TGPSAC – Chapter 73

Such a major incident occurred in Shengjing just as Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou had left. Fortunately, Duo Bao had been left behind; she was there to handle it.

Duo Bao’s approach was simple. She sent someone directly to the authorities, reporting that someone was causing a disturbance at the Grand Princess’s Residence, and had the Grand Court of Revision place Qing Qian in a courtyard next to their own offices.

The Grand Court of Revision dispatched guards to watch over her. Several restaurants took turns delivering her meals each day, with the choice of restaurant decided by drawing lots at the last minute. The people who bought and delivered the food were also changed randomly. If anything were to happen to Qing Qian, everyone involved would be right there, and the mastermind could surely be rooted out.

Duo Bao made these arrangements in full view of the citizens of Shengjing. The courtyard was a civilian residence, and ordinary people lived there as well; Qing Qian was not staying there alone.

With the supervision of common folk, the watch of the Grand Court of Revision, and a complicated meal delivery process, it would be difficult for anyone to act.

However, it would still be easy for someone truly determined to kill Qing Qian. Secret guards were also stationed nearby, waiting to see if anyone would walk into the trap.

Duo Bao announced publicly, “The Fuma has accompanied Her Highness the Grand Princess to Xuanyang Temple to pray for the fortune of Great Zhou. As for whether Mistress Qing Qian’s words are true or false, we will know once the child is born and a paternity test is conducted. Furthermore, when the Fuma returns, she will naturally handle this matter. If this has nothing to do with the Fuma, then anyone who dares to spread rumors and stir up trouble should not blame the Princess’s Residence for being impolite.”

“Oh, and one more thing. As far as I know, nothing happened between Her Highness and Mistress Qing Qian at the Autumn Water Pavilion. After all, as you all know, the Fuma had to kneel on a Go board that day. If something had truly happened between the Fuma and Mistress Qing Qian, it would not have been as simple as kneeling on a Go board.”

At these words, the crowd burst into laughter, the Fuma’s reputation for being henpecked feeling all the more real.

“This official speaks sense. Who doesn’t know the Fuma is afraid of her wife? Even back when she was a profligate, she remained chaste for Her Highness, only going to the pleasure quarter daily to drink and gamble. It’s impossible that she would abandon her chastity now that she’s turned over a new leaf.”

“What do you know? The Fuma has real power now—Commander of the Imperial City Division and Junior Minister of the Grand Court of Revision. Who else in the world can hold both high-ranking civil and military posts? For the Fuma to achieve so much at such a young age… a youth is wasted if not spent freely.”

“Freely? I see it as a scheme. This Mistress Qing Qian didn’t show up at the Princess’s Residence a moment sooner or later. She came right after the Grand Princess and the Fuma left. She chose the perfect time. Everyone knows they went to Xuanyang Temple to pray for blessings. This must be a conspiracy.”

“Exactly! She didn’t come earlier, she didn’t come later, she specifically chose a time when the Princess and Fuma were away. It’s a good thing she was sent to the authorities. You damn Qian Yuan just can’t walk straight when you see a beauty. Although the Fuma enjoys gambling, she never messes around outside.”

There were agents from more than one faction in the crowd—some from Prince Bao’an, and some arranged by Duo Bao.

Knowing things wouldn’t be so simple, Duo Bao had urgently planted her own people among them.

Duo Bao had her people spread the word that the Grand Princess and the Fuma had already left Shengjing. For Qing Qian to appear at this specific time, she must have a motive, and Duo Bao had to make sure the public knew it.

Prince Bao’an wanted to use the common people to pressure the Princess’s Residence, but Duo Bao could use them as well to prevent the residence’s reputation from being tarnished.

As for whether there was anything between the Fuma and Qing Qian, what did that have to do with her? She was a subordinate of the Grand Princess, not the Fuma. If the child in Qing Qian’s belly was truly the Fuma’s, then not killing Qing Qian was already an act of mercy on her part.

She sent Qing Qian to the Grand Court of Revision to be watched over, and would wait for news from the Princess and Fuma before deciding on the next steps.

