Chapter 54

Seeing how harmonious the emperor and Lin Qingti appeared as monarch and subject, and the way they gazed at each other with such cloying affection, quite a few officials felt sour.

First there had been Zhou Sairen, who became Minister of Revenue after following His Majesty. Now there was Lin Qingti, who had just become Minister of Rites.

What were they supposed to do? They were so tempted. They wanted to cling to His Majesty’s coattails too and experience the joy of rising through the ranks as easily as drinking water…

No! They were the noble neutral faction. They absolutely could not wade into the murky waters of court politics!

They must have been possessed by some unknown creature just now, which was why such ridiculous thoughts had occurred to them.

That was right!

Exactly!

There was no way they were envious…

Like hell they weren’t.

Inside Qianqing Palace, Yun Yaoyao and Lin Qingti were discussing affairs in private while Tu Shanjin sat off to the side, holding a popular romance storybook and reading.

“Your Majesty, how do you intend to deal with the eleven impoverished scholars whose examination papers were switched?” Lin Qingti asked.

“What do you suggest, my dear minister?” Yun Yaoyao asked, casually opening a memorial as her thoughts wandered.

She had drunk too much tea just now in order to maintain her dignified image, and her bladder was starting to feel rather full.

Lin Qingti said, “This minister believes that… blah blah blah…”

After speaking at length, Yun Yaoyao nodded perfunctorily.

Yes, yes, whatever you say. Go handle it.

“I have complete faith in your abilities, my dear minister.”

Lin Qingti continued, “Now that Yun Liang has been executed, the Yun family’s matriarch has taken her own life, and Li Nantong is dead as well, there is only one person left in the Yun Manor—the young son of Li He’s third daughter…”

Before he could finish, Yun Yaoyao interrupted him with a deathly smile.

“You may deal with him as you see fit, my dear minister.”

Had he finished yet? She needed to go release the floodgates.

Lin Qingti continued speaking as though he had not heard her. “The child is only eight years old, but he is exceptionally intelligent and possesses a photographic memory. He has great potential, so this humble official intends to keep him at the Lin residence…”

“Wait,” Yun Yaoyao interrupted him again.

“Now that the child no longer has the Li family to rely on, I feel great pity for him. I shall keep him in the imperial palace and send him to the Imperial Academy to study.”

Yun Yaoyao’s plans were clicking into place.

Most of the officials at court were old men, and no one knew how many years they had left in service.

Now an eight-year-old prodigy had appeared. If she began nurturing him now, then even if he could not enter government service until he was thirty, he could still work for three or four decades afterward.

What a bargain!

“Is there anything else you wish to report, my dear minister?”

Lin Qingti shook his head.

“Then go and attend to your duties.”

Lin Qingti clasped his hands and bowed before hurrying away.

After becoming Minister of Rites, he truly had a great deal to do. He only hoped the hair on top of his head could hold out and that he would not go bald too quickly.

The moment Lin Qingti had officially left, Yun Yaoyao sprang out of her chair. Lifting her dragon robe, she hurried toward the side room nearby.

“I ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍can’t hold it anymore, I can’t hold it anymore, I can’t hold it anymore…”

Before long, Tu Shanjin heard a thunderous sound of water from next door. It came with a rushing roar, accompanied by someone’s long, blissful sigh.

Tu Shanjin: “…”

What did it feel like to hear yourself pee?

Don’t ask.

The answer was: indescribably complicated.

After Yun Yaoyao finished, the eunuchs outside immediately came in to replace the chamber pot.

Once they had left, Yun Yaoyao returned to Tu Shanjin’s side with a swagger that suggested she recognized no one in the world.

The two of them switched places, and Tu Shanjin began handling state affairs in earnest.

This time, Yun Yaoyao did not lounge around and eat leisurely. Instead, she picked up paper and brush and began scribbling and drawing.

Tu Shanjin glanced over curiously.

Her handwriting was nothing like the graceful, bold strokes he had imagined. It was twisted like the writing of an evil spirit, utterly dreadful to behold.

Could this be the script used in the underworld?

As she continued writing, she gradually became almost deranged.

At times, she would furrow her brows and scratch her head. Then she would suddenly grow ecstatic and write furiously, only to get stuck again a moment later. Irritated, she would wind a strand of hair around her finger and yank it hard, pulling it out.

