I am awakened by the sunlight filtering through the windows of my room. For a moment, I am surprised that Lianhua has not come to wake me up, but I quickly remember that today is my first day off after returning to school following the attack I suffered on the night of my seventh birthday.

  Remembering my classes, I shudder as I suddenly recall my class with Jiaoliu Feng and how she made me replay the scene of my attack over and over again while explaining all the different things I could have done. I just hope they don't try to kill me again just so I don't have to endure another class like that.

  But now that it's my day off, it's time to do what I set out to do on my birthday, so I call Lianhua and ask her to take me to the studio.

  After going through the morning ritual with the help of Zhi Meilan, Lianhua takes me to the office where I start trying to design and draw a wheelchair that can be manufactured with the technical knowledge I believe they have here and the materials I am familiar with.

  However, as I progress, I encounter the limitations of the available materials and manufacturing techniques used here. Wood and metal are difficult to work with without the right tools, and they also make the chair too heavy. Fortunately, wicker and bamboo are abundant, and few materials have their combination of strength and lightness.

  Once I decide to use bamboo for the chair frame and wheels and wicker for the back and seat, as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, my design progresses rapidly as the hours pass, with the occasional interruption from Lianhua who comes in to see how I am doing. I swear that since the night of the attack, she has become more and more like a mother goose.

  Finally, I finish and, upon reviewing it, I see that my design, although functional, is not ideal. The wicker is strong and light, but it does not offer the comfort needed for long hours of use.

  "At least it will be light”, I murmur to myself, trying to see the positive side. I think about how I can improve the comfort with several well-placed pillows and continue working, adjusting the final details of the design, when I decide it's time to ask for help.

  I call Lianhua with the cord I have to let her know, but as I wait, I can't help but wonder how to improve her uniform now that her secret is out. What would suit my ninja maid best? A French-style maid outfit like in the anime Mahoromatic? Or something more modern and stylish like 2B's outfit from Nier? Although, perhaps, a traditional kunoichi outfit would be most appropriate.

  My unrealistic thoughts are interrupted by Lianhua's arrival. Her slender, agile figure glides silently to my side.

  "Zhāohuán Wen, did you call me?" she asks in a calm and respectful voice.

  "Yes, Lianhua. I need you to take these designs to someone who can make them”, I say, handing her the papers. "If you can't, I'll have to ask my mother."

  Lianhua examines the drawings with a slightly raised eyebrow. "What are these designs?"

  "It's a chair with wheels that I can sit in. To move it, they'll just need to push it. That way, they won't have to carry me around all day”, I explain enthusiastically.

  Lianhua frowns. "I don't see the need for this. If you don't want to be carried, we can call some servants to carry you in a palanquin."

  "No way”, I reply firmly. "I don't intend to use palanquins inside the palace. Besides, my invention can be used inside buildings, which a palanquin cannot."

  I watch as Lianhua looks closely at the drawings. I can almost hear her thoughts about my seemingly irrational requests. Finally, after a moment of silence, she nods.

  "I can take your request to Shangshu. He will take care of it”, she says in a neutral tone.

  "Perfect”, I reply, feeling relieved.

  I watch as Lianhua leaves the study to carry out my orders, and I look back at my desk as I begin to think that lately, the little entertainment I have that is considered appropriate for my condition and age is becoming repetitive, so perhaps it is time to import something that is not functional and is just entertaining.

  With what I have on hand, the only thing I can think of is making a deck of cards while I try to decide whether to go with a Spanish or poker deck, but in the end, my decision becomes whether or not I want to bring the horror of Texas Hold'em into this world.

  A few days after I gave up on card games, since there are about half a dozen different types and adding another one would be too much, I find myself in my mother's backyard to show her my solution, classic board games that can be considered worthy for women, since the ones she has here are mainly strategic games like Chinese chess and Go, which are frowned upon for women to play.

  "And what do you call this game?" my mother asks me, looking at the chessboard and the round black and white wooden pieces that I take out of a lacquered box and place in front of her.

  "I haven't named it yet, it's just something I came up with to pass the time”, I reply as I arrange the pieces and explain the rules of the game known as Checkers to her and the other maids in the courtyard.

  Obviously, my mother is a little lost at first, but the rules of checkers are simple, and she quickly gets the hang of the game and begins to offer a little more resistance.

  While we play, I take the opportunity to ask my mother a question "Mother, I've made a copy of the game as a gift for the Emperor, just as I did with the abacus, but do you think it's better to send him a letter saying that I have a gift for him or to send it directly?"

  My mother seems to think about her answer for a moment "I think it's better to send it directly. And I think it would be a good idea, since you haven't named it yet, to mention that in the letter accompanying the gift and humbly ask him to give it a name."

  "Thank you very much for the advice, Mother”, I say as I put the pieces back in place after finishing the game. "I think it's best if I take care of it right now, since the sooner I do it, the better."

