xymnovel Chapter 132 Shut up! You're actually eating poison!
Chapter 132 Shut up! You're actually eating poison!
Chapter 132 Shut up! You're actually eating poison!
A few more days passed.
Inside the Chongwen Academy, the teachers sighed repeatedly at the empty seats.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian has skipped class again!
This is the fourth time.
When Li Shimin received the news, his anger surged to the top of his head.
He slammed the memorial in his hand onto the table, chipping a small piece from the gold-lacquered corner.
"This unfilial son! How dare he be so insolent!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Wang Dequan knelt on the ground and carefully offered a cup of warm tea. "Your Highness the Crown Prince may be—"
"What could it be? Maybe he's been fooling around somewhere again?" Li Shimin pushed the teacup aside, spilling tea all over the floor. "Go away!"
Find him for me! He can't fly away, can he?
Wang Dequan accepted the order and led the palace staff to search each palace one by one.
Finally, a sharp-eyed eunuch discovered a series of crooked footprints in the snow in a corner of the Imperial Garden.
The footprints were shallow, as if they had been deliberately concealed, yet they stretched all the way towards the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
Without saying a word, Li Shimin followed the trail of footprints and strode towards the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
His anger only grew stronger as he traveled.
This unfilial son, instead of studying properly at Chongwen Academy, runs off to this important woodshed to loiter!
boom!
Li Shimin kicked open the dilapidated wooden door of the woodshed, and dust fell from the door frame.
The room was warm and cozy, a completely different world from the freezing cold outside.
In the very center of the heated kang, little Sizi, wrapped in a small cotton-padded jacket, was lying on the edge of the kang table, her two little hands supporting her chin, and bubbles were gurgling from her mouth.
Li Chengqian sat next to him. He was honest and sat upright, but his eyes were fixed on a clay pot on the stove, and his saliva unknowingly soaked his clothes.
Su Mu sat by the stove, fiddling with the honeycomb briquettes using fire tongs.
The room was filled with a rich, fresh fish aroma.
Li Shimin's anger froze instantly upon seeing this scene.
He saw what was in the casserole.
That was a fish.
A strange fish with a bloated body and mottled black spots on its skin!
The fish meat had turned white from being cooked, bobbing up and down in the bubbling broth. Its head was particularly large, and its mouth was slightly open, giving it a somewhat ferocious appearance.
This is no ordinary fish.
"Pufferfish?!"
Li Shimin's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and terror.
"Ah!"
The little ox was startled by the sudden loud noise, its body trembled, and it almost swallowed the fish meat in its mouth.
Li Chengqian suddenly stood up, his face turning pale.
"Father Emperor—you—"
Li Shimin ignored them. He felt a chill run down his spine and a cold sensation shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
He had heard from wandering sorcerers that this fish was extremely poisonous and that eating it would surely lead to death. Historical records also state that a powerful nobleman once coveted the deliciousness of pufferfish, only to have his entire family perish as a result.
How did this thing end up here? And this kid even cooked it?
"Su Mu! You bastard!"
Li Shimin roared and charged toward the stove like an arrow, raising his hand to overturn the casserole.
"Don't!"
With lightning speed, Su Mu raised his hand and blocked Li Shimin's powerful blow. He simply held the lid of the casserole firmly, preventing Li Shimin from succeeding.
"Are you insane! This is highly poisonous! How dare you let the Crown Prince eat it!" Li Shimin was so angry that he trembled all over, his finger shaking as he pointed at the pufferfish in the casserole.
Su Mu remained calm as he gently lifted the lid of the casserole.
hiss-!
An intensely fresh aroma wafted out, instantly engulfing the entire woodshed like a tidal wave.
The taste was neither the freshness of ordinary fish and shrimp, nor the rich flavor of delicacies from land and sea.
It is crisp and pure, yet incredibly sweet. It possesses an impact that transcends all other tastes, as if it can instantly wash away all impurities.
Li Shimin's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
The delicious aroma hit his nostrils, instantly choking his anger.
His originally ferocious expression softened little by little after smelling the scent.
It was an indescribable, almost instinctive compromise. His nose twitched involuntarily, instinctively wanting to inhale more.
