Chu Chen didn't know if this was an isolated case, but such phenomena were certainly not uncommon across the country.
The emperor's reputation was, naturally, also tarnished by these people.
For such individuals, the best course of action was to show no mercy and execute them!
"On what grounds!" The county magistrate of Linshui trembled as he pointed at Chu Chen, "I am an official appointed by the imperial court. How dare you, a mere eunuch, put me on trial?"
Although Princess Xinyue had not shown herself, she had heard everything clearly from inside the carriage.
Even though she didn't understand much about state affairs, she could tell that her mother's benevolent policies were being used by these people as a tool for their own enrichment.
This was something she absolutely could not forgive!
"Xiao Chenzi, act!" Princess Xinyue said coldly, "If the Empress blames me, I will bear the responsibility!"
Receiving the princess's command, a cold smile appeared on Chu Chen's lips.
"You, you, you dare!" The county magistrate of Linshui recoiled in terror, "Guards! Guards... Ah!"
Accompanied by a scream, the county magistrate of Linshui was beheaded by Chu Chen's sword!
Blood splattered onto the faces of the surrounding gentry and landlords, making them all shudder.
"Do I need to teach you what to do?" Chu Chen's cold eyes swept over the onlookers.
"Considering you are only accomplices, Her Highness the Princess has graciously allowed you to atone for your crimes!"
The gentry and landlords exchanged glances, then quickly knelt and cried out, "Thank you, Princess, for sparing our lives!"
Under the chilling deterrence of the severed head, they immediately scrambled to obey the imperial decree, carrying it out exactly as instructed.
After everyone had left, Chu Chen half-knelt before Princess Xinyue to confess, "This humble servant acted on his own accord. I beg Her Highness the Princess to punish me."
"You did very well!" Princess Xinyue praised him, but then she said indignantly, "If it were up to me, I would have been deceived by these people!"
"Don't worry, I will speak to Mother myself. You will be fine!"
While deeply moved, Chu Chen also advised Princess Xinyue. They had only just left the palace. Although a significant incident had occurred, returning to the palace immediately to report might seem inappropriate.
Princess Xinyue hesitated for a moment and strongly agreed with Chu Chen's reasoning.
She wrote a detailed account of what had happened and sent it back to the palace. After confirming the developments in Linshui County, the group proceeded to the next county.
Unbeknownst to them, the news of Princess Xinyue beheading a corrupt official in Linshui County spread like wildfire throughout the Yunyue Kingdom.
In Shuangyue City, the Prime Minister's mansion.
"This little princess truly makes a splash when she acts," Prime Minister Chen Yuanliang said with a chuckle.
"Her actions are decisive and ruthless, and she handles matters with composure. It seems this little princess is far more capable than we anticipated!"
"However..." Minister of War Ruan Yan hesitated, "Will this have an impact on our subsequent plans?"
"There will certainly be an impact. It all depends on how we handle it," Minister of Personnel Gao Jun said calmly.
"However, comparatively speaking, I am more interested in the little eunuch by the princess's side."
"You mean the little eunuch who invented the Yanzai plow?" Ruan Yan was dismissive, "He's just a small eunuch. There's no need to pay him too much attention."
"Don't underestimate this little eunuch," Gao Jun frowned deeply. "I have a feeling he's somewhat different."
"If that's the case, why not summon him and test him?" Chen Yuanliang smiled faintly, "Coincidentally, I was also planning to gauge Princess Xinyue's true capabilities."
Gao Jun nodded slightly, "I will handle this matter. It's not appropriate for you, Prime Minister, to appear personally."
"No, I will appear personally," Chen Yuanliang shook his head. "After all, that little eunuch is someone by the Princess's side, and he has now gained the Emperor's favor."
"If we truly want to probe something, you are not qualified."
...
Chu Chen was completely unaware of the events unfolding in the Prime Minister's mansion. At this moment, he was enduring the scorching heat.
Three days had passed since they left the palace.
They had already visited all the surrounding counties of Shuangyue City.
Perhaps due to the deterrent effect of the public execution of the Linshui county magistrate, the remaining county magistrates were more honest than ever.
No one dared to tamper with the matter in secret.
To Chu Chen's surprise, the Empress's attitude towards this matter was also rather ambiguous.
Upon receiving the news, the Empress remained silent, offering neither praise nor reprimand, not even sending a verbal decree.
This made Princess Xinyue anxious, and coupled with the sweltering heat, her mood grew even more irritable.
"Xiao Chenzi, why is it so hot today!" Princess Xinyue said irritably, "It didn't feel this hot in Qingming Palace before!"
"Xiao Chenzi, can you think of a way to cool down?"
Chu Chen's mouth twitched slightly.
Where would he find a way to cool down?
There was no air conditioning, no fans, not even ice cream. To cool down, they could only rely on maids fanning them manually.
But in the face of such high temperatures, the wind from the fans was hot, doing nothing to lower the temperature.
Who knew that with autumn approaching, the weather would suddenly become so hot.
"Your Highness..." Just as Chu Chen was contemplating how to explain, he suddenly noticed some white objects in the corner of the courtyard.
"I..." Chu Chen's eyes lit up. "Your Highness, how about I get you some ice?"
Princess Xinyue laughed in exasperation, "Are you trying to mock me?"
"In this scorching weather, where will you get ice?"
"This isn't the imperial palace. If you dare to speak nonsense again, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Generally, to beat the summer heat, the imperial palace would store ice in cellars during winter, and this ice would be preserved for use in summer.
However, due to the size of the cellars and factors like melting, even Princess Xinyue could only receive a small portion during the hottest periods.
Most of it was reserved for the Empress herself.
The common people also imitated this practice, but with autumn almost here, the ice stored anywhere would have been mostly consumed by now.
Therefore, when Chu Chen spoke of getting ice, Princess Xinyue saw it as him making fun of her.
"Your Highness, please calm down! How would I dare to mock you!" Chu Chen laughed, "As long as you give me an afternoon, I promise to get you a large bowl of ice!"
"Is that true?" Princess Xinyue looked at Chu Chen suspiciously. "You know the consequences of deceiving this princess."
"Not a single word of falsehood!" Chu Chen patted his chest and guaranteed, "Just you wait and see!"