In Zhengyang Palace, a woman of about forty years old was waiting at the palace gates. The moment she saw Yu Jiuzhou, a happy smile immediately blossomed on her face.
“Your Highness, this servant respectfully welcomes Your Highness.”
Seeing her bow, Yu Jiuzhou quickened her pace. “Auntie Yun Yao.”
She helped the woman up, her tone a mix of reproach and excitement. “Auntie, must you still perform such grand courtesies with me?”
“Your Highness, propriety cannot be abandoned,” Yun Yao said, respectfully completing her bow before rising.
She then looked Yu Jiuzhou over, her eyes filled with heartache. “Your Highness has grown thin.”
It wasn’t just heartache for Yu Jiuzhou; she also glanced at Chi Wan. Though her gaze was faint and showed no dissatisfaction, that in itself was the greatest dissatisfaction.
In the palace, every word, every action, every glance held a deeper meaning.
Chi Wan was well aware of how terrible her predecessor’s reputation was, especially the part about scheming to marry Yu Jiuzhou. At least in the eyes of Yu Jiuzhou’s family and friends, it would be very difficult for her to clear her name.
She wasn’t gold; she couldn’t make everyone like her. It was enough to change Yu Jiuzhou’s impression of her.
Chi Wan stood to the side without a word. Auntie Yun Yao was a woman of great propriety, so she still stepped forward and gave a half-bow. “Fuma.”
“You’re too kind, Auntie,” Chi Wan replied.
The highest rank for female officials and eunuchs in the Great Zhou was the fifth rank. The reason they seemed so imposing was that they were at the center of power, closest to the emperor.
Auntie Yun Yao was the highest-ranking female official by the Empress’s side and her most trusted confidante. Even the chief eunuch attending the Emperor wouldn’t dare to be arrogant in her presence.
From Yu Jiuzhou’s reaction just now—the excitement and joy of seeing Yun Yao, like a relative she thought she might never see again suddenly appearing before her—Chi Wan knew that Auntie Yun Yao held a significant place in Yu Jiuzhou’s heart.
Besides, if others showed her respect, she would return it in kind.
Upon entering Zhengyang Palace, a palace maid emerged from the main hall. “Your Highness the Princess, Her Majesty the Empress has given a verbal command. The Fuma is to go to Yong’an Hall. There is no need for a meeting.”
Chi Wan shrugged and leaned closer to Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, where is Yong’an Hall?”
Seeing her movement, Yun Yao’s brow furrowed. But when she saw that her own princess did not pull away, her heart filled with doubt.
The relationship between Her Highness and the Fuma didn’t seem to be as the rumors described.
But this was also her first time meeting this Fuma. Due to her dissatisfaction with the Fuma, on the day of the wedding, only the Grand Princess had paid respects to the parents. The Fuma, like a bride, had simply waited at the Princess’s Residence.
It was said that on the wedding day, the Grand Princess didn’t even see the Fuma, instead tossing her into a remote courtyard. The Fuma, dissatisfied, had gone to cause trouble at Yongning Courtyard, only to be beaten by Xia Qu and thrown out.
Xia Qu had not held back. From then on, the Fuma had behaved herself. So what was this situation now?
Yu Jiuzhou gave Xia Qu a look. Xia Qu reluctantly stepped forward. “Fuma, this subject will take you to Yong’an Hall.”
“Alright.”
Since the Empress was unwilling to see her, Chi Wan could only find a place to rest first.
Yong’an Hall was Yu Jiuzhou’s bedchamber in the palace. As the Fuma, it was no problem for her to rest there for a short while.
Chi Wan whispered beside Yu Jiuzhou, “Your Highness, this subject will wait for you in Yong’an Hall.”
Yu Jiuzhou did not reply, simply striding into Zhengyang Palace.
The Grand Princess appeared very cold toward the Fuma, but those who knew her understood that anyone allowed to stand so close to her could not be considered distant.
Her Highness had a cool temperament; only in front of the Empress did she show the demeanor of a young daughter.
Chi Wan followed Xia Qu toward Yong’an Hall. It was right next door, not far at all.
