Unaware of the wild drama her stern and proper Imperial Father had likely conjured up the moment she left, Yun Shu stepped briskly into the Ministry of Works.
Without delay, she summoned Jiang Yuanbao, Zheng Qiaozhang, and Ye Qing'an — the few individuals currently leading the charge in the realm of "innovation".
To avoid interfering with their existing duties, she first asked, "You all are not currently overwhelmed with work, I trust?"
"Naturally not," Ye Qing'an replied.
He had once served as Yun Shu's Grand Preceptor and remained close to her, familiar with her temperament. He could not help but add in a lightly rueful tone, "After all, when Your Highness quelled the rebellion across the Seven States, this humble official's name was not among those borrowed from the Ministry of Works."
"Each has their area of expertise," Yun Shu coughed lightly. "For this new design, This Princess has called you here precisely because of your strengths."
"A new design?" they echoed in curiosity.
Though all of them had heard rumors of a strange and formidable new weapon, the court had yet to formally announce anything. It was clear this was something meant to be kept under strict secrecy.
Catching onto her cue, they shifted the subject. "Your Highness is once again preparing a birthday gift for His Majesty?"
"Indeed," Yun Shu replied without missing a beat.
"Truth be told, I've been refining this design since last year. If nothing unexpected arises, there should be no need for further revisions. Simply follow the drawings as they are, and the finished product should come together."
"Now I'm truly intrigued," said Zheng Qiaozhang, rubbing his hands together.
"May we see the design?"
"Right here," Yun Shu said.
She unfurled the drawings she had hastily drafted the previous day within her private villa space and laid them flat across the table.
"Come closer. Tell me if anything looks unclear."
"Your Highness, what are these circles?" Jiang Yuanbao asked, pointing toward a detailed section at the center of the diagram. "They look like the winding mechanism used to lower a bucket into a well."
"Not quite," Yun Shu raised her brow and began her explanation.
Given Jiang Yuanbao's talents leaned heavily toward carpentry, mechanical devices, and structural design, his grasp of abstract physics was somewhat lacking. Naturally, he was the one asking the most questions throughout the discussion.
But his inquiries proved invaluable. Thanks to them, Yun Shu was able to elaborate on every critical detail, ensuring all three men fully understood the drawings down to the finest point.
By the time she finished explaining the entire design, the sun had nearly dipped below the horizon.
As Yun Shu stepped over the threshold, ready to depart, the three men followed her out with reluctant admiration still shining in their eyes.
She paused, gazing across the courtyard's barren branches toward the gilded edges of fire-hued clouds stretching over the distant sky. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she turned back to them.
"Enough. This Princess must return to the palace. I likely won't be able to come out again for some time.
If further questions arise, send them directly into the palace.
This Princess hopes that when we meet again, the setting sun shall no longer be the reason I must rush back to the imperial court."
"Rest assured, Your Highness," Ye Qing'an said, still somewhat dazed, his mind whirring with the physics Yun Shu had crammed into their session. His expression was tense with a curious sort of exhilaration.
"Your Highness has laid out the diagrams so clearly. If we still fail to produce the item, then we may as well declare ourselves useless."
"Indeed…" Zheng Qiaozhang began to agree, but a glimpse out of the corner of his eye caught a craftsman standing in the courtyard. He smacked his forehead with a start. "Ah, I nearly forgot. In the rush to respond to Your Highness's summons, I almost left out another important matter.
Your Highness, the treasured sword you commissioned earlier has been completed. Would you care to see it?"
"So soon?" Yun Shu blinked, surprised.
After she had developed the steam-powered steel-refining process, she'd given instructions to begin forging a sword — one she had promised to gift to Cen Yiyi.
Yet her memories of ancient legends in the modern world still lingered. Tales of swords quenched with blood, lives offered to the forge — she did not believe them, of course, but a lingering idea had remained rooted in her mind:
A true treasured blade, one worthy of legend, should take years, perhaps even decades to forge.
And now, barely a year had passed.
Had they really completed it?
"Then let's see it," Yun Shu said with curiosity, nodding. "Where is the sword?"
"Already delivered, Your Highness," Zheng Qiaozhang replied. He motioned to the craftsman holding a long sword case in his arms. "You there! Present the blade to Her Highness!"
"Y-Your Highness!" the craftsman stammered, his voice cracking with nerves.
He had spent his entire life forging steel, never dreaming that one day he would stand before the Crown Princess herself. He clutched the case with white-knuckled hands.
"The blade… the treasured blade is here!"
With trembling fingers, he opened the case to reveal the sword within — elegant in its simplicity, yet exquisitely crafted.
The sheath and hilt matched Yun Shu's original designs precisely. The snow-white scabbard bore intricate, ancient motifs etched deep into its surface. Under the golden hue of the setting sun, faint motes of light seemed to drift through the carved patterns, subtle and mysterious.
Yun Shu reached out and lifted the sword. Its surprising lightness caught her off guard.
Schwing.
The blade slipped free with a crisp, resonant note. The edge shimmered like autumn water, the steel thin as a cicada's wing, its cold gleam sharp enough to chill the air.
Even Yun Shu — someone utterly untrained in swordsmanship — found herself reluctant to put it down.
"Yiyi would be a general, a commander of soldiers. A pretty sword alone would never suffice."
Yun Shu turned her wrist and glanced around. "Is there anything here we can use to test the blade?"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the craftsman replied, as if anticipating this moment. He swiftly removed the saber strapped at his waist.
"This is the current standard-issue blade for the army. Please, try striking against this."
"You mean… just cut into it directly?"
Yun Shu hesitated.
The current weapons used by the Tian Sheng army had already been improved under her guidance. On the battlefield, the blades of the Seven States had been utterly outmatched.
The sword in her hand was beautiful, yes — but its blade was half as thick as that saber.
Was it really safe to go head-to-head with something like this?
If the blade shattered, that was one thing.
But what if it snapped and injured someone?
"Your Highness," the craftsman offered cautiously, "perhaps… allow this humble one to test it instead?"