"It is This Princess' Third Imperial Brother."
Yun Shu spoke casually, "Lately, Third Imperial Brother seems to be preoccupied with modifying the plow used by farmers, hoping to make it lighter and more efficient. Whether he has made any progress yet, This Princess cannot say.
However, seeing as you appear to have some talent in this regard, perhaps once you are there, you might exchange ideas with him."
"Isn't Third Imperial Brother currently outside the palace?"
Yun Chuhuan immediately perked up upon hearing this, "Fifth Sister, let's bring Xiao Yuanzi to visit Third Imperial Brother together tomorrow!"
"I have no objection to that."
Yun Shu arched a brow, "But whether or not Father Emperor would allow the two of us to take leave together… that, This Princess cannot guarantee."
"I shall go ask Father Emperor right now!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Yun Chuhuan leapt to his feet—
That talk of modifying a plow certainly sounded like serious business.
And since Xiao Yuanzi came from his own Yaohua Palace, surely Imperial Father wouldn't allow only Fifth Sister to take leave, and deny him the same?
With that thought, Yun Chuhuan disappeared like a gust of wind.
Yun Shu made no attempt to stop him from hitting a wall. Once her gaze returned to the present, she continued speaking with Xiao Yuanzi.
"It is already rather late today. As for Third Imperial Brother, we shall visit him tomorrow. For now, let us return to the matter at hand. Tell This Princess—how does your waterwheel operate?"
"Replying to Your Highness, it works like this…"
Xiao Yuanzi suspected nothing. Assuming Yun Shu truly didn't understand, he earnestly began to explain the mechanics.
On the other side—
By the time Yun Chuhuan rushed to the Imperial Study, Emperor Xuanwu had just about concluded his discussion with Ye Qing'an.
Hearing that the Sixth Prince sought an audience, Emperor Xuanwu was mildly surprised.
That surprise only deepened once he heard Yun Chuhuan's frantic explanation.
"You are saying you have resolved the issue of irrigating barren fields, and have successfully diverted water from the Yaohua Palace pond… to the Fengyang Palace?"
Could his foolish son truly be capable of such a feat?
Was it not more likely that Xiao Wu had come up with a method to divert water from Fengyang Palace back to Yaohua—wait, Fengyang Palace doesn't even have a pond.
Emperor Xuanwu let out a hiss. "What is the condition of Fengyang Palace now?"
Yun Chuhuan: "?"
Was his Imperial Father's concern… misplaced?
Should he not first offer some hearty praise?
Surely the palace couldn't be more important than his achievement?!
Scratching his nose with some embarrassment, Yun Chuhuan replied, "The front courtyard is flooded, but cleanup is already underway. And thanks to the raised thresholds, water didn't actually enter the inner rooms."
Emperor Xuanwu: "..."
As expected.
"So, you've come to beg Us to stop your Fifth Sister from beating you?"
"If getting beaten just once by Fifth Sister could appease her anger, that would be a blessing!"
At this, Yun Chuhuan's heart ached.
Fifth Sister was merciless—she directly deducted five thousand taels of silver!
Five thousand taels!
Scooting up to Emperor Xuanwu with a pitiful look, Yun Chuhuan pleaded,"Would Father Emperor kindly speak to Fifth Sister, and allow her to strike this son just once?"
Perhaps after venting her anger, she might feel guilty enough to return the silver?
Emperor Xuanwu: "??"
Something is amiss. This boy… something is truly off.
Though as an Emperor, he seldom had prolonged time with his children, he knew his own son well enough.
This Sixth one was never the type to feel guilt after making a mistake, much less one to proactively offer himself up for punishment.
Especially not after having performed a significant deed.
"Speak."
Raising his brow knowingly, Emperor Xuanwu had already seen through it all. "Who truly solved the irrigation issue of the barren fields?
And what did your Fifth Sister do to you?"
Yun Chuhuan: "???"
Wait a moment… At least Fifth Sister had asked him a few questions first and only saw through him when he failed to answer.
