TGPSAC – Chapter 126

In the first year of the Zhengtong era, an imperial examination of grace was to be held. The capital continued to use Chi Wan’s proctoring methods, making it very strict.

It was said that many people cursed Chi Wan for being a devil, wondering how she could have devised so many ways to prevent cheating.

Of course, who would dare to curse Chi Wan? She was an idol to the scholars, especially those from humble backgrounds. Anyone heard cursing her could expect to be berated and scolded.

Meanwhile, Chi Wan was preparing for negotiations with Nanyue.

The talks were set for the end of the second month. Neither side brought their main armies.

Duan Jinxian arrived with a few people and several dozen guards in tow. Chi Wan brought a similar number.

On the surface, at least, the two sides were evenly matched. The negotiating table was placed in an open area, where any potential ambush could be spotted at a glance.

They had both come prepared, each aiming to secure the greatest benefit for their own side.

In a wide, open space, a long table was set up, with each party occupying one half.

Seeing Chi Wan’s arrival, Duan Jinxian raised a smiling face. “Chi Wan, we meet again.”

Chi Wan nodded. “Princess.”

The two were not yet familiar enough to address each other directly by name.

The representatives for the negotiations—Chi Wan for Great Zhou and Duan Jinxian for Nanyue—took their seats, and the talks were ready to begin.

Before the negotiations, Chi Wan had people gather a great deal of intelligence on Nanyue. She had figured out why they wanted to talk peace. Nanyue’s so-called two-hundred-thousand-strong army represented half of their national strength. Nanyue was an impoverished country to begin with, and supporting an army of two hundred thousand was a massive drain on its resources.

By now, Nanyue’s grand army had already begun to withdraw, leaving only seventy or eighty thousand troops at the border.

The other soldiers had returned home to do whatever they needed to do; with the spring plowing season here, they were needed for farm work. Nanyue could no longer sustain such a large-scale war.

This was not to say Nanyue had lost its fighting capability. Those who remained were skilled in small-scale combat and guerrilla warfare. Hiding in the rainforests, they could strike stealthily and vanish before one could even catch a glimpse of their retreating figures.

Nanyue’s mysterious mode of combat was truly enough to make one afraid to even close their eyes at night.

Faced with such a difficult opponent, both Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou felt that peace talks were a better option than continuing to fight.

As for bombarding Nanyue, Great Zhou’s firearms were not as advanced as modern ones, at best equivalent to the mid-to-late Ming dynasty. It would be impossible to annihilate Nanyue. At most, they could cripple them, but they themselves would likely suffer considerable losses in the process.

Peace talks were certainly the best option. Judging by Duan Jinxian’s attitude, it was as if they were old friends, not enemies.

But that was to be expected. At the beginning of negotiations, one always had to create a relatively friendly atmosphere to get the conversation started.

Then, they would each state their conditions, decide whether to accept the other’s terms, and finally sign a treaty.

Overall, it was supposed to be an amicable atmosphere.

An official beside Duan Jinxian began to state Nanyue’s terms. “Our Nanyue’s conditions are not high. Your Great Zhou must bear the costs of our military campaign this time, and repay it threefold, and also…”

“That’s enough. There’s no need to talk further.”

Chi Wan cut him off directly. “This is the first time I’ve heard of an invader demanding the invaded pay their military expenses. Shameless people are common, but shamelessness to your degree is rare.”

The official from the Ministry of Rites beside Chi Wan was stunned. They hadn’t even started talking, and she was already refusing outright?

Then what were they, the officials from the Ministry of Rites, brought here for? The Vice Minister of Rites cautiously tugged at her sleeve. “Fuma, we haven’t even started arguing… no, I mean, we haven’t even started negotiating yet.”

They, the officials from the Ministry of Rites, would certainly not agree to Nanyue’s unreasonable demands, but wasn’t it a bit too soon to cut things off before even going through the motions?

Chi Wan stood up directly. “We’re not negotiating. They have no sincerity. They’re making an exorbitant demand. Does Nanyue think my Great Zhou is afraid of them?”

She was about to leave, not wanting to spare the people of Nanyue another glance.

Duan Jinxian immediately let out a soft laugh, then spoke. “Jinzhao, don’t be hasty. If you don’t like discussing these things, there is actually a better offer. You might want to consider it.”

