TGPSAC – Chapter 139

Fu Qing was dead. All the captured members of the Brahma Heaven Cult were summarily executed, and those who tried to storm the execution grounds were also killed.

Princess Lin’an, Yu Huide, had yet to show herself, but she was surely near the execution grounds. And as long as she was nearby, she could not escape.

Since Yu Jiuzhou had guessed what she intended to do, it was impossible that she hadn’t made preparations in advance.

Princess Lin’an was not the only clever person in the world. Who did she think she could deceive?

The Imperial City Division and the Embroidered-Robe Guard had long been deployed. Huang Yuecheng personally led her people, casting an inescapable net and waiting for Princess Lin’an.

Furthermore, the Embroidered-Robe Guard had obtained the location of the Brahma Heaven Cult’s main lair, and the Imperial City Division, along with the Imperial Guard, had gone to raid it.

This time, Princess Lin’an had nowhere to run.

Unlike before, when Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan had been mere pawns on the board, fighting for every scrap of power, they were now the players. They laid out the board, and there were plenty of people to execute their moves.

No, they needed only to give an order, and there would be plenty of people to figure out how to accomplish it.

If they wanted Princess Lin’an captured within three days, the Imperial City Division would not take a moment longer.

This was just one way to use power. It was no wonder so many people lost themselves in it. Yu Jiuzhou felt fortunate. Thankfully, she had Chi Wan. Even if they were crossing a narrow log bridge together, they would not fall into the abyss.

Power could devour a person’s heart, but Chi Wan was her sun. As long as Chi Wan was there, she could hold fast to her principles.

Yu Jiuzhou used to feel that the heavens had never favored her. She was like someone abandoned by the gods, destined for such a fate.

Even after being reborn, she still felt like an outcast. She believed that those who truly loved her would all leave, and in the end, she would be utterly alone.

It was only after she had changed the outcomes of so many events that she looked back and realized Chi Wan had played a significant role. Perhaps some things were not orchestrated by Chi Wan, but in truth, she had been a crucial part of them.

Yu Jiuzhou looked at Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying, all alive. So many people were still alive, and she had successfully ascended the throne as emperor. Everything had changed.

Perhaps she could have changed the outcome on her own, but it might not have been so swift or so well done. At that time, her heart was filled with hatred. Everything was for power, for revenge. There was no love.

When did that start to change? It was after she fell in love with Chi Wan.

Because of Chi Wan’s existence, the Yu Jiuzhou of today still existed, and had not turned into a crazed tyrant who only knew how to play with power.

An age of prosperity or an age of chaos—it all rested on a single thought from her.

One could imagine just how important Chi Wan was to Yu Jiuzhou.

And Princess Lin’an, Yu Huide, had dared to have a Gu-poison placed on Chi Wan. If not for the interference of Duan Jinxian from Nanyue, Chi Wan would not have been afflicted with the River of Oblivion, but a lethal poison Gu. It was something that could truly kill a person.

From the very beginning, Yu Jiuzhou had no intention of cooperating with someone who had schemed against them and wanted them dead.

But Princess Lin’an could not understand it. Yu Jiuzhou stood to gain so much, so why was she unwilling to cooperate? Why did she have to kill Fu Qing?

In her eyes, the terms she offered should have been impossible to refuse.

While the Shengyuan Emperor was alive, she wanted him to live a life worse than death. After he died, she wanted his name to be reviled for eternity.

She didn’t think Yu Jiuzhou was particularly protective of her father. Why would she refuse something that offered a hundred benefits and no harm?

Princess Lin’an watched with her own eyes as Fu Qing’s head fell to the ground. In that moment, she seemed to age several decades, her hair turning white strand by strand.

This daughter of hers was, by comparison, a bit naive. It was better when she acted without thinking; when she did think, it was bound to be something foolish. But no matter what, Fu Qing was her daughter.

Witnessing this scene, Princess Lin’an’s pupils turned blood-red. She was on the verge of madness, her heart filled with hatred for the Shengyuan Emperor and for Yu Jiuzhou.

She had to kill Yu Jiuzhou. This became the first thought in Princess Lin’an Yu Huide’s mind.

However, she no longer had the chance.

Huang Yuecheng stood before her with the Embroidered-Robe Guard, looking at her coldly. “Your Highness Princess Lin’an, please come with this subject.”

Yu Huide’s title of princess had not been stripped, so those who saw her still had to refer to themselves as subjects.

But from Huang Yuecheng’s attitude, it was clear that the title was a mere formality. If Yu Huide dared to flee, she would dare to draw her blade.

