TGPSAC – Chapter 70

Chi Wan left the study, somewhat crestfallen. Yu Jiuzhou had said, “Attending my bed is the Fuma’s duty.”

The last time, it had been a joke. This time, she was serious.

Yu Jiuzhou knew Chi Wan didn’t want to hear that answer, but from the moment she decided to use herself as bait, she no longer wanted Chi Wan to accompany her to Xuanyang Temple.

If Chi Wan’s injuries had already healed, she would have agreed to them going to the temple to pray for blessings together.

The problem was, Chi Wan’s injuries had not healed. The trip to Xuanyang Temple would be perilous. If she, still recovering from severe wounds, were to be harmed again, even the strongest constitution might not be enough for a full recovery.

When Chi Wan had asked that question, Yu Jiuzhou knew that no matter what she said, the other woman would be dead set on going with her.

Unless she was a little colder, and said things Chi Wan didn’t want to hear.

Chi Wan was the type who appeared obedient on the surface but was actually rebellious to the core. She responded to gentle persuasion, but forcing her would only make her resist.

And Yu Jiuzhou knew exactly what words would stop Chi Wan from going to Xuanyang Temple with her.

She had predicted correctly. After hearing that this was no joke, the atmosphere between them changed.

It grew cold. Some things, once said, create expectations. Once those expectations are shattered, the relationship can become worse than it was before anything was said at all.

That was their situation now. Chi Wan didn’t understand. Everything had been fine just a moment ago; they had been so close. The alluring scent of the other woman still lingered at the tip of her nose.

It was undeniable—she had been bewitched by Yu Jiuzhou’s beauty.

Thinking back carefully, during their conversation in the study that day, Yu Jiuzhou had said that if she absolutely had to have a child, she would choose to have one with her. She had never said she liked her.

It could only mean that Yu Jiuzhou didn’t dislike her, but that wasn’t proof of affection.

However, Chi Wan asked herself, what were her own feelings for Yu Jiuzhou?

Was her heart moved? It seemed so, a little.

If it was only a little, then what Yu Jiuzhou said was not wrong at all. Attending the bed was the Fuma’s duty.

Serving the Grand Princess had always included that particular duty.

Whether she was ready or not, as the Fuma, if the Princess desired it, she had to attend her bed. Of course, if the Princess did not, the Fuma had to quietly keep to herself.

Chi Wan returned to her room and sat on the reclining chair, closing her eyes and rocking gently, her mind a chaotic mess.

People say love is bitter, but she hadn’t even tasted love yet, only the bitterness.

Chi Wan felt helpless. Forget it. She was the one who had developed improper thoughts. According to the original plan, she was supposed to leave once Yu Jiuzhou ascended the throne.

Perhaps Yu Jiuzhou simply wanted a child, and for her, it was unacceptable to have a child with anyone else—only with her.

How could that not be considered a form of preference?

Chi Wan gave a bitter smile. “How can one compare to a faithless, well-dressed man? The vow of flying wing to wing and branches intertwined was made that day.”

A poem by Nalan, yet it captured the bitterness of this event. Though their relationship might not have been love, it was at least a friendship, wasn’t it? But now, it was nothing.

“Faithless and heartless, hmph.”

Chi Wan snorted softly and decided to channel her grief and indignation into strength. She would finish writing her books as quickly as possible, which would be one less thing on her mind.

The Exploitation of the Works of Nature, Compendium of Materia Medica, and an encyclopedia.

The first two were as their names suggested, recording their original content. The last one, the encyclopedia, was different from the one most people were familiar with.

Chi Wan had read an encyclopedia before and wrote down all the applicable content.

Philosophy, economics, military affairs, geography, education, law, literature, medicine, technology, and so on.

Chi Wan would write down everything she remembered that could be used in this era.

For philosophy, she would write about Confucius and Laozi. She wouldn’t dare write about anything else; in this era, she would probably be branded a demon or a monster.

But she could add some personal interpretations, such as re-punctuating and reinterpreting the misunderstood teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

Reinterpreting the words of the sages would surely cause a great public outcry, so she needed to cite her sources. For example, many books existed before the Great Zhou, and related interpretations could actually be found within them. She would note which book offered such an interpretation to prove its authority.

Economics would discuss how to develop the economy, ensuring that productivity could keep pace to avoid things like inflation.

Military affairs would cover theories of army governance. After observing the Imperial City Division and the Five Army Camps, and combining that with her knowledge of various dynasties, she wrote down content related to military matters.

