On the Sky Canopy, after showing what happened in front of the pork stall, the video cut to a military camp.
"Young Marshal, the princess's prestige in the army is growing day by day. Are we really going to let her continue winning people over like this?"
Hearing the young man in black armor say this, Yin Ning and Emperor Jingming in the palace both cast assessing looks at "Su Yu" sitting across from him. Even Empress Xu couldn't help but wonder what Su Yu's answer would be. After all, what Yin Ning had done on the Sky Canopy could indeed be described as poaching the Su family's loyalties.
"Has she affected our ability to lead troops?" the cold-faced young general asked.
"...No, no. The number of enlistments has actually increased. Old Yang in charge of recruitment told me a few days ago that because of the princess's generous treatment of soldiers, he no longer worries about not having enough recruits."
"Then there's no problem. As military officers, we only need to think about how to win wars. Matters outside the battlefield are none of our concern. Besides, the world belongs to her Yin family anyway. It's not like Yin Ning would rebel against her own family, right?"
If Su Yu respected Yin Ning, he wouldn't address her by name so casually. But if he distrusted her, he wouldn't dare let her buy loyalty in the army so freely.
Under the Sky Canopy, when "Su Yu" mentioned rebellion, Emperor Jingming couldn't help shooting Yin Ning a sidelong glance. Because, as Liu Sanqi had revealed earlier, Yin Ning's path to becoming Emperor Jingwu indeed involved rebellion. Even if Yin Rui had become a captive of the Najie Tribe, he was still the legitimate emperor of Great Jing. Yin Ning, who led the army to rescue the capital, drove out the Najie forces and then directly ascended the throne. If that wasn't rebellion, what was?
Yin Ning knew perfectly well what her father's glance meant, but she met his gaze directly: "Father, do you prefer Yin Rui as Emperor Jingli?"
Emperor Jingming: "...I never said that."
Seeing Emperor Jingming so flustered that he forgot to use the imperial "We," Empress Xu couldn't help laughing out loud. And when Emperor Jingming turned to look at her, she followed Yin Ning's lead: "What, are you unhappy that I mocked Yin Rui, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Jingming: "..."
He chose silence and looked back up at the Sky Canopy, feeling it was more straightforward than this.
After finishing the clip from *The Legend of Jingwu*, Liu Sanqi reappeared in the center of the livestream and said in a clear voice: "Many people criticize Emperor Jingwu for her crude method of winning over the army—just throwing money around like a nouveau riche. But the question is, how many people throughout history could actually spend real gold and silver like she did?"
"How many kings, nobles, and generals were willing to spend money on disabled soldiers and martyrs' families—people who were 'useless' in their eyes?"
"Why did Emperor Jingwu establish such high prestige among the northwestern border troops? Because the soldiers knew that in her eyes, they were real, concrete individuals, not disposable consumables!"
"Even if they became disabled or died on the battlefield, someone would still have their backs and provide the support they truly needed!"
"Besides, I really want to ask those who criticize Emperor Jingwu: Do you have her amazing ability to make money?"
"Who doesn't want to experience the thrill of splashing cash? The key is having the money!"
"Why is Wuchang City still called the World's Fragrant City today? That's inseparable from Emperor Jingwu's management over nine hundred years ago!"
"Back then, by planting lavender, roses, chamomile, and other aromatic plants in the northwest, she created a huge fragrance industry chain, culminating in the luxury cosmetics shop Qunfang Hall!"
"According to historical records, whenever Qunfang Hall launched a new product in any city across Great Jing—whether it was high-end luxury perfume or mass-market lipstick or blush—it would cause a citywide sensation, with people scrambling to buy."
"By the middle of Emperor Jingwu's reign, as Great Jing's maritime trade developed, Qunfang Hall's products went global, becoming must-have luxury items among the upper aristocracy."
"For example, Emperor Jingwu's contemporary, Empress Dai Lisha of the Xionglie Kingdom, was a famous die-hard fan of Qunfang Hall! According to Xionglie historical records, after using Qunfang Hall's products, especially their perfume, she never used any other brand again."
"As the saying goes, 'If the ruler loves something, the ministers will follow.'"
"In history, a Xionglie merchant who collected all of Qunfang Hall's new products for a year was so delighted by Dai Lisha that she immediately granted him a title, allowing him to rise from commoner to noble."
Liu Sanqi's introduction of Qunfang Hall sparked discussion among netizens:
[Covers face] Suddenly I feel like a very unqualified Wuchang native. Every spring and autumn outing in middle school, our school would take us to the largest flower field there. It was so beautiful, full of various flowers, and in the center was a big statue of Emperor Jingwu. I used to think it was just placed there randomly, and never thought there was such a deep connection.
Hearing Sanqi today makes me want to visit Wuchang even more!
Same here! The Wuchang travel videos I've seen online are stunning. Every family plants beautiful, bright flowers in their courtyards, and the streets are full of unique niche perfume shops! No joke, I have to go to Wuchang at least once in my life. It feels like my dream destination!
Fun fact: Ningyi, now recognized as the 'artwork of the perfume world,' actually traces its origins back to a split from Qunfang Hall over two hundred years ago. But Qunfang Hall has disappeared into history, while Ningyi survived countless storms.
I've heard that too. It's said that the current president of Ningyi is a direct descendant of Emperor Jingwu.
Damn, no wonder when I went to a museum and saw an antique perfume bottle on display, I thought it looked like a Ningyi perfume on my dresser. Turns out they're from the same family!