The winner becomes king, the loser a bandit. Yu Huide knew this was a trap laid specifically for her.

She had thought everything was under her control, which was why she had come to the execution grounds. Who knew that Yu Jiuzhou would refuse to make the deal with her at all?

“Why?” Upon seeing Yu Jiuzhou, Yu Huide couldn’t help but ask.

She couldn’t understand. The terms she had offered were so generous. What reason did Yu Jiuzhou have to refuse?

“Do you know what you’ve rejected?”

“You killed Fu Qing. In this lifetime, you can forget about ever getting the support I left behind in Beining.”

“Why did you have to kill Fu Qing? I would have given you everything. Why did you have to kill her!”

Hearing Princess Lin’an’s aged voice, Yu Jiuzhou suddenly smiled. “Aunt, sometimes it’s not a good thing to overestimate yourself.”

When Princess Lin’an returned, Yu Jiuzhou was regent. Anyone with a bit of political sense could see that even if a new emperor ascended the throne, she would still be the one ruling.

Cooperating with her and not offending her was the best choice.

Clearly, Princess Lin’an had thought the same, but she was more ruthless. She wanted to control her.

Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t help but wonder, if she had been the one to receive Yu Huide back then, would she and her two little ones still be alive?

If the Nanyue princess hadn’t interfered, would Chi Wan still be alive?

With someone who wanted them dead, no matter how great the benefits they could bring, they could only be enemies.

Yu Huide believed everyone considered matters from the perspective of personal gain, which was why she had come to the execution grounds so confidently.

Of course, even if she hadn’t come, she still wouldn’t have been able to escape.

Everything was within Yu Jiuzhou’s grasp. She sat on the dragon throne, her gaze falling on Yu Huide’s white hair. “Aunt is so clever. Why did you not think that an appeal to kinship would be more likely to move Us?”

Before Yu Huide could speak, she let out a soft “Oh~.” “Right. It’s because Aunt never thought that the imperial family could have kinship, could have affection. In your eyes, there is only exploitation.”

Yu Huide’s eyes were red. “And is that not the case? Your father sent me away for a political marriage. For that, he killed my beloved and made me marry some old codger. No amount of ambergris could cover the old man smell on him. My beloved and I were in love, yet for the sake of his empire, we were separated by life and death. Where is the kinship in the imperial family? There is nothing but mutual scheming.”

“And you. He treated you that way, don’t you see it clearly? Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn’t have rebelled and become emperor yourself. So you should understand me.”

Yu Huide was a princess sent for a political marriage. Her life had been bitter. When it happened, Yu Jiuzhou was still very young.

And just as Yu Huide said, the imperial family had no affection, only calculation.

Relationships between partners, relationships of blood, were all filled with scheming.

Yu Jiuzhou naturally knew how terrifying the struggles within the imperial family were. In fact, the battles among noble houses for family fortunes were no less fierce.

But affection did exist. There was the founding emperor of Great Zhou and his empress, and Emperor Xiaozong who had only one empress and not a single concubine in his harem. Their child, known in history as the most stable crown prince, smoothly transitioned to become emperor.

People said that the old Yu family produced infatuated lovers, and this saying was true.

Otherwise, the number of children in the emperor’s line wouldn’t have dwindled. It was a tradition of the old Yu family: when in love, they would offer up everything they had; when in hate, they would wish for the other to live a life worse than death, seeking revenge no matter what.

The first few emperors of Great Zhou had many children. They were respectful and devoted to their empresses, loving only the children born to them. In terms of monogamy, only the founding emperor and Emperor Xiaozong qualified.

But compared to the emperors of previous dynasties, the emperors of the old Yu family could indeed be considered infatuated lovers.

There was kinship too. The old Yu family rarely guarded against their crown princes. For the most part, the crown prince would succeed the throne. Unlike in history, where you couldn’t count the number of emperors who succeeded as crown prince on one hand, in Great Zhou, once a crown prince was established, as long as he lived long enough and didn’t self-destruct, he could become emperor.

The Shengyuan Emperor had no crown prince, but given his character, he would have been wary even if he had one. When that fellow first ascended the throne, he was frightened by the empress dowager and the regency ministers, terrified of losing his power.

However, what Yu Huide said was not wrong. The imperial family had kinship, it just wasn’t extended to her. Moreover, the one she encountered was the selfish Shengyuan Emperor.

But the enmity between them had nothing to do with these things, and Yu Jiuzhou had no desire to discuss them with Yu Huide. “Is this your reason for using the Gu-poison?”

