Evolution - Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Once the Mid-Autumn Festival was over, it was time for the newly appointed Commander of Jingbei, the Princess-Commander of Zhenbei, Ji Changqing, to lead her troops back to Jingbei.
The dandies who had followed the trend and run their mouths to humiliate Yu Zhiyao were all weeping with joy. It hadn’t been easy. After being beaten down repeatedly for nearly five months, they were finally free!
Prime Minister Yu, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We will never cause trouble for your daughter again, ever, ever!
Other families, however, hated Prime Minister Yu to the core.
After all, someone from their family had been packed off to Jingbei! What was the difference between that and exile? Naturally, a miserable, gloomy cloud hung over them as they wept their hearts out.
The young emperor furrowed his little brow, displeased by the sounds of wailing. “Big Sister is a princess-commander, yet she still guards Jingbei. Why are these people crying like this?”
He didn’t want his Big Sister to return to Jingbei either, but the Empress Mother had said she had to guard Jingbei for him. If his Big Sister could endure such hardship, what right did these people have to cry?
The Grand Tutor said with a straight face, “The Princess-Commander is returning to Jingbei to reunite with her family, while these people are parting from theirs. Naturally, the two cannot be compared.”
The corners of the mouths of several other high officials nearby twitched. Seeing the young emperor nod thoughtfully, they realized he had actually believed it!
Everyone turned to look at Prime Minister Yu. The Grand Tutor was spouting such nonsense to the young emperor; they were afraid he would fool the boy into becoming an idiot. Prime Minister Yu, aren’t you going to do something?
Prime Minister Yu, well, Prime Minister Yu?
What was Prime Minister Yu doing? He was staring intently at the Princess-Commander without blinking!
The old officials couldn’t help but chuckle, following his gaze. The two people who had recently dominated the capital’s gossip headlines were standing beside a horse, bidding a reluctant farewell.
It was not yet the auspicious time for the formal departure before the emperor, so it was the moment for friends and family to shed tears and offer earnest advice. Yu Zhiyao had left her residence early. Prime Minister Yu pretended not to see, thinking that once today was over, all would be peaceful in the world. He would tolerate them for one more day.
But when he saw the scene in person, his old fatherly heart turned completely sour!
Look at that, even straightening her clothes, adjusting her coronet, and fastening her waist ornaments!
Stop that!
As he watched, Prime Minister Yu felt something was off. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like his own daughter was taking liberties with the Princess-Commander, who was just standing there like a wooden post, letting his daughter take advantage.
The old fox’s eyes were still sharp.
Using the horse as cover, Yu Zhiyao secretly pinched Ji Changqing, her voice full of deep affection. “After we part today, we will be a thousand miles apart. You…”
You’d better make this look convincing!
Ji Changqing didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
In truth, she didn’t need to act at all. Just recalling the weary and disappointed look on Yu Zhiyao’s face when she had said those words back then was enough to make her heart ache unbearably.
“There are a million reasons to be together, but only one reason to break up: we just don’t want to continue. Must you exhaust us both, mentally and physically, with your so-called attempts to win me back?”
She slowly raised her arms, pulled Yu Zhiyao into a tight embrace, and whispered a farewell in her ear: “Take care.”
No “see you again.”
Just like their farewell all those years ago.
Only this time, there were no tears.
Yu Zhiyao’s long eyelashes trembled slightly.
The sound of drums echoed from a distance. The auspicious time was approaching. Ji Changqing released her and walked away without a backward glance.
Yu Zhiyao stood rooted to the spot, watching her recede into the distance until she disappeared into the crowd.
The guards Ji Changqing had left for her promptly stepped forward, escorting her out of the throng.
After making offerings to heaven and earth and bidding farewell to the emperor, the drums thundered and the banners snapped in the wind. Ji Changqing vaulted onto her horse and led her army away.
From a pavilion, Yu Zhiyao watched as the long procession snaked away into the distance, leaving only a cloud of rolling dust.
Swept along in the procession, The First stared intently at Lin Huang, who shared her carriage. Her left eye screamed, “I want to hear the gossip,” and her right eye urged, “Hurry up and tell me.”
The two of them were returning to Jingbei with Ji Changqing.
After all, the capital had too many constraints. If something went wrong, Ji Changqing might not be able to intervene in time to protect the three of them, who were just low-status weaklings.
Zhong Lan, being the State Preceptor’s obscure little disciple, was left behind in the capital by Yu Zhiyao to help.
The four of them had team communications. To quickly and accurately obtain information from both sides and avoid miscoordination due to information gaps, one of them had to stay in the capital while the other two went with Ji Changqing.