Under the Sky Canopy, even Emperor Jingming was tempted by the Qunfang Hall business. After all, running a household made him realize the cost of everything, and who would complain about having too much money?
He looked at Yin Ning seriously and asked, "Can you come up with something now?"
"Building a luxury brand isn't easy, but I do have some recipes for cosmetics and powders."
As a palace intrigue system, 007's shop naturally had no shortage of beauty recipes. Once these effective formulations appeared, they would be a devastating blow to Great Jing's current market full of crudely made products.
Hearing that Yin Ning indeed had recipes, Emperor Jingming immediately said, "Give me the recipes. I'll have someone handle it. The profits will be split equally: half goes to your private treasury, and half goes to the national treasury, earmarked as additional pensions for fallen and disabled soldiers."
This arrangement was very favorable to Yin Ning. She thought it over and said, "I'll take just one-third of the profit."
"Fine, it's settled."
Emperor Jingming believed that as long as Yin Ning's formulations weren't too different from history, the Qunfang Hall business could succeed. After all, the richest people in Great Jing were mostly concentrated in Jingshi. And as the old saying goes, "If the ladies in the capital wear high buns, women everywhere will follow." Any trend in Jingshi would quickly be imitated across the country.
...
"Earlier, I saw a question on some Q&A app asking why Emperor Jingwu, as a mere princess, could smoothly ascend the throne, as if she relied mainly on her royal bloodline."
"To be honest, I couldn't help laughing when I saw that question."
"Because in my view, her royal bloodline was the least helpful factor in her ascension."
"By the time Emperor Jingwu led the army to rescue the capital, she had been lying low for over a decade, accumulating resources: sweet potatoes yielding two thousand jin per mu for food, Qunfang Hall as a massive cash cow, hundreds of thousands of loyal border troops, and Su Yu as her top-ranking general!"
"Emperor Jingwu didn't just suddenly decide to seek the throne on a whim."
"In fact, even Su Yu had long known her ambition."
Under the Sky Canopy, hearing Liu Sanqi say she had lain low for over a decade, Yin Ning felt strangely guilty—it was a misunderstanding. She hadn't originally harbored such great ambition. After all, her brother was the crown prince. She wouldn't have disregarded the massive casualties from war for her own ambition. She thought she more likely didn't trust Yin Rui as Emperor Jingming's successor, which led her to want to overthrow him.
"Historically, on his deathbed, Emperor Jingming wrote a secret letter to Emperor Jingwu, who had been married in the northwest for two years."
"Emperor Jingming was always wary of the Su family, so in the letter, he urged Emperor Jingwu to keep an eye on the Su family for her brother Yin Rui, to prevent them from coveting the Yin family's throne after his death."
Liu Sanqi couldn't help laughing as she said this: "But in fact, it was Emperor Jingwu herself who had ulterior motives at that time."
"So, when Emperor Jingwu first heard of her father's death from the messenger, she was so heartbroken that she burst into tears, saying she no longer had a father. But after opening the letter and reading its contents, she flew into a rage, cursing her father for being blind and senile."
"She was so angry that she tore up the letter, because at the end, Emperor Jingming told her not to return to the capital for his funeral, lest the Su family take advantage."
"According to historical records, it was Su Yu who secretly pieced the shredded letter back together and placed it on her desk that night."
"This shows that although Emperor Jingwu and Su Yu had not yet consummated their marriage, their relationship had improved a lot compared to when she first married into the northwest."
Under the Sky Canopy, Emperor Jingming was still displeased that "Yin Ning" had called him blind and senile. So when Liu Sanqi mentioned the improvement in Yin Ning and Su Yu's relationship, he snorted: "Improved indeed. My secret letter turned into a postcard!"
Empress Xu had long been dissatisfied with the marriage Emperor Jingming arranged for Yin Ning. Although her impression of Su Yu had improved after Liu Sanqi's introduction, hearing Emperor Jingming's snide remarks made her furious.
She immediately said to Emperor Jingming: "Your Majesty, if you wish to favor Emperor Jingli, I have no complaint. But Yin Ning is also your child. Can't you bear to see her life go smoothly? Do you have to see her and Su Yu at each other's throats? Did you not just hear Miss Liu say on the Sky Canopy that the children hadn't consummated their marriage for two years? As Yin Ning's father, aren't you even a little worried?"
Bombarded by Empress Xu's questions, Emperor Jingming was completely dumbfounded.
"I... I just made a casual complaint. But she just called me blind and senile!"
"I was sitting right here, and I didn't hear Yin Ning curse you! You can't blame her for something she didn't do!"
Emperor Jingming: "..."
He felt he had truly seen something new today. More than Yin Ning, Empress Xu surprised him. He never knew she could be so strong-willed, "speaking falsehoods with eyes wide open."
Sitting nearby, Yin Ning watched her father rendered speechless by her mother, a rich smile in her eyes. She deliberately added fuel to the fire: "Mother, don't blame Father. As the saying goes, fingers are of different lengths, and favoritism is inevitable. Father has always favored Yin Rui."
Emperor Jingming: "... You two really know how to infuriate someone with your words!"
"From now on, whoever mentions Yin Rui to me will have their monthly allowance docked!"
Seeing Emperor Jingming resorting to such a childish threat, Yin Ning and Empress Xu exchanged a surprised glance, then couldn't help laughing.
Emperor Jingming tried to stiffen his face and maintain imperial dignity, but in the end, he too smiled at his own petty threat.