Chapter 45: Debate

Amidst the crowd, Fu Feng, who had been about to make a move, hesitated for a moment before withdrawing his hand from the hilt of his blade.

On the stage, Qiu Zhe opened his mouth but didn’t know where to begin refuting her words. After a long pause, he finally found his voice, exclaiming in alarm, "You… why are you here?!"

"If you can be here, why can’t I?" Qiu Che replied indifferently. Then, in a sudden movement, her wrist twisted slightly.

In an instant, Qiu Zhe’s face turned deathly pale, and a piercing, gut-wrenching scream burst from his lips.

Li Qingwu was startled.

When Qiu Che casually released her grip, everyone saw that both of Qiu Zhe’s wrists had been twisted into an unnatural, grotesque angle.

Qiu Che… had she just broken Qiu Zhe’s wrists?

Li Qingwu looked up in shock, only to meet Qiu Che’s calm gaze. It was as if the person who had just acted so ruthlessly wasn’t her at all.

Qiu Zhe was drenched in cold sweat, his face contorted in pain as he staggered backward, cursing through gritted teeth, "Qiu Che! I belong to the Crown Prince now. If you dare touch me, you’re insulting His Highness!"

Li Hengmao was already glaring at Qiu Che darkly. As if echoing Qiu Zhe’s words, he cast a glance at the latter’s injured wrists and said icily, "Lord Qiu, you are quite impressive. Do you intend to teach me a lesson as well?"

Qiu Zhe immediately found his backbone. Despite his arms convulsing in pain, he stubbornly complained to the Crown Prince, "That’s right, Your Highness! Qiu Che has become utterly lawless, completely disregarding your authority. You must punish her—"

The onlookers exchanged confused glances.

Weren’t these two supposed to be "brothers"?

Why did they look more like sworn enemies instead?

Qiu Che took a step forward nonchalantly, as if only now noticing the Crown Prince standing nearby. She drawled, "Your Highness, I should be the one asking you that."

"I heard someone deliberately caused trouble on the opening day. I thought it must be some fool with no sense, but I never expected it to be you, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince’s expression darkened. His fury was about to erupt, yet he managed to restrain himself, remaining seated. "...What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing much." Qiu Che smiled faintly. "Just a friendly reminder, you misspoke."

"With the newly enacted laws, not only can Her Highness the Princess engage in business, but so can common women… even courtesans." Qiu Che’s tone was light and unhurried. "This law was personally approved by His Majesty. Not only are you unaware of it, but you are also openly opposing it."

"If word of this reaches His Majesty…"

The thought made the Crown Prince’s face turn even darker.

No longer reclining leisurely, he leaned slightly forward, gripping the armrest so tightly that the veins on his hand bulged. If he had the strength, he might have crushed it with his bare hands, just as Qiu Che had crushed Qiu Zhe’s wrists.

A long standoff ensued.

Finally, the Crown Prince retracted his gaze, suppressing his barely concealed anger. He rose and spat out a single word: "Leave."

Qiu Zhe, who had been anxiously awaiting the Crown Prince’s response, was dumbfounded.

He blurted out, "Your Highness, you can’t! He just provoked you, even threatened you! How can you endure this—"

The Crown Prince shot him a cold glare, cutting him off. "Fool. Shut up."

Qiu Zhe flinched, his resentment growing as he glanced between Qiu Che and the Crown Prince. One after another, they only knew how to vent their anger on him.

But even he had to admit, Qiu Che had spoken the undeniable truth.

The Crown Prince couldn’t afford to escalate the situation.

Li Qingwu and Qiu Che had both acted recklessly, one openly defied her royal brother, while the other shattered her own blood brother’s wrists in front of a crowd. Both were utterly brainless lunatics.

Even as he left in disgrace, the Crown Prince feigned composure, holding his head high in judgment of them.

As he passed Qiu Che, he muttered in a low voice, "I’ll remember you. Just wait and see."

Qiu Che smiled and turned slightly to the side, bowing with impeccable courtesy. "Safe travels, Your Highness."

Li Qingwu also lowered her head in a formal bow, avoiding the Crown Prince’s gaze.

The Crown Prince scoffed. So what if they were smug now? They still had to bow to him in the end.

With that thought, his scowl eased just a little.

The young nobles who had followed him were completely dumbfounded. From the moment Qiu Che had descended like a divine warrior from the second floor, they hadn’t dared utter a word. Seeing her openly confront the Crown Prince only made them more fearful.

