Princess Lin’an was a very clever person. Though she was in Beining, she had laid her plans long ago. The Brahma Heaven Cult began to rise ten years prior, and by now, it had indeed become a considerable force.
This indicated that Princess Lin’an had long intended to return for revenge, using financial support from Beining to establish the Brahma Heaven Cult.
The Twelve Emissaries were developed during that time. They were the core members of the cult; some moved among the powerful and noble, while others recruited believers.
During the years of the Shengyuan Emperor’s reign, the Brahma Heaven Cult had no shortage of opportunities to expand its following.
The Shengyuan Emperor was an extremely selfish man. The national treasury could be empty, the common people could be penniless, but his private coffers had to be full.
In reality, Great Zhou did not lack silver. The problem was that the national treasury and the common people lacked silver. In whose hands was the silver? In the hands of the aristocratic families, led by the emperor himself.
After the Shengyuan Emperor’s death, Yu Jiuzhou had people investigate the accounts of the imperial household. The gold and silver within were equivalent to Great Zhou’s entire annual fiscal revenue.
One should not underestimate Great Zhou’s annual revenue; under normal circumstances, it could exceed ten million taels. This money was used to support Great Zhou’s army, officials, construction projects, and so on. If some natural or man-made disaster were to occur, this sum would be far from enough, and they would even have to take out advances against future income.
But this vast amount of money was used to support the emperor alone. It could be said that the strength of the entire Great Zhou was gathered to provide for one person.
Those aristocratic and powerful families also had money. Some of their households might have even more wealth than the emperor, but getting them to part with it was difficult.
Initially, it was mostly commoners who drew close to the Brahma Heaven Cult. They had no other way to live. The gentry and powerful families had taken all their money and annexed their land. These people could only work for whoever offered them a bite to eat. Did it matter what kind of work it was?
With the reforms of the past two years, the lives of the common people had found a glimmer of hope. Who would still want to do such precarious work?
At this point, the Brahma Heaven Cult accurately identified the needs of the gentry and powerful families. They held a trove of evidence of their illicit dealings, which they used to threaten these people into doing their bidding.
Without threats, these people would not act with dedication, nor would they dare to risk their lives.
Ever since the central government established a team dedicated to dealing with the Brahma Heaven Cult—one could call it a “special task force”—a special investigative team targeting the cult was in place.
The special task force was one thing, but the Imperial City Division and the Embroidered-Robe Guard also had their own separate units responsible for the Brahma Heaven Cult case, with Li Bao at the head.
This was the difference between Li Bao and Huang Yuecheng. Huang Yuecheng was indeed good at handling cases, but compared to Li Bao, Li Bao was more ruthless and better suited for the Brahma Heaven Cult case.
The special task force targeted the overt aspects of the cult, while Li Bao led the Embroidered-Robe Guard to target its clandestine operations. The Brahma Heaven Cult suffered considerable losses.
Furthermore, with Empress Dowager Xu acting as bait, nearly all of the Twelve Emissaries were lost. The cult’s followers were either captured or killed, leaving few remaining.
The Brahma Heaven Cult could no longer stir up any major trouble. However, they still held evidence against many court officials and prominent families. Even by using threats, they could still create chaos.
Princess Lin’an, Yu Huide, had not yet been captured. Who knew what else she was planning in the shadows?
Chi Wan was trying to guess what Yu Huide truly wanted to do.
Seeing that Yu Jiuzhou could become emperor, did she want to be emperor too?
Or was it purely for revenge against the Shengyuan Emperor? But he was already dead. How could she still exact revenge?
The best way to know what a person wants to do is to substitute oneself into their position with the available evidence.
Chi Wan thought, if she were Yu Huide, what would she do?
Given: the plan to assassinate or capture Empress Dowager Xu and throw Great Zhou into chaos had already been foiled. What should be the next step to achieve her goal?
Assassinate Yu Jiuzhou? Impossible. Setting aside the numerous guards around Yu Jiuzhou that made it impossible to even get close, with a master of internal energy like Chi Wan present, no one would be allowed near.
Sometimes, a successful assassination is one thing, but an unsuccessful one merely alerts the enemy, making it an even worse strategy.
Use the evidence in her hands to threaten those officials into action? What kind of action?
Chi Wan pondered for a long time in her heart and finally decided to use a dirty trick. As long as it could draw the person out, a little dirty trick was fine.
Early in the morning, Chi Wan was playing with the two little ones. Yu Jiuzhou was holding court, and they were waiting behind the main hall.
Chi Wan didn’t attend court often, only making an occasional appearance to show her face and let everyone know she was still around.