Chi Wan looked over coldly. “No need to consider it. This Fuma will also state my Great Zhou’s conditions. You will get out of Great Zhou and declare yourselves our vassals. You will pay an annual tribute of one hundred thousand taels of gold, one million taels of silver, ten elephants, ten rhinoceroses, a thousand catties of agarwood, a thousand catties of frankincense, a thousand catties of borneol camphor, as well as a thousand pieces of your special Nanyue crafts made of gold and silver, ten thousand bolts of silk, ten thousand catties of cotton cloth. As for ceramics and the like, this Fuma won’t ask for yours. After all, compared to my Great Zhou’s porcelain, yours wouldn’t even be picked up if it were dropped and shattered.”

She didn’t want to listen to Nanyue’s nonsense, nor did she want to listen to Duan Jinxian’s. What nonsense was this? An invader deserving to have Great Zhou pay their military expenses.

“Doesn’t the Fuma think you’re asking for too much?” a Nanyue official stood up and asked.

“Hmph, and is three times the cost of a two-hundred-thousand-strong army a small amount?”

The average monthly cost for two hundred thousand troops was around five hundred thousand taels of silver. More than half a year had passed, which amounted to several million taels, and they were demanding three times that. Nanyue clearly had other conditions as well. If they dared to ask, why wouldn’t she?

Chi Wan snorted coldly. “Nanyue has no sincerity. Do you still think you can rob my Great Zhou?”

At this, the Vice Minister of Rites beside her declared loudly, “From ancient times to the present, no invader has the right to make demands of the invaded. You want money? Then come and fight for it! Do you really think our Great Zhou is afraid of you? Your Nanyue has supported this large army for so long, your treasury must have long been empty, right? What’s the point of pretending to be strong? If you had the strength, would you be here for peace talks with my Great Zhou? On the contrary, the fact that our Great Zhou is willing to negotiate with you is out of consideration for the fact that your Nanyue has been a vassal state for generations, paying tribute to my Great Zhou.”

“You should know, it was your Nanyue that invaded, and it was also your Nanyue that proposed peace talks. Today, our Great Zhou’s Fuma, the Prince of Qin Yu, has come in person, wishing to negotiate in good faith. But you show no sincerity. If that’s the case, then let’s fight. My Great Zhou has never feared foreign enemies.”

After speaking, the Vice Minister of Rites sat down, satisfied. She felt this was her moment of glory. Otherwise, what would be the point of traveling all the way from the capital just to return without saying a word?

Her seniors had told her that negotiations were basically just a big argument with the other side. As long as you won the argument, it didn’t matter how you did it. Otherwise, you would be letting down the soldiers fighting on the front lines.

They were civil officials, but at times like these, they couldn’t be too restrained. They should curse when necessary. At worst, they could just have a fight.

Chi Wan was also stunned. She had heard that some negotiations could be quite heated, but she hadn’t expected the seemingly refined Vice Minister of Rites to be so eloquent.

But she was right. Nanyue wanted Great Zhou to pay reparations? In their dreams.

Duan Jinxian finally spoke. “This matter is not entirely non-negotiable. Nanyue was also misled by your country’s Prince Bao’an, which is why we sent troops. It was not Nanyue’s intention to attack Great Zhou. Three times the military expenses is unnecessary. As long as you cover all of Nanyue’s costs for this campaign, that will be sufficient. After all, our Nanyue was also deceived by your country.”

Shifting the blame? How shameless.

Chi Wan lowered her eyes, then said firmly, “My Great Zhou will not become a vassal, will not pay tribute, will not cede land, and will not pay reparations.”

“Let’s go.”

She rose and left, and the people behind her quickly followed.

Still seated, Duan Jinxian smiled, a very happy smile, and then shouted loudly, “Jinzhao, we will meet again.”

Chi Wan paid her no mind and rode away on her horse.

She now understood. Nanyue had no sincerity for peace talks, or rather, they had never intended to negotiate peace at all.

They didn’t want to negotiate, yet they were withdrawing their troops. Could it be that they were splitting up their army to continuously harass and plunder Lingnan?

Given the Nanyue army’s agility, if they were to do that, it would indeed have an impact on the Lingnan border.

Chi Wan kept thinking, trying to figure out Nanyue’s true objective. One had to know oneself and one’s enemy.

The first thing she did upon returning to the military camp was to send a message to her spies in Nanyue.

Nanyue no longer had the supplies to support a large-scale war, but small-scale units could certainly conduct raids to supplement their needs. If that were the case, however, there was no telling how long this war would last.

Upon hearing of Chi Wan’s return, the Prince of Lingnan came over at once.

The moment she saw Chi Wan, the Prince of Lingnan knew things had not gone smoothly. “I heard the talks didn’t go well?”

