Unlike previous experiences of listening to inner thoughts and observing food preparation processes—which were merely Li Xi’s personal commentary—this culinary display was far more direct and vivid. The three generations, from grandfather to grandson, watched from the very beginning of the “making” process all the way until Li Xi finished eating. The scene was so lifelike that even the steam rising from the bowl was clearly visible.
Because it was so direct and realistic, the delicious food tasted by the person on the screen felt as if it were right in front of them.
At this moment, the three generations watching this culinary “livestream” in Chengqing Hall silently swallowed their saliva.
This bowl of paomo looked incredibly delicious.
The Imperial Grandson patted his round little belly and even sighed with melancholy: “Grandfather, when do you think Uncle will come back again?”
Li Yu, who doted on his grandson across generations, affectionately stroked the child’s fluffy head: “But we can still see your uncle, can’t we? Tonight, we’ll have mutton paomo.”
Unfortunately, the scene stopped after Li Xi finished the paomo and did not return.
The three generations sat in Chengqing Hall for a long time, waiting until the screen never reappeared, finally realizing it wouldn’t come back.
Li Yu was melancholy: My youngest brother hasn’t thought of me for a single day. He even looks healthier after leaving the pass.
Li Shi was sad: Are we truly close friends, or just drinking buddies? Bah!
The little Imperial Grandson covered his chubby belly: Hungry.
The three generations sighed together in melancholy, sadness, and sorrow.
“Shaolang, station guards here and ensure no one approaches,” Li Yu said. “Assign a trusted person to keep watch day and night. If your uncle appears again, report to me immediately.”
This was something Li Shi also wanted to do, and he promptly accepted the order.
After the three generations left Chengqing Hall, Li Yu’s mind lingered on the bowl of mutton paomo his youngest brother had just eaten. He summoned the chief eunuch and sent him to the Imperial Kitchen to inquire about the dishes planned for that evening: “If nothing has been prepared yet, follow the method described earlier by Xizhou Wang. Tonight, we’ll have mutton paomo.”
When the Emperor wanted mutton paomo, even if nothing had been prepared for the evening, or even if everything was already set, it had to be redone.
The chief eunuch accepted the order, and news that the Emperor would have mutton paomo for dinner quickly spread throughout the rear palace.
But what exactly was mutton paomo?
Was it delicious?
The journey was inevitably somewhat monotonous. Fortunately, Li Xi thought of something suitable to pass the time on the road. The craftsmen quickly delivered the newly made playing cards to her.
Learning to play “Landlord” wasn’t difficult either.
The women quickly grasped the essence: “I’ll be the landlord—”
Lady Wu’s melancholy came and went quickly. She cheered happily: “Lucky me, I drew the Joker!”
After three consecutive rounds where Dong Mei had been the landlord, it was finally Lady Wu’s turn, and she was thrilled.
Li Xi reminded her: “Mother, it’s best not to reveal your hidden cards.”
Lady Wu was arrogant: “You can’t beat me.”
Although they weren’t betting big, everyone wanted to win when playing.
Lady Wu excitedly played a sequence and raised an eyebrow at Li Xi: “Is this how it’s done?”
Li Xi: “I can’t beat that.”
Dong Mei: “I can’t either.”
Lady Wu swiftly played three consecutive pairs, followed by a triple with two singles, leaving only four cards in her hand.
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Ten.”
“Joker bomb!”
“Four of a kind!” Lady Wu burst into laughter. “Hahahaha, pay up, pay up!”
Xue Dou and the others, sitting on their horses and gazing into the distance, couldn’t help but glance toward the carriage. Since leaving the capital, they had never heard Lady Wu laugh so heartily. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he remarked to his companion Li Xingren, “His Highness truly is a filial son to his mother. It’s no wonder Lady Wu risked her life to protect him during the war. I heard the young prince nearly didn’t make it back then.”
But in truth, that person had indeed been lost. Once the war ended, the prince found by the Wu family became the Li Xi they knew today.
Thus, Li Xi became a figure who should never have appeared in history.
Everyone knew he was a troublemaker whom even Yan Zhenqing couldn’t discipline, a playboy whom even Guo Ziyi couldn’t reform. Yet no matter how much trouble he caused or how much he vexed his tutors, he always managed to win people over in the end. To everyone’s surprise, Li Xi ended up debuting as the royal court jester, stealing the spotlight.
Compared to storytelling, Li Xi preferred playing cards with Lady Wu.
After all, Lady Wu wasn’t like Li Song, who could be pacified with a few fairy tales. Telling stories all day long would wear anyone’s lips thin.
With Lady Wu, it was always the same question: “And then what?” Playing cards was much better. Once he taught the ladies how to play, even if Li Xi didn’t feel like joining, Lady Wu could always rope someone else into a game.
Soon, a card-playing craze swept through the camp. Not only did Lady Wu and the other women take up the game, but even the soldiers and scholars grew fond of it. To prevent gambling addiction, Li Xi had to ban betting, allowing the games only for entertainment.
Play with style, play with grace, play with spirit.
It must be said that mahjong and cards—these two national treasures—are deeply ingrained in the Chinese DNA. The newly learned card games quickly dispelled the soldiers’ and scholars’ melancholy over leaving the capital and even boosted team cohesion. Li Xi suddenly thought of organizing a sports meet to further enhance team spirit.
The first event: a card tournament.
The second event: a horse racing competition.
The third event: sprinting.
The fourth event: sprinting.
Team event: tug-of-war.
Prizes were set for each round, with the top three winners receiving rewards.
Thus, laughter and cheerful banter often echoed through the ranks as they traveled for nearly half a month.
