To ensure that his sarcasm could be conveyed with the utmost flourish, the Eldest Prince wasted no time after morning court. The moment he returned to his residence, he changed into an ornate formal robe and ordered a lavish spread of wine and delicacies prepared.
He was ready to receive Yun Shu.
Once she arrived, he intended to bury her in smiles laced with barbed mockery.
But the morning passed and still there was no sign of Yun Shu leaving the palace.
Instead, what arrived was a flustered young eunuch carrying a freshly printed edition of the Capital Weekly, its ink barely dry. Yun Shu had arranged for a last-minute emergency reprint.
The headline alone was enough to stop the Eldest Prince cold.
"Shocking! The Crown Princess Did Such a Thing!"
Had this headline appeared in any gossip rag on the streets of the capital, the Eldest Prince might have smugly assumed someone had finally dug up one of Yun Shu's shameful secrets.
But this was the Capital Weekly.
Everyone knew its headlines were always sensational. They were meant to be glanced at and forgotten. No one ever took them seriously.
Expression blank, the Eldest Prince continued reading.
As expected, the opening paragraphs were all fawning praise—gushing over how much effort Yun Shu had poured into founding the Tian Sheng Academy. Each line described how painstakingly she had toiled for the greater good, how earnestly she labored for the future of the realm.
The middle section was written in the simplest language possible. Clearly, it had been crafted to be understood by the common folk. It carefully explained the importance of establishing the Tian Sheng Academy, and detailed the tangible benefits it would bring to everyday people.
The tone read almost like Yun Shu, after completing her rounds with the court officials, had suddenly remembered the commoners and decided to greet them in advance. She begged them, kindly and tirelessly, not to cause trouble.
The Eldest Prince gave a cold scoff and turned the page.
But the moment his eyes landed on the next section, the mockery at the corner of his lips twisted into fury.
Yun Shu. That shameless woman had the gall to pour out her grievances to the people.
She claimed she was under enormous pressure.
She openly admitted that her plan to create a tuition-free academy for the common people would certainly ruffle the feathers of many aristocratic clans.
She warned that some ill-intentioned parties might attempt to stir unrest among the masses.
But she quickly added that causing a disturbance would bring nothing but harm to the commoners themselves.
After all, the Tian Sheng Academy accepted new students every year. Unless one had committed heinous acts such as abandoning or murdering their own children, there would always be another opportunity to apply.
However, if one were to incite trouble and be blacklisted by the Academy, then they would be barred for life.
If Yun Shu had stopped there, the Eldest Prince might still have managed to suppress his rage.
But she had not.
She went on to declare that in order to prevent such unrest, she had personally visited every household of importance and secured their support.
Every household except one.
The Eldest Prince's residence.
"I see now," the Eldest Prince growled, his voice thick with venom. "What she truly means to say is that if anything goes wrong tomorrow at the Tian Sheng Academy's enrollment, then it must be my doing."
"Your Highness, please calm yourself!"
His chief advisor had rushed over the moment he heard the news. Entering the room, he was greeted by the sight of the Eldest Prince trembling with fury.
"Now is not the time for anger," the advisor said in a hushed, urgent tone. "The top priority should be to cancel the original plan."
"Cancel?" The Eldest Prince's eyes widened with disbelief.
"Why should I cancel anything? Why should I play along with her scheme? Because she claims I did it, then I must have done it?
Oaths are meaningless. Who in their right mind would believe in such childish tricks?"
"You underestimate the will of the people, Your Highness," the advisor said, his tone patient but firm. "The ones we bribed to stir trouble are all individuals who do not meet the Academy's admission criteria. Even if caught, they would never be swayed by the Crown Princess's rhetoric.
But the greater concern lies with the rest. The majority of the commoners do qualify. Before that article was published, they might have remained bystanders if chaos broke out. Some might have even watched with amusement."
"But now?" The advisor shook his head. "Now Her Highness has made her stance clear.
She is willing to withstand pressure from noble clans, but if even the people she strives to help turn their backs on her, she will withdraw every benefit she has offered them.
Faced with the threat of losing their only chance at advancement, no commoner will stand idle. The moment someone attempts to make a scene, the people will intervene.
If they merely subdue the agitators, perhaps the damage will be limited. But what if they go further? What if those commoners know one another? What if they talk? What if, in their outrage, they drag Your Highness's name into it?
That would spell disaster."
"Yun Shu!" The Eldest Prince slammed his fist down onto the table.
He knew everything the advisor said was true.
He ground out her name through clenched teeth, every syllable seething with the urge to tear her apart.
He was unwilling, but he had no choice but to relent.
"Very well. The matter is now yours to clean up."
"Understood."
The advisor bowed and quickly left to dismantle the plan before it could erupt.
No one had anticipated that Yun Shu's seemingly frivolous oath-swearing campaign over the past few weeks had been a meticulously laid trap.
When news of this reached the palace, even Emperor Xuanwu was stunned. He cast a long look at his crafty little cub.
"You certainly have no shortage of tricks. You managed to toy with Our entire court of officials."
"How can you say that, Father Emperor?" Yun Shu looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Your Daughter trusted them, truly. Once they gave their word, Your Daughter believed them at once. The trust between people is simple and pure. Is that not what moves the world?"
Emperor Xuanwu was speechless.
Ask any of those officials whether they dared to make even the slightest misstep now.
With one article, not only had she boxed in her detractors—including the Eldest Prince—but she had also painted every opponent of the Tian Sheng Academy as enemies of the people.
The voice of the people.
Even he, the Son of Heaven, could not ignore it.
Emperor Xuanwu shook his head, too weary to continue watching her act so guileless.
With a faint snort, he tossed a memorial onto her table.
"Read this."
"This memorial looks… different." Yun Shu tilted her head, studying the document's outer casing with interest.
"Could this be one of those legendary secret reports?"
"It is indeed a secret report," Emperor Xuanwu replied.
"It was sent by the spies in Bei Xiang."
"Bei Xiang?" Yun Shu blinked.
What had happened in Bei Xiang?
Could it be that Huyan Mingchuan had already made his move?
That did not seem right.
Lately, Huyan Mingchuan had been rather dedicated to his mathematics studies. Just a few days ago, he had finished the entire senior high school curriculum. In order to obtain the next volume, he had even promised to appear in person tomorrow at the Tian Sheng Academy's enrollment day to help recruit for the mathematics department.
If he somehow still had time to eliminate the entire Bei Xiang royal court without so much as a ripple…
Then she would have to suspect that Heaven had granted him a cheat code of his own.
Puzzled, Yun Shu opened the secret report.
As it turned out, no—he had not opened any cheats after all.