Gu Xiyun laughed: “After the harvest, the Prince would definitely have my brother bring back half a small bag. Father and Mother were both reluctant to eat it. Only when New Year came would they take it out for the kitchen staff to cook.”

As Wen Yu listened to her talk about these things, what came to her mind was how in the past in Fengyang, every spring plowing and autumn harvest, Father King would bring her and her elder brother to the fields to watch the farmers labor, sometimes even personally going to the fields to transplant rice seedlings or harvest grain.

Father King said that only by seeing it with one’s own eyes could one understand what “every grain comes from hard work” meant, and from that year’s harvest, one could judge whether the common people could bear the grain taxes collected by the court.

If one judged solely based on the reports submitted by local government offices, there was no guarantee that some officials wouldn’t falsely report or conceal the people’s harvest situation for the sake of their own official caps.

In years of poor harvest, if grain was still collected according to the taxes of abundant years, people at the bottom would starve to death.

She twisted out the grain husks from the new rice and said: “In those early years after arriving in Luodu, Father King needed to keep a low profile. The Empress Dowager and the Ao faction watched him closely, so Father King started growing rice in his own rear courtyard. When harvest time came, he would always have my brother and me each cut a handful, teaching us that ‘people regard food as heaven,’ and grain is the foundation of the state and the root of people’s livelihood. No matter when, where, or what position one holds, this must never be forgotten.”

Mentioning the deceased Prince Changlian and his son, Gu Xiyun’s expression inevitably dimmed somewhat. For a moment she didn’t know how to comfort Wen Yu.

Fortunately, Wen Yu didn’t seem to be trapped in emotions from the past. She turned her head toward her and said: “When this rice is harvested, I’ll save a bag for you too.”

Gu Xiyun immediately smiled and agreed.

She stood up, taking over from Zhaobai to support Wen Yu and was about to head inside the hall when she heard what seemed to be sounds of argument outside Zhaohua Palace. Wen Yu naturally heard it too. She called out: “Zhaobai.”

Zhaobai immediately understood and went to check at the palace gates.

But before Zhaobai could walk out the palace gates, Gu Xiyun heard an old minister’s shrill yet tragic cry coming from outside: “Since ancient times, where has there been precedent for women to take civil examinations and become officials? The Queen Consort has sidelined the King and monopolized our Chen Kingdom’s political power—that’s not enough. Now she still wants to extensively select women as officials? The Queen Consort, to consolidate power for her own private desires, commits this act that goes against yin and yang, ruining our Chen Kingdom’s national fortune—even worse than the likes of Bao Si and Daji…”

There seemed to be more scolding afterward, but because his mouth was gagged, only a string of indistinct muffled sounds could be heard.

Gu Xiyun’s expression immediately turned ugly. She turned to head outside the palace gates, but Wen Yu said: “Don’t you want to drink the pre-Qingming Longjing tea from my palace?”

Gu Xiyun saw that Wen Yu was calm and composed, seemingly not taking the troublemaking old minister’s words to heart at all, but she herself was quite angered: “Who is that old thing outside? How dare he speak so disrespectfully to the Princess! Let me go out and teach him a lesson!”

Wen Yu grasped Gu Xiyun’s hand and only said: “When reforming and opening female civil examinations in the court, there will always be some conservative old ministers who make such a fuss.”

In less than a moment, Zhaobai, gripping the sword hanging at her waist, entered to report: “Princess, this servant has ordered people to ‘escort’ Grand Tutor Ge back.”

Wen Yu said: “Grand Tutor Ge has been kneeling outside the palace gates for many days, and the summer heat has been heavy recently. His body probably can’t take it. Have the imperial physicians go to his residence to take his pulse and order him to rest and recuperate at home for a period of time. The government affairs piled up in Grand Tutor Ge’s hands can be temporarily transferred to Zhaoyun Pavilion to handle.”

Zhaobai was first stunned, then understanding Wen Yu’s intention, clasped her fists toward Wen Yu in acknowledgment before withdrawing to relay the message.

Before bringing the female officials selected from within Liang territory to Chen Kingdom, Gu Xiyun already knew that Wen Yu had established in the royal palace a Zhaoyun Pavilion comparable to a miniature Six Ministries.

Those entering the pavilion were mostly daughters of princes and high ministers, but after next year’s spring examinations, talented women from humble families selected through civil examinations would also enter the pavilion.