Imperial Father didn't even ask yet—how did he already know?
What, did he not look like someone who could build a waterwheel?
Offended by this unspoken accusation, Yun Chuhuan reluctantly confessed the truth, then, after a pause, added begrudgingly, "But Xiao Yuanzi is still this son's subordinate! So what he accomplished is no different from what this son accomplished! What this son said wasn't wrong!"
"Hmph."
Aside from flooding Fengyang Palace, he hadn't done a single productive thing. And yet he dared to come whining here, after pocketing four thousand nine hundred taels for free?
If you asked Emperor Xuanwu, Xiao Wu had been far too lenient with this boy.
Were it up to him, he'd demand the entire five thousand taels back!
Casting a glance at Yun Chuhuan, who still seemed self-righteous, Emperor Xuanwu could not even be bothered to reply. He simply let out a cold chuckle to let him mull it over.
Alas, Yun Chuhuan's greatest "virtue" was his utter lack of self-reflection.
Asking him to contemplate his own mistakes was a fool's errand.
Seeing his Imperial Father refuse to respond, Yun Chuhuan didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. Without missing a beat, he launched into his true reason for coming—
"By the way, Father Emperor, Fifth Sister believes Xiao Yuanzi shows great promise. She wishes to bring him along tomorrow to visit Third Imperial Brother's residence. If we are fortunate, he might help Third Imperial Brother develop ideas for improving the plow!"
"Improving the plow?"
Emperor Xuanwu's expression shifted slightly—
The new commercial tax policies had already helped mitigate land annexation issues.
The waterwheel had addressed long-distance irrigation.
Improving the plow… if all went well, would likely tackle the costly burden farmers faced when renting oxen to till their fields.
At the New Year's Eve banquet, Xiao Wu had declared with great confidence that she would find a way to ease the difficulties of opening up barren land.
At the time, nearly all the court ministers assumed she had spoken rashly, cornering herself into an impossible promise.
Even Emperor Xuanwu himself, knowing the final answer in advance, had believed it would take her significant time and effort to accomplish the task.
Yet now, mere days had passed—
And she had already resolved the issue, almost effortlessly, simply by assigning the task to the right hands.
Emperor Xuanwu was thoroughly impressed. He entirely forgot how he had just dismissed Yun Chuhuan—who had done the exact same thing—only moments earlier.
"Father Emperor?"
Seeing that his Imperial Father had gone silent after he brought up the matter of leave, Yun Chuhuan couldn't help but repeat, "May this son accompany Fifth Sister and Xiao Yuanzi to visit Third Imperial Brother tomorrow?"
"No."
Pulled back to the moment by Yun Chuhuan's voice, Emperor Xuanwu let out another cold "hmph."
"Your Fifth Sister taking Xiao Yuanzi out of the palace to see your Third Imperial Brother—what business is that of yours?
Have you finished all your studies? Master Ye's lessons—have you mastered them?
You know nothing, and yet wish to skip your schooling?"
"But Grand Preceptor Ye said that if we're doing… innovation or something, we're exempt from homework!"
Yun Chuhuan protested indignantly.
"And besides, isn't Fifth Sister also…"
===
Starting from this chapter, I've made some changes to how the characters speak. I'll be adjusting the dialogue to better reflect imperial court etiquette—using more formal, period-appropriate language, especially for nobles and officials.
This includes refining self-references like "本宫", Běn gōng (can be 'This Princess' or 'This Palace' or 'This Consort'), "朕", zhèn (as in Royal We) and similar terms to better highlight each character's rank and social standing. Since this novel is rooted in a royal, historical, and ancient setting, I want the dialogue to reflect that atmosphere more authentically.
So if the conversations in this chapter (and the ones that follow) feel too formal or even a bit stiff, that's the reason why. I'm still experimenting with the tone and will continue refining it as I go. Once I settle on a style that best captures what I'm aiming for, I'll be sure to update you.
Thanks for your patience and understanding!