Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

The ministers behind him gasped, and so did the scholar of literature. Sensing the murderous intent in Emperor Qing Zhao's eyes, he quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty! I have absolutely no such intention!"

Mu Yunxi said at this time: "Your Majesty, please calm down. This lord is also worried about my daughter. He is worried that if my daughter lives with a man, her reputation will be ruined and she will not be able to find a good man."

She spoke earnestly, neither servile nor overbearing, and then addressed the scholar, "But I want to tell you, sir, that contributing to one's country and cherishing one's love are trivial matters. I don't need others to understand, nor do I wish to spend half my life trapped in the boudoir, caring for a husband and raising children. These are constraints for me. Therefore, sir, there is no need to worry about them."

After hearing this, the Bachelor of Arts' face turned red and white, not knowing how to respond.

Mu Yunxi's words not only shocked everyone present, but also made them see the mind and ambition of a woman.

Emperor Qing Zhao looked at the girl before him and couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart, "If I didn't know your true purpose, I might really be fooled by your appearance!" But he still showed an expression of admiration, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Great! That's great! If the people of Zhao knew that there are people like you who are dedicated to contributing to the country without considering personal interests, they would surely feel extremely comforted and proud!"

Looking at the boat in the pond, he said, "Let's begin! Let me and the other nobles see if this boat has the power you described to me before!"

Mu Yunxi nodded. Because the boat was originally a model, people could not stand on it. Mu Yunxi took another small boat to the model boat, opened a small door on the bow, put a finger in, and gently pressed a place. The mechanism quickly started and fired a dense stream of arrows. These arrows were like arrows, sharp and accurate. But the arrows in this model boat were replaced with bamboo sticks. If it was actually installed on a large ship, real arrows would be used. But at this time, when the model boat was facing the direction it was aimed at, all the lotus flowers there had died. The people by the pond also made sounds of admiration, because the lotus pond was more than 100 meters away from the side where they were standing to the other side, but all the bamboo arrows had been shot to the other side and fixed on the edge of the pond, and some were fixed on the tree opposite.

But that wasn't the end of it. Mu Yunxi used the principle of leverage to hurl heavy anchors or boulders from a distance. Mu Yunxi placed pre-prepared rocks, each about the size of an adult's fist, on the bow. He placed them one by one, adjusted the distance, and then pressed a mechanism on the boat. The rocks were hurled simultaneously, smashing the lotus leaves that hadn't been affected earlier.

Then everyone saw her spinning something on the boat. Someone brought a flame, and she lit it. Instantly, fist-sized fireballs flew into the lotus pond, followed by a burst of black smoke. Emperor Qing Zhao, puzzled, asked loudly from a distance, "What does this black smoke mean?"

Mu Yunxi replied concisely: "Poison!"

Everyone was speechless and choked.

Emperor Qing Zhao was delighted by its power and laughed heartily, saying, "Our Zhao Kingdom is a country of etiquette. Forget the poison! I think the black smoke is quite good!"

The ministers behind him were once again speechless. They only thought to themselves, "Your Majesty, if you had just pursed your lips when you said this, it would have been more convincing."

Mu Yunxi came to Emperor Qing Zhao and said unenthusiastically, "It still needs improvement."

Everyone looked at the devastated lotus pond and thought to themselves, "This power is enough to kill people, so what's the point of improvement?"

Emperor Qing Zhao, feeling somewhat guilty, pretended to ask, "Oh, what needs improvement?"

Mu Yunxi pointed to the place where the black smoke was coming out, "There, it should be able to spray farther, but the distance is not as far as I measured before."

Emperor Qing Zhao felt even more guilty. Eunuch Fu, standing by, knew what he had done. Last night, out of curiosity, Emperor Qing Zhao had poked the boat twice with his brush, presumably affecting the distance. So, he knelt and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me. Last night, while I was serving, I was blinded by the light, and I bumped into the boat. I'm afraid it's damaged."

Emperor Qing Zhao knew what Eunuch Fu meant, and feigned anger, saying, "You old slave, you don't know how to be more careful. I will fine you half a year's salary as punishment."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Eunuch Fu said with tears of gratitude.

Mu Yunxi frowned as she listened to the master and servant's words. A suspicious look swept across Emperor Qing Zhao's face. Emperor Qing Zhao turned around and just happened to meet her gaze, then looked away and changed the subject, "What do you think, my dear ministers?"

