How could it be possible?
Duoti's honest face had a hint of a crack as he looked at Xiao Yunzhou.
It couldn't be possible. The Emperor of Jing Country couldn't possibly know about his scheme.
Just last night, he had finally decided which map of the grasslands to 'betray'.
"Hmm, Duoti, although your Khan is like a brother to me," Xiao Yunzhou leaned forward sharply, "you still need to protect the grassland treasures you've brought to Jing Country."
Duoti twitched his face.
"I view the grasslands as a brother, but I'm busy with state affairs and cannot keep an eye on everyone in Jing Country every day."
Xiao Yunzhou said in a gloomy tone, "If you, Duoti, fail to properly guard your personal treasures and lose something..."
For the first time, Duoti felt a man with no physical power had scared him into a cold sweat!
The Emperor of Jing Country had hardly any flesh on his body and looked rather frail. Perhaps Duoti could knock him down with just one hand. But at this moment, the hair on the back of Duoti's neck stood on end.
How could the Emperor possibly know that he planned to pass the grassland map to Jing Country's soldiers?
Duoti couldn't figure it out.
"If anything does happen, Duoti, not only will I punish those with ill intentions and covetous of the grassland treasures, but I will also report your failure to properly guard the treasures to my brother Sanda."
Xiao Yunzhou spoke slowly, as if talking about losing money casually.
"By the way, everything I say in Jing Country will be recorded in the Emperor's Daily Records."
"My words are not idle chatter. They will all serve as evidence later on."
Duoti: "!"
Hou Yuchuan had a peculiar expression, "Your Majesty, rest assured, there are no night watchmen in the Capital Camp..."
Xiao Yunzhou put down his teacup with a pat, "I'm not saying there are issues in the military camp."
"I'm just offering routine guidance to my brother Sanda's subordinates, like an elder brother advising his younger brother in an ordinary family."
Hou Yuchuan looked completely baffled.
But Duoti's back was drenched in sweat.
Xiao Yunzhou, the Emperor of Jing Country, was truly formidable!
No wonder Khan Sanda called the Emperor of Jing Country 'brother'!
Previously, Duoti thought Sanda was just stupid. Now he realized that might not be the case -- it was him who had been too naive!
"Rest assured, Your Majesty of Jing Country! We will guard our belongings well!" Duoti vowed on the spot.
His previous map scheme couldn't be used anymore. He would have to come up with a new way to sow discord when he returned!
[My foolish father the Emperor actually got it right this time. He guessed correctly and foiled Duoti's map plot. Hehe.]
Hiding behind the screen, Xiao Chuchu grinned happily.
[Father the Emperor is truly a lucky fool.]
Xiao Chuchu's praise made Xiao Yunzhou's mouth twitch.
"Alright, take a rest and then go make arrangements for the martial arts competition." Xiao Yunzhou had no desire to keep Duoti any longer.
His daughter thought he was stupid, so he had to improve his wisdom quickly.
"Hou Yuchuan, I'll leave the competition arrangements to you."
Hou Yuchuan immediately accepted the order, but as he was about to leave, he was called back.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Liu Runnian from the Ministry of Works has developed a brand new military canteen. You can take one to try on your way out."
Xiao Yunzhou remembered this matter.
After returning from West Mountain, he heard that Liu Runnian had made another invention, and this time he had taken on the canteen.
"The first batch of ten will be given to the winners from West Mountain, along with the insulated bottles."
Hou Yuchuan's eyes lit up, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration!"
However, a hint of doubt flashed across Duoti's face.
Huh?
A military canteen? An insulated bottle?
"Yes, you try them out first. If they're good, I'll urge the Ministry of Works to ramp up production."
"Yes, I'll take my leave now!"
Hou Yuchuan warmly pulled Duoti along and forced him out of the imperial study.
After going outside and feeling the cool breeze, the sweat on Duoti's back made him shiver, but his mind became much clearer.
"Come, Brother Duoti, let's go to the Ministry of Works first, and then I'll take you back to the Foreigner's Lodge before we report to the Capital Camp together."
Hou Yuchuan was a military man with a straightforward and amiable nature.
For a simple canteen, he didn't see any need for secrecy.
After all, Duoti had been granted permission by the Emperor to enter the Capital Camp, where he would eat and live with them.
"Hey, Minister Chen, is Brother Runnian here?"
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Works, Hou Yuchuan greeted the Minister.
While they waited, Hou Yuchuan introduced Liu Runnian to Duoti, "This Liu Runnian has developed several things specifically for our soldiers."