So this was the famous "Lord Qiu" who had recently gained favor at court. Now, they admired Qiu Zhe’s sheer audacity in challenging her simply because he was her brother.

But… hadn’t he always bragged about how much he valued his "little brother"? Why did he now look as though he hated him to the core?

The young nobles exchanged bewildered glances.

As they followed the Crown Prince out, some hesitated, considering grabbing the girl’s collar and dragging her away. But the moment Qiu Che cast them a cool glance, they immediately let go in fright.

Qiu Zhe, unable to vent his frustration on Qiu Che or the Crown Prince, turned and scolded them under his breath, "Useless trash!"

The young nobles weren’t having it. "Who do you think you are? What does our competence have to do with you? Aren’t you the one who just got both hands broken?"

Someone sneered, "If you don’t get medical attention soon, you might lose them for good. Better worry about yourself."

Qiu Zhe fell silent. Realizing he might be crippled for life, he cursed under his breath and fled in a panic.

Inside the teahouse, as soon as the troublemakers left, the waiters and maids swiftly stepped forward, righting overturned chairs and quietly tidying up the scene.

The establishment was packed, and after all the commotion, it was unthinkable to close on opening day.

Li Qingwu still had matters to discuss with the shopkeeper and staff. She had no time to linger with Qiu Che, so she simply exchanged a grateful glance with her before nudging her shoulder. "Go upstairs and rest for a bit. We’ll talk later."

Qiu Che nodded and turned away, just as she noticed Yao Tai watching her.

She hesitated but, unwilling to say much in public, merely gave a slight nod before passing by.

Yao Tai watched her go, then glanced at Li Qingwu, thinking to herself that these two still had a long road ahead of them.

Back in the private room upstairs, Yang Qiu and Wu Yiqi were speaking in hushed voices. When they saw Qiu Che enter, Wu Yiqi immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "Damn, brother, that was impressive."

Yang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "We saw everything."

Wu Yiqi scratched his head. "With skills like yours, why aren’t you in the military or the secret guard? You’d rise through the ranks in no time."

Qiu Che leisurely took a seat and chuckled. "Aren’t I already rising?"

Wu Yiqi realized his question was rather dumb.

Yang Qiu took his time deliberating. He ate a few bites of food unhurriedly, furrowing his brows, and remained silent for a long while.

Qiu Che glanced at him. "You have something to say?"

Yang Qiu set down his chopsticks and, without pretense, said warmly, "Then I'll speak plainly."

Qiu Che indicated his willingness to listen.

"You were too impulsive," Yang Qiu began bluntly. "The Crown Prince has not yet fallen from power. Getting into a conflict with him, no matter how you look at it, does you no good."

Even Wu Yiqi widened his eyes at that. "Wait, how can you say that at a time like this? If he hadn't acted on impulse, his wife’s reputation would have been ruined—"

Qiu Che, however, was used to Yang Qiu's tone. He calmly took a sip of water, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed some food. "So you think I should just stand by and watch them be humiliated?"

Yang Qiu hesitated for a moment. "That’s not what I mean. I just think there were better ways to handle it. Reporting to the authorities and letting them intervene, or stopping them without direct confrontation—"

Wu Yiqi muttered, "Can the authorities handle royal affairs?"

Yang Qiu replied, "The law states that even the Son of Heaven is not above it. With so many witnesses present, he wouldn’t be able to deny his actions."

Qiu Che smirked, chewing on his now-cold food. "Such a lukewarm approach lacks deterrence."

"But it is the safest option," Yang Qiu countered calmly.

Wu Yiqi rubbed his chin in thought. "Yang Qiu makes a good point. Now that I think about it, Qiu Che, you really were a bit too reckless."

"But I don’t like handling things that way."

Qiu Che remained just as composed. "If something like this happens once and we don’t teach them a lesson, it will happen again."

"I settle my grudges on the spot. The only time I would hold back is if I were setting a bigger trap, by eliminating them entirely." A glint of cold light flashed through Qiu Che’s eyes.

She lowered her gaze, ignoring the expressions of the other two as she slowly ate her meal. "I know you think I act recklessly, but Lord Yang, some things cannot be solved through soft, measured approaches."

Wu Yiqi scratched his head, considering her words. "Hmm... well, I guess you have a point too."

