In this day and age, while porcelain was fairly common, a small ceramic jar could still fetch thirty to fifty wen without issue. More refined ones often sold for eighty, ninety, or even over a hundred wen.
The stall overturned by the Heir of Prince Lian had displayed no fewer than thirty pieces. By rough estimate, the damage totaled over two taels of silver.
For the average family in Tian Sheng, that amount was enough to feed a household of five for more than two months.
The vendor, a plain and honest old man, flushed red with helpless fury the moment his stall was knocked over. Yet faced with the Heir of Prince Lian's rank and power, he dared not raise his voice to demand compensation.
Tears welled in his eyes as he silently crouched amid the shards of shattered porcelain, sifting through the wreckage in the hope of salvaging a few pieces that might still be usable.
Even if he couldn't sell them anymore, at least he could take them home and use them himself. That way, he might recover some small fraction of the loss.
He was over sixty years old, hunched on the cold ground, shoulders trembling, tears silently falling. Anyone with a shred of conscience would have found it hard to bear the sight.
But the Heir of Prince Lian clearly took delight in the scene before him.
In his eyes, these lowborn peasants of Tian Sheng were meant to live by Bei Xiang's mercy—meant to bow, scrape, and suffer, however he pleased.
How dare they mock him?
With a cold, contemptuous sneer, the Heir of Prince Lian kicked aside a stray piece of porcelain that had rolled near his boots, then swaggered after the Eldest Prince.
But this satisfaction of his would not last long.
Not long at all.
The envoy soon arrived at the teahouse. After spending a few taels of silver, they finally heard the full content of the latest articles, and learned more about Capital Weekly itself.
By the end, the smug smile on the Heir of Prince Lian's face had twisted once more into a dark, hideous rage.
"That Fifth Princess again! Always that wretched Fifth Princess!
Has Tian Sheng gone mad? How could they let a mere princess run rampant through the capital, stirring storms and chaos at her whim?"
"She is indeed no ordinary woman," the Eldest Prince said coldly.
When he'd first heard that someone had been spreading mockery of the Heir of Prince Lian throughout the capital, he had dismissed the matter as petty, childish slander.
But he'd been far too quick to assume.
There was no fabrication in these articles. Not a single sentence had been twisted. All the Fifth Princess had done… was write down exactly what had happened the previous day, and let the people hear it.
The events of their very first day in Tian Sheng—the envoy's humiliation at the hands of Hou Ye of Wu'an and the Fifth Princess—had now become public knowledge, whispered on every street corner.
The Eldest Prince's hands, resting on his knees, slowly curled into tight fists. His expression grew still and cold.
"You heard what those people were saying," he said quietly. "Capital Weekly was founded by the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince. It has been in circulation for some time. It did not appear just because we arrived.
Members of the royal family of Tian Sheng, even Emperor Xuanwu himself, have been written about in its pages frequently.
Now that we, as foreign envoys, have become subjects of its commentary, it is not unexpected.
More importantly—what she wrote is the truth.
If we try to use this as grounds to attack her, we have no footing. There is no chance such an attempt would succeed."
"You mean to say we just let this go?" the Heir of Prince Lian slammed his palm heavily against the table.
"Even if her article was nothing but facts, did you not hear that title? Is it not a blatant insult? A mockery in full daylight?"
The Eldest Prince was silent.
It was odd, he thought. Remarkable, even.
"The World Falls Silent to Hear the Cracking Voice of the Heir of Prince Lian."
Such a strange and cryptic title. Yet the moment one heard the full article—especially with the image of the Heir's near-murderous expression still fresh in their mind—somehow, inexplicably, it all became perfectly clear.
Yes. The title was certainly mocking.
But yes… it was also the truth.
The Eldest Prince gave the Heir of Prince Lian a sidelong glance.
Just then, the storyteller at the front of the teahouse began announcing that Tian Waitian would be officially opening for business in a few days' time.
The Eldest Prince lowered his gaze, lifted his tea cup, and took a slow, unhurried sip.
"What's the rush? There's still half a month between the Emperor's Longevity Festival and the New Year's Eve celebrations.
We aren't leaving just yet."
The Heir of Prince Lian blinked.
"Eldest Prince, do you mean...?"
Outside the palace walls, some were grinding their teeth in secret, already scheming ways to make trouble for Yun Shu.
Inside the palace, others were plotting her downfall with equal care and precision.
But the very subject of all these machinations? Yun Shu herself?
She was reclining comfortably in Fengyang Palace, joyfully counting the massive stack of silver notes she had just earned.
The pile was thick and heavy, enough to make even Yun Chuhuan—who had never known the taste of poverty—eye it with barely concealed longing.
"So much money!" he breathed, a tone of pure awe in his voice.
"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that," Yun Shu said, stealing a glance at him as she flipped through the notes.
"Do you ever say that about your own allowance?"
"These are different times!" Yun Chuhuan sighed dramatically. He gave her a mournful look, one that might have earned sympathy—if it hadn't been so exaggerated.
"In that serial you're writing for Capital Weekly, isn't there a villain named Huo Hai?
He's from an elite clan, pampered since birth, infamous for his wasteful ways, not particularly bright, always doing stupid and cruel things. Eventually, he ends up with a miserable fate.
And everyone says—if only Huo Hai's family had disciplined him properly, instead of indulging him all his life, maybe he wouldn't have ended up that way…"
"So what?" Yun Shu blinked, genuinely puzzled by the connection.
"So…" Yun Chuhuan slumped over the table, groaning.
"Consort Mother said she doesn't want me turning into Huo Hai. She's decided to start 'guiding' me—starting with cutting my monthly allowance down to just ten thousand taels!"
He sat up suddenly, his voice rising.
"You don't understand, Fifth Sister! Do you know what's even more outrageous? Consort Mother said that before she realized Huo Hai was the villain, she would read his parts and unconsciously think of me!"
Yun Shu: "…"
Good thing Yun Chuhuan didn't know that when she wrote Huo Hai, she had absolutely based him on the original version of Yun Chuhuan from the novel plot…
Ahem.
Feeling a flicker of guilt, Yun Shu paused mid-count, gave a little cough, and said, "Honestly, ten thousand taels a month isn't bad. You spend most of your time studying in the royal academy hall, it's not like you need much."
"Who says I don't?" Yun Chuhuan snapped, already diverted from his earlier grief.
"Don't you know that the Crown Prince, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother are all about to go meet potential marriage candidates with you?"
Yun Shu: "?"
Wait.
Hold on.
Did she just hear that she was being sent to a marriage meeting?
And what's more… with all the princes at once?
How did she not know about this?!