TGPSAC – Chapter 101

The Fuma had stolen away to the pleasure quarter to indulge in fragrance and jade, and she still hadn’t returned at this hour. She must be staying the night there.

Upon hearing this news, Yu Jiuzhou said nothing, merely continuing to handle her official duties with a placid expression. However, the hot tea by her side remained untouched.

The tea Chun Gui brought had gone cold. She had replaced it several times, but Her Highness the Princess hadn’t taken a single sip. It was clear her heart was not at peace.

Seeing her mistress in such a state, Chun Gui understood something but dared not say more.

From her understanding of the Princess, Her Highness would never permit anyone to expose her innermost thoughts.

She could only pretend not to know, right up until Xia Qu mysteriously pulled her aside.

“What is it?”

Xia Qu chuckled, her voice secretive. “Chun Gui, lend me ten taels of silver.”

Chun Gui was perplexed. “?”

“Your monthly stipend is quite generous. Why are you borrowing money from me?”

Despite Xia Qu’s boisterous demeanor, she was actually very frugal. She ate and slept in the Princess’s Residence, spending almost none of her stipend. The money she saved was all sent back to the camp for war orphans.

For such a person to suddenly ask for a loan, something significant must have happened.

Chun Gui was a little worried, but looking at Xia Qu’s expression, it didn’t seem like anything was wrong.

Faced with Chun Gui’s concerned gaze, Xia Qu felt an inexplicable guilt, as if she were letting Chun Gui down. “I’m fine, I just suddenly need some silver. I’ll definitely pay you back next month when I get my stipend.”

Chun Gui didn’t hesitate, immediately taking out the silver for her. “Is twenty taels enough? I have more if it’s not.”

She had asked for ten, but Chun Gui gave her twenty. Xia Qu was so moved she couldn’t bear to deceive her any longer.

So she told the truth.

Chi Wan had secretly snuck back and found Xia Qu. Xia Qu had then cleared a path for Chi Wan to enter undetected.

But Chun Gui was always by Yu Jiuzhou’s side, so they needed to lure her away.

Thus, the scene of Xia Qu borrowing money was staged simply to create an opportunity for Chi Wan.

When Chun Gui learned the reason, she was speechless and a little angry. “Why did you let the Fuma in?”

The Fuma had gone to the pleasure quarter. By rights, she shouldn’t even be allowed into Yongning Courtyard, let alone anywhere else. She should have been sent back to her own small courtyard.

But Xia Qu wasn’t the type to be bribed, so she wanted to know why.

Xia Qu whispered, “Actually, the Fuma didn’t go to the pleasure quarter. She just went nearby for a bowl of noodles. I think her real goal was to make Her Highness jealous.”

She didn’t hide anything, voicing her own speculation.

Chun Gui now understood the situation. If that was the case, she didn’t think the Fuma had done anything wrong. After all, her mistress was far too reserved. Without a little push, it would be difficult for her to reveal her true feelings.

From the Princess’s reaction today upon learning the Fuma had gone to the pleasure quarter, it was clear her heart was in turmoil.

However, Chun Gui worried that, given the Princess’s personality, this might backfire.

She hoped the Fuma could handle the situation with the right touch and not make their relationship worse.

Of course, she didn’t know why the Princess and the Fuma had suddenly grown distant. Wasn’t their relationship quite good before? They were respectful to each other, and the Fuma was always compliant and obedient toward the Princess in all matters.

Could it be that she was too obedient?

Chun Gui believed that mutual respect was already a rare thing. What kind of affection lay beyond that?

A relationship like the Emperor and Empress’s was probably even worse.

Perhaps there was one man in all of Great Zhou who truly loved his wife, and that was the Duke of Xu. Since his wife’s passing, the Duke of Xu had never remarried. He would bring his beloved wife’s memorial tablet with him wherever he went, and his only children were the three he had with his first wife.

When Lady Xu was alive, their relationship was famously good. Whether for social engagements or other matters, the Duke of Xu never returned home after the curfew; most of the time, he went straight home after his duties at court ended.

Whenever he had free time, he would take his wife out. Some jealous people said it was only because Lady Xu was young and beautiful, but the Duke of Xu remained the same even when she was in her fifties and sixties.

Unfortunately, Lady Xu passed away ten years ago at the age of sixty-five. Although that was considered a ripe old age, it was still lamentable that she left the Duke of Xu, who was a year older, to live on alone.

