TGPSAC – Chapter 135

News of Chi Wan’s return to the capital swept through Shengjing like wildfire.

She had suddenly vanished for three months. Yu Jiuzhou had announced that she was inspecting the borders, but those in the know were aware she had not gone.

Thus, someone at court had asked, “When will His Highness the Prince return from the border inspection?”

There had to be a deadline; a person couldn’t just disappear without a word.

This question was raised not only by those looking to stir up trouble but also by Chi Wan’s own trusted followers. After two victorious campaigns, she had amassed a considerable number of loyal diehards.

These individuals were different from the supporters she had cultivated in the capital earlier. They listened to both Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou and would never try to force their hands.

But the generals who had followed Chi Wan through battle served her and her alone, viewing her as their leader.

If Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t trusted Chi Wan, it might have set the stage for another drama of an emperor eliminating a powerful minister.

Chi Wan’s merits were certainly great, but Yu Jiuzhou was not afraid. If she feared even her own beloved, then she would truly be an isolated monarch.

Under partial pressure from the court officials, Yu Jiuzhou gave a three-month deadline.

Initially, she had proposed six months, but the officials argued that the capital could not be without the Prince of Qin Yu for so long. After some wrangling, they finally settled on three months.

As for why it was “partial pressure,” some wanted to prove that Yu Jiuzhou was wary of Chi Wan, believing her achievements overshadowed the throne and that she intended to eliminate her.

If even the greatest meritorious subject of Great Zhou was eliminated, what was the point of remaining loyal to such an emperor?

Moreover, many people genuinely had Chi Wan’s best interests at heart, and Yu Jiuzhou also wanted to give herself something to look forward to.

After all, she and Chi Wan had agreed on three months. She trusted that Chi Wan would not deceive her.

The three months were nearly up. Just as the court officials thought Chi Wan would not return, she appeared in Shengjing and strode openly into the palace.

This meant that all the speculation and the rumors they had spread had come to nothing.

Given Chi Wan’s prestige among scholars and in the military, if they could prove that Yu Jiuzhou had imprisoned or harmed her, Great Zhou would surely descend into chaos.

But in the end, Chi Wan had left quietly and returned just as quietly.

Those harboring sinister plots naturally began a new round of scheming, such as assassinating Chi Wan to make the rumors come true.

However, Chi Wan had no time to deal with these rats living in the gutter. Having finally returned, she naturally wanted to be close to her wife. For the time being, she had no time for exterminating pests.

Chi Wan was constantly sticking to Yu Jiuzhou. Whenever she was near, she would press herself against Yu Jiuzhou’s body. Of course, she couldn’t just hang on her, for fear of crushing her wife.

Even in bed, she was always gentle and exceedingly careful, afraid that a moment of excitement might injure her wife.

On the first night of her return, Chi Wan didn’t even make it onto the bed for the first half of the night, kneeling beside it for a long time.

She gazed at Yu Jiuzhou, who was propped up on her hands on the bed, and knelt with utter willingness.

Yu Jiuzhou’s voice, her scent—they left an endless aftertaste in her memory.

Unfortunately, the next day was New Year’s Eve.

According to the capital’s customs, a New Year’s Eve banquet was to be held in the palace, celebrating with the imperial clan, nobility, high-ranking civil officials, and any other officials who were specially favored by the emperor and granted an exception to attend.

Yu Jiuzhou had long since ordered the preparations. If Chi Wan returned, the banquet would proceed as usual. If she did not, Shengjing would be placed under martial law, and the banquet would be canceled.

She had a premonition that if Chi Wan didn’t come back, this New Year would not be a peaceful one.

A coup was certainly impossible. The capital’s Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard were all her people. The commander of the Imperial City Division was Chi Wan, but in practice, the division also answered to her.

Yu Jiuzhou controlled all the military forces in the capital; no one would be foolish enough to seek death.

Those rats in the gutter only dared to cause trouble in the shadows; they would never risk a direct confrontation.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chi Wan’s return was a sudden turn of events for many, but for her family and friends, it was a long-awaited reunion.

