In the sixth year of the Zhengtong era of Great Zhou, the nation was prosperous and the people were at peace.
It was currently the first month of the new year. The previous year had been filled with good news, with the only cause for concern being that Great Zhou’s naval fleet had yet to return.
After several years of development, Great Zhou’s national strength was abundant, fully capable of outward expansion.
The new laws, combined with Dou Huiyin’s eight elements, had truly made Great Zhou strong and prosperous. They had succeeded in building a powerful nation. While the common people had not yet reached the point of having surplus grain, they could eat until they were eighty percent full.
This wasn’t filling their stomachs with cold water, but eating real, solid food. Even if they couldn’t have solid rice, they could have thick rice porridge.
Artisans had also harnessed steam. Boiling water produced steam that drove gears and chains, which in turn rotated wooden fan blades.
Previously, Great Zhou’s fans required a person to pull a rope to generate a breeze for cooling. The use of steam eliminated the need for manual labor.
As steam power was a recent discovery, the fan moved rather slowly at first, but it soon became much faster.
Currently, the use of steam was limited to daily life or smaller objects. Creating a steam engine for use in factories, mines, ships, or even railways to build steam locomotives was still a difficult task.
But Great Zhou’s artisans were more clever than Chi Wan had imagined. She had thought it would take a century for Great Zhou to enter a steampunk era, but a prototype had emerged so quickly.
It seemed that in a hundred years, Great Zhou might very well see steam locomotives, steamships, steam hammers, and lathes.
For now, the application of steam was still quite limited. The largest objects built so far were a spinning jenny and a loom, but they had not yet been put into operation.
The main reason they hadn’t been deployed was Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou’s concern that industrial technology would replace human labor.
If a task that originally required one hundred people could now be done by fifty, the other fifty would be unemployed.
Therefore, strengthening education and expanding markets were necessary so that when workers lost one job, they could find another. Once this issue was resolved, the steam age would officially arrive.
In any case, it was a good thing that artisans had learned to use steam and create with it. It was better to have the technology and not use it than to not have it at all.
The steam age would certainly come, perhaps in thirty years, or maybe fifty.
It was foreseeable that Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou would live to see the dawn of that era.
However, the naval fleet was expected to return in two years. It had now been two years and four months, and the fleet had still not come back. There were already those in the court who were dissatisfied with the maritime expedition, and with Jiang Weiyang’s party exceeding the two-year timeframe, dissenting voices had begun to emerge.
In the six years since Yu Jiuzhou’s ascension, her civil achievements included reforming the laws to strengthen the nation and bringing prosperity and peace to the people. Her military accomplishments were even more apparent: she had quelled internal rebellions and driven out foreign enemies.
She had crippled Beining, razed Nanyue almost to the ground, and annihilated the Wokou of the Eastern Sea.
In just six short years on the throne, she had accomplished what other emperors could not in a lifetime.
Even in the history that Chi Wan knew, emperors who had achieved such feats were few and far between.
Yu Jiuzhou had proven that as an emperor, she was no less capable than even Taizu or Taizong. She filled the role of emperor well.
Whether the civil and military officials of the court acknowledged it or not, the common people certainly did. The current Zhengtong Emperor had brought them good days. Before, they couldn’t eat their fill, and selling one’s children was a common occurrence. Now, the elderly and children could eat their fill, and the middle-aged could eat solid food until they were eighty percent full.
For the common people, this was something they had hardly dared to imagine.
Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan walked through the fields. The two had rarely left the capital, and this trip was meant to be a relaxing one.
The weather in the first month was still very cold, and no one was working in the fields.
Upon entering a village, they saw a house at the entrance that was different from its surroundings. It was built of brick. They couldn’t remember the village’s old name, but now it was called Red Brick Village.
It was the first village in Great Zhou to establish a brick factory. At first, the villagers had been against building a kiln and factory, but now that they were earning money, they couldn’t be happier.
The practice of firing bricks had begun many years ago, but through the efforts of artisans, the firing conditions had been improved, lowering the investment required.
If they had steam engines, perhaps all the thatched huts would become brick houses in the future.
