gnovel Chapter 66 You dare to lie to my son?!
Chapter 66 You dare to lie to my son?!
Chapter 66 You dare to cheat me out of my rhinoceros snacks?!
Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the ministers below like that of a hawk.
On the civil officials' side, Fang Xuanling remained calm and composed, while Changsun Wuji stared blankly at his toes.
Now let's look at the military generals.
Cheng Yaojin is acting a bit strange today.
In the past, when this troublemaker went to court, he would either be fiddling with his fingers or winking at Yuchi Gong next to him.
Today he was behaving himself, shrinking his big head and half-deadly hiding behind a pillar, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, his cheeks twitching very slightly.
That's the action of chewing.
Although he was trying his best to conceal it and move his mouth in rhythm with Wei Zheng's speech, the increasingly strong smell of cumin was clearly wafting from his direction.
"cough!"
Li Shimin cleared his throat, interrupting Wei Zheng's eloquent speech.
Wei Zheng was taken aback. He had just begun to say that floods were more ferocious than tigers, and his breath was interrupted, leaving him feeling stifled: "Your Majesty?"
"Minister Wei, please rest for a moment."
Li Shimin waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the large, fat body that was trying to shrink into the ground. "Duke Lu."
Cheng Yaojin froze, not moving.
"Cheng Zhijie!"
Li Shimin raised his voice.
Cheng Yaojin then reluctantly emerged from behind the pillar, blinking innocently, "Your Majesty, I am here. I was just listening to Lord Wei talk about the flood, and I felt so sad that I was about to cry."
"Want to cry?"
Li Shimin sneered, "I think you're just too full."
The surrounding ministers all turned their heads. Fang Xuanling, with his sharp nose, also caught a whiff of something and glanced at Cheng Yaojin with a strange look.
"Your Majesty is innocent!"
Cheng Yaojin started yelling at the top of his lungs, "I've been wholeheartedly devoted to the country, and I came to court without even having breakfast. My stomach is growling with hunger, how can you say I'm stuffed?"
"Didn't you have breakfast?"
Li Shimin stood up from the dragon throne, walked down the steps with his hands behind his back, and approached Cheng Yaojin step by step.
As they drew closer, the alluring sweet and spicy aroma grew stronger, practically testing Li Shimin's limits of patience.
"What's that red spot on your sleeve?"
Li Shimin pointed to the cuffs of Cheng Yaojin's purple official robe.
There was a coin-sized oil stain there, glowing with an eerie red light under the lamp, clearly recently rubbed on.
Cheng Yaojin looked down, his face flushed, and he instinctively hid his hands behind his back: "This—this is a nosebleed that happens when you wake up early!"
Yes, it was from a nosebleed! I've been really irritable lately!
"Is she easily angered?"
Li Shimin stopped in front of him, a half-smile on his face, "Then why do I smell a hint of fennel in your nosebleed? Is your nosebleed pickled with spices?"
Laugh out loud!
The civil and military officials could no longer contain themselves; even Wei Zheng's dark face twitched slightly.
Cheng Yaojin knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so his thick skin stopped blushing. He chuckled and slowly pulled an oil paper package from his wide sleeves.
The oil paper package had been opened, and only half of the bright red, oily spicy strips remained inside.
"Hehe, Your Majesty is wise; indeed, nothing can escape your discerning eyes."
Cheng Yaojin licked his lips, a look of relish on his face, "This stuff—it really is potent. I was just afraid of getting sleepy during court, so I ate a couple to perk myself up."
Li Shimin stared at the half-packet of spicy strips, his Adam's apple bobbing subtly.
"Where did it come from?"
Last night, Su Mu was on a purchase limit of ten per person.
Cheng Yaojin, being a rough and uncultured man, couldn't get into the inner palace, nor could he find a way into the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
Cheng Yaojin's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "This—I picked it up on the road."
"9
"fart!"
Li Shimin flicked his dragon sleeve, "You won't talk, huh? Then I'll punish you for disrespect before the Emperor, drag you out and give you twenty strokes of the cane!"
"No, no, no! I'll tell you!"