She was waiting for a piece of news.
Today, Li Bao was overseeing the execution of Fu Qing. If Yu Huide didn’t show up, she could just watch her daughter be killed.
The evidence of Fu Qing’s crimes was irrefutable, with no possibility of denial. An immediate execution was normal. After all, Fu Qing had no clan left; otherwise, the extermination of nine generations would have been possible.
The sentence of immediate execution was already quite lenient.
Fu Qing was not the only one being executed today; several other emissaries were as well. They would see which one Yu Huide would try to save.
If she saved her own daughter, what would her remaining followers think?
If she didn’t save her daughter, what would Fu Qing think?
No matter which side she chose to save, the other side would surely have new information to confess.
As for saving them all, did she think the Embroidered-Robe Guard was just for show? They would ensure not a single one could be rescued.
Chi Wan smiled as she watched the two little ones before her. These two children, just over two years old, had not yet formally begun their education, but they already knew many little stories.
For example, the one Chun Gui was currently telling them was similar in meaning to “openly repairing the plank roads while secretly crossing to Chencang.”
Create a false impression to deceive the opponent, while secretly taking action.
Whether in military, political, commercial, or daily life, such tactics were always useful.
She believed that Li Bao could handle these matters well and execute the plan perfectly.
Listening to Chun Gui’s story, Chi Wan suddenly raised her hand and asked, “Teacher Chun Gui, why do you only tell stories and not ask questions?”
She had attended various courses on child development. It wasn’t because she was a pediatrician; she just wanted to understand why the usage of a certain prescription differed between adults and children, and it wasn’t just a matter of dosage.
During her internship, she had rotated through every outpatient department. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to research ancient prescriptions, not sit in a clinic, but it was an internship—did she have a choice?
And during her graduate studies, she had also worked for her professor, doing all sorts of tasks.
They called her a doctor, but she had to do all the hard, tiring, and dirty work. Refuse? That was impossible.
Only after receiving her diploma was she truly considered a graduate. Even though Chi Wan had made a small name for herself in the field of ancient prescriptions, before graduating, she had to do all the work required of her.
Chi Wan knew that asking questions was a crucial part of cultivating a child’s ability to think.
She looked curiously at Chun Gui, this best early childhood teacher in the Great Zhou imperial palace.
Chun Gui was speechless. The sight of Chi Wan obediently raising her hand was truly unbecoming of a Prince.
Immediately after, Chenchen also raised her hand. “Why no questions?”
Guiyi: “Questions!”
Well, they were a family, after all. They even spoke in the same manner.
Chun Gui could only ask a simple question. “According to the story just now, if you wanted to eat snacks, but Her Majesty wouldn’t allow it, what would you do?”
Chenchen tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the snacks, as if she were working her not-yet-fully-developed little brain.
Suddenly, she glanced at Chi Wan, then back at the snacks, and trotted over on her short legs. “Mother, I love you so much~”
Chi Wan: “?”
“Mother, muah~”
Chenchen planted a kiss on Chi Wan’s cheek, looking utterly pitiful.
Alright, her heart softened. Chi Wan picked up a piece of pastry for Chenchen. “Eat, eat plenty.”
On the surface, she was being coquettish, but in reality, it was for the pastry. But with such a milky, fluffy little dumpling acting cute beside her, who could resist?
Guiyi took in the whole scene and immediately had an idea. She reached out, grabbed a piece of pastry, and ate it. Then she pointed at Chi Wan and said, “Mother said I could eat.”
Chi Wan: “?”
“When did I say you could eat?”
Guiyi said seriously, “Mother said, ‘Eat, eat plenty.’”
She hadn’t specified a name, so it meant everyone could eat.
“Alright, alright, so that’s how we’re playing, is it?”
Chi Wan was so amused she laughed. Chenchen was cute and clever, endearing in her intelligence. Guiyi, on the other hand, was feigning foolishness. On the surface, she was a simpleton who followed her sister’s lead, but the moment her little brain started working, she was infuriating, and there was nothing you could do about it.
She finally understood. She couldn’t treat these two sisters as ordinary children. They were both extremely intelligent. Perhaps when she was trying to tease them, they just found her silly and amusing.
Since that was the case, she couldn’t be blamed for using adult logic to cheat.
Chi Wan directly scooped Guiyi into her arms. “Then do you know the saying, ‘Beating a child on a rainy day, when you’re idle anyway’?”
Guiyi looked outside. “It’s sunny.”
“I can do it on a sunny day too.”
“It’s wrong to hit people.”
