Chi Wan read many books, all of which this body had supposedly read before.
She was puzzled. So many books about this world, about medicine… the interests were identical to her own.
It had to be fate, for even their hobbies to be so similar.
However, she had also heard the full story of “Chi Wan” from Xia Qu.
The original Chi Wan had been a wastrel, a truly scummy woman. But ever since she was betrothed to the then-Grand Princess Yu Jiuzhou as her Fuma, she had turned over a new leaf.
First, she gained real power and distinguished herself at court. When Beining invaded Great Zhou, she drove their army out of Yanbei. Later, she quelled the false emperor’s rebellion and repelled Nanyue’s border incursions.
And it was while fighting in Nanyue, after victory was already secured, that “Chi Wan” lost her memory.
The strange thing was, she had no wounds on her body, nor was she poisoned.
Chi Wan had heard Yu Jiuzhou say that she seemed to have been afflicted by a Gu.
Chi Wan knew of things like Gu, but she had never encountered them. They were mysterious things from history. She had once wanted to join an expedition to study them, but never got the chance.
Gu were very mysterious. She had seen them in movies, TV shows, and novels, and had heard of them in reality, but she had never seen one with her own eyes.
If this body had truly been afflicted by a Gu-insect, was the insect still inside her?
Chi Wan sat cross-legged and circulated her internal energy, trying to find the Gu-insect in her body.
She was surprised to find that this body was very strong. Well, of course. How could it go to war otherwise?
Unfortunately, it had no internal energy, so she had to start training from scratch.
Chi Wan had a feeling that this body should have been tempered by internal energy before. As for why she couldn’t feel any, she couldn’t quite say.
Moreover, when she cultivated internal energy, she felt she was getting twice the result with half the effort. She achieved a breakthrough on the very first night.
Could this be the legendary “congenital sacred body”? Mastering the basics in a single night?
Chi Wan was amused by her own thoughts. What nonsense. It was too ridiculous.
However, a month passed. She finished reading the books Yu Jiuzhou had someone bring over and gained a new understanding of her own memory. A photographic memory? Another innate skill to add to the list.
She thought that once her internal energy reached a minor level of mastery, she could venture out. She would have the means to protect herself in this world, and with her current high status, it would be easy to establish herself.
But all of that would have to wait until she could leave the imperial palace.
Over the past month, Yu Jiuzhou had come to see her every day, telling her about their past and about current events in Great Zhou.
Chi Wan wasn’t particularly interested in the past—that is, their love story. After all, it wasn’t her love story. She was more interested in what was happening now.
Therefore, Yu Jiuzhou spoke more about that.
She heard that Yu Jiuzhou was presiding over reforms—or more accurately, Yu Jiuzhou was supporting them, while the Grand Secretary was the one leading them.
After hearing the content of the reforms, several question marks appeared in Chi Wan’s mind.
The Single Whip Law? A land survey? Remeltage fees returned to the public treasury? Merging the poll tax into the land tax? Gentry paying taxes and performing service like commoners? Chieftain self-governance?
There were many other reforms as well, in agriculture, commerce and finance, the military, and politics, as well as an overhaul of the bureaucracy, and so on.
Every single one was familiar to Chi Wan.
She couldn’t help but ask Yu Jiuzhou, “Which great master proposed all these things?”
She seriously suspected that the person who proposed these things was a transmigrator. Since she had transmigrated, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be another.
To her surprise, Yu Jiuzhou stared at her for a long moment. “You.”
After saying this, Yu Jiuzhou looked at her expectantly.
Chi Wan’s eyes widened. Could her predecessor have been a transmigrator too? Was this body some kind of “transmigrator sacred body”?
Meeting Yu Jiuzhou’s expectant gaze, she slowly uttered a few words: “I’m really amazing.”
Yu Jiuzhou: “…” Did people praise themselves like that?
But if it was Chi Wan, it didn’t seem so strange.
“Yes, you are very amazing.”
Chi Wan could be thick-skinned enough to praise herself, but when someone else actually praised her, she felt a little embarrassed.
“You’re too kind, you’re too kind.”
Chi Wan took a sip of tea, slightly bashful. “Reforms are a good thing. Life will be better for the common people in the future.”
If she were to leave the capital someday, she would be one of the common people too. If their lives were good, hers probably wouldn’t be bad either.
It seemed that if she had the chance, she could discuss the specific details of the reforms with Yu Jiuzhou.
