Chi Wan walked alone through the streets. Fortunately, the Marquis of Huai’an’s Residence was located in a prosperous part of the capital, very close to the Princess’s Residence.
The founding nobility had all lived here. Many of the confiscated mansions had been redistributed to the Grand Secretary, cabinet ministers, and newly ennobled families.
Of the candidates for crown prince, only Prince Ying and Prince Zhongshan lived here, their bloodlines being the closest to the current emperor.
The Princess’s Residence was situated very near the imperial palace. On days when court was held, those who lived far away had to wake up two or three hours earlier, while those in this area only needed to rise half an hour in advance. That was why Chi Wan could walk back and forth between the two places.
Besides, she knew her place. If she asked for a carriage, the people of the Princess’s Residence would certainly refuse. As the Fuma, she held no status there.
When Chi Wan returned to the Princess’s Residence, she was still ignored. Her predecessor had always come and gone freely, with the staff treating her as if she didn’t exist. The only person she could command was Yue Luo, who had followed her from the Marquis’s Residence.
Yu Jiuzhou had only allowed her predecessor to bring one person into the Princess’s Residence, and Yue Luo, who had grown up with her, was the only choice. Now that Yue Luo was being held, Chi Wan had no one to command.
Chi Wan arrived at the small courtyard where her predecessor had lived. It was rather elegant, with wooden stairs and floors leading to a living area and a bedroom. There was also a small study partitioned by a folding screen, filled with books that her predecessor had likely never touched.
Searching through her memories, Chi Wan found the place where her predecessor had hidden money. No matter how she counted, it was only a little over one hundred taels of silver. It didn’t seem like much, but at Great Zhou’s current prices, it could buy about thirty thousand catties of rice.
An ordinary commoner in the capital earned about fifteen to twenty taels of silver a year, and that was only when there were no natural disasters or calamities. A hundred-odd taels was actually a great deal of money.
But what Chi Wan planned to do next would be very expensive, so a hundred-odd taels was not much at all. This money had been obtained by her predecessor through semi-extortion after becoming the Fuma.
Chi Wan counted out ten taels and left the Princess’s Residence again.
Upon learning that she had left again, Yu Jiuzhou frowned but did not ask where she had gone.
Chun Gui took the initiative to report, “The Fuma seems to have gone to the West Market.”
The West Market? The capital’s main commercial districts were divided into the East and West Markets. The East Market sold rare treasures and was a favorite haunt of officials and wealthy families. The West Market was more for the common people; they would go there to buy daily necessities.
Next to the East Market was the capital’s famous pleasure quarter, as well as a water market. The Qifeng River was a water market by day and a place for pleasure cruises on flower boats by night, making it the most popular spot for the sons of official families.
There wasn’t much in the West Market. People from prominent households only went there when buying servants.
In the past, Chi Wan had spent her days in the pleasure quarter and her nights on the Qifeng River. When had she ever gone to the West Market?
Chi Wan just wanted to buy a few things. On her way back to the Princess’s Residence, she had seen several children sharing chestnuts.
On a winter day, a few friends gathered around a brazier for warmth, with a pot of hot tea and oranges and chestnuts roasting on the stove. The mere thought of it created a cozy atmosphere.
When she left the Princess’s Residence earlier, she had asked Yu Jiuzhou if there was anything she wanted her to bring back. Since she hadn’t said anything, Chi Wan thought bringing back some snacks would be a nice gesture.
Arriving at a shop selling dried goods, Chi Wan discovered that the sugar-fried chestnuts of ancient times were not cheap. One bag cost her half a tael of silver. The children she had seen huddled together earlier must have come from well-off families.
But the children in the West Market had patches on their clothes, which looked to be made of sheepskin, or stuffed with a messy assortment of animal fur and reeds. Their clothes were bulky but not warm.
The children were relatively well-off. She also saw a nearby vendor constantly stuffing straw into his clothes for warmth. His hands were cracked with bloody fissures, a dark, blackish-red that made one afraid to look twice.
A discomfort settled in Chi Wan’s heart, and her anger toward the Marquis’s Residence for annexing commoners’ land and driving people to their deaths intensified. Her predecessor had played a significant part in it. Now that her predecessor was dead, all she could say was good riddance.
Having taken over this body, she would never aid a tyrant in his evil deeds.
Chi Wan walked on with her lips pressed together. Passersby consciously avoided her. She had put on a thick outer coat lined with animal fur before leaving. Her attire was cool and noble, but her face was gentle and scholarly. Her fair, clean-cut features and a pair of eyes that looked at everything with curiosity made people think she was some young lady from a wealthy family, not often allowed out, who had snuck out for a snack. The people on the street were afraid of bumping into her.
As she was walking, she suddenly sensed danger. She bent down, spun around, and grabbed her assailant’s arm, twisting it behind their back.
“Ow, ow, ow!” a pained voice cried out.
Only then did Chi Wan get a clear look at the person. It was a little fatty, so bundled up he looked like a penguin, completely immobilized by her grip.
This body had suddenly become incredibly strong. Combined with the boxing techniques engraved in her mind, dealing with a little fatty like this was easy. However, her use of the techniques was still rusty; she would need to practice often to build muscle memory.
“Chi Wan, it’s me, Lin Zhiyi! Let go!”
Hearing the name, Chi Wan quickly searched her memory. “Lin Zhiyi? What are you doing here?”
The little fatty was dressed in low-key gray linen, a far cry from the gold-and-silver-adorned figure in her memory.
