Yun Shu no longer had the leisure to wonder how many court officials had been rattled by her outreach to foreign allies.
Because the Liu family's merchant ships had returned from overseas.
Back in early autumn last year, shortly after she first arrived in this world, Yun Shu had quickly captured Yun Chuhuan's palate using the flavors of McD and Grandpa Ken. She had deliberately used that opportunity to lure him in, coaxing him into sending the Liu family's fleet to venture farther and deeper across the seas in search of rare goods unknown to the Tian Sheng Dynasty.
To his credit, Yun Chuhuan had done just that.
Yet due to the limitations of the era, those ships had set sail last autumn and not a single word had come since. As the months dragged on, Yun Shu had nearly resigned herself to the idea that the fleet was lost.
But who could have foreseen this?
That scoundrel Yun Chuhuan had suddenly shown up at Fengyang Palace, striding in with several crates hauled by servants.
"Fifth Elder Sister, guess what wonderful treasures I brought you!"
"Treasures?"
This boy was already drowning in debt. What on earth could he possibly be delivering to her now?
Recalling something he had once said, Yun Shu's lips twitched.
"You didn't actually sneak into Yaohua Palace and haul off something valuable to pawn for silver notes, did you?"
"..."
He had thought about it, yes, but his Imperial Consort Mother had forbidden it.
Once again reminded of his unresolved debts, the proud grin on Yun Chuhuan's face faltered for a brief two seconds before springing back with full force.
"Wrong guess, wrong guess. Try again, Fifth Elder Sister! I swear it's something good!"
"I give up."
Yun Shu spoke carelessly.
"What, did the Liu family's overseas merchant fleet actually return bearing crates of rare treasures?"
Yun Chuhuan: "!!!"
Yun Shu: "...???"
Surely not. Did she really just guess it?
The idle mask slipped from Yun Shu's face at once.
"The merchant fleet actually returned? What did they bring back? Show me at once!"
"Why so impatient?"
Delighted to see his Fifth Elder Sister's rare expression of excitement, Yun Chuhuan gave a smug huff.
"They brought back all kinds of things. What I've brought here today are the items I personally picked out just for you."
As he spoke, he lifted his chin and motioned for Xiao Anzi to open the first chest on the left.
"This is…"
Inside lay a set of garments faintly reminiscent of an early European-style puffed dress. Yun Shu's lips twitched ever so slightly.
So the original novel really was an eclectic mashup of cultures.
That's the charm of a fabricated setting. So long as the author willed it, anything could exist or not exist, take any shape or form—entirely at her discretion.
She touched her chin thoughtfully.
Unaware of her shifting expression, Yun Chuhuan was still animatedly describing the uniqueness of the dress, and the curious design of a pair of high-heeled shoes.
Yun Shu made some vague appreciative noises, nodding along and playing her part, then hurried him to open the next chest.
Yun Chuhuan, still oblivious, moved on and revealed a stack of foreign-language books.
He could not read a single word, but that did not stop him from feeling rather proud of how refined the books looked.
Yun Shu: "..."
Surely this boy didn't bring back nothing but impractical baubles?
She kept her smile, and moved on to the third chest.
This one held scrolls and paintings. When Yun Chuhuan unfurled a portrait, his eyes lit up.
"Fifth Elder Sister, look! The people in these portraits don't look like us at all!
Could they be the 'demons' described in storybooks? Their eyes are actually blue—and look at the hair! All sorts of strange colors!"
"..."
Ten chests in total. The first nine held nothing of practical use.
Though Yun Shu made polite noises of admiration, in truth she had nearly given up hope.
Until they opened the tenth chest—and it delivered a genuine surprise.
"Didn't you say you wanted to find new ingredients not native to the Tian Sheng Dynasty? To see if we could invent new dishes? I had people gather all the seeds they could find that we don't already have!"
At last!
Yun Shu leaned in eagerly, carefully examining each labeled pouch of seeds.
Meanwhile, Yun Chuhuan fished a few sheets of paper out from a corner of the chest.
"There's this too. They asked around among the locals and wrote down how to plant these seeds, and what to watch out for.
You can hand both the seeds and instructions to your people later. Let them grow everything and test the results. See if we can create new dishes one by one."
He spoke with growing excitement.
"When the time comes, Fifth Elder Sister, you must let me be the very first to taste them!"
"Fine, fine. You shall be my royal taste tester."
Yun Shu had already identified chili peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds. The thought of finally being able to enjoy these foods openly filled her with joy.
Such a small request from Yun Chuhuan? Of course she agreed without hesitation.
Overjoyed by her answer, Yun Chuhuan tugged on her sleeve and began pulling her toward the courtyard.
"Fifth Elder Sister, forget the seeds for now. There's more outside!"
"More?"
Yun Shu set down the seed pouch and followed him to the front courtyard. She glanced around but saw no additional chests.
Just as she was about to ask, Yun Chuhuan pointed excitedly at a few potted flowers nearby.
"Look over there! Those flowers were also brought back by the fleet. I've never seen anything like them!"
Potato blossoms!
They were potatoes!
Just moments ago, Yun Shu had been slightly disappointed that there were no potato seeds in the chest. Now, her face lit up with delight.
"These flowers are truly beautiful."
"Aren't they?"
Yun Chuhuan beamed, nodding with smug satisfaction.
"I knew you would like them! There are only ten pots in total. I gave five to Mother Consort, and the remaining five—all for you!"
Who would have thought potatoes could be mistaken for ornamental flowers?
Then again, it was precisely because they were treated as decorative that they had been brought back in the first place.
Otherwise, she would have had no way to showcase all the marvelous ways potatoes could be cooked.
Pleased, she gave Yun Chuhuan a hearty pat on the shoulder.
Suddenly, she remembered something else.
"By the way, did the Liu family's fleet draw any maps of the lands they visited?"
"Maps?"
Yun Chuhuan blinked. That thought had never even crossed his mind.
"I'm not sure. But if you want, I can ask. The fleet's crew is still in the capital—they haven't left yet."