hsntnovel Chapter 2645 Finally finished eating
Chapter 2645 Finally finished eating
Li Shen was initially somewhat in the wrong, but he couldn't accept being called heartless and insane by his own father.
He's not Li Yin, how could he say that about himself?
"Please calm down, Erlang. I believe Shen'er would not be so extravagant on a normal day. She is only doing this today to show her respect to Erlang, right, Shen'er?"
At this moment, Empress Zhangsun stood up to smooth things over, fearing that the father and son would start arguing again.
"Mother is right. I don't usually eat these things, but I did this today so that you could taste something delicious."
"Please forgive me, Father." Li Shen quickly seized the opportunity to back down, finding a way to save face.
Li Shimin also calmed down a bit and said:
"Come on, show us all your best stuff."
Li Shen didn't dare to explain the next few dishes too much. Finally, when the main dishes of fried rice and fish soup were served, Li Shen didn't dare to mention the ingredients.
Otherwise, his father might have to resort to family discipline.
Golden fried rice, each grain golden brown, is fragrant, sticky, and delicious, leaving a lingering aroma on the lips and teeth.
It's even more delicious when paired with a bowl of fish soup.
The tongue of a crucian carp, the brain of a silver carp, the milt of a common carp, and the swim bladder of a yellow croaker—the essence of more than a dozen kinds of seafood—are simmered into a bowl of clear soup.
Li Shen squinted as he enjoyed the satisfaction that the food brought him, taking a spoonful of soup and a spoonful of rice.
The others at the table followed Li Shen's example and enjoyed themselves immensely.
With delicious food in front of us, there were no song and dance performances as usual, and even the drinking was much less.
Today's events have greatly impacted everyone in the main hall, giving them a renewed understanding of the immense wealth and power of the Prince Ji's mansion.
If these ingredients were from any other noble family, they would never have been prepared in just a few days.
In particular, some of the ingredients come from the wild, and some even come from Liaodong Road.
This table full of various green vegetables is something they couldn't possibly get their hands on. It's already the dead of winter, and there's nowhere to get any green vegetables.
We're lucky if we can even get some dried vegetables.
"Gurgle~~~" Li Shen let out a burp, picked up the glass cup and took a sip of wine.
Full of wine and food.
If it weren't for showing off in the harem, he wouldn't have eaten such luxurious food.
Things are valued for their rarity. To be sure, this meal is worth at least a fortune, and the cost of its fast-moving transport alone is considerable.
Li Tai was so full he could barely sit still, tilting his head back to try and open his stomach.
"How was the meal?" Li Shimin asked everyone, wiping his mouth.
"It's delicious, thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty." The group bowed.
"Hehe, if anyone should be thanking someone, it should be our Prince Ji. This meal must be worth a fortune, right?" Li Shimin chuckled twice.
“Father, I think it should be at least five thousand strings of cash.” Li Tai stood up, as sitting made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Ten thousand taels of gold is only ten strings of cash. What he didn't know was that the gold that Li Shimin was talking about was the gold of gold.
Li Shimin of today would never care about a few strings of cash.
"Father, you're exaggerating. It's just a thousand taels of gold," Li Shen said, bowing.
"I think it's not just this. Let it go this time, but don't do it again next time. If the censors find out, the court will be in an uproar."
All I desire now is peace.
Li Shimin stood up and stretched his limbs. This meal was the most enjoyable he had ever had in his life.
"Yes, I will remember." Li Shen agreed, but in his heart he was disdainful. There will be a next time? Dream on.
He spent tens of thousands of dollars today just to show off in front of others.
Not only did he fail to show off, but he was also reprimanded for being heartless and said he would never do it again.
"Let's go to the study," Li Shimin said to his sons as he left his seat.
The others naturally left after finishing their meal.
"Well... Father, I'm a little dizzy from drinking too much, and I'd like to go back to the manor to rest. If you need anything, I'll come again tomorrow."
Li Shen is just that rebellious; everyone else is following him, but he wants to leave. He even wants to go back and set off fireworks today.
"Hmm?" Li Shimin turned around and glared at Li Shen, who immediately deflated. However, he suddenly turned around again:
"Daowu, Daowu, help me to have some tea."
His shout immediately drew the attention of the others. Li Chengqian and his brothers were also somewhat taken aback. Li Shimin glanced back at Li Shen, but said nothing.
Zhou Daowu ran over when he heard the shout. He understood that Li Shen wanted him to show his face more in front of the Emperor and the Crown Prince and get to know them better.
Amidst the envious gazes of the other imperial sons-in-law, Zhou Daowu helped Li Shen follow Li Shimin into the study.
Li Shimin was well aware of Li Shen's petty cleverness; he simply chose not to say it.
"I....."
As Li Shimin entered the study, he was about to speak when he saw Li Shen acting as if he were an outsider, lying down directly on the couch.
Li Shimin quickly went over and kicked it:
"Move a little closer."
Li Shen reluctantly shifted his body, while Li Shimin lay down beside him.
The maidservant began brewing tea for the group.
Looking at the two people lying on the bed, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and the others felt envious and could only find seats to sit down.
"Tenth Prince, has Xizhou been stabilized?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Shen leaned back against the cushion and stretched upwards:
"Hmm... it's alright. The people of Xizhou City are relatively stable, but the tribes below have some ulterior motives."
However, there shouldn't be any problems. I've already given Qu Zhiping a heads-up, and the twenty-odd tribes he's in charge of shouldn't have any issues for now.
"How did you manage to put him in a difficult position? He has 200,000 Gaochang refugees with him," Li Chengqian interjected.
Li Shen looked up and glanced at Li Chengqian:
"It's very simple. I used three thousand men to wipe out a rebel army of nearly ten thousand. Wasn't the victory report sent back to Chang'an? Didn't you see it, brother?"
“Of course I saw it. Is this the tapping you were talking about?” Li Chengqian replied.
"Otherwise what? If we don't let them see the power of our Great Tang, how can they willingly submit?"
Even if they are unwilling, we must ensure they dare not resist, not even the slightest thought of resistance.
Li Shen said this as a matter of course.
"Tenth Brother, using killing to stop killing is indeed the quickest solution, but it's not a long-term plan. The Han Dynasty is also militarily strong, and it has caused the Xiongnu in the north to bleed for thousands of miles."
"But they're still here, and you can't kill them all," Li Shimin said.
Li Shen also agreed with this view. The Han Dynasty was so powerful, but in the end, it was like a wildfire that could not be extinguished and was reborn with the spring breeze.
Li Shen believed that the reason why there were no foreign invasions during the Three Kingdoms and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods was due to the massacres during the Han Dynasty, which prevented them from recovering.
"Do any of you have any ideas?" Li Shimin asked, looking at Li Chengqian and the others.
The group looked at Li Chengqian, who, as the crown prince, naturally spoke first.
"Father, I believe that turning them into citizens of our Great Tang is the fundamental solution to this problem."
Li Chengqian thought for a moment and replied.
(I'll start correcting typos tomorrow. Any suggestions are welcome; please write them here so I can see them.)