Geography involved drawing a map of Great Zhou. The map of Great Zhou was the same as the one in her memory, with the same proportions, so she could draw it directly. She also referenced the customs and local conditions of this world, which were also the same, saving her a great deal of surveying work.

As for the rest, like education, she would write about them in the context of Great Zhou’s actual situation.

Chi Wan’s mind held the contents of many books, but she couldn’t just copy them directly. She needed to adapt them to the current circumstances of Great Zhou.

Moreover, regarding her eidetic memory, for content she had read in the past but not fully memorized, even with her near-photographic memory, she would still only remember what she had remembered before, unless she reviewed it again.

She knew the contents of the books she had read in the month or two before she transmigrated.

After all, her memory in her past life wasn’t bad either. She could usually remember most of what she had recently read for a period of time, but naturally, she would forget it after a while.

It was like memorizing texts in school as a child. You remembered them clearly at the time, but after a year or two, you naturally forgot.

She had only awakened this ability after coming to this world. Many of the books she had read in her past life were not all stored in her mind like a saved file.

Chi Wan had to incorporate her own ideas, and adapting them to the situation in Great Zhou was also a necessity.

A useful book is a good book. It wouldn’t do to write something that couldn’t be used. If she wrote something too extreme, it wasn’t impossible that it would be deemed a heretical text.

Chi Wan sat properly at the table. Compared to the low desk Yu Jiuzhou used, she preferred a taller writing desk. Sitting on a chair, she wrote with the new pencil she had made.

Her calligraphy with a brush was quite good, but writing with a pencil was faster. The main advantage was that she could write messily, just to get the content down, and corrections were easy. She could transcribe it neatly with a brush later.

Immersed in her writing, Chi Wan’s mood calmed considerably.

She had more or less figured it out. This matter of consummation… oh, attending the bed—either she should have refused from the start, or since she had agreed, refusing now would only strain their relationship.

Chi Wan felt it was best to let nature take its course. For now, she could only pretend it hadn’t happened. She still had to accompany Yu Jiuzhou to Xuanyang Temple.

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While she had calmed down, Yu Jiuzhou remained unsettled for a long time.

They had spent quite a bit of time together, and Chi Wan had never acted like this before, leaving the study without a word, looking very unhappy.

Before, she had pretended to be angry; today, she was genuinely angry.

So she had Xia Qu go and check. To her surprise, Xia Qu returned and said, “Your Highness, the Fuma is writing a book. She hasn’t moved, and she’s been writing for a long time with a strange pen.”

A pencil? She knew about pencils. Chi Wan had shown one to her as if presenting a treasure.

Thinking of Chi Wan’s beautiful smile, she didn’t even notice that her own brush had stained the Xuan paper.

Just as Xia Qu was about to point it out, she heard Yu Jiuzhou ask, “Has the Fuma eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Have the kitchen make some soup and send it to the Fuma.”

Hearing her order, Xia Qu was taken aback. “Your Highness isn’t going?”

“Why should I go?”

Chi Wan had a good temperament. Once she returned from Xuanyang Temple, a little coaxing would be enough.

She blamed herself, too. Perhaps because the day of the prayer was drawing near, she had been dreaming at night about what happened at Xuanyang Temple. Things that hadn’t made sense before were becoming clearer, and she was even more certain that the assassination at Xuanyang Temple was not just an internal affair of Great Zhou, but also involved foreign powers.

That changed the nature of the matter. An internal struggle in Great Zhou was Great Zhou’s business. But the involvement of foreign powers meant they were getting restless.

Yu Jiuzhou recalled that from the end of the twenty-eighth year of the Shengyuan era to the beginning of the twenty-ninth, the state of Yue had invaded. It was hard for Yu Jiuzhou not to connect the assassination at Xuanyang Temple with Yue.

Japanese pirates ran rampant in the East Sea, and the Ning tribes would invade every year as winter approached, mainly to plunder surrounding villages and poorly defended county towns. They would leave as soon as they had their loot, never lingering.

The more Ning acted this way, the more Yu Jiuzhou felt that their ambitions were not small. Their desire to conquer Great Zhou had not died. She had to be on guard and strengthen the defenses.

Southern Yue also frequently caused trouble. Taking advantage of the Shengyuan Emperor’s grave illness and his distrust of the entire court—unwilling to hand over military power in the final moments of his life—Southern Yue saw its chance and sent an army of two hundred thousand to attack.

There were only one hundred thousand troops stationed on the southern border, as Northern Ning was considered the greater threat to Great Zhou. Southern Yue was not even considered as big a threat as the Japanese pirates. Who could have expected Southern Yue to send two hundred thousand troops to attack?