In Chun Gui’s eyes, the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Xu was truly good. Did Her Highness desire that kind of affection?

But the Duke of Xu and Lady Xu were childhood sweethearts who had shared a youthful love. Their families had arranged their engagement when they were young, so they both grew up knowing what their future relationship would be.

Her Highness and the Fuma, on the other hand, had once been at each other’s throats. Their reconciliation was a miracle in her eyes.

Or could it be that after Her Highness became pregnant…

Chun Gui glanced toward the room, but ultimately decided not to approach, silently leaving the two of them their space.

As the female official who had served the Princess since childhood, she hoped Her Highness would get what she wanted.

Chi Wan also knew that her ability to slip into Yu Jiuzhou’s room unnoticed today was thanks to everyone turning a blind eye.

She didn’t think they were all doing it for her sake. Perhaps her good performance these past days was part of the reason, but it was mostly out of consideration for the Grand Princess.

Even though she and Yu Jiuzhou had been at odds recently, many people hadn’t noticed, simply thinking they were still treating each other with mutual respect.

And that was true. The awkwardness between them was likely only apparent to the four attendants—Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong—who served them closely. No, Dong definitely wouldn’t have noticed.

That one was too career-focused. She had a gossipy heart but couldn’t understand the gossip she heard.

However, from the attitudes of Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong, she could tell that Yu Jiuzhou still cared about her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared, nor would they have allowed her in.

Chi Wan’s tense heart relaxed slightly. As long as Yu Jiuzhou wasn’t completely shutting her out, there was still hope.

With the sudden distance between them these past few days, she had come to understand more and more that she couldn’t seem to leave Yu Jiuzhou.

During this period of estrangement, she had felt a heartache, a dense, prickling pain, as if ants were gnawing at her heart.

It was during this time that she understood her feelings for Yu Jiuzhou were perhaps more than just simple affection.

She had fallen in love with Yu Jiuzhou. That was why, in the face of the other’s deliberate distancing, she was so actively seeking a solution, wanting to ask for a reason.

Chi Wan couldn’t accept their relationship becoming so distant. She had to get an answer. If that answer could make her give up, then she would stop pestering her.

Slipping into the room, she immediately saw Yu Jiuzhou’s furrowed brow, as if she were troubled by the contents of a memorial.

Chi Wan pondered for a moment, then took the initiative to step forward. “What is troubling Your Highness?”

“Chi Wan?” Yu Jiuzhou’s eyes lit up, then her brow furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

Didn’t you go to the pleasure quarter? Why bother coming back?

Just the thought of Chi Wan in the pleasure quarter put her in a terrible mood.

Chi Wan slowly approached. “I came to see what Your Highness is doing.”

Now that she was here, she wouldn’t retreat just because of a few cold words.

“What need is there for you to see this princess.”

Yu Jiuzhou snorted and tossed the memorial onto the desk. Unconsciously, she had been staring at it for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

If she spent that long on every memorial, she wouldn’t get anything else done all day. She probably wouldn’t even have time to sleep.

Chi Wan could hear the dissatisfaction in Yu Jiuzhou’s words, as if she were saying: Shouldn’t you be lost amongst a garden of flowers? How could you possibly still remember this princess?

Having been with Yu Jiuzhou for so long, she had become a translator of sorts.

She had her own methods for understanding Yu Jiuzhou’s words.

“Your Highness’s words are not right.”

Chi Wan’s statement made Yu Jiuzhou raise an eyebrow slightly. “How are they not right?”

Chi Wan cleared her throat and said with a serious expression, “I am Your Highness’s Fuma. You and I are partners, a family by rights. We are one body. Why can’t I see what Your Highness is doing?”

We are one body?

Yu Jiuzhou’s face flushed slightly at some thought. “Sweet words and honeyed phrases.”

“This is from the heart,” Chi Wan said with a sincere look.

Her expression made Yu Jiuzhou lower her gaze, refusing to look at her again. She worried that if she looked any longer, she would be lost in Chi Wan’s eyes.

For some reason, she felt that Chi Wan’s eyes were filled with deep affection.

The way she was looking at her was starting to throw her heart into disarray.

Seeing Yu Jiuzhou ignore her, Chi Wan took another step forward, kneeling opposite her. She propped her arms on the desk and looked at the memorial. The content was very ordinary, things that happened every day in Great Zhou. Why had she been staring at it for so long?

