Fourth year of Zhiming, September.

During a grand court assembly, the Grand Tutor presented the “Twelve Memorials on Institutional Reform” to the court, proposing twelve major and minor new policies including “complete nationalization of all land, liberation of slaves and servants, currency reform, tax reform, military reform, administrative reform, adjustment of administrative divisions, establishment of market supervisory officials, and complete state monopoly of salt, iron, and wine.”

Once this memorial was submitted, the court and the country were shaken.

Opposition memorials almost buried Tie Ci’s desk.

However, the Grand Tutor’s memorial was actually signed by all students of the Great Qian Academy, as well as graduates from the academy who had already entered various levels of government offices, plus the three major academies and some Imperial Academy students. The number actually reached nearly ten thousand people. It was truly a petition of ten thousand citizens, and its influence and deterrent power far exceeded that of an ordinary petition, since the status of scholars was much higher than that of common people.

In local prefectures, counties, and districts, there were also local officials who submitted memorials in support. Some local officials took advantage of opportunities to encourage agriculture and sericulture to travel to villages everywhere to visit and preach. When the common people first heard about these completely new government policies, some were excited, some agreed, some opposed, some were prudently cautious, but most said these were the Grand Tutor’s suggestions. The Grand Tutor was the most intelligent person in the world, who had personally cultivated and taught His Majesty, and also taught the most vigorous group of young ministers currently in court. The Grand Tutor was also the richest person in the world, whose Gui Qizhai provided disaster relief year after year, built roads and bridges, and supported various projects – a typical example of “when one is successful, one benefits the whole world.” The Grand Tutor’s suggestions naturally couldn’t be bad.

It sounded like in the future there would be no more tenant farmers. All land would be reclaimed by the state and then distributed to everyone. After farming and paying autumn taxes, the rest would be one’s own – what a wonderful thing!

In the future, those high officials and nobles would no longer have opportunities to oppress us!

Moreover, in the future, whether farming or doing business, there would still be money to earn – such good fortune was almost unimaginable!

As for tax reform, military and administrative reform, state monopoly of salt, iron, and wine, etc., these were too far from ordinary people’s lives and didn’t cause much reaction.

But for the bureaucratic landlord class, the latter’s impact was simply like an earthquake. Not only was the capital shaken, but officials in prefectures throughout the realm began to feel uneasy.

Regarding the Twelve Memorials on New Policies, the Cabinet and high officials showed great divisions in attitude. Among them, He Zi had always maintained a clear opposition, so he was the first to be attacked. But He Zi, like Yun Buci, held extremely high positions in the court and in the hearts of people throughout the realm. His impeachment immediately caused fierce backlash from a group of civil officials. Both sides quarreled incessantly in Chengqian Hall. The academy faction naturally accused He Zi of being conservative, grasping for power, and flattering superiors, while He Zi’s faction counter-attacked the academy faction for harboring evil intentions and deceiving the emperor. For several consecutive days, government affairs almost completely stagnated, and Chengqian Hall was thrown into storm-like arguments daily.

Tie Ci remained silent throughout, and all attacks from both sides were kept from reaching decisions. The ministers all felt that His Majesty must be very troubled at this moment. Both were benefactor teachers who had shown her kindness. Now that they had reached a point where they couldn’t coexist, it was truly difficult for her to choose between the palm and back of her hand.

Although the court ministers were making a fierce fuss, they didn’t dare to pressure the emperor too much. After the Chongming Incident years ago, it took a full year for the emperor to recover, but she seemed to have lingering effects. In the following years, every so often, she would need to rest for a while without attending court. After government affairs got on track, she never discussed matters in the evenings either.

Therefore, they just kept arguing with each other.

After several days of such quarreling, today in court, the Grand Tutor threw out her trump card.

She formally requested retirement in court, willing to bear all responsibility, only asking His Majesty to treat the Twelve Memorials well. “Only by not fearing the pain of reform can we look forward to a brighter future.”

Tie Ci remained noncommittal in court. After court was dismissed, according to custom, she kept the Grand Tutor for a private meeting.

This day was the Frost’s Descent. The capital had a warm winter last year, but this year the cold came early. When Tie Ci left the front court and passed through the palace corridors, she saw that the osmanthus trees that had been blooming very luxuriantly just recently had mostly withered, with golden petals covering the ground. However, the chrysanthemums in the chrysanthemum garden in front of Chongming Palace were still brilliant despite the frost – deep purple and goose yellow, strikingly beautiful. They were all planted in uniformly custom-made flowerpots, carefully arranged by color to form a huge character for “auspiciousness.”

