In the middle of the sixth month, the entire court once again respectfully requested that Her Highness the Grand Princess ascend the throne, and was once again refused.
It was not until the fifteenth day of the sixth month that the Grand Princess finally agreed to take the throne. The date of the ascension was set for the twenty-eighth.
A dozen or so days was enough time for preparations. After all, the Ministry of Rites had long been preparing for an enthronement ceremony; they had just initially assumed the one ascending would be the Imperial Grandson.
Regardless of who was taking the throne, the preparations could still be put to use.
On the day of the ascension, Chi Wan’s mind went blank for a moment as she gazed at Yu Jiuzhou, who was dressed in ceremonial coronation robes.
Her original plan had been to retire with her mission accomplished once Yu Jiuzhou ascended the throne. But now, their relationship was strong, and they had children, so retiring was naturally out of the question.
If she were to step down and some pretty boy took her place, she would probably die of anger.
Before her stood Yu Jiuzhou, clad in coronation robes, her posture erect and unwavering like a green pine. The coldness that once surrounded her was gone, replaced by an inviolable aura.
The sole sovereign of heaven and earth was born in this moment. A pair of captivating eyes revealed a profound confidence that held everything in its grasp; the world rested in the palm of her hand.
She was like the morning sun, bringing life to the moribund Great Zhou. Wherever her light reached was a land of submission, a land to which she would also bring warmth.
Yu Jiuzhou was not the kind of monarch who merely demanded the earth’s submission; she was one who made heaven and earth submit willingly.
The hearts of the people could be controlled, yet they could not. Only a series of policies that brought them a happy life would make them submit with all their hearts.
Yu Jiuzhou turned, her gaze meeting Chi Wan’s. Their eyes locked.
Light and shadow played across their faces. Chi Wan, too, wore a python robe today as a sign of respect for the new emperor’s ascension.
As the two looked at each other, Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying, who stood to the side, felt a sense of wonder.
It was as if the sun and moon had met in the sky, standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to give the world a shock.
Chun Gui, being the most sensitive, was the most deeply moved. Looking at Her Highness and the Fuma, she felt that the Grand Princess was the sun, high above and radiating a dazzling light. But even the sun would grow weary. At such times, the Fuma, as the moon, would take over Her Highness’s duties, continuing to shine and illuminate the Great Zhou empire.
Her Highness the Grand Princess was not alone. Even as emperor, she would not be a solitary ruler, for she still had the Fuma.
A smile graced Chun Gui’s face. When she first learned that Her Highness wanted to ascend the throne, she had been shocked. But then she thought, why couldn’t her mistress be the emperor? Just because she was a Kun Ze?
It was just the emperor. If others could do it, so could her mistress. And no one could compare to her mistress.
Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying watched as Yu Jiuzhou walked out step by step. They followed her departing figure.
From the moment Yu Jiuzhou donned the coronation robes, the atmosphere had turned solemn.
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou held each other’s gaze for a long time before nodding in unison. Yu Jiuzhou then strode out of the hall, where officials from the Ministry of Rites waiting outside immediately came forward to greet her.
The ascension of a new emperor was an extremely solemn affair; not a single mishap could be allowed.
Yu Jiuzhou first had to go and report to Heaven, Earth, and the imperial ancestral shrines, announcing that she was about to inherit the great lineage. This step had already been completed, which was why she had changed into the coronation robes.
Chi Wan had accompanied her through the entire process. But now, Yu Jiuzhou had to proceed to Fengtian Gate, where the bells and drums would be sounded at the time determined by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
Chi Wan did not need to accompany her for these matters. She had to rush to Fengtian Gate before Yu Jiuzhou’s arrival to ensure that every step of the procedure would go off without a hitch.
Then, she would welcome the arrival of her princess at Fengtian Gate.
Once they reached Fengtian Gate, the officials from the Ministry of Rites would be replaced by those from the Court of State Ceremonial.