In truth, Duo Bao was only waiting for two pieces of information. First, was the child in Qing Qian’s belly related to the Fuma or not? If it was, she would kill Qing Qian and frame the Fuma. If not, well, then things would get interesting.

In Duo Bao’s eyes, if something had happened between the Fuma and Qing Qian, it was a betrayal of Her Highness. Anyone who betrayed Her Highness was an enemy. She would not hesitate for a moment to frame the Fuma.

Thus, under Duo Bao’s management, some said the child was the Fuma’s, some called it a conspiracy, and still others claimed Qing Qian was trying to leave her profession and find a powerful backer.

The status of an entertainer was a brand that lasted a lifetime. To change one’s household registration required someone powerful in the background; money alone was not enough. Merchants had plenty of money and wished for their descendants to be able to pursue careers other than business, but wealth could not buy a change in registration.

Therefore, some speculated that Qing Qian’s actions were an attempt to use the Fuma’s power to gain her freedom.

No one knew the truth, but at least there were now multiple narratives circulating in Shengjing. This was good, as it prevented a one-sided assault on the reputation of the Princess’s Residence.

But the situation was too chaotic. The moment it happened, officials began submitting memorials of impeachment.

So when Xia Qu came to report to Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou, she was both furious and anxious. “Your Highness, Fuma, Shengjing is in an absolute uproar.”

Seeing Xia Qu’s frantic expression, Chi Wan smiled. “Then let’s drink the porridge while it’s hot.¹”

“…” Xia Qu stood outside the sedan chair, taking a long moment to process that. “Fuma, how can you still be joking at a time like this?”

Yu Jiuzhou also helplessly nudged Chi Wan’s sleeve. She was truly being mischievous.

Feeling the touch from Yu Jiuzhou beside her, Chi Wan wiped the smile from her face. “Rest assured, I’ve already had Chun Gui take care of this.”

She gave a cold laugh. “Trying to pin this on me? Then I’ll show them who the god of manipulating public opinion is.”

A newspaper. She had to start a newspaper.

Chi Wan decided to divide the newspaper into two sections: one for the national affairs of Great Zhou, and the other for public entertainment.

The first section would summarize the daily discussions in the imperial court and report on the progress and obstacles of the new policies in Yanbei.

Some obstacles could be made public to arouse the people’s empathy and rally them to resist together.

Of course, some things could not be said directly and had to be handled delicately. This was, after all, a world of imperial power.

The newspaper’s mission: to involve all citizens in national affairs.

The newspaper’s taboo: never go against the emperor.

By using the populace to supervise the entire court, no matter how high-ranking an official was, if they were criticized enough, they would be branded a treacherous minister. Even if a treacherous minister wasn’t dealt with immediately, they would be eventually. Court officials would have to at least pretend to be good officials, because they could not withstand the condemnation of public opinion.

Once the hat of a treacherous minister was worn for too long, the emperor’s trust would likely waver. An official who alienated both the people and the sovereign would not last long.

However, the newspaper could not be in the hands of a single person. Chi Wan’s plan was to control the entertainment paper herself, while the national affairs paper would be in the hands of the Grand Secretariat.

In ancient times, there was the official gazette, which was mainly responsible for transmitting news to various regions. There were also private circulars, which were privately owned and mostly contained court affairs not officially released. The circulation of these private circulars was not wide, and no one dared to print them in large quantities.

Then there was the capital gazette, which consisted of transcribed imperial edicts, various memorials, and news of official appointments from the Grand Secretariat. This could be sold publicly.

In other words, the official gazette was for officials in various regions, the private circulars were for criticism and inside scoops, and the capital gazette was for public sale.

These three forms of publication were the most popular in Great Zhou, but they were relatively niche and their circulation was not wide enough.

Therefore, there was a precedent for publishing newspapers; it wasn’t an act of great treason. But there would certainly be opposition. As long as it passed the emperor’s approval, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Chi Wan planned to launch a newspaper with national distribution. It wouldn’t just transcribe publicly available content; it would feature current events and critical commentary, a complete departure from the old format.

If she hadn’t seen the capital gazette, she wouldn’t have thought of this method.

