TGPSAC – Chapter 94

After the morning court session ended, the friendly exchange between the three nations began.

Musical recitals, dance performances, acrobatics, and illusionary arts were all indispensable parts of the event.

The main event was the equestrian performance, which was less of a show and more of a competition.

The three parties would send out their warriors to compete in equestrian martial arts and archery, with each side putting up stakes.

In the past, when Great Zhou won, the victor could make a request to the emperor on the spot and would also be granted a high rank.

This competition was different from the Spring Festival Banquet. That was an internal contest; this was an international one. It wasn’t about bringing glory to one’s family, but to the nation. How could they be the same?

Great Zhou’s candidates had already been selected: half were children from noble and meritorious families, and the other half were outstanding soldiers from the army.

The children of noble families had all received a fine education in the six arts of a gentleman. Even if they lost, they wouldn’t lose too disgracefully.

As for the elites from the army, they were forged in real combat. When it came to martial arts, they would treat their opponents as enemies to be beaten.

The Duke of Xin was responsible for selecting the participants, and Yu Jiuzhou had not objected at the time.

In the vast arena, a series of artistic performances took place first. The Shengyuan Emperor, feigning illness, had returned to rest, leaving Yu Jiuzhou to preside over the event.

It wasn’t as if the Khan of Beining and the King of Nanyue had come themselves; there was no need for the emperor to personally attend.

Yu Jiuzhou sat in the seat of honor. To her left were Daloyan and the Prince of Shunchéng, and to her right were Duan Jinxian and Commandery Princess Jiacheng.

As for Chi Wan, she was, of course, seated right beside Yu Jiuzhou.

They sat together as a pair. They were partners, and Chi Wan’s status was no less than anyone else’s. There was no issue with her sitting there.

For today’s security, the outer perimeter was handled by the Jinwu Guard, while the inner grounds were managed by the Imperial Guard. The Embroidered-Robe Guard of the Imperial City Division served as the personal guards for Her Highness the Princess and the Fuma.

One hundred Embroidered-Robe Guards stood near them, straight and tall. The comings and goings of people and the noise in the arena had nothing to do with them. Their eyes were as vigilant as hawks; no one could harm the Grand Princess or the Fuma before them.

The guards of the Imperial City Division had strict standards. Male Qian Yuan were at least 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders, narrow waists, and long legs, and their looks could not be lacking. Female Qian Yuan were at least 1.7 meters tall; though they appeared slender, their eyes held a fierce glint.

To put it this way, a trained guard from the Imperial City Division could take down an ordinary Jinwu Guard or Imperial Guard in three seconds.

Their training was still insufficient. Chi Wan would gradually raise the standard. Only those who could eliminate an enemy in 0.2 seconds would be qualified to stand by her and Yu Jiuzhou’s side.

With the foreign envoys visiting, the Embroidered-Robe Guard had not yet had a chance to launch a major case, but all the evidence was ready. The first case had to establish the Embroidered-Robe Guard’s fearsome reputation and make people fear them.

Chi Wan picked up the wine pot and poured a cup for Yu Jiuzhou. “Your Highness, there are many people here today.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s lips tightened. Last night, in the heat of passion, this person had insisted she agree that they must show off their affection today, so that others would no longer think their relationship was merely ordinary.

She had already figured out what to say to the emperor. The better her relationship with Yu Jiuzhou, the more information she would know. The emperor wouldn’t want to see them have a public falling out.

A secret agent was always more useful than an open pawn.

And in that moment of deep intimacy, no matter how Yu Jiuzhou pressed her hips against her, she couldn’t get what she wanted, so she could only agree to this public display of affection.

It wasn’t that she was against showing affection; she was just too shy to do it.

To act so deeply in love in front of so many people, as Chi Wan had suggested, was something she really found difficult to do.

Chi Wan, on the other hand, was determined to let everyone know today that she belonged to Her Highness the Grand Princess, and Her Highness the Grand Princess belonged to her. No one should think they had a chance just because their relationship seemed poor. Absolutely not. As long as she was here, she was the Fuma.