For financial reform, Wang Anshi’s methods were quite suitable for ancient times, they just needed some refinement.
However, the more she talked with Yu Jiuzhou, the more dumbfounded Chi Wan became.
The Great Zhou Bank had already been open for a year, and there were things like express post stations. Anything she could think of, Great Zhou currently had.
This senior transmigrator wasn’t leaving any opportunities for her, the latecomer.
There was soap for washing, essential oils for maintenance, and skincare products. Many everyday items didn’t seem like things that could be developed in ancient times.
Chi Wan felt it was more like her own handiwork.
But then again, many people knew traditional medicine. Making these things wasn’t troublesome at all.
If someone was skilled in chemistry, it wouldn’t be hard to produce these things, and they could even make better versions.
Could it be that the other person, like her, loved to read?
She read a wide variety of books, a little of everything, so she knew about many things but wasn’t an expert in any.
If she were asked to do something, she could at most provide the concept; the specific work would naturally be done by artisans.
But when Xia Qu brought over today’s newspaper, she was completely stunned.
The newspaper had quite a few sections, much like the things modern media played with.
#The Untold Secret Between the False Emperor Yu Yichen and the Traitorous Duke of Xin!#
Just from the headline, one could tell their relationship was far from simple, perhaps with a hint of romance.
The content was written in a vivid and graphic manner, making anyone who read it think, “Ohh~ no wonder he helped him rebel.”
#The Eight-Step Handwashing Method: Reduce Illness, Spend Less on Treatment#
There was even popular science. Perhaps there was a medical section too.
And indeed there was.
#A Daily Prescription: A Fine Remedy from the Prince of Qin Yu.#
There was also current affairs, popular science, and even advertisements.
#Reforms in Yanbei Show Initial Success. By Her Majesty’s Decree, They Will Be Implemented Nationwide.#
Great Zhou even knew about pilot programs. She had underestimated the ancients.
#Victory in Lingnan. By Her Majesty’s Decree, Nanyue is to be Blockaded and Bilateral Trade Halted.#
#An Edict from the Emperor of Great Zhou: Nanyue Must Submit as a Vassal, Sending Ten Members of its Royal Family and the Master and Young Master of the Insect Valley to Court, or Nanyue Will Be Razed to the Ground.#
Cannons were consumables, but they could be quickly manufactured after being used. The people who died in Nanyue, however, could not be replaced in a short time.
After Chi Wan’s war with Nanyue, the country would likely need a decade of rest and recuperation to recover its strength.
But cannons? Great Zhou could produce tens of thousands in a year and continue bombarding Nanyue the next.
The suppression by firearms was just that simple.
Back when Chi Wan proposed the idea, cannons were still in development. Once developed and put into production, the speed increased greatly.
Nanyue had witnessed the power of cannons. Yu Jiuzhou didn’t believe that Duan Jinxian would really dare to gamble that she wouldn’t flatten Nanyue.
Chi Wan looked at the newspaper and sighed deeply. An entertainment section, a popular science section, a government decree section, and so on.
This newspaper was very well done. It cost only a few cents a copy and didn’t seem to make much money, but many people bought it. This was called traffic. To monetize traffic, you needed to sell ads.
She had heard that she was the one who had done all these things.
Of course, Chi Wan knew she hadn’t done these things. As for the amnesia, she had transmigrated from the modern world directly to this point, with no gap in between. This could only mean that her predecessor had done all this.
What a talent!
This person was truly incredible, making changes in commerce, agriculture, politics, and the military. No wonder Yu Jiuzhou liked her so much. Such an outstanding person, what a pity she died so young.
Chi Wan mourned her predecessor for a moment. It seemed her future livelihood would have to rely on her medical skills. She could also work as a charlatan on the side.
For example, something like, “Young lady, your yintang is dark, and your Star of Romance shows signs of being struck. Within three days, a rotten peach blossom will surely arrive.”
The solution, naturally, would be to not leave her residence for three days. If she didn’t go out, it wouldn’t happen. Who could say her prediction was wrong?
Chi Wan laughed at the thought. She really was suited to be a charlatan.
“What are you laughing about?”
Yu Jiuzhou, having just finished with court, had come straight to Chi Wan’s quarters.
After all this time, and with her deliberate or unintentional indulgence, Chi Wan should have figured out the current state of Great Zhou and all the things she had done in it.
Before Chi Wan came to Great Zhou, none of these things existed.