Furthermore, to ensure everyone knew the contents of the newspaper, she would also open a teahouse where storytellers would read from the paper in the morning, noon, and evening. The teahouse didn’t need to make a profit; people could enter and listen without drinking tea, though they would only have access to the common seating. Those who bought tea would get better seats, with prices based on the tea.

To prevent the newspaper from being used for deliberate slander and defamation, she decided to establish several. The students of the Imperial College were passionate and full of ideas. They came from official families but were concerned about the country and its people.

Perhaps every student, at some point in their youth, has such patriotic thoughts and a heart full of passion. Not just the Imperial College, but the prefectural and county schools across the land could have their own newspaper offices.

These local offices would be managed by a central office, and local governments would not be allowed to interfere, but their content would have to align with the central office.

In the future, all officials of the court would worry about ending up in the newspaper, a sword hanging over their heads.

Initially, Chi Wan didn’t plan to be directly critical. Instead, she would select a few representative figures, universally acclaimed in history, for praise, and then choose a few treacherous ministers for criticism.

Once the public became familiar with the format, she would then turn her blade towards the current officials.

Chi Wan decided to write down the specific details of her newspaper plan overnight. Compared to the national affairs paper, the entertainment paper had to come out first.

The entertainment paper was meant to counter the enemy’s use of Qing Qian to slander her, to slander the Grand Princess’s Residence, and even to make the residence suffer a major setback over this incident.

This was the first time Chi Wan had felt such a strong will to fight. Before, she had always strived to follow the plot’s development. Now, she was truly angry.

Sensing her anger, Yu Jiuzhou was both angry herself and a little amused. This person was usually so composed, knowledgeable about everything, yet she had a bit of a childish temper.

“Don’t be angry. I will vent your anger for you.”

Yu Jiuzhou had already sent people to smash the Autumn Water Pavilion and to leak the news that it was one of Prince Bao’an’s properties. By the next day, the entire capital would know, and they would tremble, thinking of how many secrets they had revealed within its walls.

Some officials would surely resent Prince Bao’an, while others would be afraid, feeling this was a weakness he held over them.

But she would make this bomb explode even more thoroughly, so that no one could contain it. To completely defuse this bomb, they would no longer cower but would unite to crush Prince Bao’an.

Ordinary pressure would make the compromised officials hesitant, but absolute pressure would make them hit rock bottom and bounce back.

The phrase “hit rock bottom and bounce back” was something Chi Wan had said, and Yu Jiuzhou found it very reasonable.

This was her first direct confrontation with Prince Bao’an since her rebirth. They would see who would win.

Chi Wan smiled sheepishly. “Does Your Highness see me as a child?”

“Are you not?” The two of them had been awkward with each other for quite some time, an indescribable, slightly tense atmosphere between them.

Yu Jiuzhou thought to herself that she had lived to nearly thirty in her past life, making her older than Chi Wan, so she wouldn’t bicker with her.

Although she wasn’t sure what they were bickering about, she knew Chi Wan was angry.

Was Chi Wan angry because she felt Yu Jiuzhou hadn’t given her a small courtyard?

Yu Jiuzhou would not bow her head, but she had money. After Xia Qu left, she took out a brocade box and handed it to Chi Wan.

“What is it?”

The box was quite beautiful. Could it be a gift for her?

Chi Wan opened the box curiously and saw several property deeds and land titles.

Then she heard Yu Jiuzhou—no, the wealthy Yu—say with a hint of awkwardness, “You have done many things for me. You are already a high-ranking official and won’t be promoted again for some time. I have nothing else to give you. I heard you wanted a courtyard. I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I prepared a few.”

It was rare for the aloof Grand Princess to say so much. Chi Wan looked at her in shock for a few moments before examining the contents of the box.

There was a large mansion next to the Princess’s Residence, a small, charming courtyard near the Qifeng River, and several others in every prosperous district, as well as a few manors.

“Your Highness, are manors also small courtyards?”

Yu Jiuzhou said unnaturally, “You can build one inside.”

Chi Wan shook her head. She finally understood. Yu Jiuzhou had misunderstood, thinking the small courtyard she wanted was in Shengjing, and had prepared all of these for her.

