"I did research on that kind of paper before, Father Emperor, which is why there were only scraps and leftover edges left!"
Yun Shu leaned her arms on the frame of the imperial carriage window, head lifted with a face full of false sincerity.
"And it was because I couldn't bear to waste those expensive scraps that I tried every means to put them to use!"
"So We ought to praise you for your thriftiness now?" Emperor Xuanwu returned the cards to the wooden box. Whether he believed her or not, he did not press the issue further. Instead, his tone was indifferent as he asked,
"You said before that you had some ideas for producing cheaper paper. Have you made any progress?"
"Not yet."
Remembering her previous excuse, Yun Shu scratched her nose.
"The road is simply too bumpy. Even though Sixth Brother's carriage is decently built, it's still far from smooth. I can barely sit without being jolted, let alone concentrate on anything. I could only play some cards to relax my mind..."
She glanced at Emperor Xuanwu's face, then added carefully, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may try it yourself. The cards are genuinely quite suited for leisure."
"While We enjoy leisure, should We have you handle the memorials instead?"
Emperor Xuanwu snorted coldly.
Following his gaze, Yun Shu saw the towering stack of memorials inside the carriage and took a sharp breath.
"Father Emperor is burdened with the affairs of the state. Your daughter dares not delay you further. I shall take my leave!"
Too terrifying.
No wonder people said the Emperor was the hardest working soul in the empire. Even on a hunting trip, he brought that many memorials.
Noble Consort Liu, someone who adored novels, had complained of the bumpy ride and given up reading altogether.
Yun Shu turned to flee, but Emperor Xuanwu gave her no chance.
"Stop."
"...Yes, Father Emperor."
Yun Shu turned back reluctantly, forcing a fawning smile.
"Is there something more Your Majesty requires?"
Emperor Xuanwu glanced at her but did not speak immediately. In truth, his attention was on the light screen that had appeared before him:
[Simulation Life Selection System at your service.]
[Please choose your next action:
A. Send Yun Shu back to Noble Consort Liu's carriage;
B. Keep Yun Shu and have her help sort memorials.]
Though he had guessed that the appearance of such options meant he was meant to choose the second, Emperor Xuanwu still tested the first.
[You chose A. One year later, officials cite divine omens and collectively petition for the Crown Prince's removal.]
What?
Was it that troublemaking First Prince again?
Frowning, Emperor Xuanwu quickly selected the second option.
[You chose B. Within the next century, nearly a million fewer children are born disabled in the Tian Sheng Empire.]
Children born with congenital defects, usually considered cursed or punished by Heaven, rarely survived. In most cases, they were abandoned or perished early.
Even the imperial household had experienced this, though such births were always quietly dealt with. Until now, all had believed such births resulted from parental misconduct and divine wrath.
But now... a million lives?
Emperor Xuanwu stared at Yun Shu with new intensity.
"Weren't you just saying We should rest properly?"
"I only meant that you should relax when you have spare time..."
Unsure of his intention, Yun Shu treaded carefully.
"But if state affairs..."
"There is indeed much to handle, but not every matter requires Our personal attention."
He interrupted her smoothly.
"You may help Us sort these memorials by urgency and importance."
"What?"
Has her cheap Imperial Father lost his mind?
Letting someone like her, a repeat student of the imperial academy, sort imperial memorials?
"Father Emperor, I don't know how!"
Yun Shu quickly raised her hands.
"You know well I only recently memorized 'The Doctrine of the Mean' and 'The Great Learning.' Even Sixth Brother surpasses me in knowledge. How could I possibly tell which memorials matter most? What if I delay something important? I cannot bear that responsibility."
"Then just read them aloud to Us."
Emperor Xuanwu was not unreasonable.
"This bumpy road has strained Our eyes. You read."
Yun Shu: ...only his eyes count, apparently.
She glanced around, trying to find someone else to throw under the cart, but before she could even spot a scapegoat, Emperor Xuanwu said lazily,
"What is it? Eager to go back and win more silver from your Sixth Brother and Noble Consort Liu?"
Yun Shu: ...
So that's what this was about.
Avenging his wife and child, was he?
He had given long-winded instructions to trap his son earlier, but now she earned less than a thousand taels and he was upset?
Fuming inside, Yun Shu kept her face obedient.
"I only feel unfit, for such duties are not trivial."
"Enough nonsense."
He tilted his chin, signaling her to board.
"If Li Dehai can do it, you, the Fifth Princess, Our daughter, can certainly do it too."
"That's different..."
Muttering her protest, Yun Shu still clambered aboard.
Unlike Yun Chu Huan's carriage, gaudy and stuffed with night pearls and gemstones, the Dragon Carriage was low-profile in design but made entirely of materials only a sovereign could command. It was far more comfortable.
If she weren't here to work, she would have been delighted.
What a pity.
Opening the first memorial slowly, Yun Shu summoned what little willpower she had. She began to read each ornate sentence, though the old-fashioned phrasing made her stumble, especially on rare characters, which earned her more than one sharp glance from Emperor Xuanwu.
And in the end, it turned out to be... just a memorial asking after the Emperor's health.