After thinking briefly, she turned from anger to laughter: “Is the Princess using force against force?”

The power of Zhaoyun Pavilion came from Wen Yu, but the female officials also had aristocratic families as backing.

When the female officials from Liang territory arrived, Wen Yu was openly suppressing the old ministers who opposed opening female civil examinations and selecting women as officials, while also handing power to Zhaoyun Pavilion.

If the Chen Kingdom female officials didn’t accept, they would lose this opportunity to get ahead of the Liang territory female officials.

The ministers who had sent their daughters into the palace originally supported Wen Yu’s reform of selecting female officials, so using these aristocratic families’ hands to suppress the voices of conservative old ministers in the court couldn’t be more advantageous.

Wen Yu picked up the boiling water kettle to brew tea in cups and said: “The way of checks and balances is applicable everywhere.”

Gu Xiyun recalled the old minister’s many scolding words toward Wen Yu earlier, and her expression was still ugly: “But this time the Princess… I’m afraid you’ve taken on quite a bit of infamy. That old thing dared to say the Princess is only doing these things to consolidate power!”

Wen Yu pushed the brewed tea in front of Gu Xiyun and said: “Throughout history, which emperor or powerful minister hasn’t borne infamy?”

As she picked up the tea cup in front of her, her long lashes lowered slightly: “Moreover, their words that I’m consolidating power can’t really be considered wrong.”

She spoke so indifferently, but Gu Xiyun, gripping the tea cup, still pressed her lips together tightly. What came to mind was how in the past when she went to the prince’s residence to visit Wen Yu, Wen Yu would bring her along to sit in on the Crown Prince’s lessons. Unfortunately, Maternal Uncle Yang was also there and, discovering them sitting in, sternly scolded them.

She was afraid and originally wanted to take all the responsibility herself, saying she was the one who liked to play and dragged Wen Yu along. But Wen Yu argued with Maternal Uncle Yang on the spot, demanding to know why women couldn’t listen to these lessons. When Maternal Uncle Yang said that boys studied those things for civil examinations and governing the kingdom, Wen Yu even loudly declared that women could also take civil examinations and govern the kingdom.

The niece and maternal uncle argued irreconcilably until the Princess Consort, hearing the commotion, came and took her and Wen Yu away.

Wen Yu didn’t redden her eyes when arguing with Maternal Uncle Yang in front of others, but hiding under the swing frame in the rear courtyard, poking the flower soil with a small twig, her long lashes finally became moist as she said to her: “It’s not fair.”

“Why can’t we take civil examinations?”

At that time she comforted Wen Yu, saying they would definitely be able to participate in civil examinations in the future, and she would become a great general like her father.

It was originally just to make Wen Yu happy, but after hearing it, Wen Yu truly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and said to her: “That’s right. In the future when Father ascends the throne and becomes Emperor, I’ll have Father issue an order allowing us to take civil examinations, and allow you to join the military and become a great general! If Father can’t do it, we’ll wait until Elder Brother becomes Emperor and promulgates these laws!”

Gu Xiyun, immersed in these memories, said in an extremely low voice as if talking to herself: “It’s not…”

Wen Yu didn’t hear clearly and asked her: “What?”

Gu Xiyun drank that cup of slightly astringent tea in one gulp. After setting down the cup, she said: “I just suddenly felt happy that daughters throughout the realm can all participate in civil examinations now. I’ll also establish merit in the military and become a great general.”

Hearing this, Wen Yu was slightly stunned.

Some words need not be made too explicit.

The two looked at each other, both smiling faintly with myriad flavors contained within.

When they first had this wish, they were both young ladies nurtured in their chambers, not knowing how vast heaven and earth were, nor having personally witnessed much of the people’s suffering.

After their families and kingdoms collapsed, bearing blood feuds from entire clans, walking step by step to today, they finally understood how vast heaven and earth were, how distant the rivers and mountains, and how the livelihood of all the people boiled like a cauldron.

They had once placed their hopes on their fathers and brothers to change some things, but in the blink of an eye, standing amid these vast rivers and mountains, only they themselves remained.

What the future held already required them to grasp that behemoth called a dynasty and walk forward in the course of history.

The two discussed some more about the various tax exemptions and reductions in Chen and Liang territories this year, as well as how Xiling repeatedly sent small groups of troops to harass and probe Chen Kingdom’s western border. Fortunately, Chen Kingdom could now use bartering to first obtain funds from Liang territory, and the corvée taxes on the people had been somewhat reduced.

