Over the course of the morning, Chi Wan passed through a place called Qingyuan County and casually pawned her jade belt. As for the golden coronet, she decided to break it apart and spend it slowly.
But before she could even leave Qingyuan County, the pawnshop reported her to the authorities.
They claimed the item she had pawned was from the palace. Pawning imperial property was a major crime.
The pawnshop manager had intended to keep the belt for himself, alter it slightly, and sell it for a handsome price. But as luck would have it, the owner came for an inspection, discovered it, and reported it to the officials.
Chi Wan promptly fled Qingyuan County, changed into a Daoist robe, and pretended to be a young priestess on a pilgrimage to Wudang Mountain.
Passing a village, she stopped at a farmhouse to ask for a drink of water.
The owners of the farmhouse were two women, neither of them particularly old, but in a place where one could call oneself an old man at thirty, they weren’t exactly young either.
There were two children in the house, a Qian Yuan and a Kun Ze, both already in their teens.
Looking at them, Chi Wan couldn’t help but think of Chenchen and Guiyi.
In her short time in the capital, she had only seen the two children once. When Yu Jiuzhou told her they were her children, all she felt was a sense of unfamiliarity.
Just like that, without knowing anything, she had two children.
Thinking of them, Chi Wan suddenly froze.
The mother of the house asked, “Young master, you look like you come from a wealthy family. Why are you out here all alone?”
Chi Wan quickly replied, “I am a female disciple from a small Daoist temple in the capital. My master was originally from Wudang and wished to go back and see it her whole life. Unfortunately, heaven did not grant her wish, so she could only send me, her disciple, back in her stead to acknowledge my roots.”
“No wonder. You look so fair and delicate, young master. Is this your first time traveling far from home?”
“Not exactly. I have traveled with my master in the company of a few wealthy families before. To show my sincerity on this journey, I decided to travel on foot.”
“The Daoist priestess has a good heart.”
Chi Wan chatted idly. Perhaps it was because she had just been chased, or perhaps because she was finally free, but her mind finally had room to think about other things.
She thought of Yu Jiuzhou, and she thought of her two daughters. All at once, she no longer wanted to leave.
This inner hesitation made her ask, “Ma’am, may I trouble you for a night’s lodging?”
“Of course, you can stay for several days if you like,” the woman said, quite amiable and enthusiastic.
Chi Wan smiled sheepishly and took out two taels of silver. “Ma’am, this is for my stay tonight.”
“Don’t be so polite. It’s just one night. This much silver is enough for my family to live on for two months. We only have simple fare here; we don’t need this much.”
“The wild game you’re holding would be worth a pretty penny in the city, not to mention your home-brewed rice wine. If anything, I’m the one getting the better deal.”
It wasn’t easy to get to the county seat from here. If they carried wild game all that way, it could easily die and become unsellable.
When villagers caught wild game, they would eat it themselves unless they could keep it alive.
Chi Wan had also heard that some wild pheasants were so high-strung they would anger themselves to death upon being captured.
But as she said, the game the woman was preparing was valuable.
Just then, the other woman, who had been working silently, spoke up. “It’s not worth that much.”
Chi Wan was taken aback. She wanted to ask more, but the woman said nothing further.
It was the first woman who explained, “We work so hard to catch this game, then walk for two or three hours to sell it in the city, and they push the price way down. But when they sell it to those high officials and noble families, they can mark it up tenfold. Like this one in my hand—they’d buy it for five hundred coins, then sell it to a great house for ten times that.”
They had the channels, and the villagers didn’t. After all, the great houses wouldn’t trust them.
When they bought a chicken, it had to be lively; when they bought a fish, it had to be wriggling.
The great houses wouldn’t buy from places they didn’t frequent.
The woman sighed. “Who would want something from an unknown source?”
It was a self-deprecating remark. To them, the things they farmers produced were from an “unknown source,” but once they entered a proper shop, they became fine goods.
Chi Wan frowned. “You could build a farm in the village. As long as you manage the waste from the chickens and ducks so it doesn’t make the village stink, you could then get some horse-drawn carts or donkey carts to take the goods to the county seat to sell. Once you’ve earned some money, you could open a shop right there. When someone places an order, you could bring it over directly from here.”
