"You're back so soon. Did you encounter any difficulties?" the Empress asked, setting aside her memorial and smiling at Chu Chen.
"Your Majesty, everything went smoothly," Chu Chen replied calmly. "Regarding the sales of the soap, I have some suggestions that I hope Your Majesty will hear."
The Empress waved her hand. "Stop calling yourself 'this humble servant.' I find it rather uncomfortable to hear."
"...Your subject obeys."
"Yes, that sounds much better," the Empress nodded slightly. "Tell me, what suggestions do you have?"
"Although the soap is excellent, it requires considerable effort to make it known. However, if Your Majesty is willing to assist, the soap's fame can spread throughout the entire Shuangyue City, and even the whole country, in just a few days!"
"Are you suggesting I personally explain the benefits of the soap to you?" The Empress's expression gradually turned displeased.
Chu Chen quickly shook his head.
Unless he had lost his mind, he would never suggest that the Emperor should help him hawk his wares.
"I believe Your Majesty could bestow the soap as a gift to the court officials and their families. Not too much, just a small piece for each person. After they use it, they will naturally understand its benefits."
"Of course, if Your Majesty is willing, you could also subtly mention what I have been doing outside..."
"Aren't you still asking me to promote it for you?" the Empress seemed somewhat annoyed.
"This subject dares not," Chu Chen quickly pleaded for mercy.
"But Your Majesty, this is your enterprise, and all the profits go to you alone. Therefore..."
The Empress's expression softened slightly.
"What you say is not without merit."
"If Your Majesty does not wish to speak, you only need to bestow the soap as a gift, and I will handle the rest," Chu Chen repeatedly assured. "I will not fail in my mission!"
The Empress nodded slightly, agreeing to the matter.
"How has Xin Yue been behaving recently?"
"Your Majesty, the Princess..." Chu Chen was momentarily at a loss for words.
She had been out of the palace for less than a day, and Princess Xin Yue seemed to have gone wild. Chu Chen had no idea where she was.
Now that the Empress was asking, Chu Chen didn't know how to answer.
"Never mind. This matter was my oversight," the Empress sighed helplessly. "That girl is inherently mischievous. I should have known she wouldn't truly settle down to learn anything."
"I will give you something. As long as you show this to Xin Yue, she will undoubtedly obey," saying this, the Empress had someone bring a long ruler.
"This is..."
"This is the ruler I used to discipline Xin Yue when she was young. As long as you show her this, she will know what to do."
Chu Chen hesitated for a moment, then took the ruler and thanked her repeatedly.
Leaving the palace, Chu Chen fell into thought.
He had initially thought the Empress's request for him to tutor Xin Yue was just an excuse, but looking at the ruler in his hand, she seemed serious!
"Could it be that I'm actually going to become Princess Xin Yue's teacher?" Chu Chen murmured.
He shook his head, clearing his mind of all the extraneous thoughts.
He would teach her. Now that he had something to control Princess Xin Yue with, could he still be afraid of a little girl?
However, his plan would have to change slightly.
Chu Chen had initially thought Princess Xin Yue was a burden, and he only needed to coax her into not causing him trouble.
Now... she was still a burden, but Chu Chen would truly have to take on the responsibility of being a teacher.
...
The next day, when Chu Chen found Princess Xin Yue, she was riding a horse at full speed on a small road outside the city, accompanied by two other rather spirited-looking women.
Upon seeing Chu Chen, one of the women, holding a riding crop, pointed at him and laughed, "Xin Yue, is this the interesting little eunuch you were talking about?"
Princess Xin Yue turned her head, saw Chu Chen, pouted, and gently reined in her horse. She dismounted and immediately kicked Chu Chen.
The kick was not forceful. Rather than a reprimand, Chu Chen felt as if it were... playful banter.
But Chu Chen was still stunned by the kick.
"Your Highness, what is this..."
"You damned little Chenzi, where were you yesterday!" Princess Xin Yue said angrily. "Yesterday, we were playing Tou Hu, and I lost terribly!"
"If you were here, I would never have lost so badly!"
Tou Hu was generally a throwing game played during banquets, also a form of etiquette, where arrows were thrown into a pot. The one who threw the most arrows into the pot won, and the loser had to drink a designated number of cups.
In the Yun Yue Kingdom, this game was very popular.
Although it was a game played at banquets, people would also play it for amusement in their free time.
However, this activity was generally only popular among men. Women's recreational activities were more often poetry recitation, or embroidery and outings.
But judging by Princess Xin Yue and her companions, they were clearly not ordinary women.
"With his scrawny arms and legs?" the first woman laughed heartily. "Xin Yue, don't be ridiculous."
"Ten of him combined wouldn't be a match for me!"
"Hmph, you only know how to brag. How about we compete again? With little Chenzi here, I'll make you lose so badly you won't know which way is north!"
"Bring it on, let's compete, who's afraid of whom!"
Saying this, the two were about to strike a pose and decide the winner on the spot.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I still have important matters to attend to. Perhaps this Tou Hu... can be played another day?"
"No, today I must make her admit defeat wholeheartedly!" Princess Xin Yue said indignantly, clearly provoked.
At this moment, another woman on horseback slowly rode over.
Seeing the two quarreling incessantly, she covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Alright, you two, are you tired of arguing every day? And you're holding up the little eunuch."
"Haven't you heard that he has important matters to attend to?"
The woman licked her lips, her phoenix eyes holding a peculiar allure. "Little eunuch, come and tell me, what important matters do you have?"
Even Chu Chen, with his extraordinary composure, couldn't help but be momentarily dazed.
If Princess Xin Yue was charmingly mischievous, then the woman arguing with her had a heroic and spirited aura. As for this last woman, she exuded a mature charm.
Although she also possessed a sharp edge, compared to the other woman, her mature charm was more prominent.
Chu Chen, though reluctant to admit it, had to say that this woman's demeanor perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences.
"Hmph, vixen, you're even trying to get your hands on a eunuch?" Princess Xin Yue spat.
"Oh dear, little sister, you know me. It's natural, I can't help it," the woman gave Princess Xin Yue a sidelong glance, her eyes full of allure.
"Sister is still a maiden, don't speak nonsense!"
"Little eunuch, hurry and tell sister, what important matters do you have? Sister is very curious!" saying this, the woman dismounted and curiously examined him from head to toe.