TGPSAC – Chapter 110

On the thirteenth day of the ninth month, the Shengyuan Emperor returned from the autumn hunt.

Yu Jiuzhou, Chi Wan, and Grand Secretary Gao Zheng led the host of officials to personally welcome him.

Never mind that Yu Jiuzhou was pregnant; she would have had to come even if it were raining knives. Otherwise, the Shengyuan Emperor would likely have had even more to say.

Fortunately, the guards of the Imperial City Division had long since cleared the streets. Both sides were lined with their guards, and behind them stood the Embroidered-Robe Guard.

The Embroidered-Robe Guard and the staff from the Princess’s Residence formed a barrier, separating the other officials. They could only glimpse the back of Her Highness the Princess through the crowd.

The only people permitted to stand beside the Grand Princess, aside from the Fuma, were all members of the Grand Secretariat. No one outside the cabinet could stand at the front.

Even when the Emperor arrived, they would not be able to see him immediately.

There was a reason for this arrangement. If someone wanted to take advantage of the crowd to harm Yu Jiuzhou, such an environment could easily lead to a disturbance, and under the cover of chaos, they might have a follow-up plan.

Rather than risk that, it was better to keep people separated from the start.

Although they were all officials, who could guarantee that some had not been threatened or offered sufficient benefits to make a move?

At least the Grand Secretariat was composed of high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries. Having reached their positions, they would not gamble with their own lives.

But Chi Wan had also investigated. After the reshuffling of the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretariat was filled with either Yu Jiuzhou’s people or those with no affiliation. It was also possible that some hidden matters had not yet been uncovered.

It was not easy to become an official of the Six Ministries. Even if one were to sacrifice another for some gain, it would not be through assassinating Yu Jiuzhou.

Setting aside how much a minister could accomplish, with Chi Wan by her side, even an assassin would have a hard time succeeding, let alone these high-ranking cabinet officials who lacked the strength to even truss a chicken.

The enemy was not foolish; they would naturally not attempt such a thing.

Nevertheless, Chi Wan stayed close by Yu Jiuzhou’s side. Not the slightest rustle of leaves in the wind could escape her notice.

She also supported Yu Jiuzhou with her hand.

Everyone was standing here waiting for the Emperor; even the Grand Princess could not sit down.

Yu Jiuzhou’s expression was cold. This was why she was beginning to detest the Emperor. They were father and daughter, yet knowing his daughter was pregnant, he showed not a shred of consideration, not even sending back a verbal decree.

An hour ago, the Shengyuan Emperor had sent a verbal decree back, ordering the imperial physicians to wait for him outside the city gates.

In addition, all the guards of the Palace Guard Division were also to wait by the side.

The Shengyuan Emperor had taken so many from the Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard, and had taken more than half of the Palace Guard Division with him, yet he still demanded everyone come to protect him.

The verbal decree arranged many things, but not a single one concerned Yu Jiuzhou.

For a father to act this way, there was truly nothing to be said.

Whether he intentionally omitted it or simply never thought of it, it was quite chilling.

Chi Wan’s eyes grew cold. From the Emperor’s orders, it was clear that even if he had not fully established trust in Prince Bao’an, he no longer viewed him with the same suspicion as before, constantly thinking they were trying to usurp his throne.

After all, in the Shengyuan Emperor’s eyes, if he were to die, the person most likely to become emperor was Prince Bao’an.

Prince Bao’an was currently the only adult prince in the capital, and he had risked his life to save him. Did this not prove that in his heart, the life of the Emperor was more important than his own ascension to the throne?

It had to be said, the Shengyuan Emperor was flattering himself far too much.

Fortunately, with his suspicious nature, he was still wondering why Prince Bao’an would risk his life to save him.

Of course, this was the merit of protecting the sovereign. The Emperor could not fail to show his appreciation. His outward display of favor toward Prince Bao’an was also a message to everyone: serve him, the Emperor, well, and he would not treat them poorly.

And so, before Prince Bao’an had even returned, he had already been granted a substantive official post.

The Shengyuan Emperor was no soft touch. He believed it was only right that others should save him, but to encourage more people to risk their lives for him, rewards were necessary.

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Chi Wan already knew what had happened at the hunting grounds.

The tiger had been arranged by Prince Bao’an, and his so-called coma was also feigned. While pretending to be ill, Prince Bao’an had played the part of the pitiful victim before the Shengyuan Emperor.

From time to time, he would also say things to arouse the Shengyuan Emperor’s suspicions.

The Shengyuan Emperor trusted no one. Even a sliver of trust was easily exploited by provocation.