And along the path leading into Fengtian Hall, civil and military officials knelt on both sides. They were to kneel in welcome as their new sovereign ascended the imperial throne.
The enthronement ceremony was held inside Fengtian Hall, and one of the most important events was the presentation of the Imperial Seal to Yu Jiuzhou.
This person should have been chosen from either the Grand Secretary or Old Prince Kang, but Yu Jiuzhou had designated Chi Wan.
In Yu Jiuzhou’s view, no one could compare to Chi Wan. A national treasure as significant as the Imperial Seal must, of course, be presented by the person most important to her.
The ceremony proceeded step by step, and finally, it was time for Chi Wan to present the Imperial Seal.
Holding the Imperial Seal in her hands, Chi Wan stepped forward with a steady and solemn gait as the master of ceremonies spoke.
The official announced in a loud voice, “We humbly beseech Your Majesty, whose virtue matches Heaven and Earth, whose heart holds benevolence for all living beings…”
Chi Wan could only hear a buzzing in her ears; she didn’t know the specific words being said. Her gaze was fixed on Yu Jiuzhou, without a trace of hesitation.
The official: “Since Emperor Taizu Gao founded this dynasty…”
Chi Wan’s inner thoughts: My wife is so majestic. I love it.
The official: “The great treasure of the state, the Seal of the Emperor of Great Zhou, passed down through successive sagely rulers…”
Chi Wan: My wife is the emperor now, so does that make me the empress? I’m currently the Fuma and a Prince of a Commandery, and now I have to be the empress on the side? With so many jobs, I’ll have more money than I can spend. I’ll never be able to spend it all.
The official: “May Your Majesty hold this Imperial Seal and bring order to the world…”
Chi Wan: So touching. I won’t be this moved even when our daughter graduates in the future.
If Yu Jiuzhou knew that Chi Wan was comparing her to their daughter in her mind, one could only wonder what she would think. She would probably grab her for a good beating.
Finally, Chi Wan reached Yu Jiuzhou and presented the Imperial Seal before her.
As the official uttered the final phrase, “Forever protect the realm of Great Zhou, for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations,” Yu Jiuzhou accepted the Imperial Seal.
Their gazes intertwined, their hearts equally stirred. From now on, they would realize their grand ambitions in this land.
No longer would they have to be wary of Emperor Shengyuan, constrained at every turn. Yu Jiuzhou would be the supreme ruler of this land.
Chi Wan saw a spirited and ambitious air about Yu Jiuzhou. Though her demeanor was only calm and majestic, Chi Wan could see through the surface to what lay beneath.
One could imagine how, in her previous life, Yu Jiuzhou had been schemed against, only realizing at the very end that she could do more for the world than others could. Why did the emperor have to be someone else?
She could clearly do better. She could clearly do more for the common people of this world.
After her rebirth, seeing those people again only strengthened her conviction. She was more suited to be emperor than anyone else.
Chi Wan knew Yu Jiuzhou’s thoughts. She was a born emperor.
After the transfer of the Imperial Seal, the ministers presented their memorials of congratulation.
Finally, an imperial edict was read aloud. It was the first edict issued by Yu Jiuzhou after ascending the throne, containing a general amnesty, tax reductions, and other measures.
But Yu Jiuzhou’s edict had an additional sentence: “If the false emperor does not surrender within one month, all under the heavens of Great Zhou may join in his suppression.”
This sentence sent a jolt through everyone’s heart. The new emperor of Great Zhou was the Grand Princess, Yu Jiuzhou.
To be precise, she was the first adult princess in history to ascend the throne as emperor.
There had been one in the past who was placed on the throne as an infant, but the outcome was tragic.
She could not even be considered to have truly ascended the throne; she was merely a tool of the regent.
Yu Jiuzhou was different. She was an emperor who truly held power. Military, political, and financial authority were all firmly in her hands.
The enthronement ceremony finally concluded. A banquet should have been held for the monarch and ministers to celebrate together.