On the thirtieth, New Year’s Eve, the palace banquet was held as scheduled. People began arriving at the palace early in the morning.

Titled ladies entering the palace were supposed to see the Empress. But Yu Jiuzhou had no Empress. Although Chi Wan was the only conceivable candidate for the position, she was a Prince. It was impossible for her to stay in the inner palace, let alone receive titled ladies. It would surely be criticized as a breach of protocol.

Chi Wan also had no need to hold the title of Empress, which would save her from being entangled in the trivial affairs of the inner palace. It wasn’t as if someone could petition Yu Jiuzhou to fill her harem, could they?

Well… it wasn’t impossible.

Those people at court would do anything to cause trouble for you, and then stir up more chaos in the confusion.

For instance, on this very New Year’s Eve, a titled lady requested an audience with the Empress Dowager.

Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager did not support her own daughter ascending the throne as a Kun Ze. Wasn’t this a slap in Her Majesty’s face?

And this person was the wife of the newly appointed Duke of Xu.

But as long as the Empress Dowager was alive, even if she didn’t appear at public functions, could one really stop her maternal family from requesting a visit?

When the news reached Yu Jiuzhou’s ears, her expression visibly darkened. “What does my uncle mean by this?”

Chi Wan soothingly stroked her head. “Don’t be anxious. We’ll know once we ask.”

The fact that Yu Jiuzhou had confined the Empress Dowager Xu to Ci’an Palace was known only within the inner palace. Since there were no concubines, the staff had been thoroughly vetted, and information from the inner palace was strictly controlled.

But over time, if someone with ulterior motives was determined to find a crack, to bribe one or two people inside, someone was bound to be compromised.

Under the weight of heavy gold, there will always be traitors. Even if the palace punishments were severe and unbearable, many eunuchs had already lost all hope. They sought three things: money, power, and dignity.

Many looked down on eunuchs, especially the scholar-officials of the previous dynasty. On the surface, these eunuchs showed nothing, but in reality, they held grudges. Given the chance, they would strike viciously, like vipers in the dark.

Their goal was to amass wealth. With money, life became easier. Besides, the eunuchs of Great Zhou were not entirely powerless. Those who could enter the Directorate of the Secretariat were the elite among them, and the Directorate’s power was such that, outside the Grand Secretariat, everyone had to show them some respect.

At least half of the eunuchs in the entire imperial palace dreamed of entering the Directorate of the Secretariat and becoming one of the elite.

As long as the outer court offered enough temptation, someone would always be willing to leak information from the palace.

There were many palaces in the rear court. Daming Palace maintained the style of the Princess’s Residence, employing only female Kun Ze and He Yuan.

But other palaces still had many eunuchs. To breach their loyalty, one only needed to be willing to pay the price; someone would always be willing to take the risk.

Therefore, the news of the Empress Dowager’s confinement must have been passed to the Duke of Xu’s residence by someone with an agenda.

And so, taking advantage of the New Year’s Eve banquet, with so many titled ladies, imperial relatives, nobles, and ministers present, the Duchess of Xu requested to see the Empress Dowager, bringing along a number of other titled ladies. It was clearly a test.

If Yu Jiuzhou sent someone to refuse, it would confirm the matter. If she didn’t refuse, who knew what the Empress Dowager might say?

Yu Jiuzhou frowned at Chi Wan. “This uncle of mine claims to follow the middle way. I see it not as moderation, but mediocrity.”

“He studied with our maternal grandfather by the Eastern Sea for so long, I wonder what he learned. My aunt was able to succeed our grandfather in guarding the Eastern Sea, yet he returns to the capital only to cause trouble for me.”

The Duke of Xu couldn’t actually be considered mediocre. Although he relied on rote memorization, he was capable of reviewing and analyzing. While he couldn’t come up with any surprising ideas, after returning to the capital, he had served as an instructor for the new army of the Capital Camps and was currently doing a decent job.