  I signal to Lianhua to come and get me, and as we leave the courtyard, I say to my mother “You can keep the game, since I made it as a gift for you."

  I don't wait for her to respond and ask Lianhua to take me to my study, where I keep the lavishly decorated box containing the board and pieces I had made for my father, along with a small instruction book.

  I tell Lianhua to sit me down and I begin to write the letter introducing the gift, as well as the request that he name the game. Although I am almost certain that my father doesn't care what he names it, I am sure that there will be people along the way who will read the letter, so I strive to make it as formal and rigid as possible.

  While I am busy with the letter, a maid enters and hands Lianhua a note. After glancing at it, she says to me “Zhāohuán Wen, the Shangshu has sent this note saying that Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang, the master craftsman in charge of making your chair, has asked you to come and see him."

  I look at Lianhua and ask “Doesn't it say why he wants me to go?"

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  "No, Zhāohuán Wen”, Lianhua replies. "It only says that he has requested to see you so that he can finish your order."

  "Let me finish the letter to my father and then we'll go see what he wants. With any luck, he'll have it finished by now”, I reply.

  I see Lianhua sigh when she hears me call the Emperor by his title, but she is used to me addressing him that way in his presence and says nothing. As I write the letter, I pause for a moment and, as a last-minute decision, I decide to mention the wheelchairs and apologize for not sending one, since with his excellent health, he doesn't need to use one. With this, I cover myself against any malicious comments about not having said anything about the matter.

  After finishing the letter, I leave it on top of the lacquered box while Lianhua calls a maid to take it to the Shangshu, after which I ask Lianhua to take me to see the craftsman.

  Lianhua takes me by the arm and we leave the pavilion, followed by our ever-present bodyguards. This time the walk is long and we pass a long line of officials who still look at us with curiosity, even though they should be used to me by now, but in the end we arrive without incident at the area of the inner palace dedicated to the craftsmen who are responsible for manufacturing goods for internal use in the palace.

  Lianhua asks one of the Nei Wei to ask for Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang. The Nei Wei walks away to ask one of the Jin Wei who is nearby, who offers to guide us to his workshop.

  Guided by the Jin Wei, we arrive at our destination, and after thanking the man for his help, I tell Lianhua to go in, which she does, followed by a Nei Wei.

  Upon entering, I see several men working on making wicker furniture. When we walk in, they all stare at us and quickly stand up and bow to show their respect.

  "Can one of you tell Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang that Zhāohuán Wen has come to see him?" Lianhua asks them.

  One of the craftsmen gets up and goes to a door at the back of the workshop and enters, coming out shortly afterwards accompanied by a lanky, thin, clean-shaven man dressed in what are clearly work clothes but of much better quality than those of the men in the workshop.

  He approaches us and bows before speaking. "It is an honor that you have come so soon, Zhāohuán Wen."

  "According to your letter, it was necessary for some final details, Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang”, I say to the craftsman.

  "Yes, Zhāohuán Wen”, he replies. "Although your drawings were very detailed, I had to change a few things in order to make it. And I wanted you to see it so you could give your approval before I delivered it to you."

  I wonder what things he had to change. I thought I had adapted my requests well to the level of technology I believed they had here, but it is clear that there are still details that I missed.

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang leads us through the door into what I assume is his personal workshop. There, in the middle of the room, is what is clearly a wheelchair. But its design, especially the small wheels, is not what I drew.

  Upon arrival, Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang begins to explain the changes to me.

  "The small wheels couldn't be made of bamboo”, he says seriously. "Their size made them too fragile to support the weight, so we had to make them out of wood."

  "I understand, but why did that mean you had to put them at the back?" I ask, concerned.

  "Well, that led us to have to make some metal parts”, continues Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang. "These parts are similar to the design you drew for the mobile wheels, but because they are made of metal, they are larger. So, when we put them in front, there was little room for the legs of the person sitting down."

  I nodded, seeing the problem.

  "So that's why you put them at the back?" I ask.

  "Yes. I thought of moving the large wheels a little further forward and putting the small ones at the back”, he explains with a smile. "This way, the chair remains stable, is more comfortable for the person sitting in it, and doesn't get in the way too much for the person pushing it."

  "I think that's an ingenious solution”, I reply, relieved. "Thank you for thinking of that!"

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang nods humbly, satisfied with the result.

  "So are you satisfied with the result, Zhāohuán Wen?" he asks me.

  "I'd have to try it out to give my verdict”, I reply. "Can I try it now?"

  "Of course, Zhāohuán Wen”, he replies, gesturing toward the chair.

  I signal to Lianhua to sit me in the chair, and she does so carefully.

  The new arrangement of the large wheels makes it a little more difficult to sit down, but Lianhua soon gets the hang of it.

  I grimace as I check the comfort of the chair.

