"It is not strictly about the merchant tax, but it is certainly related to it."
Yun Shu gave a slight nod.
"And for you all, this should be a fortunate matter."
"Fortunate? That's wonderful!"
Minister Yan's eyes lit up at once. His tone turned even more enthusiastic.
"Might I ask what it concerns exactly?"
"Minister Yan, you are well aware that This Princess has reviewed a great number of account books in recent days. The overall impression can be summed up in one word: tedious. Utterly tedious.
Lines upon lines of text waste both time and energy. Therefore..."
She retrieved a manual she had personally compiled over the past few days—The Tian Sheng Introductory Accounting Handbook—and handed it to Minister Yan with the poise of one who stood far above the fray.
"If the officials of your Ministry, and even common accountants across the land, could learn what is written in this booklet, it would undoubtedly spare your office considerable trouble.
Should Minister Yan doubt it, turn to the last few pages.
What took pages upon pages in the traditional ledgers can now be organized clearly and precisely on a single sheet using the method described here."
"This..."
Could this be the secret to how the Crown Princess managed to audit over 180 million taels of silver in merchant tax accounts in just over a month?
If true, then this booklet was nothing short of a treasure!
Excited, Minister Yan tucked the manual into his robe, thanked Yun Shu profusely, then hurriedly took his leave to pore over its contents in private.
As for Yun Shu, she merely paid respects to Emperor Xuanwu, then resumed her daily visits to the Ministry of Works.
Along the way, she also awarded the top taxpayer among the local Merchants' Associations and took the opportunity to sell back the cotton she had previously purchased at five copper coins per jin, now at a rate of six.
Though the profit margin was not large, the maneuver effectively silenced the Eldest Prince's accusations of her supposed extravagance.
In just a few days, the number of memorials impeaching Yun Shu had noticeably dropped. Of the towering three stacks that once cluttered the dragon desk in the imperial study, only two and a half remained.
"Do you see this?"
Emperor Xuanwu tossed a memorial onto the small table before Yun Shu, his voice laced with mirth.
"Now this is rare! Minister Yan, who once most enjoyed impeaching you, has written a special memorial—praising you."
"It is hardly a memorial of praise for Your Daughter."
Yun Shu scanned it swiftly, eyes gliding across the page.
"This is clearly a request to implement the new accounting method throughout all of Tian Sheng."
"And was it not you who developed that method?
Minister Yan extolled it to the skies. Is that not the same as praising you directly?"
Emperor Xuanwu gave a chuckling hum.
"That old man is hardly one to offer compliments lightly. Even when he was closely aligned with Yun Chucheng in the past, he never submitted a memorial like this.
If you can win him over, then there's no one in court you cannot manage."
In truth, under normal circumstances, following the failed rebellion of the deposed Crown Prince, the court should have undergone a thorough purge—cleansing his entire faction.
But the issue lay in the nature of Emperor Xuanwu's bond with the former Crown Prince. Unlike typical monarch-heir relationships, theirs had been one of absolute trust and devotion.
In fact, in the original succession struggle, Emperor Xuanwu himself had been the deposed Crown Prince's most ardent supporter.
This meant that more than half of the court had once belonged to the Crown Prince's faction.
Were they all purged, the imperial court would face the awkward crisis of lacking officials to serve.
Thus, after the rebellion failed, Emperor Xuanwu only prosecuted those who had knowingly participated—such as the Right Prime Minister and the household of Marquis Xuanping.
As for others like Minister Yan, who had not been directly involved, they were left untouched.
It was a reasonable choice, politically sound.
Yet for Yun Shu, the new heir, it was far from ideal—
These were all men who had once sided with the deposed Crown Prince and harbored no favorable impression of her.
Emperor Xuanwu had once worried deeply about this. But now, seeing how this little scoundrel managed to tame even Minister Yan, he realized she could handle any challenge with ease.
Each time Yun Shu visited the Ministry of Works, she seemed to produce something of tangible value.
Surely, this time would be no exception.
Emperor Xuanwu, curiosity piqued, could not help but ask:
"Tell Us, you've been going to the Ministry of Works nearly every afternoon. Do you have something new in mind?"
"That shall remain a secret for now."
Yun Shu grinned, resting her chin on one hand.
"Your Daughter will soon cause a stir outside the capital gates. Please pay it no mind, and do not send anyone to investigate.
It is Your Daughter's birthday gift to Father Emperor. You must wait until the day itself to see it. If the surprise is spoiled early, it will lose its charm."
"Oh?"
A birthday gift for him?
With that reminder, Emperor Xuanwu suddenly recalled that before last year's birthday, this very scoundrel had also paid several visits to the Ministry of Works—and then had presented him with low-cost paper.
What surprise would she bring this year?
His anticipation soared.
Without hesitation, Emperor Xuanwu nodded.
"We understand. Speaking of the birthday, there is a matter We have only just learned of."
"What matter?"
Yun Shu blinked, puzzled by her Imperial Father's sudden change in expression.
"Do not tell me that heir of Prince Lian has returned?"
Emperor Xuanwu snorted.
"Certainly not."
The last time that heir visited, he had practically left his manhood behind.
He would need an iron will to return this year!
In truth, even the Eldest Prince, who had accompanied him then, did not dare come this time. Likely, some form of psychological trauma lingered.
"This time, Bei Xiang has sent their Second Prince and Princess Baza."
"That much Your Daughter already knew."
Yun Shu tilted her head, confused.
"The official communication from Bei Xiang clearly stated that Princess Baza was coming on a marriage alliance mission, did it not?"
"That is precisely the issue."
Emperor Xuanwu's mouth twitched.
"The original document merely expressed the desire for a marriage alliance. Nowhere did it specify who the intended marriage partner would be.
It was our own officials who assumed the candidate must be Princess Baza."
"What do you mean?"
After all, in a diplomatic marriage between nations, the status of the parties involved could not be insignificant.