TGPSAC – Chapter 57

Seventh day of the first month: attended to the Grand Princess, practiced the zither.

Eighth day of the first month: attended to the Grand Princess, practiced the zither.

Ninth day of the first month: attended to the Grand Princess, practiced the zither.

Tenth day of the first month: officially launched the investigation into the case of annexing private farmlands.

…

Throughout the first month, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. In such a process, it was inevitable that some would grow anxious and resort to unscrupulous means.

Once the investigation officially began, Yu Jiuzhou was plunged into a flurry of activity, leaving early in the morning and returning very late at night.

For the past few days, Chi Wan had been accompanying Yu Jiuzhou in Yongning Courtyard every day. She was serious about attending to Her Highness the Grand Princess.

When Yu Jiuzhou became busy, she returned to her own courtyard to practice the zither.

After many days of effort, Chi Wan had regained her touch and could play quite smoothly. It was just that something was still missing.

Based on her years of experience listening to music, she had the technique, but the emotion was too pale. She needed to play this piece with feeling.

To confess to the one you love by playing this piece—the ancients were truly romantic.

Chi Wan thought to herself that she had to treat Yu Jiuzhou as the person she loved and then play this piece with all her heart.

She sat before the zither, closed her eyes, and imagined that she loved Yu Jiuzhou, loved her very, very much—so much that she wished she could confess and define their relationship at once.

The next second, a soft, lingering melody flowed from her fingertips. This time, it truly felt like a great improvement.

Chi Wan felt a tenderness in her heart. Every note she played was the image of Yu Jiuzhou. Perhaps it was because her mind was completely filled with Yu Jiuzhou as she played.

The thrill of seeing her, the tremor in her heart at just hearing her name, the moment their eyes met by chance—it was like a small stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples across its surface. In that instant of eye contact, she felt a sense of shyness, but even more of anticipation and joy.

Chi Wan imagined all this with her eyes closed. When the piece ended, she did not open her eyes for a long time.

Yu Jiuzhou… Yu Jiuzhou. All she thought of, all she murmured, was Yu Jiuzhou. It felt as if she were possessed.

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Yu Jiuzhou standing right in front of her. For a moment, she thought she had gotten too deep into character and her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Chi Wan forced herself to calm down, rose, and stood before Yu Jiuzhou. She nervously fiddled with the corner of her clothes, unable to hide her inner tension. Then, she quickly reached out and pinched Yu Jiuzhou’s cheek.

It was cool to the touch, but it was a real sensation. A real person?

She hastily retracted her hand and gave a dry laugh. “You’re real.”

Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t expected her to just reach out and pinch her face. It happened so fast that she didn’t even have time to react.

Thinking of the real touch just now, and the emotionally charged melody of Phoenix Seeking a Mate—”For what reason do we entwine our necks like mandarin ducks?”—an uncontrollable joy welled up in her heart.

When she realized Chi Wan had pinched her because she thought she was an illusion, Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t help but reach up and tap her on the forehead. “Am I real or not?”

“You’re real,” Chi Wan said, rubbing her head.

Yu Jiuzhou concealed her inner emotions, her expression unruffled. “Practicing the zither?”

“Yes.”

In truth, Chi Wan didn’t quite dare to look at Yu Jiuzhou. She felt again that she had gotten too deep into her role. Seeing that face so close to her own, a thought popped into her head: Those lips must be very sweet.

She then shook her head to clear it. No wonder many actors avoided each other after filming a movie. It was easy for the lines between acting and reality to blur when one was too immersed.

Chi Wan smiled awkwardly. “Why has Your Highness returned?”

And she had come specifically to her small courtyard. If she remembered correctly, this was Yu Jiuzhou’s first time here.

“The case is still under thorough investigation. But with Prince Ying there, he’s eager to take down Prince Zhongshan. My presence would only hinder him.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s official stance was neutral. If Prince Ying wanted to target Prince Zhongshan, he would worry about displeasing her. After settling on the investigation plan, she intended to hand the case over to Prince Ying.

