TGPSAC – Chapter 76

Praying for blessings was truly exhausting. Even with her internal energy to support her, Chi Wan felt fatigued.

Although Yu Jiuzhou was also very tired, every movement, every bow, was performed with meticulous precision. She was solemn and dignified, her every action filled with majestic grace.

Chi Wan knew that praying for blessings was a matter of great importance to the Great Zhou imperial family. She followed behind Yu Jiuzhou, perfectly replicating her movements.

Playtime was for private moments; in a formal setting, one had to be presentable.

This was Chi Wan’s attitude. She never muddled through important matters.

But after two shichen, she was about to faint. It was simply too tiring.

It was not just a physical ordeal, but a mental one. Not a single mistake was permissible, and officials from the Ministry of Rites were nearby to offer reminders.

In order not to disgrace the Princess’s Residence, Chi Wan cooperated with utmost seriousness.

Finally, the time came for everyone to sit in silent meditation, offering a moment of rest.

Chi Wan sat obediently beside Yu Jiuzhou. She closed her eyes, listening carefully to the sounds around her.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of chewing. The person was being very careful, making very little noise, but it was distinct.

Inspired by the first, she secretly took out the oil pancake from her robes. But the aroma of the pancake was too fragrant, causing many people to start looking around.

It was an incredibly awkward situation. She never would have imagined the pancake would smell so strongly.

So many people had been fasting all morning, mostly standing. Their stomachs were already rumbling with hunger. The scent of the oil pancake was unbearable, and the sound of growling stomachs rose and fell in a magnificent chorus.

This was what one might call a bloodbath caused by a single oil pancake. For a moment, many people were searching for the source of the fragrance.

Being so close, Yu Jiuzhou was the first to notice. She might not have known how to describe the feeling of that moment, but Chi Wan knew it well: this was social death.

A lifetime was a long time, and she didn’t want to spend the rest of hers unable to hold her head high in Great Zhou.

So, Chi Wan put the oil pancake away with the greatest possible speed. Once it was back in her robes, the fragrance quickly dissipated, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been too naive. No wonder those old officials brought snacks to court, and always flavorless biscuits at that. It was all about experience.

Chi Wan gave Yu Jiuzhou an embarrassed smile. “Your Highness, would you like some candy?”

Yu Jiuzhou looked at her helplessly, then nodded. “If you’re hungry, go to the side chamber. They have food prepared there.”

“I and the ritual officials cannot leave, but you may go out to eat.”

Chi Wan was not the primary supplicant, nor was she a ritual official, so it was permissible for her to eat. The monks could take turns eating, so naturally, she could as well.

Chi Wan shook her head. “We share blessings and endure hardships together. If Your Highness cannot eat, then neither will I.”

“Why?”

“Because I am Your Highness’s Fuma.”

“You’re being mischievous.”

Chi Wan was puzzled. She was just expressing her determination to share hardships with Her Highness the Princess. How was that being mischievous?

She might not have thought anything of it, but to Yu Jiuzhou—no, to any princess—hearing “Because I am your Fuma” was no different from hearing “Because I am your husband.” It was a form of flirtation.

She didn’t understand, so when Yu Jiuzhou called her mischievous, she just smiled. She might not have understood the words, but she could certainly understand the tone. That delicate tone was clearly a form of coquetry.

“Your Highness, shall I go fetch some pastries?”

Tomorrow, she would put pastries in her robes to avoid today’s embarrassment.

Yu Jiuzhou knelt ramrod straight. “No need.”

“That won’t do. There are still three shichen to get through. Your Highness cannot faint here.”

Chi Wan took out a piece of candy and placed it in Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, deliberately feigning a serious expression, which only made her actions more conspicuous.

Yu Jiuzhou smiled helplessly and opened her palm, where a wrapped piece of fruit candy lay.

Fruit candies existed in ancient times, along with malt candy and crisp candy.

One should never underestimate ancient technology; they could even build heated and cooled pavilions.

Escaping the cold in winter and the heat in summer—this was the wisdom of the ancients.

Chi Wan watched as Yu Jiuzhou put the candy in her mouth, then squinted her eyes.

She had discovered that Yu Jiuzhou seemed to have a fondness for sweets. She had once overheard that Yu Jiuzhou often had the kitchen make cakes, and she would eat half of one each time.

For Yu Jiuzhou, that was a lot. She usually only took two or three bites of any given dish.

But just eating candy wouldn’t be enough.

Taking advantage of her wide robes, Chi Wan shifted sideways imperceptibly. Once she was closer, she fumbled around, trying to find Yu Jiuzhou’s hand.

