In the Yaohua Palace, chaos reigned. Chickens scattered, dogs barked — a storm had erupted.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace, Yun Shu was having a rare moment of peace. After a long, luxurious soak, she sprawled across her spacious, soft bed and let out a long-overdue sigh of contentment.
Alas, her leisure would last no more than a single day.
The morning after the victory banquet, she was once again summoned without mercy by Emperor Xuanwu to the imperial study. Her grueling life of toil resumed.
No — it had grown even more grueling.
The territory of Tian Sheng had expanded drastically this time. The process of integrating new citizens, assigning officials, and governing the newly acquired cities had only just begun. On top of that, the rapid development Tian Sheng had achieved over the past few years also needed to be gradually passed on to the new regions.
The workload was monumental.
Combined with her original duties, the pressure was crushing.
Yun Shu no longer dared dream of finishing early. If she managed to return to the Eastern Palace by the seventh hour of the evening, it was already a small miracle.
She was waking at the third watch and working till nightfall — every single day.
"This is unbearable! I can't keep living like this!"
After enduring this schedule for over a month, Yun Shu finally snapped.
"What kind of sane person goes to sleep at the eighth hour and wakes at the third?"
"Eighth…" Ting Xue tilted her head in confusion. She didn't quite understand what Yun Shu meant by 'eighth hour' or 'third,' but she certainly understood the words 'sleep' and 'wake.'
With a smile tugging at her lips, she stepped forward and gently massaged Yun Shu's shoulders.
"Isn't that what good folks are supposed to do? By the time the dog hour comes, the sky is already pitch black. Who stays up and runs about like a lunatic? That's what bad folks do."
"So we're supposed to sleep just because it's dark?"
Yun Shu practically bristled with frustration.
"Then why don't we just stop it from getting dark?"
Yes! Why not?
A sudden glimmer sparked in Yun Shu's eyes. The next day, as soon as she entered the imperial study, she wasted no time.
"Father Emperor, Your Daughter seeks a day's leave!"
"Denied," came the flat reply from Emperor Xuanwu without so much as lifting his head. He simply gestured toward the towering stacks of memorials on her desk — so tall they threatened to pierce the roof — and gave a cold laugh.
"If you abandon your post to idle about, who shall deal with those? Will they sprout legs and walk themselves to completion?"
"Can Your Majesty not pretend that your daughter returned from the battlefield just one day later?" Yun Shu leaned dramatically against the stack of documents before him, pointing to her small, pale face with righteous indignation.
"Father Emperor, look at me. Do you not see anything… amiss?"
"And what, pray tell, are We supposed to be seeing?" he asked, giving her the briefest of glances. "Petulance?"
"This is the scent of labor!" Yun Shu's voice rose in indignation, her words tumbling out in earnest.
"Do you know what that means, Father Emperor? It refers to a person's mental and physical exhaustion caused by work-related stress, distorted perception of time, pent-up consumer desires, and the economic structure mapped onto the twelve-hour cycle! It shows not only through visible signs, like giving up on dressing nicely or having constantly tired eyes —
It seeps into the very soul! It creates a negative and weary mindset! Usually, this only appears in overworked, financially struggling laborers who've been working for years."
But now it's manifesting right here — on Your Daughter's face!"
Emperor Xuanwu fell silent.
He didn't understand half the terms she'd rattled off. Still, the message was clear enough — she just wanted to skive off work.
He gave a dispassionate grunt.
"And what of it?"
"What of it? Your daughter intends to change everything!"
Yun Shu finally revealed her true motive.
"Father Emperor, look at these memorials and the endless tasks we attend to daily. Is it not true that many of them could be delegated to lower officials? And matters that require the deliberation of the court ministers — why must they be dragged out over two or three days just so they can all rush home before the palace gates close?
All it does is slow us down.
As things stand, the court ministers return home early every day, drinking tea and reading scrolls at leisure, while you and your daughter labor from night until night again. Do you not think that is unjust?"
What kind of world allowed the subordinates to enjoy tea and leisure while the sovereign and the Crown Princess slaved away like oxen?
Let them all grind like she did.
"What is so unjust about it?" Emperor Xuanwu was unmoved.
"As the ruler, it is only natural that Our burdens exceed those of ordinary officials.
And when the sky grows dark, unless the matter is urgent, should We not allow the ministers to return early and rest?"
Yun Shu was stunned.
If he lived in the modern era, he'd be the model of an ideal boss.
Unfortunately, she was walking the capitalist path now.
She didn't possess the Emperor's selfless heart. She could not abide waking at the third and working till the eighth hour, while the ministers merely worked from the third to dawn. Unless summoned by Emperor Xuanwu to the study, they were free to return and rest after court.
At most, a few would report to their ministries and work until the third hour of the afternoon. Even then, they had breakfast breaks from the seventh to the ninth hour and lunch breaks from the eleventh to the second hour.
Why? Who decided that was fair?
She was green with envy. So green, she was dreaming about switching work hours with the court officials.
Yun Shu took a deep breath and forced a serene smile.
"That is precisely why your daughter seeks leave today — to solve the problem of nightfall."
Emperor Xuanwu blinked. "Pardon?"
Solve what, exactly?
The sun rose in the east and set in the west. Day turned into night. That was the natural order of things.
What could she possibly do to change it?
Was she finally revealing her immortal heritage? Planning to return to the immortal realm to request the Immortal King of Sun, Moon, and Stars to make the sun hang eternally over Tian Sheng?
No night. Only endless daylight?
Was that not a bit too absurd?
Emperor Xuanwu remained silent for a long moment before finally asking, with some hesitation, "And how do you intend to solve it?"
"You will understand once it is done," Yun Shu replied solemnly.
"So may your daughter have the day off?"
"...Very well. Go."
Emperor Xuanwu waved his hand helplessly.
He couldn't very well stop his daughter from meeting some Immortal King.
Still, how did one meet a Immortal King again?
Did she need to find a secluded place and fly up into the heavens? Or take a nap and visit him in her dreams?
His mind wandered wildly.
Eventually, unable to resist his curiosity, he discreetly dispatched a member of the Dragon Shadow Guard to follow her.
The guard returned not long after.
"Reporting to Your Majesty. After leaving the palace, the Crown Princess went directly to the Ministry of Works."
"The Ministry of Works?"
So she hadn't gone to the immortal realm?
But what could the Ministry of Works possibly do about nightfall?
…Unless that little rascal had hidden the entrance to the immortal realm within the Ministry?
No matter. The Dragon Shadow Guard had already come back. Even if there had been an immortal gate, it would likely be closed by now.
Might as well focus on the memorials in front of him.
After all, his daughter had said he would understand once she resolved the issue.
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Like Father like Son. Their train of thought surprisingly similar about this (๑>◡<๑)