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. She even knew it was wrong to hit people. That phrase sounded very familiar, as if it was something she had said to Yu Jiuzhou. She hadn’t expected this little one to have overheard it.
“Then let me teach you a principle: might makes right.”
Chi Wan laid Guiyi down and began to tickle her little belly. Guiyi let out a silly giggle, which then turned into a hearty laugh.
She quickly called out to Chenchen, “Sister, help! Sister~”
Chenchen hurried over and hugged Chi Wan’s leg, trying to rescue her younger sister from their mother’s clutches.
This was the scene that greeted Yu Jiuzhou when she returned from court: Chi Wan, one against two, and seemingly being overpowered.
Chi Wan was lying on the woolen blanket, with the two little ones on top of her, tickling her.
Coming home from work to such a sight, her mood couldn’t have been better.
“What are you playing at?” Yu Jiuzhou asked with a smile.
Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong had already withdrawn. When the family of four was together, they knew to be discreet.
Only then did the two little ones stop. They ran to Yu Jiuzhou’s side together, each hugging one of her legs. Chi Wan walked over, covered each child’s eyes with one hand, and stole a kiss from her lips.
“How was it? Is the court still stable?”
Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. “Everyone is afraid of being associated with the Brahma Heaven Cult. They wouldn’t dare.”
With the capture of the cult’s followers, anyone connected to them had to be imprisoned.
On the surface, it was a move against the Brahma Heaven Cult, but in reality, it was to clear obstacles for the reforms.
True, the Brahma Heaven Cult was a nuisance, but not to the extent that it required both Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan to act personally. They had subordinates for that.
The situation could be understood this way: from the moment they knew Princess Lin’an was behind the Brahma Heaven Cult, the chessboard was set.
They established a broad strategy, implementing the plan while refining it along the way.
Many in the court opposed the reforms. Among them were good people and bad people. The good ones simply had different ideologies, while the bad ones were definitely acting for their own self-interest.
Killing people for the sake of reform was possible, but they couldn’t kill too many. Killing solely for a reform might not cause problems in the short term, but it would lead to endless trouble later. And what about the good ones? Should they be killed too?
The emergence of the Brahma Heaven Cult presented them with a way to swiftly remove these obstacles.
The Brahma Heaven Cult was just a religious sect. They could have simply suppressed it and forbidden them from spreading their teachings, striking fear into the hearts of any officials associated with them. But if they used this as a pretext for a major purge, would the civil and military officials of the court still dare to do their jobs?
What if one day they decided to target another sect, or insisted that officials were forming factions, and then launched another purge? The entire court would resist, which would throw the already unstable political situation into even greater chaos.
Empress Dowager Xu’s tour was a lure for the Brahma Heaven Cult to make a move. Daring to act against the reigning Empress Dowager—was that not the act of treacherous rebels, of regicide and rebellion?
The moment the Brahma Heaven Cult acted, they would automatically be branded with the greatest crime under heaven.
And anyone associated with the Brahma Heaven Cult would be guilty of the same crime. Coincidentally, the ones who opposed the reforms were precisely this group of people colluding with the cult.
Oh, it wasn’t a coincidence. It was because they didn’t want the reforms to succeed that they colluded with the Brahma Heaven Cult.
Those who simply had different ideals, unrelated to personal gain, would naturally not collude with the cult.
Of course, some fish would inevitably slip through the net, but the number of remaining opponents would be small.
It was a matter of killing two birds with one stone: dealing with the Brahma Heaven Cult while also getting rid of those who opposed the reforms out of self-interest. At this point, no one would dare to object.
The Brahma Heaven Cult intended to assassinate and kidnap the reigning Empress Dowager. Who could stand against such a charge? Who would dare?
This game of chess was played by Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou together. Their opponents were not just the Brahma Heaven Cult, but also the aristocratic and powerful families. But after the cult truly went to intercept Empress Dowager Xu’s convoy, they had already gained the upper hand.
At this moment, any civil or military official in the court who dared to step forward would be courting death.
Hearing that the court officials were being very obedient, Chi Wan smiled. “Aunt gave us a great gift.”
It had to be said, Yu Huide’s Brahma Heaven Cult had provided them with the perfect excuse to clear away obstacles.
Yu Jiuzhou rubbed the two little ones’ heads. “Do you think we can catch her?”
“I don’t know.”
To be honest, there was one part of this plan that Chi Wan couldn’t grasp: the possibility that Yu Huide was such a cold-hearted person that she wouldn’t care about her daughter’s life, let alone the lives of those emissaries.
Right now, Yu Huide had few people left to use. If she wanted to save them, she could only act herself.