Chi Wan’s diary had also said that as long as she discovered these things, she would surely have her suspicions. She wondered if these suspicions could plant a seed in the amnesiac Chi Wan’s heart.
Hearing the familiar voice, Chi Wan looked up and smiled. “Nothing, I was just looking at the newspaper and thinking that Great Zhou’s development is even better than I imagined.”
Yu Jiuzhou stared intently into her eyes. “This is all your achievement.”
“Er… perhaps.”
“Perhaps?”
Yu Jiuzhou frowned. “Even though you did it before you lost your memory, you still did it. The credit is naturally yours.”
Chi Wan wanted to say something, but ultimately kept her mouth shut.
Could it be that she really had amnesia? Had she truly lost all her memories after transmigrating?
Logically, that shouldn’t be possible. She couldn’t think of any method that could make her lose her memory.
And Yu Jiuzhou understood. No wonder they had been together for so long, yet Chi Wan showed no sign of closeness to her.
To help Chi Wan better accept the current situation, she had been sleeping in a separate room and tried her best not to be overly intimate with her.
Even when she couldn’t resist hugging her sometimes, it was always just a light embrace.
She could feel Chi Wan’s body stiffen whenever she held her, and it was because of this that she had no choice but to let go.
She didn’t want to force Chi Wan. She wanted to wait until Chi Wan could truly accept her.
Now it seemed that Chi Wan felt she had just arrived in this world, and that the reforms happening in Great Zhou were done by someone before her and had nothing to do with her.
Just as Chi Wan was not the same person as that scumbag, the current Chi Wan also believed she was not the same person as the previous Chi Wan.
The Chi Wan before the amnesia knew of the scumbag Chi Wan’s existence and knew about Prince Bao’an’s plot. The Chi Wan after the amnesia clearly did not.
In other words, the current Chi Wan didn’t even remember that she had read the book about this world.
Yu Jiuzhou understood the crux of the problem. She suddenly reached out and hooked Chi Wan’s chin. “You are her, do you understand?”
“What?” Chi Wan was a little stunned.
Although she quite liked Yu Jiuzhou, the person Yu Jiuzhou loved wasn’t her. An intimate gesture like tilting her chin was not appropriate for them.
She couldn’t help but feel awkward and wanted to retreat, but was blocked by a screen.
Yu Jiuzhou said it again, “You are Chi Wan, and Chi Wan is you.”
“No matter where you came from, my Chi Wan is only you.”
What did she mean? No matter where she came from?
Chi Wan suddenly had a feeling that Yu Jiuzhou knew she was a transmigrator.
Could it be that Yu Jiuzhou was one too?
She believed that Great Zhou had capable people who could carry out reforms, but for banks, newspapers, and post stations to appear all at once was a bit strange.
She believed in the wisdom of the ancients, but she didn’t believe that things which took countless years to develop over the long river of history would suddenly appear in Great Zhou, and so many at once.
She had made inquiries, after all. Great Zhou never had these things before.
If Yu Jiuzhou knew what she was thinking right now, she would probably show her directly what was meant by “forced affection.”
Chi Wan lowered her eyes. She was thinking about what Yu Jiuzhou would do if she were a transmigrator and found out that Chi Wan was one too.
Would it be “fellow countrymen meeting, tears in their eyes,” or would she kill her to keep the secret forever?
Yu Jiuzhou was an emperor. She never believed that someone who could ascend the throne would be soft-hearted, so she leaned toward the latter.
As for others saying that she had done many things, or that the previous her had done them—how could she know it wasn’t a test?
Having just arrived in a strange world, Chi Wan trusted no one.
Therefore, she played dumb, pretending to know nothing.
Offer suggestions? She wasn’t crazy. The moment she offered a suggestion, wouldn’t she be exposed as a transmigrator? So, saying nothing and doing nothing was the safest course of action.
Chi Wan racked her little brain and figured out how she would conduct herself in the palace from now on.
Logically, she was a Prince and should return to her own residence. But she was also the emperor’s consort, basically the empress, so she certainly couldn’t leave the palace.
Stuck in the imperial palace, she hadn’t figured out who her confidants were and didn’t dare to make any rash moves.
In response to Yu Jiuzhou’s words, Chi Wan maintained a look of incomprehension.
