The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 29: Li Shimin Lets His Guard Down

“Come on, come on! Let’s eat!” Seeing that none of them dared to dig in, Li Xuanba picked up a small knife and a spoon, began making roujiamo, and urged them all to start their lunch. “Here you go! As per the Prince’s orders!” “Thank you, Brother Dongjia!” “Thank you, Brother Xuanba!” With various terms of address flying back and forth, the group set aside all notions of hierarchy and etiquette, sitting together on the ground and happily devouring the fragrant roujiamo. “Whoa! That’s spicy! What’s this green stuff? How can it be so spicy? But man, this flavor—it’s awesome!” Cheng Huai Mo’s personality seemed to take after his father, Cheng Yaojin. He took a big bite out of the palm-sized roujiamo, biting off half of it in one go—his mouth filled with white fat, red meat, and that fiery green chili. “That’s called a green chili—also known as a chili pepper. Being spicy is its defining feature!” Li Xuanba explained with a smile, taking a bite that also took off half the roujiamo himself, squinting his eyes as he savored the sensation of the chili bursting in his mouth! This taste is absolutely amazing! “Chili pepper? It’s definitely spicy! Awesome!” Once the heat of the chili had subsided a bit, Cheng Huai Mo’s eyes lit up as he truly appreciated the sensation—the heat was just like that of strong liquor. A real man should eat this kind of chili. “Boom! Just as he was halfway through his meal, he suddenly felt the ground shake. The entire Meihua Restaurant seemed to start swaying, followed by the rumble of thunder. “Whoosh!” Hearing the thunderous clatter of hooves, Cheng Huai Mo and his companions instantly set down their roujiamo, stood at attention, and watched the doorway warily, their right hands gripping the hilt of the knives hanging from their left waists. “Here they come!” Recognizing the familiar sound of hooves and seeing the alert expressions on Cheng Huai Mo and the others’ faces, Li Xuanba narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself. “Don’t panic! It’s just some guests arriving.” Seeing how flustered Mei Hanxue and the others looked, Li Xuanba spoke calmly to reassure them, then turned to the wary Cheng Huai Mo and his companions and said, “Let’s go! Follow me to welcome my second older brother!” “Yes, sir!” “Clop, clop!” As soon as Li Xuanba stepped outside, he caught sight of twelve riders galloping toward the Plum Blossom Inn. At the very front, atop a white steed, sat a handsome young man dressed in black. This young man was none other than his stepbrother—the current Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, the future Emperor of the Tang, and the ruler who would usher in the Tang Dynasty’s golden age: Li Shimin. “Da De!” Upon seeing Li Xuanba come out to greet him, Li Shimin’s eyes lit up, a glint of brilliance shining in his piercing gaze. Before the white steed had even come to a complete stop, he leaped from the saddle and strode purposefully toward Li Xuanba. “Second Brother!” “Third Brother!” Upon seeing each other, the two brothers exchanged just a few glances before suddenly throwing their arms around each other, both with a hint of red in their eyes. Li Shimin held Li Xuanba tightly, his voice choked with emotion: “Third Brother! Your second brother has waited twelve years for you. Now, you’ve finally come to your senses! Good, good, good! Heaven has finally opened its eyes!” Seeing Li Xuanba again filled Li Shimin with overwhelming emotion. Though he had ascended to the position of Crown Prince, he had become truly alone—without a single brother by blood. Now, at last, he was once again the elder brother of Da De. “Second Brother!” Hearing his step-second brother Li Shimin speak in his ear, Li Xuanba’s worries instantly melted away. It seemed his awakening had not come as a surprise to them—that was good; now they could spin many stories. After the joyful reunion between the two brothers, Li Xuanba glanced at Cheng Yaojin, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and laughed heartily, “This must be our General Cheng Yaojin! Though Xuanba has never met General Cheng in person, I’ve long admired him from afar. Now that we’ve finally met, General Cheng still looks every bit the old devil!” “Ahem… Cheng Yaojin greets His Highness the Prince of Wei.” Hearing Li Xuanba say out of the blue