These flowers were personally tended by Jian Xi. She had a gift for raising flowers. During these four years, every day she had the freshest and most beautiful flowers arranged in vases and placed at Tie Ci’s bedside. Every morning when Tie Ci opened her eyes, she could see different, skillfully arranged bouquets.

Tie Ci had heard her master mention flower arrangement but had never seen it. She just always thought that the flowers Jian Xi arranged must be the most artistic kind.

Sparse and well-proportioned, cleverly matched – pale cosmos would definitely be paired with amethyst vases, lilies would definitely go with trumpet vases, a few sprigs of lilac delphinium in blue and white porcelain vases, tulips paired with equally simple rectangular hanging-ear ceramic vases, while broad-bodied round gold-dotted vases would hold a few fluffy pink hydrangeas.

Hearing her footsteps, Jian Xi turned from the sea of flowers with a bright smile: “Your Majesty, today’s Spring Water Azure Waves are blooming extremely well. Shall I arrange a few for you?”

Although she was Tie Ci’s personal calligraphy and ink female official, she never actively brought up political matters outside the imperial study, but would discuss flowers, food, and idle matters.

Tie Ci nodded. Jian Xi stood up, patted the soil from her hands, bowed, and quickly ran along the corridor.

She maintained steady composure during work, but appeared light and lively during leisure time. At least now, watching her run away like a wisp of smoke, Tie Ci couldn’t help but have a slight clearing of her brow.

Suddenly a roof tile fell at her feet. Tie Ci looked at this glazed tile specially used in the imperial palace, her mouth twitching, and slowly looked up at the roof.

A pair of small boots dangled overhead, but no person was visible.

Tie Ci casually picked up a large broom from under the eaves, lifted her leg to get on the roof, and without a word started swinging: “Get down here! You wandered outside for several years without coming back, and the moment you return, you’re tearing tiles off the roof!”

A sharp scream came from the roof, and Pingzong leaped down from the roof like a ball of fire cloud, covering her bottom and angrily saying: “You hit me the moment I come back!”

Tie Ci stood on the roof leaning on the broom: “That’s exactly who I’m hitting!”

Pingzong rubbed her bottom and sneered: “If I hadn’t let you, how could you have hit me?”

Tie Ci looked her up and down, not denying it: “Your martial arts have indeed improved.”

Pingzong showed a triumphant expression.

“But where is my nephew-in-law? Where are my grand-nephews?”

Pingzong: “…?”

“You wandered around for several years without bringing back a man or giving birth to a child for me to hold?” Tie Ci said incredulously. “Princess Pingzong, Little Tyrant Pingzong, didn’t your peerless martial arts and peerless beauty and your little aunt who rules the world give you the courage to catch a man?”

“They’re all crooked melons and cracked dates out there!” Pingzong waved her hand, then sneered: “You have the nerve to talk about me? What about yourself? You cried and shouted about raising your generation, but as an aunt, you haven’t even given me an uncle yet. Why should I have children for you to hold?”

“Isn’t this because I’m afraid you’ll steal your uncle from me?” Tie Ci came down from the roof, casually returning the broom to the palace servant responsible for cleaning.

The palace servants in Chongming Palace were all transferred from the original Ruixiang Hall, well-trained. Hearing such outrageous conversation, they showed no reaction at all. They took the broom, helped Tie Ci brush off the dust from climbing on the roof, and went smiling to the small kitchen to order additional dishes.

Tie Ci and Pingzong sat down in the garden. Tie Ci asked about Pingzong’s activities in recent years. Pingzong said she had just traveled all over the world, and emphasized that she hadn’t gone to Great Feng – she was a person who kept herself pure, and she would never do such wall-digging things like Xuan Qiong, that green tea.

Pingzong said: “Why suddenly so…”

Tie Ci raised her hand, and at the same time Pingzong stopped talking. Both turned around.

They saw Grand Tutor Yun Buci standing at the courtyard gate.

Yun Buci looked at Pingzong and smiled: “I wondered why everyone looked so happy – turns out Princess Pingzong has returned.”

Tie Ci stood up: “Grand Tutor, you come at the perfect time. Let’s have a welcome banquet together tonight.”

Pingzong looked at both of them: “You’re going to discuss politics again, aren’t you? I get a headache hearing about these things. I’ll go wander around first.” Without waiting for Tie Ci to say anything, she turned and left.