The civil officials exchanged bewilderment, but remained silent. While they knew little about weapons, if this small boat could truly be used to build something large, it would undoubtedly be a formidable weapon for the Zhao Kingdom. They sought to have Prime Minister Lin intervene, but he remained silent, his eyes closed. They then sought to have the scholar of literature offer a comment, but he declined. Finally, they sought to have Imperial Tutor Lu intervene. Lu, nearly sixty years old, often remained a spectator, disdaining arguments and relying solely on facts. They had lost a bet with Emperor Qing Zhao, and he shook his head, unwilling to speak further.

Seeing that the few people who could speak in front of Emperor Qing Zhao were unwilling to speak, a civil servant stepped forward and bowed to the emperor. However, his words were addressed to Mu Yunxi, and his tone was full of disdain: "Young lady, you keep saying that you are willing to give up your own interests for the sake of your country, but you are unwilling to make unpaid contributions. Instead, you want to join us men to become an official. Your so-called patriotism is just this."

Mu Yunxi lowered her eyes and did not refute. Instead, she asked calmly, "Excuse me, has this gentleman seen the design drawings?"

The man nodded, and Mu Yunxi asked again, "Does the lord understand?"

The man shook his head, but retorted, "You must have deliberately made the drawing complicated so that people couldn't understand it. This way, you could achieve your goal."

Mu Yunxi didn't show it on his face, but Emperor Qing Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at this person for a few more times, and thought to himself: "Huh! Not bad! You guessed it right." Then, he turned his gaze to Mu Yunxi again, with a hint of gloating in his eyes, as if to say: Let's see how you deal with this situation.

Mu Yunxi sneered and asked, "Complicated?" She pointed to a model boat still floating on the water not far away and said firmly, "Does your Excellency know how many parts are inside this model warship? Well, let me tell you, my Excellency, this model warship has a total of 3,236 parts. I worked day and night for the better part of a month to complete it and present it to Your Majesty. Yet, you doubt my good intentions." Then, she slowly turned to face the crowd and continued sharply, "As for the blueprints, is it my fault that you gentlemen can't understand them? Haven't you ever reflected on your own problems? Is it because you haven't worked hard enough?" Finally, she added with a mocking tone, "You can't even understand such clear and concise drawings! I'm afraid your official positions... are they fake?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing Zhao broke out in a cold sweat for him and cursed in his heart: "This ignorant little girl!" She dared to speak so boldly, not only insulting him, but also offending many officials present without fear.

As expected, officials launched into a flurry of criticism, accusing Mu Yunxi one after another. Even Prime Minister Lin, usually calm and composed, closed his eyes to rest, couldn't help but open his eyes and cast a scrutinizing glance at Mu Yunxi. Emotions were completely ignited, and the atmosphere became extremely tense and heated.

"How dare you, a little girl, be so rude! How dare you question our ability!" an official accused angrily.

"How dare you, a little woman, be so arrogant? Don't you know how to respect your elders and superiors?" Another official also joined the attack.

"Hmph, you are just a skilled craftsman, yet you dare to speak nonsense here? You are so arrogant!" Another official sneered.

"You are just the daughter of a fourth-rank prefect, yet you dare to speak nonsense here! Do you think the boat model you made can represent your talent?" A senior official sneered, his eyes full of disdain.

"Hmph, you, a little woman, dare to argue with us, a group of important officials in the court! Are you challenging our authority?" Another official also joined the attack, his voice full of threats.

"Arrogant! How dare you question our ability and judgment! Who do you think you are? How dare you speak nonsense here!" Another official stood up, his face full of anger.

The officials all spoke, their words filled with attacks and threats. They seemed unable to accept Mu Yunxi's challenge, and even more unable to tolerate her questioning of their abilities. In their eyes, Mu Yunxi was just an insignificant little woman, not qualified to argue with them.

However, Mu Yunxi remained undeterred by their words. She remained calm and rational, responding to their attacks one by one with sharp words. Her voice, though soft, was full of power. She spoke calmly, "Although I am the daughter of a fourth-rank prefect, talent and intelligence are not limited to high or low status. The model may be small, but it is the product of my painstaking efforts. How can I treat it lightly?"

Her eyes were firm as she continued, "I'm not challenging authority, I'm just stating the facts. Everyone is equal before the truth, so why can't I speak? If adults can understand the design drawings, why do I need to be here? As for being arrogant? I just firmly believe in what I've seen and learned. If adults are truly sensible, why would they be afraid of what a woman like me says?" Mu Yunxi's words revealed an unyielding spirit.

Then he said nonchalantly, "Arrogant? I admit it. When I become an official in the future, I wouldn't mind learning from the style of my seniors in the officialdom." Emperor Qing Zhao now understood the purpose of Mu Yunxi's angering the ministers. This was to focus all the firepower on her and share the pressure for him! He had a better impression of this girl, who was not sure whether she was a consort or something else.