The distance between the palace gates and the imperial study was not far. Before long, Liu Daren and the others arrived before Emperor Xuanwu and Yun Shu.
"We humbly greet Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years. May the Crown Princess live for a thousand years!"
"You may rise."
Perhaps it was because these officials had just been thoroughly scolded by his daughter — not physically harmed, but certainly insulted in a manner that cut deep — and had stormed off, only to turn around halfway and rush back to report the matter.
Emperor Xuanwu was not exactly feeling guilty, but he did unconsciously soften his tone by a fraction.
"And what urgent matter has prompted Our Aiqing to come before Us in such a grand manner?"
"Your Majesty!"
One of the more hot-tempered ministers opened his mouth at once to complain, but as soon as he raised his head, the words caught in his throat.
He had been entirely stunned by the sight before him.
On the desk before Yun Shu stood a towering wall of books — stacked so high and wide that it practically encased her completely.
"Your Highness, this…"
"Hmm?"
Yun Shu looked up from behind her fortress of books when someone mentioned her.
"What is it?"
"These books…"
"Oh, these?"
As if suddenly recalling their presence, Yun Shu casually picked up a volume and held it up for the ministers to see, making sure they could clearly read the title printed on the cover.
"After this Princess pacified the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms and returned victorious, Father Emperor advised this Princess to remain humble and cautious.
After all, the new weapon crafted using chemical knowledge was not particularly difficult to reproduce. And that knowledge — physics, chemistry, mathematics — had originally come from overseas.
If this Princess could develop it, then it stands to reason that foreign nations could as well.
This Princess wholeheartedly agreed.
And now, with the New Year fast approaching and fewer memorials needing to be reviewed, I finally have some leisure time. So I thought, why not take this opportunity to study more of this science and engineering?
Perhaps I can come up with an even more formidable weapon.
After all, in our Tian Sheng Dynasty, talents in these disciplines are scarce, because no one seems willing to study them."
The ministers fell silent.
They had not even opened their mouths yet, and already the Crown Princess had preemptively shut them all down?
These were all seasoned veterans of the court — old foxes with decades of political maneuvering under their belts. Even if earlier they had been blinded by anger, they were not fools. They quickly realized that all of this had been orchestrated. Not only by the Crown Princess, but likely with Emperor Xuanwu's tacit approval as well.
Any thought of accusing her, or requesting the Emperor to punish the one who wrote that article, was now clearly out of the question.
Yet they had come in with such righteous fury, demanding an audience, only to be rendered speechless in the end.
Would they not seem utterly foolish?
The ministers exchanged awkward glances. At last, Du Daren stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, in truth, our audience today was prompted by a serialized article titled 'A Great Nation.'"
"'A Great Nation'?" Yun Shu raised her brows, feigning ignorance. "And what of it?"
"Your Highness, that article emphasizes the significance of science, mathematics, and engineering, and it introduces a new kind of weapon."
At this point, Du Daren could not help but glance at Yun Shu once more.
"It is similar in structure to a catapult, but instead of stones, it launches cannonballs.
These cannonballs can be fired over distances of one to two li, landing squarely in enemy ranks and exploding upon impact."
"Oh…"
Yun Shu's eyes lit up, as though a light had suddenly flicked on in her mind.
"That is an excellent concept. This Princess shall begin studying in that direction immediately."
"Does Your Highness mean to say… such a weapon could truly be built?"
Realizing that Yun Shu had no intention of admitting that she was the author of the article, Du Daren wisely chose not to press the matter. He asked excitedly, "And the method to build such a weapon — is it easily achieved?"
"This Princess has not yet built it. How would I know whether it is easy or not?"
Yun Shu gave him a side glance, her tone exasperated.
"Still, it would surely be more difficult than what we have now.
But in theory, if someone were to dedicate several decades, perhaps even a lifetime to this field…
Then perhaps…"
She looked up, eyes filled with longing and wonder.
"Perhaps one day, right here in the capital of Shengjing, we might defeat an invading nation simply by moving our fingers — without spilling a single drop of blood."
"Impossible!"
Someone among the ministers exclaimed in shock.
"That would be divine power!"
"Divine power?"
Yun Shu repeated the phrase with an amused smile, shaking her head slowly.
"Indeed, when this Princess first deployed that new weapon on the battlefield, some claimed it was the wrath of the gods."
There was nothing anyone could say to counter that.
Once more, the assembly fell into silence. Though many of them had arguments ready, none of the words seemed appropriate to speak aloud.
After a long pause, Yun Shu finally broke the stillness.
"So… all of you stormed in today just to ask about this?"
"Not… exactly."
Seeing that the others remained silent, Liu Daren gritted his teeth and took a bold step forward, as though walking toward his own execution.
"This old official humbly begs His Majesty and the Crown Princess to give due importance to the disciplines of science, mathematics, and engineering — and to incorporate them into the Imperial Examinations!"
As soon as he spoke, the others who had been playing dead could no longer keep their composure.
Some glared daggers at Liu Daren. Others hissed in low voices, scolding him through clenched teeth. A few even raised direct objections.
"The Imperial Examinations are not a game. Countless scholars spend decades of their youth in study, hoping to ascend the golden ranks. If we recklessly add disciplines like science and engineering — which most have never studied — we will surely earn the ire of the scholars!"
"But that is the fastest way to cultivate talent in these fields!"
Liu Daren stood his ground, arguing passionately.
"The existing subjects in the examinations are, of course, important. But are science and engineering any less vital?
If I recall, Zhang Daren was once a top scorer in the exams. May I ask, Zhang Daren — if a cannonball were to come flying at you, could all those essays and poems of yours stop it?"
"You are being utterly unreasonable!"
Zhang Daren's face turned red with anger.
"This official is a civil minister, not a general. Why would a cannonball be aimed at me in the first place?"
"You…"
"Enough! Both of you, cease this bickering."
Yun Shu sat calmly behind her wall of books, having waited for the quarrel to reach its peak before speaking with a smile.
"In truth, a compromise is not impossible. The existing Imperial Examinations may continue as before. We simply need to establish a parallel track for science and engineering, to run concurrently with the main examinations.
This way, scholars who wish to take the conventional path are unaffected, while the court gains a new means to select much-needed talent."