There were more specifics to consider, of course. Waste management, customers, and the initial investment were all difficult problems.
The woman smiled. “What the young master says makes sense. One family might raise a few, but a whole village could raise hundreds. We could supply the great houses and surely make money. But ah, the doors of the great houses are hard to enter. And in our village, the chief is old. He wouldn’t agree to it.”
Chi Wan nodded. “You have a point, ma’am. It would have to be done slowly.”
She was just making a suggestion. If they had the will, they would naturally do it. If not, they would at most listen to it as a joke.
However, she did think that the idea of a farm was feasible. The waste could be used to fertilize the land.
The same went for handicrafts and processing. One or two families would only have their profits skimmed by middlemen, but with a larger quantity, they could supply buyers directly.
To do these things, they would either need the entire village to work together or have the initial capital.
This could be called rural entrepreneurship. It would be best if it had the court’s support to develop the local economy. Once the common people had money in their hands, their lives would improve.
Chi Wan thought she could write a detailed proposal and send it to Yu Jiuzhou.
Yu Jiuzhou…
At the thought of that name, Chi Wan’s grip on her teacup tightened.
After resting for a while, she began to help the other woman with her chores. She had done things like chopping firewood as a child. As her grandmother grew older, she took on more and more of the household tasks. She could do many of them.
Doing them now, it didn’t feel unfamiliar at all.
The first woman looked at her with a smile. “I thought a young master like you would have never done such things.”
Chi Wan tidied the firewood neatly. “I did it often at the temple. Manual labor is also a form of cultivation.”
She knew that with her fair and clean appearance, she didn’t look like she had ever done a day of hard work.
But her hands, likely from martial arts practice, had thin calluses on the palms.
After dinner, Chi Wan was given their children’s room to stay in; the two children would sleep with them that night.
The woman helped her make the bed. “The bedding is clean. Please rest well, young master.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Chi Wan tidied up a bit and watched the woman leave. She sat on the bed in a daze, her mind filled with one thought: Yu Jiuzhou must know by now that she had slipped away.
Of course she knew. After Chi Wan left, the Princess’s Residence had waited and waited for her to wake up.
They waited until noon, when Xia Qu returned. She pushed open the door directly, only to find Chi Wan gone.
They searched the entire Princess’s Residence but found no trace of her.
Xia Qu knew at once that something was terribly wrong and rushed to the palace to inform Yu Jiuzhou.
Yu Jiuzhou immediately ordered a search for Chi Wan. She wasn’t in the capital, which meant she must have left.
But once a person left the capital, with four directions to choose from—north, south, east, and west—the search area became immense.
Yu Jiuzhou waited in the Princess’s Residence, listening to the intermittent reports.
Chun Gui stepped forward, her heart aching for her mistress. “Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Why don’t you rest first? If it comes to it, I can send a message to the Embroidered-Robe Guard in every region. We will surely find Her Highness the Prince.”
She cursed Chi Wan inwardly. She had always acted so obedient, but she had been plotting to run away all along.
Even if she didn’t have as much freedom, the children were…
Never mind. Chi Wan was not one to suffer in silence, but she also wasn’t one to act without considering the consequences. It was best to wait until she was found and ask her then.
Yu Jiuzhou waved her hand. How could she possibly sleep until Chi Wan was found?
After waiting a while longer, Dong Ying strode in. “Your Majesty, Her Highness the Prince pawned something in Qingyuan County and was reported to the authorities.”
Yu Jiuzhou shot to her feet. “Is Chi Wan alright?”
“Her Highness the Prince got away.”
Dong Ying’s face was expressionless, while Chun Gui was speechless.
Their Prince was truly resourceful. She could even get reported to the authorities for pawning something. If she hadn’t been so quick to escape, she would be in the county jail right now.
And once in the county jail, she would have suffered greatly.
Yu Jiuzhou frowned. “Where is she?”
“Someone saw her enter a village and didn’t see her leave. To avoid alerting her, our people didn’t dare to go in.”
“Let’s go.”
Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t wait another moment. Even if it was a wild goose chase, she had to go.
Dong Ying quickly added, “Your subject has already had the village surrounded.”
“Good.”
Yu Jiuzhou strode outside, and Chun Gui hurried to arrange for a carriage.
If they rushed there overnight, it would likely be dawn by the time they arrived.
