Good news. Just as more and more people were saying the fleet would never return, someone finally brought back word.
The fleet was sailing toward the ports of Great Zhou and was expected to arrive at Jiangning Harbor in half a month.
Making landfall at Jiangning was closer to the capital, and it would allow the fleet to tour Great Zhou’s waterways, announcing to the entire empire that they had returned with great fanfare and bountiful rewards.
Half a month later, when the fleet docked, all the officials of Jiangning were there to personally welcome them.
Who didn’t know that the current Emperor, Her Majesty, and the Prince of Qin Yu placed immense importance on seafaring? Had the voyage failed, it would have been one thing, but now that it had succeeded, one could easily predict that those who participated would see their careers soar.
This was especially true for the leader, Jiang Weiyang, the fleet’s commander. She had already earned significant merit during the campaign to eliminate the pirates, leaping to the rank of Assistant Regional Commander. After being tasked with forming the fleet, she was directly promoted to Regional Commander.
This was equivalent to jumping from an Assistant Regional Commander of the third rank to a Grand Coordinator of the second rank. This was no small leap.
It was well known that once a military official reached the rank of Grand Coordinator, they could command an entire army independently. For example, Chi Wan was the Grand Coordinator of the Imperial City Division; the entire agency answered to her, and she reported directly to the Emperor.
The next promotion for a Grand Coordinator was to the Five Chief Military Commissions. If Her Majesty was pleased, she might even grant Jiang Weiyang a noble title.
Moreover, everyone knew this would not be the only voyage. There would be many more to come. As long as she remained in favor, being ennobled as a marquis was only a matter of time.
Given this, the officials of Jiangning were certain to curry favor with her.
After all, Jiangning had been the site of a rebellion. Although it was later rebuilt, its status had plummeted from a city second only to the capital to one no different from an ordinary town.
The officials of Jiangning still wanted their superiors to see them—to see that Jiangning was trying hard and needed attention.
The central government often allocated funds to local regions for infrastructure development. In Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou’s view, the prosperity of the capital alone was not enough. For the vast Great Zhou, only when the entire empire flourished could it be considered a true golden age.
Of course, the plan was to develop the capital first, letting it drive the north’s growth, and then develop Mingzhou—Yu Jiuzhou’s fief when she was the Grand Princess—to drive the south’s growth.
As for Jiangning? Many of its great clans and noble houses had supported the rebels. Although they were not punished by association, they still needed to experience some hardship to learn the meaning of loyalty to the sovereign and love for one’s country.
Over a month later, Jiang Weiyang finally led her convoy back to the capital.
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had long been craning their necks in anticipation in Shengjing. Although they had already received the manifest via an 800-li express courier, they were still filled with excitement.
The two of them were excited for slightly different reasons.
Yu Jiuzhou was excited because if maritime trade truly succeeded, it could account for at least one-third of Great Zhou’s state revenue.
Great Zhou’s current annual revenue, converted to silver, was between thirty and forty million taels. Before long, it was very likely to reach fifty million.
If maritime trade succeeded, a one-third increase in revenue would mean an extra ten million taels of silver, or even more.
With money, they could do so much—infrastructure, education, technological development. Everything Great Zhou needed to do required money. The more money they had, the faster Great Zhou could develop.
The people of Great Zhou could achieve great things through hardship alone. After all, for thousands of years, the Central Plains had seen everything. Through countless generations, it had still achieved what it had, becoming a civilized and superior nation.
But money could reduce that hardship, prevent detours, and allow Great Zhou to develop at a rapid pace.
As for Chi Wan, she was excited not only for the reasons Yu Jiuzhou was, but also with the thrill of about to witness history in the making.
In the history she knew, Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Seas were comparable to the Maritime Silk Road, a pivotal moment in history.
Although Great Zhou had undertaken sea voyages in its early days, they had not gone far and were quickly banned. Now, after two years, Jiang Weiyang had surely traveled to many more places. This was a turning point in the history of this other world. How could Chi Wan not be excited?
When Jiang Weiyang returned, Chi Wan personally went out of the city to greet her, a gesture to show the importance she placed on maritime trade and to express her staunch support for it.
There were always people at court who criticized the voyages, even claiming they were a waste of resources and manpower that would provoke powerful enemies for Great Zhou.
This was nonsense. At their core, those noble families were only concerned with their own interests, though their words were always high-sounding. If one were to trace their origins, the backgrounds of many of Great Zhou’s noble houses were not so respectable. Some families became noble houses because their men and women had once served the emperor together. Only after gaining power did they develop into noble houses over generations.