She couldn’t help but pick up the memorial to examine it closely, trying to see if there was something she had missed. But after looking it over and over, it was still just ordinary.

“Does Your Highness have something on your mind?”

Otherwise, Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t have held onto this unremarkable memorial for so long. There was no need.

Could Yu Jiuzhou possibly say that her mind was completely occupied with thoughts of what Chi Wan was doing in the pleasure quarter?

If not for her pride, she would have sent her secret guards to investigate.

But if she sent them, Chi Wan would surely find out, and then she would have even less face to see her.

“No.”

Her Highness the Grand Princess was as stubborn as ever.

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow, then stood up and moved behind Yu Jiuzhou. She placed her hands on her temples and began to gently massage them.

Feeling the comfort at her temples, Yu Jiuzhou was like a kitten that had shown its claws, suddenly retracting its sharp weapons.

“Why won’t Your Highness tell me what I did wrong to make you act this way?”

Without waiting for a reply, Chi Wan continued on her own, “No matter what happened, Your Highness should at least tell me, give me a chance to explain. If Your Highness is still not satisfied after that, I won’t say another word.”

“But Your Highness, I don’t even know what happened, and I was suddenly pushed away. Although this world is divided into Qian Yuan and Kun Ze, my world is not. We are all girls, and our hearts are just as sensitive and prone to overthinking. When Your Highness acts like this, I inevitably overthink things. But no matter how much I think, I can’t figure out why you suddenly became so distant.”

“If I did something wrong, Your Highness can tell me, and I can change. But for Your Highness to push me away without a single word like this, I will let my imagination run wild too.”

Although Chi Wan often acted coquettishly, this was the first time she had revealed her vulnerability.

Just as she said, they were both girls. Even if one was stronger, it didn’t mean she didn’t have a vulnerable side.

In such a state of anxiety and uncertainty, it was inevitable that one’s imagination would run wild. Thinking too much would naturally affect their relationship.

Chi Wan’s fingers brushed against Yu Jiuzhou’s beautiful ear. “Your Highness, what is it that you can’t tell me?”

She spoke with such sincerity that it made Yu Jiuzhou wonder, could it be that she really doesn’t know?

If she truly didn’t know, then the source of her greatest anger would have a different explanation.

Yu Jiuzhou looked at Chi Wan, who was watching her with an expectant gaze. Perhaps she really had been overthinking things, and the other person truly knew nothing.

“This princess is not feeling well. You can take a look for me.”

Chi Wan was puzzled. The last time she had offered to check on Yu Jiuzhou, she had been refused. Today, she was asking for a diagnosis herself.

It seemed there really was something wrong with the Princess’s health. She hoped it wasn’t serious.

With a solemn expression, she placed her hand on Yu Jiuzhou’s wrist, feeling her pulse, afraid of discovering something terrible.

But as she felt the changes in Yu Jiuzhou’s pulse, her eyes suddenly widened.

How could this be possible?

Her hand trembled slightly as she felt Yu Jiuzhou’s miraculous pulse.

“Your… Your Highness, you’re pregnant?”

No, how could Yu Jiuzhou be pregnant?

Wait, how could she have gotten Yu Jiuzhou pregnant? She was a woman!

“You’re actually pregnant!”

“I got you pregnant!”

“I actually got you pregnant.”

Pheromones were truly miraculous. They could actually make another woman pregnant.

No wonder Yu Jiuzhou’s complexion had been off; it was clearly the look of pregnancy. Yet she had never once considered this possibility. If she had, she could have guessed that Yu Jiuzhou was pregnant, and none of this would have happened.

No wonder Yu Jiuzhou had been looking at her with displeasure recently.

As a physician, failing to notice that one’s own wife was pregnant—anyone in that situation would let their imagination run wild.

Although she had never thought she could actually get Yu Jiuzhou pregnant and hadn’t taken her pulse, it was still inexcusable.

Yu Jiuzhou had every right to be angry.

But it was currently the sixth month, late in the sixth month, almost the seventh. Yu Jiuzhou’s pulse indicated she was just under three months along.

That meant they had been intimate right after she had just become pregnant.

Thankfully, nothing had happened. Perhaps it was because Chi Wan had been gentle enough.

Chi Wan took a deep breath. “Could it be that I’m just that amazing?”

Hearing Chi Wan’s muttering, dark lines formed on Yu Jiuzhou’s forehead. So, she really hadn’t known she was pregnant.

