TGPSAC – Chapter 53

Qingyuan County was right next to the capital, a metropolitan county. Any major event that happened there could not be hidden from Shengjing.

The consensus in the capital was that the Fuma had caused a monumental disaster.

The Shengyuan Emperor also received the news and summoned Yu Jiuzhou at once.

The moment he saw Yu Jiuzhou, the Shengyuan Emperor smashed a cup at her feet, roaring, “Is this why I gave you power? So you could act so recklessly?”

The Shengyuan Emperor was about to die of anger. He had been cautious his entire life, only to have someone exploit a loophole in his later years.

When he had first ascended the throne, the regent Grand Secretary had been a supporter of the new laws, even saying, “How can such a weak monarch govern the world?”

That man had seen him as the successor to the new laws, hoping he would continue to support them after taking personal control of the government. But he had done the opposite, abolishing the new laws as soon as he came to power.

The entire court knew he detested the new laws and hated reform. Yet what Chi Wan was doing in Qingyuan County was precisely implementing new legal reforms, something he could not permit.

Although he had told Chi Wan she could treat Qingyuan County as her own fiefdom and rule it by her word alone, he had not given her permission to touch legal reform.

Yu Jiuzhou wore a look of confusion. “I do not know what Your Majesty is referring to.”

“You.” The Shengyuan Emperor remembered that his daughter and the Fuma did not have a good relationship. Perhaps Zhou’er was not involved in this matter.

He handed a memorial to the nearby Wang Hai, who then passed it to Yu Jiuzhou.

The memorial detailed what Chi Wan had done in Qingyuan County, including the contents of the public notices.

Yu Jiuzhou closed the memorial. “Your Majesty, you said that Chi Wan could treat Qingyuan County as her own fiefdom. She is merely following your decree.”

A fiefdom could be a state unto itself. Its policies could be enacted internally without following or even consulting Shengjing.

But the meaning behind her words made the Shengyuan Emperor realize something. “You knew what Chi Wan was doing in Qingyuan County?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject knew, and the Grand Secretary also knew.”

The Shengyuan Emperor was stunned, nearly choking on his breath. At his side, Wang Hai quickly produced a pill, which the Emperor swallowed before he recovered.

Seeing the pill, the Shengyuan Emperor was once again reminded of Chi Wan. It was she who had sent these pills, and they had indeed alleviated his symptoms. As the one taking the medicine, he could clearly feel his condition improving.

For that reason alone, he could not punish Chi Wan too severely.

Outwardly, however, his expression grew colder. “You all knew, yet you kept it from Us. Are We the emperor, or are you?”

“Are We still the Son of Heaven of this Great Zhou, the master of this realm?!!”

The Shengyuan Emperor practically roared the words. The Grand Princess, the Grand Secretary, and the Fuma all knew something that he, the emperor, did not. Was this a provocation?

Yu Jiuzhou produced a memorial she had prepared earlier and placed it by the Shengyuan Emperor’s hand. “Your Majesty, Lord Gao gave his approval for this matter, and Chi Wan carried it out. This subject only agreed after reading the contents of this memorial.”

Gao Zheng could not escape being the vanguard. The one leading the charge on this matter could not be Chi Wan, and it certainly could not be Yu Jiuzhou.

Grand Secretary Gao Zheng—the pioneer of reform.

The Shengyuan Emperor had never imagined that Gao Zheng was the mastermind behind this.

At that moment, Gao Zheng, the designated scapegoat, had also figured out the truth of the matter. From the very beginning, what the Grand Princess wanted was reform. No, it was His Majesty who wanted reform, but he was using the Grand Princess and the Fuma to drag him into it.

It was obvious when one thought about it. How old were the Grand Princess and the Fuma? The Grand Princess had grown up in the palace and understood politics; her insight was no less than that of any official in Shengjing. But a matter as monumental as legal reform was beyond her.

As for the Fuma, she used to be a good-for-nothing. Although she had changed after marrying the Grand Princess, she was still a long way from being able to propose such a mature reform.

Therefore, Gao Zheng suspected that the one who wanted reform was the Shengyuan Emperor himself. But the Emperor was unwilling to bear the risk, so he used the Grand Princess to place the massive burden of reform on his shoulders—a burden he could not complain about even if he wanted to.

Just as Gao Zheng thought this, the Emperor came to a similar conclusion: after his son was demoted, Gao Zheng had decided to stop slacking off and push for reform in his final years as Grand Secretary. His son’s official career was completely ruined. After he died, his political enemies would surely not spare the Gao family.

