Chi Wan had been working very hard lately. She would wait at the city gates before dawn, and she was always the first one out when they opened.
The Jinwu Guard manning the gates offered to open them for her, but she firmly refused.
She was determined not to receive special treatment. At night, she would enter the city right on time, refusing to give the censors anything to talk about.
The more critical the time, the less she could afford to give anyone anything to talk about, not even the slightest thing.
Her refusal to use her privileges led many to comment that she was truly the loyal, upright, and unyielding Chi Jinzhao.
An official who used no privileges whatsoever was a rarity, like a phoenix feather or a qilin horn.
The scholars who already admired and respected her practically saw her as a model official. When they learned she would be the chief examiner for the autumn examinations, they were all ecstatic.
They felt that if they were fortunate enough to become Chi Wan’s disciples, they would surely strive to be as loyal, upright, and unyielding as she was.
These students, not yet tainted by the world, were truly a group of good children.
Chi Wan had heard something of her standing among the scholars. She thought that if these students became officials next year, when Yu Jiuzhou might be ascending the throne, there would be many more voices in the court supporting them.
After all, those old diehards would certainly object. To be precise, aside from Qian Yuan with vested interests, very few Qian Yuan would allow a Kun Ze to become emperor.
Having even one supporter out of a hundred would be considered good.
Those Qian Yuan were both incompetent and absolutely unwilling to let a Kun Ze stand above them. Otherwise, they would spare no effort in spreading rumors—all sorts of rumors.
Chi Wan remembered something that had been a hot topic online before she transmigrated. Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan’er were actually good friends, but a man had spread rumors that their relationship was poor.
There were many more examples in history, but in the world she came from, it was women who suffered such unfair treatment.
In this world, it was the Kun Ze. Their situation was essentially the same.
And the Kun Ze’s situation in this world was even more difficult. Because of their pheromones, they were always being plotted against. Once marked, it was for life. Whether it was a forced marking or a voluntary one, there was no room for regret later.
For a Kun Ze to become emperor, one could only imagine the immense difficulties.
Prince Bao’an felt his path was difficult, willing to cast aside his dignity and everything else. But for Yu Jiuzhou to become emperor, the effort required would be a thousand, a hundred times his.
This was the difference. So, with the help of those scholars, perhaps things would be a little easier.
After the spring examinations next year, a new batch of officials would be selected. Yu Jiuzhou could place them in different departments, preferably keeping them in the capital.
There was one prerequisite: if Chi Wan served as the chief examiner for the autumn examinations, could she also do so for the spring examinations? Generally, this wasn’t allowed, but there was room to maneuver.
The entire capital knew that Chi Wan was rushing back and forth between Shengjing and the capital camps.
Some thought she was putting on a show, some thought she feared her wife, and others thought she loved her wife.
But throughout the entire process, she had scrupulously followed the rules, leaving others with nothing to say even if they wanted to.
Finally finished with her inspection of the capital camps, Chi Wan entered the city just a second before the gates of Shengjing closed, then galloped back to the Princess’s Residence.
The evening curfew had not yet begun, so she wasn’t breaking any rules by riding her horse through the streets.
Her meticulousness left those who wanted to find fault with her speechless. How could someone not even use such a small privilege?
For many high-ranking officials, traveling after curfew was a common occurrence. Some rules were for officials with insufficient power and for the common people, not for them. They could break the rules at any time.
Chi Wan’s actions made these people feel that she was out of step with them.
Some said that an official should blend in with their peers.
But Chi Jinzhao insisted on being different, so she couldn’t blame them for distancing themselves from her.
Chi Wan didn’t care in the slightest. She lay on the arhat bed in Yongning Courtyard, too tired to even open her eyes.
She had been maintaining a high-intensity work schedule for the past few days. Now that the task was complete, Chi Wan suddenly relaxed, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
She lay on the arhat bed, drowsing, until a cool hand touched her face.
Only then did Chi Wan open her eyes. Seeing it was Yu Jiuzhou, she first broke into a smile.
Yu Jiuzhou stroked her face with a pained expression. “Go inside and sleep.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m in good health.”
Her body was indeed in excellent condition. It was just that sleeping only two shichen a day while rushing between two places was mentally exhausting.
In comparison, her body was fine. If Yu Jiuzhou allowed it, she could even fight a great battle right now. But the weariness of her mind was not something her body could control.
Hearing her say she was in good health, Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t help but roll her eyes. What was she even talking about?
Every time she wanted a second or third round, she would say she was in good health.