But the false emperor was still running rampant, and Jiangning was in enemy hands. The time for national celebration would be after Jiangning was retaken and the false emperor was defeated.
Prince Bao’an had grown increasingly audacious. Ever since being branded a false emperor, he had dropped all pretense and begun forcibly conscripting commoners into his army.
In a short time, his army had expanded to four hundred thousand.
An army of four hundred thousand was no small number. Even if you were slaughtering pigs, you couldn’t finish them off in a short while, not to mention that there were innocent people among them.
To make a move against Prince Bao’an, they first had to evacuate the innocent.
After the enthronement ceremony, Yu Jiuzhou did not rest for long. She immediately summoned the cabinet and asked for their thoughts on how to deal with Prince Bao’an.
Gao Zheng spoke without hesitation. The Gao family’s fortunes were tied to Yu Jiuzhou, so he would naturally give his all.
“Your Majesty, the false emperor is tyrannical and has forcibly conscripted the people. If we can get these people to flee on their own, it will disrupt the false emperor’s forces.”
Yu Jiuzhou was the legitimate emperor. Legitimacy represented righteousness. Prince Bao’an was a treacherous rebel. The outcome of this war was almost already decided.
As long as they could dismantle Prince Bao’an’s hastily assembled army, the remaining forces would pose little threat.
Gao Zheng continued, “This subject believes that to dismantle the false emperor’s army, the key lies in winning their hearts.”
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. As expected of the Grand Secretary, he saw the essence of the matter.
The hearts of those who were forcibly conscripted were easily swayed. If their morale was shaken, it could very well affect Prince Bao’an’s original troops.
Prince Bao’an’s original troops were, in fact, the Duke of Xin’s men—an army of less than a hundred thousand. And it was still unknown how many of them were truly willing to rebel.
The late emperor’s final edict had been made public, and Yu Jiuzhou had officially ascended the throne. They were the ones who represented justice.
Prince Bao’an, on the other hand, was a rebel. The generals from Yanbei were mostly from Yanbei, and their families were there as well. Now they had fled to the south, unaccustomed to the climate, and had gone from being a legitimate army to being rebels.
For these people, as Gao Zheng said, attacking their morale was the best strategy.
Chi Wan exchanged a look with Yu Jiuzhou, then said, “Attacking their morale is one thing. We should also order the regional armies to surround the false emperor’s territory and have them gradually tighten the encirclement.”
“In addition, Xu Chenlu is still in command of a hundred thousand troops. It’s the perfect time to send them to Jiangning.”
Great Zhou’s regional armies were currently a burden, filled with ghost soldiers and useless troops, possessing little combat effectiveness.
In any case, this was a good opportunity to reform the system.
The military system of Great Zhou had to be changed. At the very least, it needed to be centered around the capital. They could not allow a single province to have so many soldiers, as this could easily lead to the fragmentation of commanderies and counties.
Take the late Tang Dynasty, for example. The power of the regions surpassed that of the central government, which gradually led to the Tang’s demise.
Such a military system required an enlightened ruler. Not everyone was a Li Shimin, capable of keeping these people in check.
The drawbacks were obvious. It had to be changed.
Fortunately, Great Zhou’s military system was not quite the same as the Tang Dynasty’s. After all, there was still the Chief Military Commission of the Five Armies, as well as the military household system. It was just that there were too many regional armies, almost rivaling the central forces.
Using Great Zhou’s military system as a foundation, they needed to consolidate and strengthen the central army, reduce the number of regional troops, and also bolster the border defenses.
Both Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou were the type to think three steps ahead. While eliminating Prince Bao’an, they were also considering how to minimize the losses from this conflict and reshape the political landscape of the south.
It was a known fact that with the capital in the north, control over the south had always been weaker. The central government relied on the great clans to control the regions.
However, the great clans were like venomous snakes. If they were allowed to grow too large, they could turn and bite at any moment.
Chi Wan knew of a good method: summon all the members of the great clans to the capital.