The court was unprepared at the time. If not for the treacherous terrain in the south, they probably wouldn’t have been able to hold out until reinforcements from the court arrived.

The people of Southern Yue had always been fond of using conspiracies and schemes. Their poisons and Gu-insects were impossible to guard against. In her past life, the Imperial Guards she had brought with her had lost most of their fighting strength, likely for this very reason.

If things were truly as she suspected, then this trip to Xuanyang Temple would be far too dangerous.

But if she, the Grand Princess, did not go, she would not be able to lure out the mastermind. This time, she would crush their conspiracy before Southern Yue even had a chance to send their troops.

Yu Jiuzhou knew how dangerous her plan was, so she absolutely could not let Chi Wan take this risk with her.

Besides, she never did anything she wasn’t sure of. Since she dared to go, she had already figured out how to retreat unscathed. With Chi Wan there, she worried she might accidentally hurt her.

But Chi Wan didn’t know that. She was probably sulking right now.

To her surprise, Xia Qu said Chi Wan was just writing, which made Yu Jiuzhou unsure if she was actually angry or not.

It was better if she was angry. If she was angry, she wouldn’t go to Xuanyang Temple with her.

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Standing nearby, Xia Qu was whispering to Chun Gui, “What’s wrong with Her Highness? Did she have a fight with the Fuma?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, or you’ll be punished.” Chun Gui was also helpless. Her Highness wasn’t letting her go to Xuanyang Temple this time. Xia Qu was just a messenger and wasn’t allowed to go either.

Not letting them go, and not letting the Fuma go either—Chun Gui felt something was wrong.

Could it be that Her Highness had some sort of plan? No, that wasn’t right. If Her Highness had a plan, she should be taking them with her.

Unless… the prayer at Xuanyang Temple was very dangerous.

Chun Gui understood. It was one thing for Her Highness not to take the Fuma, but she wasn’t even taking them. This time, it was more than just ordinarily dangerous.

It wasn’t that the Fuma wasn’t important, but people like them had followed the Princess since childhood and had never been separated from her. Coupled with the recent tense situation, she wasn’t very surprised by the Grand Princess’s decision.

There had been multiple assassination attempts on the Fuma. Essentially, the assassins couldn’t find an opportunity to assassinate Her Highness. The prayer at Xuanyang Temple was a perfect opportunity. A temple on a mountain was not like the capital, where the Jinwu Guard patrolled everywhere.

And Her Highness was only taking two thousand Imperial Guards. Could it be a trap to lure the enemy in?

If so, the prayer at Xuanyang Temple must be extremely dangerous. It might be the only chance for an assassination.

The assassins who targeted the Fuma were well-trained, and they had even deployed troops. So what would they use to assassinate the Grand Princess?

The scale of the assassination attempt when the Fuma was transporting military funds was definitely enough to overwhelm two thousand Imperial Guards. So Chun Gui sensed that Her Highness intended to put herself in harm’s way.

No, she absolutely could not let Her Highness walk into danger.

But with Her Highness’s temperament, once she made a decision, no one could change it. His Majesty had used his authority to force Her Highness to marry the Fuma. Her Highness couldn’t refuse, but she had thrown the Fuma into a cold, deserted courtyard. The Princess’s Residence was so large that the two of them were practically living separate lives.

It was just that the Fuma didn’t agree. The previous Fuma would do all sorts of things, from trying to please her to lashing out in anger when rejected, completely different from the current Fuma.

Although she didn’t know what had happened in between, the Fuma had changed for the better.

Which meant that Her Highness not letting the Fuma go to Xuanyang Temple was also to protect her.

Chun Gui lowered her eyes and gave Xia Qu a look. The two of them walked out together.

“What is it?” Xia Qu looked at her, puzzled. Her mind couldn’t think about so many things; after all, she was the muscle.

Chun Gui whispered, “Go tell the Fuma that the prayer at Xuanyang Temple is dangerous, and Her Highness’s life is at risk.”

“What?”

“Don’t say any more. Go find the Fuma quickly.”

“Alright.”

They were all in the same courtyard, so Xia Qu quickly found Chi Wan.

Chi Wan had already put down her pen. The food on the table looked barely touched.

Xia Qu raised an eyebrow. With the Fuma’s appetite, there shouldn’t be this much left. Her Highness and the Fuma must have had a falling out.

