TGPSAC – Chapter 144

The various nations’ attempts at a marriage alliance had failed; instead, they had been thoroughly fleeced by Great Zhou.

To think they would try to use beauties to seduce Yu Jiuzhou. Chi Wan, who usually didn’t involve herself much in such matters, took the initiative this time.

For the first time, everyone witnessed what a true profiteering merchant looked like.

Anyone who wanted to steal her wife had to see if she, Chi Jinzhao, the great Prince, would agree. Anyone who dared to extend a claw would have to lose a hand.

The foreign tribes paid a high price for goods from Great Zhou, like silk fabrics, which were all outdated styles.

As for machinery, they were likewise obsolete models. They could pay for a trade-in.

Chi Wan also threw in some free items, letting these diplomatic missions learn that the free things were always the most expensive.

This was called “follow-up costs.” To unlock the subsequent use of certain items, they had to pay up first.

This time, Chi Wan brought in a revenue of tens of millions of taels of silver for Great Zhou, and this income was continuous.

Now that Great Zhou had money, the first order of business was to improve the army’s food. Other water conservancy projects were still underway, requiring large sums of silver to be invested daily.

Great Zhou had talented individuals for water management, but most were still trapped in conventional thinking.

Chi Wan gathered these people and proposed the concept of “using water to manage water.” Of course, she didn’t know how to tame rivers, but she knew history. The historical figure Chen Huang had proposed this idea. The key to managing the Yellow River was to use the river’s own flow to scour away silt, thereby keeping the channel clear. This, along with building dikes and dredging the riverbed, would increase the water’s force to flush the river bottom, preventing sediment buildup.

At the same time, the water’s force, terrain, and other factors in different sections had to be managed flexibly according to the actual situation.

If asked to draw up plans and build it herself, Chi Wan certainly couldn’t do it. But she could propose the theory. With so many talented people in the Ministry of Works, someone was bound to figure it out.

She was a theorist. By telling the relevant experts the advanced theories, someone would naturally be able to bring them to fruition.

Last year, the Ministry of Works had created a water management plan, but it required a massive investment of silver. Although the current Great Zhou was wealthier than during the Shengyuan era, it had initially been propped up entirely by their private assets.

When a company is short on funds, can it use the chairman’s personal money to fill the gap? The first choice would surely be to seek loans or financing.

Using private money to fill a bottomless pit was definitely not a viable solution. Fortunately, Great Zhou soon began to generate revenue.

Income from salt and sugar were state-owned businesses. Selling salt without a license was a death sentence.

Commercial trade also brought considerable income to the national treasury. Goods like silk, tea, and porcelain were mainly for export, but only to the various states of the Western Regions. Once maritime trade was opened, the income could increase several dozen times over.

Another source was opening factories—state-owned factories for handicraft production, which could also solve unemployment. Silk factories, in particular, required Kun Ze, which happened to address the initial problem of Kun Ze stepping out of their inner quarters.

The factories needed people who could read, write, and do arithmetic. These individuals would not come from poor backgrounds; those from minor official families were perfect for becoming low-level managers in the factories.

The wives of high-ranking officials mostly held noble titles and could take on more duties. Of course, assignments were not random. Detailed information on these individuals—their attitude towards the common people, whether they were kind to animals, their public reputation, their private demeanor, as well as their management style and abilities—was thoroughly understood before they could be employed.

Gradually, more and more Kun Ze would step out of their inner quarters. Only then could they begin to plan for Kun Ze to take the imperial examinations.

Some ideas were too ahead of their time, which wasn’t good. A slow and steady advance was the correct path.

Wasn’t the transmigrator Wang Mang impressive? Yet he was too hasty, imposing advanced ideas onto a feudal foundation. In the Han dynasty, there were no imperial examinations, no suppression by an empress like Zetian, and no massacres by Huang Chao.

At that time, the great clans held significant power and influence. Rushing things would inevitably lead to problems.

Of course, calling Wang Mang a transmigrator was just a jest; it had never been proven.

In short, many things could not be rushed, especially when injecting new ideas and models into a feudal dynasty.

Just implementing the new laws had exhausted their brain cells.

But new laws were something every dynasty had. Some were just old wine in new bottles, while others truly brought about a thorough change.

Things that were too novel were not suitable for a feudal dynasty.

Therefore, Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou took every step with extreme caution. Their goal was a strong nation and a prosperous populace, where everyone could contribute.

