TGPSAC – Chapter 123

Some things, it seems, are summoned by the mere mention of them. In early July, during the sweltering heat of summer, Nanyue launched an attack on Lingnan.

The weather in Nanyue saw little change throughout the year; for them, summer was perhaps only a fraction hotter.

However, contrary to what Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had imagined, Nanyue did not send a large army to attack. Instead, they dispatched several small units to continuously harass Lingnan, as if they were probing.

Though they were small units, they had a significant impact on the Lingnan border. The heir apparent of Lingnan was scolded by the Prince of Lingnan and sent to the frontier.

But just a few days after the heir apparent arrived at the border, news came of the Prince of Lingnan’s passing. This was a tremendous blow to all of Lingnan.

The heir apparent of Lingnan, enduring her grief, submitted this news to the capital. Ostensibly, it was to report the death, but in reality, it was Lingnan’s acknowledgment of Princess Yu Jiuzhou’s ascension to the throne.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Bao’an turned to the man in black beside him. “Didn’t you say Lingnan would not submit to the capital?”

The man in black’s violent words swirled on his lips before turning into a sigh. “Just like the late emperor’s bloody edict, it has made us into treacherous rebels. Besides, she has already ascended the throne; she is the legitimate line.”

“Legitimate? I am the legitimate one! It shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t be like this!!!”

Yu Yichen furiously swept the tea set from the table to the floor. The sound of shattering porcelain echoed, but no one dared to enter and clean up.

The man in black merely watched him vent with cold indifference, his emotions utterly unmoved. He had grown accustomed to Yu Yichen’s rages these past days. But what good was rage? One wrong step led to another.

After venting his anger, Yu Yichen suddenly thought of something. “Chi Wan. It’s all because of Chi Wan.”

Chi Wan was the first to change, which led to everything else changing.

Chi Wan should have been a despicable villain, while he was the benevolent and virtuous prince. Grand Princess Yu Jiuzhou would have agreed to cooperate with him, and he would have successfully ascended the throne.

As long as he proceeded with caution and didn’t make the same mistake as in his past life—trying to squeeze the power from Yu Jiuzhou’s hands as soon as he took the throne—he would surely not repeat his downfall.

But everything had changed, and the source of that change was Chi Wan.

It all began with Chi Wan’s transformation. Could it be that Chi Wan had also been reborn?

Impossible. Rebirth couldn’t change one’s mind. An idiot, even knowing how events would unfold, probably couldn’t devise any brilliant plans.

Then was Chi Wan still Chi Wan? Or had her body been taken over by someone else?

Someone with superior strategic and martial skills?

Yu Yichen whipped his head around to look at the man in black. “I want Chi Wan dead.”

The man in black didn’t know what he had just been thinking, but he could understand the reason for wanting Chi Wan dead. After all, Chi Wan was too great an asset to Yu Jiuzhou.

Unfortunately, someone else disagreed.

“You must not. The Princess of Nanyue has said that Chi Wan cannot be harmed.”

Yu Yichen slammed his fist on the table. “Does she think she can command me?”

The man in black’s eyes, hidden within his cloak, couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Yu Yichen, but the cloak concealed it completely. Yu Yichen didn’t see it at all.

“Your Majesty, the Princess said she has her own way of making Chi Wan leave Yu Jiuzhou. What Your Majesty needs to do is take control of the East Sea.”

Yu Yichen shot the man in black a cold look. “I don’t need you to teach me. Has there been any news from the East Sea yet?”

“Soon. Ichiyujin has already launched his attack. The East Sea will soon be in chaos. In the confusion, Xu Tiande will surely die.”

“It had better be so.”

Yu Yichen stared grimly outside, then spoke again. “Did Duan Jinxian say how she plans to do it?”

The man in black tilted his head slightly to glance at him. “Gu.”

“Hmph. A sordid, underhanded thing that can’t be brought into the light,” Yu Yichen sneered.

After being reborn and suffering so many setbacks, he felt that rebirth was worse than not being reborn at all. He had long since stopped pretending.

In his past life, he had kept up the pretense until after he had eliminated Yu Jiuzhou. In this life, things had already come to this; he couldn’t pretend, nor did he want to.

Having been an emperor for many years, Yu Yichen could no longer bring himself to feign courtesy to his subordinates.

To treat worthy men with courtesy was to trample his imperial dignity underfoot.