To act was to expose herself, a fact Yu Huide could surely see. To not act was to watch them die. The choice was entirely hers.
If she chose to save none of them, then they would all just be killed.
Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. “She will appear.”
“Why?”
Chi Wan bent down and picked up the two little ones, puzzled as to why Yu Jiuzhou was so certain.
Yu Jiuzhou walked ahead. “Perhaps I know what she wants.”
What she wants?
Chi Wan thought for a moment, then looked at the two children in her arms and recalled the story from just now. “A pledge of allegiance?”
“On the surface, she wants to throw Great Zhou into chaos, but in reality, her goal is still revenge. The Shengyuan Emperor is already dead… An edict of self-condemnation?”
An edict that would make the Shengyuan Emperor infamous for eternity, turning the posthumous reputation he cared about most into garbage, trampling his dignity underfoot.
But the Shengyuan Emperor was already dead; nothing could anger him anymore. However, it would allow Yu Huide to vent some of her anger.
When it came down to it, Yu Jiuzhou had been much more effective at venting her anger, having taken everything the Shengyuan Emperor cared about.
Before the Shengyuan Emperor had even left the capital, Yu Jiuzhou already controlled most of the power. She could have taken his life at any time if she had wanted to.
Before he went to Jiangning, Yu Jiuzhou successfully seized his family fortune. The Shengyuan Emperor couldn’t take a single coin with him.
Power, wealth—these were all things the Shengyuan Emperor cared about. In the end, everything he had accumulated over a lifetime was handed over to Yu Jiuzhou.
More accurately, he was forced to hand it over. Yu Jiuzhou had compelled him to give it up.
As for the dignity and face he cared about most, he abandoned Shengjing and fled to Jiangning, only to starve to death in the end. What dignity was left? There was no one even to collect his corpse.
The Shengyuan Emperor’s tomb was a cenotaph. His body had rotted before Yu Yichen remembered, oh, he should be buried, to show his own benevolence.
But his subordinates couldn’t be bothered. They simply set fire to the Shengyuan Emperor’s palace, claimed the body couldn’t be found, and so Yu Yichen had them scoop up a handful of ash from the burnt-out palace to serve as his remains.
The Shengyuan Emperor lost everything before he died, and he did not have a good end after death either.
Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t wanted an emperor to suffer such indignity after death, especially since she had already gotten what she wanted, but this was the path the Shengyuan Emperor had chosen for himself.
Chi Wan guessed, “She wants to force you, in your capacity as emperor, to proclaim the Shengyuan Emperor’s crimes?”
“That’s impossible. You are the sovereign, and also his daughter. Moreover, you inherited the throne, so you are the legitimate line. If you were to proclaim the Shengyuan Emperor’s crimes, you would become an ungrateful wretch, and the word ‘Zhengtong’ would become a joke.”
After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the second emperor of his dynasty still served as crown prince for a time before ascending.
After the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Di miraculously allowed the old emperor to live for a “few more years.”
There was nothing wrong with Yu Jiuzhou’s succession. It was based on the Shengyuan Emperor’s edict written in blood, universally acknowledged as genuine. Therefore, she was the legitimate ruler.
To turn around and criticize the late emperor right after inheriting the throne—how would the world view her rule?
Yu Jiuzhou let out a soft laugh. “Indeed. Do you think someone as clever as Aunt wouldn’t have thought of that?”
Of course she had. Chi Wan suddenly understood. “You’re saying she’ll use the evidence in her hands to compel the officials to submit memorials?”
“Today, Fu Qing is to be executed. She can’t just save one side, so it’s possible she’ll save no one. But she has a way to save Fu Qing without being resented: your imperial grace.”
Yu Jiuzhou’s lips curled. “We’ll know by looking at today’s memorials.”
They handed the two little ones over to Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong and returned to the inner palace to examine the day’s memorials.
The Secretariat had already sorted the memorials. A dozen or so of them spoke of maladministration in various regions—legacies of the Shengyuan Emperor’s rule—phrased rather tactfully.
There were bolder ones too, directly pointing out the Shengyuan Emperor’s faults.
However, there were no pleas for Fu Qing. Based on these alone, what made Yu Huide think that Yu Jiuzhou would spare Fu Qing?
Yu Jiuzhou then placed a secret memorial in Chi Wan’s hand.
—For the personal attention of the Emperor of Great Zhou.
Such an address. Was the letter written by a foreign tribe?
Beining? Nanyue? The Eastern Sea? Or somewhere even farther away?
The letter was unopened, but it seemed Yu Jiuzhou had already guessed its contents and had no intention of reading it first.
