TGPSAC – Chapter 156

In the eighth year of the Zhengtong era, Chi Qing fell gravely ill. When the news reached the imperial palace, Chi Wan immediately set out for the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence.

Chi Wan’s feelings for this older sister were complicated. Chi Qing seemed to genuinely treat her as a younger sister, but Chi Wan could not reciprocate. She had been hurt by kinship before, and none of the original body’s family members had been easy to get along with, so she held no extravagant hopes for familial affection.

Yet Chi Qing was different. All things considered, her sister had helped her a great deal. Now that she was gravely ill, how could Chi Wan not go?

The last time, her sister had been “gravely ill” for her sake. This time, the illness was real.

When she first learned of it, Chi Wan had sent all the physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to see her. The news they brought back was that there was no hope for a cure.

Chi Qing had been perfectly fine before. How could she suddenly fall so ill? It didn’t make sense.

Chi Wan arrived at the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence alone. The people inside clearly recognized her, and upon seeing her, they immediately came out to pay their respects.

“We greet Your Highness the Prince.”

“Rise. How is my sister?”

The one who came out to greet her was Chi Qing’s daughter, Chi Guo, a Kun Ze. She was two years older than Chenchen and Guiyi, but she was not Chi Qing’s biological child.

Chi Qing had children once, but they were tragically lost during the previous wars. Chi Guo was a daughter she had adopted, now her only one. It was said she had met the girl during a provincial assignment. She was bright and beautiful, with a pair of clear, lucid eyes that made her look nothing like a member of the Chi family.

The eyes of the Chi family were never so pure. One could only say that Chi Qing had raised this child very well. At just thirteen, she was already shouldering the responsibilities of the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence.

Chi Guo bowed and said, “Aunt, Mother is like an oil lamp that has run out of fuel.”

If Chi Wan had addressed her as the Earl of Huai’an, she would have called her Your Highness. But since Chi Wan had called her “sister,” in private matters, she had to call her “Aunt.”

An oil lamp running out of fuel? It was that serious.

Chi Wan quickened her pace. “Take me to see my sister.”

“Yes.”

Under Chi Guo’s guidance, she arrived at Chi Qing’s room. The thick scent of medicine assailed her nostrils. Just by approaching, she knew the room’s occupant did not have long to live.

Three years ago, Chi Qing had stopped attending court, resigning from all her official posts and living off the income from her title.

The Earl of Huai’an’s Residence had fallen into decline overnight, but of course, no one dared to bully them. Who didn’t know that the Prince of Qin Yu hailed from the House of Huai’an? The original Marquis of Huai’an and his heir were long dead, and the old grievances had faded.

Although the Prince of Qin Yu offered no special favor to the current Earl of Huai’an, the Earl had risen from a provincial post to a minister in the capital, all in just a few short years. Had she not chosen to resign herself, she would have certainly entered the Grand Secretariat.

With such a rapid promotion, who would dare say the Prince of Qin Yu’s authority played no part?

There were many capable and talented people, but it was difficult to be noticed. It was even more difficult to display one’s talents without being suppressed.

Chi Wan had done nothing, but as long as she was there, no one dared to target Chi Qing, even if she took no sides, made no friends, and went her own way.

For someone to act like that in the official world and still hold a high position, they either had the emperor’s personal favor or someone protecting them.

Chi Wan had never protected the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence, but her very existence was a form of protection.

No one in the entire Earl of Huai’an’s Residence dared to cause offense. However, the residence now housed only two people: Chi Qing and Chi Guo.

“Sister.”

Chi Wan looked at the bed, where Chi Qing was struggling to sit up. She had clearly heard of her arrival and wanted to rise to greet her.

“Your subject, Chi Qing, respectfully greets Your Highness.”

“Sister.”

Chi Wan called out again. Chi Qing fell back onto the bed, strengthless. “Ah Wan.”

She had wanted to put on a brave face, to pretend she was fine, but at Chi Wan’s second call of “sister,” she finally broke.

“I’m dying.”

Chi Wan said nothing. She walked straight to Chi Qing’s side and took her pulse. Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

It truly was like an oil lamp running out of fuel. There was nothing wrong with Chi Qing’s body; it was just that her vital functions were dissipating.

It was as if this was Chi Qing’s fate. When the time came, she had to leave, and even an immortal’s descent would be of no use.

“Don’t waste your effort.” Chi Qing withdrew her hand.

“I worried too much in my youth, planting the cause that has borne today’s fruit.”

In short, she had overused her brain when she was young, leading to a premature decline. Chi Qing’s hair had not turned white, but her lifespan had been shortened.