Taking a step back, even if she and the previous Chi Wan were the same person, how could she be sure that Yu Jiuzhou didn’t want to kill her? Or that, knowing she was a transmigrator with many novel ideas in her head, Yu Jiuzhou wasn’t trying to coax them out of her?
It wasn’t that she was overly cautious; how could one not be careful in a strange environment?
If Yu Jiuzhou were trustworthy, she would naturally help without hesitation. For the public good, she maintained her own sense of decency. For her private interests, she would one day be a commoner, and if the common people lived well, she would live well too.
But soon, Chi Wan would know that Yu Jiuzhou wasn’t trying to deceive her, nor was it for the knowledge in her mind. It was mainly for her body.
The sky grew dark. Logically, Yu Jiuzhou should have taken her leave.
But Yu Jiuzhou remained seated in Chi Wan’s quarters, showing no intention of leaving.
Chi Wan had considered it. They were partners, so intimacy was a normal thing. If Yu Jiuzhou were to propose it, what excuse could she use to refuse?
She could say she was unable, that her scent gland was injured.
After reading so many books, she now knew that this world was divided into Qian Yuan, Kun Ze, and He Yuan.
If a Qian Yuan or Kun Ze’s scent gland had a problem, it wouldn’t release pheromones. Without pheromones, the two couldn’t be intimate.
Chi Wan’s plan was quite good, but she overlooked one thing: whether Yu Jiuzhou would listen to her, or be willing to listen to her.
Once Yu Jiuzhou sensed that she had any intention of leaving, she would absolutely never let her go.
Night fell. Just as Chi Wan was anxiously wondering whether she should say something to persuade Yu Jiuzhou to leave…
Yu Jiuzhou suddenly spoke, “You think We are deceiving you?”
Chi Wan’s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time since they had met that the other woman had referred to herself with the royal ‘We’ in her presence.
Only then did she realize that Yu Jiuzhou was the emperor. As long as she didn’t care about hurting her, she could do anything.
Chi Wan immediately sat up straight and decided to speak some honest words. “Your Majesty, I have lost my memory. I don’t remember what happened before. It’s inevitable that I would be on guard.”
“You are honest, at least.”
This was Chi Wan. It was easy to perceive her thoughts, and she knew what to say that she could accept.
Yu Jiuzhou picked up her teacup but had no intention of drinking. She observed the tea leaves in the cup. “Since you’ve said as much, let’s be direct.”
“We know you’ve lost your memory and with it, the sense of security you value most. But Chi Wan, what hurts Us the most is that you don’t trust Us.”
The collapse of trust was what saddened Yu Jiuzhou the most.
No matter the circumstances, Chi Wan would always trust her, just as she would always trust Chi Wan. But now, Chi Wan no longer trusted her.
Even though she knew it was because of the amnesia, her heart couldn’t help but ache.
Looking at Yu Jiuzhou like this, Chi Wan only felt a sourness in her heart, and a pang of pain. It was as if this body had a physiological aversion to seeing Yu Jiuzhou sad.
At the same time, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yu Jiuzhou didn’t know she was thinking of leaving.
As for trust? Chi Wan felt that if she and her pre-amnesia self were the same person, Yu Jiuzhou must have a way to prove it. If she didn’t say anything, it meant she didn’t have one.
Imagine suddenly arriving in a strange place, only to have a stranger claim to be your wife. Even if this wife is very beautiful, she holds the power to kill you at any moment, and you can clearly sense she’s holding things back. Who would still trust her?
Chi Wan’s current state was that she didn’t distrust Yu Jiuzhou, but she didn’t trust her either.
Yu Jiuzhou’s feeling was correct. She was speechless.
When her gaze met Yu Jiuzhou’s sorrowful eyes, she still said, “I don’t distrust Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust, but that she didn’t know how to trust.
Yu Jiuzhou lowered her eyes and only spoke after a long moment. “No matter. I will show you my sincerity.”
With that, Yu Jiuzhou made to leave.
Seeing Yu Jiuzhou’s back as she was about to leave the room, Chi Wan quickly asked, “Can I leave the palace?”
“Leave the palace?”
Facing Yu Jiuzhou’s questioning eyes, she nodded seriously. “Yes, leave the palace. I’ve finished reading all the books. I want to see the capital for myself.”
Yu Jiuzhou thought for a moment. Visiting familiar places might help Chi Wan remember something.
“Alright.”
She agreed, then thought of something and added, “I will accompany you to the Princess’s Residence.”
Did they have to go together?
