TGPSAC – Chapter 62

When Chi Wan opened her eyes, she saw a classical, ornate bed. She tilted her head and saw a familiar room.

This was her room in Yongning Courtyard at the Princess’s Residence. How did she get back? Was it a dream?

Smelling the familiar fragrance on the bedding, Chi Wan smiled and shifted in the blankets. “Hiss…”

A sharp pain in her chest made her suck in a cold breath. Only then did she remember she was injured.

That’s not right, she thought. Before she fainted, she seemed to have seen Yu Jiuzhou. Yu Jiuzhou had said to her, “Chi Wan, I have come to get you.”

Why would Yu Jiuzhou travel so far from Shengjing to the Left Camp to get her?

Just as she was pondering this, she heard Xia Qu’s voice. “Quick, go inform Her Highness! The Fuma is awake!”

Immediately, a very large face appeared in her vision. Chi Wan said, exasperated, “Xia Qu, get a little farther away from me.”

Xia Qu grinned. “Fuma, you’re finally awake! Her Highness was worried to death. If it weren’t for the mountain of memorials sent by His Majesty, Her Highness would still be watching over you. She only went to the study to review them because she was afraid of disturbing your rest.”

Yu Jiuzhou was actually that considerate toward her?

But how did she get back? She should have been at the Left Camp. She had only allowed herself to faint after seeing Yu Jiuzhou, feeling safe at last. But when she woke up, she was back here.

“Wasn’t I at the Left Camp?”

“You have the nerve to ask!” Xia Qu said. “You scared Her Highness so much she stayed by your side for a day and a night without closing her eyes. She sent someone to distribute the military pay at the Left Camp, then brought you straight back to Shengjing. Imperial Physician Zheng examined you and said you’ve injured your internal organs. Fortunately, your internal energy protected you, so there was no fundamental damage. Otherwise, not even the greatest immortal could have saved you. But in your condition, you’ll need to rest in bed for three to five months.”

“Oh, and Imperial Physician Zheng also said your left arm is fractured. It takes a hundred days for injured muscles and bones to heal. For the time being, Fuma, you won’t be able to wield a sword or spear.”

Everyone in the residence knew that Chi Wan wanted to find a master to learn a three-sword style, and they had already sent people to look for a skilled teacher. Now, it seemed that she wouldn’t be able to learn it anytime soon.

However, Chi Wan was a physician herself. She knew her own body. She had been on the verge of death, but with her internal energy and good constitution, her recovery wouldn’t be as slow as Imperial Physician Zheng predicted.

“I know. Why are you nagging so much these days?”

Xia Qu huffed lightly. “I just don’t want Her Highness to worry about you so much, so I have to help her keep an eye on you.”

“And as for you taking such a risk, Her Highness is furious. It was just some silver. If it was lost, it was lost. You just had to risk your own life to act as bait. Let’s see how you’re going to explain yourself to Her Highness.”

Chi Wan was speechless. She was on a mission and just wanted to do a good job and not cause trouble for Yu Jiuzhou.

How could she have known those people would be so ruthless, sending wave after wave of men with no restraint whatsoever?

“Did something major happen in Shengjing? How did they dare to mobilize troops like that?”

Xia Qu sat down on the step of the bed platform. “The Fuma guessed right. Prince Zhongshan rebelled. Shengjing was a sea of fire. Over ten thousand men from the Jinwu Guard mutinied, there was unrest in the Imperial Guard, and the Five Army Camps dispatched fifty thousand men to attack Shengjing.”

“Fortunately, Her Highness had made arrangements in advance. The rebel army failed to enter Shengjing, and the rebels within the city didn’t amount to much. It’s just that many places in Shengjing caught fire, and many people burned to death.”

Though the words were few, Chi Wan could hear the immense danger within them.

Yu Jiuzhou had long anticipated that Prince Zhongshan would rebel, but she didn’t know when. She had only made preparations beforehand.

But with so many rebels, even with preparations, the Princess’s Residence had only so many people. Many were servants with no fighting ability. The thousand or so guards couldn’t possibly hold off ten thousand rebels.

