Adopt, Don't Buy — The Final Move

"The Ninth Princess?" The man muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed, realization dawning that he'd just been cursing at Zhou Yao.

"Oh heavens, this humble one had no eyes—I've offended the Princess. Please, Your Highness, spare my worthless life!" He dropped to his knees with a thud. Beside him, the oblivious child stared blankly at Zhou Yao, then turned to look at her father kneeling on the ground.

The scrawny girl tried to pull him up, but he yanked her back down, forcing her to kneel beside him.

"Please, spare me, Your Highness! I still have my elderly parents at home to support..." All trace of his earlier bluster was gone; tears spilled from his eyes as he spoke.

The commotion drew a crowd of onlookers. At the mention of the Princess's title, the common folk around them dropped to their knees in terror.

"Everyone, please rise." Ling'er, standing beside Zhou Yao, moved to soothe the others while the guards sheathed their swords at Zhou Yao's signal.

She ordered the guards to help the kneeling man to his feet, then took the child's hand herself, brushing the dust from her clothes.

"Don't be alarmed. My only intention was to let these children receive an education—to read widely and understand what is right." Zhou Yao noticed the red marks on the girl's wrist and had someone bring medicine to apply to them. "You said earlier that a woman who learns to read will never marry—I disagree."

"When a man studies, he can sit for the imperial examinations. Even a low-ranking official earns eight hu of grain a month—at one hundred and twenty-five coins per hu, that's a full string of cash. But at my Princess Mansion, even everyday tips start at gold. If a woman studies and later takes up work, her monthly wage would be a string of cash at minimum. Compared to the bride price you'd collect by marrying her off, which is the better deal?"

"Stop kneeling. I never meant to take your life, so rise." Zhou Yao said calmly. "To everyone here today: if you have a daughter, you may send her to the academy to study. All fees and expenses will be covered by Golden Curtain Terrace."

Zhou Yao glanced at the girl who had been brought out after receiving treatment, then signaled Ling'er to address the crowd. "If there are families with abandoned daughters, or daughters you cannot afford to keep, you may bring them to the academy. Her Highness will pay one thousand five hundred coins to take them in—or, if you prefer, twelve hu of grain instead."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the onlookers scattered. It didn't take a genius to figure out why—most of them had daughters at home.

The man was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply, his back hunched. "Thank you, Ninth Princess. From this day forward, my daughter... will be in Your Highness's care..."

The girl beside him seemed to grasp what was happening. Her blank stare turned misty, and she burst into tears, running toward her father. "Father, don't abandon Xiao Yao!" she wailed between sobs.

"Ling'er, register this. Any future applicants should be recorded in the ledger and brought to me for review." Zhou Yao addressed the man. "Your daughter will remain under your care—the academy only exists to teach her. Where do you live? I'll have someone escort her home every day at the hour of the rooster, and she'll take her meals at the academy."

"If your daughter studies diligently, she can earn generous rewards; if your family is struggling, that will ease the burden somewhat."

Zhou Yao wasn't blind to the fact that these people looked down on women at heart, nor to the reality that her offer would turn the girl into her family's "blood bag." But without it, these girls would never even have the chance to learn to read. If one or two out of a hundred educated women showed ambition and effort, she would gladly pull them out of the mire.

And then their efforts, and hers, would not be in vain.

Plenty of locals had overheard the entire exchange, and word of the Ninth Princess openly recruiting female students spread like wildfire. What had started as a scene turned out to be a blessing in disguise—enrollment at the Women's Academy picked up considerably.

During this time, Ling'er also reported to Zhou Yao that quite a few people had come to sell their daughters.

Zhou Yao waved a hand dismissively. "If they're selling their daughters, make it clear in one go—those girls sever all ties with them. Cash in hand, deed of sale signed."

"As for what happens to those deeds... when the girls are older and can understand right from wrong, when they can take responsibility for their own futures—then we'll give them back."

"Your Highness, forgive me for speaking out of turn. But meddling in others' karma... I worry it may bring trouble upon us..." Ling'er frowned, looking at Zhou Yao with concern.

"It's fine." Zhou Yao's distant gaze settled on the candle flame flickering in the breeze by the hall, clinging stubbornly to life though it might be snuffed out at any moment. "I want to see just how far they can push."

"But the Crown Prince's faction already..." Ling'er tried to continue, but Zhou Yao cut her off.

"Enough. My mind is made up. Besides—we'll need people of our own by our side from now on. Why not take this chance... to teach according to each one's ability?" Those final four words struck Ling'er like a bell. She nodded and took her leave.

Zhou Yao had made the Crown Prince eat a huge loss earlier, so he would surely be plotting revenge in secret. In the old days, that would have meant assassination—but now that she'd made a name for herself before her father, the Crown Prince wouldn't be so foolish as to send killers.

The real concern was her business. Her shops had all been running too smoothly lately; Zhou Yao couldn't shake a nagging unease in her gut.

Today's commotion at the market was far from quiet. Anyone with sharp ears would have heard of it by now.

The next few days passed uneventfully. The Crown Prince made no major moves. Zhou Yao stayed alert for his little schemes, but the only report that came in was this—stray dogs in Chang'an had multiplied significantly of late.