The former could be achieved after the new laws were implemented, before their shortcomings were exposed.

As for everyone being able to contribute, that meant that both Qian Yuan and Kun Ze would have a place to use their talents.

The former was in progress, while the latter was being paved.

Chi Wan wasn’t worried they couldn’t do it. Recruiting Kun Ze for the factories was quite easy, especially for girls from farming families. If they could bring income to their families, no one would stand in their way.

In contrast, it was difficult to recruit those with education. These individuals came from good families who valued face more. They believed Kun Ze should not show their faces in public. Their families were not short of money, and nothing was more important than the family’s reputation.

As expected, getting Kun Ze from official families to leave their inner quarters was even more difficult.

Fortunately, the schools Chi Wan had established would soon produce a batch of capable Kun Ze talents. Even if they couldn’t take the imperial examinations, becoming clerks would not be difficult.

Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had also considered what methods could be used to encourage educated Kun Ze to leave their inner quarters and make a name for themselves in the outside world.

So far, they had no better solution.

As of now, the best way to get Kun Ze to leave their homes was what they had previously thought of, coupled with continuously discovering the abilities of the ladies of the inner quarters and encouraging them to step out, bit by bit.

The prerequisite was that it had to be voluntary. If a person was unwilling to step out on their own, there was nothing they could do.

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A gentle breeze was blowing. Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou stood by the moat, waiting for something.

Before long, a ship approached. It was a new warship, and the two of them were going to test it personally today.

The ship would depart from the moat, enter the inner river, and test its functions—from sailing speed to cannon fire coverage and attack strength, everything had to be examined.

Chi Wan reached out and took Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, and they boarded the ship together. “Sister, do you know why one should sail south in winter and return in summer?”

“Because of the wind?”

Yu Jiuzhou had read relevant books. Seafaring was highly dependent on the season, especially for sailing ships.

Not only that, but the choice also varied in different regions. Some places were suitable for summer travel because the weather was more stable and the winds and waves were relatively small. Choosing a time when the sea was calm was beneficial for navigation.

Chi Wan smiled and nodded. “The East Sea is suitable for setting sail in spring and autumn, when the sea winds are relatively stable and the weather is calm. The South Sea is more suitable for setting sail in winter.”

She had traveled before. In the direction of the East Sea, the availability of fresh seafood indicated the best time to go out to sea.

The ancients were very clever. The fishermen had experience passed down through generations, so it wasn’t difficult to figure this out. There were also books written on the subject.

It was currently summer. Great Zhou’s first voyage was scheduled to depart from the East Sea in autumn, for a duration of two years. The crew consisted of the navy trained by Xu Chenlu in the East Sea over the past two years, as well as veteran sailors.

As for who would lead the fleet, Yu Jiuzhou had chosen a descendant of the Jiang Lin family, Jiang Weiyang.

The blossoms of the changwei are glorious; Weiyang brings them to light.

Jiang Weiyang had been instrumental in Xu Chenlu’s annihilation of the Japanese pirates in the East Sea. She understood the sea; people said it was as if she had grasped the sea’s temper. Some even called her a sea goddess.

Such a person was perfect for seafaring. For the safety of the fleet, the deputy envoys and others had to be carefully selected. They couldn’t bet everything on one person.

With tens of thousands of people and hundreds of ships, there was no room for error.

This voyage had three objectives. The first was to let other nations know of Great Zhou’s existence and location. The second was promotion, to showcase Great Zhou’s “local specialties.” The third was to bring back the local specialties of other countries.

For example, high-yield crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Good things, of course, had to be brought home. Things like silk, porcelain, and tea were positioned as Great Zhou’s luxury goods. Want them? Pay with real gold and silver.

Besides Great Zhou’s luxury goods, there were also mid- and low-tier products. In short, it was all about “Made in Great Zhou,” to be exchanged for gold, silver, and various minerals.

Once Great Zhou’s weaponry advanced further, the silver-tier ones could also be sold. The main goal was to make more money.

If other countries had better weapons, they would purchase them to be dismantled, studied, and replicated.

Chi Wan, Yu Jiuzhou, and the members of the Grand Secretariat had formulated a maritime strategy. It was basically a dozen heads put together, discussing how to get other people’s money and goods into their own pockets.

As for displaying the demeanor of a great nation, Great Zhou had plenty of things that were magnificent but not practical. Various schools of thought, printed into books, could be given away in any quantity desired.

