Madam Jin's face appeared solemn yet sinister under the glow of the lanterns in the mansion.

She raised one corner of her lips and then said, "The princess is in quite a mood, only returning to her residence now. Has she forgotten the custom of paying respects to her parents morning and evening in our Southern Dynasty?"

Before Bai Yan could speak, Madam Jin said, "I know you are a princess, but women in the Southern Dynasty value virtue the most. Even a princess must be respectful to her mother-in-law and serve her husband. With your temperament, you must be carefully trained."

Madam Jin carefully instructed Madam Jin to press down on the words with extra weight.

“You are, after all, a princess of the imperial family, and it is not appropriate for me to discipline you directly.” Madam Jin pushed her hand to the other side: “This is the nanny by the Empress’s side. She knows the rules best. Let the nanny tell you how to teach the princess.”

The cold-faced old woman looked Bai Yan up and down: "The sixteenth princess invited her husband out of the bridal chamber at night, that's one offense; she talked back to her mother-in-law, that's the second offense; she wandered outside until nightfall and returned home, that's the third offense."

The old woman glanced at the palace maid behind her, and the maid stepped forward, kneeling to present the rattan whip.

The old woman lashed the whip to the ground, her cold face instilling fear in everyone: "These three offenses would be enough to punish any ordinary woman, but since you are a princess, you have tarnished the royal family's reputation, so your punishment is three times greater. Therefore, I beg you to accept these ten lashes from this old servant."

Hongping stepped forward to block Bai Yan: "The princess is of noble birth, how dare you—"

"If the princess upholds filial piety, she must obey the Empress's words and accept her instruction. This old servant is of lowly status, but today the Empress is disciplining the princess. Princess, are you going to disobey the Empress's decree?"

Bai Yan gestured for Hong Ping to step back. She glanced at Madam Jin, who looked back at her. A smile suddenly appeared on Bai Yan's lips, then quickly disappeared.

"Of course I dare not disobey the Empress Dowager," Bai Yan said respectfully to the nanny, bowing her head.

The old woman then turned to Madam Jin and said, "Madam, the Sixteenth Princess is a princess of the imperial family. After receiving these ten lashes, she will surely be torn and bruised, and in a sorry state. Although Your Majesty is punishing the princess, the imperial family's dignity cannot be lost."

Madam Jin quickly replied, "I understand." She then dismissed everyone around her.

The old woman went into the study in Bai Yan's courtyard first. Several maids stood guard outside the door, and several others followed her in. She turned to look at Bai Yan and said, "Princess, please."

Bai Yan stepped inside, and Hong Ping tried to follow but was blocked outside. Madam Jin was also blocked outside.

It was a matter of imperial dignity, and it was certainly not a good sight to see a princess being whipped until she was barely clothed, which Madam Jin understood... But whenever she thought of Bai Yan's smile at her earlier, she felt uncomfortable.

As soon as Bai Yan stepped into the room, the cold-faced old woman who had been holding a whip turned around and knelt down in front of her: "This old servant was very disrespectful to the princess just now, please forgive me, princess."

"His Majesty has entrusted the princess with an important task. Before I left the palace today, the Grand Steward informed me and instructed me to assist the princess in the Jin residence."

The old nanny said, "But the head steward instructed that what the princess did this time was a confidential matter, so this old servant can only do this in front of others."

Bai Yan smiled and stepped forward to help the old woman up: "That's exactly how it should be, what wrong has the old woman done?"

Her father was no ordinary man; in the Southern Dynasty, women had a lowly status and often stayed within their own homes.

If you ask her to do something, you have to arrange it for her.

Madam Jin waited outside the door. After a moment, the sound of the whip striking the ground rang out, along with the woman's incessant wails. Only then did Madam Jin feel relieved. She smiled and listened to the ten lashes before adjusting her hairpin and saying, "I'm tired too. Let's go back to our room and sleep."

Inside the study, Bai Yan sat in a chair, while two palace maids beside her finished their performance and put away their whips and prayer mats.

"Princess," the old nanny poured her a bowl of calming tea, then asked, "How can this old servant help you tomorrow?"

The head steward only told her to cooperate with the princess, but didn't say how.

Bai Yan took a sip of tea, her eyes lowered: "Granny, please find me a suitable set of men's clothing."

"yes."

...

The next day, Bai Yan disguised herself as a man and went out. She had just passed through the alley of the Jin residence when another carriage was waiting for her. Zhan Shide was sitting inside, holding a blueprint in his hand. Upon seeing Bai Yan, he asked anxiously, "Princess, the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works have already made twenty spinning wheels overnight using your blueprint. They have been tested and can produce ten times the amount of cloth."

“The princess added some spindles, and now it’s ten times more efficient than before.” James hissed, “Wouldn’t adding even more spindles make the spinning wheel even more efficient?”

Bai Yan chuckled lightly: "Just as Lord Zhan said."

Zhan Shide's face lit up with joy, and Bai Yan added, "I can upgrade the spinning wheel later, but the most important thing now is to promote the new type of spinning wheel. The twenty units built by the Ministry of Works are far from enough."

James hesitated. He felt that the princess's greatest priority was to stay in her room and work on drawing up an upgraded version of the spinning wheel blueprints. It wasn't surprising that a young lady from a sheltered family could make a spinning wheel because she knew how to weave...

If we were to actually deal with these things, they would probably all be unrealistic ideas from a young woman.

But since the task was ultimately taken on by someone else, James couldn't say much. He just thought that if her idea was really unreliable, he could just make up for it himself, and all the credit would go to the princess.

Bai Yan could tell what he was thinking from his expression, so she gently tapped the table and said with a smile, "Lord Zhan, let's talk about what to do next."

James nodded, Bai Yan took a sip of tea, and began to talk about his plan.

The Spinning Jenny spurred the development of European industry, spurred the First Industrial Revolution, and directly propelled the European economy. Now, with the spinning wheel in her hands, Bai Yan confidently holds the future of the Southern Dynasty in her grasp.

James initially said: "The princess is quite something; she's not an ordinary woman. No wonder out of so many women, only she can make a spinning wheel."

Listen to James for a while longer: What did the princess say? Why can't I keep up?

James, at the end: "Your Highness, Your Highness, please wait, this old minister will take notes!"

After the discussion, the regulations were finalized. James and the Ministry of Works were to do their utmost to build more spinning wheels... The princess would handle everything else.

James: "Princess, is this all this old minister is capable of?"

Bai Yan's gaze fell on Zhan Shide's gray beard, and she hesitated for a moment: "Is it feasible for you, Lord Zhan, to travel back and forth to Jiangnan day and night for ten days?" After all, Jiangnan is a major producer of silkworms, and if a large quantity of cloth is to be spun, then it is necessary to purchase silk from there.

"This old minister is ready!" James's beard bristled.

Bai Yan smiled gently and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Then we'll have to rely entirely on Lord Zhan."

Now, Zhan Shide dared not be presumptuous in front of her. He returned the bow and said, "This old minister is ashamed, this old minister is ashamed." Then, remembering something, he said, "If this old minister's identity is always seen with the princess, it may arouse suspicion. Tomorrow, this old minister will choose a trustworthy person to accompany the princess. If the princess has any instructions, she can inform this old minister through him."

Bai Yan nodded, and the carriage stopped. The two of them got out of the carriage one after the other.