Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

Mu Yunxi felt the gazes of countless eyes. Hundreds of officials looked at her curiously, their eyes flickering with a variety of emotions. At first, they were surprised by her composure, then stunned by her appearance.

Mu Yunxi was unfazed by the gazes. She wore only a cyan formal suit, her hair tied into a high ponytail with a simple headband. She walked unhurriedly before Emperor Qing Zhao and saluted gracefully. Her voice was clear and firm, without a trace of timidity.

Emperor Qing Zhao got straight to the point and said, "I asked you to come to the palace so that I could demonstrate how to use the model ship. We've already tried the crossbows, and the ministers were very satisfied. As for the blueprints, they've all looked at them, but they all say they don't understand them. Now everyone is arguing about whether this ship can be launched or floated. I made a bet with the ministers that the ship you designed can not only be launched and floated, but also have combat capabilities! If I win, I'll appoint you to the Ministry of Works. So, you must not let me down!"

Mu Yunxi knew that Emperor Qing Zhao's words were meant to tell her that everything was ready, and now she only had one last step left. Hearing Emperor Qing Zhao's words, the officials who had fiercely opposed, argued endlessly, and even blushed, were once again filled with shame and lowered their heads. However, some people still rushed forward recklessly. A man said sarcastically, "Is the position of Fourth-Rank Prefect too low for Mu Cheng? He even needs his daughter to save face?" Mu Yunxi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance and a mustache. She was standing not far from Lin Wenyuan, who whispered, "This is the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, Qi Sijing." Mu Yunxi nodded softly, acknowledging her and thanking Lin Wenyuan for the introduction, but as usual, she chose to ignore him and instead asked Emperor Qing Zhao to move the boat to a more secluded area.

Then she looked at Qi Sijing, her eyes devoid of warmth, her face expressionless, as if the person before her were nothing more than an ant. She said calmly, "Satire is the weapon of the weak, and I choose to prove everything with my actions."

Qi Sijing was provoked by her words and trembled with anger. He was even more angry at her attitude. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. He said angrily: "Humph! Just you? What kind of good girl would come out and embarrass herself like you? You have no shame?"

Mu Yunxi wasn't angry either. She just looked at him coldly, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a disdainful smile. Then she looked at him again, but her eyes were full of contempt. She opened her thin lips slightly and said in a calm voice, "Don't yell at me. I've been afraid of dogs since I was a child."

Qi Sijing was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Mu Yunxi's nose and cursed, "How dare you call me a dog!"

Mu Yunxi was also curious. This person had just met her for the first time, and he was already speaking harshly to her. So she pretended to be confused and asked, "Excuse me, sir, did I kill your entire family? You bite me if you see me?"

Qi Sijing was so angry that his face turned red as he pointed at Mu Yunxi, "You...you..." He was so angry that he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Emperor Qing Zhao was secretly pleased, as he was finally not the only one who had to endure the anger of this girl. Qi Sijing was originally sent in by the Liu family. He hadn't committed any major mistakes and had even helped out a little with the Liu family's affairs, so he was kept for the time being.

Moreover, because Emperor Qing Zhao had intended to give the position of Junior Official of the Dali Temple to Mu Cheng, he changed his mind and decided to send Mu Cheng to the Ministry of Works to take care of his daughter. He also gave up the position and directly issued an edict, "Junior Official of the Dali Temple, Qi Sijing, was disrespectful in front of the palace and spoke ill of the meritorious officials who had contributed to our Zhao State. Considering that he had no merits or faults during his tenure, he is dismissed from office and allowed to return home to retire!"

Upon hearing the decree from Emperor Qing Zhao, Qi Sijing knelt down to express his gratitude as if he had known it before.

Mu Yunxi showed a puzzled look, and seeing this, Lin Wenyuan whispered to her, "I don't know where Qi Sijing got the news that your father was coming to replace him, so he suddenly lost his temper and spoke harshly to you. However, he has a concubine from the Liu family..." Mu Yunxi immediately understood when she heard this. Thinking of Emperor Qing Zhao's words, "No merit or fault, go home and retire," she looked at Qi Sijing who was being taken away with a deep look in her eyes, "Why don't you just keep your tail between your legs and behave yourself? How dare you cause trouble in the palace!"

Lin Wenyuan understood what she meant, but just smiled and said nothing.

Mu Yunxi chuckled lightly, looked meaningfully at Qi Sijing who was being taken away, and said with a half-smile: "He is quite an actor!"

At this moment, a eunuch came quickly and reported to Emperor Qing Zhao that everything was ready and asked him to move to the Imperial Garden. Emperor Qing Zhao nodded, then stood up and led everyone to the Imperial Garden.

