Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Empress's Wrath

Liang Kingdom Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

Mu Yueli had transcribed the poem "River Red" from memory. After reading it several times, she found it impossible to put down. She was no delicate flower; she was a woman who had walked the battlefields. She had a particular fondness for frontier poetry, and this piece by Xiao Yichen resonated deeply with her soul.

"Your Majesty, Xue Long requests an audience." The head eunuch, Zhao Hai, announced.

"Let him enter."

A man clad in black entered the study, knelt on one knee, and cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"What have you discovered?" Mu Yueli asked.

Xue Long recounted the details of his investigation. As the Empress listened to the spy’s report, her expression grew increasingly dark.

"Chu Aoshuang came to the residence to break off the engagement. Many commoners witnessed it, and my subordinates have interviewed them; their accounts are all consistent."

*Crack!*

The Empress snatched a vase from the table and smashed it against the floor. Shards scattered everywhere!

She had originally held a high opinion of Chu Aoshuang. It was no easy feat for a woman to become a general, and Chu Aoshuang was not only a general but an exceptionally capable one. She had fought bravely on the front lines and had earned great merit in the recent war. But now, that goodwill had completely soured.

"This is absolutely outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" The Empress was furious. "Chu Aoshuang has such nerve! Such arrogance! She barely earns a bit of merit and already dares to ride her horse right up to the General’s Residence—will she be riding her horse into the Golden Throne Hall next?"

Beside her, the head eunuch Zhao Hai was startled by the Empress’s rare display of such intense rage.

"The Xiao family were all loyal patriots! She returns and doesn't even pay her respects, choosing instead to go and humiliate them. Who gave her the courage? Does she think that because the Xiao family is now only women, children, and widows, and she is a fifth-rank general, that the Xiao family has no backers?"

The Empress, seething with anger, slammed her palm down on the table with such force that she snapped it in two. "Has she forgotten how she attained her rank? If General Xiao hadn't recommended her, she would still be a mere lieutenant. And let us not forget, the eldest Xiao son lost an arm on the battlefield two years ago trying to save her! How could she shamelessly claim she is a phoenix while the Xiao family is rotten wood? Without the Xiao family, she would be nothing!"

The Empress’s chest heaved violently; she was beyond livid. "Is this how she repays the Xiao family? To initiate a breakup and claim she has fallen for someone else—how could she even utter such shameless words? I loathe nothing more than those who are devoid of integrity and return kindness with enmity."

Seeing the Empress growing more agitated, Zhao Hai hurriedly interjected, "Your Majesty, since the tenth Xiao son has agreed to the breakup, it is clear he no longer cares for Chu Aoshuang. Please, do not ruin your health over this."

The Empress calmed her emotions slightly. Thinking of the Xiao family’s legacy of loyalty and recalling the resignation in Xiao Yichen’s voice when he spoke of his heart turning toward the moon, she felt a pang of pity.

"He may not care, but I cannot remain indifferent. The Xiao family now has only one male heir left. He has lost all his cultivation and has been humiliated by this broken engagement. I wonder if he can withstand such a blow."

Zhao Hai said, "The tenth Xiao son survived his cultivation going awry years ago. I believe he can overcome this as well."

"I hope so." The Empress sat down, then recalled something. "Have the rewards for Chu Aoshuang’s military merit been sent out yet?"

"Not yet."

The Empress pondered for a moment. "The national treasury is tight. We shall withhold the monetary rewards and reduce the other gifts as well. Let this be a lesson to her."

"As you command."

"Additionally, have the Hanlin Academy draft an imperial decree. Order the Chu family to return every single betrothal gift, even if it bankrupts them!"

Zhao Hai’s eyelids twitched; he knew the Empress was truly incensed. She intended to discipline not just Chu Aoshuang, but the entire Chu family.

"Also, have the Shadow Guards investigate the cause of death for the Great General and his nine sons," the Empress added.

Zhao Hai was taken aback. Was she suspecting foul play in the deaths of the Great General and the others? He dared not ask and left to carry out her orders. If it were true that someone had orchestrated the deaths of the Great General and his nine sons, the implications were terrifying.