What, did they now refuse to acknowledge what their own ancestors had done?
Now, they were constantly offering admonishments, yet they would fly into a rage back home. With this maritime trade, they feared they wouldn’t even get the meat, and whether they could drink the soup would depend on the Emperor’s mood.
What a terrible state of affairs.
Perhaps some scions of noble families were loyal and patriotic, taking the people’s needs as their own responsibility. After seeing the benefits the voyages brought to Great Zhou, they had wisely held their tongues. Some even supported the endeavor.
Then there were those who used embellished language, speaking in a tone that suggested they were acting for the good of Great Zhou, the sovereign, and the people, all while pursuing their own interests.
The world bustles, all for the sake of profit; the world hustles, all for the sake of gain.
It is common for people to pursue profit, and there is nothing wrong with that. Toiling for gain is not a mistake. The problem lies in whether the means of gaining profit are righteous or wicked. Some people steal and rob for profit, and that is, of course, wrong.
To secure maritime profits, the noble families had not hesitated to support pirates, leading to the rampant piracy on the seas. Great Zhou had paid an unknown price to fight them, and countless common people in the coastal regions had died.
To disregard one’s country and show no respect for life for the sake of profit—such people were in the wrong.
Perhaps Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou could not yet purge this attitude from the court, but one day, they would make these people dare not spout such nonsense in the throne room again.
Chi Wan stood outside the city gate, ignoring the various thoughts of the officials behind her.
Finally, a series of banners came into view.
Embroidered on the flags were characters for 【Great Zhou】, 【Sea】, and 【Jiang】. The fleet had arrived at the capital.
From a distance, Jiang Weiyang saw Chi Wan standing outside the city gate. Dressed in a red python-patterned robe, she stood at the very front of the crowd, as steadfast as a mountain and exceptionally conspicuous.
She spurred her horse, quickening her pace. She only reined in as she drew near. Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, she had already dismounted, nearly stumbling from the momentum.
But she paid it no mind, striding toward Chi Wan before dropping to one knee in a salute. “Your subject, Regional Commander of the Fleet Jiang Weiyang, greets Your Highness. May Your Highness be well.”
“This Prince is well.”
Chi Wan reached out to help her up. “Come, this Prince will take you to see Her Majesty.”
Yu Jiuzhou was also waiting eagerly in the palace. But in all the world, the only person she would go out of the city to welcome was Chi Wan.
Let alone leaving the city, for the Son of Heaven to descend the steps to greet a subject was an immense honor for that subject.
It was not that they insisted on adhering to such customs, but being in their positions, some things simply had to be done that way.
The two mounted their horses and rode toward the palace. Along the way, Chi Wan didn’t ask Jiang Weiyang to recount anything, since she would have to repeat it all for Yu Jiuzhou shortly anyway.
The ministers who had come with Chi Wan to welcome Jiang Weiyang were dumbfounded. That was it? She wasn’t going to say anything?
They could be dumbfounded for all she cared. Chi Wan knew what she was doing, and she was eager to share this joy with Yu Jiuzhou.
Once they reached the palace, Chi Wan finally had a moment to speak with Jiang Weiyang. “This Prince has seen the manifest you sent ahead, Commander Jiang. Well done.”
The manifest detailed the gains from this voyage. In short, Jiang Weiyang had brought back a great many things.
The categories included spices, treasures, medicinal herbs, animals, crop seeds, as well as pigments, timber, and more—mainly things that Great Zhou lacked but foreign lands possessed.
Among them, rice seeds, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn—the very items Chi Wan cared about most—had actually been brought back.
With these crops, the people of Great Zhou would surely have enough to eat. Items that were not demanding to cultivate and could yield large amounts of food were of the utmost importance to Great Zhou.
After all, whether it tasted good was not important; whether one could eat their fill was what mattered most.
Besides, it wasn’t as if all of Great Zhou’s land would be planted with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. The fertile fields would certainly be used for rice and wheat, while the poorer soil could be used for these new crops.
As for how to plant them, there were agricultural officials and experienced old farmers to conduct experiments.
Hearing Chi Wan’s praise, Jiang Weiyang was also thrilled. To finally return to her homeland after two years was a joyous occasion for her.
However, during the long journey from Jiangning to the capital, her mood had already stabilized. From the attitude of the local officials, she could tell that her return was a great meritorious achievement.