She had come in a hurry, and her people didn’t know the specific details, so she could only ask Chi Wan.

Chi Wan nodded and recounted what had happened at the negotiating table.

The Prince of Lingnan said angrily, “Shameless! Do they really think my Great Zhou can’t defeat them!”

“What does the Commander plan to do next?”

Chi Wan certainly didn’t want to be tied down in Nanyue. She hadn’t been back to the capital for so long that her children had already turned one year old. Moreover, she wanted to see Yu Jiuzhou immediately.

She was constantly forgetting. She was forgetting too many things. She felt that even her intense desire to see Yu Jiuzhou was fading.

This feeling of forgetting, bit by bit, caused her immense pain.

If possible, she hoped to see Yu Jiuzhou as soon as possible. Only by seeing Yu Jiuzhou could she possibly get better.

But the matter in Lingnan was not yet resolved. Chi Wan pondered for a moment, then made up her mind. “Fight.”

The Prince of Lingnan was a little surprised, but did not object. “Alright, then we fight.”

It was time to teach Nanyue a lesson, at least to the extent that, like Beining, they wouldn’t dare to invade for decades.

“You will lead the army to bombard Nanyue. I will hold off Duan Jinxian here.”

Compared to bombarding Nanyue, dealing with Duan Jinxian was the more difficult task.

The seventy to eighty thousand troops Nanyue had left behind were all elites. It would not be easy to stop them.

On the Lingnan battlefield, Chi Wan was the commander. The Prince of Lingnan hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “As you command.”

---

In the middle of the third month, Chi Wan led thirty thousand troops and set fire to Nanyue’s encampments.

The reason she hadn’t done so before was because she had been creating firebreaks. She had no desire to set all of Lingnan ablaze.

The Prince of Lingnan had already led her troops into Nanyue. The time they had agreed upon was the twentieth of the third month at the latest; they had to make their move by then.

Chi Wan’s forces were too small; she might not be able to hold back Duan Jinxian. Only if the Prince of Lingnan succeeded on her end could they consider this battle half-won.

The other half would be when Duan Jinxian withdrew her troops back to Nanyue. Only then could they claim a complete victory.

On the nineteenth of the third month, the Prince of Lingnan began her bombardment of Nanyue. Within the range of the artillery fire, no plant taller than two meters remained, let alone any buildings.

On the twenty-first of the third month, Duan Jinxian received the news. She did not choose to retreat, but instead launched another attack on Lingnan with reckless abandon.

Chi Wan had no choice but to consolidate her forces and defend.

But Duan Jinxian’s attack was a feint. She plundered some supplies and left, without truly invading Great Zhou.

Fortunately, Chi Wan had been prepared. When she consolidated her army, she had also brought the civilians back with her. Although some supplies were left behind, the losses were not great.

On the seventh of the fourth month, Duan Jinxian was ambushed by the Prince of Lingnan while passing the Shenman River. Because her troops were retreating in separate batches, her losses were not too severe.

But the Prince of Lingnan was gravely injured and had to be carried back.

Chi Wan had not known about the ambush. If she had, she certainly would not have agreed to it.

Duan Jinxian’s forces had departed in small groups, and many were still lurking in the rainforest. A careless move could easily lead to being counter-encircled.

Fortunately, the Prince of Lingnan had her people escort the cannons and trebuchets along a different route. Otherwise, burdened with so much heavy equipment, she might not have been able to escape.

Fortunately, she had made it back.

Chi Wan had no choice but to remain in Lingnan. She could only return to the capital once the Prince of Lingnan’s injuries had mostly healed.

Time passed until the sixth month before Chi Wan prepared to return to the capital.

By this time, she no longer felt that there was anything wrong with her body. She only knew that after the war was over, she should return to the capital.

In the interim, she had gone to Luodie Village and found A’po. Just as the physician had said, she went and simply stated that she was looking for A’po, and someone led her there.

A’po looked at her for a while and said only one sentence, “The River of Oblivion will make you forget the one you love most, but the one you love most will also make you remember.”

This meant that the antidote was a very abstruse matter.

Slowly, Chi Wan discovered that she was not only forgetting Yu Jiuzhou, but everything related to Yu Jiuzhou.

From the moment she had transmigrated, every single day had been connected to Yu Jiuzhou. Even on days when she wasn’t with Yu Jiuzhou, her mind was filled with thoughts of her.

If she were to forget everything related to Yu Jiuzhou, then she would forget everything that had happened since she transmigrated.