Of course, this would take time. Infrastructure development required time, improving Great Zhou little by little.
This brick house was likely the “village committee,” essentially the place where village affairs were discussed. The brick factory was state-owned and had officials stationed there, so this building also served as the factory’s local office. It was also where villagers gathered to discuss matters.
Chi Wan led Yu Jiuzhou by the hand and walked inside, where they heard someone reading aloud.
“Zheng. This is the ‘zheng’ from our Emperor, the Zhengtong Emperor. It is now the sixth year of the Zhengtong era. Has everyone learned these four characters?”
“Yes,” came the unified response.
The female teacher’s voice rang out again. “These three characters are ‘Prince of Qin Yu.’ Today, we will learn these seven characters: Zhengtong Emperor, Prince of Qin Yu.”
“We are no strangers to Her Majesty and Her Highness. It is because of Her Majesty and Her Highness that we have such good lives, isn’t that right?”
The crowd shouted, “Yes!”
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou stood in the courtyard, watching the scene inside, feeling an inexplicable excitement.
In a room that could hold twenty to thirty people, everyone sat together. Two stoves burned in the middle, with kettles of hot water on top. Each person held a bamboo cup, steam rising from it, to warm their hands.
These people all appeared to be villagers. There were fewer people during the winter, or perhaps it was a break time. With the world outside covered in ice and snow, a group of people had come in to warm up and have a drink of hot water.
It was the perfect time to conduct a literacy campaign.
The new laws included a mandate for literacy. The goal wasn’t for everyone to spout classical phrases, but at the very least, they should be able to understand court announcements and have better comprehension skills, so as not to be easily deceived.
By placing a few stoves in a local office like this and boiling some water, the villagers were willing to come over to save on charcoal at home.
When there was no work, a day was just a day. Rather than freezing at home or wasting their own charcoal, they might as well come to the government office to warm up and have some hot water.
The people inside saw Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou. Seeing two graceful figures dressed in luxurious clothes, everyone’s attention was drawn to them.
Chi Wan wore a Daoist robe with a cyan fur cloak, while Yu Jiuzhou was in a black round-collared robe, also with a black fur cloak.
Such attire marked them as either rich or noble.
Seeing them, someone immediately came out. “Do you two honored guests have some business?”
Chi Wan smiled. “My wife and I are out traveling. We happened to hear the sound of reading from inside and thought we’d take a look.”
The person nodded. “If you two honored guests have time, please come in for a cup of water.”
“We won’t disturb you any longer. We should be heading back.”
Chi Wan politely declined. They were, after all, interrupting the villagers’ studies.
The person watched them leave, feeling that the visitors looked familiar, but for a moment, she couldn’t place them.
After they were far away, she was still muttering, “Daoist robe, Daoist robe… a young Daoist?”
“It’s Her Majesty and Her Highness!!!”
“How is that possible? Why would Her Majesty and Her Highness come here?” A villager who had appeared beside her at some point laughed, thinking she was being foolish.
“It was Her Majesty and Her Highness! Back then, Her Highness came to our village disguised as a young Daoist. Her Highness stayed at my house, and Her Majesty came overnight to take her back. Her Highness even left my family ten taels of silver. My mother still has the silver. I was thirteen then.”
Now, she was all grown up.
“Was it really Her Majesty and Her Highness?”
The villagers’ eyes lit up with excitement. In their entire lives, they had never seen an official higher-ranking than the director of the brick factory.
By the time everyone rushed out, all they could see was the silhouette of a carriage convoy in the distance.
Chi Wan leaned back in the carriage, her posture improper. “I didn’t expect to run into an acquaintance. She was just a child back then, and now she’s so grown up, even teaching others to read.”
Yu Jiuzhou was also in a very good mood. Although they were only out for a walk today and not inspecting the populace, from what they had seen along the way, the people near the capital were living well.
All their years of hard work had borne fruit. How could they not be in good spirits?
Hearing Chi Wan’s words, Yu Jiuzhou also remembered. “The farmhouse you stayed at when you ran away?”
Chi Wan coughed lightly. “What do you mean, ‘ran away’? Didn’t I regret it the moment I left?”
