Li Shimin rubbed the little princess’s head. “All right, we’ll come again!”
Fishing with xiao ran’s fishing rod and bait was truly refreshing. Besides, Xiao Ran had more experience with fishing, so Li Shimin wanted to come again too.
“Girl, that rice looks a little different. How does it taste?” Li Shimin actually wanted to try it as well, but seeing that there was not much left, he had said he was not hungry and thus felt embarrassed to eat it.
“Father~ So yummy~” the little princess said first.
“It really is delicious! It’s different from the rice of the Great Tang.” Li Lizhi thought for a moment. “It’s whiter, and the grains are uniform in size and plump. It looks much better than the rice from the Palace Food Bureau.”
In the Great Tang era, rice was hulled using tools such as stone mills and pestle-and-mortar sets. The processing was crude, making it difficult to completely remove the bran and husks. The finished product was usually coarse rice or partially polished rice, with a yellowish, gray, or brown color, irregular grains, and occasional broken rice.
“The fragrance and chewiness are a little lacking, but the texture is softer and more delicate. I think it’s more suitable for old monk and children.”
“Another good thing!” Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully.
The Palace Food Bureau’s rice was the finest tribute rice. Who would have thought it was still inferior to the rice Xiao Ran ate?
“If we can meet young master again in the future, let’s see whether we can purchase some for grandfather, mother, second younger sister, and the others to try.” Li Lizhi said with a smile.
“It should be possible. Xiao Ran is not a stingy person.”
Li Lizhi continued, “father, young master’s cooking utensils are also rare objects I have never seen before. His kitchen knife is small and exquisite, and looks exceptionally sharp.”
“Indeed! The bowls and chopsticks he uses surpass even the imperial ones in color and texture. Those things are extraordinary, and their value is immeasurable.” Li Shimin was not the only one who had noticed this; Cheng Yaojin, Zhang Anan, and the others had noticed it as well.
Who would have thought that an ordinary person could use such extravagant things?
Li Shimin looked at the calcium milk biscuits and figured that they must also be very expensive pastries, since they were so delicious.
“Young master is generous, and he doesn’t seem like someone who is greedy for pleasure.” This was Li Lizhi’s impression.
“Young master feels very different.” As for exactly how he was different, Li Lizhi could not put it into words.
“Your Highness, I believe he treats everyone equally and makes no distinctions.” Cheng Yaojin, who was riding beside them and carrying the fish, spoke up.
“Uncle is absolutely right!” Li Lizhi nodded.
“He could tell that the identities of the few of us were different, yet he was still able to treat us all equally. He truly is extraordinary!” Li Shimin’s most direct impression was that Xiao Ran treated Zhang Anan the same way he treated him.
“Anan, go to the Ministry of Justice when we return and check the travel permit records from the past two years. See whether there is one belonging to Xiao Ran. He said he came from the western regions, so you only need to check the travel permits from the western regions.”
Li Shimin gave him his instructions.
“Yes, your majesty. This servant will remember.”
The official document required for traveling far from home was called a travel permit. It combined identity verification with a travel license, equivalent to a modern pass or passport.
Merchants used them most often. A travel permit recorded the holder’s name, destination, route, accompanying personnel, and carried items.
The core purpose of a travel permit was to prove the holder’s identity, itinerary, and legality, ensuring that officials would recognize them when they passed through checkpoints and relay stations.
Without this document, anyone caught wandering about recklessly would face a one-year prison sentence under the Great Tang law.
If someone attempted to evade government office inspections by bypassing checkpoints through sparsely traveled areas, the crime would be aggravated by one degree, resulting in a sentence of one and a half years!
“Zhi Jie, remember to make the arrangements. We may go to your residence.”
“Yes, your majesty. This subject will remember!”
Li Shimin could not say the imperial palace, so he could only say Cheng Yaojin’s home.
Xiao Ran quickly packed up his belongings. After checking that there was no one nearby, he turned and headed toward the mountain ravine where he had hidden the motorhome.
Xiao Ran also kept one fish and released the rest back into the water.
As he walked, he pondered what he should do next to establish himself in this era.
The identities of the people he had met earlier were noble, and befriending them would certainly be beneficial.
However, he also had to offer benefits of corresponding value. In fact, Xiao Ran had other fishing rods; he simply could not run back inside the motorhome to retrieve them earlier.
As a veteran angler, how could he possibly have only one fishing rod?
In the future, Xiao Ran would not mind giving away one fishing rod. Having so many fishing rods would not affect his future fishing.
When he reached the front of the mountain cave, he looked around and, seeing no one, carried the box inside.
After returning on the motorhome, he instinctively reached for his mobile phone, but there was still no signal.
Sitting on the sofa, Xiao Ran suddenly realized that if the vehicle remained hidden and could not be exposed to sunlight, the electricity would definitely run out eventually.
“Looks like I’ll still have to drive it out to bask in the sunlight. There’s still fuel now, but what will I do when it runs out in the future?” Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt a headache coming on.
After returning to Chang’an City, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin escorted them to the palace gate before leaving.
The little princess was drowsy in the carriage. It was the little girl’s afternoon nap time.
“Sizi, we’ll be home soon. Wait a little longer before sleeping.” Li Lizhi rubbed the little princess’s plump little face.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm~” The little princess rubbed her eyes and forced herself to perk up.
“Do you want to play with Xiao Hei again?” Li Lizhi deliberately found a topic to chat about with the little princess.
“Hee-hee~” Thinking of the Samoyed’s adorable appearance, the little princess smiled too. “I wanna~”
“Call him Xiao Hei.” Li Shimin shook his head helplessly. Normally, he should have been called Xiao Bai.
“That’s right~ The dog is called Xiao Hei~” The little princess remembered too.
Li Shimin shook his head helplessly. She really did not play by the usual rules.
Hearing the commotion and knowing that Li Shimin and the others had returned, Empress Zhangsun rose from Lizheng Palace.
She took Little Princess Chengyang by the hand and walked outside.
She happened to see Li Shimin carrying the little princess out of the carriage, with Li Lizhi close behind.
“Mother~ I’m home~” The little princess climbed down from Li Shimin’s arms and ran toward Empress Zhangsun on her short little legs.
Empress Zhangsun opened her arms. “Sizi, slow down!”
The little princess threw herself directly into Empress Zhangsun’s arms.
“Hee-hee~”
Empress Zhangsun also saw Zhang Anan carrying two fish. “Sizi, was fishing fun?”
“It was fun~ I wanna go again~”
“Father! Elder sister!” Little Princess Chengyang called out as well.
“Your majesty!”
Li Shimin took Empress Zhangsun by the arm. “Guanyin Maid, I met an interesting person while fishing this time. Let me tell you about him.”
The group knelt around the medical table. Li Lizhi took out the few calcium milk biscuits remaining. “Mother, try this!”
“So crunchy~ So yummy~”
Empress Zhangsun picked up a Calcium Milk Biscuit. “This looks as though it isn’t from the Great Tang.”
“It really doesn’t look like it.” Li Shimin nodded as well.
Empress Zhangsun lightly bit into it. It was crunchier than she had imagined, and the taste was not bad either.
“This tastes quite good.” Empress Zhangsun fed it to Little Princess Chengyang. “It seems to have been baked. To control the heat and bake it into this form is truly remarkable.”
“Mother, this is delicious.” Little Princess Chengyang was very excited.
“Hee-hee~ That’s right, that’s right~”
Li Shimin and the others recounted what had happened when they met Xiao Ran.