Chang’an, Chengqing Hall
Li Yu held the big and little jokers in his hand, staring at the person sitting across from him.
Li Shi shifted uncomfortably in his seat: “I can’t beat that.”
Li Yu had only three cards left in his hand. After a moment of silence, he threw down the big and little jokers: “Big and little jokers, and a three.”
What followed was the Emperor’s hearty laughter.
Even the people in the capital knew that the Emperor had recently taken a liking to a new card game called poker. When weary, he would summon two or three court officials for a few rounds. Sometimes the Crown Prince would join him, and at other times, he even played with eunuchs and palace maids. They usually played only a few hands before dispersing.
Li Yu had been in an exceptionally good mood lately: “Crown Prince, has Huai’en submitted a memorial?”
Li Shi replied: “Pugu Huai’en’s memorial has been presented. He has tried mutton paomo and suggests it could serve as a new type of military ration for our Tang Dynasty. It could be implemented this autumn and winter. Your son believes that if it can truly be promoted, the number of soldiers dying from gastrointestinal illnesses this winter will decrease significantly.”
This perspective had never occurred to the Emperor, secluded deep within the palace, but he would never admit he hadn’t thought of it.
Yet Li Yu shamelessly declared: “Actually, I had considered it as well.”
Li Yu was also quite pleased: “The Ministry of Revenue complains of poverty every year, while the frontier soldiers constantly demand funds. I, too, am in a difficult position. But if this recipe can supplement provisions in autumn and winter, the frontier soldiers will surely have far fewer grievances. It’s just a pity that the national treasury has been depleted in recent years, and my private treasury is also empty.”
In previous years, when pushed to the brink, they had even reduced the charcoal supply to Taiji Hall.
But this year, with just the mutton paomo recipe, they could silence half the complaints from the frontier soldiers.
For Li Yu, this recipe required no expenditure from the national or private treasuries. Yet for the frontier soldiers, it was genuinely useful. In no more than a quarter of an hour, one could have a hot, soupy meal. It also didn’t require increasing what they carried on marches. It was truly a win-win situation.
Li Yu casually tossed the poker cards onto the table, signaling the end of the game.
A eunuch nearby dutifully cleared the table before His Majesty. Just then, another eunuch brought over a bowl of milk tea.
As Li Yu savored the freshly brewed milk tea, he couldn’t help but think of his younger brother, thousands of miles away.
While missing his brother, he also silently grumbled about his own grandfather a few times in his heart.
If it weren’t for that traitor An Lushan undermining the empire’s foundation, would he have had to become this patching-up emperor?
Today, there’s a rebellion here; tomorrow, foreign tribes invade there.
The more he thought about how vexing it was to be this emperor, the more resentment he felt toward his own grandfather.
In the past, he would never have dared to think this way—it would have been considered defiance.
But ever since hearing his youngest brother’s inner thoughts, he had come to feel that silently complaining about parents and elders in his heart wasn’t such a big deal. As long as appearances were maintained, it was fine. Look at Li Xi—he complained about the Emperor while also criticizing his own father, hitting every sore point. Yet how many people could truly hold it against him?
Wasn’t it precisely because everything Li Xi said was the truth, was honest?
Li Yu thought to himself that since no one could hear his inner thoughts, he might as well vent a little.
And after venting, he found himself feeling much more relaxed, further convinced that grievances must be aired.
“I wonder how far your uncle has traveled by now?” Li Yu sighed softly.
“He should be nearing Shazhou by now.”
“Once we reach Shazhou, Xizhou isn’t far off, but Xizhou City hasn’t been peaceful these past few years.” Li Yu pondered for a moment. “Go check how much money remains in my private treasury, and allocate some to Cao Lingzhong. The Anxi Army has requested funds many times, but I have no money to spare. Fortunately, my private treasury has earned some income these past few years.”
That income came from the hotpot mutton restaurants and milk tea shops he had opened outside!
In recent years, cattle farms had multiplied outside Chang’an City, and milk was no longer a luxury reserved only for high-ranking officials and nobles in Chang’an. Additionally, Li Xi had reminded the Emperor to collect wild tea leaves from villagers in places like Jianzhou (Fujian) and acquire land for tea cultivation. Not only was land cheap there, but it was also highly suitable for growing tea trees. After years of continuous investment, profits finally began to flow this year.
The wild tea from Jianzhou was now being harvested and transported to the northern grasslands and various regions of the Central Plains, bringing substantial earnings to the Emperor’s private treasury. As a result, the price of tea in the north had dropped significantly.
Tea trees could live for decades or even longer, so from now on, it was simply a matter of waiting to reap the profits.
If not for this, Li Yu would never have been able to save so much money.
Before Li Xi departed, Li Yu opened his private treasury and gave him a considerable sum of silver.
