The tail end of summer still lingered in the capital, but the worst of the heat had long since passed. Still, as one accustomed to the rigors of martial training, the body of a seasoned warrior was naturally more heat-sensitive than most. So when the robust and battle-hardened General Wei Yuan donned the padded coat, it took only moments for a sheen of sweat to soak through his face.
"Now this is real warmth."
Far from deterred, the general grew increasingly eager. He had already made up his mind to deliver one of these to every soldier stationed at the frontier. In his excitement, he nearly forgot his original reason for coming—to challenge Yun Shu.
Pulling off the coat with sweat streaming down his temples, he turned to Yun Shu with bright eyes.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess, may I ask—is this garment difficult to make? How much does it cost? Could every man in the military be provided with one?"
"The price is modest. On average, each garment requires around two jin of cotton. Based on this Palace's purchase rate, the cost of materials alone would be around ten copper coins."
Yun Shu answered unhurriedly, eyes calm as still water.
"As for the outer fabric, if we use the simplest kind worn by common folk, the full garment can be made for no more than fifty coins."
She glanced at General Wei Yuan, who was clearly still thrilled.
"General, what do you think of the coat?"
"Excellent."
Without hesitation, he gave a firm nod.
"Utterly brilliant."
"Indeed."
Yun Shu smiled faintly and turned to offer a bow to Emperor Xuanwu.
"Father Emperor, as you can see, the truth speaks for itself. That Censor Chen spoke recklessly and has wronged your daughter."
General Wei Yuan: That's right! Wait—hold on, something feels off here…
Realization dawned all too late. As he recalled the actual reason for today's assembly, the wide grin froze on his face and slowly receded.
Above, Emperor Xuanwu, however, was clearly delighted.
"Excellent. Truly Our chosen Crown Princess—your heart beats in harmony with the people. This is Heaven's blessing upon Tian Sheng."
He turned sharply.
"Censor Chen, what say you now?"
"This servant dares not argue."
Censor Chen had been sweating ever since General Wei Yuan had put on the coat.
The difference was, the general sweated from heat. He, however, was drenched from sheer fear.
"This servant's understanding is shallow and ignorant. I never imagined the fruit of the Zhibei flower held such value. I wrongly accused Her Highness the Crown Princess. The fault is mine alone. I beg forgiveness from Her Highness and Your Majesty."
"In truth, none of us were aware of the potential use of the Zhibei flower's fruit. It is understandable that Censor Chen did not recognize its value."
Having unwittingly played a part in embarrassing a fellow official, General Wei Yuan awkwardly attempted to speak on his behalf.
"I believe he meant no true harm."
"When one does not understand a matter, one ought to investigate thoroughly before speaking."
Emperor Xuanwu's voice carried a cold edge.
"Given that this is Censor Chen's first offense, We shall be lenient and dock only three months of salary. Should there be a second time, We shall not show mercy."
"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Censor Chen hastily bowed and slunk back to his seat, not daring to utter another word.
Unexpectedly, the Eldest Prince stepped forward.
"Father Emperor, in this son's humble opinion, since the Zhibei flower fruit holds such utility, why not simply make its usage public knowledge? Those commoners who find it useful will naturally retain the fruit to make clothes."
He paused, then added with seeming sincerity:
"That way, the Crown Princess need not expend personal resources and effort, only to be falsely accused of buying the fruit at a low price to produce clothing and sell it at a profit to the people."
Well then. That's a nice little tea-scented accusation hidden in good intentions, isn't it?
What a fine Eldest Prince—learning all the wrong tricks.
Yun Shu gave a soft scoff and drew a folded copy of the Capital Weekly from her sleeve.
"Father Emperor, this daughter finds merit in Eldest Brother's words. That is why, after finishing the garments, I immediately wrote a detailed article explaining the method for using Zhibei flower fruit as padding for clothes and bedding."
She raised the paper in her hand.
"What I hold here is the latest sample issue."
The Eldest Prince: …
Damn. He had been preempted.
In this round, Yun Shu had played her hand flawlessly.
By the time the court was dismissed, the Eldest Prince's expression was utterly foul.
General Wei Yuan, knowing full well that he had not performed well today, approached sheepishly to offer comfort.
"Your Highness need not worry too much. If we think on the bright side, the Zhibei flower fruit grown by the common folk will surely be in surplus. Once they set aside what they need to make their own garments and bedding, the rest will still need to be sold to the Crown Princess."
He scratched his head.
"But even after she purchases it all, she won't be able to resell garments or bedding to the people at a profit—they'll already have what they need. In the end, wouldn't she be the one to bear the loss?
How much do you suppose she'll lose from that small surplus of fruit?"
The Eldest Prince wasn't the least bit comforted. He gritted his teeth, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
"What truly matters is the people's hearts. Clothing and bedding are necessities. In the harsh winters to come, every person who avoids freezing because of her will remember her kindness.
What is money in comparison? To the Crown Princess, that meager sum is of no consequence."
General Wei Yuan: …?
Could you just speak plainly? Why slander silver like that?
Money was important! It had taken him years of hiding coins from his wife just to save a few hundred copper.
Only people detached from the sufferings of the common folk would say things like "money is meaningless."
He pursed his lips but, out of loyalty to the man he had pledged to support, began racking his brains again for another reason to reassure him.
"There are still the merchants, are there not? The Crown Princess had specifically ordered the leaders of the local Merchants' Associations to send the Zhibei flower fruit to the capital. Surely, it was part of her plan to profit from garments and bedding."
He leaned closer.
"Now that the business can no longer proceed, and she cannot rescind the command without revealing her original intent, those merchants will have made the journey in vain. Naturally, they'll harbor resentment against her."
He tapped his chin.
"And if the Merchants' Association leaders begin to resent her, perhaps the matter of commercial taxes may turn… complicated."
The Eldest Prince fell silent.
Yes.
Why hadn't he thought of that?
Ever since Yun Shu had insisted on that absurd dream of hers—to build warships and launch a campaign against the Wa nation—the state treasury had become so empty that even mice no longer bothered to visit.
Now, Imperial Father and the Minister of Revenue were both counting on the end-of-year taxes from merchant trade.
If problems arose with the tax collection…
He wouldn't even need to act. The Minister of Revenue himself would clash with Yun Shu.
And when that happened, even Imperial Father might begin to lose patience with her.
The Eldest Prince's mood finally eased at the thought.
Meanwhile, in another part of the palace, completely unaware of the latest schemes hatched by the Eldest Prince and General Wei Yuan, Yun Shu was already following Emperor Xuanwu into the imperial study.
As she stepped into the room, the first thing she noticed was a smaller set of furniture arranged beside the dragon desk.
Yun Shu: …?
Surely it wasn't what she thought…