Yu Huide froze, her pupils constricting violently before returning to normal. “I did not use a Gu-poison on you.”

She wasn’t the least bit surprised by the mention of a Gu, nor did she question what kind of Gu it was.

Never mind. There was no need for them to talk so much. Yu Jiuzhou sneered, “That’s because you had no opportunity. Why was Chi Wan poisoned with a Gu? Does We need to repeat it?”

Yu Huide had a Gu-poison master by her side. As long as this person was not caught, they would always be a threat.

Seeing that Yu Jiuzhou had asked so directly, she stopped pretending. “You know? But wasn’t it cured anyway?”

“You wanted to poison Us, to control Us with a Gu. Who knew that We would not see you, so you could only choose Chi Wan. You wanted to control Us by controlling Chi Wan. And when she was no longer needed, you could kill her at any time. In that case, you shouldn’t ask Us why We killed Fu Qing. She was not innocent, and her death would cause you pain.”

Fu Qing had done many foolish things. She was both stupid and harmful. There was nothing to regret about the death of such a person.

At the mention that Fu Qing had brought it upon herself, Yu Huide’s defenses shattered. “Yu Jiuzhou! You are even more vicious than your father! A Kun Ze as emperor, do you think the Qian Yuan of this world will submit? Sooner or later, you will be dragged down from the throne, to live a life worse than death, a life of misery and hardship.”

She had been confident that her plan was flawless, that Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t possibly not be tempted. Yet, she truly was not tempted in the slightest.

Hearing this, Chi Wan immediately stepped forward. “The moment you planned to use a Gu on Her Majesty and on me, you should have asked your own vicious hearts if you deserved such an outcome.”

“Those who kill will themselves be killed.”

“I thought Aunt was a clever person. Now it seems, how clever can a person blinded by hatred be?”

Hatred would make a clever person lose their reason. When reason was gone, what intelligent decisions could one possibly make?

Yu Huide instantly reined in her anger and asked in a low voice, “Was I wrong to seek revenge?”

“No.” Chi Wan affirmed. “Your target for revenge was the Shengyuan Emperor. You could have killed him, ruined his reputation.”

Yu Jiuzhou raised a hand, signaling for Chi Wan to say no more. “We support your revenge. But the moment you harmed the innocent, we were no longer on the same path.”

“On the same path?” Yu Huide instantly understood the reason they had not chosen to cooperate.

“You are right. I know you helped me, that you paid a great price to bring me, a princess of a political marriage, back. It was I… I who could not let go. Just as the Shengyuan Emperor killed my beloved, I remembered it my whole life and had to avenge him. And you two, if either of you were to die, the other would also choose revenge. As for your method of revenge, that is your business. But I was not wrong. My mistake was not in harming the innocent; my mistake was in dragging Fu Qing into this.”

Yu Huide regained her composure. A person with one foot in the grave, who had also lost the most important person in her life, could find calm in an instant.

Having talked to this point, there was nothing more to say. Yu Jiuzhou asked in a deep voice, “Where are the people from Insect Valley?”

Yu Huide smiled. “Your Majesty is so clever, you can find them yourself.”

Yu Jiuzhou was not surprised by her answer. “Aunt, I originally thought that seeing me become emperor, you were unwilling to accept it and wanted to be emperor yourself. But after seeing what you did, I knew I had overestimated you. You can disregard everything for the sake of revenge, so does that mean you don’t care about Fu Qing’s child either?”

She hadn’t wanted to use this to threaten Princess Lin’an, but the danger posed by this Gu master was too great. The person had to be captured.

“Child?” Princess Lin’an suddenly looked at Yu Jiuzhou, her eyes wide. “How could Fu Qing have a child?”

Chi Wan took the initiative to answer, “The orphaned heir of the Beining imperial family. Have you forgotten your own plan?”

This was the method Princess Lin’an had intended to use to throw Beining into chaos. As an empress dowager, and one without children of her own, she was nearly succeeded by Daluo Yan. In the eyes of the Beining tribes, she wasn’t that useful.

So, her method for causing chaos in Beining was to have an orphaned heir of Beining in her hands.

“How do you know?” Princess Lin’an was shocked. She had done this in great secrecy. There shouldn’t have been any flaws. How could they know?

The numerous spies the Imperial City Division had placed in Beining were not there for nothing.

Chi Wan moved a small stool to sit beside Yu Jiuzhou, lifted her legs, and placed them on her own lap, gently massaging them. The days were passing one by one, and Yu Jiuzhou’s due date was fast approaching. Of course, she had to be careful.