Prince Bao’an had just risked his life for him and was at his most trusted. A few “unintentional words” could easily plant seeds of doubt in the Shengyuan Emperor’s heart.

He was the Shengyuan Emperor, after all, not some enlightened ruler. Their expectations of him were not high.

Wang Hai had someone pass along some news—the words Prince Bao’an had spoken in front of the Shengyuan Emperor.

“The Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard were both rebuilt by Her Highness the Princess. The officers and commanders were all appointed by Her Highness. To have the Grand Princess as regent is a blessing for the nation.” The first part insinuated that Yu Jiuzhou might have control over the Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard, and the latter part was a veiled jab at her.

It made the Emperor feel that others thought Yu Jiuzhou was better at ruling Great Zhou than he was. How could he possibly feel comfortable with that?

What else had Prince Bao’an said?

“The Embroidered-Robe Guard of the Imperial City Division—their training is truly a beautiful sight.” This was a subtle dig, implying that Chi Wan knew nothing of military matters and had trained nothing but parade soldiers.

But the Shengyuan Emperor had witnessed the strength of the Imperial City Division’s guards, so he did not think much of it.

Prince Bao’an had said many things praising Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan, but upon careful reflection, they felt off, always prompting one to read between the lines.

Especially for someone as suspicious as the Shengyuan Emperor, he would read far too much into them.

It could be said that Prince Bao’an had completely grasped the Shengyuan Emperor’s mindset.

Thinking about the news from Wang Hai, Chi Wan suddenly began to consider establishing a new army.

Many of the soldiers in the regional garrisons were of little use.

The Nine Border Garrisons, the Capital Camps and their surrounding areas, the rotating troops, the coastal armies, the commanderies of the inland provinces, and the soldiers in the southwest.

It seemed like there were many soldiers, but in a real crisis, there were not that many who could be deployed.

So Chi Wan proposed to Yu Jiuzhou that they form a new army.

This army would be formed by selecting the best from various military camps across the land. If that was not enough, they would recruit more to expand the Capital Camps.

The Capital Camps still had too few soldiers. If war broke out on the border, temporarily dispatching troops from other regions would waste an unknown amount of time.

If all one hundred thousand soldiers of the Capital Camps were sent away, the capital would be left empty.

Some inland provinces did not need so many soldiers at all. If the border was attacked, troops from the central command could be sent directly as reinforcements.

Local garrisons were sufficient for maintaining local security and defense.

Moreover, it was not easy for foreign tribes to invade. There was no need to station so many troops in the inland provinces. Even if an enemy invasion was fierce, reinforcements from the Capital Camps would be enough.

The soldiers in the inland provinces had long since fallen into disarray. They would be useless on the battlefield, having not seen blood for years since their establishment.

Maintaining them was a waste of money and land, and there was always the worry they would become a local scourge. After all, when these idle men gathered in groups of thirty or fifty to drink and gamble, it was easy for trouble to start.

Therefore, Chi Wan thought of singling out the outstanding individuals among them to expand the Capital Camps.

The Five Army Camps of the Capital Camps would be reorganized into Sixteen Guards, with twenty thousand men per guard, for a total of three hundred thousand troops stationed near the capital.

In truth, Chi Wan was not only thinking about saving military expenses and protecting the capital. She was also considering how the Dragon Guard Army would react if Yu Jiuzhou truly ascended the throne in the future. With two hundred thousand soldiers in the Dragon Guard Army, they had to prepare early.

Regarding the Dragon Guard Army, Yu Jiuzhou had long said their policy should be kindness first, suppression second.

The Dragon Guard Army was loyal to the emperor, but few emperors had ever shown them consideration.

For generations, they had lived in Dragon City. Their descendants could only be soldiers, with no other options. Their Kun Ze daughters could only marry local soldiers.

They, their ancestors, and all their descendants could only live in Dragon City, destined to use their lives to extend the life of Great Zhou in times of chaos.

In fact, if chaos truly came, would the Dragon Guard Army maintain that loyalty?

The Imperial City Division had investigated and found that many among them harbored resentment, especially the mid- and low-ranking officers.

For the common soldiers, life outside would not be much different from life in Dragon City. At least in Dragon City, they had enough food to eat and clothes to wear.

There were also many young people who yearned for the outside world, and their numbers were growing.

Cases of bullying men and seizing women had begun to appear among the mid- and low-ranking officers, and the high-ranking commanders were only clean on the surface.

It had to be said that Dragon City had been a good place at its inception. But after so many generations, the hearts of too many people were filled with resentment, hatred, and greed—and even more so, a yearning for freedom.

And they knew their fate: from the moment they were born, they were destined to die in battle for the emperor.