But she searched for a while and couldn’t find it. Where was her hand?

Yu Jiuzhou just watched her, wondering what she was doing. After a moment, she realized Chi Wan was looking for her hand.

She had come to a realization: if she didn’t offer her hand proactively, there was no telling how long it would take for Chi Wan to find it.

Fool.

Yu Jiuzhou casually placed her hand nearby, and only then did Chi Wan’s fingers brush against it.

A classic scene: Chi Wan searching for a hand.

Her gaze was fixed on the ancestral tablets above while her hand searched for Yu Jiuzhou’s. She silently chanted in her heart: Ancestors of the House of Yu, I am the wife of your descendant, Yu Jiuzhou. She is also my wife. Holding hands is nothing. Oh, you don’t know what a wife is? It means we’re partners.

As her mind wandered, Chi Wan finally felt her fingers close around Yu Jiuzhou’s hand. She quickly glanced down.

Worried that Yu Jiuzhou might misunderstand, she quickly explained, “I am taking Your Highness’s pulse.”

She focused on feeling Yu Jiuzhou’s pulse and, after a moment, said, “Your Highness’s pulse is faint and floating. I must use my internal energy to warm and nourish you.”

Otherwise, Yu Jiuzhou might faint from low blood sugar.

“Alright,” Yu Jiuzhou replied. Feeling the warmth from Chi Wan’s palm, her mood lifted slightly.

Her foul mood was soothed.

Chi Wan closed her eyes and began to nourish Yu Jiuzhou’s body with her internal energy. No one saw their hands clasped together beneath the wide sleeves of their robes.

The benefit of voluminous clothing was made apparent at this moment.

However, there was one thing Yu Jiuzhou didn’t understand. If a simple touch of the hands was enough to use internal energy to nourish the body, then what was the purpose of the nourishment sessions in their room, when they were only in their inner robes?

Was it because her body was too weak?

That was indeed the case. Her body was too weak and needed internal energy to expel the dampness from within her. Applying internal energy through the back was more effective.

Chi Wan was like a human dehumidifier. Not only could she expel dampness, but more importantly, she could warm and nourish the body.

Yu Jiuzhou’s health was incomparably better than before, about the same as an ordinary person, but she was not yet robust.

To build a strong body, she needed dietary supplements and exercise. Three to five months of persistence would show initial results.

In about a month’s time, Yu Jiuzhou’s body was recovering rapidly.

Not all young ladies of noble houses were like Lin Daiyu. In fact, activities like playing musical instruments, dancing, and calligraphy all required a strong body.

Only then would the music played, the dances performed, and the characters written not be limp and weak.

Yu Jiuzhou was skilled in all these things, as well as horse riding, pitch-pot, and archery. Her body had not been weak at all. It was that scum’s scheme that had ruined her health. Consuming so many aphrodisiacs… even if the poison was neutralized, the damage to her body was irreversible.

Chi Wan was still thinking. It seemed that dietary supplements were not enough; she also needed tea supplements. Goji berry and ginseng tea was suitable for someone with a weak constitution, but drinking too much could cause excess internal heat. That would require something like honeysuckle or chrysanthemum tea to cool the body down.

She should drink less of the boiled tea popular in Great Zhou. Drinking tea in moderation was good for the body, but Yu Jiuzhou drank it constantly.

Chi Wan closed her eyes, helping to nourish Yu Jiuzhou’s body, while Yu Jiuzhou chanted scriptures.

This was the first time she had found five shichen so difficult to endure. That was ten hours. Even beasts of burden got to eat while they worked, but they couldn’t even have a meal.

The ceremony had started at five in the morning and would end at five in the afternoon. Only then could they eat.

Every half shichen, Chi Wan would nourish Yu Jiuzhou for a quarter of an hour, continuing until the five shichen were over.

The moment the final bell tolled, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Many of the elderly ritual officials could barely straighten their backs and had to be supported by younger people.

Chi Wan stood up first. Her legs were numb from sitting cross-legged for so long. Fortunately, she had circulated her internal energy through her legs, so a few stretches on her toes were enough to recover.

She quickly squatted down to help Yu Jiuzhou. “Slowly.”

“Thank you.”

Yu Jiuzhou had been kneeling at first, but after the prostration rituals were over, she had switched to sitting cross-legged.

But she had no internal energy and had relied entirely on Chi Wan’s to nourish her body, so her legs were not so weak that she couldn’t stand.

The moment she stood up, her legs immediately gave way, and she nearly fell.

Chi Wan reacted quickly, instantly wrapping an arm around Yu Jiuzhou’s waist. “Your Highness, lean on me.”