Chi Wan thought for a moment, an image of Daji coquettishly serving wine to the King appearing in her mind. Should she serve wine to Yu Jiuzhou with such charm? It might be fine in private, but in front of so many people, she’d better not.

So, she shelled some nuts and placed them in front of Yu Jiuzhou, occasionally pouring wine and smiling. She was truly the model of a good Fuma.

But Yu Jiuzhou remained perfectly still. What happened to the promised display of affection?

However, she knew that business came first. The competition would begin soon. The Duke of Xin sat there, perfectly composed. It was hard to tell if he was confident in the people he had chosen or simply didn’t care about the outcome.

She felt that something was amiss and turned to remind her, “Your Highness…”

She had just called out when Yu Jiuzhou picked up a nut and placed it in her mouth.

Uh… could Yu Jiuzhou have thought she was trying to rush her into showing affection? A subtle display was enough for an occasion like this.

Chi Wan silently ate the nut, her gaze shifting to Daloyan, and then to Xi Wu.

Unexpectedly, Xi Wu also looked over. Their eyes met, and Chi Wan could only nod in acknowledgment.

Just then, Yu Jiuzhou gave a light cough, drawing Chi Wan’s attention back.

“Your Highness?”

Yu Jiuzhou glanced at her cup, indicating that it was empty.

But Chi Wan simply took the cup away. Looking at Daloyan, who was raising his own cup, she said directly, “Prince, I will drink with you.”

This Daloyan was clearly lusting after her beauty; he had already offered several toasts in a short time.

She had wanted to say something just now, but Yu Jiuzhou had stopped her.

In any case, she didn’t listen and raised her cup.

Daloyan laughed heartily. “Good! This Prince will drink with the Fuma.”

The two stared intently at each other, drinking cup after cup, neither willing to concede.

Seated below, An Yizhi had been drinking sullenly. When she saw Yu Jiuzhou feed Chi Wan a nut, she began to drink even faster.

But when she saw Chi Wan unhesitatingly stand up to block the drinks for Yu Jiuzhou, downing cup after cup, it was clear she intended to go head-to-head with Daloyan.

How could this pretty boy possibly outdrink Daloyan?

Look at Daloyan’s burly frame. He was often on military campaigns. If not immune to a thousand cups, he could certainly handle a hundred. How could a pretty boy like Chi Wan compare to him?

An Yizhi abruptly stood up. Staggering over to Daloyan’s side with two wine jugs in hand, she slammed them down in front of him. “Come, Daloyan. You and this Marquis are old friends. Let’s the two of us drink.”

They were indeed old friends. When An Yizhi first went to the battlefield, the one she encountered was Daloyan. She had led eight hundred soldiers in a charge into his army’s formation and nearly captured him alive.

That girl had been incredibly fierce when she first went to war. She would charge regardless of the odds. Eight hundred on her side, ten thousand on the enemy’s—the advantage was clearly hers.

Whether it was beginner’s luck or sheer bravery, the result was that An Yizhi led her troops to cut a path straight through Daloyan’s main camp and successfully made it out.

Although she was punished upon her return, she did it again the next time. After the second time, she was severely injured and nearly lost her life. Back in the capital, she received a harsh punishment from Yu Jiuzhou, and only then did she become more steady.

But to Daloyan, An Yizhi was a mortal enemy. He hadn’t beaten her on the battlefield; could he possibly lose to her in drinking?

So, he ignored Chi Wan and started drinking with An Yizhi.

Watching the two of them drink, Chi Wan’s opinion of An Yizhi changed. The woman knew how to separate public and private matters; she would never let Great Zhou lose face because of a personal grudge.

Wait, she was a good drinker too, wasn’t she? Why was everyone so afraid she’d lose face?

Chi Wan snorted softly but still asked with concern, “Your Highness, will An Yizhi be alright drinking like that?”

“She will be fine.” Clearly, Yu Jiuzhou had witnessed An Yizhi’s drinking capacity before.

As long as she was fine. Chi Wan lowered her eyes and smiled.