Cheng Yaojin immediately cowered. If he were to get beaten up for stuttering, what would become of his reputation? "It was borrowed from Princess Jinyang."
"borrow?"
Li Shimin raised an eyebrow.
"That's right—I ran into the little princess at the palace gate this morning. She was holding a bag of these things and eating them with relish."
Cheng Yaojin scratched his head. "I told you, Princess, this red thing looks like a poisonous insect. It's probably not clean. I, Cheng, am tough and thick-skinned, I'll taste the poison for you—"
Li Shimin was instantly amused and exasperated.
What a shameless old scoundrel! He'd even fool a three-year-old for snacks!
"You dare to deceive my own son?"
Li Shimin snatched the half-pack of spicy strips. "Confiscated! Also, three months' salary deducted!"
Cheng Yaojin stared at the delicious treat that had slipped from his grasp, his heart aching so much he grimaced. His expression was more painful than if he had lost two pounds of his own flesh: "Your Majesty, at least leave one! The flavor was just starting to rise!"
"Want some?"
Li Shimin snorted coldly, turned around and walked back, "Go ask someone else, don't embarrass yourself here."
After the court session ended, in the study of the Liangyi Hall.
Wang De dismissed his attendants and closed the doors and windows tightly.
Li Shimin sat behind his desk, with the oil paper package he had snatched from Cheng Yaojin in front of him.
The oil paper was crumpled and still had Cheng Yaojin's big fingerprint on it.
Li Shimin glanced at it with disdain, but the fragrance that wafted straight into his nostrils quickly made his slight obsession with cleanliness disappear.
He held up two fingers and picked up a bright red spicy strip.
"This Cheng Yaojin has a good eye."
Put it in your mouth.
The spicy strips, which had long since cooled down, were even chewier than when they were hot.
The moment your teeth cut through the gluten, the sensation similar to the tearing of meat fibers creates the illusion in your brain that you are eating meat.
As you chew, the chili oil trapped in the gluten pores sizzles and oozes out.
First comes the intense sweetness, the kind of sugar that can instantly lift your spirits.
Next comes the unique aroma of cumin, followed by a powerful spiciness that dances on the tip of the tongue like a small flame, burning all the way down to the throat.
"Ugh————"
Li Shimin squinted, leaned back in his chair, and let out a satisfied sigh.
This taste is definitely poisonous.
One bite wasn't enough. That lingering, unsatisfying feeling was incredibly tempting.
He picked up another one.
"Snap!"
The Imperial Study was completely silent, save for the rhythmic sound of chewing.
Li Shimin ate with his mouth covered in red oil and his fingers covered in seasoning residue.
He didn't use a handkerchief either; he imitated Li Lizhi from last night by putting his fingertip in his mouth and sucking on it.
"Hiss—it smells delicious!"
Half a pack of spicy strips was gone in the blink of an eye.
Li Shimin looked at the empty oil paper and felt somewhat lost.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip, which cleansed his palate, but his mind began to race.
This thing—
Li Shimin picked up a remaining sesame seed and examined it closely.
The cost is extremely low; I heard it's just some unwanted gluten scraps.
But it's very oily, salty, and has added sugar.
For soldiers who are constantly on the move and fighting, this is the best thing ever!
During the march, the food was mostly coarse and hard to swallow, and the soldiers often lost their appetite and their morale was low.
But this red stripe is durable, doesn't spoil easily, and its strong flavor makes it perfect with rice.
Even a dry, hard flatbread, when paired with this, can taste like a delicacy.
More importantly, the salt and sugar in it are key to replenishing energy!
Li Shimin suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming, and paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, Su Mu, Su Mu—"
"I originally thought you were just a cook who craved comfort."
"I never expected you to use this to hint at something to me!"
"Your body is in the woodshed, but your heart is on the frontier! This is telling me that only by improving the quality of military rations can the Tang cavalry be invincible!"
Li Shimin stopped and looked at the oiled paper stained with red oil on the table. His gaze became deep and reverent.
"To hide such a crucial national strategy within an inconspicuous snack—if I were to fail to utilize such a talent, wouldn't I be blind?"
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