No matter who it was, standing, then kneeling, then sitting cross-legged for two shichen—no one could endure that.

Yu Jiuzhou leaned her body against Chi Wan’s. In the past, it had always been Chun Gui and Xia Qu by her side. This year, the person she leaned on was new.

Her Fuma. It was only normal to lean on her.

With that thought, she relaxed and leaned her entire weight against Chi Wan.

Chi Wan’s hand around her waist tightened. Seeing that Yu Jiuzhou had little strength left to speak, she immediately said, “Someone, help the elderly officials back to rest. And send over some light porridge and side dishes.”

“Yes.”

She half-carried Yu Jiuzhou out. It was only when the ritual officials were out of sight that she asked, “Is Your Highness alright?”

“I am fine.”

Her mouth said she was fine, but her lips were colorless. She looked very weak.

“Does Your Highness know which animal has the hardest mouth?”

“What?”

Yu Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow. The change in topic was rather abrupt. Still, she answered, “A woodpecker?”

A woodpecker’s beak could peck through wood, so of course it was hard.

She immediately understood why Chi Wan had changed the subject. Chi Wan suppressed a laugh. “I think it’s Your Highness’s mouth.”

Yu Jiuzhou was speechless. She was about to say, “How audacious,” when Chi Wan did something even more audacious. She bent down and lifted her into her arms.

A princess carry looked quite romantic, especially when the one being carried was Her Highness the Princess.

“Are you scolding me?” Yu Jiuzhou was only puzzled by the question; she was not so slow as to miss that she was being teased.

A smile touched Chi Wan’s lips. “You misunderstand. This subject is merely speaking the truth.”

This teasing attitude earned her a light slap on the chest from Yu Jiuzhou.

The two of them were quickly reminded of the morning’s awkward situation, when she had truly squeezed her.

Remembering that unforgettable sensation, Chi Wan pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Yu Jiuzhou also fell silent. The distinct feeling in her palm still seemed to linger.

If she knew that Chi Wan had buried her head in her chest for even longer, who knows what she would think.

It was undeniable that sleeping together made feelings grow faster.

From the awkwardness of the first night sleeping together to the familiarity after just one night.

Chi Wan had lifted Yu Jiuzhou without hesitation, even giving her a little bounce in her arms with a strange strength.

Yu Jiuzhou quickly wrapped her arms around her neck, otherwise she feared this person might just drop her.

Sensing the faint fragrance near her nose, Chi Wan’s lips curved. She was in a very good mood.

They returned to their room, a strange feeling between them.

One did not ask the other to leave, and the other had no intention of leaving.

Chi Wan watched as a maidservant helped Yu Jiuzhou remove her ceremonial robes, while she took off her own.

They only needed to wear such ornate and heavy ceremonial robes on the first day. The next day, they could wear something similar to their court attire. After three days, they could wear casual clothes until the end of the prayer ceremony.

Thinking about it, the imperial guards had climbed the mountain yesterday, and today everyone was exhausted from fasting. This would have been the perfect time for assassins to strike, yet none had appeared. What were the assassins wary of?

After they had both removed their magnificent robes, a maidservant brought in a half-full bucket of hot water with a medicinal pouch soaking inside. “Your Highness, please soak your feet.”

Then the maidservant helped Yu Jiuzhou remove her shoes and socks, reminding her, “It’s a little hot.”

Yu Jiuzhou placed her feet in the water and frowned slightly. Her fair skin, submerged in the water, turned red in moments, as if half-cooked.

That pair of translucent, beautiful, and captivating feet were indeed very alluring.

Chi Wan looked around, found a small stool, and placed it opposite Yu Jiuzhou. Then she took off her own shoes and socks and placed her feet in the bucket as well.

The attending maidservant was stunned. “Fuma, if you wish to soak your feet, this servant will fetch water for you right away.”

“No need, I’ll join Her Highness.” Chi Wan placed her feet along the edge of the bucket.

Yu Jiuzhou gave the maidservant a look, signaling her not to say any more.

The wooden bucket was quite large, so it wasn’t crowded with two people soaking their feet.

However, it was obvious that Yu Jiuzhou’s feet and calves were slightly swollen. If Chi Wan hadn’t been constantly using her internal energy to help circulate her blood, the swelling would likely have been much worse.

Soon, Yu Jiuzhou felt a wave of warmth spread through her entire body, and she began to feel hot.

Chi Wan’s internal energy was being transferred to Yu Jiuzhou through the water. With water as a medium, she could increase the output of her internal energy.

The maidservant, thinking enough time had passed, reached into the water to test the temperature and her eyes widened in surprise. “Why isn’t this water cooling down?”