Their lives were not their own; they belonged to the emperor of Great Zhou.

When their hearts were filled with dissatisfaction and injustice, how many would remain loyal when chaos truly descended?

But with a base of two hundred thousand troops, even if only a few thousand chose to rebel, the number of those who would follow the current or be easily led would swell their ranks to tens of thousands.

The existence of the Dragon Guard Army was a safeguard for the emperor, but wherever people gathered in such numbers—two hundred thousand troops, plus their families, young and old—the population was even larger.

Whatever the reason, it was always right to take precautions in advance.

Time was passing too quickly. Once the autumn hunt was over, winter would soon set in, followed by the Spring Festival. Not long after the festival, the Shengyuan Emperor would pass away.

There was not much time left for them. They had to get everything done before the Shengyuan Emperor’s death.

Chi Wan sighed softly, wondering when things would finally settle down.

As if hearing her sigh, Yu Jiuzhou turned to look at her. “What is it?”

Chi Wan just felt that in this power struggle, the world was the chessboard, and all its people had been drawn into the game. One careless move, and the entire realm would suffer.

But for those at the center of the vortex, not fighting was not an option. To not fight was to die, and it would even drag more people down with them.

“They’re here.” Just as Chi Wan was about to say something, she heard the sound of a marching army.

A procession of seventy to eighty thousand people made a great stir as it moved. Soon, everyone could feel the tremors shaking the ground.

Everyone knew the Emperor had returned.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Emperor’s procession came into view.

The mountains in the distance seemed to rush toward them, but there was still some way to go.

But many people were already in motion. They were not only welcoming the Emperor but also the rest of the retinue. Arrangements for their quartering and transfer of command had to be made immediately.

The thirty thousand Imperial Guards and twenty thousand Jinwu Guards had to be settled first, even though they were originally troops from the capital.

As for the accompanying families of the nobles, they could be ignored for now. They would be held back until the Emperor entered the city and the restrictions were lifted, after which they could enter in succession.

Seeing that the personnel had been dispatched, Chi Wan finally said, “I was just thinking, when will the winds in this capital finally die down?”

Yu Jiuzhou squeezed her hand. “After the storm.”

Before a storm, there was the oppressive silence of dark clouds pressing down on the city, weighing on one’s spirits. After the storm, there was the calm of a world washed clean, which brought a sense of relief.

It seemed that though the storm would be a difficult birth, it would also bring a long period of stability.

Chi Wan looked at Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying beside her. “Watch over Her Highness. I am going to welcome His Majesty.”

The Imperial City Division was the Emperor’s personal army. As its commander, she had not accompanied the Emperor on the autumn hunt. Now that he was returning, it would be too discourteous of her not to go and greet him.

Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. To be precise, Chi Wan was going to meet the Emperor ahead of time to file her little report on her.

As for the content of that report, the two of them had already discussed it before bed last night.

It would have been even better if Chi Wan’s hands had been a bit more behaved.

Sensing Yu Jiuzhou’s gaze, Chi Wan smiled at her, a picture of innocence. “Your Highness, please wait a moment. This subject will be right back.”

Yu Jiuzhou huffed softly and waved her hand, gesturing for her to hurry along.

Dressed in her python-embroidered robe, Chi Wan turned gracefully, leaping onto her horse with an air of ease.

She rode alone to the front of the procession, which was led by Gu Cheng, commander of the Imperial Guard’s Right Guard.

This Gu Cheng was a man who was absolutely neutral. Even an emperor as suspicious as this one trusted him greatly and took him everywhere.

Of the thirty thousand Imperial Guards, he had taken two commanders with him: one was Gu Cheng, the other was Duan Yun, the Earl of Wukang.

Both were men the Emperor trusted relatively well. It was not that he distrusted the commanders of the other three Imperial Guards, but it was a matter of comparison.

When Gu Cheng saw Chi Wan, he immediately spurred his horse forward to meet her. “Fuma, please halt. This subject will go and report to His Majesty.”

“I’ll trouble you.”

Gu Cheng rode to the side of the Emperor’s carriage and said something. He quickly rode back. “Fuma, His Majesty summons you.”

“Many thanks.”

Chi Wan clasped her hands in thanks and then rode toward the procession.

Gu Cheng watched her back, muttering to himself, “The Grand Princess, the Fuma, Prince Bao’an… His Majesty is getting old after all.”

Not far from him, Duan Yun was staring at him, only looking away after a long moment.

Gu Cheng’s authority within the Imperial Guard was no less than her own. If he were an enemy, he would be a very difficult one to deal with.