Fortunately, the rebel forces were split. The main force caused chaos near the imperial palace, some went to Prince Ying’s residence, and others went to Prince Bao’an’s.

The mutinous Imperial Guards in the palace ran to the Palace of Imperial Heirs and killed several of the new imperial clansmen Emperor Shengyuan had summoned. A few lucky ones either hid or hadn’t returned to the palace, thus escaping the disaster.

Rebels had also attacked the Princess’s Residence; it was said they even used scaling ladders. No one knew if the horde of rebels wanted to burn, kill, and plunder, or if they were there to kill or capture Yu Jiuzhou.

Luckily, the Princess’s Residence had a secret tunnel leading outside the city. In her past life, Yu Jiuzhou had only learned of the tunnel just before her death; it was an escape route left by a rebel prince from a previous dynasty. This life, it had come in handy.

Yu Jiuzhou had led her people out of the city early, annihilated the rebels outside, and then, upon learning Chi Wan was in trouble, rushed to get her without a moment’s rest.

Chi Wan was touched. “You’re saying Her Highness came for me without stopping?”

Just as she finished speaking, a voice came from the outer room. “I was worried that if you died, I would have to find another Fuma.”

Seeing Yu Jiuzhou walk in and hearing her words, Chi Wan chuckled softly. “Where would Your Highness find another Fuma as considerate as this subject?”

“Considerate? You certainly know how to praise yourself.”

Yu Jiuzhou thought back to Chi Wan’s service a few days ago. She hardly seemed like someone who had ever served anyone. All she did was pour tea and peel fruit, and occasionally she would clumsily knock over a cup or tear the fruit.

This person’s hands only seemed nimble when she was concocting those pills and potions.

Her hands would move like blooming flowers, too fast for the eye to see.

Chi Wan tried to turn over with difficulty but felt pain all over her body. She could only smile obediently. “Your Highness wouldn’t be able to bear my death. Otherwise, why would you rush a thousand li to save me?”

“It was only a hundred li,” Yu Jiuzhou corrected with a soft snort.

It was less than a hundred li. But even so, for Yu Jiuzhou, the Grand Princess, to personally risk danger amidst rebels everywhere was a sign of how much she valued her.

Chi Wan didn’t show this appreciation, but she kept it in her heart.

“Whether it’s a thousand li or a hundred, I know that Your Highness still cares for me.”

Yu Jiuzhou rolled her beautiful eyes at Chi Wan, not wanting to continue the conversation. Some words she was accustomed to keeping in her heart, never to be spoken aloud.

“How is your body?”

Chi Wan grinned. “I’m fine. I’ll be better in a few days.”

The Spring Banquet was on the third day of the second month, just a few days away. If her body wasn’t well, how could she play the zither?

The thought was vexing. She had been planning a grand performance at the Spring Banquet. Then, the relationship between them could naturally shift, and she would have something to show the Emperor.

Emperor Shengyuan didn’t have much time left. For now, she would just muddle through like this—making up after a fight, fighting after making up, a cycle of quarrels that would keep the Emperor guessing. She just had to hold out until he passed away.

“Your Highness, what is the situation with Prince Zhongshan?”

Prince Zhongshan was audacious, launching a rebellion so quickly. Although it failed, Shengjing was bound to be in turmoil for some time.

Normally, the festive atmosphere after the New Year would last for a long time, but now, how could it be festive? The Imperial Guard was everywhere outside.

Over ten thousand of the fifty thousand Jinwu Guards had joined the rebellion. Although the Imperial Guard also had two or three thousand rebels, it wasn’t a large number in total, making them far more reliable than the Jinwu Guard.

It was laughable, really. Right under the Emperor’s nose, even people in the imperial palace in Shengjing had been bought off. It just showed the corruption within the military.

Yu Jiuzhou sat on the chair beside the bed, which Chun Gui had just moved over.

After she sat down, she straightened her sleeves, and Chun Gui immediately handed her a cup of tea. “After he escaped Shengjing, he headed for his fiefdom.”