The snow was gradually getting heavier. This year’s snowfall was a cause for worry. A snow disaster had already occurred in Wucheng. In truth, it wasn’t just Wucheng; the entire province of Yanbei was experiencing disaster, but Wucheng’s situation was more severe. While other areas could still manage on their own, Wucheng was in dire straits.
The first wave of disaster relief, one hundred thousand taels of silver, had been dispatched. A director from the Yanbei Division of the Ministry of Revenue and a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial were sent, accompanied by a chiliarch from the Imperial City Division to prevent any rebellion.
By the Shengyuan era, the local garrisons had become almost useless in terms of combat strength. Only the border garrisons were still effective, but they had been forged in wartime.
Great Zhou was bordered by the Ning Kingdom to the north, Nanyue to the south, pirates to the east, and the Thirty-Six Kingdoms to the west. As Great Zhou’s national strength declined, the borders grew unstable, fulfilling the ancestor’s saying: the strong flourish, the weak perish.
If Great Zhou continued on this path, it was feared it would truly fall.
Everyone said Prince Bao’an was the ruler who would bring about a revival. Yu Jiuzhou scoffed. How could a disloyal and unfilial person speak of revival? If not for her, Prince Bao’an would have been reduced to a figurehead by the court officials in the early days of his reign.
But as soon as Prince Bao’an secured his position, he began plotting to seize her power. Her Mother Empress’s death was directly related to him.
The moment Yu Jiuzhou saw her mother, her nose stung. “Mother Empress.”
“Zhou’er.” The Empress quickly rose and took her daughter’s hand. As the mistress of the central palace, she had not lost her composure like this in a long time.
Her only child had married a wastrel. She, the dignified Empress of the central palace, and her daughter, the dignified Grand Princess, were actually stumped by such a sordid affair.
The Emperor had been obstinate, and no amount of persuasion had worked.
Empress Xu Qiongfang came from a ducal house, with her entire family stationed at the border. She and the old and young of the ducal house remained in the capital. The Emperor was already wary of the Xu family. Although he treated her well, he never allowed her to discuss politics.
The Emperor had said the princess’s marriage was a matter of state and for the sake of the imperial family’s dignity, the princess had to marry.
Perhaps the Emperor still couldn’t bear for his own daughter to marry a useless wastrel. It just so happened that Chi Wan was the second legitimate daughter and would not inherit the marquisate. The imperial edict stated that the Fuma would marry into the princess’s family.
This way, there was no need to build a separate Fuma’s residence or for her to move into the Marquis of Huai’an’s Residence.
Within the Grand Princess of Qin’s Residence, Yu Jiuzhou’s word was equivalent to an imperial edict. Moreover, Yu Jiuzhou was the ruler, and Chi Wan was the subject.
If Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t underestimated the Fuma’s foolishness, she wouldn’t have fallen into the trap.
Any ordinary person with normal intelligence would not have done something like drugging the Grand Princess.
Much had changed in this life. Yu Jiuzhou was still fine, not crippled, but the Empress was still very worried.
“Mother Empress, I’m fine.” Yu Jiuzhou was touched. In this world, only her Mother Empress was wholeheartedly devoted to her.
The Xu family was loyal, vowing to serve the emperor to the death. It was the kind of loyalty where, as long as it was the Emperor of Great Zhou, her maternal grandfather would not hesitate for a moment.
Her eldest maternal uncle was the same. Only her youngest maternal aunt was more flexible and not blindly loyal.
But her mother, clearly born into a family of military commanders, had been raised to be too docile. Her Father Emperor liked her mother’s docility and gave his Empress plenty of face.
It was a rare occasion for her mother to oppose her father, and it was all for the sake of her marriage. Unfortunately, the Emperor had been obstinate.
The Empress pulled Yu Jiuzhou to sit on the arhat bed. “Knowing you were coming, I had someone stew some ejiao and bird’s nest soup. Have some.”
Yu Jiuzhou smiled helplessly. “Mother Empress, I ate breakfast before coming.”
“You must eat it anyway.”
Seeing she couldn’t refuse, Yu Jiuzhou could only obediently eat a bowl of bird’s nest soup.
Only then did the Empress say, “Zhou’er, the Fuma… how is she? I heard that as soon as the curfew lifted, she was running all over the west and north sides of the city to buy you breakfast?”