If she had truly wanted to escape, Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t have found her in such a short time.
“If I hadn’t found you, I can’t guarantee what I would have become.”
Would she have turned the entire Great Zhou upside down? Or committed many evil deeds? What was certain was that she would have become a tyrant.
Chi Wan smiled and lay her head on Yu Jiuzhou’s lap. She knew of Yu Jiuzhou’s possessiveness. Besides, the line between an enlightened ruler and a tyrant was a fine one, dependent on a single thought.
“Am I that important in Sister’s heart? So important that Sister would become a bad woman for me?”
Chi Wan was teasing Yu Jiuzhou. Her earnest wife was just too much fun to tease.
“A bad woman?” Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. Was Chi Wan calling her bad?
It was always she who, through gritted teeth, called Chi Wan a bad egg. In bed, that person was truly very bad.
Chi Wan tugged on Yu Jiuzhou’s collar, forcing her to lower her head. “That’s right, a bad woman.”
Yu Jiuzhou was so exasperated she laughed. “And you? Are you the bad egg?”
“Exactly. A bad woman and a bad egg, a match made in heaven,” Chi Wan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Weren’t the two of them a match made in heaven?
Yu Jiuzhou gently tapped her on the forehead. “Alright, a match made in heaven.”
This woman’s words were becoming more and more indulgent. Chi Wan was drowning in it and had no desire to come up for air.
No one could refuse such doting from her sister.
Building an empire while being in love—life couldn’t be more pleasant.
Great Zhou held morning court an average of four to six times a month.
Due to the holidays in the first month, there were only three sessions. Today was the last court session of the first month.
At court, the various departments presented their summary reports.
This reporting format was, of course, Chi Wan’s idea. What a department had done, the process, and the results all needed to be reported.
Naturally, these were reports that could be made public. The civil and military officials, and the people of the realm, had to know what the imperial court was doing.
After the reports were finished, the procedure was to ask the officials if there was any other business. If not, the court would be dismissed.
However, someone did not want the session to end so quickly.
“Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial to present.”
“Permitted.”
“The maritime trade expedition, consisting of tens of thousands of people and hundreds of ships under the command of Jiang Weiyang, has been gone for nearly two and a half years. To this day, no news has been received. Their families have come to the court, asking for death benefits.”
Death benefits? To ask for death benefits meant that their families all believed the seafarers were dead.
The expedition had set out with such high spirits, but now there was no word. Some believed they were not dead, but others felt they were.
The sea was merciless, and conditions upon it could change in an instant. No one could guarantee they were still alive. The search parties sent out had also not sent back any news. How could this not make people suspect they were gone?
And with tens of thousands of men, even if only half of their families believed them dead and came to the court to ask for benefits, the crowd would be overwhelming. News would quickly spread throughout Great Zhou that the fleet was lost.
Tens of thousands of people, hundreds of ships, and tens of millions of silver taels, all thrown into the sea. Restarting maritime trade in the future would be incredibly difficult.
Moreover, what if those men weren’t dead? If Great Zhou declared them dead, what if someone went to intercept and kill them?
In any case, they could be reported as missing, but not as dead.
The court could afford the benefits, but they could not be given. They could not allow a sentiment of failure to spread across Great Zhou, which could lead to irreversible consequences.
As long as there was no news from the fleet, it could not be said that the fleet was lost.
Whether the fleet still existed or not, some believed it was gone, while others believed it remained. Their goals were different, so naturally, their positions were different as well.
Some wanted to close off the seas again to secure their own interests.
Where did the Wokou come from? Most were sponsored by the great families. They supported these pirates because they wanted to monopolize the profits from maritime trade.
Maritime trade was profitable. When Great Zhou first ventured out to sea, it was indeed proven to be lucrative. But later, losses suddenly mounted due to the appearance of the Wokou.
The Wokou plundered merchant fleets, gradually bringing the sea lanes under the control of the great families.
When Xu Chenlu annihilated the Wokou and Great Zhou restarted maritime trade, the interests of those families were harmed. They were the ones who most wished for maritime trade to fail.
It was said that the northern families controlled the court, while the southern families controlled the wealth and grain.