Let everyone come and learn the classics. Perhaps in the future, when Great Zhou became even more powerful, these other nations would become part of their own family.

With the strategy decided, the fleet could be assembled for the voyage.

The fleet was nearly ready. Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had come to test the ship. After all, the sea was mysterious, and past voyages had suffered great losses. The Emperor and the Prince personally testing the ship was a way to give confidence to this expedition.

Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou boarded the ship, which relied mainly on wind and manpower.

The vessel they were on had a long, slender hull with a sharp, protruding bow, a high-speed sailing ship.

Its main features were excellent performance and high speed.

It was similar to the clipper ships that appeared in the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the king of the seas before the advent of steamships.

Great Zhou’s current technology was probably a bit inferior to that of a clipper ship, but likely not by much.

After all, it was still a sailing ship, heavily reliant on the wind, as the steam engine had not yet been invented.

Given Great Zhou’s current situation, it would be difficult to develop a steam engine without a hundred years or so, even though Chi Wan had provided the concept. The difficulty was still immense.

Once the steam engine was developed, they would not be so dependent on wind power.

Chi Wan thought to herself that, given her physical condition, she should be able to see the day the steam engine was created.

She and Yu Jiuzhou stood on the deck, watching the ship sail swiftly. Many grand ambitions filled her heart, but she was afraid of being laughed at if she spoke them aloud.

Yu Jiuzhou turned to look at her. “Jinzhao, do you know the cost of this one ship?”

Chi Wan shook her head. She only knew it was not cheap.

“Nearly ten thousand taels.”

“Ten thousand?”

Several hundred ships would cost nearly a million taels. Moreover, dozens of the main ships were much larger than the one they were on, and their cost was double.

Adding cannons and other weapons, manpower, and the vast amount of goods for trade carried on board, this voyage would cost well over ten million taels of silver.

But building ships and sailing the seas had a hundred benefits for Great Zhou. Besides, the ships were not just for the ocean. Great Zhou also had a river similar to a grand canal connecting the north and south, which had existed for a thousand years. Hundreds of thousands of canal workers and countless families depended on this river for their livelihood.

Dredging the river was also a top priority, costing hundreds of thousands of taels of silver each year. This time, the Ministry of Revenue had allocated several million taels specifically to use water to flush the riverbed silt and ensure the channel remained clear.

Coupled with the current sailing technology, this north-south river would become more prosperous, making its expansion an urgent matter.

Widening the channel, deepening the riverbed, building locks, and so on.

Flood control, irrigation, and shipping—all these aspects were inseparable from this north-south river.

After the fleet set sail, the court’s next focus would be on expanding the river channel, and the water management projects in various regions could not stop.

Everything Great Zhou did now required money.

If maritime trade could bring endless wealth to Great Zhou, it would greatly alleviate the state’s financial pressure.

“I hope all this silver hasn’t been spent in vain.” Chi Wan knew that Yu Jiuzhou was under immense pressure.

Great Zhou had engaged in maritime trade before, but the costs were too high. It was fine at the beginning, but later, it barely broke even. Now, restarting the maritime plan had met with much opposition in the court. One could imagine the pressure on Yu Jiuzhou.

If tens of millions of taels of silver were thrown in and only made a splash, someone would have to bear the responsibility.

Maritime trade was championed by Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou. The one to bear the responsibility could not be the Emperor; it could only be Chi Wan.

The commander leading the voyage could not bear such a responsibility either.

“Of course it won’t be in vain.” Naturally, Chi Wan couldn’t be certain.

The sea was ever-changing. If something were to happen, they would be too far away in the capital to do anything.

Yu Jiuzhou’s worry was normal, but in front of her, Chi Wan had to offer reassurance. “Don’t worry, the sea routes have all been planned. It will be fine.”

Great Zhou had sailed the seas before, more than once. They had detailed sea routes and were not ignorant of the ocean. They had a navy, ships, and cannons more formidable than those of Zheng He’s voyages.

As long as the seas were calm, Chi Wan couldn’t imagine the possibility of failure.

Yu Jiuzhou stood facing the wind. Everywhere the ship went was her territory. The banks of the river had long been transformed, incomparably better than before.

The vast sums of silver they had poured into the river had not been in vain.

Chi Wan suddenly felt as if she had transmigrated to Great Zhou to engage in infrastructure development. It was tiring, but for the sake of future generations, their hardship and fatigue now meant less work for those who came after.

