Someone like Huyan Mingchuan, with a thousand schemes hidden behind every smile—Yun Shu truly had no confidence in handling him herself. But her Imperial Father? That should do. After all, Emperor Xuanwu had ruled longer than Huyan Mingchuan had been alive.
So when Emperor Xuanwu gave a firm answer, Yun Shu's heart settled at last.
She pushed the matter out of her mind entirely and moved on with practiced ease.
"Right, Father Emperor, Your Daughter has another matter to discuss with you."
"Oh?"
Emperor Xuanwu leaned back slightly in his chair, a wry smile playing at the corners of his lips as he studied her expression.
"Why does it look like this won't be good news?"
"How could it not be good news? This is a matter of great importance, a tremendous boon for Tian Sheng."
Yun Shu spoke earnestly, glancing up at the beams above her head as though they might lend her some inspiration.
"If there's any downside… perhaps it's just that Minister Yan might not find it very agreeable."
Emperor Xuanwu was silent for a long moment.
Only then did he discover that when one was truly at a loss for words, it was entirely possible to laugh aloud from sheer frustration.
He gave a helpless sigh.
"How much silver do you want from the Ministry of Revenue this time? Was it not said that this year's commercial tax revenue alone has already surpassed what the national treasury made over several years in the past?"
Yun Shu muttered under her breath.
"So why not let Your Daughter use just a portion of it?
That money was collected thanks to the methods Your Daughter devised. Besides, this is not for my personal enjoyment. Everything I ask for is in service of Tian Sheng."
"If your reasoning is so sound, why not say it directly to Minister Yan's face?"
Emperor Xuanwu let out a cold laugh, unmoved.
"Speak plainly. What is it that you are planning to do for Our realm this time?"
"May I pose a question first, Father Emperor?"
Since she was asking for quite a large sum, Yun Shu chose her words carefully.
"In Your Majesty's view, what does Tian Sheng rely on for its long-term prosperity?"
"A good Emperor," replied Emperor Xuanwu without hesitation, brow lifting.
Yun Shu nodded immediately in agreement.
"Indeed. With a wise sovereign to steer the nation, the people may live in peace and prosperity. But if a foolish monarch holds the reins, the court descends into chaos and the people suffer. In such a state, the nation cannot possibly thrive.
However…"
She shifted slightly, a thoughtful pause in her tone.
"However, Your Majesty is but one man. What you must manage is the grand direction of the realm. Your task is to appoint and oversee capable officials. It would be impossible—and unnecessary—for you to handle every matter personally.
Therefore… for many things, we must rely on the people below to carry them out.
And not just anyone. They must be men and women of true talent."
"And so?" Emperor Xuanwu asked.
"So Your Daughter believes we must nurture a greater number of talents, and not merely those skilled in the civil service examination."
To make herself clear, Yun Shu began listing examples.
"Take someone like Jiang Yuanbao, who created the curved-shaft plow and the new spinning machine—he is a different kind of genius.
Or individuals well-versed in accounting or medicine.
Or even those who seek to explore the unknown and create that which has never existed before."
"Things that have never existed?" Emperor Xuanwu's interest stirred. "Like cement?"
"Something along those lines."
Yun Shu's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she began to envision a far-reaching future.
"Imagine a day when carriages no longer need horses to move, and within a single day, Your Daughter can travel from the capital to Jiangnan.
While in Jiangnan, I could still speak with you across great distances.
And if I am eager to return, I could abandon the carriage altogether and fly back through the sky…"
Emperor Xuanwu blinked.
It had started off sounding reasonable.
Now it was veering into the absurd.
What nonsense was this?
Was she not simply parroting the stories she had published in the Capital Weekly, those cultivation tales filled with fantastical things like sound-transmitting talismans and sword-flight?
How did she expect to build such things? Would she first need to summon an immortal?
Casting her a sharp glare, Emperor Xuanwu cut her off directly.
"That is enough. Cease this nonsense.
This is Tian Sheng, not the cultivation continent from your fiction."
"It was just idle imagining."
Yun Shu pouted slightly, though her tone remained composed.
Airplanes and high-speed rails—of course she knew such things were impossible.
Even if she could search for blueprints online, even if she somehow managed to bring a modern engineer into this world, without the materials, tools, and infrastructure, it would be like trying to cook a meal with no ingredients.
The gap in technology loomed too large. She could not possibly bridge it with wishful thinking alone.
But surely there was no law against dreaming?
In all seriousness, Yun Shu said,
"Father Emperor, you must understand. Many inventions in this world began with a simple act of imagination.
If one cannot even dare to dream, how can anything new ever be created?
Only by imagining first can one begin to explore how to bring those ideas into being.
Take cement for example. Was it not born because the Sixth Prince wanted to trip you?"
"…What?"
Had she said that right?
Cement was invented because… someone wanted to trip him?
Caught off guard by this revelation, Emperor Xuanwu almost laughed in disbelief.
"If We recall correctly, was it not you and Jiang Yuanbao who developed that formula?
So you two were conspiring with that wretched Sixth Prince all along to find ways to trip Us?"
"It wasn't like that the whole time," Yun Shu replied, sheepish but unrepentant.
"At the start, you made the Sixth Prince cry. After that, you just left him there. Your Daughter couldn't do much either, so I casually helped him cobble something together.
I didn't expect it to succeed at all.
Later, when we needed to build the dikes, it became clear that the cement had to work. So I put more thought into it… and it just happened to succeed.
By then, the incident with the Sixth Prince was already long past. Your Daughter truly didn't expect him to still hold a grudge.
Besides, you already punished us for that, did you not? Surely there's no need to hold a petty grudge now."
Emperor Xuanwu could only stare.
Truly… too filial.
To have these children—what a blessing.
Refusing to linger any longer on that frustrating topic, Emperor Xuanwu gave a snort and straightened his posture.
"So from what you are saying, you wish to establish something like an academy. A place that teaches these kinds of things specifically?"
"More precisely, Your Daughter intends to establish academies in every province and major city. These would be organized by field of study.
Those who wish to learn medicine may study medicine. Those who wish to learn accounting may study accounting.
The court will fund the institutions. Not a single copper will be charged for tuition."
Yun Shu explained her plan with solemn earnestness.
"Of course, in return, once the students graduate, they must first serve the court's needs—either taking on assignments or official tasks as designated. Only afterward would they be free to choose their own paths.
Additionally, those who fail to study properly or who, despite their efforts, prove wholly untalented, will be evaluated every quarter. Those who do not meet the standard will be advised to withdraw."