TGPSAC – Chapter 98

Chi Wan knew full well that acting spoiled worked on Yu Jiuzhou. In a situation like this, she was determined to let An Yizhi experience a taste of her “green tea” act.

“Your Highness, the Marquis of Pingliang has trained in martial arts from her years of campaigning, and now she’s bullying me. Your Highness must stand up for your subject.”

She leaned against Yu Jiuzhou’s shoulder, looking as pitiful as a kicked puppy.

Yu Jiuzhou fought the urge to stroke her head and turned to An Yizhi instead. “Yizhi, are you finished with your business?”

Though she didn’t say it directly, it was obvious that Yu Jiuzhou was siding with Chi Wan.

An Yizhi was furious. Upon her return, she had her family inquire about everything that had happened in the capital during her absence, with a particular focus on investigating Chi Wan.

She discovered that this Chi Wan was completely different from the one she remembered. The Chi Wan of today was fully qualified to be the Grand Princess’s Fuma.

Not only that, but even without the title of Fuma, Chi Wan’s abilities could have earned her a high-ranking official position. Otherwise, she would never have been appointed Commander of the Imperial City Division.

Furthermore, the Imperial City Division had been completely transformed. It was nothing like the one she was familiar with. The change was so drastic it could now be considered a sharp sword of the state.

When the Ministry of Revenue’s deficit was exposed, the Embroidered-Robe Guard of the Imperial City Division immediately threw themselves into the case, meticulously unraveling the threads and arresting many involved. If they were allowed to continue, they would sooner or later catch the mastermind.

The mastermind must be terrified, trying every possible means to stop the Embroidered-Robe Guard from investigating further.

But this Chi Wan was simply infuriating. A dignified Qian Yuan, acting in such a manner, like a Kun Ze. It was exasperating.

She wished she could drag Chi Wan to the training grounds for a fight. Even if she lost, it would be a relief.

But Chi Wan was clinging to Yu Jiuzhou, using her as a shield and speaking in that cloying tone.

An Yizhi looked down at her fists, itching to punch Chi Wan.

And the Grand Princess was even defending her, which only made her angrier.

If she had known the Grand Princess liked this type, An Yizhi tried to imagine herself acting spoiled like Chi Wan… Never mind, she simply couldn’t do it.

Even knowing how Chi Wan had won Yu Jiuzhou’s favor, she couldn’t bring herself to imitate it.

“You’re nothing but a siren!” An Yizhi huffed coldly as she passed Chi Wan.

People usually used that term to describe a Kun Ze; who had ever heard of a Qian Yuan behaving this way?

Chi Wan smiled provocatively, then immediately hugged Yu Jiuzhou and whimpered, “Your Highness, look, she’s insulting me again.”

Yu Jiuzhou smiled helplessly. Although she knew Chi Wan was doing it on purpose, seeing her like this always made her want to pat her head.

“Yizhi, what did you come to see me about?”

It was clear that even though Yu Jiuzhou knew Chi Wan was being deliberate, she still took her side.

An Yizhi was speechless. “Jiuzhou, you’re too biased.”

She was deeply dissatisfied. After all, the two of them had grown up together. This favoritism was truly excessive.

Yu Jiuzhou gave a light humph. “Chi Wan is my Fuma.”

So being biased was perfectly normal. Chi Wan was the Fuma she acknowledged, not just one chosen for her by the Emperor.

“Alright, alright.” An Yizhi conceded defeat. There were two of them, and she was alone. What could she do?

An Yizhi felt it was pointless to bicker with this married couple. “I did come to see you today on official business.”

Yu Jiuzhou gestured for her to sit. Needless to say, Chi Wan immediately sat down beside her.

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For both Chi Wan and An Yizhi, they were love rivals, but not enemies. Private matters were private, and public matters were public; they would not let personal feelings interfere with their official duties.

Ever since they had come to understand each other, their dislike had already faded. They weren’t friends, but they were certainly not enemies.

They did, in fact, admire each other, and An Yizhi in particular no longer held any malice toward Chi Wan.