But what did she mean by “that amazing”? Wasn’t it perfectly normal for a Qian Yuan to be able to impregnate a Kun Ze?

Of course, it wasn’t unheard of for some Qian Yuan to have blocked pheromones, and some, even if they could release pheromones, couldn’t impregnate a Kun Ze.

Evidently, most people had no problem.

Chi Wan’s comment was truly exasperating, and more than that, embarrassing.

Chi Wan was far too shameless.

But Yu Jiuzhou still keenly caught something Chi Wan had said: what did she mean, her world wasn’t divided into Qian Yuan and Kun Ze, that everyone was a girl?

That’s right, they were both women, just with different pheromones. She had a sensitive heart, so Chi Wan must have one too.

After all, from Chi Wan’s behavior, it was clear she was different from ordinary Qian Yuan. Though she was a Qian Yuan, her temperament was more like a Kun Ze’s.

To be precise, Chi Wan possessed the fortitude and decisiveness of a Qian Yuan woman, as well as the delicate gentleness of a Kun Ze woman.

Where on earth did such a person come from?

Hearing Chi Wan’s words today, an absurd idea formed in Yu Jiuzhou’s mind: Chi Wan might be a celestial being.

A god from the heavens reincarnated on earth?

She hadn’t believed in ghosts and gods, but her own rebirth—if not for ghosts and gods, how could such a thing have happened?

And Chi Wan’s behavior was so different from the Qian Yuan of this world. It wasn’t just different; it was worlds apart. Coupled with what Chi Wan had just said, could she really be a figure from the heavens?

It was no wonder Yu Jiuzhou thought this way. Chi Wan’s temperament was so vastly different from the Qian Yuan of this world. She completely lacked that sense of Qian Yuan superiority, and she knew so many things.

Salt production, firearms and cannons, steel refining, and so on—each one was astonishing, yet she knew them all. If she wasn’t from the heavens, where else could she be from?

The only thing that was puzzling was why Chi Wan knew so much about Prince Bao’an, yet only had a partial understanding of others in his faction, and knew nothing about anyone else.

Could it be that Heaven’s will favored Prince Bao’an? Was that why a celestial being was so concerned with him?

No. What did Heaven’s will matter? Even if it was Heaven’s will, she, Yu Jiuzhou, would show the heavens what it meant for humanity to conquer fate.

Besides, if Heaven’s will truly favored Prince Bao’an, it wouldn’t have sent someone like Chi Wan to her side.

With Chi Wan by her side, many things she did in this life were accomplished with half the effort.

Even Chi Wan’s reaction to learning about her pregnancy was a mix of disbelief, excitement, and a touch of foolishness.

So foolish that it left her speechless.

The next second, Chi Wan placed her hand on Yu Jiuzhou’s lower abdomen.

This sudden action stunned Yu Jiuzhou. What was she doing?

Chi Wan felt around for a while, then shook her head in regret. “She’s still too small. She won’t even kick me.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “?”

Her belly wasn’t even showing yet. It was mainly because she was too thin. It probably wouldn’t become apparent until she was five or six months along.

As for when the baby would kick, she had heard her mother say that she had been a lazy baby in the womb.

At that time, the Emperor and her mother still had a good relationship and were often together. The Emperor loved to talk to her while she was still in the womb. He would have to coax her for a long time before she would deign to give a little punch or a little kick in response.

She usually didn’t give the Emperor much face, but she was quite responsive to her mother.

Her mother had told her many amusing stories about her time before birth and during her childhood.

The Emperor had loved her very much back then; it was only later that he began to plot against her.

It was no wonder she felt the Emperor still loved her as his daughter. When she was little, the Emperor had treated her very well, giving her things according to the standards of the Eastern Palace. Some things, even the crown prince of the Eastern Palace couldn’t use, were given to her.

With no crown prince in the state, the Emperor raised her as one.

Perhaps the Emperor had been sincere back then. She didn’t know when that sincerity had turned into scheming.

But how could Chi Wan be so silly, knowing the baby in her womb was small, yet still trying to feel for it with her hand?

“Don’t move,” Yu Jiuzhou said, telling Chi Wan to take her hand away.

Chi Wan smiled nonchalantly, then sat down next to Yu Jiuzhou, her eyes never leaving her belly.

“Your Highness, you’re pregnant. Why didn’t you tell me?”

She couldn’t understand. Wasn’t this a good thing? Why hadn’t she told her?

