Chapter 1171: Chapter 1171: He Is No Longer Alone

From that day on.

Zhao Junyao divided his forces into three parts.

On one hand, he had people provide fine food and drinks to entertain the envoys from Portland Country.

On the other hand, he dispatched elite craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to exchange ideas in depth with craftsmen from Portland Country.

Meanwhile, he and the Empress were searching everywhere for information on this cement.

They waited until the right moment to gradually solve this problem.

...

The first route naturally requires no explanation.

The Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple are best at hosting.

Today, they climbed mountains; tomorrow, they cruised lakes; the day after, they enjoyed folk dance and music; and following that, they tasted the gourmet food of the Capital City.

All in all, it was a seamless service experience.

Keeping the Portland King and his several plump princesses so entertained that they didn’t have a moment to spare.

The second route.

The Minister of Public Works sent several highly skilled craftsmen under his charge to mingle with Portland Country’s craftsmen each day.

They first went to Bai Fang Pavilion in the Capital City and rented all of Lady Hong.

Plying them with various fine wines and foods, scattering plenty of liquor, meat, and silver, sending these bearded men into earthly paradise.

As fellow craftsmen, they had a lot of common topics.

Gradually, they quickly became familiar with each other.

But these bearded men were not fools.

Their lips were tight, unwilling to utter an extra word even when drunk.

The Minister of Public Works then administered a second strong dose.

Since they were all top craftsmen, naturally they were very proud with a strong desire to conquer.

He catered to their tastes, personally showing them the most secretive and excellent works of the Ministry of Works since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty.

"This is the suspension bridge in Jiangnan, beneath which roars a mighty river!"

"This is the fortress wall in the Northern Desert, built atop steep mountains for defending against foreign enemies!"

"To build this wall, the Great Chu Dynasty sacrificed countless craftsmen, and who knows how many bones lie buried beneath it!"

The Minister of Public Works explained each exquisite and lifelike model.

The foreign craftsmen’s eyes widened, their jaws dropped, their faces filled with shock.

"This is..."

The Minister of Public Works pointed to another half-finished model, stopping halfway through his explanation.

The foreign craftsmen stared with wide eyes, their hearts in their throats, unable to hide their immense curiosity.

"What is this?"

"Indeed? Please do explain, my lord!"

"I see this looks like an unfinished piece, please tell us, my lord, what this really is?"

The bearded men could not restrain their impatience and asked eagerly.

The Minister of Public Works feigned disappointment!

"This is a river embankment!"

"This river embankment is currently made with clay banks, which break every flood season, flooding the surrounding villages and fields annually, causing much suffering..."

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped, shook his head, and invited everyone out.

"Alas... I give up, I give up!"

"Our Great Chu Dynasty’s craftsmen are highly skilled, yet cannot solve it; what use is it for you to see?"

"Come, I’ll show you completed works!"

After finishing, he led everyone in a different direction.

"Hey, hey, hey, how can you talk like that?"

"Yes, you can’t resolve it, but for us, it might be easy!"

"Hmph! Don’t underestimate us!"

The craftsmen chattered indignantly.

The Minister of Public Works secretly smiled with satisfaction.

’Ha! The fish are on the hook!’

’These foreigners only know that the Great Chu Dynasty wants their technology, unaware of what it’s for...’

’They probably never expected that the Great Chu Dynasty’s aim lies in this river embankment!’

The Minister of Public Works acted helpless.

"Let’s just give up!"

"You haven’t encountered such a problem, so don’t brag..."

"Exactly! You brag so much, but it’s not true, we don’t believe it!"

Various forms of incitement were used in turn.

Finally, the foreigners gave in.

Yet they still wouldn’t disclose the method for making cement, only saying:

"If volcanic ash is used to reinforce the riverbank, it will definitely work; try it if you don’t believe us!"

"We are indeed better than you!"

The Minister of Public Works discreetly noted this crucial clue, then continued the tour with them.

The third route, which was Zhao Junyao and Xia Ruqing’s route.

Xia Ruqing mainly focused on recalling modern memories.

Describing the structure of the kiln, the general appearance of raw materials, and their geographic locations.

Zhao Junyao was responsible for dispatching people to search.

Through this process.

After the united efforts of the emperor, ministers, and the empress, everyone finally, after a month.

Produced something similar to cement.

Although it greatly differed in performance from Portland Country’s, after all, this clay began to react when it met water.

Once dried after water exposure, it hardened well.

It was essentially a success.

With this successful foundational formula, the Ministry of Works’ craftsmen can further research and improve it.

It is believed that, before long, the Great Chu Dynasty’s cement could surpass Portland Country’s.

"Oh yeah!"

"Emperor, we did it! We did it!"

Xia Ruqing wept with joy.

The Emperor husband finally won’t need to take a concubine.

Of course, what moved her the most, what made her the happiest, was that feeling of achievement after giving it her all!

The joy mixed with tears and relief, nothing could replace it.

"Mhm!"

Zhao Junyao felt unprecedented excitement.

This feeling was truly different from fighting alone.

He was no longer lonely.

Finally, there was someone.

Who could empathize with his hardships, who could stand side by side to share joy with him.

He was finally not a solitary man.

"Qingqing! You’re amazing!"

Xia Ruqing beamed with pride, unabashedly.

"Of course I’m amazing!"

"But... Your Majesty, you’re the most amazing!"

This month.

The two of them researched in the Imperial Study Room together, experimented with kilns together, checked raw materials together, stayed up late together, woke up early together, lost hair together, suffered from dark circles together.

They had countless experiences of being too exhausted to change clothes and falling asleep instantly.

And Zhao Junyao, under such conditions, still insisted on attending court early, processing memorials, dealing with other state affairs.

Good heavens!

Xia Ruqing never admired the gods above, because gods are fictitious, unseen, untouchable.

But she admired Zhao Junyao from the bottom of her heart, he truly was amazing, both seeable and touchable.

"Your Majesty, please take a good rest!"

Looking closely, he didn’t even look like himself anymore.

The green stubble, red bloodshot eyes, black panda-like eyes, chapped lips, a face full of fatigue.

Even the most handsome and exquisite features couldn’t withstand such wearing damage!

"If you don’t rest properly, you won’t look good!"

"Qingqing dislikes it?" Zhao Junyao chuckled.

The tone was gentle, but the voice was slightly hoarse.

Not from desire, but from exhaustion.

"Yes, I dislike it!"

Xia Ruqing feigned seriousness.

Zhao Junyao stroked her hair.

"Alright! Can’t have Qingqing disliking me! I’ll go rest right away!"

"However..."