  "I'll obviously need a cushion if I'm going to be sitting for a long time”, I say to Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang.

  "Don't worry, Zhāohuán Wen. We'll provide you with one before you leave”, he replies without batting an eyelid.

  Another thing I notice is that the chair is much wider than necessary, so I ask him “Why is the chair so wide?"

  "Since you're growing, I thought I'd make it a little bigger so you don't have to change chairs so often”, he replies quickly.

  "Thank you for thinking of that”, I say with a grateful smile, and then I turn to Lianhua. "Lianhua, please push me."

  Lianhua looks hesitant, not quite sure how to proceed. Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang steps forward to help.

  "This is how you push and maneuver the chair”, he explains, demonstrating the proper movements.

  Lianhua quickly adapts and takes me for a couple of laps around the spacious workshop. The handling is clunky and it's difficult to turn, but for a first attempt with the available technology, it's an impressive achievement.

  I signal to Lianhua to stop and turn to Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang.

  "Congratulations, Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang. You've done a magnificent job”, I praise him sincerely.

  "Thank you very much for your words, Zhāohuán Wen”, he replies, clearly pleased by my words, but he seems hesitant for a moment before finally making up his mind.

  "Would you mind if I made a request, Zhāohuán Wen?" he asks as he kneels on the floor.

  I look at Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang somewhat embarrassed because this is the first time this has happened to me, so I quickly reply “Of course, but whether I can fulfill it is another matter. What is it you want to ask of me?"

  "You see, Zhāohuán Wen, there are several nobles and high officials in the palace who, despite not having any problems, find it difficult to walk due to old injuries or their age, and they always have to be accompanied by servants to help them move around”, he begins to explain. "My request is that you allow me to present your invention to them for their use."

  While I think about his request, which seems rather strange to me due to the issue of cultivation and which I think would have to solve those problems, Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang continues talking in a clear attempt to convince me "Of course, I will always make it clear that the invention is yours and that I am only responsible for its manufacture."

  Lianhua looks like she's about to say something, but I wave my arm to stop her and reply “Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang, even though everyone says I behave very maturely, I'm still a child. Before I can answer you, I have to talk to my mother and get her permission."

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang looks at me, as if only now realizing my age, and blushes with embarrassment at his sudden rashness, bowing until his forehead hits the ground "I beg your forgiveness, Zhāohuán Wen. I did not know my place."

  "There is nothing to forgive in such a sincere request, Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang”, I reply. "When I can talk to my mother, we will make a decision and let you know."

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang says nothing, but continues to kneel with his forehead touching the ground, which begins to make me uncomfortable, and I decide to leave as soon as possible.

  "Can I take the chair, or do you still have something to finish?" I ask the kneeling figure.

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang finally gets up and replies “No, Zhāohuán Wen. It's finished, you can leave with it if you want."

  I smile as I look at him and say “Well, if you can get me a cushion, we'll leave right now with the chair."

  Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang quickly searches for and brings me a beautifully decorated cushion that Lianhua places on the chair, after which I sigh with relief at the difference in comfort, although it could still be a little better.

  Thanking Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang again for his work and telling him that he will soon hear from me regarding his request, I have Lianhua push my new wheelchair through the Imperial Palace, followed by the Nei Wei who can't help but stare curiously at my new acquisition.

  As we return to the Pavilion, leaving a trail of nobles and officials gaping at the unusual spectacle, I am surprised when Lianhua suddenly asks me an unexpected question "What do you think of Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang's request, Zhāohuán Wen?"

  Realizing that the downside of the chair is that I can't look Lianhua in the face when I talk to her and she's pushing me, I reply “That's a very good idea, and we have to accept it at all costs. Not only that, but we also have to give him permission to modify the design and make any changes he wants to it."

  Lianhua is silent for a moment and then continues to ask me in a hesitant tone “But wouldn't that be bad for you, Zhāohuán Wen? In the end, the design wouldn't be yours and your fame would be diluted."

  "Do you really think I'm doing this for fame, Lianhua? When have I ever cared about fame?" I reply, a little annoyed by her insinuation.

  "Then I don't understand your reasons, Zhāohuán Wen”, Lianhua replies in a confused tone. "It can't be for financial reasons either, because everything the palace craftsmen do is free, as they receive a stipend for their work."

  “The reason is even simpler than that, dear Lianhua,” I reply. “The more chairs he makes, the more skilled he will become at making them. And as he makes them, he will refine his method and they will become better and better and less problematic, because in the future, when I have to change this one...”

  I leave the sentence hanging, and Lianhua does not disappoint me when she replies “It will be much better than the one you have now, which is the only one he has produced so far."

  "Exactly”, I continue. "I'm not looking for fame or for the nobles or officials who benefit from my invention to associate it with me. I just want to make my life a little more comfortable, and if someone else's life can be improved in the process, that's just a nice bonus."