Xu Chenyu was doing well as an instructor in the Capital Camps and had his own position; he wasn’t just an idle noble. But now he was trying to meddle in palace affairs.

“I think Uncle is just worried about his sister. Don’t worry, my lady. If he truly dares to interfere in palace matters, I will teach him a lesson.”

The Capital Camps were Chi Wan’s territory. If she wanted to do something, it was just a matter of a single command.

Speaking of which, the Duke of Xu was her subordinate. It was perfectly natural for her to manage him.

If the Duke of Xu really bullied her wife, then he would just have to wait and see. Even an uncle could be made into a frustrated and unfulfilled uncle.

There was one more thing. After they had both changed their clothes, Chi Wan said, “Let me go see the Empress Dowager.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand paused. “Why do you want to see her?”

“I want to have a chat with her.”

Yu Jiuzhou hesitated for a moment. “Take more people with you.”

Chi Wan couldn’t help but smile. “My internal energy is now at its peak. Forget people, even poisons—there are few that can harm me. The Empress Dowager is stubborn, but she wouldn’t resort to poisoning someone. Besides, I’ll be careful.”

“I’m not afraid of what the Empress Dowager might do. I’m worried about the people around her. They may not all be good.”

The staff at Ci’an Palace were all people who had served the Empress Dowager since she was the Empress. It was hard to say whether any of them had been bribed.

“I’ll take Xia Qu. If I’m not out in an hour, have her bring people in to snatch me away,” Chi Wan joked.

But Yu Jiuzhou felt that was exactly what should be done. “Then have Xia Qu bring a few more people.”

Chi Wan’s eyes held a smile, but more than that, a pang of heartache. She knew that the incident with the Gu poison and her memory loss had frightened Yu Jiuzhou. She couldn’t imagine what Yu Jiuzhou had endured during her absence.

“Alright, I’ll listen to whatever my lady says.”

“I don’t see you listening to me in bed,” Yu Jiuzhou muttered under her breath and turned to leave.

Chi Wan quickly followed, a silk ribbon in her hand. “My lady, wait for me.”

She grabbed Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, her gaze sweeping over the marks on Yu Jiuzhou’s neck before tying the ribbon around it.

Knowing why she had been stopped, a blush quickly spread across Yu Jiuzhou’s face, making one want to take a bite.

Chi Wan planted a light, fleeting kiss on her lips. “When I get back from Ci’an Palace, I’ll bring the two little ones to find you.”

Yu Jiuzhou nodded and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Don’t take the Empress Dowager’s words to heart.”

She was used to her mother’s opinions, which were even supported by the majority. Many outsiders had said the same things her mother had told her.

But outsiders were outsiders; her mother was ultimately different.

With Chi Wan’s personality, she would certainly dislike such words. She often said that everyone was human, so why could Qian Yuan be officials while Kun Ze could not?

When it came to intelligence and wisdom, Kun Ze were not inferior and were often more diligent.

Unfortunately, Kun Ze were given no opportunities. They could only exercise their talents within the confines of a courtyard. If they had any insights that were used by their husbands, the credit and reputation would all go to the husband.

Chi Wan smiled. “I won’t. Let’s go have breakfast first.”

Although she had already summoned the Duke of Xu, Yu Jiuzhou was the emperor. She would naturally finish her own business before seeing him.

It was always the subjects who waited for the emperor, not the other way around.

During the meal, Chi Wan remembered something. “The Kun Ze officers I took with me to war all performed exceptionally well and have become low- to mid-level commanders in the army. Therefore, I’d like to establish a Kun Ze army under the Capital Camps. How does the ‘Red Attire Army’ sound?”

“Excellent.”

They had long considered allowing Kun Ze to enter officialdom, but directly snatching food from the scholar-officials’ bowls would surely provoke strong opposition.

The military was different. The scholar-officials looked down on it, and in the army, everyone followed the general’s orders. For a decision made by Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan, those below would have to swallow their objections.