When they arrived at the Imperial Garden, the first thing that caught their eye was a huge pond covered in lotus flowers. Mu Yunxi frowned and said, "Your Majesty, if we demonstrate here, wouldn't we destroy the entire pond of lotus flowers? Besides, there aren't any other plants planted here. If the mechanism is triggered, the entire pond will be destroyed!"

Emperor Qing Zhao smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I just hope to see more obvious results. Feel free to try it."

Seeing Emperor Qing Zhao's determination, Mu Yunxi stopped talking. She ordered her men to lower the model ship directly into the water. Amazingly, it didn't sink. Mu Yunxi turned to Emperor Qing Zhao, who waved his hand, "Go ahead. I just want to see the final result." In reality, Emperor Qing Zhao was extremely anxious, eager to see the ship's combat effectiveness. After all, although it was just a model, it could still give him a rough idea of its actual power.

The ministers present craned their necks, curious to see how the small boat would demonstrate its combat capabilities. Upon seeing this, Emperor Qing Zhao immediately ordered the ministers to form two staggered rows, allowing everyone a chance to observe the demonstration. Deep down, Emperor Qing Zhao didn't want the crowd to see these weapons. After all, the appearance of such destructive weapons would undoubtedly cause a great uproar, potentially even sparking war. But he also knew that if these people weren't shown the weapons' power, they would surely not give up. If Mu Yunxi wanted to become an official, she had to silence them.

At this moment, an older general frowned and looked at Prime Minister Lin beside him, questioning him, "Prime Minister, will this small boat be effective? I think the crossbow is good, but this boat is so small, how can it be used in battle? I can smash it to pieces with just one palm."

Prime Minister Lin stroked his graying beard, smiled slightly, and explained, "General Wu, this is just a small sample. A real ship will be much larger! One ship can carry thousands of people."

Hearing this, General Wu's eyes widened in surprise. "Can it carry thousands of men? That's great! We need to build more large ships like this and attack Youdu directly from the water!"

A younger general standing behind General Wu was overwhelmed with excitement upon hearing this. He echoed, "Yes! This way, we can quickly reach Youdu and catch them off guard!"

Seeing that Mu Yunxi was ready, Emperor Qing Zhao asked everyone to be quiet first, then said with a smile: "My dear ministers, don't forget the bet you made with me. Now that the boat has not sunk, I have already won half. Are you ready to lose?" After saying that, Emperor Qing Zhao laughed.

At this moment, the Bachelor of Literature suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty! The mechanism hasn't been activated yet. If this doesn't work, your Majesty's happiness will be in vain!"

Mu Yunxi looked over and saw a man in his fifties, with white hair and a shrewd gaze. He was evidently a man of profound learning and profound scholarship. While he exuded an air of righteousness, he was not stiff. Furthermore, his courage to speak so directly to Emperor Qing Zhao without causing the emperor's resentment suggested he held a high position within the court. However, Mu Yunxi was unaware that this cabinet scholar's bluntness often offended Emperor Qing Zhao, who was known for his vindictive nature. This was the reason he remained a second-rank cabinet scholar, despite being a first-rank cabinet minister.

Emperor Qing Zhao simply didn't want to pay any attention to him. He knew full well that when Mu Yunxi was about to join the Ministry of Works, he was the one who most strongly opposed her. Thinking of this, the corners of Emperor Qing Zhao's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a half-smile. He then softly said to Mu Yunxi, "Little Yunxi! Do you know? It was this gentleman who was most opposed to your becoming an official!"

At this time, the scholar was still standing aside. After hearing this, he muttered to himself, "Why does His Majesty act like a child, as if he is complaining to others!"

However, Mu Yunxi didn't care about this. She turned and looked at the Bachelor of Arts. She smiled slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of curiosity and confusion. Then she bowed gracefully and asked politely, "May I ask, sir, why are you so opposed? Is it because I'm a woman?"

Seeing her graceful demeanor and measured manner of speaking and acting, the scholar couldn't help but feel a little more favorable towards her, but he still answered truthfully, "Yes, a woman should value her reputation. If she shows off like this, how can she find a good husband in the future?"

Mu Yunxi nodded slightly, agreeing with his point. "Your Excellency is right!" However, her eyes revealed a firmness and confidence. Then, she changed the subject, "But I don't live for men. I have my own ideals and pursuits. Besides, Zhaoguo doesn't need me to help with the import of new children." Pointing to the model ship behind her, she said with pride, "I have a talent for manufacturing this, and I'm willing to contribute to Zhaoguo. Why would you stop me, Your Excellency? Don't you want to see Zhaoguo grow stronger?"