She had thought the Fuma was a poor choice, but if the rumors were true, being a bit of a wastrel didn’t matter, as long as she was good to her wife.
Yu Jiuzhou: “? How does Mother Empress know?”
This matter should only be known to the people in the Princess’s Residence. How did even her Mother Empress find out?
Auntie Yun Yao stepped forward with a smile. “The whole of Shengjing is talking about it.”
Yu Jiuzhou looked at Chun Gui, who quickly said, “The Fuma ran into the Jinwu Guard on the road. Fearing they would give her trouble, she said she was on an errand for the Princess. Who knew the Jinwu Guard was concerned for the Fuma and had someone follow her.”
And so they saw the Fuma running from the west side of the city to the north, all to buy the Princess breakfast.
To say the Jinwu Guard was concerned for Chi Wan was, in reality, a concern that she was lying to them. Everyone understood this sort of thing without it being said.
Just as Yu Jiuzhou was about to explain, Empress Xu Qiongfang patted her daughter’s hand. “That’s good. Although the Fuma is a wastrel and has no achievements in officialdom, as long as she is good to you, Zhou’er, I can rest assured.”
The Empress then said to Yun Yao at her side, “Ayao, present the things I have prepared to the Fuma as a reward.”
“Yes.”
Hearing her mother’s form of address, Yu Jiuzhou smiled. Her mother only used “I” 【吾】 when she needed to assert her status. It seemed her mother was hinting for Auntie Yun Yao to put Chi Wan in her place.
“Mother Empress, I will stay and have lunch with you.”
She decided not to return to Yong’an Hall for the time being, so as not to interfere with Auntie Yun Yao’s performance.
…
When Chi Wan arrived at Yong’an Hall, Xia Qu led her to a side hall. “Fuma, you can rest here.”
“I want tea and pastries.”
Yong’an Hall was clearly cleaned regularly. Perhaps because they heard Yu Jiuzhou was returning to the palace today, even the braziers had been lit.
There were tea and pastries in the main hall, but not in the side hall.
Xia Qu snorted lightly. “Fuma, this is the imperial palace, not the Princess’s Residence.”
Chi Wan gave Xia Qu a look that said, you’re being ridiculous. “I don’t have any say in the Princess’s Residence either!”
She said it as if she could just order people to bring her tea and pastries in the Princess’s Residence.
Every time, wasn’t it Yue Luo who had to fetch them? And thanks to Chen Jin putting in a good word, her meals had improved considerably.
Xia Qu was speechless. Seeing that the Fuma had been showing signs of turning over a new leaf recently, she decided not to argue. But to expect her to fetch tea was simply wishful thinking.
Xia Qu turned and left, seemingly heading for Zhengyang Palace.
So she had been abandoned in Yong’an Hall. Chi Wan had no intention of starving or dying of thirst, so she strode into the main hall.
When the palace maids in Yong’an Hall saw her, they all lowered their heads and pretended not to see.
Being in the palace, they didn’t know what was happening outside. They only knew that this Fuma had a bad reputation and was disliked by the Emperor, Empress, and Princess. They were just palace maids; they could only pretend this person didn’t exist in the hall.
No matter what trouble Chi Wan caused in the palace, they wouldn’t warn her. The consequences would naturally be hers to bear.
Chi Wan didn’t know what those palace maids were thinking. It was her first time in the palace, but she had seen plenty of TV dramas. They all said that entering the palace was like entering a deep sea. In a society of imperial power, it was better to be cautious. She certainly wouldn’t wander around.
There were pastries and hot tea in the main hall, so she went in for a cup.
This was Yu Jiuzhou’s territory. As long as Yu Jiuzhou didn’t do anything to her, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Yong’an Hall was divided into a main hall, left and right side halls, and had buildings in the front and back. This was where Yu Jiuzhou had lived as a child.
Charcoal fires were lit in the hall, making it very warm. Chi Wan took off her cloak, revealing a jacquard light-blue straight robe with a jade-buckled leather belt. Then she removed the black gauze hat from her head.
She had originally wanted to wear the ornate attire of a noble, but it was too magnificent, and she didn’t like being too conspicuous. Nobles with military posts, like the commanders of the various guards and high-ranking military officials, often dressed this way.
Chi Wan held both civil and military posts, and she was also a noble, so she received several salaries more than others.
