Chapter 158: Li Er Invites to Dinner!

Inside the Wanchun Hall of the Daxing Palace.

Li Yi sat with his head lowered, appearing to be deep in thought, while Li Er diligently reviewed memorial after memorial nearby!

After a long while, Li Er finished reading the memorials, looked up at Li Yi, and seeing him still sitting with his head down, could not help but chuckle softly. He was still just a child after all, unable to withstand even this minor setback!

Li Er stood up, stretched his limbs, and walked over to Li Yi. However, as he drew closer, he discovered that Li Yi was actually...

"You little rascal, stand up for me right now!" Li Er shouted as he delivered a kick, feeling that words alone were no longer enough!

Li Yi was sleeping soundly, having a wonderful dream, and just as it reached the most crucial moment, he was rudely interrupted. He blinked his eyes open groggily.

"Who is that! Don't you know this young master is sleep—who pissed off Uncle Li? Hehe, Uncle Li, why are you here?"

Li Er's face darkened. "You little scoundrel, is my Wanchun Hall a place for you to sleep? Tell me, how many times have you fallen asleep here already?"

Li Yi rubbed his hands together. "Hehe, when sleepiness strikes, there's just no stopping it!"

"Hmph! You sure find a good excuse. To think I actually worried that you were taking the blow hard and feeling miserable here! Turns out you, you little brat, are more carefree than anyone else!"

"Miserable? What's there to be miserable about? Just because of becoming an official? No need for that! Your nephew doesn't have much, but I've got confidence in spades. Since the heavens have blessed me with such invincible talent, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?"

Li Er burst into laughter. "You rascal! Aside from that brain of yours, the thing I admire most about you is your shameless attitude!"

Li Yi let out a dry laugh, muttering inwardly to himself, "How can a little sparrow like me compare to you old eagles?"

He rubbed his stomach and felt a sharp pang of hunger. It seemed he had slept for quite a while! It was time to eat!

"Uhm, Uncle Li, if you don't have anything else, this nephew will take his leave now! Things are quite busy back home!"

"Hmph! I haven't even said I'm busy, what are you busy with? You're not going anywhere today; you're staying right here to eat with me!"

Li Yi broke into a sly, crafty grin. "That's so embarrassing!"

"Hmph hmph hmph! There's nothing embarrassing about it! Eunuch Yang!"

"This slave is here!"

Li Yi turned around to look. Wasn't this the very same Eunuch Yang who had delivered the imperial decree to him earlier? What did Uncle Li want with him?

"Right! Take Lord Li to the imperial kitchen! He is going to make today's lunch. Oh, and once it's done, have it brought to the Lizheng Palace. I will be dining with him there today!"

Li Yi's mouth hung wide open. "Uncle Li, what do you mean? I cook? Surely you jest!"

Li Er unfolded his folding fan with a snap. "There is no jest about it! Make sure you cook well! And make plenty—don't say I didn't warn you, there will be quite a few people dining today. If you mess up, don't blame me for having you caned!"

With that, he strutted away with a swaggering gait!

Until Li Er's figure completely vanished, Li Yi still hadn't recovered his wits. What was the meaning of this? This was sheer madness! Here he was, a dignified count, being ordered to cook! Was there anything more absurd than this? At a time like this, he had to hold firm to his principles!

"Eunuch Yang!"

"This slave is here, Lord Count, your orders?"

"Right! Lead the way ahead!"

...

Before long, the principled Count Li was led to the imperial kitchen. As soon as Eunuch Yang announced Li Er's command, everyone in the imperial kitchen stared at Li Yi with identical expressions of utter astonishment. It made Li Yi wish he could find a crack in the ground and crawl right into it. Damn it all! If he had known it would come to this, he would have stuck strictly to his principles!

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Finally, Li Yi's shameless skill rebooted. In an instant, he readjusted his mindset. Damn it, so what if it's cooking? I'll cook! But what should he make? Old man Li hadn't told him how many people were coming, nor who they were! How was he supposed to plan for this?

Li Yi pondered for a moment, and suddenly an inspiration flashed through his mind!

"Eunuch Yang, immediately send someone to my estate to find a craftsman named Lin Jiang. Tell him to hand over the iron pot and iron stove I had him make previously, and bring them here to me!"

Eunuch Yang acknowledged the order and went off to see to it.

What Li Yi had suddenly remembered was hot pot. However, in this era, there was neither stainless steel nor gas, so having a hot pot meal was truly no easy feat. Yet Li Yi had been craving it for ages. With no other choice, he could only rely on Lin Jiang. Fortunately, Lin Jiang lived up to his reputation as an experienced old blacksmith. After listening to Li Yi's concept, he had searched the entire Duke's residence until he found a rare metal—Li Yi couldn't even remember what it was called—which he knew was heat-resistant and non-toxic! However, this metal was extremely scarce, and Lin Jiang had exhausted all the material to forge just a single set! As for the stove design, the two of them had already discussed and finalized a blueprint after much deliberation.

Back when Lin Jiang had finished making it, Li Yi had only used it once. The taste had utterly blown Li Yi away with pure bliss, but halfway through, the stove got too hot, forcing Li Yi to give up and hand it back to Lin Jiang for modifications. Then the military exercises had started, keeping Li Yi so overwhelmingly busy that he completely forgot about the matter. Today, he finally remembered it, and all Li Yi could do now was pray that Lin Jiang had solved that damned flaw!

After Eunuch Yang departed, Li Yi began preparing the ingredients. Fortunately, it was currently summer, so vegetables were in abundant supply, and Li Yi didn't hold back! Selecting vegetables, washing them, slicing them, cutting the meat... Before long, Li Yi had all the necessary ingredients ordered and prepared. Next, he set about mixing the dipping sauces. Anyone who has ever eaten hot pot knows that chili peppers are an absolute must; without them, half the flavor is lost. But where on earth could one find chili peppers in the Tang dynasty? Chili peppers were probably still lingering in some forgotten corner of Latin America, completely ignored by everyone. Li Yi estimated that he had zero hope of tasting chili peppers before he kicked the bucket!

With no other choice, Li Yi could only make do with mustard and cornel to satisfy his craving. Although the flavor couldn't compare to chili peppers, it still possessed a unique charm of its own!

Once the ingredients and sauces were ready, Li Yi prepared a few other items. He couldn't just eat hot pot for a single meal! This was the imperial palace after all, and since he had managed to get in, he had to eat his fill. No matter what, he would whip up whatever he fancied first and sort it out later!

Before long, Eunuch Yang returned, carting in a colossal apparatus. When Li Yi laid eyes on it, a grin spread across his face—Lin Jiang truly knew how to get things done! He had actually fitted an outer shell around the small stove. Inspecting it closely, Li Yi saw that the casing was forged from various special materials; crafting such a set was by no means an easy feat!

Seeing that Lin Jiang had successfully completed the task, Li Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief!

Returning to the imperial kitchen and inspecting everything to ensure all preparations were complete, Li Yi gave the word, and accompanied Eunuch Yang toward the Lizheng Palace!

Upon arriving at the Lizheng Palace, cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Yi's forehead. Damn it all! That scheming old fox Li Er was clearly setting him up! The people gathered inside were truly numerous: Li Er, Empress Changsun, Li Chengqian, Li Ke, Li Tai, Princess Changle, along with two little ones—the toddler Li Jia and little Princess Douzi!

Good grief! This was practically a family gathering! If he hadn't made such thorough preparations, he would have made a complete fool of himself. But clearly, this was Li Er's private family gathering; what was the meaning of letting him participate? Could it be...? At this thought, Li Yi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Li Yi stepped across the threshold and entered the room!