"So this little brat had returned only after finishing the deed!
No wonder, the moment she entered the study, she had dutifully offered to confess her crime."
Emperor Xuanwu took in a long, steady breath.
If he had learned of this from the beginning, he might truly have flown into a rage.
After all, the current tension between the two kingdoms was no small matter, and he had seen—more than once through the Simulation Life Selection System—that should war break out between Tian Sheng and Bei Xiang, Tian Sheng would emerge victorious, yes… but the price would be catastrophic. The common people would suffer deeply.
Who could say whether Yun Shu's impulsive act today might ignite the very spark that would plunge both nations into war?
But perhaps it was due to that earlier incident—the one where Grand Preceptor Liu had tried to interfere—that his anger had now cooled.
As Yun Shu herself had said, the people of Bei Xiang had already overstepped again and again.
If they still refrained from acting now, continuing to play the part of a turtle shrinking into its shell, afraid to strike back...
Forget two kingdoms. The future might see not just Tian Sheng and Bei Xiang at war, but a three-way conflict. Perhaps even four kingdoms, or more.
With that thought, Emperor Xuanwu felt his frustration ease somewhat. He even picked up a cup of tea and sipped it.
"Go on then," he said, "you were barely gone an hour. What boldness did you manage in such a short time?"
"Your daughter… took action against the Heir of Prince Lian."
Mindful that this was the Tian Sheng court, and that no princess in history had ever done such a thing before, Yun Shu tried to cushion the blow. When she reached the crucial part, she mumbled deliberately.
Emperor Xuanwu didn't catch it. His brow furrowed and he barked, "Say that again. What did you do to the Heir of Prince Lian?"
"I… acted against the Heir of Prince Lian."
"Speak clearly!"
"I castrated the Heir of Prince Lian!"
Crash!
Startled, Emperor Xuanwu's hand trembled. The teacup slipped and shattered on the floor, shards flying.
Yun Shu quietly took a step back, then after a moment of silence, peeked up at him cautiously.
"Father Emperor, you did just say with your own mouth that I should strike back, and not cower like—"
"We merely told you to retaliate! Not to go and do that yourself!"
Seeing her use his own words to defend herself, Emperor Xuanwu nearly tipped over in fury.
"Do you wish to be remembered in the history books as the first princess known for this?!"
"Judging by the things I've already done," Yun Shu muttered under her breath, "this would only be one minor anecdote among many."
Ah, and there it was. She had brought up her past accomplishments, as if reminding him to temper his outrage.
This little scoundrel—so full of tricks, always scheming—even before him, her Imperial Father, she didn't hold back.
"You—!"
Emperor Xuanwu opened his mouth to speak, but Yun Shu hurriedly pressed on:
"Besides, Father Emperor, if you look at what the Heir of Prince Lian did, wasn't this punishment fitting?
More importantly, what I did was harsh enough to shock them, to make it clear that Tian Sheng is not to be trifled with. But it was not so extreme that the King of Bei Xiang would lose all reason and declare war. Is that not the perfect balance?"
"…"
Infuriating though she was, there was no denying she made a solid point.
Over twenty years ago, Bei Xiang had been forced to bow its head only because the former Prince Lian had lost a major battle. Emperor Xuanwu did not believe the King of Bei Xiang would truly value the Heir of Prince Lian so highly.
The boy was not favored, and he had brought this upon himself. Yun Shu hadn't killed him—merely castrated him. So long as the King of Bei Xiang had not lost all rationality, there was no way he would start a war over this.
Still, even with all that said, Emperor Xuanwu found it difficult to accept that his seemingly docile daughter had gone out for less than half an hour and returned having done something so shocking.
With a thunderous slap of his palm on the imperial desk, he roared, "And you still dare argue? Return to Fengyang Palace at once and reflect on your behavior! You are not to leave until New Year's Eve!"
New Year's Eve…
How many days away was that again?
Yun Shu counted on her fingers, then carefully attempted to bargain:
"Father Emperor, could my confinement start tomorrow instead? I'd like to visit my cousin first. I heard she—… Your daughter will take her leave now!"
Before she could finish, Emperor Xuanwu had already grabbed a stack of memorials, raising them as if ready to hurl them at her head.
Yun Shu immediately ducked and bolted like a startled squirrel.
"Your daughter respectfully takes her leave!"
"This little rascal!"
She never gave him a moment's peace, but when it came to that cousin of hers—whom she had only met a few times—she was entirely devoted.
Fuming, Emperor Xuanwu flung the memorials back onto the desk. Yet he did not have long to stew in his frustration before the Eldest Prince of Bei Xiang arrived at court, accompanied by Grand Preceptor Liu, seeking an audience.
This man—who had dared drug his daughter, then turned a blind eye as the Heir of Prince Lian committed that despicable act, and now had the audacity to complain about her retaliation—was greeted with none of the leniency Emperor Xuanwu had shown Yun Shu.
After a scathing reprimand, the Eldest Prince of Bei Xiang left the palace with his tail between his legs, brimming with fury yet powerless to act.
But that was only the beginning.
Once the conservative officials and the Crown Prince's faction caught wind of the incident, they began flooding the imperial study with memorials demanding Yun Shu be punished.
Stack after stack arrived, accusing her of scandal, impropriety, and conduct unbecoming of a princess.
Emperor Xuanwu spent his days berating this official and cursing that one, in a fury from morning to night.
And yet, not once did he direct that anger at Yun Shu.
In fact, it was Yun Chuhuan who told Yun Shu how things stood:
"Fifth Sister, you wouldn't believe it. These past few days, if I even catch sight of Father Emperor from afar, I run for my life. I'm terrified he'll grab me and fine me hundreds of silver taels just for stepping with the wrong foot first!
I'm completely broke now!
Even the coin I picked up the other day—somehow Mother Consort found out about it. She took it, said I still owe her forty thousand silver taels, and that every copper I find goes toward repaying the debt!"
"And you still dare come here?"
Yun Shu lounged on the soft couch, one leg crossed over the other, idly flipping through a storybook, thoroughly content.
"I'm still in confinement, you know."
"Father Emperor said you couldn't step a foot outside Fengyang Palace. He never said others couldn't come in."
Yun Chuhuan puffed up his chest with righteous confidence.
"Besides, I'm here to deliver a message from Cen Yiyi!"
Since Yun Shu had been confined and no longer needed to attend the study hall, Cen Yiyi—her study companion—had also been excused from classes for the time being.
But as it would raise eyebrows if Cen Yiyi were to enter the palace openly to visit, they had to rely on Yun Chuhuan and Liu Ziming to act as go-betweens, running messages back and forth these past few days.