This gradual forgetting was like Alzheimer’s disease, a slow descent into confusion while still lucid.

By the time Chi Wan set out on the road back to the capital, her memories were almost completely gone.

She couldn’t remember her time with Yu Jiuzhou, couldn’t remember that she had children, and sometimes couldn’t even remember what she was doing in Lingnan.

On the way back to the capital, Chi Wan circulated her internal energy and even performed acupuncture on her own head, trying to keep herself lucid.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside. “Assassins!”

Chi Wan quickly pulled out the silver needles from her head and prepared to face the enemy.

This contingent of a thousand soldiers was not a small force within Great Zhou’s borders. Returning safely should not have been a problem. She couldn’t imagine who would dare to intercept her convoy within Great Zhou territory.

She lifted the window curtain for a look. It was the Guai’er Army, the unit that had disappeared before Duan Jinxian’s return to Nanyue.

She had not yet left the territory of Lingnan. There were many rainforests here, and the Guai’er Army had hidden somewhere, only to emerge now to intercept her convoy and assassinate her.

Chi Wan frowned, but her mind was in chaos. The desire not to forget, coupled with the constant act of forgetting, made it nearly impossible for her to assess the current situation.

The next second, a sword flicked open the curtain of her carriage door, and two people locked eyes.

Chi Wan narrowed her eyes, her hand gripping the hilt of the saber beside her. If not for the fact that the other person was wearing the uniform of her own troops and looked very familiar, she would have drawn her weapon without hesitation.

Seeing her hand on the hilt, the person was first taken aback, then immediately reacted. “Fuma, there are too many assassins. Please leave with me.”

Chi Wan pointed her saber directly at the person. “Get out.”

“Fuma, why are you pointing your saber at me?”

The person wore a look of disbelief, shocked that Chi Wan would point a weapon at her.

“Scram.”

Chi Wan’s angry voice rang out. She couldn’t remember who this person was, but anyone who slipped into her carriage at a time like this was not necessarily one of her own.

“Fuma, you don’t remember me?” the person asked tentatively.

Chi Wan no longer hesitated and swung her saber.

If there was one person who could detect that she had lost her memory, that person must be… must be…

Who was it?

Chi Wan froze, the saber in her hand faltering for a moment.

The person immediately released a flying insect from their sleeve. The insect flew towards Chi Wan, and she felt something in her blood begin to boil, as if it wanted to devour the creature before her.

What was happening to her?

Chi Wan reached up to touch her neck and could actually feel her own blood vessels.

Suddenly, the insect rushed towards her. She subconsciously raised her hand to block it, but due to the confusion in her mind, her movements were sluggish. She failed to stop the insect. It landed on her neck and bit down.

She felt as if the insect had burrowed into her blood vessel, where it collided with another insect already inside. Then, it was devoured.

Chi Wan was about to faint. Before she closed her eyes, she heard a voice by her ear, very soft and gentle, but not the kind she liked.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to love her so much that you could resist the ravages of the River of Oblivion for so long without losing your memory. It must have made you suffer even more. This Gu-insect was specially cultivated by me. Once the River of Oblivion devours it, its power will be greatly enhanced. I will take you back to Nanyue. When you and Jinxian are married, you will be Nanyue’s Fuma. Forget Great Zhou, and forget Yu Jiuzhou.”

Forget Yu Jiuzhou?

No, she couldn’t forget.

She knew now. It was a Gu-insect. The person before her was Xi Wu, the adjutant from the Duke of Xin’s unit. Using the merit of capturing the Duke of Xin, she had successfully infiltrated the ranks and gained access to her.

When had the Gu-insect entered her body?

She couldn’t figure it out at that moment, because she couldn’t remember clearly. Right now, she had something more important to do.

Chi Wan took out a small whistle and, placing it to her lips, blew hard. As the sound rang out, the carriage was immediately split apart.

Shadowy figures appeared beside the carriage. Two rushed towards Xi Wu, while two went to support Chi Wan.

The remaining figures stood guard around them, allowing no one to approach, not even their own people.

Before returning to the capital, Chi Wan had summoned her personal secret guards and given them a kill-or-be-killed order.

The moment she blew the whistle, no matter the circumstances, they were to take her to Yu Jiuzhou’s side, even if she herself resisted.

After blowing the whistle, Chi Wan finally relaxed, allowing the black-clad figures to carry her away before completely losing consciousness.

She didn’t know what would happen after she fainted, nor did she know if she would still possess even a sliver of memory when she woke up again. She only knew that as long as she was delivered to Yu Jiuzhou’s side, the other would surely send her away.

