"And what did you call this strange device?" Xueshi Wenxue asked me a few days later, looking at the abacus I had placed on the table, which was a Western abacus with four horizontal rods, not the traditional Chinese one with 13 vertical rods.

  "Abacus, dear Xueshi Wenxue. I came up with this idea to make mathematical operations more convenient, since always carrying around a bunch of rods to do calculations is cumbersome, and you always run the risk of them moving around”, I reply to my tutor with a smug look.

  "And how is it supposed to work, although I think I can guess?" he continued to ask as he moved several of the colored beads I had placed on the abacus.

  "Let me show you”, I say to Xueshi Wenxue, and then I proceed to perform several calculations as he watches with growing interest.

  After a while, he stops me and asks “Can I use it for a while to see for myself how it works?"

  I gesture toward the abacus and say “I brought it to you as a gift, Xueshi Wenxue. It's yours to do with as you please."

  He blinks a couple of times and stands up, then bows to me and says “I am immensely grateful to Zhāohuán Wen for this gift. I will remember it for the rest of my life."

  He straightens up and, grabbing the abacus, says “Zhāohuán, today you can do whatever you want. Just ask RuNu Lianhua for the book you want to read, and she will bring it to you."

  After these words, he quickly walks over to his desk, while I motion for Lianhua to come closer.

  Lianhua, after approaching me, says “I told you this would happen, Zhāohuán Wen."

  Watching my tutor begin to perform operations with the abacus and compare them with the counting board, I reply “When I told you my idea, you said that half of the scholars at Guozijian would kill to have access to my invention. I didn't believe you, but from Xueshi Wenxue's reaction, it seems you were right."

  I turn to Lianhua as I continue to question her “But once you see one and understand the concept, it's not that difficult to replicate. They can create one whenever they want."

  "No one would dare to do that, Zhāohuán Wen “, Lianhua replies.

  "Why?" I ask Lianhua curiously, as I doubt that anything resembling a patent exists in this era, with a system of patronage by nobles being more likely.

  Suddenly, I hear Xueshi Wenxue's voice coming from his table as he says “I'd better explain a few things to you, Zhāohuán."

  Looking back at his table, I see him get up as he picks up the abacus again, after which he approaches my table and sits down next to me, placing it back on our table.

  "It is my fault that you lack knowledge. Considering your age, I did not see the need to teach you in depth about the ranks of the court and their privileges. Especially regarding your rank, Zhāohuán”, he begins to explain in a serious tone.

  "The first thing you must know and keep in mind is that you are Zhāohuán, the emperor's favorite daughter”, he tells me as he points at me. "In rank within the imperial family, only the Emperor and the Crown Prince are above you."

  "And His Majesty has not yet seen fit to officially designate one."

  He pauses to let me absorb what he is saying before continuing “Although several of your brothers are considered Heirs Apparent, that is not an official rank. They only have power within their circles and among those who support their candidacy for Crown Prince. In terms of relative power, theory says that above you there is only the Emperor. And I think someone of your intelligence can quickly realize what the problem is."

  After a minute of silence in which I digest what he has just told me, I reply in a low voice “I am the Emperor's Heir."

  "Yes and no, Zhāohuán”, Xueshi Wenxue continues, staring at me intently. "It's actually more complicated than that, since the next Emperor is actually appointed by the sect when the current one ends his hundred-year reign, and the title of Crown Prince, or yours, would only indicate a preference on the part of the current Emperor among his sons."

  "So the title is only important if something happens to the reigning Emperor and the sect does not want to deal with a regent while the trials to choose the next Emperor are taking place, since in that case the position of Emperor would be given directly to the heir chosen by the previous Emperor”, Xueshi Wenxue continues to tell me, but every word he says seems to add another nail to my virtual coffin.

  "Therefore, as long as a Crown Prince has not been designated, if the Emperor dies, Heaven forbid, you have the status and title necessary to claim the position of Empress from the sect”, concludes Xueshi Wenxue.

  Suddenly, I understand my mother's situation. The silent void that has formed around us, except for a few low-ranking people, who I now understand have approached my family because other candidates for prince have rejected them. In addition to the permanent escort of Nei Wei that I always have when I leave the Pavilion.

  And what happened on my first birthday, with a general bringing me a gift and my father appearing to give me his blessing, has probably only reinforced that perception.