Chi Wan had never harbored any ill will toward An Yizhi. She knew that An Yizhi and Yu Jiuzhou were like sisters, childhood friends. The lengths An Yizhi went to after Yu Jiuzhou’s death in the previous life were proof enough of their bond—a bond of friendship, of course.

So, from the beginning, she had only felt a little bit of jealousy.

She even felt that since Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t chosen An Yizhi in their past life, it was because she didn’t love her. If she had, she would have chosen her long ago.

If the two of them had sincerely pleaded with the Emperor back then, he might not have necessarily disagreed.

It was because Yu Jiuzhou did not love An Yizhi that they never got together.

Chi Wan was jealous, but she wasn’t unreasonable. Some things were just the way they were.

After the three of them were seated and tea was served, An Yizhi finally spoke. “In two days, I will be leaving to escort Princess Lin’an back. Before I go, there is one thing I wish to understand.”

Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow and, after a moment, said, “Speak.”

An Yizhi was clearly a little embarrassed, but something seemed to steel her resolve, and she said, “I want to know, is it true that the military salaries cannot be paid?”

To think that this was what she wanted to discuss before her departure. Chi Wan sat up straight and began to listen intently.

After all, to inquire about military pay at a time like this meant one was either extremely selfish or utterly selfless.

They were two extremes, and Chi Wan believed An Yizhi was the latter.

If that was true, then An Yizhi was a general worthy of respect.

She heard Yu Jiuzhou reply, “The Ministry of Revenue cannot produce it.”

She was telling the truth. The Ministry of Revenue truly couldn’t come up with that much silver. The Emperor’s private treasury might be able to provide half, but it was a half the Emperor would never be willing to part with.

But she had only said the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t produce it. What about others?

An Yizhi’s eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again. She knew in her heart that without resorting to extraordinary measures, Great Zhou simply could not produce thirty million taels of silver.

“Jiuzhou, I am a soldier. I joined the army at sixteen. To this day, I have led my brothers and sisters in arms to countless victories. The entire army depends on their pay to live. Their families, young and old, rely on that single salary. You implemented reforms in Yanbei, so you must know how hard life is for the common people. A family of several mouths to feed… if they lose this pay, how are they to survive? If their families cannot live, how can the soldiers on the border be willing to fight for Great Zhou?”

“Perhaps you don’t know, but in many places, the elderly will find a secluded spot to await death, just to avoid wasting the family’s food and clothing. To save the bit of cloth on their bodies, they might die wearing clothes woven from grass. They do it for no other reason than to leave one more mouthful of food for their family.”

“Jiuzhou… Your Highness, I have never asked you for anything. But without their pay, the families of ordinary soldiers simply cannot survive. Besides, they need to eat their fill in the barracks as well.”

Only by going to the barracks and sharing the hardships of the common soldiers for a time could one understand what kind of life they led. If the scions of the noble houses in the capital were to go, they would think it was no life for a human—no, it was worse than the lives of their dogs.

The dogs of the capital’s great houses ate meat every day, while the soldiers might not see meat for ten days or half a month.

Chi Wan lowered her gaze. She suddenly felt that An Yizhi’s return to the capital might not have been just for Yu Jiuzhou. The greater reason was likely to demand military pay. She was truly a good general.

A phrase suddenly surfaced in her mind: Let the old be cared for, and the young be taught.

A society where the elderly could live well with someone to rely on, and children could attend school, was a beautiful one.

But in the current Great Zhou, forget the old and the young; even able-bodied adults could not be sure of a full meal.

Chi Wan took the initiative and spoke on Yu Jiuzhou’s behalf. “The military salaries must be paid, and to all the soldiers of Great Zhou. But the Ministry of Revenue truly has no money. To get this money, there are two ways.”

An Yizhi shot up from her seat. Her prejudice against Chi Wan had vanished. She was aware of what Chi Wan had accomplished recently and knew her capabilities. So, while she had held no hope before, it was now rekindled in her heart.

“Tell me what they are. No matter how difficult, I am willing to do it. The Marquis of Pingliang’s Residence is at your command.”

She knew that either method would be difficult. All she could do was her best to push the matter forward.

Therefore, no matter the cost, as long as the military salaries could be paid, she would not hesitate.

Chi Wan shook her head. “You are a general. The battlefield needs you. You should not be the one to step forward in this matter.”

