After returning to the palace from Liu Xingsong's estate, Yun Shu headed straight for the imperial study.
In the original storyline, when Tian Sheng and Bei Xiang were locked in the final stages of war, the Wa Kingdom had tried to sneak in for a share of the spoils. Though their strength was meager and they ultimately failed, the tactics they used had left Yun Shu thoroughly disgusted.
And even setting aside the original plot, Yun Shu's memory from her past life was filled with horrific accounts—disturbing documentary footage of human experiments conducted in secret. Because of that, she had never been able to muster even a sliver of goodwill toward the people of that island.
A certain emperor from her previous timeline had once commented on the Wa Kingdom with piercing accuracy:
"The nation of Wa is the most fickle and treacherous of lands. Its people, base and dishonorable, know no concept of gratitude, bending only to force of arms. Therefore, never should one show them even the faintest kindness."
Since the Wa Kingdom in this world mirrored that of her past exactly, and considering that it would eventually need to be dealt with anyway... why not seize the moment?
With high spirits, Yun Shu burst into the imperial study. The first words from her lips struck like thunder.
"Father Emperor, would You like mountains of gold and silver?"
Mountains of gold and silver?
Who in the world would not?
Emperor Xuanwu's writing hand froze mid-stroke. A thick blot of ink stained the memorial before him.
He snapped his head up, about to exclaim "Yes, of course!" How could he possibly decline such a thing?
But then, in a flash of memory, he recalled how this impudent little scoundrel had recently accused him of coveting her private stash. He had gone to great lengths just to coax her into letting go of that suspicion.
The words caught in his throat, twisted awkwardly, and emerged far more reserved than he intended.
"Where would We find such mountains of gold and silver?"
"Overseas!" Yun Shu stepped forward in quick strides, eyes shining.
"Have You heard of the Wa Kingdom, Father Emperor?"
"The Wa Kingdom?" Emperor Xuanwu frowned.
The Wa Kingdom was not far from Tian Sheng. He had certainly heard of it before.
"But We heard it is little more than a broken, impoverished island. Backward and barren, even Qiongzhou far outstrips it in prosperity."
"That is only because they have been sitting on gold and silver mines without even realizing it," Yun Shu replied in all seriousness.
"This daughter once read a travelogue written by a master of rare skill. He claimed he could read the heavens and interpret the earthly qi through geomancy and the Five Elements. He determined that certain lands were rich with fortune, their veins bursting with gold and silver hidden beneath the soil.
According to him, the Wa Kingdom possesses quite a number of such mineral veins.
At the time, this daughter thought it too far-fetched to believe.
But just today, I asked the Liu family's merchant—freshly returned from overseas—and he also mentioned that the island may indeed have silver mines."
"May have?" Emperor Xuanwu's gaze turned doubtful.
Those words—"may have"—were far too flimsy to rely on. He was about to dismiss the idea when a familiar gleam flickered before his eyes.
The light curtain of the Simulation Life Selection System, which had remained dormant since its upgrade, finally reappeared.
[Simulation Life Selection System at your service.]
[Please select your next course of action:
A. Reject Yun Shu's proposal, citing lack of evidence. The Tian Sheng court shall not act rashly.
B. Accept Yun Shu's proposal, but require her to persuade the court officials on her own.
C. Accept Yun Shu's proposal and immediately mobilize the army to invade the Wa Kingdom.
D. Accept Yun Shu's proposal, first establish a navy, begin training, and launch the campaign next year.]
Hm? This did not seem much different from the old system.
Emperor Xuanwu selected Option A with idle curiosity.
[You chose A. Yun Shu is deeply disappointed. The Tian Sheng Dynasty misses the opportunity to obtain mountains of gold and silver.]
So the gold and silver really do exist!
A spark lit in Emperor Xuanwu's eyes. He swiftly tapped Option B.
[You chose B. The court officials are stubborn and resistant. Yun Shu, incensed, decides to fund the navy herself and push for an invasion. She demands half of the gold and silver retrieved in return. Though this decision exhausts all her personal fortune and leaves her heavily in debt, within two years, the mountains of gold and silver shipped back from the Wa Kingdom make her unimaginably wealthy.]
"...!"
Emperor Xuanwu nearly leapt to his feet.
So the upgraded system gave far more detailed previews now.
Half. Half the treasure.
To call that "wealth" was far too meager.
That was...
