"Wow, is this a hand stove? It's so warm!"
Inside the carriage, Princess Xinyue felt the warmth from her sleeve, her small face flushed with warmth as she squinted with enjoyment and exclaimed.
"Heh heh~ How is it? Feels good, right?"
Chu Chen, also in the same carriage, asked with a smile.
The autumn harvest had passed, and the frost had descended. Shuangyuezhou, a region closer to the north, had a temperature of only thirteen degrees Celsius, and people everywhere had already put on their autumn clothes.
"Mmm-hmm." Princess Xinyue nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "In previous winters, even though I, this princess, wore thick clothes, I still felt not warm enough. Now with this hand stove, not only do I not need to wear thick clothing, but I might even be able to walk and play freely in the snow."
"If you like it, that's good. But it's still too early to use this thing. Look how red your face is from the warmth, quickly take it out and extinguish it."
"Alright."
Princess Xinyue was reluctant. She had only experienced such a novel item for a short while, and she truly hated to part with it.
She took the hand stove out from her sleeve, waved her hand to extinguish the flame inside, and hung it on the carriage wall at will.
Now, Princess Xinyue, through the high-quality cultivation resources provided by Chu Chen, coupled with the rich martial arts secret manuals and guidance from masters in the royal family.
At this moment, she was no longer an ordinary person but a martial artist with a Body Tempering realm cultivation.
Although it was a small Body Tempering stage that initially utilized spiritual energy, she possessed some divine abilities and was not afraid of ordinary climate changes as long as they were not too harsh.
After placing the hand stove, Princess Xinyue looked at him with a hint of affection in her eyes and said, "Chu Chen, besides asking this princess to inspect the excavation of the smokeless coal mine, Mother also has something to ask you."
"I know, is it that Your Majesty wants you to ask me how to let the common people at the bottom survive the winter?"
"Eh, you already know? I thought you..."
Princess Xinyue smiled sheepishly.
"Silly girl, how could I not know what the problem is with my words in the imperial court? It's just not convenient to elaborate, otherwise, wouldn't His Majesty drag me to work overtime and stand in the imperial court for another hour? What's the point?"
Chu Chen smiled and reached out to flick Princess Xinyue's nose.
Princess Xinyue, blushing with shyness, looked around and lowered her head, playing with her fingers.
As Princess Xinyue diligently studied knowledge and etiquette, she was no longer as spoiled and willful as before, and she had become more dignified.
Of course, this was only in front of Chu Chen. In front of outsiders, although Princess Xinyue was not spoiled, she was extremely indifferent.
In other words, she was cold and aloof in public, but obedient and gentle in private.
And in front of the Empress, she was as childish as ever, occasionally acting spoiled.
"Among all the civil and military officials, many are corrupt. They take money while not serving the people at the bottom. Even if I explain it, it's useless. It's better to directly force them to work, which saves trouble."
Chu Chen said casually, his eyes fixed on Princess Xinyue's face, which had become even more alluring due to the blush of shyness.
I really want to kiss you. You're too beautiful! After cultivating, our princess's skin has become even more supple and tender!
"Don't look at this princess like that!"
Princess Xinyue couldn't stand it and turned her head away, using her sleeve to shield herself from Chu Chen's gaze.
Chu Chen said regretfully, "When we arrive at the place later, I'll take you to see it properly. I guarantee you'll be greatly surprised."
"Hmph hmph, then this princess will take a good look at the governing methods of Prime Minister Chu of our Yunyue Kingdom."
Princess Xinyue said playfully, making Chu Chen laugh heartily.
The thirteen prefectures of Yunyue Kingdom were generally located in the central part of the Qingzhou Continent. The territory was not small, spanning millions of square kilometers, but it did not border the sea, nor the great grasslands, deserts, or jungles.
The land suitable for cultivation in the country was relatively scarce, with many mountains. Therefore, although grain production was insufficient in the past, the mineral resources were extremely abundant.
Within Shuangyuezhou alone, Chu Chen had found three smokeless coal mines. Although the reserves did not seem to be very rich, they were enough for the entire country to use for several years, and they were open-pit, making them easy to mine.
Incidentally, Shuangyuezhou had many plains and six rivers, as well as numerous streams. It was not the main area for mineral production in the country.
With just this, such mineral resources were found, which showed how abundant the national mineral resources were.
They had already traveled for two days, and now they only needed an hour to reach the mining area.
Before getting out of the carriage, Princess Xinyue heard shouts and exertion.
"One, two, three, push!"
"Hey ya~"
"Good, next team! One, two, three, push!"
"Hey ya~"
"What are they doing?"
Princess Xinyue was confused. She got out of the carriage, took Chu Chen's outstretched hand, which was already waiting on the ground, and slowly stepped onto the ground.
At this moment, Princess Xinyue finally saw clearly.
It turned out that five people were working together to push a large iron bucket.
The large iron bucket was as tall as a person, entirely made of iron, filled with crushed ore. A donkey was pulling it from the front, and five people around it were responsible for pushing.
"Is this mine open-pit?"
Princess Xinyue looked around. The prisoners were digging with hoes in an open space, and she couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, that's right. This is also why I chose this place to mine smokeless coal. Open-pit mining is easy."
Chu Chen nodded and pointed into the distance, saying, "Mining here began in early autumn. We've been digging for over a month now. After another month of digging, the ore that has been dug will be processed into smokeless coal blocks and can be sold."
"Hmm, I see that the prisoners look strong and healthy, and there aren't many soldiers around. Aren't you afraid they'll team up to rebel and escape?"
Princess Xinyue nodded, suddenly noticing a problem.
Chu Chen laughed heartily and said, "Haha, they won't escape. On the contrary, they are afraid that my men will abandon them and go home to spend the winter when winter arrives."
"Why is that?" Princess Xinyue asked, not quite understanding.
According to her common sense, digging pits was a very arduous task. Ordinary people would basically only enter the pits to mine if they had no other choice and had some connections. Most people used were criminals who deserved death but not execution.
Therefore, in her opinion, if there was an opportunity, escaping into the mountains, although life would still be hard, would not lead to death from labor.
"It's almost time for meals. You'll see then."
Chu Chen said with a smile, not answering her question.
Chu Chen took Princess Xinyue around for a walk, and soon it was time for meals.
Over a hundred pots were set up under wooden frames in an open space, and waves of aroma wafted through the air.
"Mealtime! Mealtime!" Managers, having timed it perfectly, shouted after glancing at their watches.
Instantly, the miners dropped their tools, hurried to wash their hands and get their bowls, and lined up in an orderly fashion, waiting.
Princess Xinyue, dressed in men's clothing, held a folding fan to cover her face and stood not far away with Chu Chen, watching.
She was shocked by the spirit and demeanor of these people, which was completely different from what she had understood before.