To their lower right sat the people from Nanyue. Duan Jinxian was shocked by Chi Wan’s tolerance for alcohol. The way she had downed several cups just now without a change in expression was truly frightening.

“Xi Wu, Chi Wan can really drink.”

Xi Wu could tell at a glance. “She’s using her internal energy to sober up.”

“Even so, she can hold her liquor. What a woman.”

Duan Jinxian’s eyes lit up. Xi Wu was speechless. Was her drinking capacity the point? The point was Chi Wan’s internal energy.

Putting aside everything else, with Chi Wan by Yu Jiuzhou’s side, many assassination attempts would be useless. No wonder her martial uncle’s assassination attempt at Xuanyang Temple had failed.

Xi Wu was accompanying Duan Jinxian in the capacity of a female official. Her objective was to investigate her martial uncle’s whereabouts following the Xuanyang Temple assassination and bring him back. As for political matters, the rule of Insect Valley was that its disciples were not to be deployed unless it was a matter of life and death.

Her martial uncle had violated the rules of Insect Valley for the sake of power. Her mission was to bring him back to kneel before their master and admit his wrongs.

Through various investigations, she knew that she would need Chi Wan’s help to find her martial uncle.

Chi Wan had the Imperial City Division. As long as the information she provided was detailed enough, finding a person would certainly be no problem. The question was, what could she offer in exchange for being allowed to take her martial uncle away?

After all, her martial uncle couldn’t be acting alone. He was backed by either high-ranking officials in Great Zhou or Nanyue. If they found him, he would be the breakthrough.

She was wondering what kind of offer could move Chi Wan.

Sensing this gaze, Chi Wan looked up, only to meet Duan Jinxian’s eyes. Duan Jinxian then raised her cup. “Fuma, this princess toasts you.”

Chi Wan was taken aback for a moment, then also raised her cup. “You are too kind, Princess.”

She politely drank the wine, then glanced at Yu Jiuzhou’s expression.

Although there was no change, she could feel a chill.

Clearly, Yu Jiuzhou was not pleased.

Jealousy?

After all, Yu Jiuzhou must have known about Duan Jinxian’s confession to her.

Chi Wan’s hand secretly touched Yu Jiuzhou’s under the table. When Yu Jiuzhou looked over, she whispered, “You see, Your Highness? If you don’t show affection with me, people will think we could separate at any moment.”

Otherwise, why would they all be so brazen?

It was because they truly believed their relationship wouldn’t last and that they would separate before long.

A cup of tea had already replaced the wine in front of Yu Jiuzhou. In response to Chi Wan’s words, she took an impassive sip. “How do you want to show it?”

After Chi Wan’s explanation, she now understood what ‘show’ meant.

Duan Jinxian still had designs on Chi Wan and certainly wouldn’t let the matter drop easily.

Chi Wan had been right about one thing: their usual distant behavior made some people think they had a chance.

Even though they got along well in private, their relationship was still entangled with interests. Many things had been left unsaid, and they hadn’t reached the point of life-and-death devotion and unwavering loyalty.

Truth be told, their relationship was indeed somewhat fragile. If an external force were to deal them a heavy blow at this time, their bond might not remain so strong.

Yu Jiuzhou seemed to be asking Chi Wan, but she had actually already tacitly agreed to the public display of affection.

“Guess.”

Chi Wan deliberately kept her in suspense, earning a light slap on the hand from Yu Jiuzhou.

She tried to grab it, but Yu Jiuzhou had already pulled her hand away.

“Speak.”

Chi Wan shrugged with a click of her tongue. “The best way, of course, would be for Your Highness to kiss your subject in front of everyone.”

Before Yu Jiuzhou could speak, she quickly added, “Your Highness is too thin-skinned and definitely wouldn’t do it. And even if your subject were thick-skinned enough to kiss Your Highness, you probably wouldn’t allow it. So, in a little while, I’ll go check on the competitors. All Your Highness needs to do is act reluctant to let me go.”

Every time she was about to be mischievous, she would refer to herself as ‘your subject,’ and this time was no different.

Yu Jiuzhou snorted softly. “I would never.”