Since Doggy Teahouse opened, it had been a roaring success—not only for the blue-and-white porcelain and fine wares it displayed, but also because of the beagle's adorable looks and prices on par with other teahouses.

Reasonable prices, a chance to admire famous porcelain, and clean, fluffy beagles to keep you company in idle hours. Rubbing a puppy even let you catch that soft, milky scent unique to dogs.

Many patrons had asked about buying a beagle, but they were so scarce in Chang'an that the matter had to be dropped.

Lately, however, the stray dog population in the city had surged, and Doggy Teahouse naturally took in quite a few. But strays were strays—some were skin and bones, others bore the marks of abuse: missing limbs, missing eyes, looking more than a little frightening.

While some of the dogs were exceptionally clever and endearing, a fair number weren't much to look at, and when they were brought out to the front hall, the tea patrons didn't take to them.

Over time, in their small doggy brains, a sad realization slowly took root—they were the unwanted ones.

Passing by now and then, Zhou Yao noticed them huddling quietly in the corners, clearly wanting to approach people but too afraid to try.

To solve this, Zhou Yao introduced an "Adopt, Don't Buy" initiative at Doggy Teahouse, urging kind-hearted dog lovers to take in strays or adopt the animals at the teahouse.

Every adopter would be fully registered, and the teahouse would conduct regular home visits to check on the dogs' health and condition. If the animal was thriving, the teahouse would reward the owner with discounts or special offers on new products as a token of appreciation.

Conversely, owners who neglected their animals would be placed on a blacklist banning them from adopting again, stripped of all previous privileges, and have the adopted animal taken back.

As soon as the policy was announced, the first to be adopted were the gentlest, best-behaved dogs at the teahouse. Some people, moved by the crippled strays' hard luck stories, chose to take them in as well.

Watching those former strays, after all their tribulations, finally find a home of their own—it stirred something in the heart. She genuinely wished them happiness and safety for all their days.

The girls working at Doggy Teahouse took it upon themselves to name the dogs that hadn't been adopted yet, and compiled each dog's story since arriving at the teahouse into a ledger, posting it on the bulletin board by the door so prospective owners could find a dog that matched them.

Doggy Teahouse was located in the wealthy quarter, so there was no worry about adopters giving up their dogs due to financial strain. In her spare time, Zhou Yao could also pick up firsthand news about the court.

These latest intelligence tidbits were shared cautiously, but Zhou Yao was listening closely—how could anything escape her?

She and Qi Yanhan divided their efforts, and within a single year they had recruited no small number of aristocratic sons to her cause. It wasn't until the third autumn after Zhou Yao's return to Chang'an that Consort Xi fell ill and died.

With the force in the palace that had been obstructing Zhou Yao finally dissolved, voices opposing the Crown Prince's succession gradually rose in the court. Leading the charge were the Grand Chancellor—Qi Yanhan—and Zhao Wenhua, one of the Nine Ministers serving as Commandant of the Guards.

The year after the Zhao family was demoted, Zhou Yao had petitioned her father to recall Zhao Wenhua to Chang'an, where he started over from the bottom. Through Qi Yanhan's steady promotion, he eventually rose to the post of Commandant of the Guards.

Qi Yanhan had laid his groundwork in the court for years. The Crown Prince's two pillars of support had been rooted out by the King himself three years prior and had never managed to make waves since. Even so, the Crown Prince still had Grand Tutor Yun backing him. If Zhou Yao hadn't happened to stumble upon Grand Commandant Gu and Qi Yanhan discussing matters together one day, she might never have realized that Gu Minli and Qi Yanhan were in league.

Gu Minli was an extremely low-key figure, never revealing which faction he sided with, always staying perfectly neutral. His wife, née Yu, was the one who, at Qi Yanhan's request, had patronized Golden Curtain Terrace back in its early days.

What really surprised Zhou Yao was that even General Sun—Sun Yuan, whom she'd met during the shop's grand opening—had risen to his position through Qi Yanhan's own hand.

The help she'd received at the city gates that day hadn't been as pure as she'd assumed. It wasn't the chance encounter she'd thought it was.

But the more Zhou Yao thought about it, the more she felt everything had gone too smoothly.

Zhou Yu had clawed his way onto the throne of the Crown Prince—how could he just hand it over without a fight?

Whether it was their path to eliminating Zhou Yu being too easy, or her suspicious father the King showing absolutely no awareness of these matters—each point alone was enough to make one's skin crawl.

Salt mines, money, land deeds, troops, loyalty—all of it came too easily, and that bred unease. A scheming, grudge-holding man like Zhou Yu—how could he not retaliate?

He was simply biding his time.

But what exactly was Zhou Yu waiting for? Zhou Yao couldn't fathom it.

Was he waiting for their father to make a move against her? Or for the perfect moment to uproot their entire faction—"roots and all," as they say?

Or did Zhou Yu think that Zhou Yao, being merely a woman, couldn't possibly threaten his position as Crown Prince?

Brother...

This final game of chess—it's time your little sister played a hand against you.