With Her Majesty traveling, she had to make arrangements quickly to prevent any assassination attempts.
Yu Jiuzhou sat in the carriage without a word, a cold aura emanating from her.
Running away?
Chi Wan had actually run away. Run away!
Yu Jiuzhou’s composure shattered, and she clenched her jaw. There was no hatred, only an endless chill.
She suppressed her emotions, trying to maintain control. She didn’t know how she had gotten through this day.
She had been on edge since the start of the morning court. After learning that Chi Wan had run away, she was consumed by anger, surprise, fear, grievance, and anxiety.
She had never experienced such a storm of emotions, not even when she was the Grand Princess. This time, they all surged up at once.
Anger and surprise at Chi Wan’s departure.
Fear of not being able to find her.
Grievance that Chi Wan could bear to leave her.
Anxiety that someone would learn of Chi Wan’s departure and try to assassinate her.
These complex emotions persisted until Dong Ying brought news of Chi Wan.
Only after getting word of Chi Wan did Yu Jiuzhou’s heart calm slightly.
She wondered, why did Chi Wan run away?
Was it because she had restricted her freedom? Or was it because of that time she had lost her temper and forced her?
After the storm of emotions passed, Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t help but reflect on her own actions. She must have done something to hurt Chi Wan.
Throughout the journey, Yu Jiuzhou’s mind raced with countless thoughts.
As she thought, she felt a trace of warmth on her cheek. She raised a hand to wipe away a tear, a sour feeling welling up in her heart.
Yu Jiuzhou took a deep breath, and her misty eyes slowly cleared.
Whether Chi Wan was willing to return or not, she would bring her back.
She would not allow Chi Wan to leave her side.
The icy aura around Yu Jiuzhou grew thicker, her powerful presence making her seem unhinged and ruthless.
As the sky began to lighten, the carriage finally arrived at the village.
The Imperial Guard had surrounded the village but had not entered, all waiting for Yu Jiuzhou’s arrival.
Only after Yu Jiuzhou reached the village did the Imperial City Division and the Embroidered-Robe Guard slowly close in on the farmhouse where Chi Wan was staying.
The sky was still dim. After confirming Chi Wan was inside, Yu Jiuzhou descended from her carriage.
Chi Wan’s eyes snapped open. The village dogs were barking unusually, as if outsiders had entered.
But the barking stopped abruptly, and a silence fell, as if it had all been an illusion.
She didn’t think for a moment that the barking had been a coincidence.
Have they come?
A moment later, the sound of footsteps echoed outside. There were many people, and they were heading her way. She reached for a hairpin and gripped it in her hand.
Although her heart leaned toward the visitor being Yu Jiuzhou, what if it was an assassin?
Chi Wan silently counted their steps. The next second, the door to her room was pushed open. Not far away, Yu Jiuzhou was striding toward her. She could feel the coldness radiating from her even from inside the room.
Outside, the Imperial Guard formed a tight cordon, and all of them had tactfully turned their backs.
Chi Wan swallowed nervously. Seeing Yu Jiuzhou like this, was she going to pull a sword from behind her back and kill her on the spot?
Should she run, or should she run?
One step, two steps…
Chi Wan’s heart was filled with apprehension, but was Yu Jiuzhou’s any different?
She had considered many things, such as forcibly taking Chi Wan back and giving her no chance to escape.
But the moment she saw Chi Wan, her heart began to waver. Fundamentally, she was afraid that Chi Wan would hate her.
With every step, Yu Jiuzhou hesitated, wondering how to bring Chi Wan back.
Should she soften her attitude and persuade her?
In the short distance of a hundred paces, Yu Jiuzhou felt as if she had lived through ages. It took all her effort to finally reach Chi Wan’s side.
Her heart was being squeezed by a pair of invisible hands, which tightened relentlessly, as if determined to make her hurt until she couldn’t breathe.
She even thought, what if Chi Wan refused to go back with her?
If she really dragged her back by force, and Chi Wan never recovered her memories, their relationship would be over.
Yu Jiuzhou’s heart was just as anxious. Step by step, she came to stand before Chi Wan. The moment she entered the room, the coldness around her vanished.
It was as if she was afraid of frightening Chi Wan, deliberately reining in her chill.