In fact, Great Zhou wasn’t strict about clothing, as long as one didn’t offend the emperor. There were also rules about birds and beasts, which were embroidered on official robes—hence the saying “beasts in clothes and hats.”
Chi Wan sat on a small stool, warming her hands over the brazier. In a short while, they were warm.
After two cups of hot tea, her whole body warmed up.
A world without the internet was boring. Chi Wan sat on the arhat bed, brought over the nearby Go board, and started playing a game against herself.
Before she could finish a single game, Yun Yao arrived with the rewards.
Chi Wan: “?” What was this for?
She saw several people behind Auntie Yun Yao and couldn’t help but wonder if she had done something wrong.
Yun Yao looked at her faintly. “A verbal command from Her Majesty the Empress.”
Chi Wan was momentarily confused, but she understood she had to kneel. She would just treat it as kneeling to her mother-in-law.
“This subject pays her respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
Only then did Yun Yao speak. “Fuma Chi Wan, as elegant as an orchid and as gentle as jade, is bestowed one fine horse from the northwest, one carriage, two sets of Qilin and Ruyi patterned robes, eight hundred bolts of silk, one hundred taels of gold, and one thousand taels of silver.”
Chi Wan’s eyes widened. In an instant, she had become a rich woman with a car. A bolt of silk cost at least six or seven taels of silver, and that was just the average price, not counting the high-quality ones. Eight hundred bolts of silk, plus the gold and silver—she was a rich woman among rich women.
What a good mother-in-law, to be so generous. It was so touching.
“This subject kowtows in thanks for Her Majesty the Empress’s grace.”
Looking at all that silver, Chi Wan’s first thought was, great, great, great, I don’t have to earn money anymore. The Empress’s reward is enough.
She wondered if she had accepted the decree too quickly. Should she have been more reserved?
Then, Yun Yao continued, “Fuma, Her Majesty the Empress’s meaning is that the craftsmanship of the palace weaving workshop is excellent. The eight hundred bolts of cloth will be made into clothing for all four seasons for the Fuma by the workshop. They will be delivered to Your Highness’s residence when they are ready.”
Chi Wan was stunned. “How many clothes can be made from eight hundred bolts of silk?”
“One outer garment, two inner garments, plus shoes and socks. For a set of everyday clothes, two bolts of cloth are enough for a complete set, inside and out.”
Hearing Auntie Yun Yao’s calculation, she was utterly speechless. “So you’re saying you’re going to make four hundred sets of clothes for me? I’d have to wear them until I die.”
Auntie Yun Yao frowned. “What does the Fuma mean by that? According to regulations, the Fuma’s official attire is divided into ceremonial robes and court robes, eight sets of each. For everyday wear, twenty-four sets per season, which is ninety-six sets a year.”
“The Fuma holds many official posts and also requires military attire. According to this subject’s calculations, the Fuma needs two hundred sets of clothes made per year.”
Chi Wan was truly shocked. In her modern life, based on the standard of not repeating an outfit in a week, she had seven outfits per season. For all four seasons, that was maybe thirty sets. Adding clothes for different occasions, it would be fifty sets at most, which would last three to five years, with just a few new additions each year.
However, she did know some more fastidious people who wouldn’t repeat an outfit in a month and would buy over a hundred sets of clothes a year.
She was just amazed at how extravagant an ancient Fuma was, needing so many clothes made in a year.
And this was just a Fuma. The princes, marquises, nobles, and high-ranking officials’ families probably had even more.
“This subject will leave it all to Her Majesty the Empress’s discretion.”
Chi Wan said no more. Although she didn’t know why the Empress had arranged it this way, these things were originally the Empress’s reward. Whatever was done, the Empress had the final say.
Although it seemed that Auntie Yun Yao’s actions were meant to put her in her place, she had received so many rewards. What was the Empress’s true intention?
After Auntie Yun Yao left, Xia Qu appeared from somewhere. “Does the Fuma not see Auntie Yun Yao’s intention?”
“Tell me.”
Since Xia Qu was here to enlighten her, Chi Wan saw no need to play guessing games with her.
Xia Qu suddenly regretted coming out. She felt as if Auntie Yun Yao’s performance was like a mute person acting for a blind person.