Prince Ying would surely hammer Prince Zhongshan into the ground.

Chi Wan nodded. A few hundred guards from the Imperial City Division had been left behind to assist with the case. The rest had been taken to a mountain in the suburbs for training. There was a Daoist temple on the mountain where the more than ten thousand members of the Imperial City Division were staying. For training, as long as they were well-fed and not freezing, they didn’t need luxurious accommodations.

It was hard to say how many people would be left in the Imperial City Division after three months, but those who remained would certainly be transformed.

The case of annexing private farmlands, the training of the Imperial City Division, the salt inspection tour, the upcoming Spring Banquet, disaster relief in Wucheng, and the implementation of the new laws in Yanbei and Qingyuan County—all these matters were proceeding simultaneously.

When one thought about it, the person orchestrating all of this was Yu Jiuzhou.

If these endeavors succeeded, Yu Jiuzhou would hold immense power, both overt and covert. In this life, she was one step ahead at every turn, with everything under her control.

Chi Wan was very satisfied with the plot’s development. In her mind’s eye, she could almost see a progress bar reaching its maximum.

“Will Your Highness be going out again today?”

Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. When she returned to the residence and didn’t see Chi Wan, she had asked casually. Hearing from a servant that Chi Wan was practicing the zither in her courtyard, she had found herself walking over unconsciously.

This was her first time in this small courtyard. In the past, she had detested this place; the mere thought of this courtyard within the residence filled her with disgust. She had never imagined that one day she would set foot here of her own accord.

It was much smaller than she had imagined, and very simply furnished.

After a moment, Yu Jiuzhou finally spoke. “You can move to Yongning Courtyard.”

Yongning Courtyard was huge. To call it a courtyard was an understatement; it was more like a palace. The room inside designated for Chi Wan’s clothes was much larger than the entire place she was living in now.

Besides, it would save her the daily trip back and forth. It had taken Yu Jiuzhou nearly a quarter of an hour to walk here.

Chi Wan was taken aback. She thought her current place was perfectly fine. “Why is that?”

This small courtyard might not seem large, but in the context of the entire capital, it was a house that officials of the sixth or seventh rank couldn’t afford.

Housing in Shengjing was very expensive. Unless one was a local or came from a wealthy family that could purchase a courtyard in the capital, many officials lived in housing allocated by the court, which was essentially official dormitories. Officials from humble backgrounds all lived there, often sharing a courtyard. They might only have one bedroom and a living room. It was considered good if they could bring their wives; there was simply no space for their parents.

Chi Wan had been to Huang Yuecheng’s home. Her courtyard was even smaller than this one, with just three rooms: one for her parents, one for her and her wife, and one for their daughter.

Three generations of their family lived happily in a courtyard smaller than hers.

At the time, she had thought that once she left Shengjing, she would also buy a courtyard like that—small and cozy.

Yu Jiuzhou did not answer her question. Ignoring her, she turned and walked out of the courtyard.

She would not say such a thing a second time.

Chi Wan paused for a second, then reacted with lightning speed. “Chen Jin, pack up my things and move them all to Yongning Courtyard.”

With that, she hurried after Yu Jiuzhou, not catching up completely but following at a close distance.

Hearing her order someone to pack her things, the corners of Yu Jiuzhou’s lips curled up slightly. This person was getting quicker on the uptake.

In the future, it would save her the long walk to find Chi Wan.

However, why wasn’t this person catching up?

Yu Jiuzhou stopped and suddenly turned to look at Chi Wan. Chi Wan came to an abrupt halt, and the two almost collided.

Their lips were less than ten centimeters apart. If either of them leaned forward, they would kiss.

The next second, Yu Jiuzhou quickly turned back around, the back of her ears burning terribly. Her whole body began to feel hot.

It was already early spring, and the temperature was no longer so cold, but it was by no means hot. In fact, there was still a bit of a spring chill in the air.