If the reform he proposed could benefit the country and its people, he might not meet a good end, but as long as his reform remained, the Gao family would be safe.

If a reform that benefited the nation and its people could not even protect one’s own family, then this Great Zhou was finished.

With a reform that brought such fortune to the common people, the populace would naturally protect the Gao family. Whether it was the emperor or the officials, whoever tried to abolish this reform would be reviled for eternity.

The Shengyuan Emperor believed that Gao Zheng was taking this gamble so that after his death, his son could at least live as a wealthy man.

What he could not permit was that Gao Zheng had used the Grand Princess and the Fuma to do this. Those two silly children had been deceived without even knowing it.

“Summon Gao Zheng.”

The Shengyuan Emperor didn’t even look at the memorial Yu Jiuzhou had presented. He directly called for Gao Zheng, demanding an explanation.

When Gao Zheng entered, before he could even bow, he heard the Shengyuan Emperor ask loudly, “Gao Zheng, must you and I be like this?”

What kind of question was that?

Gao Zheng was momentarily confused and could only prostrate himself on the floor. “Your Majesty, although this subject does not know what he has done, for my lord to ask such a question, this subject deserves ten thousand deaths.”

“Ten thousand deaths? You only have one life. One pull of a white silk cord, and you’ll be gone.” The Shengyuan Emperor stepped forward, wanting to kick him, but then worried he might throw his own back out, so he just pretended to walk past.

“Inciting the Grand Princess to submit a memorial to Us, tricking the Fuma into being your vanguard, and running off to Qingyuan County to stir up a great reform. Gao Zheng, how did We never discover you had such a talent for reform?”

Listening to the Shengyuan Emperor’s cold sarcasm, Gao Zheng felt utterly wronged.

It was clearly you who wanted reform, and now you’re blaming it all on your subject, even putting on a show of scolding me for the outside world.

That’s right. Gao Zheng believed the Shengyuan Emperor wanted reform himself, and to completely distance himself from it, he was now berating him to tell all the court officials that the reform was the Grand Secretary’s idea and had nothing to do with the emperor.

If the reform failed, Gao Zheng would bear the consequences alone. If it succeeded, the emperor would then step out to express his full support.

In any case, all the good would belong to the emperor, and all the bad would belong to him, the Grand Secretary.

Gao Zheng felt aggrieved, but he remembered the note the Grand Princess had slipped him outside. After reading its contents, he bowed his head and pleaded, “This subject implores Your Majesty to read the memorial first.”

The note had described the contents of the memorial, so Gao Zheng knew how much benefit the reform would bring to Great Zhou if it succeeded.

And how much money they, the officials and gentry, would have to cough up.

His Gao family owned two hundred thousand mu of fertile land. If the poll tax were merged into the land tax, how much more would his family have to pay?

That wasn’t even the most important part. If the emperor and the entire court found out the Gao family had two hundred thousand mu of fertile land, they would be drowned in spit.

Families like his, with so much land, were not few in number. None of them dared to reveal how much land they truly owned.

When the land was measured, any underreported land would be reclassified. If they didn’t underreport, it would be evidence of land annexation from the common people.

Someone would surely think of registering the land under another person’s name first.

But if that was discovered, the crime was punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan. Concealing more than a hundred mu would lead to confiscation. Which of their families didn’t own thousands, or even tens of thousands, of mu?

The only way was to report a reasonable amount of land and let the government treat the rest as ownerless land for redistribution.

By doing so, they would lose that land, but their families would be saved.

Gao Zheng believed this was an opportunity the Emperor was giving the officials and gentry. If they didn’t seize it, they couldn’t blame him for being ruthless.

Buying peace with money. It all depended on whether those people valued money or peace more.

The thought of losing so much land made Gao Zheng’s heart ache. He had painstakingly accumulated that land his entire life, only to hand it over just like that.

But he didn’t stop to think where his land, all of it fertile, had come from.

How much was gifted by others, how much was bought with sufficient silver, and how much was acquired through forced sales?

The Gao family was no saintly household. Gao Zheng’s son, known as the “Little Grand Secretary,” was notoriously corrupt.

Gao Zheng knelt on the floor, his heart bleeding, but his expression betrayed none of his inner turmoil.

The Shengyuan Emperor finally opened the memorial. He might not trust Gao Zheng, but he trusted the daughter he had raised. She would never stand with Gao Zheng.

For her to take the initiative to help deliver this memorial, its contents might hold some surprise.

After reading the memorial, the Shengyuan Emperor didn’t remember much. He only remembered a few numbers.