She had a stubborn temperament. Even when she first served Tie Ci, she wasn’t particularly polite. The late emperor had to warm her up for over a year before she became affectionate. Even now, she was only gentle with Tie Ci. Apart from that, she looked down her nose at everyone.

Yun Buci gazed at her retreating figure, smiled, casually pulled over a stool, and sat at the stone table in the garden. There was wine and cups on the table. She casually poured some and beckoned Tie Ci over: “Sit, let’s mother and daughter drink a little wine today.”

She was always casual and unrestrained in her manner, and when drinking wine, she just drank wine without liking to have food to go with it. The palace servants were all used to her habits – no one brought food, and they all withdrew instead.

Several palace servants from Ruixiang Hall had originally been rescued by Yun Buci first, then placed beside Tie Ci later. Some had been sent over when they were young and sick, and were saved by Yun Buci’s medicine. Therefore, she had always been as comfortable here with Tie Ci as in her own home.

Tie Ci sat across from her, taking the wine Yun Buci handed over. She held the cup in her hand and lightly turned it twice.

Across from her, Yun Buci drained her cup without concern.

The autumn golden wind blew gently, moving the golden bells at the pavilion corners and flower sachets, with subtle fragrance floating and continuous soft sounds.

The sky was growing dark, with sunset glow gathering into a rose-colored edge along the margins of red clouds. Palace servants moved to corners, quietly lighting the palace lanterns under the eaves.

The emptied porcelain cup made a crisp sound as it was set on the stone table.

Tie Ci gazed into Yun Buci’s eyes and slowly said: “Master, aren’t you worried that this wine might be poisoned?”

Yun Buci played with her wine cup, looked up and smiled at her: “What, driven to desperation and want to kill your master?”

“Is that surprising?”

“Not surprising.” Yun Buci shook her head. “Honestly, you’ve been patient enough. I originally thought you should have acted last year, or even initially when I presented you with the prototype of the Twelve Memorials at Great Qian Academy, you should have acted then.”

“Ah Ci, everything about you is good, except you’re too much like your name – too compassionate.”

Tie Ci also played with her wine cup and sighed: “Yes, over these years, the academy faction has been grabbing power everywhere, pressing forward step by step. Master, you’ve shifted from controlling Great Qian’s economy to cultivating the court and the realm. In just a few short years, merchants throughout the realm only know Gui Qizhai, scholars throughout the realm only know Great Qian Academy, and officials throughout the realm only know the Grand Tutor.”

“That’s not quite accurate.” Yun Buci said: “I still have self-awareness. Although they indeed take Gui Qizhai, Great Qian Academy, and Grand Tutor Yun as their leaders, this is because they think these all belong to Your Majesty as well, so they follow and promote them without any reservations. And they wholeheartedly believe that Your Majesty and the Grand Tutor have always been united.”

“I never approved of the Twelve Memorials – you knew this from the very beginning. My attitude all this time has been clear to the important ministers in court. Yet Master, you still pushed it forward with all your strength, inciting and bewitching, hinting to those mid-level officials and passionate students that I actually agreed with it. You even tied the fates of the students to your war chariot – if I want to be fair and want talent, I can’t dismiss them all… Grand Tutor, you are constantly forcing me. Why?”

Yun Buci raised an eyebrow, actually poured and drank another cup of wine first, then said: “Forcing you? No, no, no. I feel I’ve been helping you all along.”

“By helping me with these impractical things that currently can’t really be touched – this so-called progress and development?”

“No. I know what you’re thinking. From a certain perspective, regarding the Twelve Memorials, I actually acknowledge your view.”

Tie Ci’s eyes widened slightly.

“I even admire you for it, truly.” Yun Buci said: “My disciple, you possess thoughts and vision that ordinary people cannot match. You have transcended this era and also transcended what I taught you. You are truly a woman with imperial bearing and scope. You are not stubborn and conservative – you just maintain exceptional clarity and calmness, never deceived by immediate glitter or decay.”

Tie Ci slowly tightened her grip on the wine cup, calmed herself, and said incredulously: “You mean… you agree with my view, you’ve always known that the Twelve Memorials are completely unsuitable for the current Great Qian, that hastily implementing them would definitely cause strong backlash and chaos throughout the realm… Knowing this, you’ve still been steadfastly brainwashing students about it and promoting it?”

Yun Buci smiled without speaking.

Tie Ci closed her eyes. After a long moment, she opened them, her voice hoarse: “Master, I don’t understand.”