Chu Liuyun explained, "Silk isn't as warm as cotton."
Xiao Rongyan patted his arm with his fingertips, his face full of disgust. "Cotton is rough. I have never used it."
Chu Liuyun pressed his lips together and gritted his teeth, forcing the words out one by one. "The military camp doesn't have silk duvet covers. Please forgive us, Your Highness."
Thinking about how he had been freezing all afternoon and how shabby his sleeping quarters were, Xiao Rongyan's suppressed dissatisfaction grew even stronger.
"Last year, the Duke of Qing hunted a spotted tiger at the hunting grounds. I heard the pelt was tanned into a blanket and placed in your tent. Since there are no silk duvet covers, a tiger pelt will do just as well."
Looking at his arrogant expression, Chu Liuyun chuckled softly, pushing his sarcasm down to the bottom of his heart.
"Men, go to my tent and fetch the tiger pelt laid at the foot of my bed for resting my feet, and bring it here for His Highness Prince Ying to use."
Xiao Rongyan's face instantly froze. Used for resting feet?
The subordinate brought the tiger pelt and laid it on the bed. Xiao Rongyan didn't want to sit on it or cover himself with it. He couldn't help but picture Chu Liuyun's bare feet resting on it, imagining a foot odor.
Song Jinzhao didn't return to the estate until nearly evening, only to be told that Princess Yongjia had visited today. "Did she say what it was about?"
Song Shixue shook her head. "She waited for a short while and then left, saying she would come find you next time."
"Sister, when did your relationship with Princess Yongjia become so good?" Otherwise, why would a princess come over time and time again without even giving notice?
Thinking of the relationship between Chu Liuyun and Xiao Yongjia, Song Jinzhao helplessly curled her lips into a wry smile. "It's not that our relationship is good. She's just treating me as an imaginary enemy."
Speaking of which, Princess Yongjia was already sixteen this year, and Chu Liuyun was no longer young either. At the housewarming banquet, there seemed to be a hint of mutual affection between them. If she really liked him, she could just ask the Emperor to issue a marriage decree. After all, the Dongzhao Kingdom didn't have a rule forbidding prince consorts from serving as court officials.
"Ah!" Song Shixue raised her eyebrows in confusion. What imaginary enemy?
With the shop purchased, Song Jinzhao started drawing blueprints that evening. If she wanted good business, renovations were essential.
Especially for a hotpot restaurant. The people who could afford to shop on Vermilion Bird Street were all wealthy. The place had to be high-end while maintaining its own unique characteristics.
There was also the matter of suppliers, which needed to be finalized during the renovation period. The staff and chefs also required comprehensive training.
Ye Liangyu thought about it all afternoon, and finally went to see the Emperor privately after the morning court session the next day.
Xiao Chengjing remained silent for a long time after reading the memorial. "Did County Princess Linghui tell you all this?"
Ye Liangyu nodded. "Yesterday during lunch, we happened to bring up the maritime maps, and the County Princess casually mentioned a few things."
Xiao Chengjing placed the opened memorial on the desk. "I wonder if Song Qiming will have his eldest sister's talents once he enters the court as an official."
Ye Liangyu lowered his head, his tone somewhat hesitant. "Being blood siblings, he must have inherited some of it, but someone as intelligent as County Princess Linghui is likely rare."
Xiao Chengjing lowered his eyes, staring at the memorial. "Do you think Song Jinzhao knows how to build an ocean-going sailing ship?"
"..."
This single question stumped Ye Liangyu. Making a suggestion and actually implementing it were two different things. Wasn't this the Ministry of Works' job?
"I'm afraid it would be difficult. The County Princess has never even been on a ship; she probably couldn't build one."
Xiao Chengjing was half-skeptical of Ye Liangyu's words. If Song Jinzhao could bring it up, she definitely had some ideas in her head.
"Alright, you may step down for now."
No sooner had Ye Liangyu stepped out of the imperial study than Ou Shinian was summoned into the palace by the Emperor.
Holding the heavy memorial in his hands, he couldn't help but close his eyes and groan inwardly after reading it.
Building a gorgeous and beautiful ship was easy, but making it capable of withstanding massive ocean waves was difficult.
It was a massive project, and he felt completely unsure.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject has never been out to sea. What must this ocean-going sailing ship look like to be considered qualified?"
Xiao Chengjing thought about it and agreed. To build it, there had to be a standard at the very least.
"There are many officials in the court who have served in coastal prefectural cities. They must have seen the sea. You can go ask them for advice."
"The idea of building an ocean-going sailing ship was told to Ye Liangyu by County Princess Linghui. If you can't figure out how to build it, try going to the County Princess's estate to ask for her guidance."
Watching the Emperor get up and leave the imperial study, Ou Shinian held the memorial, opening and closing his mouth for a long time. Finally, he could only go out to ask around with a distressed look on his face.
He wouldn't have known if he hadn't asked, but once he did, he was startled.
After asking around, Ou Shinian learned that maritime weather was divided into calm periods and flood periods.