How much revenue the new laws in Qingyuan County would bring him, and how much revenue implementing them throughout Yanbei would bring.

An increase of several million taels of silver a year, and that was just from Yanbei. What if it was implemented across all of Great Zhou? That would be tens of millions of taels in revenue.

This was real gold and silver.

All the Shengyuan Emperor saw was silver, and he only saw silver.

But Yu Jiuzhou and the others saw more than just silver. It wasn’t just about increasing tax revenue and simplifying the collection process. It was also about increasing treasury reserves and bolstering grain stores. In the event of a disaster or war, with such reserves of silver and grain, any invader would be beaten to death.

Furthermore, the new laws could reduce the annexation of private land, promote the development of handicrafts and commerce, and increase agricultural production efficiency.

All these terms had come from Chi Wan, who had explained them in detail, so Yu Jiuzhou understood their meaning.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be considered a full-scale reform, as it was only starting in Qingyuan County and being piloted in Yanbei, not implemented across all of Great Zhou.

Yu Jiuzhou spoke up at the right moment. “Your Majesty, this subject has considered it. Qingyuan County is a metropolitan county, so it’s a good place for a trial. It will be more convenient for Your Majesty and the entire court to see the results. And then there is Yanbei.”

“The officials and gentry of Yanbei committed such acts back then, and Your Majesty did not hold them accountable. They ought to give something back.”

“The new laws will not be implemented throughout Great Zhou. Let Yanbei become a sword hanging over the heads of the officials and gentry, to make them behave and not oppose Your Majesty at every turn.”

This last sentence struck a chord with the Shengyuan Emperor. Those officials and gentry were always trying to manipulate him, the emperor.

Whatever policy he enacted, they would either feign compliance while acting otherwise, or they would exaggerate the facts.

For instance, if he proposed something, they would amplify it tenfold or a hundredfold, naturally forcing him to abandon the policy, lest he be branded a fatuous ruler by the common people.

Moreover, the new laws weren’t being implemented across the entire Great Zhou, only in Yanbei and Qingyuan County.

The Shengyuan Emperor hated Yanbei; he held a grudge against the place.

If it could truly bring millions in revenue to the national treasury, it might not be impossible to agree.

Besides, Chi Wan had already started implementing it in Qingyuan County, and he himself had said she could treat the county as her own fiefdom.

A monarch’s words are not spoken in jest.

If he showed his opposition, Chi Wan would surely be attacked by many, which would then implicate Zhou’er, and ultimately it would become his, the emperor’s, fault.

After all, their authority was granted by him, the emperor. At the root of it all, it was his doing.

This Gao Zheng had tempted him with silver and had also grasped his dislike for Yanbei.

Most importantly, the Shengyuan Emperor could find no reason to refuse.

Gao Zheng was shouldering all the pressure for the Yanbei reform. No matter what, the blame could not fall on him, the emperor. At most, he would have more memorials to read each day and have to listen to the ministers’ nagging a bit more.

None of that was a big deal. If he, the emperor, couldn’t even handle this much pressure, then what right did he have to the silver?

As it happened, he wanted to expand the imperial mausoleum and build a few more palaces within it, to have all the palace concubines buried with him.

The Shengyuan Emperor finally said, “You all may handle it as you see fit. We will not interfere.”

This meant he was delegating the authority for the Yanbei reform to them, but he would bear no responsibility. Any and all blame would fall on Gao Zheng.

Gao Zheng was once again certain that this was a pit the emperor had dug for him, but he had no room to refuse. For the sake of the Gao family, he had to do it.

He had a son and grandchildren. He only had one son, but he had many grandchildren. Some had already passed the imperial examinations and started their official careers, and one had already secured a hereditary official post. Their careers were just beginning.

If he could remain in the position of Grand Secretary for a few more years, even if he couldn’t promote them to the position of Vice Minister of Personnel like he did his son, he could at least secure them a high-ranking post outside the capital. When they were transferred back to Shengjing, they could aim for one of the Nine Ministries.

Having thought it through, Gao Zheng felt much more at peace. “This subject kowtows in thanks for Your Majesty’s grace. Your Majesty is a wise ruler for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations.”

Yu Jiuzhou lowered her eyes and smiled. She had never considered failure when undertaking this matter.

His Majesty loved fame and money, and Gao Zheng prioritized the interests of the Gao family.

As long as they were shown these benefits, they would agree. Besides, it wasn’t a reform across the entire Great Zhou, just a pilot program to see how it went. If it wasn’t suitable, it could be abolished in time.