It must have been the attitude of Her Majesty and the Prince of Qin Yu that made these officials come forward to curry favor with her.
After realizing this, Jiang Weiyang refused all visitors, seeing none of the officials in the places she passed through. She simply focused on traveling and sent the manifest back to the capital via an 800-li express courier.
Having fought the pirates in the East China Sea for so many years, she understood one principle deeply: the more excited one felt, the more one had to suppress it.
She even knew that she was now the focus of Great Zhou’s attention. Therefore, she had to remain low-key. Focusing on her journey and giving the impression that she was eager to return to the capital to report on her duties was the best approach.
She had been suppressing her feelings the entire way, but after receiving Chi Wan’s praise, she couldn’t help but show her excitement.
This was a normal emotion. If a person could truly suppress their emotions to the extreme, how terrifying would they be?
Jiang Weiyang’s tone was also tinged with excitement. “Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. This is all part of my duty.”
Chi Wan smiled and led her to the Imperial Study. The area for receiving ministers was large, yet today it seemed crowded.
This was because a huge table stood in the middle, on which was a model of the ocean, complete with small ships. It was made to look like the real sea, with the surrounding countries marked out.
Jiang Weiyang was not surprised in the least. She had received this map before setting sail; otherwise, she would not have been able to travel so far.
After the formalities of greeting were over, Yu Jiuzhou waved her hand. “Tell us what you experienced from the time you set sail until your return.”
Chi Wan had someone bring a chair over. She also wanted to know why it had taken so long to return, as two years should have been more than enough time according to their calculated route.
Jiang Weiyang picked up the ship representing the fleet, placed it in the East China Sea, and began to recount her observations along the journey and the reason for her late return.
On this trip, she had visited dozens of countries, starting from the East China Sea, passing through Nanyue, Zhancheng, Siam, Malacca, the Southeast Archipelago, Lanshan, Gu…
Finally, Jiang Weiyang took a large gulp of tea. “We went all the way to Malin. The people there are quite dark, even darker than the Kunlun slaves.”
Chi Wan immediately made the connection. This world was indeed another world, but when the original author created it, the map had not been changed.
The explanation took the better part of the day, lasting late into the night. Yu Jiuzhou had Jiang Weiyang stay overnight in the palace.
The palace was divided into the inner court and the outer court, and the outer court had quarters for officials.
For instance, during every celebration, or when compiling and editing books, officials were required to stay overnight. It was common for them to stay for ten days or half a month, and family visits were permitted.
Chi Wan looked at the places the fleet had passed, the local customs of each place, and the special products they brought back. A sense of pride swelled in her heart. She had played a part in the success of this voyage; she had even provided the nautical charts.
She had witnessed history. No, she had single-handedly brought this history into being.
Yu Jiuzhou also sighed with emotion. “People once thought Great Zhou was the only country in the world. Later, they discovered foreign tribes and thought there was no one beyond Beining. Then they discovered even more countries. And now, seafaring has shown us both how small Great Zhou is, and how great.”
In terms of being a country, Great Zhou was certainly not small. But compared to the entire world, Great Zhou was indeed small. The oceans were nearly two and a half times the size of the land, and Great Zhou was only a part of that land.
The reason for saying Great Zhou was great was that understanding the customs and developmental histories of so many other countries was enough to demonstrate Great Zhou’s greatness.
The civilization of Great Zhou was second to none.
Great Zhou’s thousands of years of culture and etiquette, its long history, its unique cultural system, and its advanced technology.
Chi Wan had already taken off her python-patterned robe and was wearing only her inner garments. She leaned against Yu Jiuzhou’s shoulder, nuzzling her neck like a coquettish kitten.
Yu Jiuzhou helplessly ruffled her hair. “Tired?”
“No. I was just thinking that in the rankings of future emperors, you will definitely be among the very top.”
Chi Wan wrapped her arms around Yu Jiuzhou’s waist, looking like she just wanted to cuddle with her wife.
The two of them clung to each other like this, feeling the warmth from the other’s body. Their hearts were as calm as a lake at night, with only a gentle breeze stirring faint ripples.
Yu Jiuzhou smiled and gave her bottom a pat. Hmm… the feel was average, but she patted it twice more. It wasn’t to take advantage of her, but a gentle, doting pat.
“You have that much faith in me?”
“Of course. You’re my wife. My wife is the best.”
Chi Wan was never stingy with her praise. In her eyes, her wife was simply the best.