“Internal energy?”

So the maidservant was an expert. Chi Wan withdrew her internal energy and looked over. “You understand internal energy?”

“This servant has studied a little, but my aptitude was poor, so I switched to practicing external martial arts.”

Chi Wan sized her up. No wonder she had such a lean and capable figure. From her rolled-up sleeves, one could see the strength in her arms. The muscle definition suggested she could kill a wild boar without any problem.

It seemed that even the maidservants attending Yu Jiuzhou were first-rate experts.

With so many hidden guards concealed within their retinue, all she needed to do was ensure Yu Jiuzhou had enough strength to escape when the time came.

Chi Wan smiled. “I can take a look for you.”

“A look?”

She held out her hand, gesturing for the maidservant to extend hers, and then began her diagnosis.

“Your primary element is fire, but you are cultivating a water-based internal energy. Of course you wouldn’t get very far.”

Everyone had a different dominant element among the five. No matter how talented one was, the cultivation method had to be suitable. If the method didn’t match the dominant element, one couldn’t achieve much.

The maidservant was also regretful. “The Fuma is right. Unfortunately, all martial arts in the world originate from Daoism and Buddhism. External internal energy techniques are family heirlooms. To have found a water-based technique was already a great fortune.”

Yu Jiuzhou clarified, “These children are all orphans of the Xu Family Army. Their techniques mostly come from the military, and the military focuses on external arts.”

“I see.”

The imperial palace certainly had excellent internal energy techniques, but those were in the emperor’s private collection. No one could enter except the emperor and the old eunuch in charge of it. It was said to contain all the martial arts in the world, but unfortunately, it had been destroyed once before. Many of the remaining texts were incomplete fragments or copies, with very few complete volumes.

Chi Wan’s internal energy was primarily fire and wood. Because of the balance between the wood and fire attributes, her internal energy could be used for both attack and healing.

Fire was for attack, wood for healing. This also gave her a peaceful demeanor. Coupled with the gentle nature of the technique she practiced, anyone who wasn’t a powerful internal energy practitioner wouldn’t be able to tell she had any.

In truth, she had cultivation methods for all five elements. Her grandmother had told her back then to focus on fire, supplemented by wood. Once she reached great mastery, she could then cultivate water, earth, and metal to achieve cultivation of all five elements simultaneously.

After all, the human body contained all five elements; it was just a matter of which one was dominant. Otherwise, the maidservant before her wouldn’t have been able to cultivate a water-based internal energy at all.

“By the way, what is your name?” She knew this person was one of Yu Jiuzhou’s maidservants who stood guard in Yongning Courtyard every day, but she didn’t know her name.

“Replying to the Fuma, this servant is named Shi Lun.”

Shi Lun? Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “A rare name.”

“This servant’s ancestors were from the Western Regions and served in the Three Thousand Camp established by Emperor Taizong, which was composed of foreign cavalry who had surrendered to him.”

Chi Wan looked at Yu Jiuzhou, who nodded and continued, “Later, the numbers in the Three Thousand Camp dwindled, and it had to be disbanded. They were merged into other units. Shi Lun’s grandfather and mother were both in the Xu Family Army.”

“Shi Lun, I have a fire-based technique. However, you are already an adult, and you have water-based internal energy in your body. Switching your focus will require enduring some hardship.”

Shi Lun’s eyes lit up, and she quickly knelt to express her thanks. “This servant is not afraid of hardship. Thank you for your immense grace, Fuma.”

“Get up.” Chi Wan’s feet were in the bucket, so she couldn’t help her up.

She really disliked people kneeling to her, and she disliked kneeling to others even more. Fortunately, her status was high enough that she only had to kneel to the emperor on grand occasions.

It was Yu Jiuzhou who spoke. “Rise.”

Only then did Shi Lun stand. “Yes. Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Fuma.”

Chi Wan waved her hand. “Paper and brush. I will write and draw it for you.”

“Yes.”

After Shi Lun left to prepare, Chi Wan turned to Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, let me dry your feet.”

She picked up the towel beside them, grasped Yu Jiuzhou’s ankle, and gently lifted her foot, placing it on her lap to dry it carefully with the towel.

As she wiped, Chi Wan said, “Your Highness’s body is primarily water and wood. Although you are a bit old to start cultivating internal energy, you don’t need to aim for great achievements. The main goal is to strengthen your body.”

She had suggested that Yu Jiuzhou cultivate internal energy from the beginning, but her body had been too weak at the time and needed a foundation first.

Yu Jiuzhou said, “…What will I cultivate?”

Feeling the ticklish sensation on her ankle, she could barely speak. A strange longing grew in her heart.