Su Mu picked up a clean porcelain bowl, scooped out a small piece of fish from the casserole, and poured some broth over it. The fish was translucent and soaked in the milky white broth.
He picked up a small piece with his chopsticks, brought it to his nose and sniffed it gently before putting it in his mouth.
Su Mu responded softly with satisfaction, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"Brother! Brother! It's time for Qizi too!"
Little Sizi couldn't hold back any longer and cried out in her childish voice, reaching out her little hand to snatch the bowl from Su Mu's hand. "It smells good! I want seven!"
Su Mu smiled, ladled out another bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to Xiao Sizi.
"Hmm~~~"
The little girl's eyes sparkled as she took the bowl and carefully scooped a small spoonful into her mouth.
"Hmm!"
Little Sizi's face instantly scrunched up, then relaxed, her eyes squinting contentedly. "Good, good duck! Even better than a shrimp!"
She chewed on the fish while exhaling hot breath, her small body twisting and turning on the kang (a heated brick bed), clearly overwhelmed by the exquisite taste.
Li Shimin stood frozen in place.
He watched as Su Mu and Xiao Sizi ate the poison without any restraint, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
"Father, you should try some too."
Seeing this, Li Chengqian spoke in a low voice.
He was also holding a bowl in his hand, and was carefully tasting it.
Li Shimin didn't speak; he simply stiffly reached out and picked up a small piece of fish skin from the casserole.
The fish skin was cooked until translucent, with an enticing gelatinous texture.
He closed his eyes, as if facing death, and put the piece of fish skin into his mouth.
Soft and chewy!
The fish skin melts instantly when gently pressed on the tip of the tongue.
It had an exquisite gelatinous texture, rich in fishy flavor, yet without any fishy taste. The broth slid down your throat, leaving only that pure, deep umami in your mouth.
Li Shimin suddenly opened his eyes.
poison?
Where did this poison come from? This is clearly the most exquisite taste in the world!
He disregarded his image and picked up another piece of fish.
The fish meat is snow-white, melts in your mouth, and has no bones at all.
That rich and delicious flavor explodes in your mouth, making every taste bud cheer with joy.
"Delicious! Delicious!"
Li Shimin muttered to himself.
He watched the prince wolf down his food, and his anger from before was completely dispelled by the exquisite flavor.
He had never seen his son eat so relaxedly.
Li Chengqian was always very careful when eating in the palace, never speaking while eating or sleeping, and his discipline was so strict that it was heartbreaking.
But now, he lowered his head and ate large mouthfuls of fish from the bowl, completely unaware that the soup had gotten on the corners of his mouth.
"Father Emperor————"
Li Chengqian ate a few bites, then finally raised his head, but dared not look Li Shimin in the eye. "Your subject—Your subject knows that I should not skip class."
He paused, his voice becoming much lower.
"But those classic texts, those policy essays—I can't memorize them, nor can I understand them. The way of governing the country spoken of by the Masters, the art of emperorship taught by Father Emperor, I always feel that there is a layer—a layer of something I can't touch."
7
Li Shimin did not scold him; he simply picked up another piece of fish and put it into Li Chengqian's bowl.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
This was the first time that he hadn't scolded Li Chengqian harshly when Li talked about his academic troubles; instead, he had served him food.
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Li Shimin.
Li Shimin's face had lost its anger, replaced by a complex emotion. The deliciousness of the fish seemed to soothe the anxiety in his heart.
"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish."
Li Shimin picked up a piece of fish, slowly put it in his mouth, and his expression was complicated.
The scene of Su Mu cooking pufferfish just now was replaying in his mind.
That precise control over highly poisonous substances, that skill in turning the rotten into the miraculous.
What is Su Mu implying to him?
Governing a country is like cooking pufferfish.
There are poisonous things in this world that can also be used to make food.
Could those seemingly thorny court affairs, those seemingly useless ministers, be transformed into an exquisite delicacy for the Tang Dynasty, just like pufferfish, if handled properly?
This boy is unfathomable!
Li Shimin's respect for Su Mu deepened even further. He felt that Su Mu was using this dish to teach him a vivid lesson in governing the country.
"Hey bro, is there any more duck?"
After finishing a bowl, Little Sizi licked his lips and asked Su Mu in his childish voice.
Su Mu smiled and served her another bowl.