After being fined another one hundred gold, Yun Chu Huan was utterly devastated.
He simply could not understand. Why was it that the broken trinkets his Fifth Sister gifted were proudly displayed on the imperial desk, while the night pearl he had purchased for five thousand taels of silver only earned him another fine?
Only then, with his dream thoroughly shattered, did Yun Chu Huan finally notice the familiar little clay figurine sitting atop the dragon desk.
He had seen it with his own eyes yesterday. His Fifth Sister had bargained with a street vendor for half the day and bought it for just twenty-five copper coins.
Was it possible that he had misunderstood? That the one hundred gold penalty he received and the ten thousand taels of silver his sister was rewarded had nothing to do with the gifts at all?
Could it truly be that their Imperial Father only cared about which foot he stepped into the study with?
But last time it had clearly been his left foot!
Left was wrong. Right was also wrong. Could there be some hidden mystery behind it all?
No, he had to ask his Fifth Sister.
After all, she had never been punished.
Unable to figure it out alone, Yun Chu Huan turned and headed straight for Fengyang Palace.
"Fifth Sister, I—"
"You're just in time."
Yun Shu was stepping out of Fengyang Palace, leading the attendants granted to her by the Emperor. The moment she saw her younger brother arrive, she caught him by the sleeve and dragged him along without hesitation.
"Father Emperor said the new Grand Preceptor will begin our lessons tomorrow. Since we still have today free, let's go out of the palace once more."
The Sixth Prince, five years younger and still not yet grown into his full height, was spun in place before he could react.
"But I didn't bring any money. Maybe I should—"
"No need. You treated us yesterday, today it's my turn."
The palace was vast and its rules many. The distance between each residence was great, and racing on horseback was not permitted. Yun Shu had quite a few things to take care of today and could not afford to wait for her younger brother to dawdle back and retrieve his silver. With a bold pat on his shoulder, she made a promise that sounded unusually reassuring.
"I guarantee you a full and unforgettable day."
At only eight years old and still new to the ways of the world, the Sixth Prince was coaxed into boarding a very standard, very ordinary carriage.
Yun Chu Huan, who had never tasted the bitterness of poverty, sat in silence.
Yun Shu, who also hadn't realized until now what life without Yun Chu Huan's luxurious carriage meant, winced at every bump. Without the thick layers of silken cushions underfoot, a plain carriage riding over the flagstone roads of the capital could be shockingly uncomfortable.
"Fifth Sister…"
His voice was pitiful, nearly trembling with grievance as the carriage jostled along.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"To buy an estate," Yun Shu replied. She glanced sideways at him, a little guilty, then pulled out the copy of the Capital Weekly she had shown to the Emperor earlier.
"Here, read this first."
"How am I supposed to read anything in a carriage this bumpy?"
Despite his complaints and pouty lips, Yun Chu Huan still couldn't resist flipping open the small booklet.
"Shocking! A Man Leaps from Lianxin Zhai's Second Floor!?"
Having grown up reading nothing but the dry prose of the classics, the Sixth Prince had never experienced the modern shock-and-awe style of headlines. One glance at the title was enough to grip his curiosity.
Even though he quickly recognized that the story was just a colorful recounting of something he had witnessed the day before, Yun Shu's vivid and humorous writing kept him hooked. The scenes played out clearly in his mind, and he read every word with great enjoyment.
"This is amusing! Whoever wrote this little booklet has excellent taste—just like me."
Eyes lit up, he was eager to turn the page. But before he could flip to the second article, Yun Shu snatched the booklet back in a flash. She had just remembered what the next story was titled: Inside the Lavish Carriage of the Sixth Prince!
"The carriage is too bumpy. Staring too long will strain your eyes."
"Excuse me?" Yun Chuhuan stared, betrayed.
He had just started enjoying himself. Was this how one treated their younger brother?
"Then stop the carriage!" he demanded. "Let me finish reading it before we move!"
"You sure about that?"
Yun Shu didn't argue. She simply offered him a choice, her tone light.
"If we stop now, you can finish reading this one issue. But that will be the only one you get.
If you come with me to purchase the estate, then from now on, you'll have fresh content to read every few days. Your choice."
"Wait… what do you mean?"
Yun Chuhuan blinked, finally starting to put the pieces together.
"Fifth Sister, you're buying the estate to…"
"To print these."
Yun Shu briefly repeated the explanation she had given their Imperial Father earlier, outlining her plans for the Capital Weekly.
As she spoke, her lips curled into a coaxing smile.
"Would you like to invest, Huan'er?"
"In… what?" Yun Chuhuan was confused.
"Invest. It means we both put in silver to start the Capital Weekly. Later, when it becomes popular, and people ask whose business it is, you can proudly say it belongs to both of us."
Yun Shu's tone was patient as she explained.
"And of course, the silver it earns will be divided between us according to our shares."
"I see!" Yun Chuhuan's eyes lit up. He understood… mostly.
But it didn't really matter. He didn't care about the silver.
How much profit could such a little booklet really make anyway?
What he truly wanted was to be able to tell others that something this interesting belonged to him too. With that thought, Yun Chu Huan agreed without hesitation.
"How much? I'll cover it."
"For the early stages, since we're only publishing in the capital and targeting noble families, the number of copies won't be very high. So the initial investment shouldn't be too much.
At the very least…" Yun Shu hesitated, then slowly held up one finger.
"Ten thousand taels?"
Yun Chuhuan nodded at once.
"Alright. If we return to the palace too late today, I'll bring the banknotes with me tomorrow when I go to the study hall."
"Excuse me?"
Yun Shu choked a little. The words at least one thousand taels got stuck in her throat.
Her conscience prickled ever so slightly. She tried to hint at him subtly.
"Are you sure? Ten thousand taels isn't exactly a small sum…"
"What's there to doubt?"
He thought she was hesitating, not wanting him to join in anymore.
Yun Chuhuan answered more firmly than ever.
"What is ten thousand taels? Just pocket change."
Yun Shu was speechless.
Well. So much for her conscience.
This unjust world of wealth disparity…
She was merely doing her part to redistribute resources in a more reasonable manner.
So she nodded with solemn grace.
"Very well, then."