Chi Wan also felt that something was off. She touched her own face; it was frighteningly hot. Even the nape of her neck was warm.

She couldn’t deny that, just now, she had really wanted to lean in and kiss her.

For the rest of the walk, the two of them were much more behaved, one walking in front of the other, with absolutely no sudden stops or turns.

And Chi Wan absolutely did not speed up to catch up.

Watching from a distance, Xia Qu and Chun Gui shook their heads in unison. Xia Qu, in particular, was dying of impatience. “Chun Gui, do you think if I had gone over and pushed their heads together just now, they would have kissed?”

Chun Gui shot her a look. “Are you trying to die once?”

“Can a person die twice?”

Chun Gui snorted coldly. “It’s not impossible.”

“I’m just anxious, that’s all! Her Highness and the Fuma are a proper couple. What’s wrong with a little kiss? A few days ago, someone from the secret guard even asked me if we were going to have a little master soon.”

“I advise you not to spout nonsense outside. Be careful Her Highness doesn’t have Dong Ying put you through training.”

Xia Qu: “…On such a fine day, can we please not mention Dong Ying?”

“I heard she’s coming back soon. There was trouble on the salt inspection tour. Prince Bao’an was assassinated, and it just so happened that Lady Lin rescued him.”

Because Lin Qianduo and Prince Bao’an had been involved in the previous life, Yu Jiuzhou had given special instructions that any contact between the two, regardless of the circumstances, must be reported.

Yu Jiuzhou had received this news this morning. Finding herself with some free time, she had returned to the residence to ask Chi Wan how to handle the matter.

Should they forcibly separate the pair, or should they recall Lin Qianduo?

In Yongning Courtyard, Chi Wan had just heard about the matter and couldn’t help but be amazed. The fate between Prince Bao’an and Lin Qianduo was so strong that they could run into each other even like this.

However, in this life, Lin Qianduo owed Prince Bao’an no favor, nor had he helped her during her most difficult time.

After thinking for a moment, Chi Wan said, “I think we can trust Lin Qianduo.”

Give Lin Qianduo a chance to choose. If she still followed the same path as her previous life and got together with Prince Bao’an, they would have no choice but to give up on her.

After all, they were destined to be enemies with Prince Bao’an. Lin Qianduo was a business genius, but on the path of fighting for the throne, there could not be even the slightest risk.

But Chi Wan still wanted to give Lin Qianduo a chance. She had reason to believe that a career-oriented Kun Ze woman would not give up her career for love.

The Lin Qianduo in the novel was, in essence, motivated by a debt of gratitude.

Yu Jiuzhou raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn’t expected Chi Wan to have such faith in Lin Qianduo.

In truth, she also wanted to give Lin Qianduo a chance. It was just that she didn’t know that in the previous life, Lin Qianduo had received a great favor from Prince Bao’an, which was why they had ended up together.

To Yu Jiuzhou, all she knew was that Lin Qianduo had appeared suddenly as a wealthy merchant from Jiangning, providing money and support for Prince Bao’an, and was later made an Imperial Consort.

She had also had people investigate and knew of Lin Qianduo’s past—fleeing from the Lin family to Jiangning and establishing her business there. She was an admirable woman.

Hearing Chi Wan’s words, Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “Very well. We’ll do as you say.”

She also wanted to see what choice Lin Qianduo would make in this life.

Yu Jiuzhou had returned today for more than just this one matter. “The investigation into the annexation of private farmlands has led to Yu Jinglan.”

Yu Jinglan? Oh, Prince Zhongshan. So the bearded prince had such a pleasant-sounding name.

“Is he going to make a move?”

The biggest culprit in the annexation of private farmlands in Yanbei was Yu Jinglan. Prince Ying had also done his fair share, but he was the subordinate. All he had to do was hide his own evidence and conveniently make the farmlands appear ownerless.