These properties alone must be worth a million taels of silver. Courtyards in Shengjing were very expensive. An ordinary residence cost one or two thousand taels, a courtyard could be nearly ten thousand, and a slightly more luxurious one a hundred thousand. The closer to the imperial palace, the more expensive it was.

The large mansion next to the Princess’s Residence being worth a million taels was normal.

“Your Highness is so generous, giving this subject so many residences.”

Chi Wan truly didn’t know what to say. Amidst her helplessness, she was deeply moved—moved that Yu Jiuzhou had taken her words to heart.

With Yu Jiuzhou’s personality, she would never take the initiative to yield in any awkward situation between them. This might seem like she was just throwing money at the problem, but for someone like the Grand Princess, this was her way of yielding.

Since Her Highness the Princess had gone this far, what more could she say?

Chi Wan pulled out a deed for the property by the Qifeng River. “I’ll take this one.”

“What about the others?” Yu Jiuzhou was surprised. Out of so many, why did she choose that one?

“The Qifeng River is wonderful. There’s a water market during the day and a night market on the banks in the evening. It’s full of life. I like it very much.”

Chi Wan smiled and placed the brocade box back in front of Yu Jiuzhou. That small courtyard was already quite valuable.

Unexpectedly, Yu Jiuzhou looked her up and down. “Are you planning to board the flower boats?”

“Ah?”

Chi Wan was astonished. What a strange turn. How did the conversation jump to her wanting to board a flower boat? But after a moment’s thought, she said, “I’ve never seen the flower boats on the Qifeng River at night. When I have time, I could go and experience the atmosphere.”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…We don’t have much farther to go. I will walk the rest of the way.”

They had switched to sedan chairs for the mountain ascent, but now she had no desire to sit in one any longer.

Yu Jiuzhou called for the chair to halt. “Stop. I will get out and walk.”

Chi Wan paused for a moment. “Your Highness, I will get out as well.”

She quickly followed her out of the sedan chair. Two thousand imperial guards had secured the mountain path, and dozens of personal guards surrounded the two of them.

Chi Wan looked up and saw several nuns walking towards them.

Unlike in a conventional world, the monastics of this world were required to pay taxes. In the two hundred years of Great Zhou, there had been several reforms, and there were always great talents who used their knowledge to reform the laws.

Monastics were divided into martial nuns and literary nuns. Male Qian Yuan were called Bhikkhu, male Kun Ze were called Dharma-learning men, female Qian Yuan were Bhikkhuni, and female Kun Ze were called Dharma-learning women.

Xuanyang Temple was comprised entirely of Bhikkhuni, who were all uniformly addressed as Great Master.

Several Bhikkhuni were hurrying down the mountain. One of them wore a kasaya, two wore yellow robes, and four wore gray robes.

It was easy to tell who was in charge. The leading nun wore a kasaya to show respect and had personally come down the mountain to welcome them.

Chi Wan had been about to say something more to Yu Jiuzhou, but seeing the nuns arrive, she held her tongue.

She noticed that these Bhikkhuni all possessed internal energy. If all the nuns of Xuanyang Temple had internal energy, then why was Yu Jiuzhou still assassinated here?

Even if these few were the elite of Xuanyang Temple, they should have been more than enough to protect Yu Jiuzhou.

She met the gaze of the leading nun, who had clearly also noticed that she possessed internal energy.

Chi Wan practiced a Daoist form of internal energy, which was very restrained. Especially after her skills had advanced, it was as placid as a still well. Unless someone’s own internal energy was profound, they would only be able to tell she had it, but not its depth.

At her age, those who had reached a profound level of internal energy were as rare as phoenix feathers. The other party likely couldn’t discern her true level.

Before the nuns reached them, Yu Jiuzhou said, “The one in the lead is the abbess, Huijue. The two beside her are the left and right Dharma protectors, Huicheng and Huiding. Those behind them are of the ‘Ming’ generation of Xuanyang Temple.”

Chi Wan asked curiously, “Is there anyone of a higher generation than them?”