Duoti felt a wave of bewilderment, his eyes going blank, "Specifically?"
Jing Country even had things specifically made for soldiers, with dedicated research?
There was no such thing on the grasslands.
Most of their bows and arrows used for battle were also used for hunting, with little distinction between military and civilian purposes.
Hou Yuchuan was unaware of Duoti's thoughts. Soon, a clerk from the Ministry of Works informed them that Liu Runnian had gone to the suburbs to experiment with a new silk weaving machine.
But the clerk quickly brought out two parcels and unwrapped the iron bottles swaddled in felt.
These iron bottles were about the size of a palm, entirely black, with a ring of felt wrapped around them and a rope hook attached.
"Commander Hou, you can tie these directly to your waist."
"The new down jacket pockets are also just the right size to fit these slim bottles."
Hou Yuchuan was delighted to hear this, "How convenient. They can even be hung on a horse's back!"
Duoti's eyes were glued to these 'military canteens' and couldn't look away.
He had initially thought they were some kind of leather wineskin, but they turned out to be made of iron!
"So light." Hou Yuchuan weighed it and was even happier, "It won't slow down marching speed either. Great!"
Duoti, who was about to say that iron wasn't as good as leather wineskins, suddenly widened his eyes.
Lighter than a leather wineskin?
It should be known that leather wineskins used for travel were prone to being punctured by knives and leaking water, ruining them. Their only advantage was being cheap and lightweight.
"It has to be light. Everything developed by our great Liu Runnian is a masterpiece," the Ministry of Works clerk bragged proudly.
He then pointed at the thumb-sized round lid on the iron bottle, "Commander, you can unscrew this lid to drink directly from the mouth."
Hou Yuchuan was about to pull it off forcefully, but changed to a twisting motion after hearing the instructions.
It took several turns before the lid unscrewed. He was surprised and examined the spiral grooves on the lid.
"Traditional plugs tend to pop open or get stuck in the cold or heat," the clerk explained the advantages of the new bottle with a smile, "but this threaded lid won't have that issue."
"!"
Duoti couldn't help but glance at the stopper on his own leather wineskin.
Indeed, it was troublesome when the stopper expanded or contracted due to temperature changes.
At this moment, Duoti looked at Hou Yuchuan with a different perspective, feeling a sense of desire and envy that he himself didn't even notice.
He saw that the thumb-sized black lid in Hou Yuchuan's hand had a leather cord attached to the bottle body, preventing it from being easily lost.
"Ah," Hou Yuchuan gripped the bottle for a moment, then lowered his head in astonishment to examine it. "Why are there finger indentations on this bottle?"
"Indeed," the clerk from the Ministry of Works laughed heartily. "This is a special design by Lord Liu Runnian, fearing that the bottle might slip from their hands during horseback riding, so he intentionally added grooved indentations for the fingers on the outer surface of the bottle."
"In this way, soldiers can drink water more easily while on the march."
"!" Duoti glanced at the leather pouch tied around his waist, which would become slippery and difficult to grip once filled with water.
Hmm...
Compared to that, his water pouch from the steppes was the opposite example.
[Hahaha, my grand-uncle's travel water bottle is just like a modern sports water bottle!]
Xiao Chuchu saw 'Duoti's Live Stream' in the imperial study and laughed inwardly.
[Apparently, this finger indentation design on the bottle was conceived by my grand-uncle five days ago when he went to a village to study silkworms. He saw an elderly villager's shaking hands unable to hold a tea cup, and came up with this idea.]
[This really has the same design concept as modern sports water bottles!]
[Ah, the wisdom of the working people... Let this storm rage on even more fiercely, so Duoti can broaden his horizons~]
Xiao Chuchu was thoroughly amused.
[Duoti looked at his own water pouch so many times, it cracked me up. His eyes kept landing on the travel water bottle in Hou Yuchuan's hand, unable to look away.]
[Hehe, no man can resist the charm of a cool new gadget!]
Xiao Yunzhou held a book in the imperial study, pretending to read, but in reality, he was fully focused on listening to his daughter's inner thoughts. He listened and couldn't help but laugh.
[Oh, Duoti is heading to the Capital Camp now.]
[Wow, there are scouts in the outpost eating instant noodles, hahaha, Duoti saw them and was stunned...]
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes lit up. "Wei Zheng, prepare the carriage. I've thought it over and I'm still not at ease, so I want to go to the Capital Camp and check on Duoti and the others."
Xiao Chuchu's laughter abruptly stopped. [?]