Chi Wan had a decent understanding of the inner workings of the Imperial Guard. Yu Jiuzhou’s intelligence network was formidable, uncovering far more than the Imperial City Division.

The Imperial City Division had only recently been rebuilt, so to have achieved this much was already impressive. Its agents were being planted everywhere. At this rate, within a year at most, the Imperial City Division’s intelligence network would cover all of Great Zhou, as well as Beining and Nanyue.

Compared to the outer provinces, it was much easier to plant spies in the capital. Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou were well-informed about matters concerning the Shengyuan Emperor.

Arriving beside the Emperor’s carriage, Chi Wan announced in a loud voice, “Your subject respectfully welcomes Your Majesty back to the capital.”

“Alright, come in and speak,” the Shengyuan Emperor called out.

Chi Wan immediately complied, then glanced at the fifth carriage back from the imperial chariot. That was Prince Bao’an’s carriage.

Prince Bao’an had been unconscious for two days and woke up early on the third. Seeing that he had awakened, the Emperor had then rewarded him with a substantive post.

He knew the autumn hunt procession was about to return to the capital. Once the Emperor was back in the palace and he was back in his residence, seeing the Emperor again would be much more difficult.

It had to be said, Prince Bao’an’s timing in waking up was perfect. He had not feigned for too long, lest the Emperor forget him. By waking up just as the procession was setting off, he prompted the Emperor to immediately issue an imperial decree.

Because Prince Bao’an was a smooth talker and everything he said resonated with the Shengyuan Emperor, the two of them found more and more common ground as they talked.

The return journey should have taken only two days, but because of Prince Bao’an’s injuries, it was dragged out to five.

One could imagine how much Prince Bao’an’s status had risen in the Emperor’s heart.

To say the Shengyuan Emperor trusted Prince Bao’an was not quite right. At most, it was that Prince Bao’an was adept at catering to the imperial will and had the merit of saving his life. The two had interacted more these past few days, giving off a different impression.

Many ministers felt that Prince Bao’an, on account of his heroic rescue, might be named Crown Prince.

Thus, even more ministers began to side with Prince Bao’an.

So far, almost no one had considered that Yu Jiuzhou herself would take that position. Their options were Prince Bao’an, or Yu Jiuzhou supporting the Prince of Shunchéng, or waiting for her own child to be born and, with the status of an imperial grandchild, supporting her child to become emperor.

For the ministers, siding with an adult prince was far better than siding with a puppet or an infant.

It was as if a weather forecast had long predicted a storm in the capital. Everyone knew it in their hearts. Now, the clouds were gathering, and it seemed the storm was about to break.

Chi Wan had long anticipated the surging tides in the imperial court. Her task now was to stabilize the Shengyuan Emperor; otherwise, she would not have rushed over to file her little report.

The Shengyuan Emperor did not want to see her and Yu Jiuzhou on good terms right now, so he would be most pleased to hear her report on Yu Jiuzhou.

At present, Prince Bao’an was constantly pandering to the Shengyuan Emperor. Who knew when the Emperor might start believing his nonsense.

For example, acknowledging him as a father, calling his own biological father “uncle,” matters concerning his funeral arrangements, and so on.

And then having Yu Jiuzhou supervise it all—wouldn’t the developments be the same as in the last life?

Except in this life, Yu Jiuzhou no longer trusted Prince Bao’an, and her own power base had grown much larger.

By the time the Shengyuan Emperor died, Yu Jiuzhou would have nearly enough capital to rebel, with at least a seventy percent chance of success.

If not for the sake of righteousness and legitimacy, her actions might have been even more drastic.

She was even prepared to alter the final edict. If the Shengyuan Emperor issued a decree naming Prince Bao’an as his successor, she would make that decree disappear.

Before that, she had to prevent the Shengyuan Emperor from naming Prince Bao’an as Crown Prince.

After all, if he became Crown Prince first, his succession after the Shengyuan Emperor’s death would be a matter of course.

That was what was called righteousness, what was called the legitimate line.

Unless absolutely necessary, Yu Jiuzhou did not want to walk the path of a treacherous rebel.

And Prince Bao’an becoming Crown Prince and then emperor would be one of those times of absolute necessity.

Chi Wan did not want Yu Jiuzhou to do something so dangerous either, so she still needed to maneuver carefully with the Emperor.

The moment she saw the Emperor, Chi Wan immediately bowed. “Your Majesty was frightened, and your subject was not by your side. Your subject is guilty!”

She began by pleading guilty, an attitude that greatly pleased the Shengyuan Emperor.

“Alright, this is not your fault. There are naturally tigers in the hunting grounds. Who could have known the beast would run into the camp?”