Otherwise, why did Liu Bei, after becoming emperor, become reluctant to use Zhuge Liang?

Even though Yu Yichen had been reborn, the fact that he had been an emperor was real.

Yu Yichen’s gaze swept over the shards on the floor. “Are the serving maids all dead?”

The man in black: “…” He’s mad!

Watching Yu Yichen’s departing figure, the man in black was very curious about how Duan Jinxian planned to use Gu on Chi Wan.

Chi Wan was a master with profound internal energy; ordinary Gu would be useless against her. Could Duan Jinxian’s Gu possibly work?

But Duan Jinxian would never tell. The mystery would only be solved after the deed was done.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace of Nanyue, Duan Jinxian was observing a glass bottle. Inside was a tiny pink insect with transparent wings, exuding an eerie beauty.

Duan Jinxian couldn’t help but reach out, wanting it to dance on her fingertip.

“Princess.” A cold voice suddenly startled her.

Duan Jinxian came back to her senses. “Is this the River of Oblivion you spoke of?”

“Yes.”

Standing beside her was Xi Wu, who was also watching the Gu insect. “This is the last River of Oblivion left in Insect Valley. It truly requires someone with profound internal energy to nurture a new one. But have you thought this through? Using the River of Oblivion on Chi Wan.”

Duan Jinxian’s eyes held a calm that bordered on madness. Perhaps those two words shouldn’t be used together, but that was the impression she gave at that moment.

“Do you know why Great Zhou’s salt supply suddenly increased overnight? And why Yu Jiuzhou suddenly has so much money? And the changes in Great Zhou’s Capital Camps, which have become an almost invincible army? It’s all because of Chi Wan.”

A flicker of worry crossed Xi Wu’s eyes. “But you don’t love her.”

“Love? It’s enough that she loves me.” Duan Jinxian gently stroked the glass bottle, then looked at Xi Wu. “You also want to make Nanyue better, don’t you?”

“For the people of Nanyue to have enough food and clothing, to be able to read and write. Look at the children of Nanyue. Their eyes hold none of a child’s innocence, only a beast-like desire. For that, they would not hesitate to tear the flesh from anyone.”

“A few days ago, I passed through Guang Village. A child had found a dog. I watched him stroke it, but the dagger in his hand plunged into the puppy’s neck without hesitation, because it was to be his food. For a child who rarely eats meat, dogs, insects, and snakes are all food. But they should be innocent.”

Xi Wu closed her eyes. She was well aware of the situation in Nanyue. The relationship between Insect Valley and the Nanyue royal family was close—for instance, she herself used to bear the surname Duan. It was impossible for her not to know Nanyue’s circumstances.

If the people of Insect Valley did not share the surname Duan, perhaps they could have ignored everything. But they, too, were Duans.

After a long moment, Xi Wu finally said, “Alright.”

She agreed, if Chi Wan could truly bring prosperity to Nanyue.

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Still in early July, the false emperor Yu Yichen began to expand his territory, attempting to completely occupy the south.

Nanyue rose up at the news, their grand army also advancing toward Lingnan.

Wokou pirates from the East Sea actually made landfall, slaughtering the common people.

And there was tragic news: Duke Xu, Xu Tiande, had been backstabbed and assassinated by someone close to him.

He died on the spot, with no chance of survival.

When the capital received this news, Yu Jiuzhou immediately went to see Empress Dowager Xu.

The Empress Dowager said only one thing: “Your maternal grandfather was killed because you sat on the throne.”

According to the events of the previous life, the Duke of Xu had cleared the East Sea of pirates and returned to court in triumph, only to be angered to death by Emperor Shengyuan.

Following that timeline, Xu Tiande was already dead.

In this life, the Duke of Xu had yet to completely eliminate the pirates.

The Imperial City Division had investigated this matter to some extent. Someone was funding the pirates from behind the scenes.

The pirates had always been funded by the gentry and powerful clans of Jiangnan, but they had never been so formidable. It wasn’t until Yu Yichen and the Duke of Xin got involved that the East Sea pirates became even more difficult to deal with.

Regardless, the Duke of Xu’s death had nothing to do with Yu Jiuzhou. The Empress Dowager’s words deeply wounded her.

The situation in Great Zhou was now dire. Having just pacified Yanbei, Great Zhou’s strength had been tested and revealed. The Yanbei garrison could not be moved, nor could the Capital Camps leave the capital.

