Faced with good food, Yun Chuhuan's already limited mental faculties seemed to grind to a halt.
He blinked in confusion for a moment, failed to make sense of anything, and eventually decided it was better to stop thinking altogether.
Although the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince had been swiftly suppressed by Emperor Xuanwu and never escalated into a public scandal, those at the heart of court affairs—men who were always listening, always watching—still caught wind of what had transpired.
Perhaps for this very reason, the mood at the autumn hunt over the following days noticeably cooled. The participants no longer displayed the same fervor as before.
The First Prince had withdrawn early, and with his strongest rival out of the picture, the Crown Prince found himself under far less pressure. He performed well and brought back a respectable number of game.
But even so, his results paled in comparison to the chaos wrought by Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan, who spent most of their time digging traps across the entire hunting ground.
Yun Shu, having been uncertain on the first day as to where the First Prince's men might attempt their ambush on the Crown Prince, had preemptively ordered the construction of numerous traps.
Though the threat was later resolved, she had originally cited hunting as her reason for digging traps. It would have been odd to halt the activity too abruptly afterward.
So the digging continued. Over the course of several days, nearly everyone at the hunt came across wooden signs that read, Trap Ahead.
And where there were many traps, there were many animals caught.
In the final tally, even when the captured game was split equally between Yun Shu and Yun Chuhuan, their combined total still surpassed the Crown Prince's.
"I must admit, this year's first-place winner caught even Us by surprise!"
The matter of the First Prince had already passed, and Emperor Xuanwu's mood had long since returned to normal. Now, upon hearing the final results of the autumn hunt, he could not help but let out a chuckle.
"Since the idea to dig traps came from Xiao Wu, then the glory of first place should also belong to her. Xiao Wu," he called out, looking toward Yun Shu, "have you decided what you wish Us to promise?"
"Replying to Father Emperor, your daughter has indeed decided."
A pleasant surprise was still a surprise. And an opportunity like this one was far too rare to waste.
In front of the entire court, Yun Shu spoke up with clear, ringing confidence.
"Your daughter hopes that in the future, her marriage may be left entirely to her own choosing."
"…Hm?"
He had offered her a reward of her own choosing, and this was the only condition she asked for?
Did this child still think he would one day force her into marrying someone against her will?
Emperor Xuanwu gave a soft snort of amusement. Considering the many contributions his daughter had made, he decided to indulge her once more.
"Has Our princess truly wasted such a reward on something so minor? The right to choose one's own consort should belong to you regardless. That is no condition at all."
"But Father Emperor," Yun Shu raised her head and met his gaze, her expression unwavering, "what your daughter seeks is not just the right to choose her own husband."
She took a steady breath and said clearly:
"What your daughter means is that no matter her age, if she wishes to marry, she will do so. If she does not, then she will remain unmarried.
If she chooses to marry, the man must be someone of her own choosing.
And should she marry, but later find the marriage unsatisfactory, your daughter must have the right to demand a separation—or even issue a dismissal of the husband."
"Absurd!"
Before Emperor Xuanwu could reply, a censor from the Court of Judicial Review spoke up in outrage.
"A woman issuing a dismissal of her husband? Preposterous!"
"If a man can dismiss his wife, why can a woman not dismiss her husband?" Yun Shu snapped back without hesitation. "In this princess's view, someone like Cao Wenbin is lucky to be dismissed—he ought to be punished."
"Unreasonable and unruly!"
The elderly Censor-in-Chief, Wang Zhongcheng, was so incensed that even his beard stood on end.
"The Fifth Princess was born of the royal family. She should be a model for all women under heaven. If all women behaved with such audacity, would not the realm fall into chaos?"
"Unreasonable and unruly? Sounds like you're describing yourself."
Yun Shu gave the old man a bemused once-over.
"You say this princess is acting recklessly? Very well, let me ask you—if your own wife disliked how you never wash your feet, and then grew fond of someone younger, more handsome, cleaner, and more reasonable than you… what would you do?"
"I never—!"
Wang Zhongcheng nearly fell backward in fury. He wasn't sure whether he should first deny the foot-washing accusation, or protest the string of jabs that followed.
Clutching his chest, he glared at Yun Shu in stunned silence for several seconds before finally realizing the real trap behind her words.
"A wife who does not uphold proper conduct should, of course, be dismissed and cast out!"
Yun Shu pressed forward without giving him a chance to breathe.
"Then if a husband fails to uphold proper conduct, why should he not also be dismissed and cast out?"
"Women are not the same as men!" Wang Zhongcheng blurted out, a belief so ingrained it spilled from his mouth before he could stop himself.
As soon as the words left him, his face paled.
Predictably, Yun Shu seized the moment with an icy shout.
"Insolence! Are you saying this princess holds less dignity than you?
By your logic, even Empress Tian Shuo does not deserve your respect?"
Empress Tian Shuo was the legendary empress regnant who had reigned more than a century ago. Her existence alone made it impossible for men like Wang Zhongcheng to openly advocate for outdated doctrines about women's virtue.
Yun Shu's accusation struck deep. The hat she placed on his head was one he could not hope to shrug off.
Realizing his blunder, Wang Zhongcheng dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Your Majesty! This old official meant no such thing!"
"Oh?" Emperor Xuanwu cast him a sidelong glance. "Then what did Wang Daren mean to say?"
"I… misspoke, Your Majesty…"
Wang Zhongcheng's forehead was slick with sweat, and after much internal struggling, he managed to stammer out a weak defense.
"I only meant that, according to the laws of our dynasty, it is acceptable for men to take multiple concubines, while women may only marry once. That is the difference."
Emperor Xuanwu leaned back, his expression unreadable.
"Does the law explicitly forbid a wife from dismissing her husband?"
"…It does not."
The old censor bowed his head, defeated.
"Did you hear that?"
Emperor Xuanwu turned slightly and looked to Yun Shu, one brow raised.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Yun Shu beamed and bowed deeply.
"Your daughter thanks Father Emperor."
In front of the entire court, the Censor-in-Chief had admitted that a woman dismissing her husband was not prohibited by law.
On a personal level, this meant that if she ever did choose to end her marriage, no one could rightfully condemn her.
But on a broader level, this moment could be taken as an unspoken stance from the imperial court.
Now that someone had opened this door, the idea of a woman dismissing her husband was no longer unthinkable. It might even become a possibility others dared to pursue.
And with that, the status of women in the Tian Sheng Dynasty had taken one small but significant step forward.