Chi Wan, having been on the receiving end of that look, grinned even more happily. She loved it when Yu Jiuzhou didn’t put on a front with her.
“Sister?”
“?”
Yu Jiuzhou’s face flushed red. The woman had only ever called her “sister” in bed, and in a teasing, mischievous way. What was she doing now?
One look and Chi Wan knew she was overthinking things again. The cool and aloof Grand Princess had a rather improper mind.
“I haven’t taken your pulse in a while. Let me see.”
“Qiu Lai already took it for me.”
Despite saying this, Yu Jiuzhou still extended her hand to Chi Wan.
Chi Wan placed her fingers on Yu Jiuzhou’s pulse and concentrated. After a long moment, her eyes flew open. “Twins?”
“Mm.” Evidently, Yu Jiuzhou already knew.
A physician with some skill could tell whether it was a single birth or twins.
Yu Jiuzhou had originally thought Chi Wan would be overjoyed, but instead, her brow was deeply furrowed.
And she had planned from the start to tell Chi Wan about the twins only after her mission was complete.
Chi Wan was very worried. Twins were dangerous.
In the modern era, there were machines that could check the specific conditions inside the womb. If something was wrong, selective reduction was an option. Although she could use her internal energy to map out the situation, twins were still dangerous, especially since reduction was impossible.
Fortunately, she had restored Yu Jiuzhou’s body to a very healthy state. Her hands used to be like blocks of ice, but now they were just cool to the touch, only a little cooler than normal.
Yu Jiuzhou reached out and smoothed Chi Wan’s brow. “What’s wrong?”
“Twins. I’m a little worried.”
Qiu Lai had mentioned this as well; the risks with twins were much greater.
Yu Jiuzhou, however, felt it was fine. She knew her own body; it was in much better condition than it had been even at her peak.
“What is there to worry about? With you here, I’m not afraid.”
Chi Wan was taken aback. When they had first decided to have a child, it was fundamentally because they needed this child, not because they truly wanted one.
As time went on, they had perhaps invested too much emotion.
If there were no feelings involved, they would have distanced themselves after Yu Jiuzhou became pregnant.
But no matter the circumstances, Chi Wan didn’t want Yu Jiuzhou to face any risks.
It seemed now that the preparations she had made in advance were not wrong.
She had already had modern surgical instruments forged and was also preparing to create a sterile room.
The Princess’s Residence was powerful and influential; creating a sterile operating room was no problem at all.
And from now on, she would carry a medical kit with her at all times to prevent any accidents.
With Yu Jiuzhou’s constitution, a normal birth shouldn’t be a problem. With her there, she could keep Yu Jiuzhou’s body well-conditioned, ensuring it was at least no worse than before the pregnancy.
But they were at the center of a vortex, where accidents could happen at any time, any place.
Fortunately, the Princess’s Residence was like an iron fortress. As long as she didn’t go out, Yu Jiuzhou would be safe.
Cabinet matters could be moved to the Princess’s Residence, but many things still required her to appear in person.
Chi Wan made a decision. From now on, she would handle everything on Yu Jiuzhou’s behalf. Nothing was more important than Yu Jiuzhou’s safety, not even the Emperor’s affairs.
She had to go to the palace and make things clear with the Emperor. Surely there wouldn’t be any more matters that required her to leave the capital.
Chi Wan sat up and pulled Yu Jiuzhou onto her lap, holding her tightly.
“After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the autumn examinations will begin. I’m the chief examiner, so I’ll have to be at the examination hall for all three sessions. During those days, don’t go out. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you to apply to your face to feign an allergic reaction. That way, you won’t have to worry about anyone coming to find you.”
The Emperor knew she was pregnant, so he would surely cooperate. If he wanted a royal grandchild, he had to cooperate.
Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “I’ll listen to you.”
She had her own team of secretaries, not just Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong. They were already very adept at reviewing memorials and other tasks, and would occasionally visit various residences to convey her instructions. People outside knew she had such a secretarial team.
The secretarial team was quite large, with each person having their own duties. If one had to name a leader, it would be the hands-off Chun Gui. This was the best way to reduce conflict within the team.
When too many people work together, conflict is normal. Even if they were all loyal to Yu Jiuzhou, they wouldn’t necessarily be convinced by their peers.
As it happened, Chun Gui had a knack for managing people, and she was fair and just, leaving no room for complaint.
