"A-CHOO!"
"A—A-CHOO!"
Clouds of red pepper powder had poor Yun Chuhuan sneezing nonstop. He rubbed his nose, eyes turning red from irritation.
"It's just overseas.... ACHOO!... What's the big deal? My maternal grandfather's merchant fleet sails abroad once or twice a year. If you just tell me the name or what it looks like, Fifth Elder Sister, I can have them bring it back."
"It's not the same," Yun Shu replied, shaking her head.
"Even if your ships go abroad, I doubt they sail beyond a few neighboring nations, right?"
"Well..." Yun Chuhuan faltered. He was only eight, after all. How much could he know about his grandfather's trade routes?
Luckily, Liu Ziming, grandson of Grand Minister Liu, was more knowledgeable. He nodded and said, "That's right. They usually go to places like Lusong and Ruofo, small nations nearby."
"Then that won't do," Yun Shu sighed.
"The palace maid who gave me the spice said her relative had an accident at sea. The ship lost its course and drifted for nearly half a year before reaching land. The locals there had red hair and green eyes."
"Red hair and green eyes?" Yun Chuhuan looked stunned. "Are they even human?"
"Well... probably," Liu Ziming scratched his head, uncertain. "I've heard some Hu people have red hair, though it's rare. Might be because they live in wild and remote lands."
"Barbarian blood is indeed lowborn," Yun Chuhuan scoffed, then lifted his chin proudly. "All the more reason to retrieve such flavors. Such fine spices should not remain in the hands of savages."
"If you're already sending someone, Sixth Younger Brother, you might as well have them keep an eye out for other rare creatures or ingredients we don't have in Tian Sheng," Yun Shu added lightly. "Who knows, I might come up with another new delicacy when they return."
"Fifth Elder Sister is right!" Yun Chuhuan declared, pounding his fist on the table. "Let us do just that!"
...
Since the palace gates would be locked precisely at the hour of Shen, Liu Ziming and Cen Yiyi had to leave before then.
As for Yun Chuhuan, he was still too young to have a manor of his own, and resided in the palace with Consort Liu. Even so, he too needed to return for the evening.
The once lively group of four eating chicken quickly dwindled, leaving only Yun Shu behind.
But she didn't feel lonely at all. After all, she still had over three thousand characters of the Doctrine of the Mean left to copy.
Under Ting Xue's puzzled gaze, she brought all the rooster tail feathers she had asked the servants to collect and stepped into the study.
Ten minutes had produced only thirty characters earlier, but now Yun Shu, within the span of just one incense stick, completed all three thousand five hundred sixty-eight characters.
By the end, her handwriting had devolved into a half-legible scrawl, borderline cursive madness.
Even so, Ting Xue stared slack-jawed as she gathered the papers. "Princess... when did Your Highness learn to write like this?"
"That counts as good handwriting?" Yun Shu yawned and rubbed her sore wrist. "Quick, prepare the water. I must wash up and sleep. I've school again tomorrow."
"Yes..." Ting Xue blinked, then looked back down at the stack of neatly copied scripture and the pitiful thirty characters Yun Shu had written before. She gave orders to the maids to bring hot water, but her mind was still spinning.
How could changing only the brush produce such different results?
Those thirty characters had matched her expectations of a thirteen-year-old princess, each stroke full of childish effort. But the rest...
It was as if a clueless schoolchild had suddenly turned into a seasoned scholar.
Maybe she should try switching brushes sometime too?
...
By dawn the next day, Ting Xue was once again dragging Yun Shu out from beneath the covers before the rooster crowed.
The novelty of her first day at the Imperial Academy had long worn off. Today's Yun Shu bore a far darker grudge than yesterday.
The way Grand Preceptor Cui droned on about the rites and virtues made him no different from a walking sleeping draught in her eyes. She forced herself to endure half an hour of, "Only the utmost sincerity under Heaven can govern the great principles of the realm... profound, so very profound, as the heavens themselves...," before her eyelids finally succumbed.
"Fifth Princess."
"Fifth Princess!"
Was someone calling her?
Yun Shu vaguely registered the sound, but instinctively ignored it. Something about the voice annoyed her.
Then suddenly, a thunderclap shattered the clear skies.
Yun Shu jolted upright, only to meet Grand Preceptor Cui's face, dark as the bottom of a scorched pot.
There had been no real thunder. The deafening sound came from the table he had just slapped.
"Grand Preceptor..." Yun Shu stammered. She had been caught sleeping in class, and she knew it.
Her brain snapped back into focus. Just as she was about to apologize, Grand Preceptor Cui spoke first, face cold.
"Fifth Princess must have stayed up the entire night to complete her ten copies of the Doctrine of the Mean, hence why she sleeps so soundly now.
Since that is the case, there is no need to wait three days. Present your work to this old minister today."
"..."
She had indeed brought one copy, but it was meant for Liu Ziming to imitate later.
"What now?" Grand Preceptor Cui's beard twitched as Yun Shu fell silent, just as he had expected. His tone turned mocking.
"Not even one night was enough for Your Highness to complete your task?"
"It was not," Yun Shu said bluntly.
Thirty-five thousand characters over three days was unreasonable from the start. She had wanted to protest yesterday but chickened out. Now that the Grand Preceptor brought it up himself, she simply pulled out the one copy she did finish.
"This student is not skilled in calligraphy. Copying three thousand characters in one night was already my limit."
"Three thousand?" Grand Preceptor Cui sneered and was about to scold her again when his gaze swept over the papers.
His brows furrowed.
He snatched up the copy and flipped through it quickly, his scowl deepening.
"So the Princess truly holds no regard for this old minister," he said darkly. "You even dared to have someone else complete your punishment on your behalf!"