In reality, it wasn’t so absolute. There were northern families engaged in business, and southern families who held official posts. The numbers were more or less comparable.
In any case, the great families occupied a large portion of the officialdom and the business world.
To eliminate the great families, one could either kill them or promote more people from non-humble origins into official positions, while also supporting merchants who lacked powerful backgrounds.
Killing was the fastest way, but it could easily lead to great chaos. So, it couldn’t be done recklessly; it had to be done in an orderly fashion. That’s right, line these families up, have them take a number and wait to die. Not that there wasn’t a way to survive—either they could defeat Chi Wan, Yu Jiuzhou, and the millions who supported them, or they could compromise and become their people.
One would imagine that, before facing true despair, most of the great families would hold out.
Otherwise, this issue would not have been raised in court today.
Chi Wan stood to Yu Jiuzhou’s left, just one step below her. Her eyes were closed, clearly resting.
Dressed in a red python-embroidered robe, she exuded an immense sense of pressure.
Yu Jiuzhou had originally wanted to have a chair brought for her, but she had said that the pressure from standing was stronger than from sitting.
It was just a mystery how she could stand so steadily with her eyes closed. Many people would sway slightly if they stood with their eyes shut, subconsciously feeling as if they were about to fall.
Yu Jiuzhou watched coldly as one official after another stood up in the court, her eyes turning frigid.
Their ears were filled with the righteous-sounding words of these men. Whether it was true righteousness or for their own benefit, perhaps only they themselves knew.
“Your Majesty, it has been two years, four months, and twenty-seven days since Jiang Weiyang led the fleet to sea, yet not a single piece of news has returned. This subject believes that the families of the crew can be given death benefits.”
“Your Majesty, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, Great Zhou opened maritime trade, which resulted in the scourge of the Wokou. The seas were overrun by pirates, and the coastal people suffered. Now that the seas have finally calmed, will restarting maritime trade bring a powerful enemy to Great Zhou?”
“Your Majesty, our Great Zhou is perfectly capable of being self-sufficient, producing and consuming our own goods. We have no need to trade with foreign tribes. Those not of our race must harbor different intentions.”
“Your Majesty, our Great Zhou is a superior nation, possessing the most advanced culture in the world. What is there to trade with those blood-drinking barbarians?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, maritime trade will allow foreign cultures to influence Great Zhou, thereby affecting the people. This subject believes that maritime trade should not be conducted.”
Listening to these people, it sounded as if they were all speaking for the good of Great Zhou, each one more eloquent than the last.
But those who supported maritime trade were no pushovers.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject disagrees with them. What Great Zhou lacks is gold and silver. There is so much gold and silver across the seas, which can be exchanged for silk, porcelain, and tea. Why would Great Zhou worry about a shortage of silver?”
“Your Majesty, what Great Zhou does not lack is silk, porcelain, and tea. We can keep the best for ourselves, and the slightly lower quality goods can be exchanged for silver.”
“The Sage said, ‘When three walk together, one can surely be my teacher.’ Although the foreign tribes are blood-drinking barbarians, take Beining’s cavalry and horse-rearing for example. Is that not something Great Zhou can learn from?”
“As for being self-sufficient, can we truly sell everything we produce? To this subject’s knowledge, our Great Zhou has more advanced technology that has not been put into use because we cannot sell that much. If we could sell overseas, what harm would that be to Great Zhou?”
“Exactly. Besides, aren’t we supposed to be discussing Jiang Weiyang’s fleet? What is all this other talk? The important thing is that there is no news from the fleet, and no news is the best news. If something had truly happened, this subject does not believe that so many people would have all perished. In all the voyages of the past, there has never been such a situation. Someone would always return to report. For not a single person to return, it means they are either still at sea, or they have been silenced.”
“If they are still drifting at sea, they will naturally return once they find their way back. If they have been silenced, this subject requests Your Majesty to send people to search and investigate thoroughly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the opposing side spoke up again.
The court had become like a debate hall, with the affirmative and negative sides freely arguing.
Chi Wan suddenly opened her eyes and glanced at Yu Jiuzhou. They exchanged a look and immediately understood what the other was thinking.