Moreover, many Kun Ze had trained alongside the Capital Camps. Their performance was no worse than the Qian Yuan’s, and on the battlefield, they were promoted based on military merit just the same.

The army was different from the court; the strong were respected. Whether you were a Qian Yuan or a Kun Ze, as long as you were capable, that was all that mattered.

Just like Xia Qu. On her first day in the army, she beat everyone in the camp into submission. Disobedient? Have a taste of General Xia’s self-created three-axe combo and then we’ll talk.

But getting Kun Ze into officialdom was much more difficult. For now, they could only serve in the palace’s Directorate of Ceremonial and could not attend court.

However, when the Grand Secretariat deliberated, the Kun Ze from the Directorate of Ceremonial could sit in, ostensibly to take records, but in reality to prevent the Grand Secretariat from deceiving the throne.

To truly give the Great Zhou’s Directorate of Ceremonial the kind of power the Ming Dynasty’s Directorate of Ceremonial had would likely take some time. It wasn’t that Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t do it, but she didn’t want to alert the scholar-officials and reveal her intention to have Kun Ze enter the civil service.

Chi Wan, however, thought of a starting point for Kun Ze to enter officialdom. “Becoming an official is difficult, but becoming a clerk is easier. The Great Zhou Bank has just been established and is in need of people. Many of the detailed calculation tasks are actually better suited for Kun Ze.”

“The Six Ministries, the Grand Court of Revision, and various other government offices, both central and local, all need a large number of clerks. Once these clerks have distinguished themselves, they can naturally be promoted.”

This was similar to how a provincial graduate could only become a minor ninth-rank official. Under normal circumstances, they couldn’t even become a county magistrate and would remain at the ninth rank until death. Very few rose from provincial graduate to high office.

The Great Zhou Bank was an imperial enterprise. When it was founded, many official positions were created. It was not impossible for Kun Ze to start as clerks. The bank would expand throughout Great Zhou, eventually reaching even the county towns, requiring a large number of clerks.

Starting with the Great Zhou Bank, they could recruit a large number of Kun Ze as clerks, and then they could rise step by step in the future.

Great Zhou now had schools for Kun Ze, and Kun Ze could enlist in the army and work as clerks. This was a vast improvement over the past.

With a little more time, once the people of Great Zhou grew accustomed to Kun Ze being out in public, it would be time for them to enter officialdom.

Later, Great Zhou would also establish factories. These factories would be state-owned enterprises, and those who distinguished themselves in them could also enter the civil service.

Then there were the schools. Teachers and principals who performed well in schools could also become officials.

As the pathways for Kun Ze to enter officialdom continued to increase, the scholar-officials would be unable to stop it. Besides, they also had wives and Kun Ze children. Wouldn’t they also want to become officials?

Once they had careers, financial independence, and could wield power, would they still want to return to the inner quarters? Kun Ze were the natural supporters of the Kun Ze Empress, Yu Jiuzhou.

To put it another way, if a woman had her own career, she could live very well without having to curry favor with her natal family or her husband’s family. On the contrary, if she did well enough and rose high enough, others would have to curry favor with her.

They owed their current status to the emergence of a Kun Ze emperor. While it wasn’t quite a case of “all for one and one for all,” they would certainly all suffer if she fell.

Allowing Kun Ze to enter officialdom was a major undertaking that required a slow, steady approach to gradually influence and change the thinking of the people of Great Zhou.

But breaking a pattern that had been fixed for thousands of years was no easy task.

However, Chi Wan was very clear on one point: rather than fighting for a piece of someone else’s pie, it was better to expand the pie itself.

For example, the Great Zhou Bank, the various factories, and they could also establish more departments.

Passing the imperial examination allowed one to be appointed as an official, starting directly in an official capacity.

When the opportunity arose, they needed to add grassroots positions in villages, towns, counties… and the lower levels of various government offices.

This involved reforming the system, specifically the official system, which could not be accomplished overnight.