To go south, there was only Xu Chenlu’s army of one hundred thousand, supplemented by troops drawn from various regions.

But the old problem remained: who would lead the conscripted army?

The entire court proposed that Chi Wan lead the army. With her as the commander, alongside Xu Chenlu’s hundred thousand troops, they could unify the south, support the East Sea, drive out the pirates, and if possible, even reinforce Lingnan.

Lingnan had only a hundred thousand soldiers, while Nanyue had deployed far more.

Fortunately, Lingnan had a geographical advantage. No matter how formidable the Nanyue army was, they could not breach Lingnan’s defenses.

But Nanyue had a great many children who could disappear into the mountain forests, only to reappear and cause trouble for Lingnan.

Lingnan was currently struggling to fend for itself. If Yu Yichen were to lead his forces to attack Lingnan from the rear, Lingnan would likely fall.

Thus, Chi Wan had to go to the battlefield again. No one was more suitable. The battle of Yanbei, at the very least, had proven her capabilities.

In the imperial palace in the capital, Chi Wan watched with concern as Yu Jiuzhou, having just returned from the Empress Dowager’s, sat in the courtyard, gazing at the nearly full moon.

Tea was on the table, and the two of them just sat there.

After a long while, Chi Wan took Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. “Your Highness, what are you thinking about?”

Yu Jiuzhou glanced at her, then smiled. “Don’t worry. With you here, I’m not that heartbroken.”

It was just another realization that her parents didn’t love her as much as she had thought. In fact, it was far from it.

A pang of sorrow struck Chi Wan’s heart. Her own parents had passed away early, so she didn’t know if they had loved her. But they had left her with her grandmother shortly after she was born. Even if it was due to life’s pressures, they probably didn’t have much affection for her.

She played with Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. “I will be with you, just as you will be with me.”

She remembered how much she had longed for her parents’ company back then, so she could understand Yu Jiuzhou’s feelings.

Her parents had wanted a second child, but they never had the chance.

Of course, her impression of her parents mostly came from what her grandmother and other relatives told her. Some relatives wanted to see her cry, to upset her, while her grandmother would calmly tell stories about them.

Her father was the first university student from their village. Her mother, though not a university student, had attended a teacher’s college and was assigned a teaching position directly.

They had their own careers, and leaving their child with their elderly mother was a good option for them.

This led to Chi Wan never really experiencing parental love. They had passed away so early that she couldn’t even describe what a parent’s love was.

But she knew that the Yu Jiuzhou before her rebirth had cared deeply for her parents. After Emperor Shengyuan’s death, only Empress Dowager Xu remained.

In the novel, Yu Jiuzhou was, after all, the villainess, so her storyline was limited. Chi Wan didn’t know what happened afterward.

However, Yu Jiuzhou didn’t seem as close to the Empress Dowager as she appeared.

After Emperor Shengyuan’s death, the Empress Dowager was confined to the palace. Was Yu Jiuzhou truly unable to get her out?

At that time, Yu Jiuzhou’s power was immense, with half the court under her sway and the army in her hands. Yu Yichen had nothing but the claim of legitimacy, with no real power.

If Yu Jiuzhou had insisted on bringing the Empress Dowager out, what could have stopped her?

So, something must have happened to create the current situation.

Chi Wan looked at Yu Jiuzhou, wanting to speak but hesitating. For a long time, she couldn’t find the words. Some things were not so easy to bring up.

However, Yu Jiuzhou met her gaze and took the initiative. “My mother was a qualified Empress Mother, but she wasn’t very good at being a mother.”

The Empress Dowager had been a Crown Princess Consort and an Empress. Every step she took was to be a good Crown Princess Consort, a good Empress.

Later, even when she had disputes with Emperor Shengyuan, she never forgot the things that were ingrained in her very bones.

To her, Yu Jiuzhou was a princess, and the things Yu Jiuzhou did were not what a princess should do.

The two of them didn’t understand each other, each believing they were right.

This was probably why the rift between children and parents deepens as they grow older. Everyone has their own principles of conduct. They don’t understand their children’s, yet they want to control their children to follow their will.

Chi Wan poured wine into both their cups. The two cups touched with a pleasant clink, and they drained the wine in one go.

After finishing the wine in her cup, Yu Jiuzhou finally spoke. “She believes a Kun Ze should not act as regent and hold power. Since there is an emperor, the power should be handed over.”