She immediately understood why Chun Gui wanted her to tell the Fuma that Her Highness was in danger. It wasn’t that Her Highness was actually in danger, but that the Fuma and Her Highness had quarreled, and someone had to be the first to back down.

With her mistress’s temperament, backing down was impossible. She would never back down in this lifetime.

So Chun Gui had sent her to find the Fuma to get the Fuma to coax Her Highness.

Xia Qu felt she had discovered the truth and immediately put on an exaggerated expression. “Fuma, do you know that Her Highness is in danger on this trip to Xuanyang Temple?”

“? I know.”

Chi Wan knew that Yu Jiuzhou would be assassinated at Xuanyang Temple, and that it would have very serious consequences. That was why she wanted them all to go to Xuanyang Temple together.

It would save her from worrying in the capital, afraid that something might happen to Yu Jiuzhou at the temple.

Her plan was perfect: bring the full contingent of soldiers allowed for a princess, plus the guards from the Imperial City Division, and surround Xuanyang Temple so tightly that unless the enemy had an army of fifty or sixty thousand, they wouldn’t be able to touch a hair on their heads.

If she knew there was danger, she should have prepared for it. Why was she still only taking two thousand Imperial Guards? Most importantly, after promising to take her, why did she suddenly forbid her from going?

What was the reason?

As she sat calmly writing in the study, Chi Wan’s mind had cleared. She understood that Yu Jiuzhou wanted to catch a turtle in a jar, and she was using herself as the bait.

The novel didn’t write much about this event. She had relied too much on the novel’s content. In reality, this was a complete world, and only by fully immersing herself in this world could she understand the reasons.

The novel’s description of Yu Jiuzhou’s assassination at Xuanyang Temple was brief. After all, it was written from Prince Bao’an’s perspective, not Yu Jiuzhou’s.

From Yu Jiuzhou’s side story, she recalled a little about what happened during the assassination—she knew that someone very important to her had died.

On the way back to the capital, she had also suffered a great deal.

Chi Wan had no way of knowing the specific details.

Why wasn’t the novel written from Yu Jiuzhou’s perspective? That way, she would have more information.

Although Chi Wan understood, she was still a little angry. Yu Jiuzhou’s habit of not saying anything, keeping everything to herself, and solving problems on her own was truly frustrating.

Even if they didn’t consummate their marriage, even if they did nothing and were just friends, some things should be said directly, right?

Chi Wan decided that she would ignore Yu Jiuzhou until they went to Xuanyang Temple.

Hmph, Yu Jiuzhou wouldn’t let her go? Yu Jiuzhou’s word wasn’t final.

She calmly organized the papers on the table. Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Xia Qu became anxious. “Fuma, aren’t you worried about Her Highness at all?”

Chi Wan shot her a look. “I’m going to the palace now.”

“What for?” Xia Qu didn’t understand. Shouldn’t she be going to comfort Her Highness?

“Idiot.”

Chi Wan walked out of Yongning Courtyard, ignoring Xia Qu.

Xia Qu returned to Chun Gui’s side with a helpless expression. “Chun Gui.”

She called out. Seeing her like this, Chun Gui knew the task hadn’t been completed. “It’s alright.”

Chun Gui comforted her, then asked, “Where’s the Fuma?”

“The Fuma went to the palace.”

“The palace?”

Xia Qu shrugged. “I don’t know either. I said what you told me to say, and then the Fuma was thinking about something. I asked her if she wasn’t worried about Her Highness, and she just said she was going to the palace.”

There was nothing wrong with the words, but the Fuma had actually gone to the palace.

Could it be… Chun Gui thought of something. Could it be that since Her Highness wouldn’t let the Fuma go, the Fuma went to the Emperor to request a position?

That’s right. If His Majesty issued a decree, Her Highness couldn’t possibly refuse. The Fuma was quick-witted.

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Chi Wan arrived at the imperial palace and was quickly granted an audience with the Emperor. The Shengyuan Emperor was very pleased, pointing to some brocade boxes. “Jinzhao, you’ve come. I was just about to send for you.”

“Take a look. These are the medicinal herbs Chengjiao had people find. See if they can be used.”

Chi Wan’s eyes lit up. The herbs she had mentioned were not random; many of them were from the various countries in the Western Regions, hard to find in Great Zhou, but very useful.

As expected, the people sent by the Emperor were different. They could find any kind of herb, all of them aged and precious.

“Excellent. It’s a pity there’s no Rhodiola rosea.”

Among the herbs were Tianshan snow lotus, saffron, asafoetida, and fritillary bulbs, among others. There were quite a few.