It had to be done step by step. Yu Jiuzhou had just ascended the throne. The first year of the Zhengtong era had not yet passed. After New Year’s Eve, it would be the second year of Zhengtong. They had plenty of time to do these things.

For now, their most pressing concerns should be the Brahma Heaven Cult and the powerful aristocratic clans.

While at the mountain sect, Chi Wan had learned that the old Daoist master’s desire to seal the mountain was largely related to the Brahma Heaven Cult. This cult had great ambitions and had begun to absorb martial arts sects from the jianghu. Many of these sects had martial artists who, if deployed on a battlefield, could certainly cause great harm.

Some of their top experts could always be used for assassinations, threats, and the like.

The old Daoist master was afraid that after his death, there would be no one in the sect who could resist them, and they would eventually be coerced.

Thinking of the Brahma Heaven Cult, Chi Wan decided to dispatch the Imperial City Division to first dig out the rats in the capital.

She chatted with Yu Jiuzhou for a while longer before the two reluctantly parted ways.

Before heading to Ci’an Palace, Chi Wan had someone deliver a message to the Duchess of Xu, saying that she was currently paying her respects to the Empress Dowager and that they should come another day.

She was fulfilling her filial duty to the Empress Dowager. What could they possibly say to that?

Suppressing these people from a moral high ground was the only way to silence them.

After eating, Chi Wan arrived at Ci’an Palace and walked straight into the courtyard, then had someone go in to announce her.

Aunt Yun Yao looked at her with cold eyes. “Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is not seeing guests.”

Chi Wan remained polite. “Aunt Yun Yao, please announce me. I have something to say to the Empress Dowager.”

Since she had put it that way, Aunt Yun Yao could only go back inside to ask, but the result was that the Empress Dowager still refused to see her.

From Aunt Yun Yao’s demeanor, one could sense the Empress Dowager Xu’s attitude. She was likely very displeased with her, viewing her as a Daji-like figure who had bewitched Yu Jiuzhou.

Even if she had bewitched her, she wasn’t bewitching Yu Jiuzhou into losing the empire; she wanted to help Yu Jiuzhou secure it.

Fine. Chi Wan simply called out to Xia Qu outside, “Bring your people in. Make sure these people don’t disturb my conversation with the Empress Dowager.”

Aunt Yun Yao stared at her in astonishment, her face a mask of disbelief. “Does Your Highness intend to defy a superior and disrespect the Empress Dowager?”

“I am merely here to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager.”

As her words fell, Xia Qu had already led her people in and restrained Aunt Yun Yao. “Auntie, you are from the Xu family, and I was adopted by the Xu family’s army. Please do not make things difficult.”

Aunt Yun Yao snorted coldly. “Since you know we are both from the Xu family, you should not be taking her orders.”

Xia Qu replied, “My master is Her Majesty. I listen to whomever Her Majesty tells me to listen to.”

“You!”

Chi Wan gave Xia Qu a look and walked directly into the main hall. This was the main hall of Ci’an Palace, which the Empress Dowager Xu had converted into a Buddhist shrine.

The Empress Dowager Xu was kneeling on a prayer cushion, murmuring something, as if atoning for sins—or perhaps atoning for Yu Jiuzhou’s sins.

The gist of her words was that Yu Jiuzhou had gone against heaven’s will to become emperor, and she was asking for the Buddha’s forgiveness.

Chi Wan let out a derisive laugh. “May I ask what Her Majesty has done wrong? What sins are there to atone for?”

The Empress Dowager opened her eyes, rose from the cushion, and walked to the seat of honor. She was imbued with an air of nobility, a sense of looking down from on high. Yu Jiuzhou made her feel endearing, but the Empress Dowager made her feel that all others were ants, with no distinction between them.

Yu Jiuzhou was a ruler and also possessed a noble bearing, but her heart held the common people.

The Empress Dowager was different. Born into wealth, she had progressed from Crown Princess to Empress, and then to Empress Dowager, without ever needing to strive for it. She had never witnessed the true state of the common folk.