Her gaze fell upon the river. Though it wasn’t particularly wide, in her eyes, it felt as if she were on a vast, magnificent ocean.

The sense of accomplishment from building infrastructure was quite nice. At least in Chi Wan’s view, Great Zhou was getting better and better under her and Yu Jiuzhou’s management, and the people’s lives were gradually becoming more prosperous. This was something to be proud of.

Chi Wan leaned against the deck railing, tilting her head to look at Yu Jiuzhou’s profile. A cool breeze blew past, lifting strands of her hair, making her seem otherworldly in her beauty.

The wind made Chi Wan squint slightly. She suddenly felt that with a life like this, what more could she ask for?

She had originally wanted to be a physician, practicing medicine in some corner of Great Zhou. She never expected that one day, she would be healing not a person, but a nation.

“What are you looking at?” Sensing her gaze, Yu Jiuzhou turned to meet it.

Chi Wan chuckled. “I’m looking at this person before me, as beautiful as a goddess, who has actually become my wife. This must be the good fortune I’ve cultivated over two lifetimes.”

“Then are you going to say that I, too, have cultivated for two lifetimes?”

Yu Jiuzhou’s perspective was always unexpectedly and magically reasonable. Rebirth was also two lifetimes, nothing wrong with that.

One transmigrated, one was reborn. Both had lived two lives, and they only met in this one. Wasn’t that the result of cultivating for two lifetimes?

Chi Wan’s lips curved into an amused smile. “To have met you, Sister, is more than just cultivating for two lifetimes. It must be ten lifetimes of cultivation.”

“You and your sweet words.” Yu Jiuzhou’s lips curled up. Though she said that, she was delighted in her heart.

She was also very grateful to have met Chi Wan—to have met, to have known, to have loved.

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “Whether my mouth is sweet or not, no one knows better than you, Sister.”

A blush crept up Yu Jiuzhou’s face, soon spreading to the tips of her ears. “Don’t say that.”

Her delicate voice sounded as if she had been bullied by Chi Wan.

The two chatted and laughed all the way. After the ship completed its circuit and conducted its cannon fire tests, it sailed back to the capital.

After disembarking, they maintained their personas as the Emperor and the Prince. Every movement was perfectly standard, exuding an imperial air.

Too many people were watching them. Maintaining their proper personas was a basic skill.

It wasn’t until they returned to their bedchamber that Chi Wan sprawled out on the wool rug in a star shape. Yu Jiuzhou smilingly lay down beside her.

“So tired,” Chi Wan said, closing her eyes.

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand slowly crept sideways, taking the initiative to grasp Chi Wan’s. “After we wash up, shall we go to sleep?”

“How will we sleep?”

Some people, even when so tired they had to close their eyes, still didn’t forget to tease.

But Yu Jiuzhou still helplessly went along with it. “I’ll accompany you.”

Chi Wan’s eyes remained closed, but the corners of her mouth curled up. “Alright.”

They lay there for a while, until a small hand patted Chi Wan’s face.

Ten-month-old Yuyu could already take a few steps while holding onto things. She had been playing on the rug, and seeing her mothers return but ignore her, she had crawled over to make her presence known.

Chi Wan cried out in pain. She couldn’t imagine how such a tiny person could have so much strength.

Yu Jiuzhou quickly came over. Seeing that her face was fine, she put on a stern expression, ready to discipline the little one.

Yuyu looked innocent. She had no real sense of what she had done. She only knew her mother was looking at her, and she immediately broke into a beautiful smile.

Well…

Yu Jiuzhou hesitated. She couldn’t bring herself to be fierce at all.

Chi Wan also smiled helplessly. “I’m fine. She didn’t do it on purpose.”

A small child’s control over their body wasn’t as refined as an adult’s. In her haste to crawl over, she probably just hadn’t controlled her movements very well.

A ten-month-old child couldn’t intentionally hit someone. If Yuyu were the same age as Chenchen and Guiyi, she would definitely be getting a scolding right now.

Still, Yu Jiuzhou said seriously, “Yu Yuyu! Do you know you just hit your mother? You need to apologize.”

“Ah~ Mama mama mama!”

The little one’s speech sounded like her mouth was on fire, but that was all she could say. She couldn’t yet form complete single words.

Most children only start conversing with adults after they are two. Even early talkers probably wouldn’t start until they were a year and a half old.