Prince Ying was greedy, but he wasn’t one to only take and never give. He knew how to choose. Between money and the future throne, he knew which was more important.

The ownerless farmlands would be returned to the Ministry of Revenue. After a census of the people in Yanbei was completed, the land would be redistributed.

Any remaining land could be contracted out. The price for renting the land would be cheaper than from those officials and gentry landlords.

This was Chi Wan’s idea: to distribute land according to population, and not like before, where Kun Ze and He Yuan women were not counted as people and were not given land. As long as you were a person, you should receive a share.

If Kun Ze and He Yuan women could also receive land, their lives would be much better in the future.

They would no longer be the “money-losing goods” their parents called them.

Yu Jiuzhou was the Grand Princess. Although she had a fiefdom, the position of crown heir was destined never to be hers. The court would rather summon a distant vassal prince to the capital than consider her as the successor.

The tragedy was that in her past life, she herself had never even considered it.

When Chi Wan proposed the new method for dividing land in Yanbei, not only was she stunned, but everyone in the Grand Secretariat was astonished. Since when did land distribution have to take Kun Ze and He Yuan women into consideration?

However, the proposal was presented by Chi Wan to Yu Jiuzhou, who then presented it to the Grand Secretariat.

Everyone assumed that because she herself was a Kun Ze, she wanted to distribute land to Kun Ze and He Yuan women. The Grand Secretary, Gao Zheng, was already thinking of ways to cause the Emperor some trouble during the reforms.

If the new law distributed land to Kun Ze and He Yuan women, ministers would surely submit memorials, annoying Emperor Shengyuan every day. He had to find some trouble for the Emperor.

Since the Grand Princess proposed it and the Grand Secretary agreed, another Grand Secretary had no strong opinion, and the newcomers had little say, the matter was thus decided.

Yu Jiuzhou could see that none of the Qian Yuan in the Grand Secretariat felt this was about equality. Instead, they saw it as a benevolent gift, or a move in a power struggle.

For this reason, Chi Wan’s value shone all the brighter.

Thinking of this, Yu Jiuzhou’s gaze toward Chi Wan grew even gentler. “There’s been unusual activity in the Five Army Camps. Yu Jinglan has sent people to reach an agreement with some of them, and they’ve begun to drill frequently of late.”

“The Five Army Camps? That must be two hundred thousand men, right?”

The Capital Garrisons were stationed outside Shengjing, unlike the Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard within the city. The soldiers of the Capital Garrisons could be deployed for battle at any time.

The Five Army Camps had two hundred thousand men, and there were also the Cavalry Camp and the Divine Machine Camp.

The Cavalry Camp had tens of thousands of men, and the Divine Machine Camp had around ten thousand. These were the garrisons that defended the capital.

With these men guarding the perimeter of Shengjing, the capital was as secure as a city of gold.

But what if someone had bribed and turned the defenders of the Capital Garrisons?

Even if only twenty or thirty thousand of the two hundred thousand men in the Five Army Camps were turned, it would still be a significant problem.

Prince Zhongshan had been operating in the capital for many years; he had more than just these cards up his sleeve.

Yu Jiuzhou thought about the situation in her previous life. Prince Zhongshan had rebelled during the autumn hunt, trapping the Emperor and a host of princes and nobles on Mount Shouheng.

At that time, due to her disability, she had remained in the capital as regent. Upon hearing the news, she had dispatched men to the rescue.

Prince Zhongshan had thirty thousand men. The number might not seem large, but at the time, there were only five thousand Imperial Guards and ten thousand Jinwu Guards on Mount Shouheng.

Although they were on a mountain, it was not an easily defensible position.

If not for Yu Jiuzhou’s timely rescue, Prince Zhongshan could have obtained the imperial edict of succession that very day.

In this life, the Five Army Camps were moving earlier. Things had changed.

Yu Jiuzhou looked at Chi Wan. “Prince Ying has a great deal of evidence against Prince Zhongshan. He only has two paths: rebel or wait for death.”