A general on the battlefield should only concern themselves with fighting. Rations and pay were matters for the central government to figure out.

Yu Jiuzhou was currently half in control of the central government, though the true power still lay with the Emperor.

That was why it was so difficult for An Yizhi to bring this up. She didn’t want to cause trouble for Yu Jiuzhou, but when she thought of the hundred thousand soldiers under her command, and the million soldiers of Great Zhou, some things simply had to be done.

If it truly brought trouble upon Yu Jiuzhou, she would rather sacrifice the Marquis of Pingliang’s Residence. But this was not a problem that a single marquisate could solve.

A thirty-million-tael deficit in the Ministry of Revenue… forget one marquisate, even adding a princely residence wouldn’t be enough to cover it.

It was on the verge of implicating the Emperor himself. One could only imagine the consequences.

An Yizhi grew anxious. “Chi Wan, just tell me the methods. If there is anything you need me to do, just give the order.”

Chi Wan had no intention of keeping her in suspense. “The first method is to confiscate the assets of all officials involved in the Ministry of Revenue’s deficit. We take as much as we can, and the remaining amount will be covered by the Emperor’s private treasury.”

“The second method is for the Princess’s Residence to provide the money.”

Too many officials were involved in the deficit, but confiscating their assets would yield less than ten million taels. It was almost impossible to make the Emperor cover the rest, but the Princess’s Residence could just about manage it if they scraped things together.

The problem lay in the subsequent trouble that confiscating assets would bring, and in forcing the Emperor to pay.

As for having the Princess’s Residence pay for it all, that would be even more troublesome. If they were that wealthy, wouldn’t the Emperor become wary?

Both options had drawbacks. The first was troublesome and would take a long time to gather the funds. The second was easy, but the Princess’s Residence might not be able to bear the consequences.

It was highly likely that Yu Jiuzhou would lose her power as regent, and Chi Wan would be stripped of her official authority, becoming nothing more than an idle Fuma. All the preparations they had made would be almost reset to zero.

An Yizhi was straightforward, but she wasn’t a fool. She quickly understood the crux of the matter.

Chi Wan looked at her steadily. “I lean toward the first option. You must understand, although it’s troublesome and time-consuming, it is the most stable. It just means the soldiers will have to endure hardship for a while longer. If we choose the second option, and Prince Bao’an or someone else takes the throne, it would be irresponsible to all the people under heaven.”

It wouldn’t just be the soldiers suffering then, but all the people of Great Zhou. If they ended up with another monarch like Emperor Shengyuan, the people of Great Zhou would be in for a hard time.

An Yizhi was not one to push her luck. She promised, “As long as the salaries can be paid this year, I can guarantee that the men under my command will cause no trouble.”

Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou exchanged a look. The most difficult position right now was Yu Jiuzhou’s. She was practically being set up by Emperor Shengyuan to take the fall. If this matter wasn’t handled well, many subsequent plans would be ruined.

She would become the scapegoat.

After seeing An Yizhi off, Chi Wan made up her mind. “Your Highness, it’s time to let the world witness the true power of the Imperial City Division.”

Arresting people, confiscating assets, and wiping out clans—they had to let people know that even with a thirty-million-tael deficit in the Ministry of Revenue, there were ways to recover it.

Furthermore, Chi Wan had another idea. “The gentry of this world are wealthy, but getting them to part with their money is not easy. However, they value their reputation. Your Highness, what do you think about building roads?”

If you want to get rich, first build roads. The Princess’s Residence could build roads in the capital. For the completed roads, they could erect steles. Whoever donated the most money would have their name inscribed on the stele, their name recorded in the annals of history for later generations to see that such a person once existed.

With the money from road construction and some “donations,” building roads across Great Zhou would surely earn a considerable sum, which could then be used to maintain the roads.

“And then there are the merchants. They have money but lack status. If we offer them honorary official titles for a donation, I imagine they would be very willing.”

The corners of Yu Jiuzhou’s lips curved up. She subconsciously stroked her abdomen, her eyes softening with affection. It was a good thing she had Chi Wan. Otherwise, even if this problem were solved, she would likely have lost a great deal.

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