"And do you think your impulsive approach will truly solve the problem?" Yang Qiu frowned. "You acknowledge that once it happens, it will happen again. This time, you were there to step in. But what about next time?"

Qiu Che’s chopsticks paused.

"What if your wife encounters this again and you’re not there in time?" Yang Qiu continued. "You may despise these societal norms, but you must acknowledge that this is the way the world is."

This world demanded women be obedient and virtuous, upheld male dominance, and placed imperial authority above all.

"You can save her once, but you can’t save her forever."

Qiu Che fell silent, recalling how before Li Qingwu officially went into business, Madam Wang had privately expressed similar concerns.

At the time, she had anxiously urged, "You can do whatever you want since you live as a man, but she is different."

"I know you have grand ambitions, and I won’t stop you... but encouraging her to rebel won’t change the world. In the end, you’ll only harm her."

Qiu Che had been silent for a long time back then, just as she was now, before finally responding:

"If that’s the case, then I will change this world."

Shortly after, a new legislative reform was passed.

It explicitly stated that women could engage in business, own their own properties, and decide whether to merge their assets with their husband's after marriage.

However, the new law was buried among a thousand other provisions. Even commoners, let alone the Crown Prince, lacked the patience to read through it all.

As such, the law had yet to stir any waves among the public.

Of course, no single law could change the world overnight.

But Qiu Che’s reforms had only just begun.

Yang Qiu frowned slightly, as if realizing that she had barely listened to anything he had said.

But seeing the unwavering determination in her gaze, he began to wonder, was he simply being too cautious?

His father had always taught him that one should counter rigidity with flexibility, avoid unnecessary conflict, and never offend others when possible.

And his father had certainly practiced what he preached. Despite his high military merit, he had remained safe and unchallenged, even living to see his eldest granddaughter nearly ten years old.

In his studies, Yang Qiu had often defied his father, but in everything else, he had adhered strictly to those teachings.

It was this approach that had allowed him to navigate the capital’s politics with ease and build a strong reputation so quickly.

Qiu Che seemed to read his thoughts and suddenly said, "Do you know why you were only awarded third place in the imperial exam?"

Yang Qiu blinked. "...What?"

Qiu Che chuckled, pointing at Wu Yiqi and then at herself. "Among the three of us, I consider your scholarly abilities to be the highest, with mine second."

Wu Yiqi, who had been silent, immediately protested. "Hey! Why am I being dragged into this?"

The other two ignored him.

Wu Yiqi scratched his nose, finding this exchange oddly familiar.

"I’m sure you know the answer yourself," Qiu Che continued. "So tell me, why weren’t you chosen as the top scholar? Why, after the exams, did His Majesty favor me instead?"

Yang Qiu understood what she was getting at. His expression darkened slightly.

Sure enough, Qiu Che continued, "Setting aside other factors, the biggest reason was your father, the Prince of Zhao. The emperor fears him."

"Your father refused to let you take a court position, likely because he feared this very situation. If you were favored, then his son would be a high-ranking official while he himself remained a decorated general. That would inevitably make the emperor suspicious."

"He would begin to wonder, wouldn’t such power and prestige give rise to ambition?"

"A single misstep could mean death."

Yang Qiu remained silent.

"The emperor also couldn’t award Wu Yiqi the top scholar title because the Prime Minister already dominated court politics. He didn’t trust him either."

"So after careful consideration, he chose me, the one with the most insignificant background to take the title."

Wu Yiqi slumped over the table with a lazy sigh. "So my grandfather cost me my shot at being the top scholar."

Qiu Che shot him a glance. "Of course, it also helped that I scored well."

Wu Yiqi: "..."

Damn.

That was definitely aimed at him.

"As you said, in this world, being cautious and yielding may allow you to survive peacefully."

"But it’s not enough. Some people must stand at the forefront and tear apart the rotten systems in place, carving out new forces within the court," Qiu Che said. "Being well-connected and diplomatic means little in politics. What matters is your lineage, your position, whether the emperor trusts you, and whether you hold enough power to have a voice—"

She concluded, firm but composed, "When facing absolute power, reason alone is meaningless."

"Power is the only argument that matters."

Yang Qiu exhaled and lowered his voice. "And if one day, you are no longer in favor? If you fall from grace?"

Qiu Che smiled. "Then I will know that I gave it my all."

"No matter the outcome, I will have no regrets."

Yang Qiu fell into deep thought.