Chi Wan could clearly feel that as Yu Jiuzhou drew closer, the coldness emanating from her slowly turned into gentleness and caution.
Looking at Yu Jiuzhou like this, her first feeling was one of heartache.
She felt a pang of sympathy for this cautious Yu Jiuzhou and couldn’t help but blame herself.
The lofty Grand Princess, Her Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou, as if terrified she would run away again, tightly grasped her hand. Then, she placed Chi Wan’s hand on her own slightly swollen abdomen and pleaded in a low voice, “Ah Wan, I… the baby misses you. Come home with me, please?”
Chi Wan’s body went rigid. She had imagined many scenarios for their reunion, but she had never imagined that Yu Jiuzhou would set aside her pride.
An indescribable pain welled up in her heart.
She couldn’t help but think, if Yu Jiuzhou loved her this much, why did she leave?
Then her conviction firmed again. She had to leave, not to get away from Yu Jiuzhou, but to stop being a muddled, protected person. She had to find her memories and have the freedom to make her own choices.
No, wait. She seemed to have overlooked something.
Chi Wan stared blankly at her hand on Yu Jiuzhou’s abdomen. Baby?
What did that mean? How could there be a baby?
She quickly pulled Yu Jiuzhou’s hand over to check her pulse and, sure enough, detected a pregnancy pulse. “You… you…”
She was speechless.
The fact that a woman could get another woman pregnant completely overturned her understanding of the world.
Artificial insemination was possible, but natural conception… she had to admit, she had been quite surprised when she learned that Guiyi and Chenchen were born to the two of them.
But since she hadn’t experienced it herself, it hadn’t felt real.
Now, however, she had diagnosed it herself. Yu Jiuzhou was carrying her child.
Chi Wan’s hands trembled, and she couldn’t speak clearly.
“When did this happen?”
Yu Jiuzhou slowly caressed her cheek, saying nothing.
Of course, Chi Wan could calculate it herself. She was just too shocked to react for a moment.
Her hands clenched the hem of her clothes, her mind in chaos. Her feelings were strange, a mix of excitement and bewilderment.
In this situation, could she still leave?
Chi Wan could have pawned the jade belt in many places, but she had deliberately chosen a county near the capital, one where Yu Jiuzhou would get the news immediately.
She could have left yesterday afternoon, but she chose to stay at the farmhouse. Wasn’t it so that Yu Jiuzhou could catch up to her?
She just hadn’t expected Yu Jiuzhou to be pregnant.
After leaving the capital, Chi Wan had felt a faint sadness. Leaving without a word was wrong, after all.
No matter what, Yu Jiuzhou had controlled her, not letting her leave the imperial palace, or only allowing her to go to the Princess’s Residence.
The root cause was that the capital was dangerous, and she wanted to protect her.
Although she was angry, the moment she left the capital, she suddenly felt that it would be better for them to talk face-to-face.
But Chi Wan was still hesitant, so she made a decision in her heart.
She would leave a clue and stay at the farmhouse for one night. If Yu Jiuzhou caught up, they would talk. If she didn’t, then she would leave for good.
It was leaving things to fate, but it was also a way to find out just how much Yu Jiuzhou loved her.
For the dignified emperor to recklessly chase her out of the city, to appear before her and set aside her pride, to plead with her to return, so very cautiously—it was more than enough to prove that Yu Jiuzhou loved her deeply.
There was just one thing she hadn’t expected. Yu Jiuzhou was pregnant. Could she leave at a time like this?
But having an insect in her head was not a solution either.
Chi Wan squeezed Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. “I’m sorry for making you worry.”
She wanted to say so much, but the first word out of her mouth was an apology.
Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. “Will you come back with me?”
She didn’t force Chi Wan to return; she simply asked.
She had thought of saying more, like promising not to restrict Chi Wan’s freedom if she came back.
Yu Jiuzhou had prepared a long speech, but in the end, she didn’t say it.
It was her nature. She couldn’t say such things, but she would do them. She would eventually make Chi Wan feel her sincerity.
Chi Wan’s hesitant gaze fell on Yu Jiuzhou’s abdomen, then firmed. “Give me three months.”
“What?” Yu Jiuzhou frowned.
She didn’t know what Chi Wan needed three months for, but she knew that Chi Wan was refusing to go back with her.