Chi Wan had said something right: when people are unwilling to open a window, you must threaten to tear off the roof, and then they will be willing.

People always prefer a compromise.

Things were progressing smoothly, and Yu Jiuzhou was in a good mood, but she hadn’t forgotten what Yuan Yiqing had said.

“Your Majesty, this subject may no longer be able to participate in the cabinet’s deliberations.”

The Shengyuan Emperor was taken aback. His first reaction was that Yu Jiuzhou was threatening him. He needed her in the cabinet to keep an eye on things—not just to hold the power of regency, but also to watch over Gao Zheng and how he carried out the reform.

If Yu Jiuzhou could not attend the cabinet meetings, all his plans would be for naught.

“Zhou’er, you are the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess has the right to participate in political deliberations by ancestral law.”

This was established by precedent. Wasn’t that why he had enfeoffed her as the Grand Princess of Qin?

With such a title, and as the Grand Princess, her status was the highest as long as there was no crown prince.

He had given her so much power. Was she going to betray him?

Yu Jiuzhou bowed. “But Yuan Yiqing said that because this subject is a Kun Ze, he will not participate in deliberations as long as I am present.”

“Insolence!”

The Shengyuan Emperor looked at Wang Hai beside him. “Is this true?”

More or less. What Yuan Yiqing had actually said was that he would not deliberate with the Grand Princess until his memorial of opposition received an official reply.

This could be interpreted as the Grand Princess said, or it could be interpreted as him being willing to compromise if His Majesty insisted.

But who was to blame for the fact that Yuan Yiqing always looked down on them, the palace eunuchs, and would even call them castrates?

When you don’t watch your mouth on a daily basis, no one will help you when trouble comes.

Wang Hai lowered his head and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, it is indeed true.”

“Utterly devoid of respect for sovereign or parent.” The Shengyuan Emperor said coldly, “Since he has said so, someone draft a decree. Approve Yuan Yiqing’s memorial of resignation.”

Yuan Yiqing had not resigned, but since His Majesty had said so, he had to resign whether he wanted to or not.

“Furthermore, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War are to join the cabinet for deliberations.”

Gao Zheng was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Zhang Weisi and Yuan Yiqing were cabinet ministers without heading any specific ministry.

The emperor was sending a message to the outside world: if you won’t even handle this small matter for Us, then We have no need to tolerate you.

The Shengyuan Emperor was actually a very compliant emperor. As long as no one tried to seize his power or his money, he was very easy to talk to.

His initiative to delegate power to Yu Jiuzhou was, in essence, for his own benefit. Yuan Yiqing’s obstruction was a direct challenge to him, so he was summarily dismissed to intimidate the other officials.

Yu Jiuzhou was satisfied with this outcome. Now, she just had to wait for news from Chi Wan’s side.

Chi Wan had brought men from the Imperial City Division and soldiers from the Qingyuan County Guard Post. Against such absolute power, the people of Qingyuan County could not resist.

The land in Qingyuan County was not mostly owned by the local officials and gentry. The real owners of Qingyuan’s land all lived in Shengjing.

This time, they had to make an example of someone to frighten the rest. Then things in Yanbei would be much easier.

While Yu Jiuzhou was battling wits in the imperial palace, Chi Wan was in Qingyuan County, her head aching from all the noise.

“Who gave you the nerve? Do you know who I am? My father is the Junior Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments.”

“A Junior Minister is nothing! My mother is the Countess of Guang’en.”

“My grandmother is the Marquis of Yongchun.”

“My grand-uncle is Vice Grand Secretary Yuan.”

“My master is…”

These people began to announce their connections. Chi Wan waved her hand, signaling for someone to write them all down to see if their backers would acknowledge them.

But they were too noisy. Chi Wan gave a cold command, “Separate them, throw them in the dungeons, and interrogate them. As long as they don’t die, interrogate them to within an inch of their lives.”

On her desk were files on these people. Some were bullies of men and women, and some even had blood on their hands.

Lu Zhen, who had just returned, stood beside her. “Fuma, all the people have been captured. Next, this subordinate will have people publicize the contents of the notice. This subordinate will definitely complete the investigation and measurement of Qingyuan County’s land within half a month and begin this year’s tax collection.”

Chi Wan nodded. “No need to worry. Just do what you must.”

Just then, Chen Yuan walked in and said in a low voice, “Fuma, it’s settled.”

She knew. Yu Jiuzhou had perfectly handled the Shengyuan Emperor and the cabinet.

Chi Wan smiled. They had planned it long ago: let Gao Zheng be the vanguard while the two of them remained hidden.