The Shengyuan Emperor was old and would not go hunting himself. He had been in the camp drinking and watching dancers. Who would have thought a tiger would leap out and pounce on him?

Chi Wan knew the details of the incident and quickly said, “Your Majesty, for a tiger to have run into the camp, where were the Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard on duty?”

“And for the guards on duty to allow a tiger to get so close to Your Majesty—your subject implores Your Majesty to investigate this thoroughly.”

The Shengyuan Emperor frowned. He had not failed to consider what Chi Wan was saying. “I was with Prince Bao’an. Since we were in the camp, I did not have many Imperial Guards with me. The tiger charged out so suddenly, the guards did not have time to react…”

Then how did Prince Bao’an react so quickly? He himself had been startled; it was indeed difficult to react when a fierce tiger suddenly leaped out.

As for Prince Bao’an, could he have known about the tiger beforehand? No, a blow from a tiger would leave one half-dead at least. Even if Prince Bao’an wanted to curry favor with him, there was no need to gamble with his own life.

Unless he knew that he would not die.

This was why the Shengyuan Emperor was called suspicious. Chi Wan had only said a few words, and he had already imagined so much.

When Prince Bao’an said a few words, he suspected Yu Jiuzhou. When Chi Wan said a few words, he suspected Prince Bao’an.

At the time, the Shengyuan Emperor had been strolling within the camp. Prince Bao’an happened to not be hunting, so the two of them were walking together when a fierce tiger suddenly appeared and pounced.

Before that, the Shengyuan Emperor had already been strolling for quite a while, and no tiger had appeared—not until Prince Bao’an came over.

Could it be that the person the tiger intended to attack was actually Prince Bao’an?

If that were the case, then it made sense. Prince Bao’an must have had something on him. The tiger was pouncing on him, but with a single turn to block the Shengyuan Emperor, it became a heroic rescue.

Then the tiger must have also been brought in by Prince Bao’an. With the Duke of Xin present, creating a gap to let a tiger in would have been child’s play.

In a flash, Chi Wan understood the key point, but she could not say it. Some things the Emperor had to figure out for himself.

The Shengyuan Emperor said, “This matter will be handed over to the Imperial City Division for investigation.”

It was good that she was allowed to investigate. Once the evidence was conclusive, Prince Bao’an would have no way to refute it.

Chi Wan nodded. “Your Majesty, then the involved members of the Imperial Guard and Jinwu Guard must be brought to the Imperial City Division for interrogation.”

Such a large tiger could not have appeared out of thin air. Someone must have let it through. If they could find these people, they could unravel the whole affair.

Unexpectedly, the Shengyuan Emperor said awkwardly, “The negligent members of the Imperial Guard and Jinwu Guard have all been executed.”

Then how could they investigate? The evidence had already been erased.

Chi Wan was puzzled. “May I ask Your Majesty, who executed these men?”

“Gu Cheng.”

Gu Cheng?

Wasn’t he supposed to be neutral? How did he get involved in this matter?

Then again, if an Imperial Guard commander had not handled it, it would not have been cleaned up so thoroughly.

But the goal of planting a seed of doubt in the Shengyuan Emperor’s heart had been achieved. Chi Wan clasped her hands and bowed. “Your Majesty is blessed by the heavens. The Imperial City Division will certainly devote all its efforts to this matter.”

He had thought it was an accident, but how could there be so many accidents? The Shengyuan Emperor was old and muddled, but he was not a fool.

Next, Chi Wan reported on what Yu Jiuzhou had done in the imperial court over the past few days, according to their original plan.

She also threw in a few minor complaints.

Things like how Yu Jiuzhou was too forceful, causing grumbling in the Grand Secretariat.

She then quietly complained that Yu Jiuzhou was the same way at home, pressing down on her so much she couldn’t raise her head.

The Emperor was immediately delighted and even remarked, “The imperial court truly cannot do without me!”

Pah!

When she returned, Chi Wan told Yu Jiuzhou about these events. She was very curious how the Shengyuan Emperor could be so confident.

He had clearly made a mess of ruling Great Zhou.

Unexpectedly, Yu Jiuzhou was not very interested in this. Instead, she asked, “When have I ever pressed you down at home so much that you couldn’t raise your head?”

Normally, when the two were together, Yu Jiuzhou would quietly listen to Chi Wan speak. Whatever the other said, she would silently accompany her in doing it.

Chi Wan froze, then gave a dry laugh. “That’s called making something out of nothing.”

“Besides, when haven’t you?”

Yu Jiuzhou: “When?”

Chi Wan muttered under her breath, “In bed.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…”

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