After experiencing the Jieji spy incident, Wen Yu deeply understood that if Xiling wanted to disintegrate Chen Kingdom from within, they would definitely not only choose the Jieji tribe as spies. It was difficult to root them out one by one, but what brought them together was either interests and matters of life and death, or the pursuit of fairness.

The Jieji tribe became Xiling spies precisely because Chen Kingdom treated them unfairly.

In the past half year, Wen Yu had also revised Chen Kingdom’s laws to allow the various tribes settling in Chen territory to receive the same fair treatment as Chen Kingdom’s common people.

After these laws were promulgated, although voices of opposition briefly arose in the court and among the people, the entire Chen Kingdom within its borders became much more stable all at once. The tribes led by the Jieji tribe no longer viewed Chen people with the same hostility as before.

Those opposing voices condemning Wen Yu also gradually quieted down.

After three rounds of tea, Gu Xiyun finally asked: “Have you thought of what to name the child?”

Wen Yu looked toward the green rice in the courtyard rolling in waves with the wind, gave a soft “mm,” and said: “Called Wen He.”

The Chen King had become the Great Liang Prince Consort, and the entire Chen Kingdom honored her as sovereign. This child would naturally take her surname.

Gu Xiyun said: “That’s a good name. It can be used whether it’s a boy or girl.”

She continued asking: “What about a nickname? Have you chosen one?”

When Wen Yu lightly touched her abdomen, she touched the sachet hanging at her waist. As her eyes lowered, she was silent for a moment before saying: “The nickname can wait until after the child is born to decide.”

Gu Xiyun thought that right now they didn’t even know if it was a boy or girl. Embarrassed, she scratched her head and said: “That’s true.”

She looked at Wen Yu’s obviously curved abdomen and said: “Little seedling, Auntie will come see you again after autumn.”

—

The sky was overcast, as if about to pour down a sudden rain. Even the banners outside the large tent were blown left and right, snapping loudly.

A scout rushed urgently forward and ran head-on into someone. After apologizing, he saw it was Zhang Huai and called out “Military Adviser.”

Zhang Huai nodded in acknowledgment and asked: “What matter has you so flustered?”

That scout presented a letter report and said: “It’s a request for aid from Weizhou. Wei Tong couldn’t hold Yanle Mountain and fled with a group of trusted followers. General Yuan Fang is now leading the troops in his hands to defend Yanle Mountain to the death. The various Wei generals are all requesting that the lord return to Northern Wei to take charge of the overall situation.”

Zhang Huai took the letter report and asked: “What about that former Jin Princess of their Wei clan?”

The scout said: “I heard she’s to be first escorted to Lady Wei’s natal home in Zhuozhou to take refuge.”

Zhang Huai said: “The lord is currently discussing with the generals the matter of taking Wu City. Give the letter to me, and I’ll bring it in together.”

The scout was extremely grateful and handed the letter to Zhang Huai with both hands.

After Zhang Huai collected the letter into his chest, he lifted the tent flap to enter. The military commanders crowded around the long desk, holding their breath in concentration as they listened to Xiao Li above explain the battle tactics for taking Wu City.

“Tian Qing, you lead the East Fourth Battalion to cut off the reinforcements from Fengshui Manor. Liu Bing, you take the West Third Battalion and join Lu Sheng to attack the North City Gate…”

Each time Xiao Li called out a commander’s name, when his gaze swept over, it was as sharp as cold stars, making the generals’ hearts suddenly tighten and their postures straighten even more.

In half a month, he had already consecutively taken several of Pei Song’s cities in one breath.

After Yuan Fang was urgently recalled to Weizhou because of Wei Pingjin’s death, and Fan Yuan’s Liang army, unable to support itself alone, had to first retreat back to the southern border, and the territories east and north of Guanzhong were once again occupied by Pei Song’s forces, he forcibly tore open another breach and pressed his main army directly toward Luodu.

Anyone could see that he had fought these several battles urgently and fiercely, as if he could no longer endure something and didn’t want to delay even a moment longer.

What became of Northern Wei, what became of the Northern border—it was as if none of it concerned him anymore.

In these days, messengers from Northern Wei came every few days, but Xiao Li hadn’t seen a single one.