Tucked away in her villa, Yun Shu had spent the day combing through the net for a trove of ancient ship blueprints. After gathering what she needed, she modified the designs slightly to better suit Tian Sheng's current capabilities.
Brimming with excitement, she took the rolled-up drawings straight to the Ministry of Works, hoping to consult her maternal grandfather and Jiang Yuanbao. Yet upon arriving, she found the two already seated around a low table with a third man, a young stranger whose face she did not recognize. The three of them appeared deeply immersed in thought.
Curious, Yun Shu walked over and peeked her head in. Her gaze was immediately met with a sea of diagrams so intricate they nearly made her eyes spin.
"What is all this?"
She picked up one of the pages, utterly puzzled.
It was only then that the group, previously lost in their own thoughts, noticed her presence and quickly rose to their feet to offer a formal greeting.
"We pay our respects to—"
"At ease."
She waved them off, eyes still on the sketches. Though barely, she managed to make out the design of a gear assembly. Turning the sheet over, she glanced at her grandfather and the others.
"Weren't you working on the warships?"
"Qiao Zhang raised a concern," Tang Yuanlin explained. "He said the ships would have to travel far across open seas, often with a specific destination. If we relied solely on the wind to move the sails, a sudden change in wind direction could cause serious delays. On the other hand, depending entirely on manpower to row such large vessels would be far too strenuous."
He gestured toward the stranger. "It just so happens he once witnessed Your Highness installing that automatic gate in Xianting. That sparked an idea—he wanted to see if we could somehow design ships that could row themselves. Or at the very least, ones that require less effort to operate."
"Ships that can row themselves?"
They were already thinking that far ahead?
That's talent.
Her gaze fell on the unfamiliar face—the only one present she didn't know. And suddenly, a name flashed in her mind.
"Qiao Zhang? Are you… Zheng Qiao Zhang?"
For those with true ambition, being remembered by one's superior was no small matter.
Zheng Qiao Zhang looked up, surprised. "I did not expect Your Highness to recall my name."
"Back at the poetry gathering, few could grasp the design of Xianting so quickly. But Zheng Daren stood out. Even if I tried, it would be difficult not to remember you."
Yun Shu raised an eyebrow, equally surprised. "I simply hadn't expected Zheng Daren to end up here, at the Ministry of Works."
"At the poetry gathering, Your Highness offered a few words that enlightened this humble subject greatly. To be granted a post here at the Ministry is, in truth, a long-cherished dream fulfilled."
Zheng Qiao Zhang dipped his head with humble grace. What he did not say, however, was that his appointment had been personally decreed by His Majesty.
And that ever since the poetry gathering, he had searched among the other scholars in his cohort, trying to find the mysterious first-place winner of that event—without success. Yet on the day of the palace examination, he heard the Emperor speak a few words. The voice was startlingly similar to the one from that day.
Could it have been His Majesty himself?
Was it because of his performance at the gathering that he was specially chosen for this role?
It was not a question Zheng Qiao Zhang dared to ask.
And so Yun Shu could not possibly know.
She only felt that both she and Zheng Qiao Zhang had been rather lucky. Placing the drawing back on the table, she casually pulled over a chair and sat down.
"So, how are your ideas coming along? Any progress on the self-propelled ships? Or the ones that take less effort to row?"
"We've found little success on the former," Tang Yuanlin admitted. "No clear solutions yet. But the latter—there we might have something."
As the conversation returned to serious matters, Zheng Qiao Zhang immediately retrieved several diagrams he had placed beside him.
"Your Highness, please take a look. Jiang Daren earlier proposed we add a component here. If we take that foundation and also incorporate—"
He proceeded to explain in detail everything they had been discussing over the past few days, including suggestions from Jiang Yuanbao and Tang Yuanlin.
When he finished, three sets of eyes turned to Yun Shu in unison.
"Does Your Highness believe this method will work?"
"Whether it works or not, build a small prototype and test it. That will answer the question better than any guesswork."
She was no expert. Just looking at the plans, how could she possibly say for sure whether such a thing would succeed?
Yun Shu reached into her sleeve and pulled out her own blueprint.
"But before you begin, I brought a drawing as well. Take a look. If we merge this with yours, might the result be even better?"
"What is this…"
None of them had expected Yun Shu to bring her own design. And some of the details on her page were things they had not even considered.
The three men studied the blueprint intently. After a moment, their expressions lit up.
"This design is ingenious."
"As long as it's useful, that's enough."
Useful? Of course it was.
This was the culmination of thousands of years of Chinese naval ingenuity, prior to the invention of steam engines. Among non-mechanical vessels, it was unrivaled.
While Zheng Qiao Zhang and the others were still murmuring among themselves, discussing her design, Yun Shu quietly cradled her now-cool teacup. After a beat, she turned and gestured toward a servant just outside the room.
"Bring me a complete tea set. This Princess shall brew tea here."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Strictly speaking, tea brewing was not allowed in this area.
But this was Princess Sheng An.
The servant didn't hesitate. In short order, he returned with a full set of elegant tea ware and a small, finely crafted stove.
So it was that while Zheng Qiao Zhang was still mid-explanation, a sheet of thin xuan paper fluttered lightly onto his hands.
At first, he paid it no mind. But then a second page drifted over. Then a third.
Finally, he turned his head.
And there was Yun Shu, holding yet another square of xuan paper above her kettle. Likely torn too small and too light, the paper didn't even touch the water before the steam rising from the spout blew it toward him.
Zheng Qiao Zhang stared.
Had Princess Sheng An always been so childlike? Or was this her silent way of rebuking them for forgetting her presence while they spoke?
After a moment's hesitation, Zheng Qiao Zhang spoke softly.
"Your Highness, what are you…"
"Tell me, why does the paper fly away like that?"
As though she had not heard him, Yun Shu tilted her head, brow furrowed in deep thought.
"What exactly is that white mist?"
Zheng Qiao Zhang blinked.
The three men froze.
Indeed. What was that white mist?
Was it wind?
But fire boils water. Why would it produce wind?
And besides, wind did not look like that.
Was it smoke?
Surely not. Ordinary smoke could never lift a sheet of paper. Some lids, too, if light enough, were carried by it.
It was such a common thing, yet none of them had ever thought to question it. Now that Yun Shu raised the matter, not one of them could answer.
They exchanged bewildered glances, suddenly aware that they had no idea.