As a high-IQ research girl, she hadn’t understood the riddles the other three were speaking at first, finding their conversations strange. But when the capital became filled with scandalous gossip about the “Twin Beauties of Great Zhou,” she had an epiphany!
Isn’t it just a case of exes unexpectedly reuniting to grind quests together? These people were being so secretive about it! They talked as if the other person was some kind of terrifying monster. She blushed at how cowardly they were.
The four of them had originally planned to spend the next two years or so opening up the trade route to the northwest, pulling in the imperial relatives to make money together, and forming an offensive and defensive alliance of mutual interest. Ji Changqing would use the authority she currently held to support the imperial relatives and find one or two powerful allies to back her in the imperial court.
Only then could they ensure that Ji Changqing, as the Princess-Commander of the royal residence, could smoothly return to Jingbei after her mourning period and maintain control of the Jingbei army.
Relying solely on the tacit understanding and goodwill between her, the Empress Dowager, and the young emperor was hardly enough to make it happen. Even with a thousand reasons, the old foxes in the court could find even more excuses to refuse simply because she was a woman.
Plenty of people had their eyes on the Jingbei army under her command.
But with Yu Zhiyao’s arrival and a series of dazzling and incomprehensible maneuvers, the progress bar shot up with a whoosh.
In just two months, they had accomplished what they had planned to take at least two years to do.
The First finally understood what it meant to be in awe of a master.
All hail the master, she thought.
She desperately wanted to stay by the side of that incredible, god-like big sister and make things happen, but her status was unsuitable, so she could only bid a tearful farewell.
Lucky Zhong Lan, The First thought to herself.
Little did she know, Zhong Lan was suffering inwardly at that very moment.
As a qualified “salted fish,” she had no desire whatsoever to stay by the great demon lord’s side and act as a switchboard operator, dammit!
Who wants to be on-site for a bloodbath? Right?
Anyone who cherished their life, no matter how much they loved gossip, understood this principle.
Watching a livestream was fine. Being there in person was not.
But she couldn’t refuse. She felt weak, helpless, and pitiful.
After being stunned by Yu Zhiyao’s subtle and far-reaching schemes, The First had started to look down on Ji Changqing’s walkthrough strategy a little.
The first stage was leading them through the forest, fighting and killing.
The second stage was everyone frantically doing research and infrastructure development, like cultivation-world R&D experts.
Now, it was time for everyone to farm. They would improve agricultural tools and weapons, and develop large-scale machinery like waterwheels, water-powered looms, and curved-shaft plows, using technology to increase productivity.
All of these were simple and crude methods of first accumulating strength, then using that strength to crush their opponents.
Before, she thought this kind of strategy was fine. At least they were doing things they were good at, right?
But she had been shaken by Yu Zhiyao’s methods. Look at that intelligence, that vision, that planning, those tactics…
But it was just a thought.
It wasn’t like they could learn her methods anyway. It was better to just honestly farm.
The First diligently brought out her “artisan spirit.” While learning, she also tried to communicate with and improve upon the work of the craftsmen. Gradually, some decent products began to emerge.
This left The First utterly exhausted. Without the supernatural powers of the cultivation world or the various instruments of modern technological society, she could only rely on the principles of mechanics in her head to feel her way forward.
She deeply felt the hardship of starting from scratch, of building something from nothing.
And this was with her not having to worry about funding, manpower, or materials.
Gradually, the air of aloofness and superiority that screamed, “With all due respect, everyone here is trash,” began to fade from The First. She became much more composed.
Time flowed on, and the seasons changed. In the second year after Ji Changqing’s return to Jingbei, the barbarians made a comeback. This time, they were slaughtered even more brutally than before, and their commander was captured alive.
After being beaten into submission, the barbarians were finally willing to sit down and negotiate for peace.
They thought this negotiation would be like the previous ones: they would act submissive, Great Zhou would bestow some gifts upon them, and the matter would be over. Everyone would go back, rest and recuperate, and once their strength was restored, they would come back to plunder again.
But this Princess-Commander of Zhenbei had none of the magnanimity of a royal from a superior nation. She actually demanded they pay reparations?
So they were beaten down again, and the reparations doubled.
This time, the barbarians were a little scared. The Princess-Commander’s fist was bigger, so they were willing to reason with her.
They just felt that this barbarian princess-commander was not easy to fool. With her watching, those civil officials from Great Zhou, who were used to putting on airs and being generous with the court’s money, had no say in the matter. So, they honestly agreed to pay. While agreeing, they cried poverty and haggled, managing to cut the doubled amount in half.
