Chapter 8: The Princess Truly Holds This Old Minister In No Regard!

“Achoo!”

“Ah... Achoo!”

Choking on the chili powder and sneezing several times in a row, Yun Chuhuan sniffled, his eyes rimmed with red as he said

“Is it just the sea... Achoo! Outside? My maternal family's merchant ships go to sea once or twice every year. As long as Fifth Sister tells me the name or its physical characteristics, I'll just have them bring it back!”

“It’s not the same.”

Yun Shu shook her head

“Even if your merchant ships go to sea, they should only be going to a few neighboring countries, right?”

“This...”

Yun Chuhuan froze for a moment. As an eight-year-old prince, it was naturally impossible for him to be clearly acquainted with the business affairs of his maternal family's collateral branches.

Fortunately, Liu Ziming, the grandson of Chancellor Liu, was there. He quickly nodded and took over the conversation for Yun Chuhuan

“That’s right, they usually only go to small nations like Luzon and Johor.”

“That won't do then.”

Yun Shu sighed

“According to the palace attendants who gave me these spices, her relative actually encountered a maritime accident back then. They unexpectedly lost their way at sea and sailed for nearly half a year before finally making landfall.

The locals even had red hair and green eyes!”

“Red hair and green eyes?”

Yun Chuhuan was stunned

“Are they even human?”

“...They should be.”

Liu Ziming scratched his head, somewhat uncertain

“I’ve heard that among the Hu people, there is a very small number of red-haired individuals. Perhaps it has something to do with them living in desolate lands?”

“Barbarian bloodlines are truly lowly!”

Hearing this, Yun Chuhuan first let out a disdainful snort, then raised his head arrogantly

“In that case, let someone go search for them. A delicacy like chili powder cannot be wasted in the hands of such barbarians!”

“Since we are going to search, why doesn't Sixth Imperial Brother have people keep a closer eye out to see if there are any other species overseas that Tiansheng does not possess?”

Yun Shu mentioned it casually

“Who knows, after they are brought back, I might be able to figure out some new kind of food again?”

“Fifth Sister is right!”

Yun Chuhuan struck a decisive note of agreement

“Let it be done!”

...

Because the palace gates were locked punctually at six o'clock every evening, Liu Ziming and Cen Yiyi had to leave the imperial palace before then.

Therefore, not long after finishing the fried chicken, the two of them hurriedly departed.

As for the Sixth Prince, Yun Chuhuan, although he had not yet left the palace to establish his own residence due to his young age and still lived within the palace, according to the schedule of this dynasty, he also had to return to Consort Noble Liu's side.

The group of four that had been happily eating chicken just a moment ago was, in the blink of an eye, left with only Yun Shu.

However, she wasn't lonely at all—

After all, she still had over three thousand words of *The Doctrine of the Mean* to transcribe.

Under Tingxue's puzzled gaze, she brought all the chicken tail feathers she had specially instructed someone to collect into the study.

While Yun Shu had only written thirty words in the previous ten minutes, this time, within a mere hour, she completed the transcription of the entire book's three thousand five hundred and sixty-eight words!

Although her handwriting had reached a level that could be called cursive toward the end,

But...

Tingxue stared dumbfoundedly as she gathered the stack of transcribed papers

“Princess, when did you learn such beautiful handwriting?”

“What counts as beautiful handwriting?”

Rubbing her aching wrists, Yun Shu stood up with a yawn

“Quick, quick, quick, I need to wash up and sleep. I have to continue school tomorrow!”

“...Yes.”

Tingxue looked confusedly at the punitive transcription in her hand, and then at the thirty words Yun Shu had written earlier, which had been tossed carelessly into a corner.

Even as she went out to instruct the coarse-working palace maids to bring in hot water, her mind still couldn't figure it out—

She had merely changed the brush used for writing; could the results really be that different?

Those previous thirty words were quite consistent with the level expected of a princess in her memory, every stroke showing the effort and clumsiness of a young child.

But these words written afterward...

The gap between them felt as if a young child who had just entered a school had suddenly transformed into a scholar!

Maybe when she had time later, she should try it too?

...

*

The next morning at dawn, Tingxue dug her out of the covers before four o'clock, as usual.

The slight novelty of the first day of school had already passed; today, Yun Shu's resentment was even greater than yesterday.

To her, Grand Tutor Cui, with his mouth full of "Thus says the sage" and "Benevolence and righteousness," was no different from a walking sleeping pill.

Yun Shu forced herself to listen for half an hour to his brain-numbing lecture: “Only those of the utmost sincerity in the world can manage the great classics of the world, establish the great foundation of the world, and know the transformations of heaven and earth. Upon what can they rely? Their benevolence is profound! Their depth is bottomless! Their vastness is like the heavens! If one is not firmly wise and holy, knowing the heavenly virtue, who else could know it...”

And then, amidst Grand Tutor Cui's impassioned spitting, her upper and lower eyelids stuck together.

“...Fifth Princess Highness.”

“Fifth Princess Highness!”

It seemed someone was calling her?

Such a thought flashed through Yun Shu's mind for two seconds, but she didn't respond, because subconsciously, she felt the voice was quite annoying.

In the next instant, a thunderclap exploded in the clear sky!

Yun Shu's body shuddered, and she snapped her eyes open, meeting Grand Tutor Cui's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot—

There was no thunder in the clear sky; the loud noise just now was the sound of Grand Tutor Cui slamming the table in anger after several calls failed to wake Yun Shu.

“Grand... Grand Tutor.”

Being caught sleeping during class, Yun Shu felt somewhat guilty.

Her muddled brain cleared instantly. She stood up, intending to apologize first,

But Grand Tutor Cui had already spoken with a cold face

“Fifth Princess Highness sleeps so soundly; could it be that after returning yesterday, you stayed up all night to finish transcribing all ten copies of *The Doctrine of the Mean*?

If that is the case, there is no need to wait three days. Your Highness may hand the punitive transcription to this old official today!”

“...”

She actually had brought the punitive transcription, but only one copy, which she intended to use for Liu Ziming to imitate her handwriting.

“What is it?”

Seeing that Yun Shu indeed fell silent as he expected, Grand Tutor Cui's beard twitched twice, and he continued to mock

“Was one night not enough for the Princess to finish the transcription?”

“It indeed was not enough.”

A punitive transcription of thirty-five thousand words in three days was inherently unreasonable!

Yun Shu had wanted to protest yesterday, but she had chickened out at the time and couldn't say it.

Now that Grand Tutor Cui had brought it up himself, she took the opportunity to pull out the copy she had finished last night

“This student is not skilled in calligraphy; writing three thousand words in one night is already my limit.”

“Three thousand.”

Grand Tutor Cui sneered, intending to lecture her further, but his gaze accidentally swept over the transcription Yun Shu had produced. His brow furrowed instantly.

He snatched the transcription, flipping through it quickly from beginning to end, his expression of fury growing even heavier

“It seems Fifth Princess Highness truly holds this old official in no regard at all, even finding someone else to ghostwrite her punitive transcription!”

(End of Chapter)