There was no need to think about it; he would definitely choose to rebel. No one wanted to wait for death.

One thing was certain: the case of annexing private farmlands would conclude in the second month. If Prince Zhongshan wanted to rebel, he had to do it soon. He certainly wouldn’t wait for the autumn hunt.

But the case was about to end, and the time for reckoning was near. Prince Zhongshan would surely make his move before the final settlement.

The Spring Banquet?

As the world changed, both Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan found it increasingly difficult to predict what would happen next.

“If Yu Jinglan’s rebellion is inevitable, we must start preparing immediately.”

Chi Wan took a piece of Xuan paper and drew the location of Shengjing and the Capital Garrisons on it.

“Prince Zhongshan’s fiefdom is in Huai’an, right on the border. So he has another option: flee back to Huai’an.”

Huai’an in Yanbei was on the border. To capture Prince Zhongshan there, they would have to send an army to attack, and Prince Zhongshan would surely not be able to hold out.

Something suddenly occurred to Yu Jiuzhou. “If he returns to Huai’an, he still has two choices: rebel, or defect to the Ning Kingdom.”

Rebel in the capital, rebel in Huai’an, collude with the men in the Five Army Camps, or defect to the Ning Kingdom to save his own life. Given Yu Jinglan’s status and the assets he still held in Great Zhou, the wolfishly ambitious Ning Kingdom would certainly take him in.

In the early days of the Great Zhou, there was no Ning Kingdom. The region was called Saibei, and its people were nomadic. They had no fixed cities and were not unified. Their greatest strength was their cavalry.

In its early years, the Great Zhou had constantly fought against Saibei, breaking them into more than a dozen small tribes. It wasn’t until a hundred years ago, when the Great Zhou’s national strength declined, that a khan appeared in the Ning Kingdom, unified all the tribes, and gradually formed the Ning Kingdom. They still had no fixed cities, but every year before winter arrived, they would raid the borders of the Great Zhou.

When the Ning Kingdom was first established, the Great Zhou had sent troops to attack, trying to prevent its formation. The result was a humiliating retreat, which only accelerated the Ning Kingdom’s establishment.

For this reason, three princesses had been sent for marriage alliances over several decades.

If not for the fact that Emperor Shengyuan only had Yu Jiuzhou as his child, her generation would not have been able to escape the fate of a marriage alliance.

Chi Wan looked at the map she had drawn on the paper. “We must first ensure the loyalty of everyone in the garrisons. As long as the Capital Garrisons are clean, Prince Zhongshan won’t be able to stir up much trouble.”

Yu Jiuzhou shook her head. “His Majesty will not let me touch military power.”

This was Emperor Shengyuan’s bottom line. He could give Yu Jiuzhou political power, but not military power.

He would only hand over military authority to her in the last quarter-hour before his death.

Chi Wan did have some military power in her hands—the fifteen thousand men of the Imperial City Division was a large force in the capital. But as for the Capital Garrisons, the Emperor would not necessarily give them to her.

“How about… I give it a try?”

Yu Jiuzhou did not agree directly. She looked at Chun Gui outside. “Bring the evidence of the three princes’ infiltration of the Capital Garrisons to the Fuma.”

Because of her rebirth, she had long been prepared. She had already had someone investigate and gather some evidence. It might not be much, but it was enough to make Emperor Shengyuan wary.

However, the evidence could not be submitted by Yu Jiuzhou. Otherwise, the Emperor would only think she was after military power.

As Chi Wan was in command of the Imperial City Division, it was expected that she would uncover such evidence. She was also the Junior Minister of the Grand Court of Revision. Compared to her former role, she was somewhat derelict in her duties as Junior Minister.

She basically didn’t involve herself in the affairs of the Grand Court of Revision, only using its prison. The guards of the Imperial City Division threw everyone they arrested into the Grand Court of Revision’s prison, while she only concerned herself with matters related to the annexation of private farmlands.