...

Xiao Residence.

Xiao Yichen looked over the blueprints on his table, confirmed they were correct, and went to find his eldest sister-in-law, Zheng Ruyue.

When he had been brought home drunk yesterday, he had passed by her room and seen her spinning yarn. The spinning machines of this era were archaic and inefficient. This sparked an idea in Xiao Yichen’s mind. He might not know how to make soap or glass, but he knew how to design a spinning machine—he had learned it in school. He had also studied weaving looms.

He had rushed back to his room, spent the entire night sketching and recalling the diagrams from his school days, and finally produced the blueprints.

"Sister-in-law, look at this."

Zheng Ruyue looked at the drawing, her face a mask of confusion, and she shook her head.

Xiao Yichen was speechless. She was spinning yarn right in front of him, yet she didn't recognize this improved spinning machine.

"Sister-in-law, this is a spinning machine. It can spin multiple threads at once, greatly increasing your efficiency. To put it simply, one day of work with this machine equals five days of your current production."

Zheng Ruyue was stunned. She took the blueprint and examined it carefully. It was indeed a spinning machine, but it was far more complex than the one she used, which was why she hadn't recognized it.

"Tenth brother, stop teasing me. I’m busy. If I don't finish spinning today, your second sister-in-law won't have any yarn to weave with..." The implication was for him to go away and stop bothering her. She simply didn't believe his drawing could improve efficiency.

Although Xiao Yichen was now the only male in the Xiao household, none of the women expected him to earn a living. Since his cultivation had been destroyed a year ago, he had lived the life of a pampered, idle young master. Even when he had promised to find a way to make money on the day of the funeral, no one had taken him seriously. His martial talent had once been the best in the capital, but when it came to business—well, they weren't holding their breath.

Xiao Yichen was speechless. They still didn't believe him. He took the weaving loom design to his second sister-in-law, who also told him not to cause trouble.

*Fine!*

His stubborn streak flared. If his sisters-in-law didn't recognize a good thing, he would just have to build these machines himself. But he didn't know carpentry and needed to find someone to build them.

"Mother, do you know any carpenters? I need someone with excellent skills. I have two machines to build, and once they are finished, the Xiao family will be rich."

Liu Jin'e looked at Xiao Yichen with doting eyes. "What kind of machines? Let me see."

Xiao Yichen handed her the blueprints. Liu Jin'e couldn't fathom the mystery behind them, as they were far too advanced and beyond her current knowledge.

"Mother doesn't understand these drawings. If you want the best carpenter, have you forgotten your sixth sister-in-law?"

Xiao Yichen paused, then remembered that his sixth sister-in-law was a descendant of the Mohist school. He grabbed his blueprints and ran off. The Xiao estate was vast, and his sixth sister-in-law, Mo Qingqing, lived in the furthest courtyard. She preferred peace and rarely made an appearance.

"Sixth sister-in-law, are you in?"

"The door is unlocked, come in," Mo Qingqing’s voice drifted from inside.

Xiao Yichen pushed the door open and saw Mo Qingqing hanging laundry in the backyard. To save money, the Xiao family had reduced their servants, and everyone did their own chores.

"Sixth sister-in-law, I have two blueprints here. Could you look at them and see if they can be built?"

Mo Qingqing wiped her hands, took the blueprints, and gave them a glance. She froze, her expression turning excited. "Tenth brother, where did you get these?"

"I drew them."

"Tell me the truth."

Xiao Yichen was torn between laughter and frustration; why did no one believe him? "I really did draw them. Can you build them, sister-in-law?"

Mo Qingqing examined the drawings intently and nodded. "Yes. Give me three days, and I should be able to make them." She added, "The design of these machines is truly ingenious. If they are built, the efficiency for both spinning and weaving will increase several times over. If the Xiao family uses these, we will have no trouble making money."

A smile spread across Xiao Yichen's face. Finally, someone who knew a good thing when they saw it.