Looking at the playing cards in his hand, Li Yu was struck by inspiration. “Produce these playing cards and sell them in my shops. If they make money, set aside twenty percent as usual to send to your uncle later. A traveler needs ample funds, and he must be short on money now that he’s just arrived in the Western Regions.”
How lonely it was, no longer being able to hear his younger brother’s inner thoughts…
Guo Ziyi shared this sense of loneliness.
After court adjourned, he headed alone to the small training ground.
It used to be an old man and a young lad, but now only he remained.
Young Li Xi always gave off an impression of frailty, hardly resembling a manly figure. Every day, Guo Ziyi would push Li Xi to his limits until he returned exhausted like a dead dog. The next day, the rebellious disciple would greet him with a bright smile on his face while inwardly cursing the septuagenarian for being inhuman—how could someone so old still be so physically robust?
Did Guo Ziyi get angry?
Not at all!
Who would get upset over being called youthful? Naturally, Guo Ziyi didn’t either. Though he inwardly scoffed at his young disciple’s endless chatter, he happily filtered out the content of those inner thoughts.
Though he was old (crossed out), he was still strong and healthy (humbly accepted).
Following Guo Ziyi’s instructions, his subordinate managed to find a small basket of Hu Cakes that had been left uneaten for ten days.
Though he had no idea why the old man wanted these—since military camps typically prepared food fresh unless on forced marches—the kitchen had been turned upside down to locate them.
Now, the septuagenarian squatted on the training ground, watching as a pot of water was brought to a boil and slices of mutton were added. Once the mutton soup was boiling, the dried Hu Cakes, broken into small pieces, were finally tossed into the pot. After cooking, a handful of essential greens were sprinkled on top, completing this simple version of mutton paomo.
The subordinate first served Guo Ziyi a bowl. The mutton soup, seasoned with oil and salt, wasn’t as flavorful as what he had tasted at the Emperor’s place, but with the temperature dropping today, the dried cakes softened after soaking in the hot mutton broth, becoming tender and far easier to savor than when they were cold and hard.
The simple version of mutton paomo differed from the luxurious one in that—
First, add Hu Cake before the simplified version of Li Huo, which helps the lamb soup simmer the Hu Cake for a while, making it soft enough.
Second, add more wild vegetables inside. In seasons when wild vegetables are hard to find, they can be omitted. According to that little rebellious disciple, everyone needs to supplement their diet with green vegetables. If green vegetables cannot be replenished in time during winter, drink more tea or eat more fruit. Otherwise, symptoms such as chills, high fever, rapid breathing, and skin bruising may occur. This disease is called scurvy, commonly seen among sailors on long voyages and people living in cold regions for extended periods. This is also why nomadic tribes have a high demand for tea from the Central Plains—they go without green vegetables for most of the year.
Although the taste is not as good as before, it is sufficient to endure the harsh northern winter.
In winter warfare, resisting the cold is even more important than equipment.
Guo Ziyi nodded with satisfaction. “How long has this Hu Cake been stored?”
“About ten days.”
“Would you like to taste it and see how it is?”
The flavor of Hu Cake stored for ten days naturally isn’t great. These generals have had their fair share of dry biscuits in the field and have little interest in such food. However, they dare not refuse their superior’s request and step forward to serve themselves a bowl each. To show their loyalty to the old man, some even fill their bowls to the brim.
As someone reluctantly takes the first sip, their eyes suddenly light up.
What, what, what—this taste is off.
Is this really Hu Cake that has been air-dried for over ten days? It melts in the mouth, with the aroma of lamb and lamb fat spreading throughout. The transformed Hu Cake has long shed its unpalatable taste. Now, like an old mother waiting for her son to return, it warms the mouth and soothes the stomachs of everyone present.
“This tastes pretty good. Who would have thought Hu Cake could be eaten like this?”
“Commander, how did you come up with this? If we had known this method earlier, no one in the military camp would ever complain about leftover Hu Cake again.”
So, a general is a general. Even if they can’t grasp the bigger picture in battle, as the commander, Guo Ziyi naturally thinks along the same lines as Pugu Huai’en.
Guo Ziyi raised an eyebrow. “What if, in the dead of winter, after several days of forced march, you were to have a bite of this?”
The officers were momentarily stunned, then sobered up.
“Commander, are you suggesting we could use this as military rations?” Officer A spoke up.
“Why not? Is it too much trouble to carry an extra small jar in the military supplies, or can’t you start a fire?”
“Commander, with this method, how many fewer soldiers will freeze to death in winter?” Officer B exclaimed excitedly. Having fought long in the north, he knew all too well how bitterly cold it could be, to the point where water freezes instantly. “This is—”
Guo Ziyi looked toward the direction of Taiji Palace. “This method was created by His Highness the Prince of Xizhou, but it was the Emperor who promoted it vigorously.”
Of course, the Emperor wanted to promote it mainly because he was short on funds.