“Her Majesty the Empress bestowed things upon the Fuma, but the Fuma cannot be the master of these things. Her Majesty is telling the Fuma that even though you have married the Princess, you must still respect the Princess as your sovereign. Her Highness is first the Grand Princess of Qin of the Great Zhou, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, and only then the Fuma’s partner. According to the rules, the Fuma has married into the family, no different from His Majesty’s concubines.”
Chi Wan’s heart sank. What a royal family, so many layers to every move. But so what? She had no real relationship with Yu Jiuzhou to begin with.
“In that case, I will convert the carriage and horse into silver. Along with the gold and silver, I will buy supplies in Her Highness’s name and send them to Wucheng for disaster relief.”
At first, she hadn’t thought much of it. But after Xia Qu’s explanation, she suddenly felt these rewards were a bit too hot to handle. She and Yu Jiuzhou were destined not to be together. These rewards were given on the premise that they were a couple, so she couldn’t accept them.
Xia Qu was completely stunned, thinking Chi Wan felt humiliated. “Fuma, don’t overthink it. Her Majesty the Empress is not trying to humiliate you. She is just giving you a warning, hoping that the Fuma will treat Her Highness well in the future.”
Chi Wan nodded silently. She didn’t feel humiliated. She just felt that she and Yu Jiuzhou had only reached a preliminary cooperative relationship. Outsiders didn’t know their situation, but she herself had to have a sense of propriety.
She poured herself a cup of hot tea, tasting the bitterness as it entered her mouth, a certain gloominess in her heart.
Seeing that Chi Wan was no longer paying attention to her, Xia Qu couldn’t help but wonder if her words had been too harsh. Anyone would feel uncomfortable hearing such things. The Fuma hadn’t done anything out of line these past few days and had even changed a great deal. Wouldn’t this dampen the Fuma’s motivation to become better?
Xia Qu couldn’t help but reflect inwardly, then left awkwardly.
Chi Wan leaned back in her chair, thinking about everything that had happened since she transmigrated. She had been striving to change her fate, but now she realized her methods had been too limited.
Her goal hadn’t changed, but she had always focused her attention within the Princess’s Residence, revolving around matters between herself and Yu Jiuzhou. But this was a real world, a world where imperial power was supreme.
The emperor, the imperial relatives, the noble families—these were all large circles, with smaller circles within them. For these circles, you either joined or were isolated.
Ever since Chi Wan was appointed as the magistrate of Qingyuan County, these circles had been trying to pull her in. Many people had approached the gatekeeper of the Princess’s Residence, wanting to meet with her, but she had pretended not to know and rejected them all.
She had no choice. Her predecessor had been used by Prince Zhongshan just because of some rumors. Now, she was no longer an idle Fuma; she was gradually gaining real power.
If she wanted to survive, she couldn’t rely solely on Yu Jiuzhou. She also had to help Yu Jiuzhou win the final victory. In this game of power, only the victor could survive to the end.
Since she had chosen Yu Jiuzhou, she had to play her part. It was better to stand on her own two feet than to place her hopes on others.
After thinking it through, Chi Wan’s mood lightened. The tea she was drinking, after its initial bitterness, became sweet.
Perhaps it was because Her Majesty the Empress had sent Auntie Yun Yao to give her a warning, in line with the royal style of giving a sweet date after a hard blow, but she also had the imperial kitchen send her lunch.
Six dishes and a soup, plus a game dish stewed in a clay pot. The meat was tender and melted in her mouth.
Meat could easily become tough if overcooked, but if not cooked long enough, it wouldn’t be tender. As expected of the palace’s culinary skills, Chi Wan ate two bowls of rice.
You could tell if the dishes were good by how much rice you ate.
Chi Wan had a good appetite. She glanced at the palace maid standing by to serve her and pointed at the dishes on the table. “Take these and share them.”
She knew that according to ancient customs, they couldn’t eat at the same table as her, nor could they eat before their master.
So she hadn’t suggested it at the beginning, simply using serving chopsticks when taking food.
The eyes of the serving maid lit up, and she immediately bowed. “Thank you, Fuma.”
“Mm, I’m going to walk off my meal. Can I walk around Yong’an Hall freely?”