If she hadn’t accidentally touched the wound on her right hand at the last moment, she might not have even been able to remember Yu Jiuzhou’s name.

She dared not imagine how heartbroken Yu Jiuzhou would be if she discovered that she no longer remembered her.

She didn’t want to forget, but the insect inside her body was forcing her to.

---

In the imperial court of the capital’s palace.

Yu Jiuzhou suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and a sharp pain pierced her heart. She felt that something terrible had happened.

She immediately turned to Chun Gui beside her. “Where is Chi Wan now?”

“Your Majesty, based on the travel schedule, Her Highness the Prince should be leaving Lingnan today.”

Now that Yu Jiuzhou was the emperor, it was awkward for many to address Chi Wan as Fuma. But calling her Empress didn’t seem right either, as she had not yet been officially invested.

Currently, Chi Wan’s highest title was that of a commandery prince, the Prince of Qin Yu, so many had begun to address her as Your Highness.

Yu Jiuzhou lowered her eyes. Leaving Lingnan?

“How many people does she have with her?”

“Over a thousand.”

Yu Jiuzhou knew this information, but she wanted to confirm it again. She had a feeling that something might have happened to Chi Wan; otherwise, her heart would not have suddenly ached so fiercely.

“Court is dismissed.”

Yu Jiuzhou rose and left the Dragon Throne. The ministers below exchanged glances, not knowing what had happened. The court session wasn’t over, so why had Her Majesty left?

The crowd looked to Chun Gui, who announced loudly, “Court is dismissed.”

Chun Gui hurried after Yu Jiuzhou. As soon as she caught up, she heard Yu Jiuzhou command, “Tell Xia Qu to take some people to meet Chi Wan. She must bring Chi Wan back to me safely.”

“Also, didn’t Duan Jinxian say that as long as we hand over Chi Wan, Nanyue will never invade again? Make a list of all the ministers who supported that today, and investigate them for me.”

The state letter from Duan Jinxian had said that if Great Zhou sent Chi Wan over, the two nations would be friends for all eternity.

The absurd thing was that there were actually officials in the court who supported this idea.

They didn’t stop to think about who had driven away Beining, or who had defeated Nanyue. Chi Wan was a pillar of the Great Zhou state. Was she someone who could be given away?

Besides, who was Chi Wan? The Prince of Qin Yu of Great Zhou, her Fuma, and her future Empress.

These people were truly audacious, courting death.

Before Chun Gui could even leave, she heard Yu Jiuzhou add, “Find those who colluded with Nanyue and exterminate their nine generations. As for the fence-sitters, execute them immediately.”

Chun Gui’s steps faltered for a moment, then she immediately bowed. “Yes.”

Yu Jiuzhou returned to her palace and began to pull out the letters Chi Wan had written to her during this period, wanting to find something amiss in their contents.

Upon comparison, she did indeed discover something was wrong. Chi Wan’s earlier letters had been passionate, expressing her love without restraint. But in the later ones, Chi Wan mostly talked about work. Although she still expressed her feelings, she lacked her previous passion.

She had originally thought that Chi Wan might just be tired, too exhausted to have the energy to write letters.

But the sharp pain in her heart today confirmed that something was wrong with Chi Wan.

It was an ineffable feeling, impossible to explain. She just knew.

That was why she wanted to compare Chi Wan’s letters, to see if there was a problem somewhere. Looking at it this way, could something have happened in Lingnan?

A strong sense of anxiety welled up in Yu Jiuzhou’s heart. She wished she could see Chi Wan right now, and even more, she wished she could go and meet Chi Wan herself, but she was the ruler of a nation.

Just then, Dong Ying walked in quickly. “Your Majesty, a letter from the Prince of Qin Yu.”

“Bring it here.”

From the voice of Yu Jiuzhou, who usually showed neither joy nor anger, one could clearly hear the anxiety in her tone.

Dong Ying was surprised, but she knew something must have happened. She immediately added, “It’s an eight-hundred-li express.”

Yu Jiuzhou quickly opened the letter. There were not many words on it, but with every character she read, it was as if a hammer was striking her heart, leaving her speechless with pain.

To my dearest Jiuzhou—Something is wrong with me lately. I don’t know why, but the memories that should be deeply engraved in my mind are slowly disappearing. If one day I no longer remember you, please believe that it is not my wish. I know I must love you. It pains me that I will forget, and I hate myself for bringing you sorrow…

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