And so…
They slipped away.
It was certain that no conclusion would be reached today. And even if a conclusion were reached, it had to be the one they wanted.
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou would certainly not enter the fray themselves. With their control over the court, they had no need to personally intervene.
With both the Emperor and the Prince having left the court, how could the officials continue to argue? It took a while before someone pointed it out.
Her Majesty is angry? Someone’s in for it.
This thought appeared in everyone’s mind.
Then they realized Chi Wan was gone too.
Her Highness is angry too? Someone’s going to die.
There was an unwritten rule in Great Zhou: offend the Emperor, and you might still live. Offend the Prince of Qin Yu, and the Emperor would absolutely not let you live.
A court debate ended with the departure of Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou.
They naturally had other ways to end this debate, but some things were better left unsaid.
Yu Jiuzhou strode towards her bedchamber. “Our attitude towards maritime trade is known throughout the realm, yet they still oppose it.”
It seemed that after just two good years in Great Zhou, they had forgotten that she and Chi Wan knew how to wield a blade.
Chi Wan squeezed Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. “They’ve made a fortune from the sea for so many years. Now that they’re not allowed to anymore, of course they’re dissatisfied.”
“But no matter. The state treasury will eat the meat, and those merchants can have the broth. But if someone tries to take both the meat and the broth, they shouldn’t blame us for being impolite.”
Thus, they had left the court without a word. Let them argue, let them shout. The attitude they conveyed to the court was that this matter was not up for discussion. Arguing was useless; they would not change their minds. Leaving directly was how they showed them that attitude.
Yu Jiuzhou smiled. “These people are truly impatient.”
The moment the two-year mark passed, they began their scheming.
A smile touched Chi Wan’s lips as she naturally wrapped an arm around Yu Jiuzhou’s waist. Such a slender waist, hidden beneath these robes.
Yu Jiuzhou helplessly patted her hand. “Walk properly.”
What’s the big deal? Isn’t it normal for a couple to walk with their arms around each other? Damn ancients.
Chi Wan pouted in grievance. Yu Jiuzhou caught her dissatisfied expression out of the corner of her eye and coughed lightly to get her attention. The moment Chi Wan turned to look, she quickly planted a kiss on her lips.
It was so fast that not only did the attendants with their heads bowed not see it, but even Chi Wan barely had time to register the feeling.
When the two returned to their bedchamber, they saw the three sisters, who had finished their lessons.
It was now the sixth year of the Zhengtong era. Chenchen and Guiyi, born in the twenty-ninth year of the Shengyuan era, were now seven years old.
Yuyu, born in the second year of the Zhengtong era, was not yet four, but her education had already begun.
The three girls had a very full schedule, so they usually didn’t interrupt their mothers’ private time together.
Compared to the still-young Yuyu, Chenchen and Guiyi were already being exposed to court affairs. It was good to try many things when they were young to discover what they liked.
For now, Chenchen was more interested in political affairs, while Guiyi preferred archery and simulated warfare.
But they were only seven, so it was still too early to say what they would ultimately prefer.
“Mother, Mother.” The three sisters bowed formally.
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow and also put on a serious expression. Otherwise, she would be the only improper one in the family.
“What did you learn today?”
Chenchen stepped forward. “Today, we learned about the pros and cons of developing maritime trade.”
“Oh?” Yu Jiuzhou’s interest was piqued. “And how did you answer?”
Chenchen replied, “I believe that the world is vast. Where can Great Zhou not go? Opening the seas has more advantages than disadvantages.”
Guiyi said, “The seas are also Great Zhou’s territory. We must not only defend them, but conquer them.”
Yuyu said, “The seaside is fun.”
Each had her own take, but all of them had a point.
Chi Wan smiled happily. “Excellent. As a reward today, Chenchen and Guiyi will do twenty arithmetic problems and ten pages of calligraphy. Yuyu will do one page of calligraphy.”
The three sisters: “?”
Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Was that really a reward?
Whether it was or not, they had to accept this reward.
Chi Wan had no desire to be disturbed during intimate moments with her wife, so naturally, she had to send them away.
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