“There is Great Master Jingchen, who is now ninety years old.”

Jing, Hui, Ming, Shan, and Ji were the five generations of Xuanyang Temple. The ‘Hui’ generation looked to be in their sixties or seventies, the ‘Ming’ generation in their forties or fifties, the ‘Shan’ generation in their twenties or thirties, and the ‘Ji’ generation were likely only children or teenagers now.

It wasn’t unheard of for someone to be old but of a junior generation, or young but of a senior one.

By the time Chi Wan had matched the names to their faces, the two groups had met.

“This old nun, Huijue of Xuanyang Temple, along with my two junior sisters and disciples, greet Her Highness the Grand Princess of Qin and the Fuma.”

Chi Wan also held the title of Earl of Shangyu, but compared to Fuma, the latter was a greater position, so people still addressed her as Fuma when she was out.

“Great Master Huijue, it has been a long time,” Yu Jiuzhou greeted her.

It had indeed been a long time. The last time they met was at the spring equinox last year.

Huijue performed a salute. “A vegetarian meal has been prepared in the temple. After you have eaten, this old nun will take you to see my master.”

“Is Great Master Jingchen in good health?”

“In her early years, my master underwent austere cultivation in seclusion in a remote mountain temple, which damaged her physical form. However, her comprehension of the Dharma has already transcended the mortal realm.”

Chi Wan had her own translation in her mind: Great Master Jingchen suffered a lot in the past and her body isn’t doing well, but because her understanding of Buddhism is so profound, her spiritual state is excellent despite her poor health.

Yu Jiuzhou’s expression was solemn and dignified. “I was hoping Great Master Jingchen could preside over the prayer ceremonies for a few more years.”

“Amitabha.”

Such conversations were truly tiring. Chi Wan walked with her head down, her eyes fixed on the hem of Yu Jiuzhou’s skirt. Thankfully, she was wearing a horse-face skirt and not court attire, otherwise climbing the mountain would have been difficult.

As she was watching, she saw Yu Jiuzhou stumble and was about to fall.

Chi Wan quickly reached out. In a flash, a soft body was in her arms. She held Yu Jiuzhou tightly, afraid that if she let go too soon, the princess would fall.

Her hand rested on Yu Jiuzhou’s waist. For the first time, she understood what a soft, slender waist felt like—so slim one could encircle it with one hand. The sensation was so pleasant she was reluctant to let go.

“Your Highness?”

Chi Wan had no time to savor the feeling in her hand as she looked at Yu Jiuzhou with concern.

With the princess in her arms, she looked down and met Yu Jiuzhou’s eyes.

Perhaps because Yu Jiuzhou was nestled in her embrace, she appeared delicate and pliant at that moment, a stark contrast to the proud, lofty Grand Princess of usual days.

Knowing they couldn’t stay embraced for too long, Chi Wan quickly helped Yu Jiuzhou stand up straight. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Yu Jiuzhou stood up calmly, showing no sign that she had been the one who almost fell.

This was the first time the two of them had been pressed so closely together.

Yu Jiuzhou exchanged a few more pleasantries with Great Master Huijue before taking the lead and walking forward. Chi Wan followed half a step behind, staying close by her side.

Chi Wan kept her eyes on Yu Jiuzhou’s feet, afraid she might stumble again without her noticing.

She didn’t notice the faint smile playing on Yu Jiuzhou’s lips.

Just now, in Chi Wan’s arms, she had felt the warmth of her embrace. The warm hand on her waist, in particular, had sent a jolt through her, making her want to pull away. But as she felt a weakness in her waist and tried to straighten up, Chi Wan had held her waist possessively, her thumb seeming to brush lightly against her, leaving her at a loss for a moment.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed in Chi Wan’s arms for so long.

She had intended to tease Chi Wan a little, but it seemed she was the one who had been teased.

The tips of Yu Jiuzhou’s ears were red. It wasn’t until they entered Xuanyang Temple and a spring breeze blew past that she felt much better.

Chi Wan, on the other hand, hadn’t thought much of it. She only felt that Yu Jiuzhou’s waist was nice to the touch, and that was all. She swore she had only held her waist because she thought Yu Jiuzhou was unsteady, and the brush of her thumb was purely accidental.