Thinking back, the time they started sleeping in separate rooms was right when Yu Jiuzhou had just discovered she was pregnant.

Yu Jiuzhou snorted. “You’re a physician. Couldn’t you tell this princess was pregnant?”

Er… a fair point.

She was a physician. By rights, she should have been able to tell. Since she hadn’t, Yu Jiuzhou must have overthought things.

Chi Wan reached for Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. The moment she touched its softness and saw that Yu Jiuzhou didn’t pull away, she breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, she had been rejected countless times these past days.

Finally touching Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, she figured she wasn’t as angry anymore.

It was good that she wasn’t angry.

Chi Wan’s hand caressed Yu Jiuzhou’s. “This matter is my fault. I didn’t realize you were pregnant.”

“It’s just that I never imagined that two women could actually have a child.”

What kind of talk was that?

Yu Jiuzhou remained silent, thinking for a moment before asking, “This princess is very curious. Where were you from in your past life?”

They were both women, yet there was a distinction between Qian Yuan and Kun Ze. It was common knowledge that a female Qian Yuan could impregnate a female Kun Ze, even if their physical structures were the same.

Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. It seemed she had never told Yu Jiuzhou where she came from.

“I’m from the 21st century.”

Yu Jiuzhou knew all these characters, but when combined, she had no idea what they meant.

Where was the 21st century?

Chi Wan didn’t know how to explain. To someone from ancient times, the technology of the 21st century was too exaggerated. Chang’e flying to the moon was a myth, after all. What if people could really fly to the heavens?

After some thought, she decided not to talk about technology, but rather about moral qualities, humanistic care, and beliefs.

Setting aside freedom and equality for a moment, in the 21st century, there were only men and women. Love between two women was considered homosexuality, which was a minority.

A minority, yes, but very few young people would discriminate against it.

In any case, people lived their own lives. In the cities, no one cared if you liked men or women. It was a bit impersonal, but it was relatively friendly toward women.

Then there was schooling and work. This point, in particular, was a great shock to Yu Jiuzhou.

“You’re saying that anyone can go to school and work?”

In this world, very few Kun Ze could study. Apart from the noble and aristocratic families, Kun Ze and He Yuan basically lived their lives in a muddle.

Reading and writing were things for a small minority. It was better in the capital, where one in ten people might be able to read. In other places, you might not find a single literate person in an entire village.

That was why it was so difficult to issue imperial decrees.

Keeping the populace ignorant was a grand strategy played by those in power, but Yu Jiuzhou didn’t think it was a good method.

Yu Jiuzhou thought of the academy Chi Wan had established in Yanbei and asked, “The academy you opened in Yanbei, can it be opened in all regions? This princess will approve the funds.”

Opening an academy required money. If she was asking Chi Wan to do it, she would naturally provide the funds.

Chi Wan had long thought about establishing schools in various regions. If one more person could study, the imperial court would not be monopolized by the noble and aristocratic families.

Looking at the officials in the court, very few came from humble backgrounds. Even if there were a few, they would become disciples of high-ranking officials.

Those who truly passed the exams on their own and did not become disciples of high officials almost never had a chance to stand in the imperial court.

Being appointed as an official in a remote post didn’t count as being a high official.

Chi Wan understood Yu Jiuzhou’s meaning and nodded. “This matter is not difficult. I will handle it well.”

As the Fuma, it was only natural for her to solve problems for Her Highness the Grand Princess.

“Chi Wan.”

“Hm?”

“You come from a world with good order and freedom of thought.”

Chi Wan smiled. “Relatively speaking, yes.”

After all, many officials in Great Zhou kept male or female paramours—male Qian Yuan keeping male Qian Yuan, female Qian Yuan keeping female Qian Yuan, or even more combinations. This was a social custom, a trend.

Anyone who didn’t would probably be mocked as a country bumpkin who was afraid of their wife.

Chi Wan was often mocked for being afraid of her wife, but she didn’t care.

But in terms of education and women being able to hold official positions and work, the equivalent in this world would be the Kun Ze. And the Kun Ze of this world could not work or hold office.

Yu Jiuzhou wanted to slowly change the situation for Kun Ze, and she would certainly lend her a helping hand.

Chi Wan moved closer, leaving no distance between them.

Yu Jiuzhou’s face turned red, and she gave her a gentle, weak push with a fair hand. “It’s not allowed in the early stages of pregnancy.”

What’s not allowed? Chi Wan was completely bewildered.

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