"After all this time teaching you, let Us see the results of your learning."
Emperor Xuanwu's gaze sharpened as he snapped, "A Crown Princess of proper standing cannot always rely on Us to hold up the heavens for her."
Clouds of calm defiance gathered in Yun Shu's eyes as she met her Imperial Father's words without flinching.
"So what Your Majesty wishes," she said, her voice crisp, "is for the court to believe that Your Daughter holds opinions contrary to Your own? That this Crown Princess incites the ministers to stand in opposition to the Emperor?"
Emperor Xuanwu stared. Yun Shu's reasoning didn't sway her in the slightest—in fact, it only deepened her suspicion that he was once again stirring trouble for trouble's sake.
"That sounds even more like idle mischief to me."
Emperor Xuanwu fell silent.
"Enough with your useless prattle," he growled, face stiff with suppressed frustration.
With a cold snort, he changed the subject altogether. "There's not much time left before New Year's Eve. If you truly intend to see these matters through, you had best act quickly."
"Very well. Then Your Daughter shall take her leave now."
Seeing that her Imperial Father had clearly made up his mind to trouble her, Yun Shu seized the chance to excuse herself from court duties altogether.
"In any case, there are fewer memorials to review these days. Please, Father Emperor, do take your time with them."
"You little rascal!"
Emperor Xuanwu was half amused, half exasperated. He had, after all, quite shamelessly pushed Yun Shu into a troublesome task. Guilt tugged faintly at his heart.
Still, after muttering the insult under his breath, he did not call her back. In fact, there was a gleam of anticipation in his eyes as he watched her retreating figure.
"She ran off that brazenly. Clearly, she already has a plan."
But how quickly could she persuade those stubborn ministers? With only a handful of days left before the year's end, was the timing not too tight?
Emperor Xuanwu's brows furrowed slightly with concern.
Meanwhile, Yun Shu strode out of the imperial study without pause, heading straight toward the palace gates.
Her Imperial Father had spoken truly. Constructing a new imperial examination academy—especially one tied to military industry—would require a great deal of silver.
Before she could convince the ministers, she first needed to win over the one holding the purse strings.
"What? Her Highness the Crown Princess is here?!"
At the Ministry of Revenue, Minister Yan was cheerfully reviewing the year's commercial tax ledgers with his subordinates when the message arrived. The smile on his face instantly collapsed into a grimace as deep as a bitter melon's furrows.
"Did Her Highness state the reason for her visit?"
"No, Daren. She did not."
Seeing the minister's expression turn sour, his trusted aide tried to console him in a hushed tone.
"Still, judging by Her Highness's demeanor, it might be good news."
"You know nothing."
Minister Yan's frown deepened.
If this truly were a lucrative opportunity, Her Highness would've spoken to him openly after court this morning. But instead, she had waited until now, seeking him out privately. Was that not a clear sign she came to ask for money?
And if the Crown Princess had come in such high spirits to request funds, it could only mean the amount was enormous.
The more delighted Her Highness looked, the more silver she was bound to want.
If he could avoid it, Yan Daren would've treated her as he did others—pretend he wasn't in.
But alas, he could not.
She was the Crown Princess. Not only must he receive her, he had to do so with a warm, respectful smile without delay.
Hurriedly setting aside the ledgers, Minister Yan went to greet Yun Shu with the proper ceremony.
Having long understood that engaging in idle chatter with the Crown Princess was dangerous—she had a way of talking one into agreeing to outrageous sums—the moment they were both seated, Yan Daren went straight to the point.
"May I ask what business brings Your Highness here today?"
"The Ministry of Revenue controls the treasury. What else would I come for, if not silver?"
If Minister Yan understood Yun Shu's tendencies, she understood his personality just as well. She sipped her tea calmly, then cut straight to the matter with even greater directness than he had.
"What was the total revenue from commercial taxes this year?"
"The ledgers are still being finalized," Yan Daren replied cautiously, "but the sum should not be less than last year."
"So at least five hundred million taels, then."
Yun Shu gave a thoughtful nod. "And what of the banks?"
"The banks have not been nearly as profitable."
At that, Minister Yan couldn't help sighing.
Back when the Crown Princess first presented the idea of founding state-run banks, she had claimed it could earn three hundred million taels a year. Enchanted by the promise, he had even gone so far as to approve funding for the profitless Tian Sheng Academy. Thirty million taels had been handed over without hesitation.
And what was the result?
To date, the banks had earned just over twenty million taels—still not enough to cover the costs of establishing the academy.
Minister Yan glanced at Yun Shu with the weary eyes of a man betrayed, silently pleading:
"Your Highness, you've already led this old minister into one pit. I will not fall for another."
Yun Shu, however, met his look with complete serenity. As if she hadn't noticed the silent protest, she even widened her eyes in feigned astonishment.
"What? Only twenty million taels? How can that be?"
She dared ask why it was so little?
Was she suggesting it was his fault for mismanaging the funds?
Yan Daren, who had always handled the nation's finances with painstaking care, nearly leapt to his feet.
"Your Highness, this minister followed your instructions to the letter.
We loaned out the treasury's idle silver, as well as deposits from the people, to citizens who pledged property or land—especially merchants. We charged interest accordingly.
Beyond that, the banks partnered with individuals who had sound business acumen but lacked capital. They received loans to start enterprises, and we split their profits fifty-fifty.
Over the course of a year, the revenue has indeed been substantial. But we also had to pay interest to the depositors, and cover losses from failed ventures.
Once all was balanced, what remained was only about twenty million taels."
"I see…"
Yun Shu appeared to ponder this deeply.
"So the root of the problem lies in choosing the wrong ventures to invest in."
"Wrong investments?" Minister Yan blinked in disbelief.
"Your Highness cannot mean that all losses stemmed from poor judgment by the bank's officers? But no business is guaranteed to succeed!"
"Ordinary ventures are indeed uncertain," Yun Shu agreed, nodding. Then she shifted.
"But what if, Minister Yan, there existed a business certain to yield great profits without fail?
If we invested in that—just one bold move—it might yield more than all the bank's work combined in the past few years."
"Such a venture… exists?"
Minister Yan's first instinct was to scoff.
"This old man has lived many years, yet I have never seen such a thing."
"Then you must not have looked closely."
Yun Shu arched a brow, her voice cool.
"Take the steam-powered carriages. Or the railway project currently under construction. Would you not say those are businesses certain to turn a profit?"