What exactly was she thinking about? She was working so hard.

Wait…

Tu Shanjin suddenly realized that when Yun Yaoyao was annoyed, it was his hair she was pulling out!

“Stop! Let go of My hair!” Tu Shanjin seized the hand Yun Yaoyao was about to use to pluck out another strand.

“My bad, my bad.” Yun Yaoyao gave him an apologetic smile before returning to her intense contemplation.

Tu Shanjin’s usually icy face displayed an astonishing variety of emotions. But he was already used to it and did not disturb her.

When it came to Yun Yaoyao’s expressions, mannerisms, and behavior, he had long since run out of things to say. His bottom line had been lowered again and again.

Tu Shanjin thought that as long as she did not shock him by using his body to relieve herself in the middle of the street, he could accept anything.

He continued handling state affairs.

Time slowly passed in this peaceful, idyllic scene.

Suddenly, a voice exploded beside his ear.

“I finally finished it!”

Yun Yaoyao excitedly handed over a stack of sheets. Tu Shanjin rubbed his ear and accepted them naturally.

“The first one is called papermaking.”

“The second one is called printing!”

Yun Yaoyao twisted her sore wrist, her face glowing with excitement.

“They’re both technologies far more advanced than the papermaking and printing methods currently used in the Yanchi Dynasty!”

It was all thanks to the fact that she had been an internet addict in modern times and loved watching short videos. The creators of those videos competed with one another so fiercely that they would make all sorts of things, such as “Refining the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill That Survives Nine Deaths” or “Spending a Year Recreating Ancient Palace Cuisine”…

For those content creators, recreating and improving ancient papermaking and printing techniques was practically child’s play.

Tu Shanjin studied the contents of the several sheets of paper. The more he read, the brighter his eyes became.

“These simple, inexpensive materials can truly be turned into paper after going through these steps?”

Yun Yaoyao nodded. “Of course. The quality will be better, and the output will be higher!”

“And this improved printing method can really achieve such efficiency?” Tu Shanjin asked again.

Yun Yaoyao nodded once more. “It can do even better than that. Anything made by Yaoyao is guaranteed to be top quality!”

Tu Shanjin held the two sheets of paper as though they were priceless treasures.

Both of them understood just how important these two technologies were.

Why was it so difficult for impoverished scholars to study?

First, knowledge was too inaccessible. Books were precious objects, and many children from poor families could not afford them at all. They could only borrow books and copy them out by hand. It was both time-consuming and exhausting.

Second, the transmission of culture was difficult. Paper was scarce and expensive, and printing was inefficient.

The reason Mr. Fugui’s popular romance stories had spread so widely was that they were extraordinarily popular. Bookshops were willing to put in the effort to print them, while their simple, engaging content encouraged the common people to spread them of their own accord.

Books meant for study, however, could not achieve the same effect.

If these two technologies could truly be put into practice and developed, their significance for the advancement of culture would be immense.

Beyond that lofty purpose, Yun Yaoyao also had a selfish motive.

In the body she currently occupied—Tu Shanjin’s body—she possessed the natural authority and respect commanded by an emperor.

But the body Tu Shanjin occupied—Yun Yaoyao’s body—belonged only to a consort. On top of that, she was a woman, and was restricted in every way.

Therefore, she wanted to create a new identity for “Yun Yaoyao,” one that could transcend her status as Consort Miao and earn the reverence of the entire populace!

The Grand Auspicious Omen prophecy from the Imperial Preceptor had already laid the groundwork.

The museum had also received an excellent response, with streams of commoners coming to admire it. This had further increased Yun Yaoyao’s popular support.

After that, she would attribute all the credit for inventions such as papermaking and printing to herself.

Then, with Mr. Fugui—the ultimate marketing account—subtly brainwashing the public from the sidelines, she would transform Yun Yaoyao into a divine being descended from heaven, the reincarnation of a true dragon, and the god who had come to save the Yanchi Dynasty!

Brilliant—absolutely brilliant!

Yun Yaoyao patted Tu Shanjin on the shoulder and said solemnly, “Tu Shanjin, I’ll credit you with both of these technologies. I’ll leave these two matters to you.”

At that very moment, the wheels of fate began to turn!