"Father Emperor…"
Yun Shu could hardly contain her exasperation.
She had noticed it more than once—her Imperial Father had a rather inconvenient habit of zoning out. Whether it was because he got too engrossed in his thoughts or something else, she couldn't say, but it had happened several times right in front of her eyes.
She was standing here, a full-grown person, and yet he acted as if she were completely invisible.
Displeased, Yun Shu pouted. "You're always saying the national treasury is depleted. But those mountains of gold and silver are sitting right there in plain sight. If you do not claim them now and someone else gets to them first, it will be too late for regrets."
"What is the rush?"
With the Simulation Life Selection System quietly backing him, Emperor Xuanwu spoke with the calm confidence of someone who held all the cards.
He let out a faint scoff, as if the person whose eyes had gleamed with green light just moments ago upon confirming the existence of those very gold and silver mines wasn't himself.
"So what if the Wa Kingdom truly possesses abundant gold and silver mines? Do you believe that the past incursions of those Wa pirates—disguised time and again as sea raiders to burn, plunder, and ravage the coast of Yizhou—were met only with surface-level resistance for no reason? That the stationed forces merely repelled them without deeper retaliation?"
"Was it not because Father Emperor considered the Wa Kingdom too poor, and that launching a campaign against them would simply be a waste of resources?"
Yun Shu blinked, her reasoning impeccable.
"The treasury is already near empty. Even if a military campaign were successful, the spoils might not cover the costs. Of course you would be reluctant."
Emperor Xuanwu: "..."
Well, she wasn't wrong.
He coughed lightly and adopted a more solemn tone. "That is merely one aspect. More critically, our Da Tian Sheng has no navy."
In the past, no one had paid heed to the distant lands overseas. Among the known foreign nations, none were deemed worthy of Tian Sheng's serious consideration. For centuries, the Empire had rarely fought maritime wars.
The Court would have to be mad to spend enormous sums building a fleet that would likely never see battle.
And now, based on nothing more than Yun Shu's casual remark that the Wa Kingdom might have gold and silver mines, the Ministry of Revenue was expected to allocate funds to build a navy from scratch?
The court officials would surely be the first to raise objections.
Yun Shu quickly realized the dilemma and offered a tentative suggestion. "How about we say... I dreamed it again?"
"?"
He had been hoping for a solid, practical plan—what kind of absurdity was this?
Emperor Xuanwu gave her a side-eye, voice cool. "So you truly wish your name to be remembered as a divine maiden?"
"I only meant that this method seems to work!"
Yun Shu sneaked a glance at the emperor, then shamelessly added, "Weren't the ministers just the other day demanding I dream more often? They wanted me to divine the future and offer predictions, did they not?
Besides, they clearly stated that no matter what I say next, they will believe me. If that is the case, then I shall say the Wa Kingdom holds rich deposits of gold and silver.
Surely they wouldn't slap their own faces so quickly after making such grand declarations, would they?
If necessary, I'll offer a fallback—if no gold or silver is found in the Wa Kingdom, I will personally cover the cost of the naval expedition."
Seeing Emperor Xuanwu raise an eyebrow, his expression suggesting he might be swayed, Yun Shu delivered her final blow.
"If we do find the mines, it's pure profit. If we don't, I take the loss. Either way, it's a win for the court. The ministers will be thrilled—no doubt they'll agree on the spot."
"You even seem proud of yourself."
Emperor Xuanwu's lips twitched.
"But even if they agree to form a navy, who will build it? Who will train it?"
"Our Tian Sheng has no experienced naval commanders."
What a pity—the upgraded Simulation Life Selection System could only show him a single future image. If it had given him that training scene in full, perhaps he could have identified the ideal naval general.
The military officials currently serving in court…
"Father Emperor, what about Tang Muzhi—the Prefect of Qiongzhou?"
Muzhi?
"Utter nonsense."
Emperor Xuanwu instinctively rejected what sounded like another harebrained idea.
"Tang Aiqing is a civil official, and currently serving as Prefect of Qiongzhou. How could he possibly command a navy?"
"Why not? Qiongzhou is an island province. The land is vast, the population sparse, and the region is frequently harassed by so-called pirates from the Wa Kingdom and Annan. It's the perfect place for training a naval force.
As for my cousin…"
In the original plotline, he had abandoned his literary path to become a renowned general, a lone force who turned the tide of battle. Even the tyrant, despite knowing he was the female lead's one true love, never dared to have him killed.
With credentials like that, how could his capabilities be in doubt?
Alas, she couldn't exactly use a fictional narrative to justify a military appointment.
Yun Shu scratched her head and offered a watered-down explanation. "He practices martial arts. I heard he also studies military texts."
"If reading a few books and swinging a sword could make one a general, our Tian Sheng would have more commanders than we could ever use."
Emperor Xuanwu snorted, dismissing her naive suggestion with a wave of his hand.
"Enough. We have taken your words into consideration. If there is nothing further, return to your residence.
As for your claim of dreaming that the Wa Kingdom holds vast gold and silver deposits, draft a memorial. Present it yourself at court tomorrow morning."
"Yes, your daughter obeys."
Yun Shu did not press further.
After all, when it came to evaluating the empire's military commanders, Imperial Father would know far better than she.
So long as someone could be dispatched to retrieve those mountains of gold and silver, she had no complaints.
With a crisp farewell, Yun Shu withdrew.
The very next morning, she reappeared in the Xuan Zheng Hall with a memorial in hand, swaggering in as if she owned the place.
The officials, who had barely finished arranging their robes, immediately froze upon seeing the one person they least wanted to encounter.
"..."
If past experience had taught them anything, it was that nothing good ever came of Princess Sheng An's early-morning appearances.
What mischief was she up to this time?
Or more precisely… who was her unlucky target today?
"Good morning, Minister Yan."
Before the others could figure it out, Yun Shu flashed a sunny smile and strode past the gathered ministers, heading straight for the Minister of Revenue with uncanny precision.
"You look especially spirited today!"
Minister Yan: "..."
What had he done to offend her this time?
Surely she wasn't planning to reclaim the reward money she had handed out to the disaster relief troops from her own private coffers? Was she going to try and make the Ministry of Revenue cover that sum?
Absolutely not.
That was ten thousand taels of silver.
She had insisted on playing the generous heroine, showering soldiers with silver as reward. No one had forced her.
The Ministry would not foot that bill.
With the sympathetic gazes of his fellow ministers weighing heavily on him, Minister Yan straightened his back with righteous indignation.
Hmph. He would not give her even a single coin.
Not one.