Chi Wan carefully dried her feet, then dried her own. “Wood, primarily. I can help Your Highness.”

She also cultivated wood. After nourishing Yu Jiuzhou every day, some wood-based internal energy would remain in her body. If she then meditated and cultivated, her progress would be twice as effective with half the effort.

Mainly, Yu Jiuzhou’s constitution was quite good. In this world, people either had poor constitutions or lacked cultivation methods. Now that she had both, even if she didn’t achieve much, it would still be good for her body.

Yu Jiuzhou pursed her lips and studied her. “How will you help me?”

Did this person not know that a Kun Ze woman’s feet were not to be looked at or touched casually? One had to take responsibility for such actions.

Chi Wan, however, felt that since they had already soaked their feet together, a friendship forged over foot-soaking couldn’t possibly be considered casual looking or touching.

She was still earnestly explaining how Yu Jiuzhou could cultivate internal energy. “Every night before sleep, I will continue to help nourish Your Highness’s body. Then I will guide the internal energy to help Your Highness open your acupoints. Your Highness just needs to circulate the technique.”

This would be a bit taxing on her, the Fuma, but it would allow Yu Jiuzhou’s internal energy to grow much faster. It wouldn’t be long before she reached the introductory level.

The levels of internal energy were: Introductory, Minor Mastery, Profound, Great Mastery, and Perfection.

Yu Jiuzhou was starting too late. Even with Chi Wan’s help, her internal energy could at most reach Minor Mastery. Even reaching the Introductory level would not be easy.

Back then, in a world with such scarce spiritual energy, Chi Wan had reached the Introductory level in just three days. According to her grandmother, it had taken her a month.

That was why her grandmother had focused on health preservation and had never made much progress with her internal energy in her entire life.

If Yu Jiuzhou started cultivating at her age, if she could reach Minor Mastery, it would have a significant impact on her health and lifespan.

The average lifespan of the Great Zhou imperial family was around forty, which was not long. Some emperors died in their twenties or thirties, some in their fifties or sixties. Only the Grand Ancestor had lived past seventy; Emperor Taizong had passed away in his sixties.

Emperor Shengyuan was not yet sixty, and he would be gone next year.

So, Yu Jiuzhou needed regular dietary supplements and to cultivate internal energy, so she could become a long-lived old lady in the future.

Just as she thought of the words “old lady,” Yu Jiuzhou suddenly asked, “How am I old?”

Was twenty considered old?

Chi Wan froze, realizing she shouldn’t have mentioned a woman’s age. She pretended not to hear and had Shi Lun place a bound blank booklet on the table, then began to write and illustrate the secret manual.

It included incantations and practice postures. Once one reached the Introductory level, one could meditate and circulate internal energy.

After she finished writing, she handed the booklet to Shi Lun. “You can take this back and let the children in the orphan camp practice.”

She had written down the cultivation methods for all five elements in five separate booklets.

Coincidentally, Shi Lun had brought exactly five booklets. Staring at the booklets in her hands, Shi Lun’s hands trembled. “On behalf of the children of the orphan camp, this servant thanks the Fuma for her immense grace.”

“This servant will die before letting these booklets fall into the hands of others.”

Although the children in the orphan camp all learned to read and write—it was a requirement when they were young—they were also assessed for martial arts aptitude.

If they excelled in neither scholarly nor martial pursuits, they would practice other skills. When they grew up, they could either make a living for themselves outside or be assigned work in the Princess’s Residence.

The orphan camp did not force them to pledge loyalty to Her Highness.

Of course, the people from the orphan camp were not ingrates. If they couldn’t secure an official position, they would rather enter the Princess’s Residence to serve Her Highness.

Xia Qu had also come from the orphan camp. She had earned a military position through her own efforts and was a role model for them.

Chi Wan smiled at the emotional Shi Lun. “Your life is more important.”

After Shi Lun left, Yu Jiuzhou stared at her intently.

Chi Wan touched her face, feeling uneasy. “Your Highness, what is it?”

“Where is my copy?”

Shi Lun had taken all five booklets. Hadn’t she just said she would have her, the Princess, cultivate as well?

Chi Wan smiled. “Of course, this subject will teach Your Highness personally.”

“My internal energy will travel within Your Highness’s body. Your Highness just needs to silently recite the incantations and cooperate. Once Your Highness can control the internal energy in your body, you will no longer need my guidance.”

Her internal energy, traveling within her own body, guiding it?

Yu Jiuzhou’s face flushed inexplicably. A line from a palace instructional manual came to mind: Do not let your body be immersed in the other’s control; you must resist and be evenly matched for mutual pleasure.

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