According to the theories of traditional medicine, sleeping more and thinking less nourishes the organs, harmonizes qi and blood, and balances yin and yang. It can restore energy and promote physical and mental health, in accordance with the laws of nature.

Staying up late accelerates the body’s aging process, while sleeping more can prolong life. The longevity of divine pigs… no, divine turtles, is inextricably linked to sleeping a lot.

In traditional medicine, sleep plays an irreplaceable role. Overthinking meant sleeping less.

Of course, for some people, there was little difference between using their brain and not. A flash of inspiration was just that, a flash. For others, like Guo Jia, their minds were as sharp as a demon’s, but their lives were short.

Chi Wan had made her diagnosis. She was just thinking if there was any way to extend Chi Qing’s life. With her current status, she could certainly obtain any medicinal herbs. With slow nourishment, less thinking, and more sleep, it probably wouldn’t be a problem to live another ten years in a sickly state.

Evidently, Chi Qing had no intention of doing so. Did she dislike the idea of living on with a frail body?

“Why?” She wanted to know what her sister had been thinking about so much in her youth. There is a cause for every effect. If she could resolve the knot in her heart, perhaps she would accept treatment.

Chi Qing recalled the past, her heart heavy with hardship. After learning she was not Chi Mingwu’s biological daughter, she had been constantly investigating her origins, trying to find out who her mother was and why she had appeared in the Marquis of Huai’an’s Residence.

“How old were you then?”

“Twelve.”

A year younger than Chi Guo. At such a young age, instead of throwing a tantrum upon discovering her true parentage, she had chosen to hide it and investigate secretly. She was no ordinary twelve-year-old.

At that time, Chi Wan was already six, doted on by the Grand Madam and raised with great care by the Marchioness. Liu Wan came from a merchant family, and though she trod carefully in the Marquis’s residence, she had money, which she naturally lavished on Chi Wan.

Chi Wan was raised to be increasingly arrogant and had always looked down on her older sister. Chi Qing disliked it but never showed it.

The heir, Chi Xu, was thirteen, only a year older than Chi Qing. If Chi Wan was spoiled and arrogant, then Chi Xu was cruel and arrogant.

Chi Wan was arrogant but didn’t take lives. She was good to the servants she liked and would either beat or curse those she disliked. She had no respect for her older sister, but since she was her sister, she didn’t dare to actually lay a hand on her.

After all, the Marquis of Huai’an, who was still the heir at the time, did not dote on her or even pay her much attention. She only dared to commit minor mistakes, never major ones.

But as for Chi Xu, if anyone provoked him, he would take their life. Even if unprovoked, countless maids and page boys were carried out of his chambers, all tortured to death by him.

He not only ignored his illegitimate younger sister but often beat her to vent his anger. Chi Mingwu never intervened, keeping Chi Xu by his side, grooming him as his successor.

Chi Qing had understood this by the time she was ten.

Chi Xu’s mother had been killed by the Grand Madam, all for Liu Wan’s dowry to repay the silver the Marquisate owed the Ministry of Revenue. Refuse to pay? So many noble families had been wiped out for less; the Chi family was nothing special.

But Chi Mingwu, having tacitly allowed his first wife to be killed, kept Chi Xu by his side, terrified that his legitimate son would be harmed by Liu Wan.

After all, both were legitimate children. If the eldest legitimate son died, Chi Wan could inherit the title. He felt he had wronged his first wife and was determined not to wrong Chi Xu.

In reality, Liu Wan was quite timid and lived in constant fear in the Marquis’s residence. She wasn’t particularly good to this illegitimate daughter, but she never withheld her provisions, and life was much better than before.

The Marquis’s residence was poor back then, yet they had to maintain their noble facade. As a daughter of the house, her monthly allowance was less than that of a servant in a large household, and it was often not even paid.

But Chi Mingwu pushed all the blame for his first wife’s death onto Liu Wan, believing his wife had died because he wanted to marry Liu Wan.

Hearing this, Chi Wan frowned. “He deserved to die a hundred times over.”

Chi Qing sighed. “Indeed. A dignified marquis, unable to protect his ancestral estate, tacitly allowing his own mother to kill his wife for silver. He didn’t dare stand up to the Ministry of Revenue, didn’t dare complain about his mother, so he could only place his hatred on an innocent woman. He was the one who wanted to marry her, the one who wanted to have a child. Otherwise, who could have forced him?”