Chi Wan hesitated. She was thinking that she was a Prince, and princes could be either idle or powerful. She wanted to test whether she held any power, and how much.
If Yu Jiuzhou went with her, she wouldn’t be able to test it.
So, a trace of grievance appeared on Chi Wan’s face, mixed with even more caution. “Can’t I go out by myself?”
Her cautious grievance made Yu Jiuzhou’s heart ache.
Had things between her and Chi Wan come to this, where such caution was needed?
Especially the grievance and caution on Chi Wan’s face—it made her feel a tightness in her chest.
“Of course you can.” She didn’t want Chi Wan to feel that she was imprisoning her.
Chi Wan smiled. She had achieved her goal, but she also knew to be tactful. “Then when Your Majesty has time, I will accompany you to the Princess’s Residence.”
Yu Jiuzhou paused, then smiled along with her. “Alright. It has been a long time since we’ve been back to see it.”
But Yu Jiuzhou was very unhappy inside. She was eager to tell her certain things to prove that the current Chi Wan and the previous Chi Wan were the same person.
For example, the letters and diary Chi Wan wrote before her amnesia, and what she knew of Chi Wan’s experiences in another world.
If she told her these things, Chi Wan would surely believe what she said.
At first, she had wanted to take things slowly, but now that Chi Wan had a general understanding, it was time to find an opportunity to tell her these things.
The best place would be the Princess’s Residence, because it was there that they met, developed feelings for each other, and fell in love.
It was also at the Princess’s Residence that Chi Wan had told her about her life growing up.
Having made her decision, Yu Jiuzhou began to think about when to go to the Princess’s Residence.
She had been busy these past few days. Rebellions had broken out again in Great Zhou, started by those who refused to accept a Kun Ze as empress. Fortunately, the scale was not large. The generals from the Capital Camps and the Imperial City Division had trained up some new commanders, and with them present, the rebellions were not a problem.
These men had been through the two great wars with Beining and Nanyue and were now considered mid- to high-ranking commanders.
It was just that Chi Wan’s brilliance was too dazzling, so they hadn’t stood out much.
According to the book of merits, several of them had been granted titles of nobility and had become high-ranking commanders in the army.
Furthermore, Jiangning had just suffered from war, and with the arrival of summer, it was now suffering from floods. This led many to believe it was Yu Jiuzhou’s fault.
Heaven was unwilling to see a Kun Ze woman rule, and so it sent down disasters.
There was much talk of this kind. It was clear that after the external threats were pacified, many people began to reveal their true thoughts and constantly stir up trouble.
Some called for Guiyi to be made crown prince; some went so far as to say Guiyi should be made emperor, with Yu Jiuzhou ruling from behind a curtain.
Perhaps because so many had died, no one dared to suggest enthroning a member of the imperial clan.
First, Guiyi was the Imperial Granddaughter. Second, Yu Jiuzhou had been established by the late emperor’s blood edict. Some people said nothing on the surface but would stir up all sorts of trouble behind the scenes.
Great Zhou was so vast; any problem that arose anywhere was blamed on Yu Jiuzhou.
A Kun Ze as emperor displeases Heaven.
In addition, Chi Wan had not made a public appearance for over a month since returning to the capital. Many speculated that she might be dead. If she were fine, why wasn’t she attending court?
To Great Zhou, Chi Wan was a pillar of the state. She was also the greatest contributor to Yu Jiuzhou’s ascension to the throne, with two major achievements to her name.
With Chi Wan present, at least half of Great Zhou’s officers and soldiers would not rebel. But what if Chi Wan were gone?
After ascending the throne, Yu Jiuzhou had indeed shown the qualities of an enlightened ruler. But on one point alone—that she was a Kun Ze empress—many refused to submit to her.
Great Zhou had just barely stabilized, and already people were starting to make trouble.
Yu Jiuzhou was already very busy, and because people were deliberately causing trouble, she became even busier.
She also knew that if Chi Wan attended court, more than half of these problems would disappear.
But she also knew clearly that if the current Chi Wan attended court, it would only attract more people who wanted to assassinate her.
When the God of War became an ignorant novice, it would inevitably invite endless fatal disasters.
Yu Jiuzhou was busy late into the night every day. She very much wanted to find time to go to the Princess’s Residence with Chi Wan. If only Chi Wan would recover her memory.
What was saddening was that as the days passed, Chi Wan’s wariness did not diminish in the slightest.
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