Bai Qingxin, standing behind the pear blossom bushes, suddenly felt uneasy.
"Why?" Consort Li asked, a question that Bai Qing was also concerned about.
The girl stroked the spinning wheel as if it were a beloved object: "My father is busy with many affairs of state, and I'm afraid I won't have the chance to see him. I'm just an unfavored princess. If I were to present this spinning wheel to the Ministry of Works, would they treat it as a serious matter?"
"With repeated requests and urgings, I wonder how many important matters Father Emperor will be delayed?"
At this point, she seemed to have made a decision: "Mother, I want to transcribe the principle of the spinning wheel and then ask a palace servant to give it to my elder brother, the Crown Prince. In the past, my elder brother displeased Father. I think if he entrusts this to the Ministry of Works to make, and presents it to Father after it is completed, it will surely please him greatly."
Consort Li looked at her daughter with heartache: "You respect and admire His Majesty so much, don't you want to present it to him personally?"
The girl replied, "This item will be more useful to the Crown Prince than to me."
"As a woman, although I know my father's grand ambitions, I cannot fight for him. For the public good, my father will surely become a great emperor who will be remembered for generations to come. I cannot be a woman who only seeks personal gain. The sooner this thing is made, the sooner it can benefit the Southern Dynasty. For my private good, my elder brother is the Crown Prince. I should hope that my father and brother will be at peace."
Just as Consort Li was about to say something, a deep voice came from behind her.
"Good! Well said!"
Consort Li and the young girl looked in surprise toward the direction of the sound. Bai Qing walked a few steps toward the spinning wheel. He was only forty years old and had been on the battlefield when he was young. His tiger-like eyes were sharp and piercing, and he looked heroic and dashing.
"Your Majesty!" Consort Li exclaimed in surprise, and quickly knelt down with her daughter to pay her respects.
Bai Qing's gaze softened as he reached down and helped Consort Li, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet: "My beloved consort, please get up."
Consort Li was flattered and helped up by the Emperor.
Bai Qing's gaze quickly fell on the girl next to Consort Li.
Bai Yan had her head down, but when her father looked at her, she secretly raised her face to look at him. Unexpectedly, he caught her in the act, and her face immediately turned hot.
But she didn't lower her head like a typical young lady from a respectable family.
Instead, she looked at Bai Qing with some curiosity, her eyes showing surprise and delight, but not fear.
"Ayan, how can you look directly at your father?" Consort Li scolded lightly upon seeing this.
But Bai Qing, meeting those eyes, wasn't angry: "It's alright."
A daughter who understands her own ideals and ambitions can be a little unrestrained, which is fine.
The chief eunuch, already aware of the situation, had a chair brought over. Bai Qing sat down with an air of authority and asked his daughter, "I heard what you and your mother said. Since you said I am the greatest emperor of all time, do you think I am so incompetent that others will steal your credit?"
Bai Yan's eyes shone brightly, and she said in a clear voice, "Father is wise and mighty, of course not."
"Little flatterer..." Bai Qing thought to himself, but when he met her serious gaze, he couldn't help but laugh. His daughter really thought he was a great man!
Bai Qing pointed at the spinning wheel: "I see that it is no different from an ordinary spinning wheel, so why can it weave dozens of times more cloth than an ordinary spinning wheel?"
Seeing his curiosity, Bai Yan picked up a spindle and said, "The principle lies in these spindles. An ordinary spinning wheel can only rotate one spindle at a time, but this spinning wheel has more than one spindle. I also used a small tool to link them together."
"The time it would take for an embroiderer to rotate a spindle once is now equivalent to rotating ten spindles simultaneously by simply turning the axle of this spinning wheel. How could it not be faster?"
Her words were substantial, and given that the prototype was right under Consort Li's feet, how could Bai Qing not believe her?
"Go and call Zhan Shide from the Ministry of Works over," Bai Qing ordered.
When Zhan Shide arrived, Bai Qing didn't waste any words. He simply had Consort Li demonstrate the spinning wheel's function again. Watching Consort Li spin more than half a bolt of cloth in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhan Shide's eyes gleamed: This is no ordinary spinning wheel; it's the goose that lays golden eggs in our Southern Dynasty!
Having confirmed the practicality of the spinning wheel from Zhan Shide's eyes, Bai Qing finally smiled and patted Consort Li on the shoulder: "My beloved consort, you have given me a precious daughter."
"By imperial decree, Jin—" Bai Qing was speechless... Oh no, he didn't even know his precious daughter's name.
"Your Majesty, the Sixteenth Princess has not yet been granted a title," the chief eunuch kindly helped the emperor out of the predicament.
Bai Qing seized the opportunity to speak: "Then bestow upon the Sixteenth Princess the title of Tianfu." Isn't this spinning wheel a blessing from heaven to the Southern Dynasty?
"I will grant you an additional 5,000 hectares of land, and also bestow upon you fields and fine houses—" Before Bai Qing could finish speaking, he saw his daughter looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
Bai Qing now looked at her as if she were a giant gold ingot, and said, "Tianfu, is there something you want to ask of me?"
"Are any requests acceptable?" she asked softly.
"Ayan!" Consort Li said unhappily.
"It's alright, it was something I promised to reward you with anyway."
Bai Yan then said, "Father, if you really want to reward me, I don't want a title or a fief..." She bit her lip, just like an ordinary little daughter looking at her father, "I want you to play polo with me for a day. I heard from the palace maids that you are very good at playing polo."
Bai Qing was taken aback by her request, but after a moment he couldn't help but chuckle: "You silly child."
"Your subject is not stupid!" Bai Yan snorted lightly: "If Father were to bestow such a grand reward upon your subject now, wouldn't that make this matter public knowledge?"
“I know that Father Emperor still wants to launch a western expedition, so this matter can only be carried out in secret. My mother and I live in the inner palace. My mother is a concubine and still lives in Father Emperor's inner palace. Her monthly allowance is stripped away layer by layer, and there is not much left. How can we do this?”
Bai Qing's gaze sharpened slightly. He naturally understood the principle that "too much clarity leaves no fish in the water."
“Your Majesty, I also think Princess Tianfu’s words make sense,” Zhan Shide said. “The spinning wheel is a thing that benefits people’s livelihood. Rather than spreading the word and letting those with ulterior motives know about it, which would only cause trouble, it is better to put it aside for now and reward those who have done their part after the matter is settled.”
Bai Qing nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at his daughter: "You are very smart."
She is indeed intelligent; a fifteen-year-old girl born in the deep palace, yet she sees things so clearly.
Bai Yan blushed immediately upon being praised.
Bai Qing smiled and said: "He's a good kid whose feelings are written all over his face, both innocent and intelligent."
"Then tell me, who do you hope Father will entrust with this matter?" Bai Qing asked.
Bai Yan thought for a moment and shook his head, then said, "Your subject is not familiar with the affairs of the court, but I think that since it is a matter of making money, it is better for Father Emperor to hand it over to our own people rather than to outsiders. Even if we profit from it, at least the meat will rot in our own pot."
"Ayan!" Consort Li's expression changed drastically.
James was sweating profusely. This sixteenth princess was so well-behaved and beautiful—how could she have such a frightening mouth!
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