But that’s not how it should be phrased.
The officers gazed toward the depths of the palace with reverence, silently committing three words to memory—Xizhou Wang.
Everyone knew that warfare would continue in the coming autumn and winter. By then, what would such military rations, capable of quickly improving the soldiers’ living standards, bring them?
Meanwhile, Li Xi and the others, whom the people of Chang’an had been thinking of, finally arrived at Shazhou City after a long and hurried journey.
As soon as they entered the city, Li Xi and his companions immediately found a courier station to settle in, calling for hot water to wash their hair and bathe.
Shazhou was originally a major border city, and in earlier years many merchants had settled here, so the courier station was quite large. However, Li Xi had brought a considerable number of people with her. After booking the entire courier station, she also reserved several nearby inns to accommodate everyone.
Even the experienced courier station official was overwhelmed by this group.
Li Xi, with her freshly washed hair, opened the window with interest while her maid wrung out her hair, gazing at the bustling street scene outside.
Her room was on the second floor. Originally, she was meant to be given a quiet location, but Li Xi insisted on staying by the street—firstly to enjoy the lively atmosphere, and secondly because of the ancient curfew. At most, it would be noisy during the day, but once the curfew bell rang, people on the street would gradually return home. Thus, even rooms near the street wouldn’t be too noisy.
Upon hearing this, Lady Wu also found the reasoning sound and similarly chose a room facing the street.
So, from the window, one could clearly see the hustle and bustle of the street.
Shazhou City had once been a vital hub for north-south traffic. It was only in recent years, with the decline of the Silk Road, that the number of traveling merchants had dwindled. It was said that during Emperor Gaozong’s reign, property prices in Shazhou City had once reached exorbitant levels.
Due to the east-west traffic, the people passing through here were numerous and diverse. The streets were filled with many Caucasians of Eurasian descent, and even some Black people. Below was a commercial street. When locals saw many outsiders staying at the courier station, they assumed it was a large trade caravan. Some came to watch the excitement, while the bolder ones set up stalls right outside the courier station’s entrance.
In truth, since Li Xi had crossed over, she had lived in the palace. Even during this journey to her fief, she had mostly passed through grasslands and deserts, rarely seeing such a lively, bustling place.
“Bai Cha, go ask the courier station official what time the curfew is here. Also, ask about the stalls on the street—find out what they’re selling and see if there’s anything worth taking with us.”
Upon hearing that Her Highness wanted to go out and explore, the courier station official hurried upstairs to reply: “Your Highness, the customs here in Shazhou are quite fierce. If you wish to go out, it’s best to bring several guards and return before dark.”
Then, after some thought, he couldn’t help but add: “There are many people in our neighborhoods here. Although such incidents are unlikely to occur, I must remind you—it’s best not to carry a pig’s head while walking on the street, lest it cause disputes and inconvenience.”
Upon hearing the latter part, the four maids—Bai, Lu, Lan, and Bi—could hardly contain their laughter.
Lu He, the youngest and most spirited, had lived in the palace, but Chang’an was also an international metropolis. She had heard a thing or two about the rumors of the neighborhood people, but what she didn’t know was that Shazhou’s customs were even fiercer.
It was almost time for the evening meal, and the area downstairs was gradually becoming livelier. One soup noodle shop, in particular, was the busiest.
Li Xi, eager to join the excitement, couldn’t wait for Lu He to finish styling her hair and was about to dash downstairs.
Bi Qing grabbed her firmly: “Never mind the strong wind outside, but if you run out like this, do you not want to reach Xizhou City safely?”
The truth of her being a woman was naturally no secret to these personal maids. Thus, from a young age, Lady Wu had taken charge of affairs in Li Xi’s quarters. Even the four personal maids had been personally trained by her, with no room for negligence.
Li Xi had fair skin to begin with, which wasn’t noticeable when she was younger, but with her hair down, she looked unmistakably like a woman.
Li Xi, reluctantly pulled back by the maids, tied up her hair and went downstairs, just as Lady Wu had also finished tidying up, and they descended together.
Li Xi paid her respects to Lady Wu and said, “We still need to purchase a few things. I’d like to go out for a walk.”
Lady Wu replied, “We can talk about shopping later. It’s time for the evening meal, and I’d like to go out for something to eat.”
Naturally, Li Xi had no objections. The two went out together and saw the soup noodle shop across the street. The owner’s hands moved swiftly, stretching the white flour noodles into long, thin strands. Lady Wu watched in amazement, standing at the entrance and not moving. When she finally came back to her senses, she said, “I’ve heard that in the northwest, they eat even more noodles than we do, and the styles are different from those in our Guanzhong.”
This clearly meant she wanted noodles.
“Then let’s have soup noodles,” Li Xi said, walking straight into the shop.
Author’s Note:
This chapter gives out 10 small red envelopes.