Yet, when Chi Wan was about to leave, Yu Jiuzhou still tugged on her sleeve, subtly expressing her reluctance to see her go.

If the dignified Grand Princess were to show her reluctance too obviously, it would surely arouse suspicion.

Instead, Yu Jiuzhou’s state of feigned reluctance was all the more convincing.

Everyone who saw it was stunned. Prince Bao’an was shocked and exchanged a look with the Duke of Xin. “The Grand Princess relies on Chi Wan that much?”

The Duke of Xin: “Is their affection real?”

Daloyan: The beautiful princess actually likes a pretty boy.

Duan Jinxian asked Xi Wu beside her, “Didn’t they say there was no affection between them?”

Xi Wu did not answer.

An Yizhi, on the other hand, watched this scene with a sour feeling in her heart. The drinking hadn’t made her feel full, but this sight did.

And Chi Wan, like a triumphant general, took Yu Jiuzhou’s hand, gave it a squeeze, and whispered, “Didn’t Your Highness say you were unwilling?”

Yu Jiuzhou: “…”

What everyone else imagined was: “Your Highness, please wait a moment. Your subject will return shortly.”

Tsk, how sour.

Completely satisfied, Chi Wan arrived at the area where the competitors were. The moment they saw her, they all hurried to salute.

“Rise.”

“How are the preparations going?”

It was less a resting place and more of a camp tent. Some were stretching and wiping their bows and arrows, some were calming their horses, and others were also stretching.

Archery, horsemanship, and martial arts—they were all forms of combat.

It wasn’t that they didn’t compete in scholarly arts, but that would just be Great Zhou bullying the others. When it came to culture and arts, who could possibly surpass Great Zhou? It would be an instant victory.

Therefore, they always competed in martial arts, where everyone had a chance to win or lose, which was a happy outcome for all.

Chi Wan glanced over the crowd, feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was, so she left the camp.

Li Bao, who was nearby, came forward. “My lord.”

“Keep a close eye on them. Come find me if you notice anything suspicious.”

“Yes.”

The Imperial City Division had two Vice-Commanders. Huang Yuecheng was in charge of investigations and similar matters, while Li Bao handled the darker affairs.

Li Bao also had the emperor’s backing. He had no weaknesses, and his methods were ruthless and direct. More importantly, he was smart and knew who to follow for long-term security.

Others might not know about the Shengyuan Emperor’s health, but how could he, who had been by the emperor’s side for years, not know?

Ever since he put on this flying-fish robe, Li Bao knew whether he was the emperor’s man or the Fuma’s man.

To be precise, he was the Fuma’s man, and also Her Highness the Grand Princess’s man.

Chi Wan returned to her seat and felt the Duke of Xin’s gaze on her. It was as if he was worried she would discover something.

However, his gaze was very subtle. If she weren’t so perceptive, she would never have noticed it.

Thinking of this, Chi Wan gave Chun Gui a look. “Have Qiu Lai and Xia Qu use croton beans to replace a few of the competitors.”

Qiu Lai had returned last night, following behind the envoy delegation. Chi Wan had only just seen her this morning.

Chi Wan had always known that Qiu Lai’s medical skills were excellent. When the two of them spoke this morning, she found that was indeed the case.

“Yes.” Chun Gui didn’t quite understand, but she wouldn’t ask why.

Yu Jiuzhou took in this scene. Only when Chi Wan sat back down did she ask, “Did you discover something?”

Chi Wan shook her head. “No, but I’m preparing to replace a few people.”

“How?”

“Croton beans.”

Hearing the words ‘croton beans,’ Yu Jiuzhou looked a little unnatural. She was reminded of the time she had someone feed croton beans to Chi Wan’s horse.

Chi Wan smiled. Making last-minute substitutions was a bit inauspicious, but she had investigated the list of competitors and was replacing the ones with weaker skills.

She had a feeling something would happen to the competitors. This was a matter of winning face for Great Zhou, and Yu Jiuzhou also took it very seriously.

Internal power struggles were one thing, but they could not lose face in front of foreign nations.

