Traveling through various miniature worlds with a small restaurant

Chapter 244 World of Famous Works 33

Li Lizhi was eager to enter the palace to report all that she knew to the Tang Emperor, so she quickly took her leave of Lin Xiaoqian.

She did invite Lin Xiaoqian to the palace to meet the Tang Emperor, but Lin Xiaoqian claimed that he had to protect the Great Sage and couldn't get away, so he politely declined.

Lin Xiaoqian personally escorted Li Lizhi out of the private room, where Jiang Shuang was already waiting at the door after receiving Lin Xiaoqian's telepathic message.

"Princess, this way please." Jiang Shuang exchanged a glance with Lin Xiaoqian and then led Li Lizhi downstairs.

Lin Xiaoqian watched Li Lizhi's retreating figure and shook her head slightly. It was too much for her because of Brother Zhuang.

However, it seems that Princess Li Lizhi only lived to the age of 23 before passing away. At this time, she would only be sixteen years old, yet she had already been married for three years. Women in ancient times married so young, no wonder they died young.

When Li Lizhi arrived on the second floor, she saw Wan Jun still waiting for her at the entrance of the private room. She scolded, "I told you to go back to the manor first. Why are you still waiting here?"

Wan Jun, her eyes shining, raised the small cloth bag in her hand and said to Li Lizhi, "Sister-in-law, look."

Li Lizhi asked curiously, "What is this?"

Wanjun opened the cloth bag, inside were seeds the size of beans. They weren't beans, but they looked somewhat like the stuff you get in wontons.

“I bought this from Miss Jiang. She said it’s called corn and it’s a crop from a foreign land. It’s not available in the Tang Dynasty yet. My sister-in-law just said this corn is delicious, so Wanjun will take the seeds back and plant them for her.”

Li Lizhi's eyes were full of tenderness as she gently patted Wanjun's head. "Wanjun is so thoughtful. Then your sister-in-law will wait to eat the corn that Wanjun grows."

Jiang Shuang smiled and casually said, "I heard from the foreigners that this corn is highly adaptable, drought-resistant, and tolerant of poor soil. It has a short planting cycle and can yield a thousand catties per mu. I don't know if what they said is true or not. If you grow it and weigh the yield, young man, please remember to let me know."

Emperor Tang valued agriculture, and even though Li Lizhi didn't farm, she knew that a yield of a thousand catties per mu was simply a pipe dream. She didn't take it to heart, paid the bill, and left the restaurant with Wanjun.

After sending Wanjun back to her residence, Li Lizhi changed her clothes and hurried to the palace, rushing towards the Tang Emperor's study.

At this moment, in the study, the Tang Emperor was frowning as he looked at the mountain of memorials piled on the table. Upon hearing that the Princess was requesting an audience, he immediately put down his work and allowed her to enter.

"Father!" Li Lizhi bowed respectfully as she entered the study, her voice filled with joy and urgency. "Father, I have not failed you. There is news about that matter!"

The Tang Emperor dismissed his attendants, quickly rose, and personally helped his daughter up, saying, "Lizhi, don't rush, tell me slowly."

Li Lizhi composed herself and told the Tang King everything she had seen and heard at Lin Xiaoqian's place.

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor's expression grew even more serious. He paced back and forth in his study, pondering for a long time before saying, "Lizhi, you have done very well. However, have you investigated the background of that shopkeeper, Lin?"

Li Lizhi's face turned pale, and she quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "It was my negligence, I will send someone to investigate immediately."

The Tang King slightly raised his hand to gesture for her to stand up, and said slowly, "That's enough. The person who can predict what you are asking for is more capable than those so-called high monks before. I'm sure that shopkeeper Lin is no ordinary person either. Even if you investigate, you probably won't find anything."

Li Lizhi bit her lower lip, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes, "Father, don't you believe what Shopkeeper Lin said?"

King Tang sighed softly, slowly sat down in the chair, his gaze deep. "Words cannot be completely disbelieved, nor can they be entirely trusted. For Shopkeeper Lin to so easily tell you such a secret matter as cultivation, either she is lying, or she has other motives."

Li Lizhi nodded thoughtfully, "Father is absolutely right. At the time, I was only thinking about bringing the news back to you as soon as possible, and I didn't think about the details. So, Father, do you think what Shopkeeper Lin said is true or false, or what does she want?"

The Tang Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, lost in thought, and the study fell silent instantly.

Li Lizhi tiptoed to the side of the Tang King, poured him a cup of tea, and after taking a sip, the Tang King suddenly asked, "Lizhi, tell me, what kind of food does that restaurant sell?"

"That shop only sells wontons, but the types of wontons they sell every day are different, which is quite ingenious. I tried some today, and the taste was extraordinary. It was very delicious, even surpassing the wontons made by the imperial chefs in the palace."

Li Lizhi not saying that it was much inferior was already giving the imperial chef a lot of face.

Li Lizhi seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, Father, this shop seems to have a lot of foreign plants. Yesterday, the wontons seemed to be made with a spicy ingredient called chili pepper, which is stronger than pepper. Today's wontons seem to have a crop called corn in them. When Wanjun saw that I liked it, she bought some corn seeds from the shopkeeper to take back, saying that she wanted to grow them for me to eat."

The Tang King chuckled and said, "Wan Jun has always been attached to you since she was little. She'll be happiest when you two become sisters-in-law."

Li Lizhi smiled and said, "Father is right. Oh, by the way, the waiter in the restaurant also said that the foreigners claim that this corn yields a thousand catties per mu. If Wanjun grows it and weighs the yield, we should let her know if it yields a thousand catties."

"What?!" Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor nearly dropped his teacup. He abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "A thousand catties per mu? That's absolutely impossible! Our Great Tang has cultivated the land meticulously for many years, yet the yield of millet per mu is only around one shi (a unit of dry measure). Even rice, in the fertile lands of Jiangnan, rarely exceeds two shi per mu. If corn really had such a high yield, wouldn't the people of our Great Tang be spared from the suffering of famine?!"

At that time, the foundation of the nation will be even more solid!

Seeing her father's reaction, Li Lizhi realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly said, "When I first heard this, I also found it hard to believe. Father, this is probably just the boasting of foreigners, and we cannot believe it."