From time to time, she would press the acupoints on Yu Jiuzhou’s body, at certain spots on her limbs. By clearing the acupoints, Yu Jiuzhou’s internal energy would change from a stagnant pond to a continuously flowing stream. With more internal energy, her body would naturally become healthier.

It was all that Gu’s fault. Otherwise, if the medicine she had taken herself was still effective, Yu Jiuzhou would not have gotten pregnant.

So, a few days ago, she had developed a new medicine with a larger dose and taken it without hesitation. If the medicine still had no effect this time, she might as well just quit the medical profession altogether.

She was getting sidetracked. Every time Yu Jiuzhou was pregnant, Chi Wan became very nervous. Fortunately, with the experience from the first time, she could do better, ensuring Yu Jiuzhou’s body remained healthy and wasn’t overly taxed.

Yu Jiuzhou had been sitting for a long time now, and she didn’t want her legs to swell. Massage was a very effective solution.

As for Princess Lin’an still being down below, so what? That couldn’t delay her from waiting on her wife.

While waiting on her wife, Chi Wan didn’t forget to answer Princess Lin’an. “I have my own channels for information. Fu Qing and the former Great Khan of Beining, Daluo Yan’s younger sister, grew up together. They could be considered childhood sweethearts. You used their feelings for each other, designed for Fu Qing to become pregnant, and then killed this royal sister who was most likely to become the new Great Khan of Beining. With that, you would have control of the Beining orphan. With this orphan, you could quickly rally a group of subordinates loyal to the Beining imperial family. If not to rebuild the Beining imperial house, you could at least occupy a tribe and start over.”

“This way, whether it was to throw Beining into chaos or to develop discreetly and eventually seize control of the Beining regime, you had options. But you were too greedy. You wanted revenge, and you wanted to return to Beining to be a regional power. After seeing Her Majesty ascend the throne, you also wanted to be the emperor of Great Zhou. Am I wrong?”

“At first, I also thought you came for Fu Qing’s sake. You calculated everything, but you didn’t calculate that Fu Qing’s feelings for that Beining royal sister were genuine. She gave birth to the child prematurely and had a trusted subordinate hide it away. After Fu Qing was captured, she sought only death. Later, the Imperial City Division found the child, but unfortunately, the child had been taken by you. So she wanted to use herself to lure you out. You must think she’s a fool for actually falling in love and even cooperating with us, but she just didn’t want you to use her child to satisfy your own ambitions.”

“I imagine the child is with that Gu master, right? Guess what this Gu master will do with the child after you die?”

“Will he continue to carry out your plan, or will he use the child as a tool for refining Gu, or as a tool for his own continued wealth and prosperity?”

As Chi Wan spoke, the movements of her hands never stopped for a moment. She was doing two things at once, yet made no mistakes in either.

She deliberately ignored Yu Jiuzhou’s flushed face. She was waiting on her own wife, so what was wrong with that?

Yu Huide: My mood was already terrible, and now I have to watch you two be all lovey-dovey.

Having calmed down, she instantly lost her composure again. “So what? I have already lost. I can’t control others.”

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow and reached out to help Yu Jiuzhou up. “It’s time for the evening meal.”

They were not on the same wavelength. If Yu Huide was unwilling to talk, the Embroidered-Robe Guard would find out anyway.

With a person who had taken things to such an extreme, even a few more words were a waste of effort.

Just as Chi Wan was about to help Yu Jiuzhou up, Yu Huide hurriedly said, “Does Your Majesty, does the Prince of Qin Yu, wish to see a plague run rampant in Lingnan?”

A vicious plan?

Chi Wan’s eyes turned cold. “Your Excellency is welcome to try. We shall see whether the plague spreads first, or if my people find them first. This Prince would like to see if you truly have no desires, no attachments.”

“Your Highness, why must you be like this? I only want the Shengyuan Emperor’s edict of self-censure. I want nothing else, only this one thing.”

Yu Huide finally compromised. It was true she had used her daughter, but she also loved her daughter. It was only because she was blinded by hatred that she had done such extreme things.

Now that her daughter was gone and her own revenge was hopeless, seeing that her daughter’s only child was also about to be lost, she could only try to make a deal that Yu Jiuzhou might accept.

Only then did Yu Jiuzhou’s voice sound out. “We will permit you to announce the edict of self-censure. You will hand over to Us the evidence you used to threaten those people.”

Yu Huide agreed readily. “Fine.”

Integrity? What integrity?

Promise those people that as long as they listened to her, she would keep their secrets? Some secrets could be used for threats once, twice, countless times, and in the end, the secret could be sold for a good price.