Prince Ying had arranged for men outside Shengjing, but it seemed they failed to stop him. However, Yu Jiuzhou had also arranged for people outside Huai’an to lie in wait.

Seeing Chi Wan’s thoughtful expression, Yu Jiuzhou continued, “The secret guards are watching him. He won’t be able to stir up much trouble.”

But the consequences of this turmoil were destined to be a river of blood.

Emperor Shengyuan was not someone who shied away from killing. As an emperor, he was indeed one to muddle through. As long as his power wasn’t touched, anything could be discussed. But once his power was challenged, people would die.

He would conduct a thorough investigation. Everyone connected to the rebel prince would have to die. Those with deep involvement would have their nine relations exterminated; for those with shallow connections, their own deaths would suffice. Not a single one would be spared.

By now, the morning court session was over, and there should have been a resolution to this rebellion.

Yu Jiuzhou stopped her from speaking further. “You are heavily injured now. Talk less. I will tell you.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s tone was steady and gentle, like a stream in early spring—cool, yet with a hint of warmth, making one unconsciously immersed in her words.

The morning court had already named this incident: the Case of the Rebel Prince.

Anyone associated with the rebel prince was to be killed without mercy. Even though Yu Jiuzhou advised to only execute the ringleaders, the Emperor disagreed. He declared that anyone, even those who hadn’t conspired with Prince Zhongshan but had merely the slightest association with him, must be arrested and imprisoned.

Prince Ying had leaped to become the “sole” candidate for the future crown prince. Everyone had forgotten about Prince Bao’an, who was far away on the salt inspection tour.

At court today, many spoke about establishing a crown prince, with the majority advocating for Prince Ying.

Emperor Shengyuan’s face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it. He listened to the words below without saying a thing.

Listening to those arguments, Yu Jiuzhou knew only one thing: Prince Ying was getting farther and farther away from the throne.

The Junior Mentor to the Crown Prince said, “Today’s disaster is entirely due to the position of crown prince being undecided. This old subject implores Your Majesty to adopt a son from the imperial clan and settle the matter of the crown prince soon.”

A Censor from the Censorate said, “Your Majesty, the crown prince is the foundation of the state. Prince Ying of the imperial clan is exceptionally intelligent and suitable to be established as the crown prince.”

“We, your subjects, second the motion.”

This single sentence garnered the agreement of half the court. What a formidable force that was.

Many court officials remained neutral and didn’t take sides, but they also supported establishing a crown prince soon.

“Your Majesty, the crown prince is tied to the fate of the world. The chaos caused by the rebel prince arose from the uncertainty of the succession. Countless have died or been injured in Shengjing, and many in the Jinwu Guard and Imperial Guard have rebelled, all because the position of crown prince is not set, and the people’s hearts are unsettled.”

“Your Majesty, if the crown prince is not decided, factional strife over the succession will continue, and rebellion will rise again. This subject remonstrates to the death.”

There were, after all, upright and unyielding men at court, willing to risk their lives to remonstrate.

Finally, Emperor Shengyuan said angrily, “Fine! Appoint whomever you say! This emperor, will find a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to smash my head against and die! Then you can let the person you favor be the emperor!”

These were words meant to crush the spirit. For ministers to drive an emperor to kill himself in the ancestral temple would be an unprecedented event in history.

Once the Emperor said this, none of the ministers dared to speak again.

To avoid appointing a crown prince, the Emperor had become ruthless, even resorting to such words.

Thinking about what happened at the morning court, Yu Jiuzhou placed her hand on a warm hand warmer, but her heart was endlessly cold. With such an emperor ruling Great Zhou, what future did the common people have?

Yu Jiuzhou smoothed out the uneven fur on the hand warmer. “I will have someone bring Prince Zhongshan back to Shengjing for trial.”

She had originally wanted to see what else Prince Zhongshan would do after returning to his fiefdom, but Great Zhou was too chaotic now. There could not be another military conflict.

If Prince Zhongshan were to ally with foreign tribes and launch an attack on Great Zhou, the people on the border would suffer immensely.