“Your mother’s name was Wan, and your name, Wan, is a homophone. That was his insult to you. He didn’t observe the naming taboo. If you ever wanted to contend for the title, this point alone could be used to accuse you of being unfilial. But since the name was given by an elder, it could be argued. So he registered you under your aunt’s name. That way, you would have even less of a claim to compete with Chi Xu.” [In traditional Chinese culture, naming taboos (避讳 bìhuì) required avoiding the use of characters identical or similar to those in the names of one’s elders, especially parents, as a sign of respect and filial piety. Naming a child with a character homophonic to a parent’s name was seen as a subtle insult and a breach of decorum.]

Chi Wan knew what happened next, but she hadn’t known that her name was also a flaw.

It made sense. It was said that one’s name should avoid those of clan elders, or there would be implications. However, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with her name.

To Chi Mingwu, the name ‘Wan’ was a scheme. To her, it was a name her grandmother had chosen for her after consulting her birth chart. The meaning was different.

“Continue with your story.” She knew the original’s story and didn’t care about it in the slightest. To her, those people were not family, so why should she care?

Chi Qing’s breath was as faint as a thread. Seeing this, Chi Wan asked softly, “If you’re tired, accept treatment first. We can talk another day.”

“There’s no need.”

Perhaps Chi Qing had never intended to be treated, so she refused her again.

Chi Qing picked up the cup of cold medicine beside her and drank it in one gulp. She hadn’t planned on drinking any more medicine, but she had no strength left and had no choice.

Chi Guo, standing nearby, wanted to say something but silently retreated to the side.

She knew that even if she offered to heat the medicine, she would be refused, and her mother would be angry at her for interrupting her conversation with her aunt.

Her aunt seemed to be frowning. Her mother had told her that no matter what happened at the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence, she was never to seek out her aunt. Live if they live, die if they die.

Her mother didn’t care about the fate of the Earl of Huai’an’s Residence. Compared to troubling her aunt, it was better to let the residence perish.

Chi Guo sighed. Recently, clan members had been visiting more and more frequently. It was true that only she and her mother were left in the residence, but there were still many people in the Chi clan, and most of them came to ask her mother to adopt an heir.

They had two reasons: first, she was not a Qian Yuan, and second, she was not a biological child.

They wanted her mother to adopt a son to ensure the continuation of the title.

Chi Guo wanted to tell her aunt about this. After all, her aunt was a Prince and could surely make a decision. But her mother was still recounting her youth, so it wasn’t her place to interrupt. Besides, she also wanted to hear what the Chi family was like in the past.

Although her mother never told her, she had heard bits and pieces from many others.

Chi Guo’s thoughts returned to the present, just in time to see her aunt stick a silver needle into her mother’s head.

Chi Qing: “?”

“It’s more effective than your medicine.”

Chi Wan was a physician, and she disliked patients who avoided treatment. In her eyes, Chi Qing was exactly that kind of patient. She could clearly prolong her life, but she refused.

This older sister of hers was a stubborn one.

Chi Qing smiled and continued her unfinished story. “After I found out I wasn’t Chi Mingwu’s biological daughter, I began to investigate my origins. I was too young then and had no one I could use. In the Marquis’s residence, under their noses, I couldn’t find out anything. So I studied even harder. At thirteen, I passed the county-level imperial exam, becoming one of only two people in the Chi family’s history to do so at such a young age.”

“The other was my aunt, Chi Mingwen. She passed the exam at twelve and the provincial exam at fifteen. If nothing had gone wrong, she would have likely passed the metropolitan exam at eighteen. Unfortunately, her path as a civil official was cut short. She could only join the army and start as a squad leader. But even so, she rose through the ranks on military merit and became a famous scholar-general of her time, the kind with the talent to command armies. If His Majesty had not valued my aunt and intended to cultivate her as a leader for the younger generation of generals, the House of Huai’an would have been destroyed back then.”

“Unfortunately, my aunt still died. Not because of a mistake, not on the battlefield, but in a household struggle. Yet even then, His Majesty, out of respect for my aunt, gave the Marquisate a way to save face. As long as they repaid the silver owed to the Ministry of Revenue, the Marquisate would be spared. Chi Mingwu enjoyed everything my aunt brought him, killed my aunt, and even tried to kill her child.”

“After I passed the exam, I finally caught his eye. I took the opportunity to request to study at our country estate. This way, he would let me choose, or buy, two people to accompany me. One was my page boy, and the other was an old servant who had once served my aunt.”

“With my own people and away from the prying eyes of the Marquis’s residence, things became much simpler. I lived at the estate for two years and found out that people were questioning your parentage. They said you weren’t Chi Mingwu’s daughter. Thinking of my own situation, I decided to look into it. So I had someone report that I wanted to visit the clan school.”

