"Very well," Yun Shu agreed.
After all, the Liu and Tang households were only separated by a single street.
So long as it didn't interfere with her business, she was more than happy to take advantage of Yun Chuhuan's luxurious carriage for one more ride.
The next morning, just after nine, Yun Shu arrived at the Tang residence.
Because they had arranged the visit in advance, the atmosphere in the front hall was already warm with conversation. Tang Mushi, Tang Xinhua, and Cen Yiyi had all been chatting for some time.
When Yun Shu stepped through the entrance, the familiar figure of Yun Chuhuan was noticeably absent behind her. Cen Yiyi's expression visibly relaxed.
"Your subject's daughter greets Her Highness, the Fifth Princess!"
One tall, one short—two young ladies, one gentle and the other endearing—rose and dropped into a graceful curtsey in unison.
Yun Shu paused, then let out a soft, helpless laugh.
"We're in private. Is there really a need to stand on such ceremony? It feels strange."
"My sister knows it was Your Highness who helped her escape the Cao family," Tang Mushi said with a light-hearted smile. "Since returning home, she's been thinking constantly about how to properly thank you.
This is her first time meeting you. If she isn't allowed to bow today, I'm afraid even ten years from now she'll regret showing you such poor manners."
"If not for the Princess's strategy and support, I might have spent the rest of my life trapped in the Cao household," Tang Xinhua added quietly.
Though she had not yet reached her eighteenth year, time had already stolen her youthful innocence and replaced it with a gentle maturity, the result of enduring hardship far too early.
Much like her younger brother Tang Mushi, Tang Xinhua exuded a quiet warmth that made it easy for others to feel at ease around her.
Today, Yun Shu had come to the Tang household precisely for her.
"What happened that day—yes, I made the arrangements. But if you hadn't had the courage to take that step, it wouldn't have mattered. Leaving the Cao household was indeed a blessing. But tell me, cousin—have you thought about what comes next?"
"My plans?"
Tang Xinhua blinked, briefly caught off guard.
Truthfully, ever since she returned from the Cao residence, her heart had been clouded by uncertainty. She had no clear sense of direction, no idea what future path lay before her.
Though she had separated from her husband, and no one dared speak ill of her thanks to Yun Shu's influence, her status as a divorced woman was a shadow she could not easily cast off.
When the time came to speak of marriage again, those with even slightly better prospects would never consider her.
What's more… after all she'd experienced in the Cao household, the idea of marriage itself now filled her with quiet dread.
And if she didn't remarry… what else could she do?
"Then it seems you haven't quite made up your mind."
Yun Shu's voice was calm, her words steady.
"That works out well. I've been planning to open a restaurant in the capital. But with me living in the palace, I can't tend to things personally. I'll need someone on the outside to manage it. Would you be willing to serve as the head of operations?"
"Me?" Tang Xinhua's voice wavered slightly. "I've never done anything like that before…"
"I've heard that noble ladies are expected to learn from an early age how to oversee household affairs, to manage every matter from top to bottom.
And you, cousin—you took over the Tang household's domestic affairs at just ten years old. Before you married, the household ran as smooth as a well-oiled machine."
Yun Shu looked at her with clear-eyed confidence, as though she believed in Tang Xinhua more than Tang Xinhua believed in herself.
"Running my restaurant may involve more moving parts than the Tang household, but not by much.
Why wouldn't you be capable?"
"But…"
Tang Xinhua pressed her lips together, and after a long moment of hesitation, finally voiced the fear hidden deep in her heart.
"I'm just a woman. I'm afraid I might bring trouble upon Your Highness."
"Precisely because you are a woman, I hope even more that you'll step into the light and stand tall."
Yun Shu sighed and, for once, grew solemn.
"Cousin, do you not wish to see a world where women can walk with heads held high, just like men? To do the things they desire, to enjoy the same rights as men, without being shackled by the so-called virtues and constraints forced upon them?"
Tang Xinhua froze.
Even Cen Yiyi, who had been quietly swinging her little legs nearby, stopped and looked up with wide eyes.
"In the past, women could not speak of separation, much less initiate the dismissal of a husband. But these rules aren't unchangeable.
Perhaps change won't come overnight. But all it takes is someone willing to take the first step—someone willing to endure and persist."
Yun Shu's gaze met Tang Xinhua's steadily.
She watched as the confusion and uncertainty in her cousin's eyes gave way to something warmer, something more resolute. Then came the words she had been waiting for.
"I want to try!"
Tang Xinhua drew a deep breath. She didn't know whether the beautiful future Yun Shu spoke of could truly come to pass, but she was willing to strive for it.
Better to live boldly for once than to spend a lifetime in silence and regret.
If they succeeded, then the dawn would come for women across the realm.
And even if they failed, she would become a spark—like a moth diving into flame—planting a seed in the hearts of countless women.
That seed would one day take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree.
Their efforts would not be in vain.
Tang Xinhua's eyes burned bright as she declared, "So long as Your Highness's vision can be realized, I'm willing to try anything."
"Can girls really do anything boys can do?"
Cen Yiyi, unsure when she had padded over, now stood beside Yun Shu.
Tilting her head up, she asked earnestly, "Then… could I become a general?"
"You want to become a general?"
Yun Shu was caught off guard. "But you've never trained in martial arts."
"Because Daddy and the others say it's too hard, too exhausting, not suited for a delicate girl like me."
Cen Yiyi's face drooped.
"But I really want to be like Daddy and the others—riding into battle, protecting the Tian Sheng Dynasty like a great hero."
"Charging into battle takes courage," Yun Shu said.
"At the very least… you can't burst into tears every time Yun Chuhuan looks at you."
"But the Sixth Prince is a prince," Cen Yiyi protested, even more downcast. "If he really gets angry and wants to punish me, maybe even harm my family, I can't hit him."
Yun Shu: "…?"
"So that was it. You weren't scared of him—just afraid you couldn't fight back?
Utterly baffling… but strangely reasonable."
Come to think of it, Cen Yiyi did seem much more relaxed around Liu Ziming—no fear whatsoever.
Because Liu Ziming held a status similar to her own…
Yun Shu went silent for a moment, then gently patted Cen Yiyi's shoulder.
"I don't know if you'll become a general one day. I don't know if you have enough time to start training now.
But if you never begin, never read a single military text, never take a single step forward—then I can promise you this: you'll never become one."
"…I understand!"
Cen Yiyi thought for a while, then nodded with great determination.
"I'll tell Daddy today that I want to train too!"