Even Lady Wu immersed herself in the fun, forgetting the sorrow and worry she had felt upon leaving the capital.
As evening fell, the traveling party found a spot near a water source to rest for the night. Tents were pitched as usual, and bonfires were lit.
The weather outside had grown chilly, but Lady Wu, wrapped in a cloak, sat by the bonfire. Nearby, a cook was preparing dinner for her. Since they had camped early today, there was ample time to prepare. Two sheep had been specially slaughtered for the camp. The better cuts of mutton were skewered into lamb skewers, while the bones and remaining meat were stewed into a large pot to improve everyone’s meal.
The meat they had brought along had long been consumed, and these two wild sheep had been hunted on the road earlier that day.
With the imperial guard around, hunting game on the grasslands was no difficult task.
Lady Wu, in high spirits, had the cook prepare some rice. The four maids, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, went to dig for wild vegetables, while the cook prepared a dish of roasted lamb and some Lamb Skewers. These were all dishes Lady Wu was accustomed to eating in Chang’an. The imperial guards, meanwhile, shared a pot of lamb soup among themselves, though most still preferred mutton paomo. The top three sprinters from the previous night received their prizes—a lamb chop each. For a time, the camp was filled with joy and lively chatter.
Having eaten mutton paomo for two consecutive meals, Lady Wu no longer found it as novel as before. This meal, however, offered a welcome change of taste, and she enjoyed it immensely.
As they were eating, some commotion arose in the distance. The imperial guards, still holding their bowls, immediately set them down and gripped the weapons at their waists.
This troop was both handsome and young, as maintaining the royal dignity was Li Yu’s primary concern. However, the imperial guard captain in charge of the entire troop was named Guo Hai, a young man in his early twenties. Hailing from the Huayin Guo clan, he was the grandson of Guo Ziyi’s elder brother. Despite his youth, he was already a seasoned and formidable warrior.
Captain Guo promptly issued an alert and dispatched two scouts to investigate the situation.
The atmosphere in the camp quickly grew tense. The imperial guards gathered the horses that had been grazing nearby and arranged the soldiers in concentric circles around Li Xi, Lady Wu, and the others. Xue Dou and Li Xingren also drew their long swords from their waists, assuming battle-ready stances.
Not only had the imperial guards experienced battle, but even civil officials like Li Xingren had faced enemies on multiple occasions.
Lady Wu had personally lived through the An-Shi Rebellion. Though she was a woman, her courage and boldness were no less than any man’s. She too drew the short dagger she carried and adopted a defensive posture.
Only Li Xi was brimming with excitement. Since crossing over from the Apocalypse, this was her first time facing enemies directly. Far from feeling fear, she felt a faint thrill of anticipation.
Just as everyone had fully prepared to defend against the enemy, the scouts came galloping back, waving their flags.
“It’s Tang troops.”
Instantly, the expressions on everyone’s faces relaxed.
“It’s General Pugu’s personal guards,” the scout reported loudly upon returning. “About fifty cavalrymen. Lord Yan is with them as well.”
In the distance, dust billowed like rolling thunder. The banners of “Tang” and “Pugu” appeared together, fluttering vigorously in the wind. At the forefront was a burly man with a thick beard, tall in stature, riding a pitch-black horse that seemed to appear like lightning. This was the renowned general Pugu Huai’en.
Not far behind him was a long-bearded scholar. Though already over fifty, his horsemanship was exceptional, keeping pace with Pugu Huai’en almost effortlessly. In mere moments, both arrived before Li Xi.
Pugu Huai’en reined in his horse and prepared to kneel in salute.
Li Xi would not accept such a grand gesture. Before he could bend his knee, she had already helped him up.
It had been two years since Pugu Huai’en left the capital to escort the marriage procession. At that time, Li Xi was still young and had little interaction with ministers of the previous court, so she was not very familiar with Pugu Huai’en. Their relationship was merely one of polite courtesy.
But Yan Zhenqing was Li Xi’s calligraphy teacher. The last time he had seen Li Xi was in Chang’an, and this meeting was on the grasslands. Who knew where their next encounter would be? Hearing that the Emperor had appointed Xue Dou as Li Xi’s Chief Secretary and tutor, he said with satisfaction, “Yuanqing is a man of many talents. He can assist you and also instruct you in your studies. From now on, you must follow him diligently and no longer slack off.”
This disciple was also the one he worried about most.
“Thank you for your guidance, Master Yan.”
“I taught you calligraphy, but you never showed much enthusiasm for it. I truly feel ashamed.”
“It was my own negligence, Master. I failed to study diligently under your tutelage.” Li Xi genuinely regretted it. Such a fine teacher as Yan Zhenqing had been right before her, yet she hadn’t cherished the opportunity. Only when they parted did she realize her regret.
But what use was regret now?
If she had known they would separate so soon, she should have studied earnestly with the old gentleman.
No matter how mischievous she was, Master Yan always guided her patiently and gently, unlike Old Guo, who constantly resorted to the “strict teacher produces outstanding students” approach.
Before the teacher and disciple could reminisce further, Pugu Huai’en boomed with hearty laughter: “What on earth is going on in Your Highness’s camp? It smells so wonderful! Truly worthy of the Little Prince—even while traveling, you never neglect your appetite.”
Yan Zhenqing, ever protective of his disciple, immediately frowned. “Huai’en!”
Pugu Huai’en chuckled.
Upon closer consideration, his words carried a somewhat unpleasant implication.
Li Xi looked at the rough man with disdain. No wonder he offended people outside and was falsely accused in the capital. With a mouth like that, he deserved to be framed and slandered.
Just wait—soon she would make him open his dog eyes wide and see whether it was her own gluttony or his own lack of insight.