Although the teacher at the Chi clan school was a provincial graduate, she was a county graduate, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to consult him.

It wasn’t difficult for the Marquis’s residence to hire a down-on-his-luck provincial graduate. It was for the sake of appearances. It was normal for noble families to hire provincial graduates for their clan schools. The wealthy and powerful hired retired metropolitan graduates. At the very least, they would hire a provincial graduate. For the House of Huai’an to hire a provincial graduate was already a loss of face, but since no one in the family held real power, no metropolitan graduate would give them the time of day.

Once one reached the level of a metropolitan graduate, they could hardly be called down-on-their-luck. Teaching was not just for teaching’s sake, but also for reputation and for paving the way for their own family’s descendants.

Chi Qing was not Chi Xu. As the heir, he could enter the Imperial Academy. She didn’t even have the qualifications to enter the Directorate of Education. She usually attended private schools run by other families. After all, being from a Marquis’s residence, there were still places for her to study.

It just so happened that she was preparing for the provincial exam the following year, so consulting a current provincial graduate was a good excuse. Thus, Chi Qing returned to the clan and, under the pretext of seeking guidance, found an opportunity to look at the family genealogy.

The genealogy was kept by the old clan leader, and as it happened, she was staying at his house. Looking through it, she discovered that Chi Wan was registered under the name of her aunt, Chi Mingwen.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes at the time. You were Liu Wan’s daughter. Everyone had witnessed your birth. My aunt had just died then. A thorough investigation would have easily revealed that you were not my aunt’s child. But His Majesty said you were, so you were. Who would dare question it? That would be opposing His Majesty. Besides, you were already in a high position, and no one would dare take the risk.”

“After learning you were my aunt’s daughter, after seeing the genealogy, I knew. Chi Mingwu was worried you would compete with Chi Xu for the heir’s position, so he didn’t hesitate to register you under my aunt’s name. But as I investigated further, I discovered that my aunt did indeed have a daughter, but she died at birth.”

“The strange thing was, that daughter was born on the same day, in the same month, of the same year as me. Finally, I found out from my mother’s sister that when my aunt was away at war, leaving her wife behind, a concubine wanted to secure her status through her child. But she gave birth to a He Yuan daughter, so she tried to swap the babies. When she was discovered, she had to kill the witness to silence them, faking it as a death in childbirth for my aunt’s wife.”

“So I was raised under Li Fen’s name. In fact, Li Fen had planned this for a long time, which is why she acted so ruthlessly, so decisively. The House of Huai’an investigated and found out that my aunt’s wife had been murdered. For the sake of the family’s reputation, and to avoid my aunt’s blame upon her return, they hastily buried the person. When my aunt came back, all she saw was a tombstone.”

“Later, my aunt was murdered by Chi Mingwu. He gave her a slow-acting poison that caused hallucinations. My aunt fell ill from the poison but was still summoned to the battlefield. According to my investigation, during a battle, she suddenly became dizzy and was cut down from her horse by the enemy.”

As she spoke, a strange flush appeared on Chi Qing’s face, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood, clearly agitated to the core.

Chi Wan had some understanding of the Chi family’s inner workings, but not to this depth. Hearing it today, it was truly a den of vipers.

“Which is to say, sister, you are Chi Mingwen’s daughter.”

Of course, she herself was not Chi Mingwen’s daughter. That was a compromise made for her reputation, not the truth.

She knew that many people were also aware of this in their hearts.

Chi Qing took the towel Chi Guo handed her, wiped the blood from her mouth, and said, “That’s right.”

“Then by that count, you and I have a blood feud.” Chi Wan inserted another needle into Chi Qing, and her complexion improved.

A blood feud? Indeed.

There was one more thing Chi Wan had not understood for a long time. “Why did you help me?”

Chi Qing smiled faintly. “After I learned the truth, I distanced myself from Li Fen and spent more time traveling and studying. I passed the provincial exam at sixteen and the metropolitan exam before I was twenty, then I was selected as a bachelor at the Hanlin Academy. All my efforts were for one thing: revenge. During that time, not a moment passed when I didn’t think of revenge. I even found an opportunity to kill Li Fen. I overturned my own plans time and again, putting myself in the game to ensure the Chi family’s destruction. This continued until I learned that you had confessed to Her Majesty, who was still the Grand Princess, after drinking. This matter wouldn’t have caused much of a stir, as many people admired the Grand Princess.”

“But I, through certain people, informed the two princes of the benefits of marrying the Grand Princess to a good-for-nothing. They naturally fanned the flames. At that time, I was actually one of Prince Ying’s people, a hidden pawn, so no one knew of my connection to him.”