During the calm period, the maritime climate was relatively stable, with clear weather, small waves, and a relatively placid sea surface.
The commoners living by the sea usually chose this time to go out and fish.
However, during the flood period, there were frequent typhoons and rainstorms. At this time, let alone going out to sea to fish, fishermen wouldn't even step out of their doors.
In severe cases, both people and houses would be blown away. Ships at sea would only be capsized, not even leaving a single plank behind.
Hearing these words, Ou Shinian almost fainted on the spot. If living on the shore was this dangerous, wouldn't being out on the sea, surrounded by water on all sides, mean simply waiting for death?
If they couldn't find land, the ship would have to sail on the sea for several months, and it would definitely encounter the sea flood period.
He stammered as he asked his colleagues, "The coastal prefectural cities have a developed fishing industry. Are there any ships that can withstand a tsunami?"
The official said expressionlessly, "If there really were, there wouldn't be fishermen leaving no bones behind after going out to sea every year."
Ou Shinian instantly fell silent. He lowered his head and returned to the Ministry of Works to convene a meeting with his subordinates.
"The Emperor has ordered us to build an ocean-going sailing ship. One ship must carry at least five hundred people, and it must also have enough space to store provisions to feed these people for three months."
"It needs to sail freely in the sea, be able to withstand violent storms and monstrous waves fifty feet high, and its speed must be fast. Everyone, express your opinions. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up."
At first, no one in the room spoke. Then, the Vice Minister of Works asked uncertainly, "My Lord, are you sure it's fifty feet high?"
Ou Shinian nodded vigorously with a serious face. "I heard that in severe cases, the waves can reach hundreds of feet. I know you have no way to handle that, so I didn't set the requirement that high. If we really encounter them after going out to sea, we can only accept our fate. But it must be able to withstand ordinary waves. Fifty feet is already the lowest requirement."
The scene fell into a dead silence again. After a long while, someone raised a hand. "My Lord, the capital is not near the sea. Even if we build it, there's no way to test sail it. How can we be sure it can withstand fifty-foot waves? Will we have to go to the seaside when the time comes?"
Ou Shinian: "..."
He hadn't thought about this problem yet. Such a massive project definitely required a test sail on the sea. The moat in the capital wasn't wide enough, nor did it have waves. At most, a few splashes would be blown up during a violent storm, not even reaching three feet high.
"First gather the best shipbuilders in the capital to build the ship. We'll talk about the test sail when the time comes. At worst, we'll just take a trip to Mingzhou."
Everyone looked at each other in dismay, only feeling that the sky over the Ministry of Works had already begun to darken.
The sky was gloomy, and gusts of cold wind blew across the barren dirt slopes. Xiao Rongyan, who was leading men to change the guard along with Chu Liuyun, was freezing from head to toe; even his heart felt like ice.
Last night, Xiao Rongyan had insisted on having his guards return to the city overnight to fetch his bedding, and they had brought many other things over as well.
He was clearly wearing a thick leather jacket under his armor, so why was he still so cold?
Seeing his shoulders hunched unnaturally, Chu Liuyun couldn't help but turn his head and roll his eyes.
This morning, when he went to the tent to wake him, he discovered that the candles had been replaced by luminous pearls, silk blankets had been laid on the ground as foot mats, and even tea sets and chairs had been brought in. He felt the entire situation was so utterly absurd that he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
Was he here to endure hardship or to enjoy luxury? Decorating a military tent like a bedroom in the Prince of Ying's estate—what would the ordinary soldiers think? It was an absolute corruption of military discipline.
"Your Highness, if you feel cold, you can return first and come back to the military camp next spring."
Xiao Rongyan shook his head, his lips trembling. "I do not feel cold."
His Imperial Father had only given him one year. He had to take complete control of the Western Suburbs Camp within this time and, ideally, recruit a few trusted subordinates. If he waited until spring, three or four months would already be wasted.
Chu Liuyun squeezed his horse's flanks and leaned forward.
"Since Your Highness is not cold, let us go up ahead and take a look. The view there is the most open." And the wind was the strongest.
Suddenly, a cold sensation landed on Chu Liuyun's brow. He looked up and saw snowflakes falling thickly from the sky, drifting down like goose feathers.
Their tasks were not yet finished, but it was already snowing—a full day earlier than they had estimated.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. In just a moment, the ground was painted white.
Ignoring the wind and snow lashing against his face, Chu Liuyun followed beside the troops with a solemn expression, keeping a close eye on them and occasionally shouting out to urge them to move faster.
Xiao Rongyan, who had never endured such hardship in his life, desperately wanted to go back at once. However, he had suggested it twice and Chu Liuyun still refused to leave, leaving him with no choice but to follow along.
"Return to the capital immediately and tell Pan Yong about my current situation at the Western Suburbs Camp. Have him sing my praises a bit more during the morning court session."
If he had to suffer, others needed to know about it, otherwise wouldn't the suffering be entirely in vain?
"Understood." The guard cupped his hands in obedience, immediately turned his horse around, and galloped wildly toward the capital.