“She also feels I shouldn’t have snatched the throne from my own child. But doesn’t she know that Great Zhou is at a critical juncture and needs a monarch who can save it from this crisis?”

Anyone could see the current state of Great Zhou. Though they paid lip service to Great Zhou’s eternal reign, many knew that the dynasty was in its final decline. If a ruler capable of revival did not appear, Great Zhou would be finished.

The Empress Dowager came from a ducal residence and had been empress for so many years. Was she unaware, or did she believe that what Yu Jiuzhou could do, a Qian Yuan could also do, and perhaps even better?

Chi Wan could tell that Yu Jiuzhou’s first sentence was about her past life, and the next was about this one.

It seemed the Empress Dowager was very dissatisfied with Yu Jiuzhou becoming emperor. Perhaps she always believed that the emperor had to be a Qian Yuan, and besides, Guiyi was the Imperial Grandson and should rightfully be the emperor.

But the Empress Dowager didn’t know that there was a difference between wielding imperial power and truly being the emperor. To pull Great Zhou out of its current predicament, nothing less than a brilliant ruler would suffice.

Chi Wan felt a surge of heartache and let it spread through her body, allowing herself to feel Yu Jiuzhou’s gloom more deeply.

“Brilliant monarchs are often misunderstood, but time will provide the answer.”

History was full of emperors who were heavily criticized. Did that stop them from being emperors?

But the Empress Dowager was different. She was the mother who had given birth to her. Yu Jiuzhou must feel very wronged.

Chi Wan stood up and reached out to pull Yu Jiuzhou to her feet. “Sister, you can dance, can’t you? I’ll teach you a different kind of duet dance.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “?” Was the topic changing this quickly? Weren’t they just lamenting under the moon? And now they were going to dance under it?

Of course, she knew Chi Wan was trying to cheer her up, so she didn’t refuse. She rose obediently and accepted Chi Wan’s invitation.

Chi Wan smiled and twirled. “I learned it when I was in school.”

There were many extracurricular activities when she was in school. She was only average at duet dancing because she didn’t have a partner. It was also because she was unwilling to find one, so she had mostly watched others dance.

The moonlight was like water, gently spilling over the two of them. Chi Wan made a gentlemanly gesture, inviting Yu Jiuzhou to place her hand in her palm.

Then, led by Chi Wan, the two began to dance gracefully under the moonlight.

Yu Jiuzhou could see that Chi Wan’s movements were a bit clumsy, indicating she rarely performed this dance. It was even possible she had never danced it with anyone before.

So Chi Wan was simply trying to lift her spirits, coaxing her in this way.

Relying on her memory, Chi Wan managed to get through the entire dance. Perhaps the proficiency of the dance moves wasn’t that important. What mattered were her deep, affectionate eyes, fixed solely on Yu Jiuzhou.

When the dance ended, there was no distance left between them; they were pressed closely together.

Yu Jiuzhou looked up, meeting Chi Wan’s affectionate gaze with a smile.

“Thank you.”

Chi Wan smiled and buried her head in Yu Jiuzhou’s shoulder. “I still prefer your tsundere side.”

The little tsundere who wouldn’t say thank you, but would always make up for it in other ways.

Yu Jiuzhou reached out and patted her shoulder. “Shut up.”

Seeing Yu Jiuzhou return to her familiar self, Chi Wan’s smile grew wider.

She wanted Yu Jiuzhou to be happy, to have whatever she desired.

Chi Wan pressed her forehead against Yu Jiuzhou’s, gently cupping her face. “Trust me, I will come back.”

Although her words were vague, Yu Jiuzhou knew she was talking about going south.

Jiangning and some of the surrounding areas had been occupied by Yu Yichen. She had to go and reclaim them.

Then there was the matter of the East Sea, which urgently needed a commander. The eldest son of the Xu family was competent but uninspired, his military tactics no match for his younger sister, Xu Chenlu.

One could say that the eldest Xu son was steady, but he lacked the ability to think outside the box, relying too much on experience rather than breaking through it.

This was why the Duke of Xu had never let him command an army alone. He could be a second-in-command, but not the leader.

Otherwise, Chi Wan wouldn’t need to rush south so urgently.

Once the East Sea was breached and occupied by the Wokou pirates, the local populace would suffer inhuman treatment.

If disaster struck the East Sea, Yu Yichen could occupy the south even faster and then join forces with Nanyue. At that point, Yu Yichen could truly succeed in occupying the south, creating a north-south standoff with the capital.

