this medicine cannot cure Our illness completely.”

Chi Wan bowed, her tone heavy. “It is this subject’s incompetence. For now, I have only been able to produce this medicine.”

“For now?”

“Yes. There are still a few hard-to-find herbs. If they can be found, perhaps the effect will be even better.”

They would never be found. The Emperor’s illness couldn’t be cured even with modern medicine. The formula was an ancient one she had obtained and later improved upon; it was already the most effective available.

But if she didn’t dangle a carrot in front of the Shengyuan Emperor, how could she increase her own leverage?

The Shengyuan Emperor had just taken the medicine and knew its benefits. If a more effective medicine could be produced, even if it couldn’t cure him, it would be good to stabilize his condition.

“Cheng Jiao, whatever herbs the Fuma needs, you arrange for people to find them. They must be found.” The Shengyuan Emperor felt a glimmer of hope. His episodes had been recurring more frequently lately, and he was afraid that one time he would fall unconscious and never wake up.

“Tell me, what is going on with the scholars outside?”

The young eunuch glanced quickly at Chi Wan. “Reporting to Your Majesty, those scholars say that the Fuma has single-handedly shouldered the pressure to investigate the land annexation case in Qingyuan County, and they greatly admire her. But the phenomenon of land annexation is not limited to Qingyuan County. They request that the Grand Secretariat lead, with the Fuma assisting, an investigation into the land annexation situation throughout the realm, hoping Your Majesty will bring justice to the people.”

Chi Wan seized the opportunity. “Your Majesty, those scholars outside are simply lawless. They do not understand Your Majesty’s difficulties. Land annexation has existed in every dynasty. Your Majesty is a wise ruler for the ages and has already worked very hard to ensure the people of Great Zhou are fed and clothed. How can we stir up a major case at this time and cause unrest among the people?”

Her opening words confirmed the existence of land annexation. Just as the Shengyuan Emperor was about to speak, he heard her subsequent praise, and an expression of “the Fuma understands Us” appeared on his face: Is it that I don’t want to investigate? I must consider the bigger picture. I cannot investigate. This matter is not my fault.

Seeing the Shengyuan Emperor’s expression soften, Chi Wan immediately made her request. “Your Majesty, forgive this subject for being blunt, but who among those in the Grand Secretariat does not have tens of thousands of mu of fertile land back in their hometown? This subject has heard that the Grand Secretary’s family has two hundred thousand mu of fertile land. To have the Grand Secretary face the scholars, he might just have them all thrown in prison or beaten to death. That would tarnish Your Majesty’s wise reputation. Your Majesty, why not send someone who has no connection to land annexation?”

She had immediately thrown a bucket of dirty water on Gao Zheng. Of course, what she said was true. The Emperor wanted her to be a lone, treacherous official. The worse her relationship with the other ministers, the more the Emperor would trust her.

But she had no desire to be a lone, treacherous official. If she had to offend all the ministers, then she would be a different kind of lone official—one who stood on the side of morality and justice, on the side of the people. She would become the representative of righteousness, and see how they could attack her then.

The Shengyuan Emperor, however, was unaware of her inner thoughts, completely absorbed in the matter of Gao Zheng. “You say Gao Zheng’s family has two hundred thousand mu of fertile land?”

He knew Gao Zheng’s family had a lot of land, but what did two hundred thousand mu mean? A small county in Great Zhou had only a few tens of thousands of mu, and a large one only about two hundred thousand. Gao Zheng had no fiefdom, yet he possessed so much fertile land, and tax-free at that. He was simply a vermin of the state.

The Shengyuan Emperor had already exhausted any goodwill between them by sparing Gao Zheng’s son. Now that Chi Wan had brought this matter to light, for the first time, the Shengyuan Emperor felt a murderous intent toward Gao Zheng.

Chi Wan feigned ignorance. “Ah? Your Majesty did not know?”