He, who had never been rich in all his reign, was seething with envy at the outcome shown in Option B.
Without hesitation, he tried Option C.
[You chose C. With no naval experience, Tian Sheng's army suffers nearly ten thousand casualties. The Wa Kingdom is destroyed. Tian Sheng acquires the gold and silver.]
"...?"
Was he misunderstanding warfare?
Tian Sheng's troops had no naval experience, yet still destroyed the Wa Kingdom... and lost fewer than ten thousand men?
Not that he was complaining about the number. Quite the opposite.
But this was an annihilation campaign. Was the Wa Kingdom truly this feeble?
Emperor Xuanwu fell into brief silence, then turned to the final option.
[You chose D. Tian Sheng's army loses fewer than one thousand men. The Wa Kingdom is destroyed. Tian Sheng acquires the gold and silver. The newly established navy lays a solid foundation for future conquest.]
Ah, so forming the navy beforehand truly made a difference.
And look, the system even said it would pave the way for future—
Wait.
Why?
Why would it matter?
Future conquest...?
Unification of the realm?!
Who united the world?!
Him?!
Was that real? Was he truly going to become that powerful?
Had Yun Shu not been standing before him, Emperor Xuanwu might have leapt up to strike a celebratory pose on the spot.
To unify the world—who would not long for that?
The future histories would record his name with an entirely separate chapter.
He would become the greatest sovereign in all of recorded time.
The mightiest... the most glorious...
His elation came to an abrupt halt when the light curtain shimmered again, revealing a new and unfamiliar screen.
[Please select the future visual chart you wish to view (choose only one):
A. Wa Kingdom's mineral vein map
B. Post-unification: the Fengshan Ceremony of the Tian Sheng Emperor
C. Naval training chart]
The good news? The sovereign who unified the world was indeed formidable, so much so that their reign name surpassed even the name of the nation itself.
The bad news? That sovereign might not be him.
"..."
What did it mean to rise and fall?
This, perhaps, was the very definition.
How he longed to pick Option B. What if the future Emperor simply adopted a new reign name?
After all, it was not uncommon for a ruler to change titles after achieving such heights.
But... what if it was not him?
Better not to destroy what little hope remained.
He chose Option A instead. It was the most practical.
A detailed map would save them years of aimless digging.
Swallowing down his disappointment, Emperor Xuanwu selected A without hesitation, giving himself no time to regret it.
The next moment, the entire interface vanished, replaced by a single, red-marked map of the Wa Kingdom, each mining vein circled in clear, vivid detail.
So many mines!
The fire that had briefly cooled within him reignited with fury.
Yes. Mountains of gold and silver. Enough to make a man burn with ambition once more.
===
The Fengshan Ceremony (封禅大典, Fēngshàn Dàdiǎn) is an ancient Chinese imperial ritual performed by emperors to affirm their Mandate of Heaven and to proclaim cosmic legitimacy over All Under Heaven (天下, Tiānxià). It consists of two parts:
Fēng (封) — "To seal the sacred mountain" (typically Mount Tai, 泰山), offering sacrifices to Heaven.
Shàn (禅) — "To abdicate before the Earth", offering sacrifices at the foot of the mountain to Earth.
This ritual signified that the emperor's virtue and rule were in harmony with Heaven and Earth. It was rarely performed due to its grandeur and the belief that only truly virtuous emperors could rightfully conduct it.
In here Tian Sheng will be Yun Shu title as the Emperor in the future, just like the current Emperor- Yun Zhuoyuan that bear title Xuan Wu.
"The sovereign who unified the world was indeed formidable, so much so that their reign name surpassed even the name of the nation itself."
This line is commenting on the overwhelming legacy and prestige of the emperor, to the point that:
"Tian Sheng" was originally the name of the dynasty (like "Tang" or "Han"),
But the emperor who eventually unified the world was so exceptional that "Tian Sheng" became associated more with that emperor personally than the dynasty as a whole.
In other words:
The name of the reign — Tian Sheng — became more historically significant than the dynasty itself.
In Chinese history, reign titles (年号) and dynasty names (国号) are often separate. But in this context, "Tian Sheng" is both the name of the dynasty and the name later remembered as the title of the emperor who achieved greatness.
So the phrase is saying something like:
This emperor's legacy overshadowed even the dynasty. When people say "Tian Sheng," they no longer just think of the empire — they think of her.