Even without her, Yu Jiuzhou would have done an excellent job at being the emperor.
They leaned against each other, staying quietly together. Just having the other by their side was enough.
Yu Jiuzhou pinched her ear. “Then wouldn’t that make you a renowned minister and general?”
Chi Wan nodded proudly. “Of course.”
“Show-off.”
Yu Jiuzhou chuckled lightly. “I think we should build a temple, the kind to deify you in. Like a Temple of the Martial Saint.”
Chi Wan: “? But I’m still alive.”
This…
Seeing Yu Jiuzhou frown—building a temple for a living person did indeed sound inauspicious—she continued, “Then let’s build a gallery. We can place all of Great Zhou’s famous ministers and generals inside and create a ranking. You’ll be number one.”
“Lingyan Pavilion?”
“What?”
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I think that would work. But being first is a bit much.”
There have been quite a few incredible people in Great Zhou’s history. If she were ranked first, she was afraid future generations would curse her for it.
Yu Jiuzhou glanced sideways at her. “This is Our dynasty. What We say goes.”
So domineering.
Chi Wan’s eyes sparkled. “Your Majesty’s virtue is like a gentle breeze upon the face! Your Majesty’s wisdom is like the bright moon in the sky! Your Majesty’s grace is like the spring rain nourishing the fields! Your Majesty’s might truly moves this subject’s heart!”
Yu Jiuzhou: “…” She wanted to cover her ears and not listen.
How could such flattering words come from those beautiful lips? She looked just like a treacherous courtier.
Helpless, Yu Jiuzhou simply covered Chi Wan’s mouth.
“Little mouth!”
Just like how Chi Wan spoke to their three little ones.
Little mouth! No talking!
Little eyes! Look at the teacher!
Yu Jiuzhou had heard it often and had learned it too. She was treating Chi Wan like a child.
Childish!!!
She huffed and turned her head to ask, “Then when can I talk?”
Yu Jiuzhou was clearly taken aback for a moment, then she was amused into laughter. “Little Chi Wan is a big dummy.”
“Little Yu Zhou is a big pervert.”
“What?”
Chi Wan explained with a straight face, “It means you love to touch my abs and like to entice me into doing…”
“Shut up!”
She told me to shut up, but she’s so fierce about it.
Chi Wan pouted aggrievedly. Such a grown-up, still acting spoiled.
Yu Jiuzhou was delighted on the inside but didn’t show it on the surface, merely shifting a little closer to Chi Wan.
How could Chi Wan not notice such an obvious little movement? She immediately narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Shall we bathe?”
“Mm.”
“Shall we rest for the night?”
“Mm.”
“Shall we sleep?”
“Mm.”
Hmm?
Yu Jiuzhou felt like something was off, but it also seemed perfectly right.
The next day, Chi Wan finally understood what it meant for rare treasures and jewels to be piled up like mountains. The sheer variety of things was simply dazzling.
Of course, it wasn’t that she had never seen fine things. On the contrary, even these tribute items were not better than what she herself used.
The main thing was the sheer variety, which was even greater than she had imagined. It was the impact of the quantity, as well as the impact of so many wild beasts.
Giraffes, ostriches, zebras, oryx, lions, leopards, a pair of bears, gorillas or black apes, white deer, white elephants, peacocks, and a white tiger, among others.
Even a zoo wasn’t as spectacular as the collection of animals before her. There was also a crowd of foreigners, who looked as if they had never seen the world; their mouths had been hanging open ever since they entered the palace.
Moreover, these were just selected examples of each type, not the entire collection. If it were the whole lot, how much more magnificent would it be?
To turn them into cash, they still had to sell all these things.
Seeing her pensive look, Yu Jiuzhou probably knew what she was thinking. “Worried that there are too many things to sell?”
Chi Wan shook her head. “I’m worried about where to open a zoo for so many animals. We could charge an entrance fee for people to come and see them.”
We could add some of Great Zhou’s own animals, and the first zoo of Great Zhou could officially open for business.
Yu Jiuzhou was amused by her. “That makes sense.”
“However, I hear these are considered sacred creatures. That tall one is a qilin. Putting them on display like that might cause a stir at court.”
That’s right, the giraffe was a qilin, and all the pure white animals were sacred beasts.
What about the little white rabbit, so white and pure?
Chi Wan opened her mouth, then thought better of it. A white camel was a messenger of the gods in the desert, and white deer and white elephants also represented sanctity.
Respecting the beliefs of others was also a fine virtue.