  And it's not that I can't understand their position, especially in an imperial court. Years of scheming, of gathering nobles and officials to increase their power so that their sons would have a better chance of being declared Crown Prince, only for a girl to come out of nowhere, who is also disabled, and surpass all their sons in rank. They must all be burning with rage.

  And as I reflect on everything I've been told, I continue to look at Xueshi Wenxue, who I can see has a look of pity in his eyes, and I can almost hear his unspoken words "If she manages to survive."

  Xueshi Wenxue suddenly claps his hands, startling me out of my depressing thoughts, and continues his talk "Now that we have highlighted the most important aspects of your condition, I suppose it is time for me to tell you why it is important to the subject of the abacus."

  He points to the abacus and continues “You personally invented and manufactured it, so it is your idea. No one will dare to copy or create one personally without your express permission. If you were a low-ranking noble, an ordinary official, or a commoner, there would be people who would try to steal the invention and pass it off as their own idea, especially if they are high-ranking officials or great nobles. But to do so to you, the Zhāohuán, would be a crime against the imperial family. And everyone knows how such crimes are punished."

  I look alternately at Xueshi Wenxue and the abacus, and finally fix my gaze on my tutor and ask him “And what would you recommend I do, since I am too inexperienced to know what to do without getting myself into more trouble than I am already in?"

  He thinks for a moment and asks me “Is this the first abacus you have created, and does your mother know anything about it?"

  "No, Xueshi Wenxue, to both questions”, I reply. "I made this one as a gift for you. The first one I made is in my study for my personal use. And I don't think my mother knows anything about it, but since I ordered the materials from RuNu Lianhua, one of the maids may have told her something about them."

  A look of relief crosses his face for a moment before he continues “Perfect. When you get home, give that abacus to your mother and explain that the materials you ordered were to make it, and explain what it's for. Then tell her that since it's the first abacus you've ever made, you want to give it to the Emperor as a gift."

  "Why is it so important that it is the first abacus ever made, especially to the point of needing to emphasize it?" I ask Xueshi Wenxue.

  "Because of the symbolism”, Xueshi Wenxue replies. "And most importantly, the Emperor will learn about your invention from you, since finding out from others could be too uncertain, as his impression will depend on the motives of the person giving him the news."

  He places his hand on the abacus on the table and continues “I will keep the abacus you have given me without showing it to anyone until you tell me that the Emperor has his own."

  Then he looks around and fixes his gaze on some librarians who are watching us before continuing to speak “In addition, I will order the librarians to keep what happened here a secret, but I would advise you to give the gift as soon as possible, because as they say, if two people know, everyone will know.”

  "I appreciate your advice, Xueshi Wenxue”, I say, bowing while seated in my chair.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "There's no need, Zhāohuán. As your tutor, it is my duty to educate you in these matters. Besides, as I said before, I will remember this favor for the rest of my life”, he replies, looking at the abacus on the table.

  He gets up from his chair, picks up the abacus, and looks at me seriously "For today and the next few days, you are excused from your classes so that you can return quickly to your pavilion to speak directly with your mother. And don't come back until you know that the emperor has received your gift. I will take care of everything here so that no one lets the cat out of the bag."

  I look at Lianhua, who has been by my side the whole time, and say “You heard Xueshi Wenxue. Let's go quickly."

  "Understood, Zhāohuán Wen”, she replies as she gets up and takes my arm, after which we quickly leave the library, followed by the Nei Wei. As we leave, I can't help but notice that Xueshi Wenxue comes out and says something to the Jin Wei who are standing guard at the door. As we walk away, I see them arguing briefly, but in the end they seem to accept what my tutor is saying, who goes back inside and closes the door behind him, after which one of the guards stands in front of us as if to block our way and the other runs off.

  I think my tutor has just locked himself in the library with the librarians until the day I return. Honestly, I feel sorry for the librarians, but I think that for my tutor, the longer it takes me to return, the more grateful he will be to me for leaving him locked up all day with a bunch of books.

  We quickly cross the park, where the poor ducks will not get their scheduled food today, and arrive at the Pavilion. I ask Lianhua to take me to the study, where I grab the abacus I have there and, after asking a maid where my mother is, we head to a courtyard where she is sitting with Fei Yi Lingxi and several maids while she paints something on a piece of fabric, silk I imagine.