Like most nobles, she had only a superficial understanding of the common people, deluded by the illusion of a prosperous age that had been manufactured for her.

If she had the chance, the Empress Dowager would probably be the type to ask, “Why not eat meat porridge?”

The Empress Dowager did not understand the lives of Great Zhou’s lower classes and was severely bound by “rules.” She did not love Emperor Shengyuan, and only came to resent Yu Yichen when he refused to recognize Emperor Shengyuan as his father and wanted to honor his own biological father as emperor posthumously.

According to the rules, since Yu Yichen had inherited the throne, he should have recognized Emperor Shengyuan as his father.

Although she detested Yu Yichen, she was unwilling to leave the palace with Yu Jiuzhou. She believed that as the Empress Dowager, she ought to live in the imperial palace.

What the Empress Dowager cared about most were the rules—oh, and the imperial family’s dignity. No wonder she and Emperor Shengyuan, despite her dislike for him, could spend a lifetime together. It was just that she was not as shameless as Emperor Shengyuan.

That wasn’t quite right. For Emperor Shengyuan, his own interests came first, followed by his own dignity and the dignity of the imperial family.

If he were the Empress Dowager, he would surely have peacefully enjoyed his wealth and status. Although he had never thought of making his daughter the emperor, since it was a done deal, he might as well enjoy it.

But the Empress Dowager? She absolutely adhered to the rules, treating the rules used to restrain Kun Ze as if they were a sacred edict—no, a divine decree.

When she heard Chi Wan ask what sin Yu Jiuzhou had committed, the Empress Dowager calmly sat down, her aged eyes filled with displeasure. She looked at Chi Wan as if she were looking at a heretic.

“For a Kun Ze to be emperor is a sin.”

“Who decreed that?” The moment the Empress Dowager’s words fell, Chi Wan retorted.

“We are all born human. Did Heaven send down a decree at the beginning of time, saying that Kun Ze cannot be emperors, cannot be princes, marquises, generals, or ministers, and cannot even go out to work to support themselves and their families?”

She gave a cold laugh. “According to historical records, a thousand years ago, Kun Ze could be officials and generals. Even before the previous dynasty, Kun Ze could go out and do business. The previous dynasty was a foreign clan that forced us to follow their rules. But when Great Zhou was founded, it was declared that Great Zhou would inherit the legacy of the Qin and Tang, not the previous dynasty.”

“If we are to talk about rules, I wonder whose rules the Empress Dowager is following? Those of a foreign clan?”

The Empress Dowager shot to her feet. “Sophistry! There has never been a Kun Ze emperor in history.”

Chi Wan suddenly smiled. “Fine, let’s not talk about history. I have just one thing to say. The Empress Dowager can listen if she wishes. If not, it matters little, for Jinzhao will not disturb you again in the future, and neither will Her Majesty.”

“Jiuzhou is your child. For many parents among the common folk, even if they cannot lift their children up, they do not wish to drag them down.”

With that, Chi Wan bowed. “This subject takes her leave.”

She walked out of Ci’an Palace. On this trip, she hadn’t said much. With the titled ladies coming, if the Empress Dowager was not to say too much, these few sentences from her would have to suffice.

If the Empress Dowager could take it to heart, she would. If she couldn’t, then nothing Chi Wan said would be of any use.

In truth, the moment the Empress Dowager condemned Yu Jiuzhou, Chi Wan no longer wanted to say anything more. Since the verdict had been passed, more words were pointless.

But thinking of Yu Jiuzhou, she still said a few things. Emperor Shengyuan had already broken Yu Jiuzhou’s heart enough. The Empress Dowager…

If Yu Jiuzhou had not become emperor, the mother and daughter’s relationship would likely have remained good. But what the Empress Dowager was dissatisfied with was precisely her becoming emperor.

Yet the myriad people of the realm had long endured hardship and needed a wise ruler. Chi Wan had always believed that her beloved wife could, with her own hands, forge a golden age.

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