"This matter is unprecedented, and we absolutely cannot set such a precedent!"
"Moreover, Qingyue Palace is inhabited by maids. It wouldn't be appropriate for a eunuch to move in!"
"What's inappropriate about it!" Princess Xinyue's eyebrows shot up. "If I say it's appropriate, then it's appropriate!"
"Dare to object again, and I'll have you all dragged out and beaten to death!"
At these words, everyone fell silent, not daring to voice any further objections.
"Besides, I didn't say he would live with you little maids. Don't I have a side hall in Qingming Palace? Tidy it up, and let him live there."
"This..."
"What 'this'? Hurry up and tidy it!"
Seeing the princess's signs of anger again, everyone didn't dare to say more and quickly went to tidy the room.
In fact, besides the main hall where Princess Xinyue resided, Qingming Palace had several side halls for her personal maids.
However, Princess Xinyue did not have too many personal maids, and they were frequently changed, so these side halls had never been fully occupied.
This turned out to be a benefit for Chu Chen.
Chu Chen was also very depressed at this moment.
He originally just wanted to use the princess's name to protect himself and prevent the supervisor from bothering him.
But he never expected that Princess Xinyue would be so impulsive, wanting him to move in with her!
Seeing that Princess Xinyue was currently angry, he didn't dare to object and could only accept the arrangement with a grimace.
He was a real man, and if he really lived with the princess every day, it would be completely over if he were exposed.
As things stood, he had no choice but to follow Princess Xinyue's arrangement, go back to pack his things, and prepare to move into the side hall.
Although it was called a side hall, it was actually only separated by a door from the princess's main hall.
If Chu Chen wished, he could even see Princess Xinyue resting on her bed through the gap in the door.
In a sense, was this considered living together?
When Chu Chen went back to pack his things, the eunuchs also learned that he was about to move in with Princess Xinyue.
But there was no envy in their eyes as they looked at Chu Chen, but rather pity and mockery.
Who didn't know that Princess Xinyue was capricious? Just standing in front of her could make one's heart tremble. If he really moved in with her, would life be any better?
It was possible that Chu Chen wouldn't even survive a month before Princess Xinyue got rid of him.
Even Steward Chen looked sympathetic.
"Alas... take care."
Chu Chen smiled bitterly and shook his head, carrying his belongings back to Qingming Palace.
"What? Are you wronged by being asked to live with this princess?" Princess Xinyue said unhappily, looking at Chu Chen's grim face.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Chu Chen quickly replied. "This is my honor, and I don't feel wronged at all."
Just as Princess Xinyue was about to say something more, she raised her eyes slightly, and her expression immediately became very flustered.
Then, she knelt down. "Greetings, Mother!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chen also quickly knelt down. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
A cold and majestic voice came, "You are the little eunuch who has my daughter completely smitten. You do look quite good."
As soon as these words were spoken, Chu Chen's back was drenched in cold sweat.
He could tell from the Empress's words that she was not pleased!
Just as he was racking his brains to explain something, Princess Xinyue's aggrieved voice sounded from the side, "Mother..."
Chu Chen's mind went blank.
Was this the spoiled and willful Princess Xinyue? Was this娇滴滴 (jiāo dī dī - delicate and charming) coquettish voice coming from her?
Looking out of the corner of his eye, Chu Chen saw that the once arrogant Princess Xinyue was now pouting, her face full of grievance.
"You don't let me do this, you don't let me do that all day. Finally, I found an interesting little eunuch, and you didn't stand up for me when he was beaten..."
Princess Xinyue spoke with increasing grievance, and it seemed as if she was about to cry.
The Empress clearly had no choice with her beloved daughter. Her voice immediately softened.
"Alright, alright, it's all up to you, it's all up to you."
"Hooray! I knew it, Mother loves me the most!" Princess Xinyue immediately jumped up happily.
She even went straight to the Empress's side and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
With Princess Xinyue's support, the Empress slowly sat down.
"Was it you who previously proposed the matter of agriculture and sericulture?"
Hearing the Empress's question, Chu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. "It was indeed my idea."
"You little eunuch, you do have some talent," the Empress praised expressionlessly.
Chu Chen hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "In fact, I have some ingenious inventions that might be of great use in agriculture. I beg Your Majesty to take a look."
"Oh? You are so confident?" The Empress looked at Chu Chen with great interest. "I would like to hear your thoughts."
"I need paper and ink to assist in the explanation. I beg Your Majesty to grant me writing materials."
"Summon the brush, ink, and paper!"
Hearing Chu Chen say this, even Princess Xinyue, who had always been uninterested in such matters, became curious.
With the Divine Planting Skill in hand, Chu Chen was knowledgeable about all advanced agricultural techniques from ancient to modern times.
After he returned, he had specifically learned about the agricultural level of the Qingzhou Continent and knew that the agricultural technology of the Qingzhou Continent was still in a very primitive stage.
He dared to guarantee that the techniques he proposed would definitely be recognized by the Empress.
The two techniques that Chu Chen presented at this time were the curved-shaft plow and the waterwheel.
Originally, the plows used on the Qingzhou Continent were straight-shaft plows, which required two to four oxen to pull. They were not only cumbersome but also very inefficient.
The curved-shaft plow, on the other hand, was small and convenient, requiring only one ox to pull it easily. Depending on the terrain, different attachments could be used to perfectly adapt to any terrain.
On some soft land, the curved-shaft plow could even be pulled by human power!
The invention of the curved-shaft plow alone could at least double the grain output of the Yunyue Kingdom!
The waterwheel could lift water to irrigate land very far away. Many originally dry lands would become irrigated fields after being watered, and the grain output could be further increased.
If these two technologies were to be promoted nationwide, coupled with Chu Chen's previous ideas, the grain output of the Yunyue Kingdom could at least quadruple or even quintuple!
After listening to Chu Chen's description, not to mention the Empress, even Princess Xinyue realized the power of these two inventions.
"Do you know that deceiving the emperor is a serious crime?" the Empress's majestic voice came.
Chu Chen immediately swore to heaven: "There is absolutely no falsehood in this matter. I dare to guarantee it with my life!"