Of course, she had no idea what Yu Jiuzhou was thinking. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

Upon arriving at Xuanyang Temple, the imperial guards took control of every corner. Yu Jiuzhou’s personal guards began to inspect the small courtyard where they would be staying.

The temple had arranged for Yu Jiuzhou and Chi Wan to be in the same courtyard, though not in the same room. It was a temple, after all, and even a married couple would not be housed together.

The two of them had lunch in the courtyard’s main hall, accompanied by Huijue.

“Your Highness, Fuma, do you require some rest?”

“There is no need. The walk to Great Master Jingchen’s residence will be just right for aiding digestion.”

“Yes.”

The three of them, along with two guards, headed towards Great Master Jingchen’s quarters. The path was lined with imperial guards, one every ten meters, with a small squad stationed at each point, all within sight of each other to prevent any ambushes.

As they walked, Chi Wan felt that something was even more amiss. With such tight security and so many nuns, how on earth was Yu Jiuzhou assassinated?

She glanced around. There weren’t many nuns in Xuanyang Temple who cultivated internal energy, but there were quite a few martial nuns. Out of the thousand or so people in the temple, there were probably two or three hundred martial nuns, and about a dozen with internal energy.

With such fighting strength, how did the assassins succeed?

The temple’s heritage also included medical arts. If it was poison, it was impossible that no one noticed anything.

Chi Wan walked silently beside Yu Jiuzhou, her heart growing heavier. The unknown was the most terrifying.

By supporting the Yanbei reforms, they had made the vested interests wish them dead. Moreover, for the two princes, neither wanted a Regent Grand Princess above them when they ascended the throne. As for foreign powers, there was Donghai; they hated the Xu family, and Yu Jiuzhou, as the Xu family’s granddaughter, was naturally detested.

It could be said that without Yu Jiuzhou, given the Shengyuan Emperor’s suspicious nature, the Xu family would have long been transferred away from Donghai. To the Donghai pirates, the Xu family was a formidable enemy capable of destroying them, so of course they would be delighted to see the Xu family recalled to Shengjing.

As for Nanyue, those people had long hated the Great Zhou imperial family for reasons stretching back into the past. Besides, Yu Jiuzhou was someone cultivated by the Shengyuan Emperor. They had surely backed one of the princes, and the new emperor would have to be their puppet, not Yu Jiuzhou’s.

All things considered, there were too many people in the world who wanted them dead: the two princes, foreign powers, and those who did not want the Yanbei reforms to proceed.

Although the public face of the Yanbei reforms was Grand Secretary Gao Zheng, in the Grand Secretariat, the Grand Princess gave Gao Zheng her unconditional support. Gao Zheng had already faced seven or eight assassination attempts related to the reforms; Yu Jiuzhou was bound to face one or two as well.

Yu Jiuzhou spent most of her time in Shengjing, and whenever she went out, she was accompanied by over a thousand guards. In Shengjing, no one could muster a force of assassins capable of breaking through a guard of over a thousand.

Now that Yu Jiuzhou had come to Xuanyang Temple to pray for blessings, there would surely be more than one group of assassins.

Chi Wan turned to look at Yu Jiuzhou’s profile, her heart aching a little. Such a slender person, yet she carried so much.

It was a good thing she was here. As long as she was here, she would never allow anyone to break through her line of defense and touch Yu Jiuzhou.

No, they couldn’t sleep in separate rooms tonight. She had to sleep in the same room as Yu Jiuzhou, even if it meant sleeping on the floor.

Yu Jiuzhou had no idea that the person walking so obediently beside her was harboring thoughts of sleeping with her.

That evening, when Chi Wan arrived at her room carrying a pillow, Yu Jiuzhou was completely stunned.

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In the original Chinese, the phrase for “an absolute uproar” is “乱成一锅粥” (luàn chéng yīguōzhōu), which literally translates to “a pot of porridge.” Chi Wan’s response, “let’s drink it while it’s hot,” is a pun based on this idiom.

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