Back when the House of Huai’an was in decline and her predecessor was not the heir, few of the people she associated with were children of nobility. Most were those who were not valued by their families. Many of them treated her as a fool to be fleeced, for who else was so doted on by their elders as to always have a dozen or so taels of silver on them? It wasn’t much for the children of officials, but for those from less fortunate families, having even a few taels was a fortune. That was why they hung around her predecessor.
Among them, the little fatty Lin Zhiyi’s family were imperial merchants, the very wealthy kind. But in the social hierarchy of scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, they were at the bottom of the chain of contempt, so he could only associate with their group. Lin Zhiyi was the only Qian Yuan in his family. They doted on him but also placed high hopes on him, even giving him a name that was an alternate term for the eight-legged essay.
But not only was he unscholarly, he was also constantly being swindled like a fool. She had heard he had been grounded at home for a long time.
Lin Zhiyi wrenched his hand free. “When did you get so strong? You couldn’t even beat me at arm wrestling before.”
Chi Wan looked him up and down. “Why are you dressed like this? Has your family fallen on hard times?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I snuck out in a servant’s clothes. I’m so bored being cooped up at home reading all day.”
Lin Zhiyi tugged at his clothes in disgust, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Chi Wan, I heard you became the Fuma. You get to be an official without taking the imperial examinations. You nobles have it so good.”
Chi Wan rolled her eyes at him. “If you want to become one of the Nine Ministers or enter the Grand Secretariat, you must go through the imperial examinations.”
“Huh?” Lin Zhiyi gave her several glances. “I haven’t seen you for a while, how did you come to know so much? My father just told me the same thing. He refused to buy me an official post, saying that purchased posts are just empty titles, nothing more.”
Chi Wan wasn’t one for idle chatter. Listening to him talk, she clutched the chestnuts in her coat and prepared to leave.
But Lin Zhiyi blocked her again. “What’s that in your coat? Let me see.”
The little fatty was quite nimble, directly pulling open her coat. “Chestnuts? What did you buy these for? You even made a special trip.”
“They’re for Her Highness.” She had been holding them close to her chest to keep them from getting cold.
Lin Zhiyi laughed loudly. “I never thought you, Chi Wan, would be so henpecked. Then again, that’s the Grand Princess we’re talking about. I’m scared of her too.”
Chi Wan was speechless.
“Lend me some silver, will you?”
“What for?”
Lin Zhiyi’s tone suddenly shifted as he asked to borrow money.
He patted his chest. “Look at what I’m wearing. Do I look like I have any silver on me? I snuck out the back gate and ended up in the West Market. Lend me some silver so I can go listen to music in the pleasure quarter.”
Chi Wan was exasperated. She gave him all the silver she had left.
“Is this all?”
“If you don’t want it, give it back.”
“I want it, I want it.”
Lin Zhiyi quickly clutched the silver. “I’ll pay you back another day.”
Chi Wan didn’t respond, but Lin Zhiyi continued familiarly, “By the way, let me tell you something. Stay away from Prince Zhongshan and his group. They’re about to be in trouble.”
“Mm.” Chi Wan, of course, knew they were about to be in trouble. Her predecessor had been close to them, so it was best to stay as far away as possible now.
Lin Zhiyi looked at her in surprise. “Why aren’t you asking why?”
“Her Highness already told me.” Pushing such matters onto Yu Jiuzhou would likely stop anyone from asking why.
Lin Zhiyi said, “…You’re really something else. To be so afraid of your wife, you, Chi Wan, are truly number one in the world.”
He reached for the chestnuts, but Chi Wan immediately put them back inside her coat. “This is a matter of romantic interest. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Alright, Old Second Chi. I saw you wandering around the apothecary just now. Is the Princess’s Residence short on medicine? No, that can’t be right. How could the Princess’s Residence be short on medicine?”
Whatever medicine the Grand Princess needed, she could get directly from the imperial palace.
Chi Wan glanced at him. While waiting for the chestnuts, she had indeed taken a look around an apothecary. So she blurted out a lie, “I’m thinking of starting a business related to medicine.”
There were so many businesses related to medicine; who could say for sure what it was?
“Really? Count me in.” Lin Zhiyi’s reaction surprised her slightly. She had only said one sentence, and he already wanted to partner up?
He didn’t even know the specifics of the business, yet he dared to ask her to include him.
The little fatty, however, was thinking: Chi Wan must have been sent by the Princess. If I partner with the Princess, maybe she can get me a real official position. Then my family won’t force me to take the imperial examinations anymore.
Chi Wan smiled and shook her head. “I have to go back. The chestnuts are getting cold.”
Lin Zhiyi thought she meant the Princess was waiting for her report, so he said directly, “Then tomorrow, I’ll come find you at the Princess’s Residence.”
“Will your father let you out?”
Chi Wan’s single question silenced him. By the time he came to his senses, Chi Wan was already far away.
Returning to the Princess’s Residence, Chi Wan clutched the chestnuts and went to present her treasure to Yu Jiuzhou.
Enduring a gloomy, loathing gaze, she placed the chestnuts in front of Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, the chestnuts are still warm.”
Yu Jiuzhou was sitting on a arhat bed, a brazier warming the air beside her and hot tea nearby. It seemed some of her strength had returned, and she wanted to get up and stretch.
However, she looked at the chestnuts on the table, then raised a hand and swept them away.
Chi Wan didn’t get angry. She bent down to pick up the chestnuts that had fallen on the arhat bed. She picked up the ones on the floor as well, but did not put them back in the paper bag.
She sighed inwardly. Her Nth attempt to please the Grand Princess had failed…