In her past life, Yu Jiuzhou had been betrayed by too many people, which made her want to hold all power in her own hands. As it turned out, she couldn’t do so many things by herself. Even an emperor needed the Grand Secretariat, an entity that shared his power.
But the existence of the Grand Secretariat also allowed the machinery of Great Zhou to run smoothly even without an emperor. Therefore, the emperor must never hand military authority over to the cabinet.
In the few dynasties before Great Zhou, the emperors held no military power. Emperor Shengyuan was paranoid, but he was also clever enough. After Emperor Xianzhong, the emperors lost control of the military, which was a testament to Emperor Shengyuan’s prowess.
But that man was too ruthless, his mind filled only with himself and his wealth. For these things, he would abandon both his partner and his daughter.
But even as Emperor Shengyuan tightened his grip on power, he still didn’t control everything himself. Some power always had to be delegated.
Yu Jiuzhou simply lacked a sense of security. In her past life, those loyal to her had nearly all died; not a single one of Chun, Xia, Qiu, or Dong had survived. Of those who lived, most chose to betray her. It was normal for her to feel insecure.
When did she start to open her heart and trust others? It probably began with Chi Wan.
Besides Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong, the first person she trusted was Chi Wan. Slowly, she began to trust others as well.
Of course, it wasn’t blind trust. Some were people who had been loyal to her for a lifetime in her previous life, some were people she could have trusted but didn’t, and there were others who, even if not trusted, could still be used.
Yu Jiuzhou was a ruler. The key was to use people, not to ensure that every single person was loyal to her. However, those who stayed by her side still had to be guaranteed to be loyal.
Therefore, she agreed with what Chi Wan had said.
Nothing was more important than her own body. With good health and her life intact, she could plan for the future.
Chi Wan suddenly discovered Yu Jiuzhou’s obedient side. She couldn’t resist nuzzling the tip of her nose into her hair. The enchanting fragrance nearly set her on fire.
“Your Highness, your health is the top priority right now. I’ll take care of everything outside.”
Yu Jiuzhou would command from the rear, while Chi Wan would unhesitatingly take on the fighting and killing.
“Alright.” Yu Jiuzhou seemed to be in a mood to listen to whatever Chi Wan said.
That was because she knew the news of her pregnancy couldn’t be hidden forever. At the very least, she couldn’t let people claim after the child was born that she had randomly picked up a baby to usurp the throne and muddle the imperial bloodline.
She had to find an opportunity to leak the news. That was when the real storm would break over the city.
So Chi Wan’s considerations were correct. During this period, she had to ensure her own safety as much as possible.
“Do you think it’s better to announce my pregnancy at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, or wait a few days and announce it at Princess Lin’an’s residence?”
Chi Wan thought for a moment. “The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. If Princess Lin’an hosts a banquet, I’ll go. You stay here at the residence.”
Not even the imperial palace was as safe as the Princess’s Residence. Princess Lin’an’s residence was even more porous.
They only had one chance. If they announced the pregnancy on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, some people wouldn’t have time to arrange an “accident.” Any hasty attempt would surely leave behind evidence. With evidence, they could escalate the situation. Emperor Shengyuan would definitely be furious, and the other party would not escape unscathed.
In that case, Yu Jiuzhou absolutely could not go to Princess Lin’an’s residence. The probability of an accident there was ten times that of the imperial palace.
Chi Wan felt that if Princess Lin’an hosted a banquet, she would just go, present a gift, and leave.
Yu Jiuzhou agreed. It was indeed time to make it public.
Chi Wan would first broach the subject with the Emperor. After all, she was still his spy.
If the Emperor knew she had been fooling him all along, she wondered what he would think. He would probably be angry enough to want her killed, right?
Chi Wan suddenly thought of something. She buried her head in Yu Jiuzhou’s shoulder and gave it a light bite. “Your Highness, next time, no matter the situation or what I’m doing, you must tell me immediately, you understand?”
Just like this time, when Yu Jiuzhou found out about the twins but didn’t say anything when she returned each night.
Twins were more dangerous than a single birth and required more caution.
Yu Jiuzhou felt a slight sting, but Chi Wan had only bitten lightly before immediately letting go.
“Alright.”
“Hmph.”
She always said “alright,” but she rarely followed through.
Yu Jiuzhou pinched her cheek. “Bathe, eat, sleep?”
Chi Wan nodded. “Together?”
Yu Jiuzhou: “…”
Just when Chi Wan thought it was a lost cause, Yu Jiuzhou said in an extremely low voice, “Mm.”
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