In the regions, the great clans were local emperors. But under the nose of the central government, their life and death were but a whim of the emperor.
This was similar to how many emperors would summon vassal kings to the capital and place them under house arrest. Near the central government, they were much easier to control.
Local emperors? There was only one emperor in Great Zhou, and that was the new emperor, Yu Jiuzhou.
After discussing the matter of the campaign against Prince Bao’an, the cabinet ministers returned to their respective homes.
Chi Wan leaned back on a arhat bed in the bedchamber, closing her eyes to rest.
After Yu Jiuzhou’s ascension, they had moved into the imperial palace.
As soon as Emperor Shengyuan passed, the Imperial City Division had conducted a thorough search of the palace. It was now clean, with no need to worry about any lingering ghosts or demons.
Perhaps the most awkward thing was that the Empress… now the Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager Xu, also lived in the palace. As juniors, they had to go and pay their respects to her every day.
Empress Dowager Xu had not liked Chi Wan before, and her attitude had remained lukewarm later on. They had met a few times, and… well, Chi Wan could sense that the Empress Dowager disliked her to some extent.
Although she didn’t know why, she felt it was best to see the other woman as little as possible.
But now that they lived in the palace, avoiding her was not an option. It was truly a headache.
Yu Jiuzhou, having changed out of her coronation robes, thought Chi Wan was exhausted. She immediately went to her side, let Chi Wan rest her head on her lap, and began massaging her temples. “What’s wrong?”
Chi Wan turned her face toward Yu Jiuzhou’s abdomen. “I was just thinking that the Empress Dowager didn’t come today.”
Empress Dowager Xu should have been present to witness her own daughter ascend the imperial throne.
However, she had declined the invitation, claiming she was unwell.
Chi Wan didn’t understand. She worried that the Empress Dowager’s absence would cause trouble for Yu Jiuzhou.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager hadn’t said anything strange, unlike Emperor Yongzheng’s mother.
Yu Jiuzhou’s massaging hand paused. “Don’t worry. It’s not her fault.”
Chi Wan hummed in acknowledgment. “I know.”
Though she said that, she still felt in her heart that no matter how prejudiced one was against their daughter becoming emperor, at a time like this, shouldn’t they be supportive?
Well, perhaps the Empress Dowager would come around one day.
Besides, whether the Empress Dowager came around or not wasn’t important, as long as she didn’t use her status to do or say things that would cause trouble for Yu Jiuzhou.
Actually, she was very curious as to why the Empress Dowager was behaving this way.
Shouldn’t she be happy to know her child was becoming the emperor?
Was it because of her education, which gave her a prejudice against a Kun Ze becoming emperor? Or did she think being emperor was a bad profession and didn’t want her daughter to do it?
But Yu Jiuzhou had already ascended the throne. If it were the latter, she should be trying to reduce the obstacles in her daughter’s path.
Therefore, she felt the former was more likely.
Chi Wan had heard some rumors about the Empress Dowager. She had been raised to be the consort of a crown prince, so perhaps her way of thinking had been altered by so-called “teachings” time and time again.
Yu Jiuzhou took in Chi Wan’s pensive look. “Feeling sorry for me?”
Chi Wan looked up, surprised to realize that this was the first time Yu Jiuzhou had referred to herself as “I,” (Informal) not the “I” (Royal Pronoun), “this princess” or “We”.
She smiled. “No, I was just thinking that something isn’t right.”
Of course, she wouldn’t voice her speculations about the Empress Dowager. No matter what, that was someone important to Yu Jiuzhou. She could think what she wanted, but some things were better left unsaid.
Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. “Tell me.”
Only then did Chi Wan voice her concern. “Back then, Nanyue and Beining sent delegations at the same time, which was clearly coordinated in advance. But while Beining made a move, Nanyue has been quiet. My spies in Beining and Nanyue have gathered some information and confirmed it. Beining, Nanyue, and Prince Bao’an formed a three-way alliance. The plan was for Beining to tie us down while Nanyue took the opportunity to attack the south. But Nanyue didn’t move.”