Just then, Daloyan slammed down his wine jug. “So what? Soon, this Prince will be your Great Zhou’s Fuma.”

“Insolent!” An Yizhi also smashed the wine bottle in her hand. If she had a sword, she would have drawn it on the spot.

After all, the current emperor only had one daughter, Yu Jiuzhou. Daloyan’s words naturally led people to believe he wanted to take Chi Wan’s place.

Chi Wan’s eyes grew cold. She held a silver needle between two fingers. If Daloyan said one more wrong word, she wouldn’t mind ensuring he spent the rest of his visit to Great Zhou in a state of grave illness.

Then, Daloyan arrogantly declared, “What do you people know? Once this Prince becomes the Khan, how could I not be your Great Zhou’s Fuma? In my Beining, when an elder brother dies, the younger brother succeeds him, including inheriting his brother’s wife.”

It was true. Princess Lin’an was the wife of the Khan of Beining. If the Khan died and Daloyan became the new Khan, according to their customs, that was indeed the case.

The Khan of Beining had no heir.

Rumor had it that the Khan of Beining had been injured in battle and could not have children. In any case, Princess Lin’an had given birth to Commandery Princess Fu Qing, proving she was fertile, so it could only be that the Khan was infertile.

Chi Wan and Yu Jiuzhou exchanged a look. Both could feel the other’s anger.

Even if it weren’t a princess, they couldn’t bear to see any woman be insulted like this.

They couldn’t interfere in the affairs of other nations, but Princess Lin’an was a person of Great Zhou, so they could.

So often, princesses were needed for marriage alliances, expected to bring peace to the world and end wars, yet they were given no backing, left to be bullied in other countries.

The Qian Yuan of Great Zhou thought this was how it should be. They believed it absolutely should not be.

If they couldn’t even protect a woman who married for the sake of the nation, then Great Zhou might as well be destroyed.

Chi Wan stood up directly. “That is the custom of your Beining. In my Great Zhou, if a husband dies, a Kun Ze can choose to stay or return to her family. In the case of Princess Lin’an, who is the aunt of this Fuma and Her Highness the Grand Princess, as long as she is unwilling and wishes to return, then my Great Zhou will naturally welcome her back.”

“Fuma!”

“Fuma, you mustn’t!”

“A married daughter is like spilled water. Since Her Highness the Princess has already married into Beining, as the saying goes, one should follow the local customs. This is a Beining custom and has nothing to do with our Great Zhou.”

“Well said. Princess Lin’an is already a person of Beining. How she is treated should be up to Beining.”

“Indeed. Surely the Fuma does not wish to start another war.”

Many people stood up, looking at her in shock, and voiced their opposition.

Not even His Majesty would dare to say such a thing. Everyone tacitly agreed that a princess married out for an alliance became a person of another nation and would never return, even in death. What did the Fuma mean by this?

Chi Wan’s icy gaze swept across the crowd. “The princess is a princess of my Great Zhou. What if, after your deaths, your wives became the wives of your younger brothers or sisters? No, they would be concubines. This Fuma recalls that Daloyan already has a wife. Then your children would go from being legitimate heirs to illegitimate, and they would become the children of your younger siblings. Would you be willing? If you are, then your younger siblings can start coveting their sisters-in-law.”

As soon as these words were spoken, many began to breathe heavily.

“A disgrace to the scholarly class! An utter disgrace!”

“How can the Fuma serve as an official with such vulgar words?”

The ministers below were filled with righteous indignation, all pointing their fingers at Chi Wan as if the Fuma had committed some grave error. They all wanted to nail her to a pillar of shame.

But Chi Wan wouldn’t indulge them. She was an upright official, a pure official, who spoke her mind. “Scholarly? Are you worthy of speaking of what is scholarly? This world has never been defended by one person alone. His Majesty is an enlightened ruler, but he can only control the general direction. The specifics require officials, soldiers, and the common people to work together. Civil officials handle government affairs and ensure sufficient funds and provisions. Military generals risk their lives to defend the nation’s territory. And whenever there is a war, the common people toil without complaint, never grumbling about high taxes.”