Chi Wan opened the letter and discovered it was written by Yu Huide in her capacity as the Empress Dowager of Beining.
Ever since Beining’s defeat in the war, Daluoyan had been killed, and Abao Ping had usurped the throne. The son of Beining’s prime minister usurping the throne—was he trying to be the Sima clan!
Abao Ping’s family had led Beining into such a disastrous defeat, nearly causing the nation to be annihilated.
Beining was composed of multiple ethnic groups, none of whom submitted to the others. Now, with Abao Ping daring to usurp the throne, Beining had fractured into pieces.
Fortunately, no one was willing to attack Abao Ping, but of course, no one was willing to help him either. At this point, everyone wanted to lie low and develop their strength. Once they were strong enough, they would annex the other tribes and thus become the new king of Beining.
However, if Beining was not in chaos and a new king emerged, it would not be a good thing for Great Zhou.
It was in Great Zhou’s interest for the various tribes of Beining to contend with each other, fighting amongst themselves.
Great Zhou would take this opportunity to properly implement its reforms, gradually developing its own power, finances, and military, and purifying its politics, before expanding outward.
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had a grand vision in mind.
This vision was a combination of both their ideas. After all, the golden age Yu Jiuzhou envisioned was based on the writings of the sages and her own thoughts, but that wasn’t enough. Chi Wan had experienced a true golden age—a world where every person was born with the right to an education, where even if personal resources were unequal, there was at least nine years of compulsory schooling, a world that did its utmost to allow every person to live a good life.
The combination of their two visions was the Great Zhou they wanted to build.
Until the reforms took deep root in the hearts of the people, Beining had to remain in chaos. As for Nanyue, it needed to be torn down and rebuilt, then torn down again. This was the consequence Nanyue had to bear.
And Yu Huide was offering the chaos of Beining in exchange for Fu Qing’s life.
Furthermore, the Shengyuan Emperor’s edict of self-condemnation wouldn’t have to be written by Yu Jiuzhou. It would be “found” in the Jiangning temporary palace. The Shengyuan Emperor’s own confession, presented by the officials of Jiangning. Yu Jiuzhou could feign reluctance, and only after being pressured beyond endurance, finally announce the contents of the edict.
It could be said that Yu Huide had thought of everything. All Yu Jiuzhou had to do was agree.
However, Yu Jiuzhou let out a cold laugh. “Does she think We must follow her arrangements? The moment they used Gu poison on you, they should have known that We would not let them go. Fu Qing must die, and she… must also die.”
Chi Wan was taken aback for a moment, then pinched Yu Jiuzhou’s cheek. “She has a point. With a single call to arms, even if she can’t control the Beining government, she can throw Beining into chaos. The tribes will fight endlessly, competing for territory, livestock, and most importantly, for the Empress Dowager.”
At that time, whoever held Yu Huide would represent the legitimate line of Beining.
For her daughter’s life, she was truly putting everything on the line, using herself to stir up chaos in Beining.
But Yu Jiuzhou was absolutely confident. “The moment she used Gu poison on you, cooperation between us became impossible.”
Chi Wan nodded. “No problem. Our Embroidered-Robe Guard and Imperial City Division have already established roots in Beining. Even without her, Beining won’t be seeing any peace.”
The two exchanged a look. They had been laying their plans for a long time. With the two agencies, the Embroidered-Robe Guard and the Imperial City Division, they could act with ease and efficiency.
Chi Wan then swept the memorials off the table and pulled Yu Jiuzhou to sit on it.
Since Yu Huide had miscalculated, the next news would be of Fu Qing’s death.
Near the execution ground, Yu Huide’s hands were sweating profusely. Why hadn’t the imperial pardon arrived yet? Could it be that Yu Jiuzhou refused to cooperate? Impossible. This deal was entirely beneficial to Yu Jiuzhou, with no drawbacks. Why wouldn’t she cooperate?
Yu Huide couldn’t figure it out. If this continued, she would have no choice but to order her people to act.
Princess Lin’an couldn’t figure it out, but Chi Wan understood perfectly. She cornered Yu Jiuzhou on the table. “I can feel my wife’s love. I’m so moved.”
Yu Jiuzhou: “…” What was this!
She was too embarrassed to say such things, and even hearing them made her blush.
Chi Wan, however, was completely unconcerned. She was more than happy to say it. “Why don’t you say you love me?”
She leaned forward, pressing Yu Jiuzhou back until her hands braced against the table.
Yu Jiuzhou turned her face away, the tips of her ears already red. “I love you!”
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