The palace maid thought for a moment, and in consideration of the table of good food, she offered a reminder, “As long as the Fuma does not go to Her Highness’s bedchamber, it should be fine.”
“Thank you.”
Chi Wan expressed her thanks, stood up, put on her cloak, and walked out of the main hall. Yong’an Hall was quite large, covering several thousand square meters, about the size of a football field.
A lap around this palace would be enough exercise for the day.
As Chi Wan walked, she came to the small garden of Yong’an Hall. In winter, only some green potted plants remained. It looked like they had just been moved here to welcome Yu Jiuzhou back to the palace.
There was also a swing set, which looked quite old.
Chi Wan brushed the snow off the swing with her hand and sat down on it. The snow was falling harder now, turning from small flakes to large goose feathers.
She swung gently, letting the snow fall on her.
After a while, a cold wind blew past. Even though Chi Wan was in good health, she felt a chill.
Since she was idle anyway, she might as well build a snowman to warm up and relieve the boredom.
Yong’an Hall was swept spotlessly clean. The snow was pure white, without a speck of dust. She found a wooden board and shoveled the snow together.
To keep the snow white, she only shoveled the top layer.
A snowman quickly took shape in her hands. Unfortunately, there were no carrots or anything. She took off her own hat and put it on the snowman’s head, plucked two leaves for its eyes, and used a branch for its nose. She really couldn’t find anything for the mouth, and she didn’t have the heart to destroy any flowers, so she just used her finger to draw a mouth on the snowman’s face.
Looking at her creation, Chi Wan nodded in satisfaction. She made a frame with her hands, pretending to take a photo for a souvenir, and even made a “click” sound with her mouth.
Yu Jiuzhou, returning from lunch, didn’t want to disturb her mother’s afternoon nap and decided to go back to Yong’an Hall to enjoy the snowy scenery. Instead, she found her small garden in a mess.
Even if that snowman was cute, it couldn’t quell her anger.
But… Yu Jiuzhou remembered what Xia Qu had told her. After being reprimanded by Auntie Yun Yao, Chi Wan’s mood had been off, and she had even made the decision to convert the rewards into supplies for Wucheng.
Auntie Yun Yao had said that Chi Wan only thought that making all the cloth into clothes was a bit much and had no other reaction. Xia Qu, on the other hand, said that Chi Wan felt she had been humiliated.
After hearing the whole story, she realized that Chi Wan hadn’t understood at first. It was only after Xia Qu explained it that Chi Wan understood, even though Auntie Yun Yao’s words did indeed carry that meaning.
Chi Wan’s response was neither servile nor overbearing; she did not bow to power or wealth. And then there was the cute snowman in front of her. This was completely different from the old Chi Wan.
Yu Jiuzhou’s anger vanished in an instant. She strode toward Chi Wan, her footsteps crunching on the snow.
Chi Wan looked up, paused for a moment, and then bowed. “Your Highness.”
“The snowman is very nice,” Yu Jiuzhou said, offering an awkward compliment.
“Yes, this subject thinks so too.” Chi Wan didn’t want to exchange pleasantries and accepted the compliment without hesitation.
Yu Jiuzhou: “…”
Footnotes:
- Chiliarch (千户): A military rank in imperial China meaning “commander of a thousand households.” It denoted an officer who commanded a military unit of approximately 1,000 soldiers. This was a mid-level command position within military organizations like the Imperial City Division.
- Arhat Bed (罗汉床): A type of traditional Chinese furniture that functioned as both a daybed for reclining and a seating area for receiving guests, often used in more informal settings.
- Ejiao (阿胶): A traditional Chinese medicinal preparation made from donkey hide, believed to nourish the blood and promote vitality, often consumed by women.
- Bird’s Nest Soup (燕窝汤): A luxurious delicacy made from the nests of swiftlet birds, considered highly nutritious and a status symbol in Chinese culture.
- Qilin and Ruyi Patterns (麒麟如意纹): Auspicious motifs in Chinese art. The Qilin is a mythical hooved creature symbolizing prosperity and serenity; Ruyi is a curved decorative object representing wishes fulfillment and good fortune.
- Bolt of Silk (匹): A traditional unit of measurement for fabric, approximately 13.3 meters (43.6 feet) in length during many dynastic periods.
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