According to the novel, Nanyue had also dispatched an army of two hundred thousand. But in this life, there had been no movement at all.
She didn’t believe that Nanyue hadn’t allied with Beining. What could have made Nanyue abandon its plan to attack Great Zhou?
Or perhaps, they hadn’t abandoned it, but were just waiting for an opportunity.
Nanyue… Of course, Yu Jiuzhou had not overlooked them. In her past life, Nanyue had indeed sent a large army to attack. By this point in the timeline, it should have already happened, yet Nanyue remained quiet, which was even more unsettling.
Especially with Prince Bao’an still in the south, making a mess of things. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nanyue.
Would Nanyue not seize this chance?
Thinking of Nanyue, Yu Jiuzhou felt a strange unease, especially when she thought of the Nanyue princess, Duan Jinxian. Her emotions became somewhat chaotic.
After Duan Jinxian returned to Nanyue, she had directly told the King of Nanyue that she would have Chi Wan in this lifetime.
This statement was no secret in Nanyue and would certainly have reached Great Zhou.
Yu Jiuzhou was furious when she heard such talk. Chi Wan was her person.
Now that Nanyue was brought up again, she couldn’t help but think of this matter.
“When do you think Nanyue will make a move?” Yu Jiuzhou asked in a low voice.
“When there’s a trigger.”
Chi Wan thought for a moment, mainly trying to recall the plot. Suddenly, something came to her. “The Prince of Lingnan is advanced in years.”
If she remembered correctly, the Prince of Lingnan was a villain in the novel. In reality, he just didn’t support Prince Bao’an as emperor. Anyone who opposed the protagonist was a villain, weren’t they?
After coming to this world, the Prince of Lingnan Chi Wan learned about was no villain. He diligently guarded Lingnan. If he had no great merits, he at least had his hard work. But as soon as Prince Bao’an took the throne, he wanted to reduce the power of the vassal princes and seize the Prince of Lingnan’s military authority.
At that time, the Prince of Lingnan happened to be gravely ill. Prince Bao’an issued a reprimanding edict that negated the meritorious service of the Prince of Lingnan’s lineage, accusing them of greed for power and so on. He trampled their loyalty underfoot, which literally angered the gravely ill Prince of Lingnan to death.
The Prince of Lingnan’s heir led her army to rebel against Prince Bao’an. In the end, Prince Bao’an allied with Nanyue and trapped the Lingnan army in a perilous pass, annihilating them completely.
Chi Wan remembered that Prince Bao’an had promised Nanyue many benefits for this, which he considered a humiliation. He swore that one day he would take back double what he had given Nanyue. Because of this, he was extremely ruthless toward the Lingnan lineage, executing everyone related to them.
If the Prince of Lingnan’s surname hadn’t been Yu, he probably would have exterminated ten generations of his clan.
But whether it was Nanyue attacking Great Zhou or Nanyue cooperating with Prince Bao’an, it all showed that their wicked ambitions had not died.
Their current inaction meant they were definitely waiting for an opportunity.
And now was that opportunity. Great Zhou’s new emperor had just ascended the throne, the rebellion within the country had not yet been quelled, and an emperor and a false emperor were in a north-south standoff. If the old Prince of Lingnan were to pass away, could the Lingnan heir shoulder the responsibility of defending Lingnan?
Yu Jiuzhou had also thought of this. “The Prince of Lingnan’s heir followed him onto the battlefield since she was young. She is familiar with Lingnan and is deeply loved by the soldiers and people there. She will definitely stop Nanyue’s advance.”
That may be so, but who knew what sinister plots Nanyue had up its sleeve.
After all, the first major setback Yu Jiuzhou suffered in her past life was at the hands of Nanyue.
There were traces of Gu poison at Xuanyang Temple. Having fallen for it in her past life, she was prepared this time and thus did not suffer much harm.