How could the little one speak? She just looked innocent and called out “mama.” It might not even have been a call for her mother, just that her mouth could make a sound similar to it.

With that one cry from the little one, both Chi Wan’s and Yu Jiuzhou’s hearts melted. How could they possibly scold her?

They exchanged a look and thought: Forget it.

Indeed, for mothers, a soft and cute little one was still very endearing.

But, not punishing Yuyu didn’t mean Chi Wan was going to let the matter drop just like that.

She suddenly pulled Yu Jiuzhou. “There’s a saying, ‘a daughter’s debt is paid by her mother.’ My lady, are you willing to pay Yuyu’s debt?”

“Yu~” The little one beside them seemed to chime in, making a “yu” sound.

Chi Wan laughed out loud. “That’s right, you are a fish.”

Seeing the big one and the little one actually start a conversation, Yu Jiuzhou was both exasperated and amused. “Is this fish not your daughter too?”

Chi Wan chuckled. “She is. But I needed an excuse to be intimate with you, Sister.”

Yu Jiuzhou snorted lightly. “When have you ever needed an excuse?”

It was always on a whim, a sudden desire to do something.

Countless times she had woken from her sleep to a strange feeling on her chest, only to realize, as she became more awake, who was pressing down on her.

Sometimes, she would even use a scissor leg lock.

Chi Wan’s head and hands had both experienced the power of that scissor leg lock.

“Don’t say that. I do find reasons sometimes,” Chi Wan said, waving her hand shyly.

In Yu Jiuzhou’s eyes, that wasn’t shyness, it was a mischievous grin.

Before she could say anything more, Chi Wan pulled her up, and they walked straight to the bathroom. The little one watched their retreating backs, a little confused as to why they were leaving.

But she was soon picked up by Chun Gui to be coaxed to sleep, completely unaware that her mother was currently coaxing her other mother.

Chi Wan pulled Yu Jiuzhou into the pool. They had been outside for so long today, so they needed to wash up. It wasn’t that they were germaphobes, but with a child at home, they had to be more diligent.

So after a short rest, they came to the bathroom.

As for why they came together, that was all due to Chi Wan’s little schemes.

She quite liked the bathroom. It was spacious, and the water was always kept warm. They could have a lot of fun.

Chi Wan never thought of herself as a person with strong desires, until she met Yu Jiuzhou. Then she felt that there was nothing wrong with having strong desires.

After living for so many years, she had finally found something she was more passionate about than ancient medicinal formulas.

She always felt that Yu Jiuzhou was a siren, an intoxicating and enchanting siren.

When they first met, she was as cold as frost. Now, she was as passionate as fire.

Looking at the beautiful scene before her, Chi Wan’s throat felt dry, her heart itched, and her whole body burned like a raging fire, wanting to get closer to Yu Jiuzhou.

Yu Jiuzhou’s eyes were misty with moisture, hazy and endearing.

“My lady, do you know that a gaze like that truly makes one unable to resist the urge to tease you?”

Who would have known that the lofty Emperor would be like this in private?

Yu Jiuzhou shot her a look full of charm. “Shut up!”

Her coquettish voice wasn’t scary at all; instead, it made one want to use a little more force.

“Alright, I’ll shut my mouth, but my hands will be busy.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…” Someone was full of flirtatious words. Although she feigned displeasure on the surface, she actually loved to hear them.

As Chi Wan said, this was called adding spice to their love life.

Otherwise, just plowing ahead without any variation, how could one be “heavily utilized”?

Chi Wan leaned close to Yu Jiuzhou’s ear and whispered with a low laugh, saying something softly.

“Grind… what?”

Yu Jiuzhou had heard the term before, but between the two of them, Chi Wan was usually the one to take the lead. At most, her own waist would be sore. Now, was she supposed to use all her strength?

Chi Wan smiled with narrowed eyes and enunciated the rest of the word with a straight face, then stared at Yu Jiuzhou without blinking.

Yu Jiuzhou was like a bewildered kitten, her eyes revealing confusion, but in truth, they held more desire.

“Don’t say it,” she said, trying to stop Chi Wan’s nonsense.

However, as she spoke, her movements didn’t stop. Some people’s hands and minds might not be able to work in tandem, but she was different; she could do both.

Yu Jiuzhou let out a low whimper, but her waist unconsciously sought out Chi Wan.

The entanglement of a pair of mates was passionate, intense, and all the more wonderful.

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