Chi Wan nodded. “Your Highness is right. With internal strife just beginning, Great Zhou cannot afford external conflict.”

“The entire court is discussing establishing Prince Ying. Prince Bao’an must be getting anxious.”

Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “Yes. He obtained eight million taels of silver from the salt inspection. He’s anxious to return and present it to His Majesty and is rushing back now.”

Emperor Shengyuan was a greedy man. Eight million taels of silver was enough to elevate Prince Bao’an’s status significantly.

“What about Lin Qianduo?”

Chi Wan mainly wanted to know if Lin Qianduo had chosen Prince Bao’an again in this life.

On this matter, Yu Jiuzhou was quite satisfied. “Lin Qianduo is a good one. Prince Bao’an promised to marry her. Do you know what she said?”

“Your Highness, please don’t keep me in suspense.”

Chi Wan was helpless. “Lin Qianduo is a talented woman. If she still chooses to be with Prince Bao’an, it would be a great pity.”

Hearing her use the word “still,” Yu Jiuzhou was once again certain that she knew about the many events of their past life.

“Rest assured, Lin Qianduo refused him. She even called him a madman.”

When Prince Bao’an had offered to marry Lin Qianduo, she had widened her eyes and asked, “I saved you, so why do you seek to harm me?”

She had finally gained her own voice and was free from the constraints of the Lin family. Why would she so easily jump into another pit of fire?

With her status, it was impossible for her to be Prince Bao’an’s official consort. A concubine was a possibility, but then she would have to live her life within the confines of the prince’s residence. How could that compare to the freedom she had now? With the Grand Princess and the Fuma backing her, she could do business wherever she pleased. Because the Fuma had appointed her, the Lin family didn’t even dare to speak loudly to her, and they treated her mother much better as well.

Prince Bao’an was perplexed. “Why would I be harming you?”

He believed that being his woman was a blessing Lin Qianduo had earned over eight lifetimes. What was this talk of harm?

Lin Qianduo was speechless but didn’t want to argue with him. “Does Your Highness not know that I am the Fuma’s kept woman?”

Prince Bao’an: “?”

Chi Wan: “?”

Lying in bed, Chi Wan nearly choked. Meeting Yu Jiuzhou’s scrutinizing gaze, she looked back helplessly. “Your Highness, look at the idea you came up with back then.”

“Lin Qianduo is as beautiful as a flower and talented. What, you don’t like her?” Yu Jiuzhou’s tone was flat, revealing nothing.

But Chun Gui, who had grown up with her, could tell that Her Highness was setting a trap for the Fuma.

Chi Wan found it amusing. “Why should I like her? Besides, Your Highness, you are devastatingly beautiful. If I were to like someone, it would be you.”

At such a direct statement, Yu Jiuzhou’s face instantly grew hot.

She felt she might be blushing, so she put down the hand warmer. “Is there too much charcoal burning in the room?”

Xia Qu was clueless. “Doesn’t seem like it?”

Chun Gui nudged Xia Qu. “It is a bit much. I’ll have someone remove some later.”

Yu Jiuzhou cleared her throat, forcing herself to shift back to official matters. “Now that Prince Zhongshan has become a rebel prince, Prince Ying’s star is on the rise, but he’s also being roasted over a fire. We don’t need to act; His Majesty won’t spare him either. What do you think we should do next?”

Chi Wan tilted her head. Why was the Grand Princess suddenly so talkative?

Normally, for such matters, Yu Jiuzhou would at most say one sentence: “Prince Zhongshan has been defeated. What’s next?”

There was no need for such a long speech. Chi Wan studied Yu Jiuzhou for a moment but found nothing amiss. “Next, as soon as His Majesty finds the slightest fault with Prince Ying, he will eliminate him. Then, of the three princes, only Prince Bao’an will be left. The new clansmen brought to the capital do not have His Majesty’s favor, and the court officials don’t care about them. In the future, Prince Bao’an will dominate.”

“To prevent His Majesty from naming an heir, we need to push forward a new person to compete with Prince Bao’an. But this person will be hard to find.”