“In any dynasty, the strong flourish and the weak perish. If you are weak, it is useless no matter how many Kun Ze you give away. This is recorded in the history books. You are all scholars; surely this Fuma doesn’t need to give you a history lesson?”

“Princess Lin’an has been married for twenty years. Has Beining not once invaded my Great Zhou in that time? Dignity is won through fighting, not through marriage alliances. You have no shame, so this Fuma naturally has nothing more to say to you.”

Chi Wan stood ramrod straight, her eyes coldly staring at those whose faces were pale but who were rendered speechless.

She declared in a loud voice, “A nation’s dignity is defended by the edge of a sword! The soldiers, scholars, and common people of my Great Zhou have never been cowards!”

But as for the civil officials of Great Zhou, that was another matter.

She deliberately didn’t mention the civil officials; those people had long been blinded.

Whether they came from noble houses or humble backgrounds, the students all had a passion in their hearts and were never afraid to sacrifice for their country.

To display the nation’s might, students from the Imperial College were also in attendance. Hearing her words, they all drew the ceremonial swords at their waists. “We students may be weak scholars, but we too can wield a blade to kill!”

“As proud students of Great Zhou, born here and raised here, we ought to kill enemies for our country!”

“Kill the enemy!”

“Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!”

First, the students shouted. Then the Imperial Guard and the Jinwu Guard thought, if a group of scholars dared to say such things, how could they pretend to be deaf and dumb? Of course not. What soldier didn’t dream of killing the enemy and earning merit?

Daloyan suddenly drew the scimitar from his waist. “Silence! Silence! Do you want to go to war with my Beining? Your Great Zhou emperor will not agree to it!”

Chi Wan stepped forward to face the scimitar. “What is Your Excellency doing? This Fuma certainly hopes for friendly relations between our two nations. It is just that we cannot accept your country’s custom and wish to welcome our own princess home. Or is it that Your Excellency is looking for an excuse to go to war with my Great Zhou? Does your country’s Khan know of this matter?”

That was impossible. Beining would absolutely not go to war with Great Zhou right now. Their Khan was on the verge of death. Facing the crisis of a power transition, Beining would never want to face both internal and external threats, risking a potential split.

Daloyan was not smart, but the attendant beside him, A’baoping, was. He tugged on Daloyan’s sleeve and whispered something to him.

Daloyan sheathed his blade, though he still looked embarrassed. “Fine, then! The martial competition is next. As long as you can defeat my Beining warriors, then this Prince will let you welcome your princess back.”

Chi Wan straightened her back. “Good!”

She had just sat back down when An Yizhi walked over to her side. “Chi Wan, what are you doing? Do you really trust the people that old man Dong selected?”

“And another thing, once His Majesty finds out about this, do you think you’ll still be able to sit here so calmly?”

Chi Wan just smiled. “In life, there are things one must do and things one must not do. This is something I must do. Even if a mountain of swords and a sea of fire lie ahead, I will still do it.”

“Stubborn!” An Yizhi said, annoyed.

“Why be angry, Yizhi? The Son of Heaven guards the nation’s gates; the monarch dies with the state. To hang the safety of the world on the shoulders of a Kun Ze woman—the nation will cease to be a nation.”

“But that’s how it’s been done in every dynasty.”

“Does doing it that way make it right?” Chi Wan asked in return.

An Yizhi paused, clenching her fists. “Of course not.”

Hearing this, Chi Wan smiled. “I’m not just trying to bring one princess home. I’m also doing it to protect my princess.”

In order to make Princess Lin’an marry for the alliance, they killed her Fuma, separating the two by life and death. When it truly comes to that, would the Shengyuan Emperor not sacrifice Yu Jiuzhou?

Call her impulsive, call her lawless, she just would not allow a princess of Great Zhou to suffer such an insult. And Yu Jiuzhou was also a princess of Great Zhou.

With an ending like Princess Lin’an’s, who in the future would ever respect a princess of Great Zhou, revere a princess of Great Zhou!

Chi Wan looked at Yu Jiuzhou, her tone firm. “My wife, I will protect, even if it’s just a precaution.”

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