If Yu Huide were a person of benevolence and trustworthiness, she would not have been able to build up a force as large as the Brahma Heaven Cult.

Chi Wan snorted softly. She and Yu Jiuzhou worked together in perfect harmony, finally getting what they wanted to know from Yu Huide’s mouth.

For someone of Yu Huide’s age, torture was probably not an option. A slight misstep and the person would die. They could only attack her mind.

The two left the palace hall, and Yu Huide was also led away.

Before leaving, she asked them how they would deal with her.

Chi Wan replied, “Princess Lin’an died long ago. You are just an insignificant bandit from the Brahma Heaven Cult. The only end for a bandit is death.”

Yu Huide smiled brightly. “Many thanks, Your Majesty, Your Highness.”

The one dying now was a bandit. That meant Princess Lin’an had died in Jiangning, the Princess Lin’an who was buried with her late Fuma.

Returning to their residence, Chi Wan summoned Dong Ying and instructed, “Find the Beining orphan as soon as possible.”

Yu Jiuzhou looked at her with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell Yu Huide that Dongli Wu isn’t dead?”

Dongli Wu was the Beining royal sister that Fu Qing loved.

“Dongli Wu wants to avenge Fu Qing. She is hostile towards us. If we let her return to Beining, she will definitely want to become the new ruler of Beining. If we let Yu Huide know she’s still alive, she probably wouldn’t have made the deal with us. As for why we didn’t tell her after the deal was made, let her feel a little more guilt towards her daughter.”

Hearing Chi Wan’s explanation, Yu Jiuzhou laughed out loud. “Scoundrel.”

“How is this being a scoundrel? I’m clearly a good egg,” Chi Wan said with a righteous expression.

“In any case, that Dongli Wu is hostile to Great Zhou. Keeping that orphan in Great Zhou might have unexpected effects. We don’t need it now, but we might in the future. Let Dongli Wu know. Besides revenge, she’ll have something to live for. It’ll stop her from wandering around the capital aimlessly.”

Yu Jiuzhou lay back in the rocking chair, stunned for a moment. “Tell me, was letting Dongli Wu go the right thing to do, or not?”

“Letting her go back is better than keeping her in the capital.”

It was rather amusing. After this Dongli Wu arrived in the capital, she had no money and couldn’t bring herself to beg. After all, she was Beining royalty and carried a certain noble air. She was mistaken for a down-and-out noble and tricked into a small establishment—the kind that catered to wealthy women.

Coincidentally, that establishment was connected to the Brahma Heaven Cult and was raided by the Embroidered-Robe Guard. Only then was she rescued. Who knew that this so-called rescue was just a transfer to the Imperial City Division’s prison? Realizing that if she continued like this, she would lose either her body or her life, she revealed her identity.

With the identity of Beining royalty, as long as Great Zhou wanted to use her, they certainly wouldn’t kill her.

Just as Dongli Wu thought, letting her return to Beining was better than killing her.

Beining needed Dongli Wu to return. An adult member of the royal family was far more useful than an empress dowager or an infant. The struggle for control over her would surely throw Beining into chaos.

Chi Wan squatted beside Yu Jiuzhou, her hand gently stroking her soft hair. “Whether it’s right or not will have to be tested by time.”

One thing was certain: once the country was strong and the people prosperous, they would definitely expand their territory.

Even if it wasn’t them, it would be their children.

Yu Jiuzhou smiled and flicked Chi Wan’s forehead. “Little fox.”

“I’m a little fox? Then you’re an old fox.”

“Are you calling me old?”

Chi Wan reacted instantly, quickly saying, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Chi Xiaowan, are you rebelling?”

“You can’t just say things like that. What if someone really misunderstands and thinks I’m staging a rebellion?”

“You are now a Prince with real power, the Grand Marshal of the World’s Armed Forces, with command over all the troops in the land. Who would dare to misunderstand you?”

“Sister says that, so does that mean you want to take back my power?”

Yu Jiuzhou snorted lightly. “Yes. I’ll confine you to the rear palace and make you my favored consort.”

“Besides a favored consort, there’s also the empress and concubines of various ranks. Surely Your Majesty doesn’t want me to perform a palace drama for you?”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…I can’t win against you.”

Chi Wan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Besides, a favored consort needs to have some foxy tricks up her sleeve. Why don’t you give it a try, sister?”

Yu Jiuzhou’s throat tightened, and her body grew weak and pliant. “Shut up!”

Teasing her when she knew full well nothing could happen right now. She really was a scoundrel.

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