Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 252 Trouble
Just as everyone was holding their breath, Jiu Que finally noticed something unusual. Although the wool had been washed very clean, its texture was still somewhat stiff, and the finished product was too prickly.

What could make wool smoother? In her memory, those wool sweaters were incredibly soft. While racking her brains, Jiu Que accidentally stepped on a pile of wood ash. The owner of the wood ash looked at Lord Ying's soiled shoes, socks, and skirt with trepidation, afraid of angering the lord.

"Lord Ying, I didn't mean it. I wanted to collect the ashes from the kitchen and take them to the chicken farm. It's just too much trouble to carry them out little by little. I thought it would be easier to transport them if I collected more."

The wool mill has its own separate kitchen. The chicken farm needs a lot of wood ash, so they arranged for it to be delivered there daily. The person who just spoke was the cook, and it seems she'd taken a day off and soiled Lord Ying's clothes and shoes. Although everyone says this lord has a mild temper and wouldn't get angry with his subordinates, she is, after all, a high-ranking official from the capital, and judging by the expensive clothes and shoes she's wearing, what if Lord Ying gets angry?
plant ash?
Jiu Que suddenly remembered that this thing could soften wool, and her eyes lit up immediately.

"It's alright, it was my own carelessness. And I should thank you for this pile of wood ash; that kick just now gave me an idea for softening wool. Everyone, come and try it! It's okay if you fail; after all, everything involves repeated failures and successes. How can you succeed without trying again and again?"

The female workers, who were initially tired, disappointed, and resigned, felt a little happy upon hearing these words.

They had already held onto hope, not wanting the wool mill to go bankrupt. Now, hearing that Lord Ying had come up with a new method, how could they not be overjoyed? Immediately, everyone, disregarding their exhaustion, rushed forward and quickly mixed the wood ash with water. While waiting for it to clear, they cautiously glanced at Jiu Que's expression, then at the gradually clearing wood ash. Although they didn't know how this readily available wood ash could be the key to softening wool, seeing Lord Ying's enthusiastic expression, he must have some idea. Therefore, they decided to trust Lord Ying.

After most of the day had passed, everyone exclaimed with delight upon seeing the finished product. Using wood ash water had indeed softened the wool considerably, to the point where it could be spun into yarn.

The people of Da Jing, both men and women, are incredibly diligent. Like the women of the Northern Border, most of them know how to weave, and some have even learned embroidery. However, after seeing the modern spinning machines, Jiu Que's mind started to race. These machines were far too slow; they could only produce one thread at a time. She vaguely remembered those spinning machines spinning incredibly fast, and capable of feeding many threads at once…

This time, however, she racked her brains but couldn't come up with a way to make a more efficient spinning machine, since she wasn't good at inventing things in this area. So she quickly sent a message to His Majesty by carrier pigeon, asking him to help send some talented people from the Ministry of Works and embroiderers from the Textile Bureau over.

When they learned that Jiu Que had gone to great lengths to send a message by carrier pigeon just to request someone from His Majesty, General Yu Chi and the others were stunned. They stared at Jiu Que in disbelief. General Yu Chi, in particular, scrutinized her from head to toe, then tapped his head in disbelief.

"No matter how I look at you, I feel that you resemble General Ying by about 80%, and the remaining 20% ​​doesn't seem like that bastard Lin Wei but rather resembles His Majesty? But in my memory, General Ying and His Majesty's relationship is so-so, they've only met a few times. Could it be that they had a relationship without my knowledge? Chongshan, you were General Ying's deputy at the time, and you spent the most time with him, do you know anything about this?" "...They shouldn't have had any relationship."

Good heavens, even Lin Chongshan is starting to doubt himself now. After much deliberation, he finally gave a negative answer. However, although she was General Ying's deputy and spent most of her time by his side, she wasn't glued to him every moment. Could it be...?

Seeing that everyone was getting more and more carried away with their thoughts, Jiu Que couldn't help but laugh and interrupt their speculation.

"His Majesty isn't as imposing as you imagine. He's quite good to his subjects. As long as you work hard, he'll like you regardless of age or gender. Besides, if my chicken farm and wool factory succeed, it will not only benefit the Northern Border but also serve as a successful case study to be promoted throughout the country. It's not just the people of the Northern Border who suffer from hunger and cold in the Great Jing; a considerable number of people are still starving and cold. As the emperor, His Majesty is the master of the entire Great Jing and the patriarch of all of us. Of course, he wants everyone to be well-fed, well-clothed, and to live a better life."

"Do you believe it or not? Even if it wasn't me, but someone else who proposed something beneficial to the people's livelihood, as long as it's reasonable, His Majesty would support it. After all, it's something that benefits everyone."

This sounds somewhat reasonable, but given Jiu Que's familiar attitude and self-righteous thinking when communicating with His Majesty, he wouldn't dare to do this if he weren't a favored minister. It seems that Jiu Que enjoys His Majesty's trust quite a bit.

However, since Jiu Que seemed to know what she was doing, the elders couldn't say anything more. Besides, when had this child ever spoken without reason? Her chicken farm was thriving, and everyone would occasionally sneak over to check on the healthy chicks. After all, they would be a dish on everyone's table later, and the hens were plump and healthy too. Not to mention, everyone would be able to eat an egg every few days. You have to understand that eggs were a precious commodity these days; ordinary people would save their eggs to exchange for necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt at the market!
Furthermore, the heated kang (traditional heated brick beds) that were an add-on to chicken farms have now become incredibly popular throughout the North. The weather isn't cold yet, but everyone who's tried one has said it's great. It seems like being prepared for a rainy day is ingrained in human genes. Especially after experienced elders, who worriedly predicted a harsh winter after checking the weather forecast, everyone's been building heated kangs even faster.

In short, what Jiu Que has done in the month or so since he came to the border is something many people might not be able to do in several years. And although it is only in its initial stages, everyone is not blind and can see for themselves that these are all good things that benefit the people's livelihood!

With this in mind, everyone was even more supportive of Jiu Que's antics.

(End of this chapter)