  "Mother, I have something to tell you”, I say as I watch her stop painting and look at me when she notices me entering the courtyard.

  "You know you can tell me anything, Wen”, she replies as she motions to one of the maids to get up from her chair and make room for me.

  "In private, Mother, it's important”, I say after Lianhua sits me down.

  She looks at me seriously and then glances briefly at the abacus on my lap before gesturing with her hand and saying “Leave me alone with my daughter."

  The maids rise, and after bowing briefly, they leave the courtyard and close the door behind them as my mother watches them go, leaving only me, my mother, Lianhua and Fei Yi Lingxi in the courtyard.

  My mother turns to look at me and points to the abacus "I suppose that's why you bothered all our maids for three days with your unreasonable requests. I suppose you want to explain to me what it's for, right?"

  "Yes, Mother”, and then I explain what it's for by demonstrating it to her, and before she can interrupt me with questions, I tell her what Xueshi Wenxue told me about what we should do.

  My mother remains silent for a while as I look at her, and with every minute that passes without her saying anything, I become more and more nervous until finally I can't stand the silence any longer and say “Mother?"

  My mother raises a hand to stop me from continuing and, taking part of the silk scroll she was painting on, writes something on it, then folds it and marks it with a seal she takes out of an inside pocket of her suit.

  She gives it to Fei Yi Lingxi and says “Go quickly to the court and give this letter to Shangshu. Tell him it is from me to the Emperor about Zhāohuán Wen. And as you leave, tell the Nei Wei that the pavilion is sealed and no one is allowed to leave unless I give permission."

  Fei Yi Lingxi receives the letter and, after bowing, quickly leaves the courtyard. After watching her leave, my mother turns to look at me "As for you, young lady, when you see Xueshi Wenxue again, you must thank him for the loyalty he has shown you. Many people would have taken advantage of your lack of knowledge of how to behave in this situation to take advantage of you or humiliate you."

  "I will, Mother”, I reply, as I sigh inwardly and continue with another question that I feel I need to ask. "Mother, is it true that I am now the Emperor's primary heir?"

  My mother seems surprised by my sudden question and then sighs as she rubs her forehead.

  "Who did you hear that from?" she asks me.

  “From Xueshi Wenxue. Before explaining how to deal with the abacus, he first explained everything that the title my father gave me represents,” I reply.

  "Even though you are Blessed by the Heavens and learn quickly, you are still too young to worry about such things, but I suppose Xueshi Wenxue considers it necessary, especially with all the new attention you are going to receive”, my mother replies, and then asks me. "But you have to decide the main thing. Right now, do you want to be the Empress?"

  "What? No!" I reply quickly. In my condition, trying to enter the race for the throne is practically suicide.

  "Then that's what you have to say every time, no matter who asks you, in case someone has the bad taste to ask you about it. There may be people who don't believe you or who are jealous of you, but as long as you maintain in front of everyone that you don't want to be Empress, only the most irrational will try to cause you problems”, my mother tells me seriously.

  She waits a moment to give me time to take in her words and then continues “But until you're at least eight years old, and depending on what happens then, you don't have to worry about it anymore, so we'll leave it at that."

  The age of eight almost certainly has something to do with cultivation. But since my mother, for some strange reason, doesn't want to talk to me about it, and now is not the time to question her about it, I decide to keep quiet and leave it for later.

  My mother turns to Lianhua and says “RuNu Lianhua, take Wen to her room and get ready for the emperor's visit. I don't know how long it will take him to arrive, but even if it's several days from now, everything must be ready so he won't have to wait when he gets here. And take the abacus with you. It's much better if the emperor receives it from your hands."

  She looks at me and continues “As for you, young lady, you'd better behave yourself. It will be your first time meeting the emperor, and you'd better show the proper etiquette."

  I can't tell my mother that this isn't my first encounter and that I remember his visits from when I was a baby, so I refrain from asking him if I can pull his beard while calling him dad because I think that's what he would like, and I answer meekly “Yes, mother.”

  After those words, Lianhua picks me up from my chair and takes me to my room, where she and some maids begin to choose an outfit for me to wear when the Emperor arrives and start explaining how I will have to behave when the Emperor comes.

