Tang Yuanlin raised his hand and offered the small trinket he had been holding in his palm.
Ten copper coins were strung together with a red thread, woven into the shape of a hydrangea flower. Beneath it hung a delicate, finely crafted tassel.
"Consider this a talisman to ward off misfortune."
Tang Yuanlin gave a kindly smile.
"I wish Your Highness peace and prosperity."
"Thank you, Grandfather!"
Yun Shu accepted the token, which symbolized good fortune and auspiciousness, and without hesitation fastened it to her waist.
Seeing how pleased she was, the smile in Tang Yuanlin's eyes deepened. He then drew another item from his sleeve—a sealed envelope.
"There is also this. May Your Highness accept it."
"What is it?"
Yun Shu curiously opened the envelope, only to find silver notes inside—two thousand taels' worth. She immediately tried to return it.
"This really isn't necessary. You know I've earned quite a bit recently—I'm not short on money!"
"But has Your Highness not just pledged to His Majesty that you would find a way to solve the issue of land reclamation?"
Tang Yuanlin gave a soft sigh.
"This old subject lacks learning and wit, and cannot compare to Your Highness' brilliance. I fear I shall be of little help in this matter.
This money comes from the profits earned after Your Highness began collecting anecdotes for the Capital Weekly outside the Tang family's bookstore and tailoring shop. Please accept it, even if it may seem meager."
The Tang family truly did not possess deep coffers. These two thousand taels were nearly all that remained after accounting for the daily running of the household.
Tang Yuanlin knew Yun Shu didn't need the money. He had only brought it just in case.
But he hadn't expected that "just in case" to become reality so soon.
Reclaiming barren land…
Could she really resolve such a challenge?
Though his heart was uneasy, Tang Yuanlin showed none of it on his face. His tone remained gentle.
"But should Your Highness ever think of something the Tang family might assist with, do not hesitate to speak."
"It's only a few gadgets. How much could they possibly cost?
Don't worry, Grandfather—Shu'er knows what she's doing."
She offered a vague hint about her plans, then coaxed and reasoned until she finally managed to return the two thousand taels to him.
Watching from the side, Yun Chuhuan's eyes practically burned with envy.
No sooner had Tang Yuanlin taken his leave than Yun Chuhuan let out a resentful huff.
"Fifth Sister really is rich now—she can look at two thousand taels and not even blink!"
"You—"
Yun Shu turned toward him and stared for a moment. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she tapped him lightly on the forehead.
"All right then. It's just money, isn't it? If you can truly be of help this time, I'll give you one thousand taels as a reward."
"Really?!"
He had only volunteered earlier to get out of doing schoolwork. Never did he imagine such a windfall would land in his lap!
Yun Chuhuan was so excited he nearly jumped up.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!"
"Work on what, exactly?"
Yun Shu gave him a sidelong glance, her tone unhurried.
"Do you have an idea already?"
"…No."
Yun Chuhuan looked completely baffled.
"Didn't you say you had a plan just now? When you were talking to Lord Tang…"
"Oh, that? I was just reassuring Grandfather."
Yun Shu lied through her teeth with perfect ease.
"I don't have the faintest idea yet. Why else do you think I dragged you and Third Brother into this?
It's because I need you both to help me brainstorm."
Yun Chuhuan: "?"
Was Fifth Sister out of her mind?
If he had that kind of talent, would Imperial Father have fined him half his stipend over which foot he stepped with first?
"You could've just not paid me if you didn't want to! No need to trick me into it."
Like a deflated ball, Yun Chuhuan slumped, muttering with his head down.
"I didn't even ask for money in the first place."
"I want to give it to you. Why wouldn't I?
I'm only asking for an idea or two—not for you to till the land yourself. Is that so difficult?"
This was her carefully selected fall guy number two. He couldn't just give up now!
Yun Shu patiently guided him.
"Do you remember the first reason you mentioned earlier? Why the people are unwilling to reclaim the land?"
"Irrigation is inconvenient."
"Then start by solving that problem."
She snapped her fingers.
"Make it simple. From today, think of a way to bring the water from Yaohua Palace's pond over to Fengyang Palace—without spending a fortune."
Yun Chuhuan: "???"
How was that simple?!
He opened his mouth to say it was impossible, but before he could utter a word, Yun Shu raised two fingers.
"Two thousand taels. Solve this and it's yours."
Two thousand taels…
Yun Chuhuan hesitated. "But…"
"Three thousand."
"…I really can't…"
"Four thousand."
"I want to help, but…"
"Five thousand."
"Fifth Sister, I…"
"One hundred taels."
"…?"
"That's not fair!"
Yun Chuhuan gawked.
"You can't just drop it down like that all of a sudden! This is a tough task, I—"
"Gold."
"Deal! Don't worry, Fifth Sister! I'll get right on it—I'll come up with something before spring planting begins! I swear I'll get all the water from Yaohua Palace to your place!"
Afraid she might go back on her word, Yun Chuhuan spun around and dashed off toward Yaohua Palace without looking back.
Ten thousand taels!
He hadn't seen that much money in ages!
He had to get it!
At worst, he'd offer a hundred taels from the sum to bribe the eunuchs and maids of Yaohua Palace to help brainstorm. How hard could it be to divert some water?
"Fifth Sister."
From the other side, the Third Prince, Yun Chuhe, had deliberately lingered behind. Seeing Yun Chuhuan disappear after just a few exchanges, he paused briefly, then walked over with light steps and a teasing grin.
"Why was it that, in the hall just now, you specifically requested me to assist you?
Could it be that you recognized your Third Brother's extraordinary wisdom at a glance?"
"Perhaps."
Here came fall guy number three, the kind who didn't even need to be paid.
Yun Shu didn't waste time with small talk and got straight to the point.
"Sixth Brother mentioned in court today that the greatest difficulty in reclaiming land lies in irrigation. He said he could address that.
Since Third Brother is clearly no less capable than he, surely you could solve the second issue—peasants not being able to afford oxen. Couldn't you?"
Yun Chuhe: "…?"
Was there really any need to be this confident?
His smile stiffened, but Yun Shu pretended not to notice and continued.
"In truth, the second issue isn't all that hard to solve. If oxen are too expensive, then let's not use oxen. What if we designed a lightweight plow that even a person could pull?"