"You jest, Your Highness."
Xiao Yuanzi scratched the back of his head, a hint of embarrassment softening his smile.
"For someone like this servant to be able to work in the Ministry of Works, doing what I love, and even live with my family... why, it's a life I never dared dream of."
He bowed slightly, voice sincere.
"A man of my station could never aspire to become an official."
"What does your station have to do with it?" Yun Shu leaned her head on her hand, speaking with casual ease. "A true official should serve the people and contribute to Tian Sheng's prosperity.
Those who gain office just by scribbling a few useless essays, then idle their days away in comfort or even abuse their power... they're the ones who truly don't deserve their titles."
She gave a lazy wave of her hand.
"Regardless, This Princess sees promise in you."
"But... this thing I'm making, I don't know when it'll actually be finished." It was clear Yun Shu's praise came from the heart. Xiao Yuanzi, who had never before been so valued, was moved, yet he could not help feeling guilty.
He glanced at the pile of half-finished materials on the table, shame welling up in his chest. If only he could conjure a useful invention in a single day—if only—then he might live up to the weight of Yun Shu's words.
He placed a hand gently on the rough prototypes before him, frustration and anxiety showing plainly on his face.
"His Highness the Sixth Prince has already urged me more than once to finish this device, but at the time, I didn't even know what it was for. Now that I understand it's meant for dam construction, I'm terrified. I have no clear direction, and I fear I may end up delaying critical matters..."
"Why say you have no direction?"
Yun Shu furrowed her brow, puzzled.
"From what This Princess sees, you're already making great progress."
"It's merely somewhat sturdier than regular earth," Xiao Yuanzi replied with a shake of his head, his worry deepening.
"It's still too soft and far too easily broken. If we use this kind of clay to build a dam and something goes wrong... I wouldn't mind dying for it, but I'd never forgive myself if it brought harm to innocent people."
"If it needs to be harder..."
Yun Shu intertwined her fingers beneath her chin, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she examined the pieces laid out before her.
"Well, iron seems hard enough. What if you mixed some of that in?"
"Iron?" Xiao Yuanzi blinked. "Melted iron could be added, I suppose... but it cools quickly and solidifies into lumps. That might cause more harm than good."
"Who said it had to be molten iron?"
Yun Shu tilted her head.
"Couldn't it be powdered iron?"
"Iron powder…?"
Xiao Yuanzi stared for a moment, then a spark of excitement flashed across his face.
"Your Highness! That idea might actually work!"
He practically leapt to his feet.
"I'll go find some iron powder right away and give it a try!"
"Go, go!" Yun Shu waved him off eagerly, more excited than even he was.
"And once you have results, send word to This Princess immediately!"
…
It had already been near completion, and with Yun Shu's timely suggestion, Xiao Yuanzi moved swiftly. Within three days, the first batch of cement powder was delivered directly to Yun Shu.
At the same time, Ah Ku—whom she had dispatched to investigate Tang Bingfu—returned with his findings.
"…Tang Bingfu, passed the imperial examination in the second year of Emperor Xuanwu's reign. A man of humble origins, with no patrons in court, he was first assigned to Longzhou as a county magistrate.
In the fifth year of Xuanwu, he was transferred again… By the thirteenth year, famine struck Pengzhou, where he was then posted.
It happened to coincide with the Crown Prince's first disaster relief mission. Due to his inexperience, the Crown Prince ran out of grain mid-journey, prompting a riot among the refugees. The situation nearly spiraled out of control.
It was Tang Bingfu who arrived in time with his men to avert disaster.
From that moment, he gained the favor of the Crown Prince's Preceptor."
Ah Ku turned a page in his notebook.
"In the fourteenth year of Xuanwu, Tang Bingfu spent 300,000 taels of silver to purchase the position of Director within the Waterworks Division."
"Wait—purchase?"
Yun Shu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Was this yet another scandal?
"The Crown Prince is that stingy? Tang Bingfu saved him once, and he still had to pay for a promotion?"
And wasn't Longzhou and Pengzhou known for their poverty? For someone to rise from county magistrate in those regions and amass at least 300,000 taels of silver…
This Tang Bingfu must have been exceptionally greedy.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
This scandal was too big to enjoy alone. She needed to properly organize all the details and present it to Imperial Father later. They would savor the revelations together.
Yun Shu blinked excitedly.
"Did the Crown Prince sell many posts like this?"
"That, this subordinate has not yet investigated in full."
Ah Ku lowered his gaze respectfully.
"In just three days, there was only so much this subordinate could uncover. If I were to chase down every lead... even with three heads and six arms, it would not suffice.
However, this subordinate did confirm that during the incident with Tang Bingfu, the Crown Prince sold a total of ten positions."
"Ten—"
Ten posts sold in one go?
There was no longer any room for doubt.
Unfortunately, dusk had already fallen. Otherwise, she would have marched straight to Imperial Father to enjoy this scandalous gossip together.
"Fifth Sister!"
Just as Yun Shu was sighing in mild disappointment, a familiar voice rang out from the front courtyard.
She flicked her gaze toward Ah Ku. He understood instantly, disappearing in a flash.
And barely a moment after he vanished, Yun Chuhuan stepped into the doorway.
"Fifth Sister! I heard Xiao Yuanzi finally finished the clay I asked for—is it true?!"
"It's true," Yun Shu replied, raising a brow with mild surprise. "But how did you find out so quickly?"
"I told Xiao Yuanzi I couldn't run back and forth between the palace and outside every day. I asked him to send word the moment he succeeded."
Relieved to have her confirmation, Yun Chuhuan hurried to the table, eyes fixed on the wine jar resting there.
"Xiao Yuanzi said he succeeded thanks to your help, Fifth Sister. But because this is the first successful batch, there wasn't much of it, so he had it all delivered to you first…
Is it this one? Huh? Why's there only powder in here?"
He hastily tore open the jar's seal, expecting to find the 'mud' he had longed for over many sleepless nights—only to get a face full of dust as he leaned in.
Yun Chuhuan coughed violently, eyes watering.
"What... is this stuff?"
"This is the cement."
Yun Shu chuckled softly and resealed the jar.
"Once it dries, it hardens permanently. It can't be reverted to mud form. So Xiao Yuanzi didn't mix it with water. He sent it in powdered form for easier use later."
"It really gets that hard?"
Yun Chuhuan's eyes lit up with renewed curiosity, though his coughing had somewhat dampened his earlier excitement.
"You've seen it with your own eyes after it dried? You're sure this isn't fake?
Fifth Sister... how about letting me take a little back to test for myself?"
"...Are you sure it's just for testing?"