Tianshan snow lotus, for example, could clear heat and detoxify, stop coughs and resolve phlegm, and was also good for rheumatic joints. It was also an excellent gynecological medicine.

They were all good herbs, but she still wanted Rhodiola rosea. It could enhance immunity, combat fatigue, and had other effects. For the Shengyuan Emperor, who often suffered from weakness in his limbs, shortness of breath, and anxiety, Rhodiola rosea could be used for treatment.

It was not only effective for the Emperor’s illness; Yu Jiuzhou needed it too.

Chi Wan had several prescriptions in mind and would be able to make some excellent medicinal pills.

The most suitable medicine for the Shengyuan Emperor was still the Rhinoceros Horn Pill. There were plenty of horns in the Princess’s Residence’s storeroom, but she didn’t want to publicize the pill’s ingredients to prevent malicious hunting.

Besides, with the horns already in the storeroom, as long as they weren’t mass-produced for sale, the pills made for personal use would last a lifetime.

Seeing Chi Wan’s excited expression over the herbs also affected the Shengyuan Emperor. “I will have my people continue to search for the herb you mentioned. For now, see if these are useful.”

“They are, but Your Majesty must give this subject some time.”

“No matter. But it must be as soon as possible.”

“Yes.”

Chi Wan put down the herbs and then looked at the Shengyuan Emperor.

The Shengyuan Emperor knew that she must have something to say if she came so suddenly, so he waved his hand to dismiss the irrelevant people. “Speak. What is it you’ve come to see me about?”

“Your Majesty, this subject also wishes to go to Xuanyang Temple to pray for blessings.”

That’s right. Chi Wan had come to find the Emperor precisely to bypass Yu Jiuzhou and go to Xuanyang Temple. So what if she wasn’t allowed to go? She would go anyway.

With an imperial edict from the Emperor, she didn’t believe Yu Jiuzhou would still stop her.

She was no longer the insignificant person she used to be. Although she was the Fuma, she had little say. Now it was different. She was a high-ranking official who could meet the Emperor at any time. The Emperor wouldn’t refuse her such a small matter.

But the Shengyuan Emperor was a little puzzled. “You can just tell Zhou’er about this. I won’t stand in the way of you two.”

They were finally showing signs of reconciliation, and he could soon be holding an imperial grandchild. How could he possibly obstruct them?

Chi Wan quickly said, “Her Highness won’t let this subject go.”

“She won’t?”

“Yes. Her Highness is unwilling to take me. I was thinking that Her Highness’s attitude towards me had softened, and it would be a good opportunity to accompany her to Xuanyang Temple to pray for blessings…”

As she spoke, she gave an embarrassed smile. “This subject was thinking of cultivating our relationship, but who knew Her Highness would refuse.”

The Shengyuan Emperor hesitated. “If I issue an edict for you to go, I’m afraid Zhou’er will be angry.”

“This subject knows. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will absolutely not make Her Highness angry.”

Seeing Chi Wan’s confidence, the Shengyuan Emperor nodded. “The prayer will take several days. It’s good that you’ll be there to accompany her.”

With the imperial edict in hand, Chi Wan’s mood improved significantly.

However, just as the Emperor had said, using an edict to force the issue would definitely make Yu Jiuzhou angry.

Chi Wan’s eyebrows rose. Yu Jiuzhou’s anger was exactly what she wanted.

When she returned to Yongning Courtyard, it was already late afternoon. Seeing her return, Chun Gui immediately came forward. “Fuma, Her Highness requests your presence.”

It seemed Yu Jiuzhou knew she had gone to the palace to see the Emperor and had probably already guessed her reason for going.

The first thing Chi Wan saw when she saw Yu Jiuzhou was that she was angry. A coldness emanated from her, making one feel the chill of winter even though it was already spring.

“Your Highness.”

She called out, and only then did Yu Jiuzhou’s gaze move from the chessboard. “You went to see His Majesty?”

Yu Jiuzhou got straight to the point.

Chi Wan had no intention of hiding it. “Yes. Since Your Highness would not let me go, I naturally had to find a way to go myself.”

“You.” Yu Jiuzhou looked at her coldly, about to erupt in anger.

But Chi Wan’s defiant expression suddenly changed, and she put on an aggrieved look. “Your Highness promised to take me, but now you won’t. Can’t I find a way to go myself?”

Yu Jiuzhou knew what worked on her, and she naturally knew what worked on Yu Jiuzhou.

Just as she expected, the moment her delicate, coquettish voice came out, the cold aura around Yu Jiuzhou faltered, then vanished without a trace.

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