Beside them, Cheng Jiao lowered his head even further. It was the first time he had seen someone so audacious, daring to say anything. Offending the Grand Secretary and the Grand Secretariat meant waiting to be attacked by the entire court of civil officials.

The Emperor was never one to take responsibility. Once things developed beyond his expectations, he would not hesitate to kill Chi Wan to appease the anger of the civil officials.

Chi Wan, however, was unconcerned. The Emperor didn’t have long to live. If she didn’t use this time to strengthen her own power, and especially Yu Jiuzhou’s power, then when he died, it would all come down to who had the bigger fist and who had the right to speak.

This was the twenty-eighth year of the Shengyuan era. The Emperor would die in the twenty-ninth year. She had given the Shengyuan Emperor hope that he could be cured. For the sake of his own life, he would be reluctant to kill her.

The Shengyuan Emperor took a small sip of tea. An official unrelated to the land annexation cases… that was truly hard to find. He couldn’t think of many truly upright officials in the entire court, and those he could think of were of too low a rank and might not be able to handle it well.

The Shengyuan Emperor’s gaze fell upon Chi Wan. That’s right, here was a good choice. Her status was high enough, the scholars respected her, and she wasn’t afraid of offending people. Most importantly, he wanted Chi Wan to offend people. “Chi Wan, you go.”

“This subject? I’m afraid that’s not appropriate.” Chi Wan lowered her eyes, feigning reluctance.

“What, are you afraid?”

The Shengyuan Emperor’s eyes instantly turned cold. If Chi Wan had appeared eager to go, he might have suspected that this was all her scheme.

Only then did Chi Wan say, “This subject obeys the decree.”

She then asked, “Your Majesty, may this subject handle it in any way I see fit?”

“Act at your discretion.”

“Yes.”

As Chi Wan left the Emperor’s bedchamber, the Shengyuan Emperor immediately said to Cheng Jiao, “Did the Fuma come directly to see Us upon entering the palace?”

“Yes.”

The Shengyuan Emperor narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Send people to investigate. Investigate for me how much land every civil and military official in this court has in their family. I give you one month.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Cheng Jiao broke out in a cold sweat. The Shengyuan Emperor was clearly on his deathbed, and he had been hoping for a peaceful retirement. Now, this. But he didn’t dare not to investigate.

It was all Chi Wan’s fault!

Just as Chi Wan left Daming Palace, news reached Yu Jiuzhou.

This time, Xia Qu was not just puzzled, but also anxious about what might happen to Chi Wan. “Your Highness, why did you not see the Fuma?”

Chun Gui once again enlightened her. “Are you a fool? If the Fuma had seen Her Highness first, wouldn’t His Majesty think they had planned this together? It’s best that they didn’t meet.”

“What about this morning? Her Highness didn’t see the Fuma this morning either.”

“She didn’t see her because she didn’t see her. Why so many questions?”

Xia Qu became agitated. “Chun Gui, how can you be so heartless? The Fuma hasn’t done anything wrong recently; in fact, she’s done many good things. Didn’t the secret guards send back a message? The honeycomb briquettes are just as the Fuma described.”

The secret guards had experimented with the honeycomb briquettes overnight according to Chi Wan’s method, and the results were excellent.

Chun Gui looked at her with amusement. “I thought you disliked the Fuma.”

“I am clear about my likes and dislikes.”

Chun Gui shook her head. “Do you know why the Fuma went to the palace?”

“I do not.”

“Her Highness arranged for someone to say certain things in the tavern, specifically for the Fuma to hear. Her Highness wanted to show the Fuma what she would ultimately face if she continued to investigate the land annexation case. Who knew the Fuma would actually choose to go to the palace.”

“You mean, the Fuma wants to see the investigation through? Then, Your Highness, we cannot refuse to help the Fuma.”

Chun Gui was completely exasperated. “Then why do you think Her Highness came to the palace?”

Yu Jiuzhou took a sip of tea. It had to be said, she was somewhat pleasantly surprised by Chi Wan’s choice to go to the palace.

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