"Truly? Father Emperor is the best!"
Yun Shu's eyes lit up with delight.
She had been bracing herself, fully expecting her stingy Imperial Father to utter something along the lines of, Hosting the poetry gathering was your reward already.
Yet to her surprise, with just a single casual question, she had managed to wring an actual reward from him. Her voice brimming with curiosity, Yun Shu asked eagerly, "What kind of reward?"
"Have you not shown great interest in the Ministry of Works?"
Emperor Xuanwu spoke with deliberate nonchalance.
"We have noticed that you often linger around the Ministry of Works without much reason. As it happens, the Waterworks Division has a vacant post. It is an idle role, but We shall grant it to you."
"The Waterworks Division?"
True, she did enjoy wandering the Ministry of Works, but that was only so she could design something fresh and unseen in the Tian Sheng Dynasty. What use was an idle position in the Waterworks Division?
Yun Shu pouted slightly, her instinct leaning toward refusal.
But just as the words reached her lips, something sparked in her mind. In a sudden flash of clarity, she remembered a critical event she had nearly let slip from memory.
In the original timeline, one of the main reasons Tian Sheng's war with Bei Xiang had been so grueling—beyond the Crown Prince's crippling injury and subsequent disgrace, and the madness that led to the fall of the Eldest Prince's faction, including the valiant General Wei Yuan—was this very year's flood disaster in the capital.
Though the novel had focused on events nine or ten years later and only briefly referenced the flood, that fleeting mention had painted a harrowing picture.
The levees had collapsed. The capital was submerged. Even the imperial palace—perched at the city's highest point—had floodwaters rising past the knees.
The death toll among commoners had soared past ten thousand. The damage to the city and its economy was incalculable.
The state treasury, already depleted, had been left so bare that even mice would think twice before entering.
If her memory served her right, that flood was due next month.
No wonder she had felt that something was amiss ever since the Spring Examinations ended.
Thank heavens…
A cold sweat broke across Yun Shu's back as she hurriedly nodded. "Then this daughter shall visit the Waterworks Division tomorrow."
"Fifth Elder Sister is the head of the Merchants' Association. Why is she going to the Ministry of Works now?"
Yun Chuhuan, who had lately been obsessed with pestering Xiao Yuanzi in the Ministry over their shared ambition to invent "mud that could trip Father Emperor flat on his face once dry," could no longer stay seated.
"If it's just an idle post, then I want one too!"
"Keep wanting."
Emperor Xuanwu's lips twitched.
"Perhaps in a few more years. Once you've turned fifteen, there may be hope."
"But Fifth Elder Sister isn't fifteen yet either!" Yun Chuhuan's protest faltered into a weak murmur.
Clearly, even he knew that his age was still far too young for such things.
With a pout, he retreated into a quiet corner, sulking.
After a moment, he offered a compromise. "Then when Fifth Elder Sister skips her lessons to visit the Ministry, can I go with her?"
"No."
Emperor Xuanwu denied him without hesitation.
"You haven't graduated from the Imperial Academy Hall."
"But—"
"No but. Keep talking, and We shall revoke even your monthly day of rest."
"..."
"Father Emperor is truly cruel!"
Yun Chuhuan glared at him in silent fury, eyes filled with betrayal.
But Emperor Xuanwu didn't spare him a glance. He was far too used to ignoring his youngest son's theatrics.
Having settled the matter of the Waterworks Division, he suddenly recalled something he had meant to ask earlier, back at Xianting.
"At the poetry gathering, you claimed the one who wrote that verse was a reclusive talent by the name of Xin Qiji. And that others of equal brilliance dwell with him in seclusion?"
He frowned slightly.
"Why has We never heard you mention them before?"
"Because our encounter was by chance."
Though those extraordinary verses had done wonders to bring fame to Xianting, they had also stirred Emperor Xuanwu's suspicions.
Yun Shu scratched her nose, slipping seamlessly into composed nonsense.
"Some days ago, Tian Waitian Restaurant began offering a new sweet wine. I thought to bring a jar back and experiment with mixing it into desserts to see if I could create something better."
She continued smoothly, "When I reached the first floor, I saw a group of men dining. As they ate, they lamented that the wine was lacking in depth. I don't know why, but I felt they carried an air unlike that of ordinary folk. So on a whim, I placed my jar of wine on their table and left.
What happened afterward, I cannot say. Days later, Cousin sent me a letter along with a bundle of verses. It was only then that I realized those men must have tasted the wine and been pleased, gifting those poems as a token of thanks.
Knowing who I was, they had also left a message. They said they only wished to wander freely through rivers and mountains and had no desire to enter officialdom. Their life's dream was to explore every corner of the world, so I need not try to find them."
"A token of gratitude?"
Emperor Xuanwu furrowed his brow, something still not sitting right.
Even if those men were genuinely moved by Yun Shu's wine and wanted to express their thanks, why would they gift masterpieces of poetry that had nothing to do with gratitude?
And Yun Shu was not known for any particular love of verse.
"You aren't thinking of finding those men and offering them appointments, are you, Father Emperor?"
Sensing his growing doubt, Yun Shu quickly spoke again, choosing her words with care.
"I just think... forced blossoms bear no sweetness. Even if we were able to find them, could we really compel them to serve the court?
Skill in poetry does not make one a good official!"
The question had no clear answer, and in any case, it was not of true importance. Emperor Xuanwu followed Yun Shu's lead and set the matter aside.
"There are more than enough in this realm eager to enter the court. We do not lack their kind."
"Father Emperor speaks with unmatched wisdom."
Yun Shu nodded rapidly, showering him with flattery.
"Tian Sheng is blessed with countless talents. Those who dream of serving under Father Emperor are too many to count. How could we possibly be concerned with a few recluses uninterested in court life?
If you ask me, those men were simply overthinking it. To worry we might force them into service... the idea is laughable.
If we ever had the chance, we ought to show them just how vast and generous Father Emperor's heart truly is. I have never once seen you coerce an innocent man into anything."
Emperor Xuanwu: "..."
As if he could not tell that this entire barrage was meant to dissuade him from seeking those men out.
This little brat—always siding with outsiders!