As for the fame and fortune that came with the reform, neither of them needed it.

For the two of them, doing this now carried more danger than benefit. It would be a different story after the Shengyuan Emperor died and Yu Jiuzhou completely consolidated her power.

Even so, Yu Jiuzhou’s days would likely be difficult. Once she lost power, the new laws would very likely be abolished.

If it started during the Shengyuan era, the pressure would mainly be borne by that era. When it came to Yu Jiuzhou’s time, she could simply say she was following the late emperor’s will and ancestral precedent, which would deflect most of the criticism.

At that point, she would only be following tradition, not acting as a reformer of the law.

Most importantly, the sooner the reform was enacted, the greater the benefit to the common people.

In the next reign, as long as the reform was not abolished, it would very likely continue to exist permanently.

Chi Wan thought of the reforms in history. Shang Yang’s reforms began under Duke Xiao of Qin and continued through the generation of King Huiwen of Qin, and thus they persisted.

As long as a reform can last for two generations, it can generally endure. Of course, the state of Qin had a succession of wise rulers, with Huhai being the only unfilial son.

If Great Zhou continued to have wise rulers after Yu Jiuzhou, the reform would persist in Great Zhou.

By starting the reform under the Shengyuan Emperor, if Yu Jiuzhou successfully ascended the throne, the reform would last for at least two generations.

After two generations, people would likely have grown accustomed to it.

Chi Wan stood up and patted Lu Zhen’s shoulder. “I’ll leave the matters of Qingyuan County to you. The men from the Imperial City Division are also at your disposal. If anything comes up, send an urgent message to me.”

Lu Zhen quickly bowed. “Thank you, Fuma.”

“Oh, right.” Chi Wan suddenly remembered something. “Your niece, Lu Xin, the one who looks older than you. I’ve sent her to handle something for me. What does Jingbo think of her?”

Lu Xin?

Lu Zhen’s eyes widened in surprise. “Isn’t she at Prince Zhongshan’s residence?”

“She submitted her resignation to the Ministry of Personnel.”

Lu Zhen wasn’t surprised by this. “It’s good that she resigned. She wasn’t happy in that position anyway. I’ll trouble the Fuma to pass a message to her when you see her. Tell her that this subject will speak to her parents, so she doesn’t need to worry. She should just focus on serving the Fuma well.”

Lu Zhen didn’t ask what task Lu Xin was sent to do, only offering to speak on her niece’s behalf. She was truly a good aunt.

Chi Wan smiled. “Alright, I promise you this.”

“Then, Jingbo, I will return to Shengjing first.”

Lu Zhen cupped her hands. “This subordinate will see the Fuma off.”

“No need to see me off.”

Chi Wan walked out of the county yamen and boarded her carriage, leaving only two Imperial City Division guards with her.

With two people driving, the carriage moved at a slightly slower pace.

Just as Chi Wan was leaving the county yamen, Yu Jiuzhou, who had just finished her meeting with the cabinet, also received a piece of intelligence—Prince Zhongshan intended to assassinate the Fuma.

Yu Jiuzhou crumpled the note into a ball, her heart pounding like a drum. She said to the person beside her, “Have Huang Yuecheng immediately take people to provide support. Take many.”

“Also, tell An Yi to take the secret guards as well. I want the Fuma to be perfectly fine, not a single hair on her head harmed.”

Yu Jiuzhou got into the carriage back to the Grand Princess’s Residence, but after a long moment of thought, she turned back. “Tell the Patrol Battalion to go to Qingyuan County to assist Lu Zhen. Make sure they pass by the road the Fuma is taking.”

With the Imperial City Division, the secret guards, and the Patrol Battalion’s cavalry, it should have been enough, but she still felt like something was missing.

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As they passed through a bamboo forest, Chi Wan suddenly sensed that something was wrong. There were unfamiliar presences, at least twenty people.

Unflustered, Chi Wan opened a panel on the small couch-bed inside the carriage. Inside were a crossbow and a saber.

She took off her official robes and put on a warrior’s belt with many small rings. On it, she hung two sabers, two quivers of arrows, and other items like flint and steel.

Then she spoke to the two people driving the carriage, “Stay alert. Speed up.”

The carriage suddenly accelerated. Chi Wan heard the footsteps outside also quicken, but they became much more disorderly. This confirmed her suspicion: the people outside were after her.

An assassination?

It made sense. She had been an eyesore to many people recently, especially Prince Zhongshan.

Chi Wan closed her eyes and listened carefully. The people outside were beginning to change formation, preparing to attack.

Here they come!

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