Chi Wan chuckled softly. “My lady’s admonishments are becoming more and more tactful.”
Yu Jiuzhou silently moved closer to her. Their wide sleeves intertwined, and from below, it looked as if they were just standing shoulder to shoulder. No one could see that their hands were already clasped together.
Perhaps it was because she was getting older, but she found herself increasingly unable to be without Chi Wan.
Then again, it wasn’t so bad. Yu Jiuzhou was not yet thirty before her rebirth, and only a few years had passed since then. All told, she was only in her thirties, the most beautiful age for a woman.
She was reborn in the twenty-seventh year of Shengyuan, and it was now the sixth year of Zhengtong. About eight or nine years had passed.
Chi Wan wasn’t much different from Yu Jiuzhou. Her mental age was in her thirties, while her physical age was not yet thirty.
In the modern era, this age was still young. It was no problem to say one was still young.
It was different in ancient times. In one’s thirties, it was possible to already be holding one’s grandchildren.
Just like Gao Zheng, who was in his sixties and already had great-grandchildren. Four generations lived under one roof, and it was said that in a few more years, it would be five.
So Yu Jiuzhou wondered if her growing clinginess was due to her advancing age.
If Chi Wan knew, she would definitely say no.
Clinginess came from love. When two people were in a relationship, the more they liked each other, the more they wanted to be close, wishing they could stick together forever.
They had been in love for several years now, and this feeling hadn’t diminished in the slightest. On the contrary, it had grown even stronger.
Just like Chi Wan, after a day of inspecting the capital garrisons, she would want to go home immediately, her mind filled with thoughts of Yu Jiuzhou.
Is my wife tired today? Did my wife eat well?
Chi Wan also leaned closer to Yu Jiuzhou, their shoulders touching as they felt each other’s presence.
Below, the foreigners came forward one by one to introduce themselves.
There were princes, royal daughters, and princesses, as well as many ministers. These people had come to Great Zhou to establish diplomatic relations.
That was the official reason. In reality, they were here to do business with Great Zhou. They wanted Great Zhou’s porcelain and silk, as well as things like snowflake salt, white sugar, and honeycomb briquettes.
It was possible these people wanted to take them back to replicate, but Chi Wan wasn’t worried.
Some things could be figured out sooner or later. Other things, they wouldn’t be able to imitate even after a thousand years. This was the depth of a culture.
Silk, porcelain—Great Zhou was the ancestor of these.
As for the things that were easy to imitate, they would just set a minimum purchase quantity. If the minimum wasn’t met, they wouldn’t sell. Making a quick buck was still making money.
As for the goods brought back from abroad, they would see what the Ministry of Revenue wanted to do. Otherwise, they would be sold off to merchants.
Never mind the purchasing power of all the merchants in Great Zhou; even the merchant guilds under the two of them would have no trouble absorbing these goods.
After reaping the fruits of the voyage, both Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou were overjoyed. The entire court, civil and military officials alike, was also happy—at least, they had to appear happy on the surface.
Those who had previously made trouble were grinding their molars to dust. One could only imagine how much money the goods Jiang Weiyang brought back would earn.
That money should have been theirs! Theirs!
Who cared about them.
Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou sat back and waited to see how much money the goods would bring in.
In the end, the Ministry of Revenue decided to sell the goods to merchants, with the state treasury only taking the money. Of course, according to the agreed proportion, fifty percent of it was to go to the Palace Treasury, and this was after Yu Jiuzhou had already made a concession.
One day, Chi Wan asked curiously, “My lady, didn’t you say you would keep all the money you earned for yourself?”
Yu Jiuzhou was sitting in a pavilion, holding fish food in her hand. As the food slipped from her palm, the fish in the pond scrambled for it, some even leaping out of the water to catch a bite.
“Only by seeing the money can the Maritime Trade Division be motivated to do better.”
Chi Wan laughed. “Oh, you fox, Yu Jiuzhou. You live up to your reputation.”
Yu Jiuzhou slapped the rest of the fish food into the pond, then turned around and pulled a nearby cord. All the curtains in the pavilion fell, blocking the view from outside.
She suddenly stood up and sat on Chi Wan’s lap, her arms wrapping around Chi Wan’s neck.
Her eyes were alluring, her tone seductive. “Who’s the fox?”
Chi Wan swallowed. “…I am.”
With a beauty in her arms, what was there to hesitate about? Hesitating for even a second would make it seem like she wasn’t up to the task.
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