There wasn’t much time left for Chi Wan. It would be best for her to set out tomorrow, gathering troops along the way.

She would pass through a place, conscript soldiers, and by the time she reached Jiangning, she would have an army of about a hundred thousand.

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched and unclenched. Finally, she said, “If I hadn’t become emperor…”

“Sister!”

Chi Wan cut her off, not letting her continue. “You can’t let go of the people of Great Zhou, and neither can I. I’m not someone who carries the world on her shoulders, but if I have the ability and do nothing, leading to the suffering of Great Zhou’s people, I will feel guilty all the same.”

If Yu Jiuzhou didn’t become emperor, then Guiyi would. Could she stand by and do nothing?

In that case, it might be Yu Jiuzhou who went on the expedition. The two of them would each fight in a different place, leaving Guiyi and Chenchen in the capital.

Were they to rule a country at an age when they couldn’t even fully care for themselves?

Yu Jiuzhou nuzzled Chi Wan’s neck. “I was thinking wrongly.”

She knew there were no other options at the moment. If there were, she would never let Chi Wan leave the capital again.

Chi Wan looked down at Yu Jiuzhou, amused. “Why is Your Highness being so self-reflective today?”

Her Highness was so tsundere; even if she knew she was wrong in her heart, she would never say it out loud.

Yu Jiuzhou patted her shoulder helplessly. “You’re annoying.”

Chi Wan: “???” So coquettish.

Her Highness had never been so coquettish, except in bed.

But she liked it very much.

Chi Wan let out a silly laugh. “Sister, be more coquettish. I love to hear it.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…” I was not being coquettish.

After teasing each other for a while, they returned to their room. They lay together on the arhat bed, neither willing to suggest going to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Yu Jiuzhou finally asked, “When do you plan to leave?”

Hmm… Chi Wan didn’t want to say, but she still answered, “Tomorrow.”

The sooner, the better. Time and tide wait for no one; good battle opportunities are fleeting.

While Yu Yichen had not yet established himself, while the East Sea could still resist the pirates, and while Nanyue could not yet break through Lingnan’s defenses—going now would result in the fewest losses.

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched again and again. Finally, she said, “Fifty thousand Capital Guards, twenty thousand Jinwu Guards, and five thousand Embroidered-Robe Guards. Take them all with you.”

If she really took that many, it would be like taking half of the capital’s entire force.

Chi Wan shook her head. “Twenty thousand Capital Guards and one thousand Embroidered-Robe Guards will be enough.”

She would conscript local troops along the way, taking the opportunity to whip them into shape.

The Capital Guards had fought with her before and were more familiar with her combat style.

The south had many more mountain forests than Yanbei, making it more suitable for guerrilla warfare.

Too many troops would be unwieldy for anything other than sieges, but Chi Wan had no intention of laying siege from the start.

First, she would clip Yu Yichen’s wings. When he was isolated and helpless, she would deliver the fatal blow.

Twenty thousand Capital Guards, plus another seventy or eighty thousand recruited along the way, would be sufficient.

Hearing that Chi Wan would take so few people, Yu Jiuzhou frowned. “That’s too few.”

“I don’t need too many. The East Sea has its own forces, as does Lingnan. I’m just going to provide support. Too many people would be a burden.”

Her goal was to prevent the three factions from forming a triangle, thereby gaining control of the south and amassing the power to confront the capital.

The main strategy would be harassment, not direct confrontation. Coincidentally, that was exactly what she had done in Yanbei, so she had experience.

Yu Jiuzhou was about to say more, but Chi Wan simply sealed her lips with a kiss. After a deep kiss, she said, “A spring night is precious. Let’s not talk about this. Once I leave the capital, who knows how long it will be until we see each other again.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, which had been about to push her away, paused. Then she drew it back, looking docile and letting Chi Wan do as she pleased.

But though her Highness looked docile, she became like a different person in bed, utterly captivating.

“Why is Your Highness so quiet? Could it be that you do not permit it?”

Yu Jiuzhou could only reply helplessly, “I permit it.”

“Permit what?” Chi Wan immediately pressed, determined to make Yu Jiuzhou say it.

Yu Jiuzhou remained stiff and refused to speak, until Chi Wan started tickling her. “Your Highness, permit me what?”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…I permit you to come to bed.”

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