The Minister of the Grand Court of Revision was not young and only wanted to retire peacefully and live out his years in comfort. He turned a blind eye to Chi Wan’s actions and handed all the work of the Grand Court of Revision to the Right Junior Minister.

The Right Junior Minister was furious but dared not speak out, so he could only shoulder the heavy burden of the Grand Court of Revision.

Chi Wan knew that she wouldn’t hold this position at the Grand Court of Revision for long, so she shouldn’t get too involved in its affairs. Otherwise, the Emperor might think she was greedy for power.

When doing things in the capital, one always had to think things through in a roundabout way to figure out the right course of action.

Emperor Shengyuan wanted her to assist Yu Jiuzhou with the case of annexing private farmlands; he didn’t want her to manage too much. In that case, she would just manage the affairs of the Imperial City Division well and only use the prison at the Grand Court of Revision.

After all, she was the head of the Imperial City Division, but she was not the head of the Grand Court of Revision.

Recently, the prison of the Grand Court of Revision was overflowing with people, and the members of the Imperial City Division were interrogating them in shifts.

In any case, Chi Wan didn’t use the personnel of the Grand Court of Revision, so the Minister was even less likely to meddle.

And currently, the Imperial City Division was undergoing reorganization, a fact the Emperor was aware of. So, how could she “inadvertently” let Emperor Shengyuan know that the three princes were trying to get their hands on military power?

“Your Highness, do you have a good plan?”

Yu Jiuzhou stared at her for a good while. “Have you forgotten why you went to the Autumn Water Pavilion?”

The reason? The reason was, of course, to lure Prince Bao’an into a trap and take down the Autumn Water Pavilion in one fell swoop. She could tell Emperor Shengyuan that the Autumn Water Pavilion was Prince Bao’an’s intelligence hub and then mention some of the information that was passed through it.

She could casually slip in the matter of the three princes meddling with military power. It would be perfectly seamless.

Chi Wan smiled in admiration. “Your Highness is truly brilliant.”

“The Fuma is also quick-witted.”

The two began to exchange commercial praises.

Yu Jiuzhou thought of something else. “The sabers and brocade uniforms you had someone forge are almost ready. You want so many uniforms and weapons—are they for the Imperial City Division?”

There were several types of brocade uniforms, likely made according to rank, and the saber hilts were also different.

Chi Wan explained, “Once the reorganization of the Imperial City Division is complete, they will wear these uniforms and carry these sabers.”

In reality, the colors and patterns were slightly different. Only those at the rank of Vice-Chiliarch and above could wear the flying fish robes. Therefore, a batch of goose-hat brocade uniforms was also made—pure black with gold embroidery. When worn, they were all black, giving off the low-key, mysterious color seen in movies.

On a daily basis, everyone from Chiliarchs down to Squad Leaders would wear blue official robes.

Those from the Commander down to the Imperial Commissioner would wear scarlet official robes. The brocade on these uniforms was embroidered with the douniu beast, and they could be worn on formal occasions.

And the only person who could wear the flying fish robe with the dragon head and fish body, or the great red python robe, was the Commander—that is, Chi Wan.

Below the rank of Squad Leader in the Imperial City Division were the Grand Han Generals, who usually wore red armor.

Chi Wan wanted the uniforms of the Imperial City Division to be either incomparably magnificent or incomparably sinister. That was the only way to have an imposing presence.

After discussing official business, Chi Wan thought of something else. “By the way, Your Highness, if you are free tomorrow, would you be willing to admire the flowers with your subject?”

Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow in confusion, an inexplicable joy blooming in her heart. “Why?”

Chi Wan gave a silly grin. “Your subject is under orders to woo my wife.”

Hearing the words “under orders,” Yu Jiuzhou suddenly felt a pang of displeasure. But hearing the words “woo my wife,” a wave of heat rushed to her face again.

Flustered and annoyed, Yu Jiuzhou feigned sternness and snapped, “Shut up!”

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