The two hundred thousand troops Nanyue spoke of was not the actual number. The entire population of Nanyue was only a few hundred thousand; where would they get a two hundred thousand-strong army?
However, Chi Wan had heard that in times of crisis, every citizen of Nanyue became a soldier. Even Kun Ze and children could deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.
They could probably scrape together two hundred thousand troops, but to invade another country, they surely wouldn’t use nearly half their population, would they? If they lost, it would be as if half of Nanyue’s nation had been wiped out.
What worried Chi Wan the most was Nanyue’s Gu poison. Whether it was Gu or poison, both gave off a mysterious and sinister feeling, with Gu being even more so. Compared to poison, Gu was more mysterious and malevolent.
When Gu was used, its viciousness was unimaginable. A powerful Gu master could single-handedly become a nightmare for an entire army.
The Duke of Xin’s military achievements were brought to him by a Gu master. They had only met Xi Wu, the Young Mistress of Insect Valley, a few times, but Xi Wu gave her a very dangerous feeling.
Chi Wan’s internal energy had reached a profound level, and very few people could make her feel a sense of danger anymore. Xi Wu appeared gentle and harmless on the surface, but that feeling of danger was simply too palpable.
Yu Jiuzhou also had some understanding of Nanyue’s Gu poison. It was even more deadly than poison, killing without a trace of blood.
Gu was not only a destruction of life, but it also brought out the worst in human nature, infinitely amplifying its ugliness.
Clearly, what they worried about was not Nanyue’s army, but its Gu poison.
An idea came to Chi Wan. “Tomorrow, I’ll write a formula for Qiu Lai and have her research an insect-repellent sachet.”
Even if she didn’t know if it would work, Lingnan had many insects. Perhaps it would be useful?
Yu Jiuzhou chuckled lightly. “Are you trying to repel mosquitoes?”
“Gu worms are still worms. They should have scents they dislike. It’s a pity we don’t have any Gu worms to study.”
Chi Wan felt that regardless of what you were trying to repel, you had to study things the target feared or disliked.
Yu Jiuzhou thought for a moment. “You could check the prisoners in the capital. There should be Gu masters among them.”
“Then I’ll ask about it tomorrow.”
Chi Wan didn’t hold out much hope for this, but she would still try her best. Even if it could only repel ordinary Gu worms, it would be a good thing.
She believed that with things like Gu worms, if there were advanced ones, there must also be low-level ones.
The advanced ones certainly wouldn’t be used on common soldiers. If she could help common soldiers defend against Gu worms, it would be a good deed.
Yu Jiuzhou looked down at her. This was probably why she loved Chi Wan more and more. No matter how high her official rank, she never forgot about ordinary people in her heart.
Of all the people she had met, only Chi Wan had truly achieved the principle that all people are equal.
Yu Jiuzhou’s hand caressed Chi Wan’s eyebrow, then rested on her nose. “You’ve worked hard.”
She was the one who had become emperor, yet Chi Wan had been working nonstop, barely resting. She naturally knew who it was all for.
Chi Wan’s nose tickled, and she sat up. “Then shouldn’t Your Highness compensate your subject well?”
She was still used to calling her “Your Highness.”
It didn’t matter. Yu Jiuzhou liked whatever she was called. “How do you want me to compensate you?”
“Hmm… flower dew.”
Yu Jiuzhou: “…”
Seeing Yu Jiuzhou’s silence, Chi Wan’s eyes sparkled. “How about it? Can I?”
Yu Jiuzhou didn’t want to refuse, but she was too embarrassed to agree, so she could only press her lips together and say nothing.
The more silent she was, the more Chi Wan wanted to press her advantage. “Your Highness, please~”
Chi Wan even drew out her voice in a wheedling tone. Yu Jiuzhou felt a sense of helplessness listening to her, and finally, she could only nod, letting out an extremely low sound. “Alright~”
She hadn’t agreed out of helplessness. She had agreed because she wanted it too.
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