that he’d long admired him from afar, Cheng Yaojin felt a twinge of pride. But when he heard the teasing remark at the end, he suddenly felt a bit awkward. He grimaced slightly, clasped his fists in a bow toward Li Xuanba, and his expression took on a pleading tone. Upon hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Li Shimin paused for a moment, then patted Li Xuanba on the shoulder and burst into laughter: “Hahaha! You really are quite something, Da De! You even know about our old devil!” Li Xuanba’s lips curled slightly into a mischievous grin. Pointing at Cheng Yaojin and Cheng Huai Mo, he teased, “It’s simple! Just look at how much Huai Mo and Zhijie look alike—and those identical beards of theirs. Anyone can tell they’re father and son!” No kidding—not only do you look alike, but your attributes are right there for all to see, aren’t they? Name: Cheng Yaojin Gender: Male Age: 37 Title: Commander of the Right Guard of the Crown Prince, Duke of Su Level: 30 Status: None Personality: Rash, Good-natured, Loyal and Righteous [Base Attributes]: Strength: 700 Intelligence: 10 Leadership: 100 Political: 35 “Ahem…” As Li Xuanba examined Cheng Yaojin’s stats, Cheng Yaojin and Cheng Huai Mo exchanged a glance and both began to cough dryly. “Hahahaha!” Perhaps it was seeing Li Xuanba, who had just awakened after twelve years, or perhaps it was leaving Chang’an behind, but Li Shimin let his guard down completely and laughed unrestrainedly, until tears streamed down his face. Once Li Shimin had wiped away his tears, Li Xuanba put his arm around Li Shimin’s shoulder and led him into the Plum Blossom Restaurant. “Come on! Let’s go inside my Plum Blossom Restaurant for a meal—I’m sure you haven’t had lunch yet!” “Great! I’ve heard you’re quite the chef, Great Master. I’d love to taste what you’ve cooked!” As soon as the group entered the Plum Blossom Restaurant, Mei Hanxue and the others bowed to Li Shimin in greeting. “This humble maiden, Mei Hanxue, pays her respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!” “This humble maiden, Du Xingxuan, pays her respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!” “This humble woman, Du Shuangshuang, pays her respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!” “We pay our respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!” “Um… No need to be so formal! Please, have a seat!” Seeing the three women—Mei Hanxue and the others—who hadn’t been mentioned in the message, Li Shimin was taken aback for a moment. He then cast a quick glance at Li Xuanba and offered a smile to Mei Hanxue and the others, showing not a trace of the arrogance one might expect from a Crown Prince. Li Xuanba didn’t care whether Li Shimin was the Crown Prince or the Emperor. After inviting Li Shimin to sit down, he whipped up a delicious roujiamo in no time, handed it to Li Shimin, and raised his eyebrows smugly. “Second Brother, try the roujiamo I made—it tastes absolutely amazing!” “Alright! Second Brother, give it a try! Mmm, fragrant! Spicy! Refreshing! It really is delicious!” Li Shimin had no reason to be wary of Li Xuanba. He took the roujiamo, bit into it with a big mouthful, chewed just twice, and his eyes immediately lit up. He gave Li Xuanba an admiring look and buried his head in the sandwich, devouring it. After just a few bites, he’d polished off the entire roujiamo. Li Shimin didn’t even need Li Xuanba to make him a new one. Following Li Xuanba’s earlier method, he used a knife to split open a white jimo bun, scooped a generous spoonful of bright red braised pork into it, added green peppers and wild greens, then took a big bite and began eating with great relish. While Li Shimin was tucking in heartily, Cheng Yaojin wasn’t idle either. Since Li Xuanba wasn’t making him a roujiamo, his son Cheng Huai Mo was right there. After devouring two roujiamo in just four bites, he no longer needed Cheng Huai Mo to make one for him—he set to work himself. “Mmm! So good!” As Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin dug in, the ten cavalrymen they’d brought followed their lead, rolling up their sleeves and tucking into the feast. Fortunately, Li Xuanba had anticipated this situation and used a full 100 jin of flour and 100 jin of pork to make enough roujiamo to feed 200 people; otherwise, there’s no way this small batch of roujiamo would have been enough to satisfy these gluttonous eaters.