Chu Chen, however, felt no sense of being cared for at all.
From the life simulation just now, he could tell that the Empress was merely using him.
She was using him to divert the attention of the traitors.
When all attention was focused on him, those people would naturally deal with him first, and then target Princess Xin Yue.
To put it bluntly, he was just a scapegoat for Princess Xin Yue.
All this favor came at a price.
With an almost imperceptible sigh, Chu Chen bowed his head respectfully.
Only after the Empress had walked far away did Chu Chen finally straighten up.
"Oh, Eunuch Chu, you've really struck it rich now."
As soon as Chu Chen stood up, a group of eunuchs who wanted to curry favor with him immediately surrounded him.
"Eunuch Chu, you'll have to look out for us in the future!"
"Eunuch Chu, if you ever need our help with anything, just say the word, I..."
...
Chu Chen ignored these sycophantic individuals and turned to leave.
Since he had made such bold claims, he naturally had to seize the time to manufacture the waterwheel and the curved-shaft plow.
Just as Chu Chen was on his way to find the royal artisans, Xue Yun, on the other side, also received the news.
"Good boy, you actually played a trick on me here!" Xue Yun slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground.
"Big Brother, I don't think His Majesty necessarily believes that kid's words," Zhu Hong said tentatively. "His Majesty didn't question you or punish you, so..."
"This is the worst-case scenario!" Xue Yun snorted coldly. "This means she's starting to suspect all three of us!"
"Ignoring it is the biggest problem!"
"Ah?" Luo Jiang frowned. "Then what should we do?"
"What to do..." Xue Yun narrowed his eyes slightly. "I heard His Majesty asked him to find some craftsmen in the palace to make some new things."
"Luo Jiang, you go find someone to follow those craftsmen..."
Luo Jiang's eyes lit up. "I understand. As long as we delay for two or three days, he won't be able to complete the task on time, and he'll naturally face punishment!"
"Big Brother, your plan is truly brilliant," Luo Jiang said, giving him a thumbs-up.
At the same time, Chu Chen had already explained his ideas in detail to the palace craftsmen. After receiving assurances that it could be done immediately, Chu Chen returned with peace of mind.
Standing at the entrance of Qingming Palace, just as Chu Chen was hesitating whether to go in, Princess Xin Yue returned from outside and immediately spotted Chu Chen standing at the palace gate.
"Little Chenzi, come quickly and tell this princess, are those things of yours really that useful?" Princess Xin Yue's interest was piqued as soon as she saw Chu Chen. She grabbed Chu Chen and insisted that he explain the principles of these new farming tools to her.
Chu Chen intended to give a perfunctory answer, but unexpectedly, Princess Xin Yue was the type to get to the bottom of things. One question followed another, leaving Chu Chen dizzy and annoyed.
After grilling Chu Chen for a full hour, Princess Xin Yue finally let Chu Chen go back, satisfied.
Before going to bed, Chu Chen did not forget to conduct another life simulation and chose the Divine Craftsman skill from the three rewards.
With this skill, Chu Chen could perfectly handle any work that required manual labor.
During his rest that night, the romantic scene Chu Chen had envisioned did not occur.
Although he lived only one door away from the main hall where the princess resided, Chu Chen could even push open the door and enter Princess Xin Yue's chambers.
However, Chu Chen was not responsible for Princess Xin Yue's daily life; he only needed to ensure that he could appear before her at any time when she wished to summon him.
Therefore, relatively speaking, Chu Chen had become very free after moving in.
And since he had to manufacture samples of the curved-shaft plow and the waterwheel for His Majesty, he didn't even need to perform sword dances for Princess Xin Yue for these three days.
The next morning, Chu Chen found the craftsmen to see how the task he had assigned yesterday was progressing.
When he arrived at the Department of Manufacturing, which was responsible for this task, he saw the craftsmen working in a very lazy manner.
"What's going on?" Chu Chen asked with an unfriendly tone. "Are you slacking off so early in the morning?"
The person in charge of the Department of Manufacturing was a thin middle-aged man with a small mustache.
Yesterday, he had been extremely respectful towards Chu Chen, but after just one night, his attitude towards Chu Chen had undergone a 180-degree turn.
"It's not that we're slacking off, but your requirements are too high, Eunuch!" Qin Dachang said with a fake smile.
"These things you're talking about are too advanced. We humble carpenters can't understand them!"
Qin Dachang, while appearing respectful, was actually mocking. "Why don't you demonstrate it to us yourself?"
"What does a mere eunuch know about carpentry?"
Someone nearby sneered.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Qin Dachang glared. "How can you be so disrespectful to Eunuch?"
Turning back, Qin Dachang smiled again. "Why don't you wait for a moment? We'll start working on it after we, these clumsy fools, have figured it out?"
Chu Chen took a deep breath. "This is a task personally assigned by His Majesty. If it delays His Majesty's important affairs, can you bear the consequences?"
"Look at what you're saying," Qin Dachang's face held a hint of mockery. "We are just carpenters assisting Eunuch. If anything goes wrong and the task cannot be completed, it will be because your requirements were too high."
"We really can't do it!"
"Yes, we simply can't do it!"
"You're a eunuch, what do you know about carpentry? You're giving us impossible tasks, so you can't blame us, can you?"
"Even if His Majesty blames us, it will be you, the leader, who is blamed. What does it have to do with us who are doing the work?"
Chu Chen laughed in anger. "Are you really not going to work honestly?"
"Eunuch, Eunuch, please calm down!" Qin Dachang quickly explained. "The people under me are ignorant and have embarrassed you."
"What are you doing? Get back to work, all of you!"
As Qin Dachang got angry, the craftsmen reluctantly picked up their tools and began to work in a perfunctory manner.
Chu Chen stood by silently, his face cold, watching the carpenters busy themselves.
Half an hour later, the first batch of parts Chu Chen needed was produced.
But upon seeing those parts, Chu Chen's expression turned extremely displeased.
"Even a clay figurine has some temper. You've been toying with me again and again, do you really think I won't get angry?"
Chu Chen threw the blueprints and the parts in front of Qin Dachang. "Look at the blueprints, and then look at what you've made? Does this make any sense?"
The finished products made by the carpenters were not just slightly different from the blueprints; they were completely unrelated.