They didn’t dare resist the barbarian princess-commander’s demands, giving many horses, cattle, and sheep, as well as some fine furs, gold, and silver.
Ji Changqing took the opportunity to propose the establishment of border markets.
The criticism against her in the imperial court instantly reached its peak.
First, she had demanded reparations from the barbarians. These officials, who prided themselves on their fine bearing and good upbringing, felt it was undignified and failed to reflect the magnanimity of their great nation. It was particularly rude and cheapened their status. Now that she wanted to open border markets, memorials denouncing her actions as tantamount to selling out the country and aiding the enemy flooded in like snowflakes.
The imperial relatives, of course, supported Ji Changqing. Their thinking was clear: if border markets were opened, they could make money with Ji Changqing. Besides, if the barbarians attacked, wouldn’t Ji Changqing be the one to fight them off? If she wasn’t afraid, why should they be?
The Grand Tutor’s faction clamored to have Ji Changqing recalled to the capital to be held accountable.
Just then, a large number of low- and mid-level local officials began sending requests to the capital. They reported that while promoting agriculture in their regions, they had found a shortage of draft animals like cattle. If the number of cattle and horses from the barbarian reparations was large, could some be allocated to them?
Among these officials were the sons and nephews of the very same old ministers who had been denouncing Ji Changqing.
It was like a resounding slap across the faces of the Grand Tutor’s faction, leaving them stunned. What was wrong with these unfilial sons?
While these ministers were busy writing letters to scold and educate their sons and nephews, the students of the Imperial Academy submitted a joint petition. Its main point was that the Princess-Commander of Zhenbei was not wrong. It listed the barbarian incursions over the past decades, all of which were primarily for plundering grain, gold, and silver. Each major invasion occurred when the barbarians suffered disasters and could not sustain themselves. The barbarians were nomadic, while Great Zhou was agricultural. If the two sides established border markets, they could exchange goods that were scarce for one but plentiful for the other. This could also help stabilize the border and reduce warfare.
The imperial court erupted into a chaotic debate. In the midst of the arguments, Prime Minister Yu submitted a memorial, stating that the low- and mid-level officials understood the people’s plight, and the Imperial Academy students’ words were reasonable. Since it would benefit the common people and bring stability to the border while reducing conflict, why not give it a try?
Although the arm can’t win against the thigh—even with petitions from a large number of officials and students, it would be useless if the top officials didn’t adopt the proposal.
But that old fox, Prime Minister Yu, had entered the fray!
Instantly, the situation evolved into one group of high officials with a legion of supporters confronting another group of isolated high officials.
Before submitting his memorial, Prime Minister Yu had summoned Yu Zhiyao for a long talk. In the end, he tentatively probed, “It’s been almost two years since the previous matter. Is there anyone who has caught your eye?”
Yu Zhiyao’s hand, which was pouring tea, paused. “If I were to marry, and my husband’s political views differed from our family’s, whom should I support?”
Prime Minister Yu was taken aback. That was right. Ever since his daughter had shown political sensitivity and talent from her early teens, he had gradually grown accustomed to using her as a trusted advisor.
Following Yu Zhiyao’s line of thought, even if they were like-minded now, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t part ways in the future. He was old, and among the Yu family’s current generation, Yu Zhiyao was the most outstanding. If she were to wash her hands of the Yu family, its decline would be almost certain.
“Isn’t the current situation very good? I have a ready-made excuse, and I can’t be bothered to deal with those people.”
It was good, yes, but he also wanted this daughter of his to have a happy family and enjoy domestic bliss…
Prime Minister Yu sighed heavily. Forget it, forget it. Since his daughter had no intention, he… he would just have to accept it. Besides, for the sake of the family’s prosperity and honor, in his heart, he still wanted to keep her at home.
When a person becomes formidable enough, their gender becomes less important. So what if she couldn’t hold an official post? He could entrust the family’s affairs to her, as long as she could manage them.
“I know you understand what’s important, but remember not to develop real feelings for the Princess-Commander,” Prime Minister Yu said with a hint of warning.
“I know what I’m doing.” A smile gradually appeared on Yu Zhiyao’s face, but her eyes were calm and placid.
She knew this would be the result.
As a father’s love for his daughter, perhaps there was a bit of sincerity in it, but his reliance on her grew mostly after she had demonstrated her value. In the face of family interests, that little bit of affection was so faint it could be ignored.
All this vacillation was just his way of trying to soothe his own conscience.
The author has something to say: Seeing you all in the comments guessing the plot’s direction makes this author very nervous.
Tell me, did you install surveillance on my computer?
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