There was no other way. Once the title was confirmed, they would be at a disadvantage.

If Prince Bao’an obtained the position of crown prince, he would be the legitimate emperor in the future. Anything they tried to do then would make them treacherous subjects, lacking the moral high ground.

Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “I am aware.”

The best solution would be for her to have an imperial grandson now. With an imperial grandson, Emperor Shengyuan would surely want to establish an imperial great-grandson. In that case, the Emperor would definitely hold out and not appoint a crown prince.

As long as no crown prince was appointed, Prince Bao’an would not have the legitimacy.

But looking at Chi Wan’s state, Yu Jiuzhou had a headache. How could they possibly have a child?

Her plan had been to wait for Chi Wan to play “Phoenix Seeking a Mate” for her. That way, it would be Chi Wan who initiated the pursuit, and they could consummate their marriage as a matter of course.

Now that Chi Wan was bedridden, consummating the marriage seemed hopeless. Besides, her left arm was broken, so she couldn’t play “Phoenix Seeking a Mate” either.

So be it. It seemed the two of them were fated not to take the next step.

But for some reason, Yu Jiuzhou felt a little disappointed, as if something she had been looking forward to for a long time could no longer happen.

Wait, why was she looking forward to consummating the marriage with Chi Wan?

Before she married Chi Wan, the palace matrons had shown her the manuals. She had never thought of consummating the marriage with Chi Wan and had naturally been disdainful.

Now that Chi Wan was a different person and they got along well, they could treat each other with mutual respect. Why couldn’t they consummate the marriage?

But though Yu Jiuzhou wanted to, she didn’t know how. So she had dug out the manuals from the bottom of her chest, and to this day, had only mustered the courage to look at two pages.

Chi Wan, of course, had no idea that Yu Jiuzhou was thinking about consummating their marriage. In fact, she would never have imagined it, not in a million years.

The Yu Jiuzhou in her heart was a flower on a high, unreachable peak. Even after becoming a villain, she was a dark flower on a high peak. How could she be thinking about consummating a marriage?

Seeing Yu Jiuzhou like this, she only thought that the other was worried about Prince Bao’an taking the throne and repeating the past.

In the previous life, once Prince Bao’an became the crown prince, he had become unstoppable. With the legitimate right of succession, it was very difficult to suppress him.

Now, they had to find a way to suppress him.

When Emperor Shengyuan had summoned the three princes to the capital, it was because he didn’t want to bet on just one person. Unexpectedly, he had still summoned too few.

Yu Jiuzhou knew Prince Bao’an’s character well. To gain her help back then, he had promised her and the Emperor that he would honor Emperor Shengyuan as his father.

At that time, she still held the respect a child has for a parent toward the Emperor. Furthermore, her mother, the Empress, still had to live in the palace, which was inconvenient for her. But after Prince Bao’an ascended the throne and secured his position, he refused to honor Emperor Shengyuan as his father, and naturally, he was unwilling to honor her mother as his mother.

As a result, although her mother was the Empress Dowager, she had no say in the palace.

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t want her mother to have the power to attend court, but she at least needed to have a voice in the palace so she wouldn’t be bullied.

She knew her mother. To put it nicely, she was proud and independent, disdaining conflict and never fighting with others. But in reality, once you entered the imperial palace, not fighting was not necessarily a good thing.

If her mother hadn’t been the Empress and hadn’t given birth to her, while none of the three thousand beauties in the harem became pregnant, her position as Empress would have long been unstable.

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t want her mother to have a miserable old age. The sole daughter of a Duke, the Crown Prince’s consort, the Empress—her mother had been raised in luxury from childhood to old age. She didn’t want any accidents to befall her mother in her later years.

But Prince Bao’an had used her mother to hold her hostage, making her afraid to act rashly.

To have to go through it all again, if she still let Prince Bao’an take the throne, she might as well give up the fight and return to her fiefdom to live out her days.