So I still couldn’t keep her?
Chi Wan explained earnestly, “There is a Gu-insect in my head that could damage my cranial nerves at any moment. Your plan for removing it can no longer be used, and so many physicians have no solution. Only that one physician said that powerful internal energy, combined with acupuncture, could force the Gu-insect out.”
“You’ve already sought out the Wudang Sect Leader and the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. The chances of success are very low. It would be better for me to go to Wudang directly. It’s a chance to perfect my own skills. If I can persuade the Wudang Sect Leader to help, that would be best. If not, I will cultivate my own internal energy to mastery and then have a physician perform the acupuncture.”
The former would take a shorter time, the latter longer.
It was better to try than to stay in the capital, not knowing when she might recover her memories.
Yu Jiuzhou stared at her in silence, her thoughts unreadable.
Chi Wan continued, “I know you’re afraid I’ll leave and never come back. It was wrong of me to leave this time without discussing it with you. But I chose to wait for you here, not to run off completely. That shows I have no intention of leaving for good.”
“Three months. The round trip from Wudang to the capital takes about twelve days. Within three months, whether the Gu-insect can be removed or not, I will return. This is my promise to you.”
“Your Majesty, I think… we have loved each other for so long, you should know me. Even though I have amnesia now, I will definitely keep my word.”
Her gaze shifted to Yu Jiuzhou’s abdomen. “The child… I will take responsibility.”
“You… I will take responsibility for you too.”
She let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Although it’s quite embarrassing, I still want to tell you. At first, I thought I wasn’t the same person as the old Chi Wan. But after spending time with you, I found countless reasons to prove that I am the same person. Only in this way could I prove that the person you love has always been me.”
She had fallen for Yu Jiuzhou. Without any warning, without any accident, she had fallen in love with Yu Jiuzhou.
It had caught her completely off guard, but she just knew that she had fallen for her.
On the road out of the capital, she kept thinking, was she really going to leave just like that?
Chi Wan had also asked herself: No regrets? You won’t regret this?
The answer was that she had regrets, and she would regret it.
That was why she had waited here for Yu Jiuzhou. When the other woman came here, casting everything aside, her heart finally settled.
Hearing Chi Wan’s heartfelt words, Yu Jiuzhou’s resolve wavered.
Forget three months; she didn’t want to be separated from Chi Wan for even a single day.
The last time Chi Wan went to war, she was gone for so long. When she returned, she had lost her memory, and they hadn’t had any proper time together.
But faced with such a sincere Chi Wan, she thought, perhaps Chi Wan was right.
Rather than waiting for disaster, what if Duan Xi Wu and the others had some other means to control the Gu-insect in Chi Wan’s head? Or what if Chi Wan regained her memories on her own before the Gu was eliminated? Then she would truly become a fool.
But Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t bear to be without Chi Wan.
But what could she do? Chi Wan was right. They couldn’t go on like this.
In truth, a part of Yu Jiuzhou was happy, a secret delight hidden in her eyes. Especially when she heard Chi Wan say that she had fallen in love with her again even after losing her memory. Her grievance and fear vanished.
When she learned Chi Wan had left, she had felt a heart-wrenching desolation and disappointment.
After hearing Chi Wan’s words, the great stone in her heart was lifted.
Yu Jiuzhou forced a relieved smile. “Alright. You can go.”
She thought, if she insisted on stopping her, she probably could.
And then what? What would happen then? It was better to do as Chi Wan said.
Chi Wan’s eyes widened, surprised that Yu Jiuzhou would agree. She took a deep breath, controlling her emotions. “Wait for me to come back.”
A wave of guilt washed over her. Her heart had been in turmoil, but when she met Yu Jiuzhou’s encouraging gaze, her resolve hardened.
She would definitely get rid of the Gu-insect. Even if she didn’t regain her memories, that was fine. She would definitely return to the capital.
Chi Wan could sense how difficult this decision was for Yu Jiuzhou, but it was also a testament to her trust.
Yu Jiuzhou smiled, trying to appear relaxed, but the tenderness in her eyes was impossible to hide. “I will wait for you to come back.”
Then, her demeanor changed, and she spoke with a tone full of threat. “If you have not returned when the time is up, We will overturn this Great Zhou.”
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