“The Grand Princess didn’t take sides, and as the Late Emperor’s only child, she was destined to hold power in the future. Even if she didn’t act as regent, she would certainly be influential. But the Grand Princess was flawless in her conduct. So how could one make her take a side? How could one reclaim her power after ascending the throne? The best way was to create a weakness for her—a useless Fuma. If this Fuma took a side, what did it matter if the Grand Princess didn’t? To the outside world, the Fuma represented half of the Grand Princess.”

“You became the Fuma. With your personality, setting aside whether you could become the Grand Princess’s weakness, you would at least bring ruin upon the Chi family, accelerating its demise. Chi Mingwu and Chi Xu would surely lose sight of themselves, and relying on the power of the Princess’s Residence, they would commit more and more mistakes. This would lead to the Marquisate’s destruction. If you took a side and made a grave error, you would also be exterminated. The Late Emperor hated nothing more than taking sides in the struggle for the throne. The Grand Princess’s Fuma taking a side? Wouldn’t that be the same as the Grand Princess taking a side? To prevent that, His Majesty would surely have you killed and the Marquisate destroyed.”

“So it wasn’t the Late Emperor who chose the House of Huai’an. It was I who brought the House of Huai’an to the Late Emperor’s attention.”

“However…”

Chi Qing paused and looked at Chi Guo. “You may leave.”

Chi Guo froze for a moment, but she didn’t ask why. She turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She had no intention of eavesdropping out of curiosity. She sat quietly outside, guarding against anyone else who might try to listen in.

After Chi Guo left, Chi Wan’s brow furrowed. She had a feeling that the other woman was about to reveal even more.

She had never imagined that Chi Qing had been scheming behind the scenes all along. Great intelligence leads to an early death. To begin scheming in one’s youth and continue for so many years—it would be difficult to live a long life.

“Do you know what your actions would have brought upon Her Majesty?”

Chi Qing raised an eyebrow. “I do. Fortunately, Her Majesty is Her Majesty.”

Ha! Chi Wan sneered. That was because Yu Jiuzhou had been reborn, the original had died, and her soul had been replaced. If not for that…

She took a deep breath. “Continue.”

At this point, Chi Qing was already at death’s door. What was the use in pursuing it?

Chi Qing smiled. She had felt Chi Wan’s momentary killing intent, but what was done was done.

“But on that day, you suddenly returned to the Marquis of Huai’an’s Residence, and your entire disposition had changed. A person’s disposition cannot change so quickly. Perhaps because you rarely returned to the Marquisate after your marriage, they thought you were forced to put on a facade for the Grand Princess. But I knew you too well. In order to scheme against you, I knew everything about you from childhood to adulthood, better than your own mother, better than anyone. You would not change. You were a good-for-nothing. But you did change. You possessed an aura of fearless righteousness, something the original Chi Wan absolutely did not have.”

“I greeted you, and not only did you respond, but your attitude was very amiable. You must know, after you became the Fuma, you were always condescending when you saw me, either ignoring me or ordering me around like a servant. That was not something the original Chi Wan would ever do.”

“When you reached the rear hall, you actually stopped the Marquisate from annexing the commoners’ fields and even threatened to report them to the throne. That kind of strategy is absolutely not something you could have come up with. I wondered, could you have seen that the Marquisate was courting death? No, you couldn’t have thought of that. Then it could only be the Grand Princess. But why would the Grand Princess help you?”

“So I discreetly inquired about the Grand Princess’s attitude toward you. When I saw her, I even went up to greet her, implying that my relationship with you was good. But the look she gave me was even more disgusted, even hateful. She wished all the Chi family members were dead. So it couldn’t have been the Grand Princess.”

“Combined with your actions at the New Year’s Eve banquet, every response you gave—that wasn’t something that could be memorized in advance. It was definitely a spontaneous reaction. At that moment, I was certain: you are not Chi Wan.”

Chi Wan’s heart tightened, and her expression almost changed. “If I’m not Chi Wan, then who am I?”

Chi Qing shook her head. “I don’t know. In any case, Chi Mingwu and Chi Xu are both dead. I became the Earl of Huai’an and immediately purged the Chi family. Everyone involved in the past events was either killed or sold off by me. My great revenge was finally achieved.”

From the moment she learned the truth to the day her revenge was complete, she had spent more than a decade scheming.

“That’s not right. That’s not what you said back then.” Chi Wan’s body went rigid. That year, Chi Qing had also been on the verge of death. So, was what she said then a lie, or was what she was saying now a lie?