  Lianhua finally chooses an outfit for me while continuing to give me instructions for the meeting with my father, instructions that I plan to ignore as I begin to sketch out a plan in my mind that will either increase my father's appreciation for me or get my head cut off, one of the two. While Lianhua and I are each doing our own thing, a maid suddenly enters and tells us that the emperor has sent a messenger to say that he will be arriving shortly. And I nervously think that I have underestimated my father because of the haste with which he has come for a simple note that I have a gift for him.

  Upon hearing the maid, Lianhua stops teaching me etiquette and, with the help of several maids, they dress me in record time, after which they take me to the study, where I move aside a half-assembled abacus to make room for everyone.

  After a moment, we hear a commotion outside, and not for the first time I curse my inability to get up and look for myself. The commotion, which I assume is due to my father's arrival, can be heard throughout the pavilion. Soon there is relative silence, and I wait nervously with Lianhua for someone to come.

  After a long time, the door opens to reveal my father, who stares at me when he sees me sitting at the table where I have the complete abacus and the parts I am assembling.

  He enters the room and, without looking at Lianhua, who has knelt on the floor as my father enters the room, says “Leave, we would like to be alone with Zhāohuán Wen."

  Lianhua stands up and, without turning her back on my father, leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

  My father sits down in a chair opposite me and, looking at me, begins to speak in a regal tone "In the note that Guifei Xiang sent us, she said that you have a gift for us and something to tell us. She also said that it would be something important. As we had some free time, we decided to come and see what it was."

  "Thank you for coming so quickly, Father”, I blurt out suddenly, crossing my fingers mentally that the feeling my father had given me on the night of my Man Yue and my first birthday, as well as the few times he had come into my room to see me when I was a baby, even though he stopped coming in as I grew up, was the right one.

  My father frowns as he looks at me and asks “What did you call us? Don't you know who we are?"

  I hold his gaze without fear and reply “You are the Emperor, the Son of Heaven to the countless inhabitants of the Tianjing Empire “, I reply as I lower my head and gaze in a calculated manner while looking at him out of the corner of my eye. "But to me, you are my father."

  I see the corner of his lips tremble briefly as he tries not to smile and keep his face stoic, so I begin to shout victory in my mind.

  "We understand”, he says as he strokes his beard. "Today we are feeling magnanimous because you are supposed to have a gift for us, so we will allow you to call us father, but only when we are alone."

  I bow until my forehead touches the table as I say “I appreciate your understanding, Father."

  As I raise my head, I see him hide his mouth with his hand as he pretends to cough a little, then looks curiously at the completed abacus and the half-assembled one, as they are the only things on the table.

  "We assume that's the gift your mother said you had for us”, he asks me.

  "Yes, Father”, I reply, noticing that he has stopped addressing my mother by her title. "And also the reason I have to tell you something. If you'll let me, I'll show you how it works."

  He gestures with his hand to indicate that I can proceed, and for the third time that day, I demonstrate how it works.

  When I finish, his face has lost its usual composure and clearly reflects his interest.

  He picks up the abacus from the table and, after fiddling with it for a moment, looks at me and asks “Does anyone else, apart from the people in this house, know anything about this... abacus?"

  "Yes, Father”, I reply, thinking it best to tell the truth about this matter. "My tutor, Xueshi Wenxue, also knows about it. I gave him a demonstration of how it works this morning, and he was the one who recommended that I tell you as soon as possible, since with my lack of knowledge I didn't know how to proceed. Right now he is in the library, where he has locked himself in of his own accord."

  "And when I came back from the library, I also told my mother, as she was the only person I knew who could contact you”, I finish telling him as I bow again.

  "Don't worry about that”, he says as he looks at the abacus I have half-assembled on the table. "So this is the only one you have?"

  "It's the first one I've assembled, Father. It's my gift to you”, I reply. "But my tutor has another one, the same one I used to teach him how it worked."

  He seems to grip the abacus a little tighter after I say those words, but he doesn't answer me. After a moment, he stands up, looking at me.

  "We are pleased with your gift”, he says in a regal tone. "But our free time is limited, so we must leave."

  I bow to my father again, after which, apparently satisfied, he turns and leaves the room.

  I sigh after he leaves, and as I watch Lianhua come back in, I am glad that my feelings were correct and that my head, for the moment, still remains on my shoulders.