Yu Jiuzhou’s expression was placid, her beautiful eyes sparkling, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

Chi Wan had some idea. She had the script, so she naturally knew what would happen next and knew that Prince Bao’an must not be allowed to take the throne.

“Your Highness, I’m afraid we can’t drag anyone else into this at this time.”

No matter which other clansman they found to act as a shield, it would be useless. Without foundation or backing, pushing them forward would be counterproductive.

Chi Wan thought for a moment. “Actually, there’s no rush. Prince Ying won’t fall so quickly. We can just drag it out for now. I imagine His Majesty is also unwilling to name an heir so soon.”

Yu Jiuzhou nodded. “I know what you mean. Let’s proceed this way for now.”

In the coming period, Shengjing was bound to be hit by continuous storms. It also urgently needed a joyous event to dispel the gloom brought by the rebel prince.

The Spring Banquet was the grandest feast at the start of each spring. It would certainly have to be held well, perhaps even on a grander scale.

Originally, the Emperor might not have planned to attend, but now he certainly would, and he would drag the Empress along with him. The Empress would have no room to refuse.

Emperor Shengyuan wanted to use this to tell the world that a mere rebel prince couldn’t overturn the heavens, for he was the heavens.

“Does Your Highness have something else on your mind?” Chi Wan asked, noticing a lingering shadow of gloom on Yu Jiuzhou’s brow.

Yu Jiuzhou didn’t hide it. “Before the Qingming Festival, it’s tradition for the imperial family to go to Xuanyang Temple to pray for blessings. His Majesty has ordered me to go in his place.”

In previous years, Emperor Shengyuan usually went himself. When he was the crown prince, he would also go in place of the late emperor. According to past customs, the one who went to pray for blessings in the emperor’s stead was the future crown prince, the future emperor.

As Emperor Shengyuan grew older, he didn’t want the three princes to go, lest it upset the balance of the court, so he had always forced himself to go.

Last year, he felt his health was too poor, so he issued a decree for Yu Jiuzhou to go.

But it was in the twenty-eighth year of Shengyuan’s reign that Yu Jiuzhou was assassinated while praying for blessings at Xuanyang Temple. She nearly lost her life and wandered outside for a long time before returning to the capital.

Only Yu Jiuzhou herself knew the dangers involved. It was only because Chun Gui and Xia Qu had saved her with their lives that she had managed to escape.

Although she knew in advance that the trip to Xuanyang Temple was dangerous, it was an imperial command, and she couldn’t let anyone else go in her place. She had to go personally.

But even with preparations made in advance, Yu Jiuzhou felt a slight panic in her heart. In her past life, at Xuanyang Temple, she had lost too many important people. She felt a certain amount of fear about going to pray for blessings.

In her past life, she had faced many life-and-death situations. But it was one thing if only her own life was in danger. If it was the people around her who died, how could her heart not be afraid?

Chun Gui, Xia Qu—they had been with her for a very long time.

Chi Wan remembered that the novel had described it to some extent. It said that the Grand Princess Yu Jiuzhou was assassinated at Xuanyang Temple, her fate unknown, and she only returned to the capital nearly a month later. It was during this month that Prince Bao’an completely became the sole candidate for the future crown prince.

She remembered very clearly that among the assassins were Prince Bao’an’s men. Prince Bao’an’s strategist had said that if Prince Bao’an were to ascend the throne in the future, the Regent Grand Princess would inevitably be an obstacle to imperial power. Rather than wait until later, it was better to kill her early.

Prince Bao’an had feigned reluctance; it was the strategist who sent the men on his own initiative, but in reality, he knew.

Chi Wan assessed her own body. Getting out of bed in a few days wouldn’t be a problem. “Your Highness, shall I accompany you to Xuanyang Temple?”

She wouldn’t feel at ease if she didn’t go with her.

Yu Jiuzhou smiled, like a snow lotus blooming on an icy mountain. “In your condition, how can you accompany me?”

Chi Wan raised her right hand and made a gesture of strength. “I still have one hand I can use.”

Bah. Yu Jiuzhou’s face flushed red, inexplicably thinking of the contents of the manuals.

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